Forgive Me Father 2 follows genre formulas almost to a fault but will keep you playing with its phenomenal art and incredible Lovecraftian inspiration that soaks into every aspect.
Awaken: Astral Blade failed to wow me with passable combat, an underwhelming story, and art that simply didn’t impress. While not a game for me, other fans of the Metroidvania genre may find something worth playing in this seemingly generic title.
With strong inspiration from classic anime of the 1980s and 1990s, yet with a solid identity of its own, Rogue Flight is determined to wow you with its exciting gameplay, amazing art, and incredible soundtrack, and I reckon it won’t be very hard for it to do so.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead was a surprisingly good horror experience, combining human and alien fears into a chilling, atmospheric game. Fans and newcomers alike should enjoy at least one playthrough of this fun horror romp.
Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like another classic ATLUS RPG, with some enough new to stand out. The game is loud and proud with its message, and though it sometimes can write in circles, it features some real heartwrenching moments, loveable (and hateable) characters, and some classically engaging turn-based RPG mechanics.
Neva is a game you won’t soon forget. With stunning visuals, gorgeous art, and an incredibly emotional story, this new classic continues Nomada Studio’s solid reputation and is a must-play in this reviewer’s book.
Drova – Forsaken Kin presents a dark and compelling world of survival inspired by Celtic mythology and classic grimdark ARPGs. A challenging adventure, you will struggle to survive, thrive, and find more to live for in this game full of impactful decisions and engaging action RPG mechanics.
Starship Troopers: Extermination feels bare bones, buggy (pun intended), and frankly unfinished. While the game has nostalgic visuals for the fans of the Starship Troopers franchise, this reviewer feels like it doesn’t have much else to offer.
Thronefall has easily become my new favorite tower defense game, thanks to its solid mechanics and the absolute wealth of variety present in each aspect of the game. Countless difficulty mutations and enemies await you in this game, which gives new meaning to the word “replayability.”
Europa is the closest thing we have to a Ghibli movie in video game form. With stunning visuals, a relaxing atmosphere, satisfying movement mechanics, and an intriguing mystery to uncover, Europa is a game worth losing an afternoon to.
While not the most innovative in its genre, Diplomacy is Not An Option takes a solid focus on traditional tower defense and wave-survival city building, challenging you to manage resources and build a mighty castle to survive against huge, statistically varied hordes of enemies.
KILL KNIGHT is an exciting bullet hell romp that challenges you to master its mechanics and descend through the circles of hell, prompting you with greater difficulties and higher scores to beat as you go.
Ravenswatch is my new favorite roguelike game, and a title I’m going to be spending a lot of time with in the future. Absolutely packed with cool ideas, from the game’s setting to the philosophy behind its mechanics, Ravenswatch is sure to become one of your favorites, too, if you give it a chance.
Mouthwashing is a masterclass in psychological horror, featuring phenomenal writing and striking imagery that is sure to leave you awed, inspired, and utterly terrified.
Bloomtown: A Different Story is an excellent combination of creature capture and JRPG. Though the writing moves fast and can leave you wanting more dedicated character development, the game features fun mechanics, excellent art, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a super interesting setting that will make the game a new cult classic.
The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a remarkably faithful, graphically impressive remaster of an original classic. The phenomenal RE engine brings the game to life, and QoL improvements make the game much more fun to play, though unnecessary censorship of original content and the missed opportunity of including combo weapons holds the game back just a bit for me.
Though Final Fantasy XVI departs from the franchise formula, it still maintains so much of what makes Final Fantasy such a beloved franchise. It has easily become one of my new favorite entries in the series. The game does its own thing, and while I do miss some classic Final Fantasy RPG elements, I certainly enjoy the cinematic action Final Fantasy XVI has to offer.
Frostpunk 2 does exactly what a sequel should do. It excels in all the ways the original game did while increasing the scale and adding even more. It is an excellent expansion on everything we loved about Frostpunk and delivers a new, utterly unique experience and story, and one that fans of the original, as well as newcomers to the franchise, are sure to love.
The Plucky Squire is a brilliantly creative little game that will hook you with its unique presentation and phenomenally full-of-life art and reel you in with nostalgic gameplay and great characters. It is fun for all ages. I struggle to think of anyone who won’t find at least one thing they enjoy about The Plucky Squire, making it a game that is definitely worth checking out if it’s on your radar.
Copycat is a uniquely cat-perspective narrative game that tells a heartwarming and, at times, heart-wrenching story that cat lovers and owners should resonate with. However, it is a bit weak on the gameplay side and will often hold your hand and guide you through the story it wants you to experience.