Lost Words: Beyond The Page is an example of storytelling that can only exist through the medium of games, and a testament to the artistry of play. Its powerful writing, eye-watering design, and incredibly truthful narrative are held up by simple intuitive gameplay that immerses you in its story. While it’s not a challenging experience, Lost Words pulls you into an emotional journey that will linger long after the ending credits. This is the kind of game that makes me excited to play games, even if they leave me in tears.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 takes the best elements from its predecessors and combines them into a uniquely compelling gameplay experience, all while telling a nuanced and captivating narrative of its own. Its beautiful and stylistic art direction lends a rare maturity to its visual presentation, while its heartfelt, melancholic story comes together in an epic, personal conclusion in spite of a couple of odd pacing decisions. Through a complex and refined reimagining of the Xenoblade combat system and top-notch worldbuilding, Monolith Soft have once again cemented their position at the forefront of the JRPG genre. Series veterans and newcomers alike are in for a deep, immersive narrative adventure with dozens of hours of engaging combat and satisfying exploration.
A compelling, nuanced story told beautifully and with many diverging paths, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a stunning example of how powerful the visual novel format can be. It uses the desires, pains, and histories of its characters to paint a rich emotional landscape against the context of a changing world, with the player's decisions shaping both the intricacies and the broad strokes of this world's future. With striking art design, immersive writing, and massive variety of story possibilities, this is a must-play for narrative adventure fans.
A wonderfully peculiar blend of visual novel, choice-driven RPG, and off-Broadway musical, Stray Gods embraces the theatrical duality of comedy and tragedy and wraps it into a narrative experience that can be at once gut-wrenching and cheeky. Through some excellently written and performed dialogue, incredible audio production, and effective use of player choice, it provides an intimate and personal music theatre experience. While its semi-animated visual style and simplified gameplay may prove off-putting for some, Stray Gods is a unique and compelling love letter to the theatre kid inside us all.
Thirsty Suitors is a wicked combination of a warm hug and a shot of tequila. It absolutely nails its colourful, over-the-top style in every aspect, keeping you thirsting to jump into your next dramatic turn-based confrontation or unlock a new ridiculous Summon. At the same time, it explores complex family dynamics through a beautifully simple cooking mechanic, and provides thoughtful reflections on cultural expectations, relationships, and the diversity of the queer experience. Despite some mechanical unsteadiness in its skateboarding segments, Thirsty Suitors is an explosive, chaotic, and utterly delightful experience from beginning to end.
A perfectly-paced, delightful twist on the classic 2D Zelda formula, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes everything Nintendo has learned from the Switch era and condenses it into a tight adventure jam-packed with heart. Through its wonderfully magical Echoes mechanic, satisfyingly diverse dungeon design, and unique blend of modern and classic design elements, this is both a celebration of the franchise's history and a bold first offering for Zelda as protagonist. Performance issues aside, Echoes of Wisdom is impossible not to love for newcomers and series veterans alike.
A gorgeously presented modern twist on the classic 3D platformer, Ruffy and the Riverside is positively glowing with charm. Featuring a cavalcade of fun environmental puzzles that take advantage of its unique copy-and-paste "SWAP" mechanic, a delightful blend of hand-drawn spritework and rendered environments, and cheeky writing that makes you fall in love with its silly little characters, this is a perfectly lovely adventure with tonnes of heart.
Not For Broadcast ambitiously challenges the player to reconsider their ethical framework, political values, and personal loyalties through its incredibly clever combination of stressful management sim gameplay and acid-tongued writing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but balances its dystopian terrors with biting satire. With exceptional performances from its cast, a unique and varied system of mechanics that changes with each broadcast, and tonnes of extra story content, any budding media mogul will be both delighted and horrified with all that Not For Broadcast has to offer.
Atelier Ryza 3 is a wonderfully cheerful celebration of everything there is to love about modern JRPGs. Its gorgeously realised world is filled to the brim with quirky characters, vibrant environments, and a whole lot of charm. While its many interlocking systems (which are taught through tutorials that prove simultaneously verbose and unhelpful) may prove a barrier for newer players, persistence and a sense of curiosity are rewarded with a rich and deeply satisfying level of mastery. The core gameplay features – exploration, combat, synthesis, and key creation – feed into each other in a delicious loop that is at once addictive and relaxing. Atelier Ryza 3 is a joyous, cosy romp that will delight any JRPG fan looking for something refreshing.
A polished, cleverly designed, and utterly joyful experience, Sea of Stars takes the best parts of classic RPGs and distils their essence into something at once comfortingly nostalgic and refreshingly modern. Its combat system twists traditional turn-based combat into a satisfyingly tactile blend of strategy and execution, making exploring every inch of its gorgeous world an absolute pleasure. Despite some odd pacing in the final act and the occasional cringey joke, Sea of Stars holds up as a fantastic modern RPG and a must-play for fans of the genre.
