Animal Well is a beautiful, multi-layered puzzle box that’s both fun to simply play around with, and an utter delight to slowly crack open, secret by secret.
The Indigo Disk is a blast to play alone and with friends, but it’s still held back by all the same technical issues that made Pokemon Scarlet and Violet a disaster.
The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.
Live A Live is a fascinating JRPG time machine that's getting its dues at last thanks to a remake that brings out the best in its seven stories, strong combat, and unusual structure.
Rune Factory 5 is entertainingly chewable fodder thanks to the soil fertilized by its predecessors, but its attempted leap to a 3D world leaves it struggling with lots of frustrating technical issues.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an ambitious revamp that successfully revolutionizes the defining Pokemon experiences of catching and battling, but is unfortunately set in a drab, empty, and at times tedious world.
Like the themes of its story, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are solid and enduring – leaning on the past, with all of its triumphs and tripwires.
TOEM is a short but satisfying little photography adventure packed with witty writing and picturesque moments to capture.
NEO: The World Ends With You successfully captures much about what made its predecessor so special, but it does so at the expense of its newer characters and stories.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a pristine little adventure with fun puzzles, a surprisingly rich paint mechanic, and a story that's disarmingly real, difficult, and heartfelt.
New Pokémon Snap is a photography game with occasionally clunky progression, but which is eager to show off its delightful subjects and let them surprise you.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is familiar comfort food for farming game lovers, and plenty of it.
At the heart of Harvest Moon: One World is an interesting twist on farming sims, but its bland, soulless world kills all potential.