Clockwork Aquario is a great title if you are looking to be transported to the arcade from your house. It's bright, colourful, and has a fun co-op mode so you can share the experience with a friend. If you have a Switch this is a title to check out!
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash wastes no time throwing you right into the platforming action with a trusty axe and high-powered hose to navigate the levels and rescue the survivors. With only three-minutes the game forces you to think fast and figure out how to conserve your limited water supply. With procedurally generated levels, no two runs will feel exactly the same.
Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is a faithful recreation of the PlayStation titles that weren't available to everyone in the '90s. The CD monster creation system has been replaced with a large music catalogue and the ability to fast-forward through battles is a welcome addition as the game can feel very repetitive when you are constantly in tournaments.
The Kids We Were is a must-play game with an incredibly good story that focuses on childhood friendships and family. The voxel-style graphics look beautiful, the cicadas in Japan sound great, and a catalogue of items from the 80s to collect made me feel so nostalgic.
Brain Meltdown Into Despair is a beautiful game that really lives up to its name. It delivers an incredibly difficult experience that changes the way you have been controlling your game character for years. Controlling two characters at once sounds easy, but it's not!
Faraday Protocol is an interesting first-person puzzle game that has an intriguing storyline and puzzles to challenge your brain. The unique combination of futuristic visuals and Egyptian themed elements creates a mysterious and unique world for you to explore.
Gynoug is a memorable shoot 'em up that is a must play for anyone who loves this genre, especially with a retro look. This game will definitely work your eyes to the max, so I recommend playing earlier in the day because late at night when you are tired I am sure you will be frustrated!
Bonito Days is a super cute and simple game that is reminiscent of Super Monkey Ball, but with camera issues and short single-player game it's hard to fully recommend.
Moonglow Bay is a fun and relaxing game that I found very rewarding to play, there's a huge variety of things to do in this game so I never get tired of it. Every day I play I can't wait to go back and see what monster-sized fish I manage to catch and see what kind of new dishes I get to create in the kitchen.
Corpse Party (2021) is a super creepy and disturbing game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will die a lot and get bad endings so you will have to go back and try to change your actions to change the outcome, but when you figure out what you need to do that just makes it more fulfilling.
Sunshine Manor is a fun and creepy 8-bit game that has you travel between the human and demon world, solving puzzles and testing your hand-eye coordination with platforming sections. Slightly buggy in one level, but if you persevere you can get past it and continue saving the poor ghosts and your friends from the demon.
Collection of SaGa: The Final Fantasy Legend is the perfect collection of these classic Game Boy screens, looking and sounding even better than the originals. Just keep in mind that they are early style RPGs so they require a ton of grinding!
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is full of fanservice and anime girls with big boobs, but not much more. Insanely long visual novel talk segments, and the story is so silly there's not much motivation to keep playing.
Evertried is a 2D isometric roguelike strategy game that challenges your brain every step of the way. It can definitely get frustrating, but you get a great sense of accomplishment when you make progress and reach a new floor.
Flynn: Son of Crimson is a beautiful looking and great sounding platformer game is a must-play title that gives you a powerful and cute wolf companion. This title does not have an auto-save feature so keep that in mind.
A great retro style shoot 'em up with beautiful visuals and a large selection of weapons and a bunch of replayability. I just wish the game was longer as it felt like it was over in no time!
Fuga: Memories of Steel is a turn-based strategy game that is unlike any other one I have played. The story is incredibly deep and a lot more serious than you would expect a game with cats and dogs to be. Definitely worth checking out if you like RTS games mixed with RPG elements.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is a surprisingly good racing game that brings your childhood imagination to life while offering you endless creative options for customising your toy racers and designing your own tracks. No matter your age there is tons to love here!
Islanders is the perfect strategy game for people who love that genre or gamers who are just getting into it. It's a simple game that is incredibly addictive and is very hard to master! I hope more industry and building packs become available as time goes on!
Axiom Verge 2 is a 2D metroidvania game that focuses on exploration in its huge environment. If you played the first Axiom Verge game you may be disappointed in some of the changes like lack of weapons and less of a combat experience.