A witty, vicious, and charming-as-heck romp through a Victorian steampunk city, Sovereign Syndicate wraps its tight, character-driven story in layers of deliciously decadent prose. Delving through the seedy underbelly of this alternate-universe East London is compelling on its own, made all the more intriguing by the different perspectives of its trio of protagonists. Despite a few glitches at launch and some slightly rushed final moments, Sovereign Syndicate is a deeply satisfying narrative RPG and an absolute pleasure to play through.
I absolutely loved my time with In Other Waters. I’m itching to dive back in and fully complete Ellery’s taxonomy logs, and I can’t wait to grab the companion book for more worldbuilding and lore. Despite a few mechanical flaws, I highly recommend In Other Waters for anyone looking to immerse themselves in an alien world for a few hours.
Fitness Boxing 2... presents a finely tuned and engaging workout regimen with clear goals and excellent feedback on progress. With its cast of annoyingly optimistic virtual instructors to spur you on through intense, demanding, and varied exercises, as well as a wealth of unlockables to inspire the budding achievement hunter, Fitness Boxing 2 provides a high quality niche experience that’ll have you jabbing, weaving, and blocking like a sweaty Rocky Balboa.
An incredibly exhilarating and playful experience, Speed Limit is a love letter to the action-packed blockbusters of decades past. It blasts you through its quick campaign at lightning speed and will leave you with your heart pounding, your palms soaked, and a massive cheeky smile across your face. Though it could be a bit kinder to players unfamiliar with arcade-style difficulty and some of its levels aren’t as bombastic as others, Speed Limit is still a sweet and short neo-retro explosion of fun. Fans of the arcade-era and folks looking for something fast-paced and unique will find a lot to love here.
A faithful remake of the most polarising 3D Zelda title, Skyward Sword HD provides numerous quality of life improvements that help polish some of the original’s roughest edges. Its issues with pacing, repetitive gameplay elements, and a lacklustre narrative remain moderate detractions from what is an otherwise legendary Zelda experience, filled to the brim with the charisma, creativity, and satisfying dungeoneering the series is famous for. While it doesn’t bring any new content to the table, the addition of button controls and portability (courtesy of the Switch) means there’s never been a better way for newcomers and diehard fans to experience the strategic combat and innovative puzzle-solving of this lofty adventure.
A renewal of the monster-collection genre, Coromon takes the well-loved gameplay formulas of its genre predecessors and polishes them for the modern era. By providing unique twists on traditional turn-based combat, a delightful presentation, and a slew of quality-of-life enhancements, Coromon delivers a nostalgic adventure filled with wonder. While it may occasionally stick a little too faithfully to its RPG roots for the less patient creature-collectors, there’s a whole heap of juicy monster content here for any budding trainer looking for a refreshing take on a classic style of game.
Hinting at a grand and epic adventure, SEASON: A letter to the future instead presents a personal, vertical slice of a transient world. Through its small-scale stories and simple gameplay, it exists as a reflective meditation on liminality that encourages patience and presence. It weaves environmental storytelling and player choice into a compelling emotional journey. While it may occasionally stray into an overly-earnest territory and doesn't quite nail its pacing, SEASON: A letter to the future is a special, honest experience and a worthy addition to any narrative adventure lover's library.
While it's sporting a new look and name, EA Sports FC 24 is a familiar and altogether solid entry in the juggernaut that is EA's annual soccer video game series. Picking up the controller for a quick session with mates feels as comfortable and natural as it ever has, with plenty of mechanical depth for hardcore football fanatics to obsess over. It's a shame that the glitches present at release can be match-ending, and placing microtransactions front-and-centre in a full-priced retail game always feels icky, but the sheer variety and quality of game modes on offer make up for these shortcomings for the most part. EA Sports FC 24 is a true celebration of the world's game, with plenty of content for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
A wonderfully silly little quest, Leximan feels like a love letter to anyone who's ever played an RPG. Killer writing brings humour and warmth to its simple adventure gameplay, while a whirlwind tour of genre-spanning minigames provide constant variety that surprises and delights. Despite some occasional wonky controls and slightly under-utilised Lexicon mechanics, its iconic encounters and clever use of wordplay make this magical journey a pleasure to experience.
A lovely, beautifully crafted adventure, Europa feels like stepping into a piece of art. Its art direction is nothing short of magnificent, supported by an atmospheric soundtrack and fantastic voice acting. Flying through its gorgeous biomes is tactile and relaxing, and its short narrative compels you through its intriguing world. Despite a few frustrating mechanics interrupting its flow, Europa is a stunning little indie that'll delight gamers looking for a chilled-out few hours.