Though Trails' usual splendor of combat options here should come as no surprise, what's striking with this year's remastering is how well this once portable-only entry has translated across to more modern-day portable screens alike.
Early on in one's adventure it's clear the tone here is one of a passive, laid back approach to challenge and accomplishment, but that direction in no way diminishes what ends up being one of the most delightful and well-curated IPs in this genre for some years.
Even with these blemishes and moments where the admiration for what's come before gets in the way of basic consistency and much-needed fluidity, OverBorder Studio have at least landed in a much better position with a foundation that's challenging and entertainingly so.
Hard as it may be - and only increasing in difficulty the further the years rolls on - to truly stand out in a crowded and competitive market that is the glaze of Souls-like appeal, where The Tarnishing of Juxtia may not be scoring high on originality, it just about makes up for in heart and dedication.
Without digging too deeply into the real reasons behind Interior Night's choice of aesthetic and presentation, As Dusk Falls is one of those cases of a solid foundation let down one too many times by its execution.
Redout 2 is the kind of game I so desperately want to speak nothing but praise for.
In fact it's that humble acknowledging of what it's demanding of the player - let alone all the fine details to keep track of - that Card Shark successfully side-steps as a result.
While a few issues remain that hamper the experience, it's a no-brainer to proclaim Sniper Elite 5 has taken everything that made 4 as great as it was and improved it.
Even occasional bugs and minor inconsistencies on challenge do little to sully a terrific first try for straka.
The scale of one's enjoyment with a game like B.
There's no doubting that Taito's back catalogue of 1980s arcade titles still mostly hold up in Milestones. And if you haven't yet delved into the company's varied, genre-hopping history, than there's an argument for Taito Milestones being a sufficient if not entirely definitive investment.
A common criticism you've no doubt identified throughout this assessment is that certain aspects don't offer enough - not least when the foundation is clearly there - to give Tango's latest that critical edge over its peers.
Some will take one look at The Last Cube and perceive its sterile aesthetic and reliance on geometric simplicity as something altogether lacking.
Anyone who's been keeping tabs may not be all that surprised to find Square Enix once again in a precarious spot that is in part baffling but more so predictable given recent history.
For some, what you make of Shadow Warrior 3 may well be influenced by the comparisons one draws from the prior 2016 entrant.
When taken as but a sampling of the entire experience, there does still linger some joy to savor in the combat and manner of challenge posed in Sifu. Set-pieces that unashamedly kick off with questions being asked and players put on the back-foot, even if said sequences never evolve beyond such basic a pitch as clearing out groups of foes.
If one were being picky, you could argue Drinkbox's focus this time on repeated dungeon-crawling may not have the same wow factor the studio's past projects have garnered on first glance.
The amount of criticism dished out here may paint a negative picture, but White Shadows is by no means a terrible product and so evidently houses a clear visual style and competent-enough execution of puzzle-platforming.
It's a mystery on whether you can deem it a positive or a negative that if you were to take away its meager narrative implications, Exo One would still be the exact same game.
Even in the context of notably high-quality "short" games of this year, ElecHead's three-to-four run-time and sparse replayability may look like it doesn't do the game any favors in convincing you this is a run-time to bother investing in.