If you're a Metroidvania/Search Action fan and you're looking for something familiar, Cathedral will do more than enough to scratch that itch. You'll likely happily spend 20 to 30 hours exploring what this game has to offer. However, don't expect this game to be easy or feature innovative new gameplay mechanics. It's a pretty good experience if you're here for more of the same.
If you like XCOM and other turn-based tactical strategy games, then Warhammer 40000 Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is still recommended. The gameplay is solid, the visuals are awesome, and it’s accessible even if you’re not familiar with Warhammer 40K lore.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn't a bad game at all. I enjoyed my time with it thanks mostly due to the D.U.M.A. mechanic. The experience of playing this game makes me reminiscent of my memories of playing PS2-era JRPGs. A lot of them weren't polished or even that great, but I still had fun playing them.
If you're looking for a relaxing platformer to spend a few hours with or to finish in a single weekend (or even one night if you binge), Wavetale is the game for you. It's also a great game for younger gamers to play due to its light difficulty and simple combat.
Scars Above is a decent game that fans of sci-fi can appreciate. It does suffer from jankiness and some issues, but it feels like Mad Head Games did put a lot of effort into making the elements in this game work properly.
[Despite its repetition] Dead Island 2 was for the most part fun to play. And that's all you really need for a game like this. We need the opposite of survival horror zombie games and Dead Island 2 provides that experience. You can just let loose, and beat up zombies to your hearts' content. Because sometimes, it's fun just to enjoy some mindless chaos without having to worry about conserving ammo or saving up resources for a rainy day situation.
Rusted Moss is a decent and fun Metrodvania with a unique swinging mechanic. If you're looking for a game to sink a few hours into and don't mind hard platforming challenges, Rusted Moss should be a great game for you.
Ultimately, Assassin's Creed Mirage feels like a return to form for the franchise. If you've hated the action RPG leanings of the franchise for the past few years and have been hankering for the good old days, this game just might do it for you. Assassin's Creed Mirage isn't revolutionary in any way, and it has some issues, but it's a good enough stealth jaunt.
Persona 5 Tactica is a fun spinoff game but perhaps it's time for Atlus to finally retire anything related to Joker and the Phantom Thieves. The teat has been milked dry. Only dust is coming out now.
Lunar Lander Beyond offers a modern take on a retro genre, making it possible for a new generation of gamers to enjoy a classic genre with new accessibility options and visuals. However, the game's physics make this title an ordeal to go through and revolves around trial and error at times. If you need a throwback to the Atari classic, it's a solid effort.
It seems like Capcom gave the Resident Evil 3 Remake the short end of the stick.
I enjoyed my time with Black Forest Games' 2020 remake of Destroy All Humans, despite my frustrations with imbalances and some bugs. However, most of that is because I played the original 2005 game, and thus I still like a lot of what the game has to offer. Objectively, it's a missed opportunity on both publisher THQ Nordic and developer Black Forest Games' parts that they didn't just do a full-on remake or reboot from scratch.
If you’re looking for a rogue-like action RPG with a refreshing flavour, then Yaga is the game for you. The actual combat and gameplay aren’t much to shout about, but the unique Slavic culture in the writing, characters and music more than make up for the game’s shortcomings.
If you prefer more explosions and action, you should probably look for other more action-heavy FPS games. This is a great sniper simulator if you’ve ever wanted to be a slick deadeye yourself.
F1 2021 is clearly geared towards the most dedicated F1 and racing simulator fans, leaving casual racing game fans like me struggling to understand the game’s mechanics. At the very least, Codemasters has certainly delivered another authentic F1 racing game and attempted to do something new with Braking Point.
If you're a fan of the era or just want more content, you should totally check out Assassin's Creed Valhalla The Siege Of Paris. However, other than the Black Box infiltration missions and some new weapons/gear, there's really not much else on offer in this latest DLC from Ubisoft.
In a world that's already saturated with open-world games, it's disappointing that Ghostwire Tokyo doesn't do much to distinguish itself and instead relies on tired tropes. Add simplistic combat and annoying mechanics to that mix, and the game doesn't have much to stand on. The only saving graces are the flashy visuals and aesthetics, as well as attention to detail in other areas such as environments and creepy monster designs.
Signalis is worth playing for fans of horror and sci-fi, especially for its visuals, aesthetics and overall atmosphere. That's not even mentioning the music and how much effort the developer put into the artistic side of the game. However, the game lacks a lot of accessibility features that make the experience more frustrating and annoying than it should be.
Ultimately, it’s nice to have a game like Whalien Unexpected Guests that you can pick up and play in one sitting. It’s sort of like watching a movie and it’s great for gamers who don’t have the time and energy for longer games. The gameplay is solid, the visuals are vibrant and it’s a game worth picking up if you want to have something to play on one of those rare nights when you’re free and want to just unwind with a fun game.
Miasma Chronicles is The Bearded Ladies' third XCOM-like game set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and it's arguably their best one yet. It has lots of flaws, but many of those can be fixed with future patches. The developer continued to improve their mastery with the niche gameplay combo of tactical turn-based strategy mixed with stealth, and this game is an example of that. It's still worth playing in spite of being hampered by the weight of its ambition.