Under the Waves tells a solid tale of grief that is at its best when it focuses on environmentalism and technical issues and lack of polish hinder the unique experience of the deep sea.
Rune Factory 3 Special may lack quality of life features found in recent entries but offers perhaps the best cast of characters in the series with crisp visuals and an addictive gameplay loop.
Trails into Reverie is an impressive send-off to a series that does its best to deliver on fan expectations with characters, though an often generic and slow storyline does drag it down a bit.
Baldur’s Gate III is a rare masterpiece of an RPG with an engrossing storyline, stellar character interaction, and level of choice that makes it a must play for anyone interested in the genre.
Atlas Fallen’s momentum focused combat makes this open world action RPG shine like a gem in the desert but poor writing and acting tarnish its quality.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm’s release on more platforms offers the best possible experience with the game that harkens back to classic adventure games but doesn’t quite match up.
Exoprimal’s dino destruction is a blast in co-op with plenty of playstyle variety in an otherwise slightly anemic offering that forces PVP elements into a primarily PVE designed game.
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg may be a bit too simple in some regards but still delights with a pleasant story and relaxing gameplay.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective’s wonderful storyline gets new life in a remaster that offers a unique puzzle game that anyone interested in the genre should be playing.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life streamlines old elements of the most unique entry in the franchise and offers improvements to a game with plenty of focus on not just farming but also on family.
Final Fantasy XVI is an incredible action game that offers an epic tale with gorgeous visuals and an amazing soundtrack but lacking content will be noticeable to fans of the series.
Loop8: Summer of Gods’ interesting characters make for an interesting story set in a gorgeous world but simplistic combat and loops that quickly grow repetitive drag this unique JRPG down.
Street Fighter 6 brings the series to the modern era with plenty of quality content spread across three modes and fluid online play that allows its impressive fighting mechanics to shine.
Though it may have some small issues Killer Frequency creates a unique blend of horror, puzzle, and adventure that will delight slasher fans with plenty of camp and solid storytelling.
Cooking up monsters in Monster Menu: The Scavenger's Cookbook is a delight but simple gameplay and generic dungeons prevent this unique SRPG from making the most of its potential.
The vibrant open world of LEGO 2K Drive features solid racing mechanics that give the game a feeling of fun controlled chaos but grind and troublesome monetization plague this child-friendly game.
Redfall struggles to find its identity with mundane loot and attempted co-op focus that drags the game's interesting potential down to being a mediocre and disappointing FPS.
Crime Boss: Rockay City has some potential but lack of polish across the board combined with repetitive gameplay does more harm than its poorly included celebrity cast could ever help.
Dead Island 2 offers some of the most visceral and realistic looking first person combat around but its unfinished story and lack of challenge prevent it from reaching its potential.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure manages to improve upon nearly every aspect of Zero to create an RPG that is a must-play for fans of the genre.