Wuchang: Fallen Feathers perhaps sticks closest to the From Software formula than any other Soulslike I’ve played, with the way in which it approaches world design and its general combat balance. Rather than feeling like a cheap imitation, however, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers comes off as a classy homage, demonstrating a keen understanding of what makes these games work, while also putting its own stamp on the genre with its dodge-centric approach to combat and accessible magic systems. Its opening hours may frustrate you in how risk-averse those initial sections seem, but bearing with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers ultimately reveals a deep experience that proves there’s still room for more soulslikes when the quality is there.
Throes of the Watchmaker is a wonderful addition to an already fantastic package. While I’m not one hundred percent sold on the complete reset of skills, it does at least make narrative sense and allow for an admittedly needed power reset going into the new content, given that the expansion cannot be accessed until you’ve bested the mandatory content from the base game. That minor gripe aside, Throes of the Watchmaker is an exceptional package that highlights and builds upon what was so enjoyable within the base game. The new dungeons and biome are a treat to explore, stuffed with puzzles and engaging combat encounters that rival, and in many cases surpass, the quality already established by the base game, and if this is to be the last we see of Sea of Stars until what is hopefully an inevitable sequel, then this is a hell of a way to bow out.
Union of Gnomes is one of the most unexpected treats I’ve had the pleasure of playing this year. It came onto my radar out of nowhere, and while it won’t replace Monster Train 2 as my primary deckbuilder, it’s got enough creativity and replayability that it’s something I’m confident will remain in my rotation for the foreseeable future at least. While it may not be the most visually appealing experience, and its leveling curve could use a little fine-tuning, its robust deckbuilding and focus on resource management in the form of weiners is strong enough to overcome those shortcomings overall. If you’re tired of the heavyweights of the genre and want something a little quirky that really understands the fundamentals of the genre, Union of Gnomes is a worthy addition to any deckbuilding fan’s collection.
Sunderfolk’s attempt at bringing the tabletop RPG experience to the living room TV screen is difficult to find fault with. Its clever use of mobile devices does a great job at capturing the tactile nature of true tabletop gaming, resulting in a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the full game night experience. The story may be a little generic, and the standard difficulty option may be a little undertuned, relative to how successful Sunderfolk is in achieving its vision elsewhere. For anyone, like me, who struggles to find the time or motivation to unpack their favourite tabletop behemoth and endure the inevitable setup and breaking down phase, Sunderfolk is a truly wonderful alternative that works better than it has any right to.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a big step forward for the series, making massive strides in both the production values and the way in which it has built upon the already vast number of systems with its compelling town-building hook. There is still room to grow and add a little more depth in both the combat and dungeon design, but as one part of a much bigger whole, the lack of significant growth in these areas doesn’t take away from the overall experience too severely. Whether you’re holding out for the Switch 2 version, or jumping in on Nintendo’s current hardware, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a feature-rich package that fans are likely to lose hundreds of hours to, while also serving as a tantalising taste of the direction the series may be headed in the future.
If I were to score Captain Blood based on emotion, I would probably give it top marks based on the dedication shown by the developers and publisher in putting game preservation first to see this storied development cycle through to completion. Looking at this objectively, however, even in comparison to the games that would have been considered its contemporaries had it been released in 2010, Captain Blood is a barebones exercise in frustration that is difficult to recommend. There are faint glimpses at what could have been in the ship combat sections and the breezy narrative, and the short runtime does help mask some of the frustrations that plague the experience, but on the whole, it’s difficult to argue that Captain Blood wouldn’t have been better left in the depths it was salvaged from.
It may take a while for the true depths that Monster Train 2 holds to become apparent, but once you really dig into the minutiae of each deck, the options that present themselves in front of you seem almost limitless, and that’s my impression having only spent a substantial amount of time with two of Shiny Shoe’s fantastic new decks. For fans of the original, or newcomers who didn’t stamp their ticket for the first trip aboard the Monster Train, climb aboard Monster Train 2 right now. And, get comfy as I suspect you won’t be disembarking for a while.
