Without a key mechanic to keep gameplay fresh, or even a story that's both fleshed out and well-structured, Twin Mirror fails to find any kind of hook beyond the fleeting intrigue in how it all ends.
Whether fans of Remnant: From the Ashes will see it as a comfort or disappointment depends entirely on their personal investment in the 2019 game's lore, but Chronos: Before the Ashes is in no way an essential addition to those already familiar with Gunfire's sci-fi/fantastical premise and one whose own dispensable tale will barely feel relevant.
With the brilliant heights that remakes of Resident Evil 2, for example, achieved last year, it felt inevitable that a remake like XIII would stand as the exact opposite result in that regard.
Though it may harbor the same delightful and immersive single-player offerings as the 2018 original, there's no doubting that the online and competitive expansion to Tetris Effect has only heightened Resonair's work evermore.
Even with these minor annoyances - not least those carried over from previous games in the series - what brief frustrations that do surface are quickly and easily eclipsed by everything else going on in Like a Dragon. Or more appropriately, by the sheer scale of deviation and conviction that this year's entry shows in proving that this genre of gameplay - this more classically RPG-centric approach - is an unquestionably excellent fit for the series.
Though it may feel like a case of "more of the same" as opposed to some grand, fourth-and-final leap forward, Trails of Cold Steel IV just about manages to achieve success in maintaining that kind of familiar yet high standard the saga has satisfied long-time fans with.
Like any roguelike, Noita's - as much as the player's own - fortunes can falter in that they're heavily-reliant on the luck of the draw.
Though the story elements won't be to everyone's taste - and as such, the efforts the game makes to inject a sense of drama and interpretation stakes can fall flat and veer into being completely off-putting - the sheer breadth and scale that Genshin Impact offers means that the brief lows in no way impact on the many lofty highs offered up.
For all its familiarity and how little the experience has changed - at least in a way that feels beneficial, most of all - Kylotonn still manage to make WRC 9 shine where it matters.
For those who can forgive the confusing online component, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 stands as another well-crafted and well-realized remake of an old favorite.