As well as being a captivating and addictive strategy-come-city-builder, it’s a game full of surprises, but perhaps most importantly, a game that exudes sheer joy. It’s the perfect addition to any genre fan’s catalogue, but most importantly, it’s an excellent gateway for anyone looking to dabble in the city-building genre.
The genre is overloaded with Hades, Curse of the Gods, and Hollow Knight knock-offs, and it’s difficult for games akin to the Greats to really stand on their own. That’s where Mark of the Deep comes in. It does enough to tick off what I want from a Soulsike-come-Metroidvania(ish) to deserve your attention while still doing its own thing; I just wish one of these fish guys had a map or two on hand.
Is Planet Coaster 2 going to replace the original as my go-to park builder just yet? No, but it almost definitely will in the future. It’s early days, and to discredit the work that Frontier has put into Planet Coaster 2 would do them a huge disservice – there simply aren’t any other studios out there that push out such quality games. It’s still a way off becoming the ultimate theme park builder, but if other Frontier titles are to go by, give it a little time (and a little polish) and Planet Coaster 2 will undoubtedly be the sandbox my dreams.
Still, just like the Metal Slug franchise in general, Tactics is ultimately stacked with a silly joy that's hard to deny. Getting to see fan favourites together again will give long-term fans plenty of reason to pick this up, and fans of difficult tactical titles will have enough to get their teeth stuck into. Some things may work better than others, but there's always room for a good strategy game, and Metal Slug Tactics is easily up there with the best in recent memory.
If you pick up Empire of Ants for any reason, it shouldn't be the obvious one. Of course, it's gorgeous, and perhaps one of the most visually stunning games I've ever played, but there's a simple charm to its gameplay and overall worldbuilding that deserves to be experienced by as wide an audience as possible. Whether leading a charge of warriors into battle or simply standing on an abandoned bottle and watching your colony do its thing, there's something so special about Empire of Ants that makes it an absolute joy to experience.
Kazimir's journey handles topics like loss, and the frailty of humankind and nature, with such sincerity that makes Selfloss a journey worth shedding a tear or two for.
Age of Mythology may have been a risk some 20 years ago, but remaking it was a no-brainer. Retold feels familiar but fresh, and the changes made all feel like they only improve on one of the franchise's best entries.
Despite its limited appeal, there's plenty packed into Nintendo's speedrunning challenger - if you've got the patience for it.
For the most part, Crown Wars: The Black Knight is a disappointing addition for a genre crying out for quality entries.
Frontier brings their most in-depth building sim to consoles, wart(hog)s and all.
It might not reinvent the wheel, but as a successor to an already near-perfect Advance Wars-like, did it ever really need to?
Pikmin 4 is, to put it simply, Pikmin at its best.
Homeseek is a punishingly bleak post-apocalyptic city builder where every action feels consequential.
Company of Heroes 3 may not always hit the right notes, but as far as RTS console ports go, it doesn't get much better than this.
Stranded: Alien Dawn makes one small step for man and one giant leap for survivor sims-kind.
Difficulty spikes, no matter how steep, are fine in games of this ilk, but it's harder to forgive Have A Nice Death's approach to rewarding players. There is, however, so much joy in Have A Nice Death's gloriously grim setting that it's absolutely easy to recommend, but for roguelike players that prefer their rinse-and-repeat gaming a little more forgiving and, most importantly, rewarding, there are plenty of better options out there.
Perhaps my biggest takeaway from Wild Hearts is that I didn't once find myself lamenting for Monster Hunter. Wild Hearts was perhaps a risky endeavour, but it's one that's paid off with impressive results. While genre newcomers can treat the land of Azuma as a gateway to monster hunting, long-standing genre fans will find plenty here to keep them happy until the next Monster Hunter adventure arrives.
Starship Troopers - Terran Command Terran Command is impressively faithful to its classic '90s sci-fi source material and a solid space adventure in its own right.
A wonderfully difficult beat-'em-up that puts the player at the forefront of their very own martial arts epic.
Triangle Strategy is unique in its sprawling story, and its success is only solidified by an excellent combat system that makes battles as intense as they are intimidating. With deep lore and an overall mature approach to a genre too often dumbed down, Triangle Strategy is an RPG fans dream.