White Day: A Labyrinth Named School is a great experience for those looking for nostalgic old school survival horror. What it lacks in modern day graphics and mechanics it makes up for with a plethora of lore and swimsuit DLCs. Still, many questionable and outdated design choices hold it back from being truly amazing.
Steelrising is a beginner friendly entry into the Soulsborne genre with its fairly easy learning curve and enticing alternate history French Revolution premise. The art and visual direction are unparalleled with Spiders' amazing depiction and design of steampunk automata, but the game is ultimately bottled down by unpolished combat, inconsistent performance, and too many quality of life issues.
Lovecraft's Untold Stories 2 is a game that should not have been released, even after being delayed multiple times. The developers secretly removed the cooperative feature, which is a sly move on their end. The game as it stands now is riddled with bugs, janky mechanics, quality of life issues, and should not be purchased as is. It is an insult to the fans of the first game.
Isonzo is an honorable attempt at creating the historical events of the battles between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies. The multiplayer-only component with concern for long-term player base sustainability, alongside a multitude of user experience gripes make it an unremarkable experience.
Metal Hellsinger is a refreshing take on traditional demon killing, Doom shooting, and rhythm based heavy death metal music. It features some truly immersive and satisfying gameplay mechanics, especially when you click with the beat and blow off demon heads while rocking out to the beat of System of a Down. However, the game's difficult learning curve and lack of variety may be off putting to some.
Soulstice is a solid, albeit unnecessarily dragged out, hack-and-slash action role playing game that features a great cast of characters and an engaging narrative. There's a ton of replayability and a high skill ceiling to achieve, but the lack of variety in gameplay elements and wonky camera angles keep it from being truly amazing.
If there's one game that I would go back and play over again as if it were the first time, it would be Outer Wilds. It's a fantastic space exploration experience that rewards your curiosity to explore and desire for knowledge. The Echoes of the Eye expansion further enhances your journey by introducing horror twists to the classic formula. Now that Mobius Digital has released a 4K60FPS patch on next-gen consoles, there's no reason not to blast off on your spaceship and start your adventure.
The fact that this charming game was created by a single person is astounding. Tunic delightfully combines what we loved about games from our childhood with modern day influences. With tons of challenging enemies to encounter, cryptic puzzles to solve, and secrets to uncover, this game will ensure you won't regret embarking on the adventure of this cute little fox. There's simply no better way to play this game than on the PlayStation 5, with the intuitive Game Help feature and flawless performance.
Very few indie games have quantity and quality that can match those of triple A titles, but Asterigos: Curse of the Stars definitely makes the cut. This is an outstanding first project from Acme Gamestudio and I can't wait to see what's next for them. What you'll find here is a polished narrative-driven Souls-like adventure held back only by some frustrating design choices.
Sure, Super Alloy Ranger isn’t breaking the mold of 2D action platformers, but Alloy Mushroom manages to perfectly capture the essence of what made old-school classics feel, look, and play great. Not to mention how affordable and humble the asking price is at $9.99. There’s a ton of replayability here, with two characters to play and master, secrets and collectables to find, and plenty of stages to perfect. If you’re a fan of Mega Man games or someone who appreciates gorgeous pixel art, this is a no-brainer purchase for you.
Sequels are difficult to get right, but Asobo Studio has created a wonderful follow up to Amicia and Hugo's journey. A Plague Tale: Requiem effortlessly expands on the premise of the original by fleshing out a more in-depth gameplay experience to cater to various playstyle while maintaining an engaging narrative filled with colorful yet unpredictable characters. The game is unfortunately only held back by performance issues and icky bugs.
It's not everyday you see a refreshing approach on the Souls-like genre, especially one that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Last Hero of Nostalgaia does just that, putting you into the pixelated boots of a bundle of sticks on a mission to restore the entire world of video games. Developer Over The Moon does a fantastic job wrapping what we all know and love about Dark Souls with a layer of satirical flare and video game history. If you can get past some frustrating design choices and janky keyboard controls, then you're in for a nostalgic treat.
I would have laughed in disbelief if you told me NieR: Automata was being ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2017, considering how disastrous this game's launch was on the PlayStation 4. The team at Virtuos did an outstanding job with NieR: Automata - The End of YoRHa Edition, a native port of the original game on the Switch that is undeniably the definitive way to enjoy Yoko Taro's masterpiece. Sure, the graphics and frame rates take a dip, but that's the price of portability.
It’s hard to recommend this de-mastered port of Alan Wake on the Nintendo Switch due to how inconsistent the frame rates are and how downgraded and blurry the graphics are. Considering this title is readily available and cheaper on so many different platforms, you are far better off enjoying this classic third-person horror shooter on a PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. If the Switch is your only option or you value portability, then I guess this version is somewhat viable, but just keep your expectations in line. At least it’s not a Cloud port, right?
Sony Santa Monica Studio has created another masterful work of art, going above and beyond with world-class storytelling, in-depth combat mechanics, exquisite visuals, unparalleled performance, and a slew of modern accessibility features. God of War Ragnarök continues the endearing journey of father and son in a grand spectacular finale of the Norse Saga. This is the game of the generation.
Atlus has undoubtedly created a definitive experience that takes the crown jewel JRPG of the generation. Persona 5 Royal improves on everything the vanilla version was lacking, with new content, gameplay adjustments, and quality of life improvements, whilst telling a compelling narrative with colorful characters. This PlayStation 5 native port may be off-putting to previous owners on PlayStation 4 with no upgrade paths, but the faster load times, silky smooth 60 frames per second, 4K native resolution, and all included DLC make this title a must-play for any JRPG fan.
rose-engine has created a heartfelt love letter to retro classic survival horror titles with their debut project Signalis. Despite some frustrations, it conjures up a tense experience from start to finish with its compelling narrative, immaculate atmosphere, and beautiful pixel art.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is a fantastic action role-playing game that features an endearing narrative, an addictive yet sleek combat system, and a colorful cast of characters. Just because it doesn’t look as visually advanced as some games might nowadays doesn’t mean you should overlook this gem of a title. There’s little incentive for fans that already have a copy of another version to purchase the PlayStation 5 port again. But this is an absolute must-play for anyone seeking an adventure. It’s wonderful to see so many players across different platforms being able to enjoy Nihon Falcom’s magnum opus.
Supermassive Games successfully concludes the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology on a thundering note. Powerful performances from a diverse cast of characters and an extremely interesting premise based off of real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes allows The Devil In Me to outshine its predecessors in just about every way. Sure it’s got nothing to do with the supernatural, but a Saw-inspired murder house with a twisted mastermind behind it does more than enough to induce fear and tension.
Valkyrie Elysium could have been something great, with its excellent narrative backdrop built on the basis of Norse mythology. As per usual with Square Enix titles, the art direction and soundtrack are outstanding and leave me wanting more. The fast, fluid, and satisfying combat system is what carries an otherwise mediocre title bogged down by washed out visuals and uninspired level design.