The Jackbox Survey Scramble, despite technically being one game and one main concept, feels just as full and engaging as a proper Party Pack, and that's thanks to the simplicity of its ideas. There's a reason Family Feud persists. Trivia that asks you to make observations about the world around you is always enjoyable, because it makes you feel connected, it enlightens you to things you might not have considered (people really like their bosses these days), and feels like the kind of thing anybody can hop into and enjoy. We missed the personality of other Jackbox games at times, but keeping the data up front and center was the right choice in the end. But don't worry, Survey Scramble has a banger of an outro song still! As long as content is added (we did run into a few repeat questions) and those continued modes and data refreshes keep it interesting, we're ready to loop this into party nights from here on out.
Fear the Spotlight is one of those games that's just so well-roundedly good that it's hard to pinpoint its particular highs and lows. It's well-written — tense but tender — the horror is approachable and enjoyable for horror fans of all types, and their YA approach to horror makes Cozy Game Pals' debut emotionally resonant. Running you somewhere between 3-6 hours of play time, Fear the Spotlight was the perfect Halloween treat this year, and really, it may just be the kind of thing I loop in as an annual spooky offering up there with autumn classics like Night in the Woods. Cozy Game Pals have a game to be proud of and one that stands out as one of my favorite horror games in recent memory.
Wild Bastards is the perfect game for those think-y roguelike fans who are ready to set aside the deckbuilding to slam some shells into a barrel, as well as for the shooter fan who is ready to think a bit harder about it when they start clicking heads. Powered by a cast of characters so fun to watch tear each other to shreds and build back up again, Wild Bastards is the perfect intersection of so many niche interests that it stands out for the ways it solidly represents all of them. The pace wavers, the story is secondary, but nothing feels better than blasting away a robot with a six-shooter, I tell ya what.
Été clearly has something special inside of it. Despite a few technical hiccups and limitations, its bones are loaded with some genuine creativity. It can spark inspiration and joy in the process of slowing down, taking in the details, exploring a community, and expressing yourself with an approachable (but imperfect) creative tool. But a few strange decisions hold it back from ever achieving the brilliance it desires. What's there is good, but it could have been great. For those willing to embrace its imperfections, there's plenty of beauty to discover, so consider dabbling in Été's watercolors and witnessing the stunning artwork of Impossible's take on Montreal.
Simply put, The Plucky Squire is a celebration of the creative spirit; of how art can inspire others to create for themselves; of childhood imagination never burning out. If you were the kind of kid who saw entire worlds in your toy chest, who daydreamed about books so much you got chastised by teachers for not paying attention to the books they wanted you to read, or who immediately pretended you were the hero of a movie you just watched on the way out of a theater, The Plucky Squire sings to that part of you that still burns inside. It's a constantly changing adventure of a game that'll take you through genres and ideas you thought you'd left behind years ago, through a world so playful and joyous, and with a character so darned plucky, that you just might walk away ready to create something magical of your own one day.
Hollowbody is a good game that feels even more impressive when you realize that one person pulled all the strings to bring it to life. Hamley is an incredible talent whose attempt at replicating the PS2 era of horror slots in near-perfectly with its inspirations. It's flawed, but some of the best horror games are, too, and the vibes are worth sinking into no matter what.
The Jackbox Naughty Pack is a fascinating experiment that, while we had a lot of fun with it, we couldn't help but feel was missing something. The lightness of the pack certainly had a lot to do with it. Three games in a Jackbox pack is way more noticeable than you'd expect. And the single note theming lost its appeal for us quicker than we expected. That said, Jackbox Naughty Pack is a pack best suited for very specific scenarios. When the vibes are just right and the company you keep is just as unhinged as you, break out the Naughty Pack and debate the preferred sexual positions of various type of nuts (THE FOOD) with your friends and have a good time. Just don't invite Uncle Ed over to play this version of "the game with the phones." You'll be much happier, I promise.
I Am Your Beast is a bold statement from a team known for making bold statements. A game that showcases the studio's best strengths — narrative and sparse but effective presentation — with by far their best-playing game to date. There are few games that make me feel as powerful as this does while still maintaining the fun that I Am Your Beast does. I said it once, I'll say it again: I Am Your Beast kicks ass.
Fields of Mistria is easy to look at, easy to play, and easy to fall in love with. In an era of games made to push players to their limits, something like Fields of Mistria is like vacation. It respects your time and offers a farming sim experience that nails the fundamentals. Whether you jump into its 40 hours of content today or wait to see how much is added in the (projected) year it'll be in Early Access, Fields of Mistria is a delight for gaming farmers of all types. We're in a golden era of farming sims and I'm so happy to be living in it.
In a lot of ways, The Crush House was not what I expected. It's a systems-driven gameplay experience that turns the passivity of watching reality TV into a surprisingly hectic and fast-paced one, where meeting the needs of your audience is more important than any bit of drama that might unfold in the house. Through some genius decisions from Nerial, The Crush House is also a slyly thought-provoking time, making you reflect on how you consume media and why. At the same time, it's exactly what you'd expect. It's silly, sexy, and has all the pieces to be as satisfying to watch as the best in reality TV. Sometimes the things that make it enjoyable to watch make it less enjoyable to play, and vice versa, but Nerial has a one-of-a-kind gaming experience on their hands with this reality show sim either way. All I've got to say in the end is: if you've got any footage of Chorby doing weird shit, send it to me. We've got to put that guy away.
