Lost Soul Aside has ultimately left me feeling empty. Its most frustrating aspects are ones that don’t necessarily impact the actual gameplay, but the gameplay itself, while good in its best moments, isn’t enough to save this game. The end result is a forgettable and frustrating action game that I can’t recommend to even the most ravenous stylish-action fans.
Cronos: The New Dawn is a great survival horror game, utilizing its tough and grueling combat to complement the grueling and unforgiving atmosphere of Eastern Europe in the 1980s. It pushes the staples of the genre, like inventory management, to their extremes, without feeling overly difficult or unfair. The narrative won't blow you away, and it doesn't answer some of the more compelling questions its sci-fi story sets up, but you always want to learn more and find the next piece of information. It's not quite transcendent in the way some recent survival horror games have been, but it's a great time and absolutely worth diving into.
Metal Eden is a fantastic, high-octane FPS that, even in its short campaign run time, occasionally strays too far from its core combat loop. A lack of any additional game modes, not even a new game plus option, does make this package feel a bit lacking, as I wanted to do more when credits rolled, but didn't have any options besides running through it again. The narrative takes up far too much time, and the dialogue during missions is overly dramatic in a way that is quite grating, but the core combat is more than enough to make me happy with my time playing.
Varlet feels like a turn-based RPG that is simultaneously doing far too much and far too little. The story is overly complex and long for the game's 16 hour run time, which also takes away from the development of its cast of characters. On the other hand, the dungeons lack personality and variety, and the combat is truly one note, leaving a ton to be desired. I cannot recommend Varlet for anyone, as it doesn't have anything it truly excels at, and far too much that it utterly fails in.
The saving grace of Mafia: The Old Country is its linear focus. There is not a single point in this game where I was asked to explore the large open map or search for some resource to get arbitrary upgrades. This linear focus and a 10-hour run time kept me from ever getting frustrated or annoyed with my experience, even if I never felt particularly engaged throughout. I’m not mad that I spent my time with Mafia: The Old Country, but for such a focused experience to feel so bland is ultimately disappointing.
FBC: Firebreak is a tedious and downright boring co-op shooter that starts sluggish and uninteresting. The progression here feels like a grind, an issue made worse by the lack of engaging moments. The objectives in each mission feel like a chore, down there with some of the worst checklist content in video games. The best parts of FBC: Firebreak take time to reach, something most people, myself included, won’t want to put in the effort to see.
Mario Kart World is ultimately a fantastic new take on the Mario Kart formula, even if the open world feels like an unnecessary addition.
If the Nintendo Switch 2 is the only way you can play Cyberpunk 2077, it's a solid way to experience the game, although if you have a more powerful console, that might be preferable for a docked gaming experience.
Elden Ring Nightreign can't escape sharing the same title as a game of the year winner, which puts expectations on it that it doesn't reach.
Blades of Fire is a misfire, attempting to mix elements of soulslike games with its own action ideas in an oil and water result. The story is bland, and the characters are deeply unfunny despite constantly trying to be, resulting in a tone that matches the worst of the Xbox 360 era. Obtuse and confusing level designs combined with the choice not to have objective markers create a frustrating experience, which is only furthered by the unique combat system feeling out of sync with the hardcore third-person combat games it wants to emulate.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 not only deftly improves upon the idea of active turn-based combat, but delivers it in a gorgeous and realized world. The characters are incredible, it dodges some of the more grating aspects of turn-based RPGs, and delivers a mature, and at times haunting, story, without falling into the traps of too much violence for the sake of maturity. A big narrative turn flattens the experience, and a few too many rough edges keep it from masterpiece status, but it is still an incredible experience.
The First Berserker: Kahzan features a fun combat system, an interesting world, and an enjoyable revenge tale, but tedious and overly long boss fights make what should be the most exciting part of the game too frustrating to enjoy. It's unfortunate, as the rest of the experience is a ton of fun, but when the main selling point of the genre is the weakest part of the game, it weighs down the entire experience.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land ultimately suffers from being too simple. While it does avoid making engaging with any of its systems frustrating, this creates a complete lack of depth, resulting in most aspects of the game feeling identical whether you are doing them in hour 1 or hour 50. It has tons to do, and if you want something simple and mindless, it does work in that mold, but I can't imagine wanting to play for more than a few hours, since you have seen everything it has to offer.
Knights in Tight Spaces feels like a clash of ideas more than a marriage. The more set in stone campaign style runs at odds with the repetition of a roguelite, resulting in the repetition of the core loop becoming trite faster than you would want. The economy of individual runs feels punishing, even on the normal difficulty, and the need to not only deal damage but avoid it too makes having multiple characters on the board slow down the pace of fights, which aren't quick to start. The strategy involved in getting through each fight is deep and rewarding to engage with, but so many aspects of Knights in Tight Spaces feel designed to prevent you from engaging with that strategy on a deeper level.
Monster Hunter Wilds does an incredible job of balancing quality-of-life improvements and a streamlined system with the by design grind-focused gameplay loop. Newcomers will find this entry more approachable than previously, and veterans will find the new combat additions and combos offer plenty of depth to justify a new entry. The constantly changing environments make the world feel alive, and it creates a seamless connection between preparing and initiating a hunt. It's a tad easier than some will like, and the story is bland as hell, but the hunting is great, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Snezhinka is an arcade-style 2D shooter, focused on anime girls defending against waves of mechs on behalf of their authoritarian government. It's a strange game, but the atmosphere succeeds in its oppressiveness and the fast-paced gameplay keeps its simplicity from becoming tedium. It's a small package, but it offers a ton of fun for a few hours, knowing it's just as important to leave a good final impression as it is to have a strong first impression.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD doesn't have enough improvements from previous versions to justify its price tag, and areas like the cumbersome control scheme feel like they should have been improved for this version. The core platforming suffers from imprecise controls and a process of learning level layouts that feel frustrating thanks to long restart times. Mine cart and rocket barrel levels are a ton of fun, but tedious boss fights make this feel far from a definitive version of the game.
Ultimately, Cuisineer is a cozy experience that offers some simple roguelike combat and management gameplay. Neither is particularly great on their own, but together they do create an engaging, if ultimately shallow, experience. I can't recommend this to anyone who loves a challenging and deep roguelike, but if you enjoy cozy experiences and don't mind some slightly tougher combat, Cuisineer is a good enough time.
Marvel Rivals is a refined take on the hero shooter genre that offers more than just being a comic-themed clone
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a massive and immersive adventure. From exploring the Vatican in full to ancient tombs, every sequence feels right at home with the films and is a blast to play. The large action set pieces are fun, but the quiet exploration and puzzle solving is special, allowing you to feel like an archaeologist making a big discovery. Pair that with delightfully cartoonish villains and a massive historical mystery, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers in full.