Darkest Dungeon II is a gruelling experience where you constantly fail and luck isn't on your side. But as you learn from your mistakes and unlock more resources, the challenges can be conquered, and it feels mighty good to do so. Veterans of the previous game will be surprised by the reworked mechanics, and it will take some time to adapt. Though that doesn't take away from the huge amount of enjoyment the game is able to instil and the exhilaration you get when exploring Darkest Dungeon II with an open mind. For a roguelite experience that pushes your creativity and tolerance to the limit, you'll struggle to find much better than Darkest Dungeon II.
On Your Tail brings you a charming Italian vacation experience you won't forget. The ambience is perfect, the townspeople charming, and the mysteries are fun to solve. Unfortunately this game does have some rough edges which are too hard to ignore, along with potential gamebreaking bugs. Don't let the flaws turn you away, this is still fun to play. Give Borgo Marina a chance and you will see that everything comes together to form a cozy game masterpiece.
Pikmin 4 gets off to a slow start, but it quickly drags you into a world of vivid exploration. Learning how to use the Pikmin and getting through different scenarios is entertaining. The planet is a joy to explore and the puzzles are the right difficulty. Learning combat and taking risks is tricky to learn, but nothing you can’t pick up. Your journey with the Pikmin will be a tough rollercoaster, but every step is worth it.
Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination hits at the fears of every job seeker to provide a horror experience that has no equal.
The Alters lets you recruit alternate versions of yourself to survive on a desolate planet. It’s a unique concept that ties in with the story and makes you curious about what comes next. Figuring out what to do next can be difficult and having to progress to unlock upgrades feels inconvenient. This game has an interesting concept that knocks the premise out of the park.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 doesn't hold back in showing you what it's like to be a Space Marine. Combat is gruelling, intense, and punishing even in the best of times. It's also not easy to understand the importance of the Space Marines if you aren't familiar with the lore. But if you are willing to give the game a chance, it provides some of the best hack-and-slash shooter experiences and immersive settings. It's never been more enjoyable to be a Space Marine and understand the horrors of fighting in never-ending conflicts.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative can throw a lot of information at you, and it will take some time to digest the tutorials and the events of the game. But once you manage to find your footing, you will be investigating an intriguing mystery that crosses different timelines with powerful tools. It’s a story that requires patience, understanding, and some outside-the-box thinking, but it pays off with a fantastic resolution when you reach the real conclusion.
As Dusk Falls tells a wonderful story that is not only thought provoking, but willing to discuss difficult subjects that aren't often talked about.
Two Point Campus takes its time to teach you the fundamentals of running a successful university, with free reign on how you complete your objectives. The depth of the resources given to you and the amount of customisation for each of your campuses shows great attention to detail. The game is filled with wacky, silly, and sometimes dry humour that you can't help but laugh at. While there are annoying inconveniences, success is still in your hands. It can be hectic, but you won't find a better university management sim than this.
SIGNALIS never stops feeding you a truly terrifying experience. Something could scare you around every corner, and there's nothing you can do to push that feeling away permanently. Enemies are constantly on the prowl for you and will show up when you least expect it. Loud sounds are rare but pierce through the normally quiet setting. There's a non-stop source of terror and it creates a fantastic horror experience. SIGNALIS' story isn't the strongest, and it could have benefited from investigating characters more often. Although despite the narrative shortcomings, SIGNALIS presents a horror experience you won't soon forget.