Oblivion Remastered brings a Bethesda classic into the modern age with great success, while still retaining the core of what we all loved upon first adventuring across Cyrodiil many moons ago. Visually, it’s stunning, and creates a sense of immersion that just wasn’t possible on older hardware, and it speaks to the strength of Bethesda’s original work that all that was needed was a new lick of paint to leave Oblivion Remastered feeling like a wonderfully playable experience that I’ve loved dedicating hours of my life to all over again. The Elder Scrolls VI may be a while away yet, but for now, The Elder Scrolls VI fans rejoice, as you’ve now got a hell of a consolation prize to tide you over for the next few years.
While its gameplay is sometimes a bit too involved relative to its themes and narrative, Wanderstop is a wonderful experience that overcomes that flaw through its touching cast, fantastic writing, and engaging mechanics that are all set within an incredibly inviting and cozy world. Wanderstop is a shining example of how powerful video games are when utilized to address real-world problems, and if Wanderstop aims to encourage people to look inward and ask its players to shift their perspectives on life, then that mission has been fully accomplished in a heartwarming fashion.
The First Berserker: Khazan is a brutal, beautiful delight. Its elegant parry system, demonic boss battles, and flexible yet approachable take on character development have come together to create a package that may pull directly from many sources in the genre but ultimately delivers a standout experience that easily stands amongst the stiffest competition the genre has to offer. Its early hours may suffer from linearity, and its parry-heavy combat system may not sit well with everyone, but if you’re up for the challenge and willing to adapt to how The First Berserker: Khazan requires you to play, then you’re in for an absolute treat.
With its incredible roster, awesome selection of game modes both new and old, and huge improvements made across the likes of Showcase and MyRise modes, WWE 2K25 is, at its core, a Wrestlemania main-event-worthy addition to the series. The in-ring action is so good that when I’m playing, I want to do nothing apart from keep playing, and in that sense, this feels like the absolute pinnacle of wrestling video games. What a shame that it’s all held back by greed, then, and I hope that players send a message to 2K and voice their concerns, as The Island, being the first prominent new mode the series has received in years, has me seriously concerned for the future of the franchise. For now, though, it’s easy enough to ignore, given the quality on display throughout the rest of the package, and wrestling geeks like me can rest easy knowing we have a quality product to get us through the next 12 months.
With how uneven the core games are in Tomb Raider Remastered IV – VI, it would be incredibly easy to dismiss this and tell you to avoid purchasing, but it’s a lot more nuanced than that. The Last Revelation is a genuinely great game that is only made better by the improvements this package builds in, and Chronicles is a solid continuation of a formula that suffers from being a little too similar to what went before. Even The Angel of Darkness, though without much merit as a video game, serves as a fascinating insight into the eventual downfall of classic Tomb Raider. How appealing that is will depend on how much attachment you have to the series, or video game preservation as a whole and while I would advise casual Tomb Raider fans to avoid, there’s a lot to love here for anyone who does want to explore classic Lara and video game history in a lovingly put together package.
Rogue Waters is a fantastic entry within the rogue-lite and tactical-turn-based strategy genres. Rewarding meta-progression is supported by zany combat that promotes experimentation due to the generous undo feature, allowing for low-stakes trial and error that perfectly suits the slapstick nature of the pirate action. While the naval combat doesn’t feel like it’s fleshed out to its fullest potential, it’s easy to overlook with it being a small part of a much bigger whole that’s generally hard to fault, and if you’re a fan of either genre that Rogue Waters taps into, or, most importantly, a fan of pirates, then Rogue Waters is all but certain to get its hooks into you.
While its story may struggle to capture players due to time travel hijinks rendering what should be pivotal moments as low-stakes affairs, Trails Through Daybreak II is a fantastic slice of JRPG action that sings when focusing on its combat, progression, and exploration that rewards due to the richness Calvard presents in its world-building. On one hand, it is disappointing that the Daybreak arc seems to be struggling to move its narrative on in meaningful ways, but there’s no denying that the adventures of Van and his team continue to refine the series’ core gameplay loops in smart ways, even if uncovering the depths of its systems does require wrestling with a user interface that can be all too difficult to parse at times. Overall, Trails Through Daybreak II more than makes up for its narrative shortcomings in other areas to ensure that the Daybreak arc continues to feel like a great foundation to innovate on going forward.
