Gothic 1 Remake is a special title. It bottles all the magic of the original game and has managed to tinker with it enough to keep it authentic but accessible to an entirely new fanbase. It’s still rough as all hell, but this only helps make it captivating. And in a world of gaming where stories are often told through cutscenes, the Gothic Remake makes you tell your own story through its actions, setting, and sense of challenge and immersion. It might be a bit more on the niche side thanks to its rough parts and difficulty, but for you masochists and immersion seekers, Gothic 1 Remake is going to take you right into the Prison Colony, beat you up, steal your ore, and by the Sleeper, you are going to thank it and go back for more!
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round is a frustrating rerelease. I absolutely loved it, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a game, but I’d say exactly the same about the original release. For those like me who already own it, I don’t feel enough was added to make this worth a repurchase. But if you don’t have the original, then it’s more than worth the purchase price. You’re getting a great game with tonnes of content, if with a somewhat lacking online experience by modern standards, at a rather budget price. While it is ironic to say the game may just be the other kind of DOA (dead on arrival), at least regarding its online features, the potential is there. If Koei Tecmo tweaks the multiplayer experience and gives players the chance to match up with solid netcode on the platform of their choice, I will happily come back and eat crow. But as it stands, this re-release simply isn't the best way to bring eyes back onto the franchise, despite being a release of an excellent fighting game.
Maybe it’s a mixture of burnout with the roguelike genre of late or the fact I went in expecting a fusion of two genres I really enjoyed, but River City Saga: Journey to the West just didn’t click with me. It felt too basic in all areas, and what was once a strong leader in the beat 'em up genre is now trailing behind the stronger releases from Dotemu. It’s still pretty serviceable without any particularly massive issues, there just isn’t that special sauce here that I needed to really enjoy my latest Kunio-Kun fix. It’s cheeky, it’s fast-paced, and it's chaotic, but sadly, it feels like a rare miss in the long-running River City series, eclipsed by its much stronger predecessors in the River City Saga spin-off series.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II is a decent sequel, but perhaps it lacks the weight of being a truly worthy successor. While the streamlined mechanics and expanded scope don't quite deliver that jaw-dropping "wow factor" needed to completely overshadow the original, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience. If you loved the original or are a fan of the franchise, it is certainly worth a look. Playable Necrons alone make this worthy of a purchase, and the slightly expanded scope does present the potential of a much bigger game in the future, be it another sequel or even DLC. For me, it will keep me coming back for more and more despite some missteps along that sequel path.
Psyvariar 3 is a fantastic new addition to the series and the shmup genre in general. It’s as close to a gateway game to the franchise as you’ll find outside of Angel at Dusk, and I mean that with all the respect and admiration intended. It is ideal for newcomers who want an easy entry into the genre, and shmup fanatics who want to really test their skills on the greater difficulties. SUCCESS made the right choice in handing the Psyvariar baton over to SophStar developer BananaBytes and Red Art Studio. The game is another feather in their ever-expanding shmup cap, and a title that should be commended for providing an impressive amount of content for a genre that often manages to get by with the bare minimum. It grazes by with near-perfect marks for gameplay, but sadly doesn’t stick the landing when it comes to the presentation.
Bubsy 4D, for better or worse, is a Bubsy game. It still has some of the main irritations that the franchise is known for, but they are thankfully overshadowed by some outstanding gameplay. The platforming and feeling of speed and control are unmatched, and there is nothing quite like a complex platforming section that just comes off as seamless. It’s in these moments you forget you’re playing a game attached to the Bubsy the Bobcat franchise. I genuinely wouldn’t mind more Bubsy games of this quality. It’s been a nice palate cleanser and gave me some of my favorite platforming action I’ve experienced outside of a Nintendo game. Bubsy is always going to irritate, that’s just how he is, but when he has gameplay like this to back him up, I can’t help but love the mischievous, fourth-wall-breaking tyke.
If you have never played or owned the original release of Celceta, or you are simply looking for a budget-friendly way to introduce the Ys series into your life, Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta is an easy recommendation. On the other hand, if you already own or have played a previous version, there just is not enough new here to strongly justify a double or even triple dip. Outside of the remixed soundtrack, this is largely a straightforward port designed to bring the game to platforms it had not already reached.
R-Type Dimensions III is a fantastic remake of R-Type III: The Third Lightning. It might not quite be a 1:1 re-release of the game at points, but for the bulk of the experience, it’s one of the better and more friendly ways to experience a notoriously difficult title, thanks to the “Infinite” mode. It doesn’t quite offer the same value as R-Type Dimensions EX due to that compilation remaking 2 games instead of the 1 on offer here, but for die-hard R-Type fans, R-Type Dimensions III offers a solid challenge with enough quality-of-life enhancements to make it worth fighting through those tears and giving in to that infamous “one more go” addiction the series is known for.
This new port of World Heroes Perfect is easily the best way to experience this cult fighting game series. Code Mystics has once again put together an excellent package for both longtime fans and curious newcomers, giving players the chance to take this gloriously strange brawler online against others.
Kazuma Kaneko’s Tsukuyomi ultimately feels exactly like what it is: a mobile game port with the microtransactions stripped out and a premium price tag slapped on top. There are occasional glimpses of something genuinely clever buried in here, but they’re weighed down by gameplay that never feels nearly as deep as it initially pretends to be, and systems that still feel built around short, bite-sized sessions between train stops rather than extended time in front of a console or PC.