Scars Above sets out as a standard sci-fi action game and experiments to great success. The story intelligently weaves in some horror elements to keep you hooked with a level of narrative consistency and cohesion that keeps things simple yet enjoyable. Combat is fun and forces you to think on your feet, leaving you properly immersed in the gameplay. With only one save file and a lack of voice and mouth synchronization, the game certainly isn't beyond criticism. Although despite the shortcomings, Scars Above is a great example of a game that isn't afraid to push boundaries, and succeeds in delivering a fun experience that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Ash of Gods: The Way doesn't shy away from the realities of war, whether it's the unpredictability on the battlefield or the impacts it has on those involved. The story sucks you in as you try to end the war, but your decisions result in non-linear gameplay that makes you wonder if you made the right choice. Combat is strategic and forces you to plan ahead, using all resources available to you to overcome your enemies. The difficult Challenger battles sometimes feel blatantly unfair and having only a single save file does create issues you can't easily resolve. But if you persevere and come up with new tactics, you are rewarded with a great story and gameplay that makes you feel like a real tactician.
Astronaut: The Best is a challenging space simulator with a dark sense of humour. Sending astronauts with varying personalities to space is a challenge even in the best of times, and you must make tough decisions. The humour keeps the game entertaining as you struggle to grasp the game's unpredictability. There's a steep learning curve since unforeseeable events can turn even the greatest successes into colossal failures. But it keeps gameplay fresh and motivates you to learn everything. Soon you will masterfully send crews to space and even achieve objectives, something that continually stays fun even after the story ends.
Affogato takes the much-loved Persona formula and runs with it, adding its own twists to the story and gameplay to be unique. The time management and character relationships are familiar gameplay elements, but the story and combat truly stand out. The story is relatable and not afraid to touch on serious topics, while combat hits the right balance of challenge and strategy. While there are some minor flaws, they don't pop up frequently and don't have a large impact on the experience overall. Just as cafes can turn familiar cups of coffee into unique creations, Affogato takes standard JRPG elements to make an amazing game you won't soon forget.
South Park: Snow Day! brings a snow day to life by letting children direct power struggles between nations. The trademark humour of the series returns, making you laugh every step of the adventure. A robust combat system helps you coordinate with your allies while encouraging exploration and taking advantage of your environment. Even if you are alone, AI bots are trustworthy allies who do their best to help. Upgrades are also handled nicely, giving you a variety of playstyles for your character. While chaotic combat and satire might not be for everyone, this remains a solid game to play with others.
Withering Rooms provides a great horror RPG experience with its gameplay. You never stop being a fragile girl trying to leave a horrible dream. But the tools to fight back give you courage and let you battle the undead. Coming up with strategies is genuinely rewarding and adds variety to the combat. Learning from your mistakes and making death painful forces you to pay attention. The story isn't as strong as it could be and some aspects could use better explanations. However, Withering Rooms is not a horror experience you want to miss if you've been looking for a challenge.
Age of Mythology: Retold has made significant upgrades to its RTS formula. Expanding on pantheons by using the power of the gods more often lets you experience the true force. Improvements to accessibility means learning the basics is easier for newcomers to the series. While the experience stumbles with more advanced concepts and is perhaps too reliant on faith for victory, you can still learn as you go. Age of Mythology: Retold has never looked better for fans new and old.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero captures the fighting experience of the franchise better than the previous fighting games. The graphics are amazing and hold up to the intense movements. Several opportunities to play online and offline mean there's always something to do and an opponent to test your mettle against. There are some combat kinks to work out and some features only appeal to the hardcore fanbase. But for anyone who has an interest in Dragon Ball, this is a game you must have.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins puts you in a unique outsider position to influence Romance of the Three Kingdoms to your liking. It gives nuance to characters and lets you see parts of the story in a new light. The visuals are gorgeous and the experience is more immersive than before. That said, it's still the familiar musou combat and you shouldn't encounter many surprises. If you haven't touched a Dynasty Warriors game before, or haven't played one for a while, this is the perfect opportunity to jump in.
Two Point Museum combines the Two Point series' charm with museums to create a simulator experience you won't forget. Building on a museum theme and making it your own is a true delight. There's lots of flexibility and you can always challenge yourself to reach greater heights. Creating your dream museum will take lots of time and there is some randomness to it. But the elation of creating and supporting a museum is captured perfectly within this experience.