It’s one of those games where a developer’s enthusiasm for a genre leads to a perfect alignment of fresh and familiar. Twisted Tower is a must-play for fans of BioShock, classic first-person shooters, haunted carnivals, and evil amusement parks.
Mortal Shell 2 is such an immensely impressive upgrade from the original that I wanted it to be flawless. Of course, it isn’t. However, issues with pacing, opacity, occasional difficulty spikes, and bugs are dwarfed by Cold Symmetry’s overall achievement.
After playing Creepshow I’m still not convinced it wanted to be an actual game.
Soverign Knights is charming, cheeky and challenging, with lots of depth and surprises in store at nearly every turn.
For solo or 1v1 PvP fans, Mistfall Hunter has some real limitations, but for like-minded groups, the game rises above its copycat patchwork.
Aside from some awkward controls and an art style that might not connect with everyone, Parkasaurus Dinoluxe Edition brings a cozy, casual feel to what is often an intimidating genre.
Relic: The First Guardian is not so messy as to be unplayable. In fact, the game’s combat can be excellent at times, and the use of Korean folklore twisted into a dark narrative is an interesting idea.
Like Stardew Valley as managed by George Orwell, D-Topia is an exploration of some complex questions in the disguise of a cozy sim, which is not something you come across every day.
The original game’s story and characters are among the best in the series and remain a solid foundation on which to build the world. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced strikes a near-perfect balance between preservation and improvement.
Frostpunk 2: Breach of Trust is a brief but interesting sidebar to Frostpunk 2, but doesn’t succeed in expanding the base game experience in the same way Fractured Utopias did.
Although the campaign can be challenging, Town to City is not as exacting as other games in the sim genre. A distinctive art style, gridless building, and a relaxed, calming pace are central to the experience.
To its great credit, Gothic 1 Remake does not try to smooth out the challenge or design approach of the 2001 original, choosing instead to make significant graphical upgrades and add layers of improvement to combat and other mechanics.
As a flatscreen port of a remake of a classic, The 7th Guest is a couple of generations removed from the original, which is still playable in some form. As innovative and important as it was in 1993, however, the original game is undeniably dated.
Thick as Thieves is a reasonably-priced $5 game with a solid foundation, but needs more playable characters, maps, depth, and encouragement for creativity.
First-person bullet hell shooters aren’t all that common, so Luna Abyss immediately stands out as something fresh. It’s a polished and confident game overall, and it doesn’t try to layer on too many systems or mechanics.
Whirlight: No Time to Trip is a hardcore homage to point-and-click puzzle adventure games.
Directive 8020 is Supermassive Games doing what it does best: making a horror adventure out of genre fiction. In this case, it’s body-snatching, Alien-hunting sci-fi and a diminishing crew under increasing pressure. Both its setting and time-jumping narrative construction make it unique, but it never strays very far from the constraints of its inspirations. Impressive visuals, effective performances and generally polished mechanics are countered by a muted tone, some dull exploration sequences and stealth. The game’s pacing and momentum sometimes feel out of whack. Still, both fans of Supermassive’s approach to storytelling and classic sci-fi will enjoy their time on Tau Ceti f.
Although the developers have promised new maps, stickers and other items, Kiln launches with only a single mode called Quench. It’s fun as far as it goes and the game’s mechanics and premise are clever, but it doesn’t take long for matches to grow familiar. It’s not always easy to fill in the ranks for a full team.
For the game’s reasonable price point, there’s plenty of content available, not to mention Steam Workshop support and custom scenarios. A bit of visual repetition and control quibbles aside, All Will Fall is overall a strong entry in the colony building sim genre.
I’m looking forward to seeing the story link system further developed in a more refined experience.