Sigma Star Saga DX is a unique game, but unique does not automatically mean good. There are fun moments throughout the adventure, and the added quality of life improvements certainly help smooth over some of the original game’s rougher edges, but when you look at the overall package, it’s still an awkward, albeit ambitious, experiment that never quite balances its two clashing ideas properly.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire was a really enjoyable, albeit drawn-out, experience that sadly suffers from horrendous performance issues on the Nintendo Switch 2. I loved the art, loved the story, and the action held up for the most part throughout. You might not get as much out of it though if you don’t have a love for the noir genre, or you want something more akin to its tighter “boomer shooter” peers. When Mouse: P.I. For Hire wandered into my office, I knew I was in trouble. The look, the action, it was all there. Hiccups aside, this is one case I was glad I took on, and here’s looking at you kid for the future. All I can say is “Forget it Jack, It’s Mouseberg”.
The Rogue Prince of Persia is an absolutely gripping experience with a unique movement system and just enough lessons learned from the genre to keep you coming back for “one more run” until the early hours of the morning. Your first successful run will likely come quicker than in most titles from the genre, but there are plenty of ways to make the game a much tougher and grueling experience should you need to feed your masochistic side. It’s quite sad that the Sands of Time Remake got cancelled, but The Rogue Prince of Persia does a fantastic job of not only healing that wound but offering another standout title not only in the franchise but in the roguelite genre as a whole. All hail the prince!
I love boomer shooters, and I love '80s/'90s media and manga/anime. MULLET MADJACK is just an amalgamation of those things in a larger-than-life product with some loud presentation and an addictive gameplay loop. It manages to combine the random world of roguelites with the moment-to-moment gameplay of the classic first-person shooter. Jack Banhammer is the man, and MULLET MADJACK is an absolute treasure of a game. If you are within its target audience, there is not much this game does wrong outside of only having a very short campaign. If you happen to be on the outside looking in, this is going to look like an absolute smack to the senses, which, in terms of this game, is not the worst thing!
On paper, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, much like every title in the franchise, doesn’t seem too special. Average gameplay is once again a plague on the stronger aspects, but it all just works together and presents an honestly outstanding title that is better than the sum of its parts. Some excellent quality of life changes, extra content to dive into, and a flawless framerate with beautiful HD textures manage to edge out some of the nastier aspects of this remaster, including its propensity to crash towards the later stages of the game. I now wait with bated breath for Blood Omen 1 and 2 to get equally as tasty remasters. Vae Victus.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a game that frankly doesn’t just tarnish the franchise but outright hurts it. It feels like a cheap cash-in based on a polarizing graphic novel with no love and care for the series it’s representing. Waiting twenty-three years for this to be released feels like a massive slap in the face for fans. There’s only a boring and trite time to be had with this title, where the only good aspects are the soundtrack and the voice acting. The only other accolade I can gift Ascendance is that it has managed to dethrone Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 as the most dislikable title in the franchise. Hopefully, the fanbase can just emulate Raziel and forget this ever happened.
SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist perfectly fuses the world of survival horror with the surprise and punishing difficulty of the roguelike, especially in the randomly generated mode. It’s held me captive much longer than I anticipated. That said, it is a slow and punishing game, so you’re either going to fall in love with it or it might just not click if that’s not your cup of tea. The puzzle aspects may throw people off, too. But for me, it’s been a genuine sleeper hit for 2026, and I would love to see how far this unique formula can be taken.
I fell in love almost instantly with Damon and Baby. It was a complete surprise, and I think Arc System Works has hit it out of the park, despite being known more for their fighting game entries. It shows they aren’t a one-trick pony, with ArcSys’s arc as a developer perfectly emulated in Damon and Baby as the game too constantly evolves throughout its somewhat poor pacing, both in the gameplay and the story. The game is a jack of all trades, and while it doesn’t master any, Damon and Baby makes for a rather entertaining time. It once again shows that developers don’t always need the biggest budgets and all the AAA bells and whistles to create an endearing and fun title.
If you’re a fan of beat ‘em ups, and don’t mind something a little rough around the edges, there’s a lot to like here. Rushing Beat X: Return of the Brawl Brothers doesn’t offer much in terms of post-game content, but for jumping in with a friend and clearing out the streets now and then, you could do a lot worse than this scrappy Jaleco throwback.
When I started up Project Songbird, I had to sit through quite a bit of dialogue from the creator trying to justify the game’s existence. Whenever I would load the game up, I’d be asked to rate it or have an aspect explained. I was enjoying the slow build before the “Otherworld” sections, but something just wasn’t quite sitting well with me. I feel that Project Songbird would have been a much stronger title if the creators of the game had more faith in their original design and choices. Instead, it feels like the developer is pleading with you to accept where they had to renege on their original vision, almost mirroring the narrative of the game. Frankly, it just weakens the title even further, a title that could have been something special if you look at its stronger points alone. Between spotty performance, disjointed gameplay, and apologetic dialogue, I couldn’t recommend Project Songbird. It had everything in place to be a hit indie horror title. Instead, it feels like outside factors may have ruined the original vision, which is bleeding through from the second you boot the game up.