If you're worried that Disco Elysium might be too slow for you, you're probably right. It's a visual novel through and through, where 90% of the gameplay is reading. It doesn't skip any big issues, it doesn't mind reminding you about the human condition, right after making you giggle uncontrollably; it wants you to be engaged, intoxicated, and uncomfortable. If you value engaging writing and exceptionally gorgeous graphics over a fast paced RPG, Disco Elysium is an adventure absolutely worth investing in.
Oddworld's weirdest moment has never looked better.
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.
A wonderfully difficult beat-'em-up that puts the player at the forefront of their very own martial arts epic.
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.
Pikmin 4 is, to put it simply, Pikmin at its best.
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.
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.
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.
The Colonists is a charming sim with plenty of content to satisfy your pioneering dreams
Layers of Fear 2 may not be the quintessential horror-puzzle spookathon, but it's certainly a thrilling, claustrophobic ghost story that easily holds its own. It's at times uneven, and the puzzling isn't as interesting as the backdrop, but for sheer storytelling prowess alone, it's definitely worth setting sail on this ghost ship.
There's still some way to go to make the JWE franchise a viable management sim, but this sequel goes a long way to right a lot of its predecessor's wrongs.
A welcome return for one of Nintendo's best forgotten IPs.
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.
Stranded: Alien Dawn makes one small step for man and one giant leap for survivor sims-kind.
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.
Homeseek is a punishingly bleak post-apocalyptic city builder where every action feels consequential.
It might not reinvent the wheel, but as a successor to an already near-perfect Advance Wars-like, did it ever really need to?
Frontier brings their most in-depth building sim to consoles, wart(hog)s and all.
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.