Thank Goodness You're Here continues the legacy of great comedy games with a simple yet satisfying platformer that embraces all aspects of British comedy. We always have complicated conversations about whether or not games have to be fun, what games are allowed to do and say with their stories, and so on. Games like Thank Goodness You're Here — games that keep things simple and silly — are reminders of how joyous video games can be when they are so dedicated to making you smile, to making you laugh. And, I mean, any game that asks you to slap as many cheeks as this deserves some love.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is an explosion of creativity. The team of artists behind it turned one simple concept into an adventure worth taking, turned simple tiles on a grid into a world full of imaginative concepts, and, hopefully, will turn many more slide puzzle strangers into converts overnight. If you're looking at the hefty 2024 gaming season and wondering if you should slide some pieces around to make space for Arranger, I say leave the space open and you won't regret it.
Dungeons of Hinterberg was an incredible escape, and like any good vacation, we'll always have the memories. When you play it, you can just feel it. It's a perfect blend of magic portal fantasy and quaint tourist-trap reality, of thwacking monsters and meeting eccentric people. It's made memorable by the perfect synergy of its unique systems, the love and care of a dedicated team, and, quite simply, just the fact that it basically plays like the 3D Zelda game we've all wanted to return to for years. Microbird can be proud that they've got one of the truest must-play indie releases of the last few years and one of the best games of 2024. Action adventure games are so back. Happy slaying.
Clickolding isn't a horror game in the same way it isn't a sex game. It really isn't, but Strange Scaffold uses a lot of the same tension-building tactics found in both genres to make its unique experience work. It captures every "un-" and "dis-" adjective in the book. Unsettling. Uncomfortable. Unusual. Unabashed. Disconcerting. Disarming. Dissonant. Discombobulating. And it does so with the power of Strange Scaffold's best elements: writing, atmosphere, and gameplay that aligns beautifully. For lack of a better phrase, it just... clicks. I'm fascinated to see what other people take away from a game like this. Clickolding's mere existence is a testament to, first, the constantly innovative and label-pushing work being done at Strange Scaffold, and second, the kinds of work that might only get the chance to exist and succeed with the support of initiatives like Outersloth. The video games industry needs more from both of these companies, and I'm just grateful to be around to see the weirdest stuff around get the chance to be made. Okay, click out of this review already and click over to the Steam page. The Clickold will see you now.
Magical Delicacy is almost too successful in how it captures the good and bad of the cooking process. It's more involved than you'd expect, with its processes a bit fiddly and particular, and when you're still learning it all, it's more frustrating than you might like. But the satisfaction of its end product is undeniable, and once you're on the other end, it's easy to appreciate every part of the process that much more. Skaule shows incredible talent in crafting this game as a solo developer, along with the help of the talented contractors who collaborated with him on this project, and we can't wait to see what comes next in their career.
Ewoud and Nils have crafted a special little game that has brought this writer right back to his childhood, when I'd find ways to gamify the world around me. I find myself glancing at the shadows in my world, wondering about the path I could craft to get from one end of the park to the other, because of this game. And any game that carries a feeling or a new perspective into your reality is a great one. SCHiM is a throwback to childhood joy: a reminder that tapping into your imagination and letting yourself experience the beauty of the world around you is necessary for surviving the otherwise draining experience of being an adult in the modern world. It's simple, it's short, it's sweet. And it's one I wholly recommend for gamers of all ages.
I'm tempted to say your mileage may vary with a game like Until Then. As a Filipino American, its cultural impact certainly made everything hit that much harder for me. As a narrative gamer who's gotten a lot out of visual novels and the like, its dialogue-driven adventure was easy for me to digest. And as a fan of pixel art, I loved the work Polychroma did here to bring its recreation of the Philippines to life. But even if none of those boxes are checked for you, I'm still tempted to recommend Until Then regardless. Its deeply human story, told with emotionally sincere dialogue, its ability to showcase the beauty of Filipino culture, its mind-breaking second half are all worth experiencing for gamers from all walks of life. Go play this game and let's go meet at the Jollibee to decompress after. Salamat, Polychroma.
You hear it a lot with games that feature hand-drawn animation. "It feels like playing a cartoon." But with its roots in an era I was so closely tied to and loved, #BLUD is probably the best example of that I've ever seen. It may not be perfect, but it's the kind of game I always wanted those classic tie-in games to be and never got — and that fulfillment of a lifelong dream is worth experiencing for anyone who grew up in the '90s.
Penny's Big Breakaway embodies the best of the era it's emulating and showcases just what Evening Star is capable of when not tied down by an existing IP. Its surprisingly technical platforming and momentum-based systems make for a satisfying play, even if it can be a bit much to wrap your head around when you start out. I can't wait to see what Evening Star does next, because just like Penny auditioning for the gala, this debut is an exciting look into their potential and their future.
Life Eater is the kind of game that comes with a lot of ifs. If you're able to buy into its disturbing narrative, if you're okay with abstract systems-driven storytelling, if you're okay with short and easy... then sign up! And if you are able to embrace all of that, you could come away with it being one of your favorite experiences of the year. If even one piece doesn't click for you though, the house of cards starts to fall apart. For me, it almost put all the pieces together. Its narrative stunned me, but it was over in a blink. Its gameplay systems build a fantastic foundation but never quite find that cohesion I'm used to from the team. But when Strange Scaffold only half-clicks you still come out the other end with one of the most original games of the year, one of the strongest narratives of the year, and almost definitely the best kidnapping sim ever released.