Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a strong debut title for Sandfall Interactive, with compelling characters and an original, unsettling story that’s part allegory, part surreal fantasy. Its turn-based/real-time hybrid combat is well thought out and grows more interesting as the game progresses. Some narrative pacing issues and repetitive enemy encounters pull Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from the brink of greatness. Still, it remains a unique and engaging take on both fantasy storytelling and JRPGs.
1999’s Amerzone was technically a product of its times, but it told a still-interesting and layered story, set in a fantastical world. Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy is a true remake, keeping the skeleton intact while bringing the graphics, sound, puzzle mechanics, and exploration up to contemporary standards. Players of the original will find Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy both a respectful and exciting new experience. Adventure puzzle game fans who missed it the first time are in for a treat.
Gorn 2 offers substantially more gameplay than the original Gorn. The arenas, enemies, and environments offer enhanced opportunities for creative mayhem. The first game’s way-over-the-top stylized violence and gore transfer intact, along with its goofy sense of satire. I
Tempest Rising comes at a great time, with few classic-type RTS games making an appearance. Tempest Rising easily recreates the fun of those early games and their addictive mechanics. At the same time, it looks and runs like a current title. Two impressive campaigns and the potential for endless enjoyment via skirmishes equals an impressive and exciting return to a regretfully absent genre.
The new version adds some quality-of-life features, new content, and an editor in concert with beautifully updated graphics. Enough time has passed to firmly assert that The Talos Principal is a genre classic, and The Talos Principal: Reawakened is simply the definitive version to own.
Unfortunately, South of Midnight is saddled with frustrating, unpolished combat and action sequences that become repetitive long before the game’s midpoint. Even with its glaring faults, South of Midnight is mostly worth playing just for the orc-free story and uniquely American characters.
Any PC gamer who doesn’t already own The Last of Us Part II on console should definitely pick this up.
Koira is a heartfelt and inspiring journey that explores the deep emotional bonds between people and animals, bonds that are dynamic and fulfilling for both.
In the absence of other and more impressive Soulslikes, AI Limit could definitely step in and fill a void. It gets the basics right and even iterates in some enjoyable ways.
Derivative though it most certainly is, The First Berserker: Khazan is still incredibly fun to play because combat is so satisfying. The gothic anime visuals look great, and the game manages to sneak a few new and smart mechanics into the formula.
The world is beautiful and thoroughly convincing, the characters are interesting but the combat lacks polish and finesse.
Shadows’ world and attention to Japanese history and culture are genuinely impressive. Naoe is not the ultimate assassin and Yesuke is not the most refined ARPG hero. However, their different strengths add creativity to combat and narrative complexity. I don’t think Assassin’s Creed Shadows will disappoint many fans, nor pull in the uninitiated in great numbers. It’s a solid AC game with just enough new ideas to make it stand apart from the recent titles.
PC players looking for an awe-inspiring graphical showcase might run into performance issues. Overall, Rise of the Ronin’s flashy combat and action sell the experience and make it worth playing, but not as convincingly as one might wish
If card battle games are your go-to genre, you’ll enjoy Knights in Tight Spaces. If you’ve never played this kind of game, it’s an easy one to start with, welcoming to new players and very satisfying to veterans.
The new open zones and more complex monster behaviors are impressive and interesting to explore, and as always, hunts can be challenging, rewarding, exhausting, and fun.
Thanks to its legacy of the excellent Pillars of Eternity games, Avowed is built on a strong foundation. That comes through in every aspect of the game, from its deep lore to its exceptional world-building, characters, and writing. Smartly avoiding the pitfalls of an empty open world, it gives the players densely interesting zones to explore, weighty choices to make, and engaging companions to rely on. Avowed takes the Pillars of Eternity universe on an assured and thoroughly enjoyable journey from CRPG to the action genre.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is more ambitious, more polished and more narratively complex than the first game. It’s an impressive achievement that moves the unique franchise significantly forward.
In a deluge of Soulslikes and 2D Metroidvanias, 2021’s Tails of Iron stood out, thanks to its beautiful art, excellent combat, and engaging premise. All of that’s true for Whiskers of Winter. The sequel is just as visually distinctive and narratively interesting. The game’s combat can be extremely challenging, but this time there are options for dialing back the difficulty, which makes the game slightly more accessible to less hardcore ARPG fans. Tails of Iron 2: Whispers of Winter doesn’t radically reinvent the first game’s art or approach but definitely improves and deepens it. Anyone feeling fatigued with copycat pixel art Soulslikes should give Whiskers of Winter a try.
Its distinctive story and setting, coupled with generally enjoyable combat, puzzles, and exploration make it a pretty strong choice for genre fans looking for their next game.
By not numbering this latest game, the developers are signaling a rebirth of the series. In many ways that’s true. The action-RPG mechanics and narrative-heavy design bring the franchise in line with other ARPGs. At the same time, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is still a Musou game at heart. The immense battles fans of the genre love are still there. There’s less of a repetitive feeling this time around, and the game should be successful in courting new players coming from other ARPGs.