Demonschool is an interesting title with a unique, puzzley approach to turn-based combat and phenomenal art direction and aesthetics. The story in this story-driven game, however, is all over the place and fails to feel cohesive or satisfying, while also playing more into laughs than solid characterization. If the game has caught your eye, I still suggest trying it out, but beware that you may also find the writing disjointed, confusing, and whacky in a not-so-intentional-feeling way. But maybe you’ll find more fun in the randomness than I did.
Sanatorium – A Mental Asylum Simulator provides a unique coat of paint over a deckbuilding-style puzzle loop. That coat of paint is about as deep as the theme goes; however, the game unfortunately lacks a lot of immersive features or mechanics beyond color-matching cards. If you know what you’re getting into, it’s not a bad game, but the promise feels like more than what the title actually delivers, which also feels a bit like it should still be in Early Access.
Dispatch brilliantly sets the stage for AdHoc Studios to fill the void Telltale Games left and do it better. This superhero workplace comedy is full of heart, incredible character-driven storytelling and art, and is worth all of the praise it’s received and more.
Winter Burrow really stands out for its unique setting and the bold way it chooses to approach its narrative and character writing. Mechanically, it’s less bold, being a solid game to play, even if it’s a little overly similar to others in the genre and too linear for my personal taste. It is definitely a cozy take on its genre, one that can be played at your own pace without worry of a big difficulty curve or trouble, while unironically having a more solemn story than a lot of its peers.
Double Dragon Revive is no revival of its franchise. If anything, it feels like mindless filler. The graphics are nice (though it seems that’s a rare opinion), the combat is solid, if incredibly simple, and the levels don’t do enough to really excite or tear away from what quickly becomes a repetitive tedium. The game feels terrified to try anything new and therefore settles for mediocrity, providing just enough to briefly entertain a player before failing to offer anything more.
Once Upon A KATAMARI remains as iconic, colorful, and fun as the rest of the franchise, once again using its signature formula to create an entertaining and unique puzzle game. While the title does not do anything different or reinventive for the franchise, it does not necessarily need to, providing another delightful helping of the series for fans and new players alike. PC players will be pleased to have another KATAMARI title on the platform, though they are better off avoiding the awkward keyboard controls and using a dedicated controller.
Painkiller is an enjoyable experience, though one that varies greatly from what many fans were expecting it to be. The gunplay is fun, and in co-op the game can be a good time. However, it suffers from a lack of content and endgame, which may be made worse by the game’s dwindling player count
Devil Jam has a great premise, fantastic art, and a fun mechanical twist on the survivors-like genre. However, it feels unfinished, providing not a whole lot of content and making players grind pretty hard to get what is there. Mechanically and narratively light, the game would be in a great spot for an Early Access release, but short of a full launch.
The Outer Worlds 2 improves over the first with a more compelling story and better combat, while still delivering and even expanding on the game’s great setting and character writing. While the story isn’t shaped by the player’s choices as much as in other RPG titles, you’ll still find a lot of immersive roleplaying to be done in this game’s stand-out original universe.
ARC Raiders seems to be a good contender for the extraction shooter genre, offering solid, if familiar genre gameplay and a unique aesthetic. However, overpriced monetization plagues this already pay-to-play title, and as something of a tourist to the extraction shooter genre, I can’t personally say that ARC Raiders does anything too different or exciting, proving to be an inoffensive experience, albeit one that failed to win me over.
If you love the freedom and chaos of open-world driving but hate being bogged down by plotlines or filler, Wreckreation is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. The game handles driving pretty well, offers a fair amount of activities that embrace the chaos of virtual driving, and lets you build your own tracks, and somehow manages to do all of it seamlessly, with no menus or load times in between.
Tormented Souls 2 is classic horror gaming to its core and feels like it could have been one of the better classic titles of the ’90s and early 2000s. While it pays homage to an old-school formula, it still stands on its own, being an excellent modern horror game with a fantastic story and characters, and one that feels familiar and new all at the same time. I highly recommend giving this game a playthrough this Halloween season, just so long as you can handle those tank controls.
The Lonesome Guild is a heartfelt title built on the themes of friendship and togetherness, which are baked into the game’s core mechanics as well as its story. The combat mechanics may be a bit repetitive, and not every puzzle is a hit, but overall this wholesome adventure should appeal to many, though its cuteness and meme-y dialogue might polarize a few. For those who love it, though, The Lonesome Guild will leave you in a better place than when you started it.
Farthest Frontier has its issues but still manages to be one of my new favorite city builders thanks to the sheer amount of depth in its economy and attention paid to gorgeous, expansive city building. Though it lacks some options in the logistics department and the UI is hard to look at, fans of the genre should find a title worth investing in with this deep colony builder.
PowerWash Simulator 2 delivers exactly what it promises: an incredibly satisfying game about cleaning dirt with a power washer. It simulates this fantasy well and offers a lot of opportunity to do it in interesting places and with some fun dialogue exchanges during. If you’re asking the game for more than that, you’d be sorely disappointed, but if the title was enough to draw you in or you enjoyed the first game, you’ll likely have a great time with this sequel.
Absolum blew me away with its mastery of the side-scrolling beat-’em-up and roguelike genres, seamlessly combining the two in a game that is exceptional on a technical level and a blast to play. Paired with the excellent combat and roguelike loop are phenomenal characters, great worldbuilding, and gorgeous art, making for a game that is an absolute steal at just $25.
BALL x PIT does everything I want a roguelike game to do, delivering fun mechanics in an infinitely replayable loop that also manages to be a unique departure from many games in the genre. Paired with gorgeous dark fantasy pixel art, incredible music, and a fun, unique setting, the game gives you many reasons to give it a try and few excuses to avoid it.
Dreams of Another is a beautiful experience, albeit one that is sure to be polarizing. If you’re looking for a relaxing, thought-provoking, linear experience that feels like a virtual art exhibit, you’ll likely enjoy this game. For those looking for more of a traditional “game,” however, Dreams of Another can feel slow, repetitive, and is probably something you’d want to skip.
Little Nightmares 3 upholds its franchise’s place at the top of the genre, being tense, engaging, and deeply immersive with its macabre worldbuilding. The addition of co-op is a great addition to the series, while remaining an excellent solo experience, should you choose to play it that way.
Bye Sweet Carole is an incredible work of art and animation, one worth experiencing on its artistic merits alone. As a game, however, it leaves much to be desired, failing to innovate with its shallowest of mechanics. It is a game that plays slow when it plays at all and likely would have done better as a film.