KarmaZoo is a game that requires friendliness, cooperation, and altruism to progress. While you won’t find that in every player you match up with in this online-only experience, getting the right team in KarmaZoo can be a fun, rewarding, and silly experience. While I can’t speak for my online teammates, I found the game very zen and an utterly frustration-free experience.
While some awkward controls and stiff animations keep this game from perfection, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is most definitely a title worth checking out. Fighting game fans and nostalgic Nickelodeon heads both have plenty to get out of this title, which makes great improvements over its successor. Plus any game with El Tigre in it is a good game in my book.
Though rich in unit and character variety and full of phenomenal art, Iron Marine Invasion doesn’t deliver so well on the gameplay aspect. While certainly not the worst RTS on the market, the game could use a few improvements and expansions on its combat before I would consider it living up to its full potential.
The Talos Principle 2 asks deep philosophical questions and gives you time to ponder them as you solve a plethora of complex puzzles at your own pace. It is a game about relaxing and exploring, and while it can feel a bit like climbing a mountain, there’s no timer telling you how quickly you need to reach the top. An enjoyable experience from start to finish, no matter how long it takes you to get there.
Though it’s less of a game and more of an interactive novel, The Invincible is worth checking out for any fan of sci-fi or cosmic horror. This dreary adventure into the unknown makes fantastic use of suspense, mystery, and the out-of-this-world concepts of its source material to make for a truly unique Cosmonautian adventure into the unknown.
Campy and overbearing with callbacks and references, RoboCop: Rogue City can make even the most die-hard fan of the series roll their eyes a few times. Despite that and a criminally uninteresting villain, the game presents a truly unique take on the FPS shooter and is faithful (sometimes to a fault) to its source material. You will truly feel like RoboCop in this game.
You Will Die Here Tonight is one of the most unique horror games I’ve played. While being a satirical love letter to a favorite franchise of mine, the game does not sacrifice an intensely scary atmosphere or undeniable originality in its mechanics and writing. This is a must-have Halloween release that is sure to surprise and hook you like it did me.
Layka taught me that a song never dies; similarly, Song of Nunu is a game that will undoubtedly live on in the memories of those who play it. Fans of League’s lore are in for an epic continuation of several beloved champion’s stories, and a heartwarming adventure awaits fans and newcomers alike. Song of Nunu is without a doubt worth your time, with interesting puzzles, great characters and a fantastic pace that keeps the game rolling.
Dark Envoy has interesting gameplay mechanics locked behind some of the worst presentations I’ve seen in a while. It felt like the team behind the game was missing a few core pieces to make something special; With some better writers, animators, and artists, this game could have been a new favorite. As it stands, however, it’s an okay game with a lot of hiccups you have to look past to enjoy it.
There isn’t a single thing I don’t like about Slay the Princess. The presentation is beautiful, the story is fantastic and moving, the voice acting of amazing characters is done phenomenally well, and the branching paths of the story give you what feels like unlimited possibilities. If you’ve got the time, take a trip down to a cabin and see if you can slay the princess — or see if you can save her and discover the secrets of this strange place.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is not without its hiccups, and one such problem seriously needs to be addressed as soon as possible by the developers. Besides this, the game is clearly a labor of love, faithfully recreating the look and feel of the Hellboy comic’s art style and characters. Unique takes on gameplay make you feel like a true badass demon from hell, slugging down mooks as you seek out the secrets of a mysterious world before it’s too late.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged gives players the adrenaline rush of a high-speed race paired with the wackiness and freedom of a toy car track. An absolutely massive collection of cars and customization options means there’s always something to work towards in this game, and an expansive level editor means multiplayer races are always interesting. Real-life Hot Wheels collectors and racing game fans alike have something exciting in store with this brand-new, high-octane title.
ENDLESS Dungeon takes a familiar, lore-rich universe and throws it into new territory. The clever combination of roguelike and tower defense elements creates a unique spin on both genres. The wealth of characters and enemy varieties means you always have something cool to shoot at and someone cool to shoot at it with. While the game is stronger with friends, multiplayer and solo campaigns will surely delight with brutal gunplay and banging Western sci-fi tracks.
Wizard with a Gun is a game about quick-drawing wizards blasting away the forces of chaos with enchanted bullets, and what more do you really need? While the game is certainly playable solo, it can get a bit lonely and sometimes even kind of dull without a ‘pardner by your side. If you’ve got a few friends willing to blast their way through the apocalypse, load up Wizard with a Gun and get shooting.
Long Gone Days presents an interesting story and likable characters, and that alone is worth giving it a try. However, a failure to fully commit to the game’s message can make emotional moments feel a bit hollow at times, devoid of the weight it should be having. That paired with missing basic features like an autosave function and uninspiring, boring gameplay can make the game a bit hard to get through. Focus on the story, the wonderful pixel art, and the great soundtrack though and you will find something worth appreciating in this game.
Wargroove 2 is a fantastic strategy game full of fun and interesting characters, both of the individual and disposable variety. Fans of 4X gameplay should find familiar and engaging strategic combat in this game. Though a little repetitive once you master the game’s nuances, a custom content editor and excellent writing make Wargroove 2 a game you could easily lose hours upon hours within.
The Lamplighters League is a solid, if a bit underwhelming XCOM-like that is digestible to newcomers to the genre, if not totally fulfilling to veterans. While the game features a strong setting and aesthetic, somewhat lackluster voice acting, poor dialogue writing, and tired genre-specific mechanics hold it back from its full potential. The game is far from a pass, however, and if the premise really excites you, you just might find it more enjoyable than I did.
Take another stab at life with High on Knife, a slime-squelching and poppers-huffing adventure with everyone’s favorite stabba. Though I experienced some serious performance issues in a very prominent part of the DLC, I’m convinced Squanch Games can and will patch that out before it becomes a real problem. So grab Knifey, new friend Harper and all of your other Gatlians (and don’t forget your B.A.L.L.S) and rip and tear through another wacky and weird adventure.
The Fabulous Fear Machine is a phenomenal narrative-driven strategy game that should hook you on its stories and keep you interested with its brain-stimulating gameplay. The phenomenal art compliments every aspect of the game, from its uniquely presented levels to its fantastic writing. Give into your desire for power and spread a little fear with this rare and fantastic title.
Paleo Pines is a competent farming game with some interesting takes on Dinosaur care, and if that’s all you’re looking for you will most certainly find it here. Unfortunately, the game follows many other releases in the genre in its lack of imaginative or meaningful changes on tired and familiar gameplay, with the things it does right few and far between. If you don’t mind the lack of imagination and lackluster visual presentation, Paleo Pines would be a good game for you, but might be better for a younger audience or someone who’s yet to play a farming game.