If you are someone, like me, who adored Sniper Elite 5 and are simply after more of the engrossing, visceral, and malleable stealth and sniping action provided by it, then you can’t go wrong with Sniper Elite: Resistance. It delivers a robust, ultra-replayable campaign that still has me hooked and a bevy of multiplayer modes if you want to dabble further after you’ve shattered all the skulls the campaign has to offer. Arguably, Rebellion has played it a little too safe in some areas, with the core gameplay loops and modes being virtually identical to Sniper Elite 5, but given that it has been two and half years since I spent time with the series Sniper Elite: Resistance is an excellent way to dive back in while Rebellion hopefully cooks up something special for the next installment.
Synduality: Echo of Ada had the potential to carve out its own niche by being an accessible extraction shooter available on console. It’s not completely without merit, with its snappy gunplay making for an exciting PvPvE experience and the novel Magus system initially showing a lot of promise. However, a laborious early game grind, and monetization so egregious that I don’t see anyone but the most hardcore of audiences sticking around severely sour the experience. Whether Game Studio can course correct remains to be seen, but early signs point towards yet another live service title that runs the risk of having its lifespan cut short due to excessive grind and greed.
"I feel extremely conflicted when I think deeply about Slitterhead. On the one hand, it's a return to the side of Toyama's mind that gave us Silent Hill, with Slitterhead presenting players with an otherworldly tale that thrives on surrealism and its gripping central mystery. On the other, it's a sub-par action game that weighs down its novel ideas with combat that feels weightless and unimpactful. Whether the combat is a deal breaker for the average player is going to depend on how much they value everything that Toyama and his team at Bokeh Studios have got right. For this writer, the answer to that conundrum is that on the whole, Slitterhead's positives do outweigh its negatives. It feels like Toyama is untethered again, and while not every design choice has worked out for the best, the fact that we have the horror legend operating independently and willing to create something unlike anything else is something to be celebrated."
Dragon’s Dogma II is an instant classic. Capcom hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, opting instead to deliver the same blend of exploration and monster slaying that they established in 2012 while turning it into a full-on adventure simulator via a sandbox that is capable of generating jaw-dropping moments at every turn. It may not be polished to the degree that I’d like, but I find it impossible to be angry at Capcom when what they’ve delivered carries a level of ambition and seamlessness that needs to be seen to be believed. In a year stacked to the rafters with game-of-the-year-worthy RPGs already, Dragon’s Dogma II is another fantastic addition to what is already becoming a complicated discussion and should not be overlooked.
With Diablo IV starting to grow stale and my patience for Path of Exile’s impenetrable nature wearing thin, Last Epoch couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Its timely arrival and the fact that it is perhaps the most fun I’ve had with an ARPG since Diablo II speaks volumes. Satisfying progression where every build feels like it has the potential to be meta, rather than just a select few, and its accessible endgame that downplays the genre’s usual reliance on RNG have come together to create something that feels like a true middle ground between the extremes that current competitors represent. In expertly striking that balance, Last Epoch is already a huge threat in the ARPG space, and I cannot wait to see where the developers take it from here as we dive headfirst into future seasons.
And that’s perhaps how best to sum up my experience with this remake of Brothers – something is off. It’s the same great game at its core, but as a remake, it doesn’t do enough to justify itself, given that its headline addition of co-op play strips away the original’s biggest selling point. Even when played solo, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d rather be playing the original with its more fitting, painterly look. Having said that, Brothers is still a fantastic experience, and if this remake shines a spotlight on it again and attracts a new generation of gamers to Naia and Naiee’s touching tale, then that can only be a good thing. The story remains as poignant now as it did in 2013, and when enjoyed solo, Brothers continues to be a delight to engage with due to its novel dual protagonist set-up. On that basis, I’m glad this exists, even if, as an overall product and an attempt to reintroduce this world, it feels a touch misguided.