Fans of the original slow-burn thriller may not find much fulfillment here, but newcomers to Kona may find warmth in how polished Kona II: Brume's potentially unnecessary mechanics are at times.
The Cosmic Shake houses a fantastic recreation of the adventures that SpongeBob SquarePants has gone on throughout the years, only let down by an inability to provide adequate context for its gameplay mechanics.
Traveller's Tales return to the LEGO fray is a double-edged sword of good intentions, and the over-complication of its famous brand of gameplay. At its best, The Skywalker Saga sees itself touching greatness it hasn't seen since the seventh generation of gaming.
A storybook with half the pages missing, Little Bug rushes towards an ending whilst attempting to leave everything in the dust, including its fantastic gameplay. Take your time and you'll find a shining core of fun, challenge, and excitement, failing to be extinguished by its lacking narrative.
The Fatal Frame that time forgot finally gets its time in the spotlight, showcasing just enough of the legacy’s qualities, alongside being a perfect introduction to the series itself.
A hearty journey that remains tonally consistent despite its joyous mechanics, with its pointless combat and customization not being enough to drag the experience down.
Keeping a satisfying gameplay loop at its most energetic for as long as it possibly can, Agent Intercept's worst sin is being just long enough that the simplicity drags the core experience down over time.
A toy box sprawled out onto the floor of game development, Tux and Fanny is a brilliant mini-game parlour, with a satisfying narrative to match when it isn't too busy trying to be a stoner-inspired stream of consciousness.
As a player, Fatum Betula hosts fulfilling gameplay, rewarding exploration with an atmosphere of thick nostalgia and childhood fear. As a curator, it is a brief exploration into auteur theory, and that direction is never necessarily important, only context.
A puzzler that challenges as much as it inspires, full of life and passion, even if its narrative offerings tend to stumble towards the end.
A powerful narrative journey that utilizes a time loop mechanic for commentary on the cycles we find ourselves in and utilizes its gameplay to play perfectly alongside the story beats.
A near-perfect rendition of fairytales with a modern twist, Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is easily one of 2023's best narrative efforts, with consistently engaging gameplay alongside it.