Luna Abyss is a great first-person shooter that shines in its Bullet Hell aspects. While it never reaches the heights of the best of the genre, the combat feels fluid, and the need to switch between weapons to defeat certain enemies adds a layer of strategy that prevents gameplay from going stale.
Overall, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is an exciting espionage thriller that succeeds far more than it stumbles.
Directive 8020 is a good addition to the Dark Pictures anthology and a solid start to its second season. Its story ranks among Supermassive Games’ best work, marking a much-needed step forward for a studio that has struggled to release standout titles in recent years.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is an awesome first-person shooter that will keep you hooked from beginning to end due to its fun combat, engaging story, and hilarious banter between characters. What Fumi Games crafted here is impressive due to its level design that constantly surprises throughout its 10-hour runtime, bosses that each offer a different type of challenge, and a script that is very well written with a noir tone at its center. This game is a joy to play, and I can’t wait to see what these developers do next.
It's simply one of the biggest games I have ever played, with an astonishing amount of high-quality content, an absurd amount of complex puzzles, and a world so gigantic that I still haven't come close to seeing everything after 100 hours of playtime. While the story isn't the best and some bosses seem downright unfair, those flaws do little to diminish Crimson Desert, an absolute marvel and one of the best open-world games on the market.
Still, if you were a die-hard fan of the original Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, you'll enjoy what Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have created here.
Tarsier Studios has crafted a work of art and a bigger, more dramatic, version of Little Nightmares that showcases how far this type of game can go. It's so disturbing in its themes, unsettling in its pivotal moments, coated in dreadful atmosphere, and mesmerizing from start to finish. It unfortunately fails in its gameplay elements, as it has no complex puzzles, boring combat encounters, and is just all around pretty simple.
Nioh 3 does almost everything right for both an action RPG and Soulslike. For an ARPG, it offers some of the most satisfying combat in the entire genre, and as a Soulslike, it has some of the best bosses of any game on the market. Nioh 3 is a masterclass in game design and will go down as one of Team Ninja’s best games.
There are some moments of greatness, especially in its stealth gameplay and paranormal environments, where the exciting nature of the survival horror genre shines through, but those moments are quickly fleeting. I do recommend I Hate This Place to survival horror fans if there is nothing else to play and they're on a budget, but I wouldn't go into this game expecting the next big thing.
While Trails Beyond the Horizon excels especially in its combat and RPG systems, it also succeeds with its main story and side content, such as the Grim Garten, character relationship system, and side quests that all tell unique stories worth listening to. Trails Beyond the Horizon is a game that deserves recognition and is up there with some of the best the genre has to offer.
The extreme lengths it takes to make the player feel hopeless may be too much for the casual player, so it's definitely not a game that could be recommended to everyone.
Constance is a fantastic game that I would recommend to anyone who’s a fan of the genre.
The Lonesome Guild isn’t a game I would really recommend to anyone, but it’s also one I can see a very specific type of player enjoying. Every aspect of the game is undercooked, such as barebones combat, a childish story that never reaches its potential, and a relationship system that feels shoved into the game just for the sake of it
It’s a great game to pick up and play in a weekend, especially due to its short runtime, but it won’t offer any challenge or thought-provoking puzzles. Still, Little Nightmares 3 feels right at home in the franchise and I wouldn't mind seeing Supermassive Games take another crack at a sequel, especially if they learn from their mistakes on this one.
The game’s only true disappointment is the lack of enemy variety and minimal bosses, which can result in the combat growing stale pretty quickly.
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a good game that could have been so much more if some changes were made. The game is way too short, and the fact that there's usually only one solution in each level removes replayability, making it a one-and-done experience with almost zero reason to return.
The weapon-forging minigame is a slog, NPCs are overly annoying, and losing weapons upon death isn't nearly as impactful as I had hoped. It's clear that MercurySteam has a good concept on its hands, but the execution could have been better in some parts. Perhaps these ideas will be better executed in a sequel.
It's a project where passion is on full display and I can't wait to see what Questline does next.
Spirit of the North 2 isn't a bad game, and some dungeons are a ton of fun, but it's clear the game needed more time in the oven and would have benefited in a linear format.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a decent 2.5D action RPG with a beautiful world. However, the game has some serious design and balance issues that prevent the experience from reaching its full potential.