Succubus With Guns has a solid concept for what could be a really fun game, but because it uses too many premade assets, the unique ideas of the game never get a chance to truly shine.
The lack of cohesion is prevalent in almost every part of Zoria: Age of Shattering, which is a massive shame as there is passion oozing all over the game. Tiny Trinket is a team of passionate developers who enjoy bringing a sense of nostalgia from the '90s and early 2000s into the things they develop; this game also shows that. Still, there are just so many minor issues that pile up that bring down Zoria: Age of Shattering. All these issues could have seriously benefitted from more time in the oven.
Palworld is an enigma. The game is full of glaring inconsistencies that are hard to ignore; nothing in the game feels cohesive; it just feels tacked on to each other. If the game is meant to compete with Pokémon, then it has a chance with some of the Pals designs, but it has nothing that makes Pokémon and monster-catching games so special. Your Pals aren't friends; they aren't there to help you grow and become stronger. They are there to be used and exploited, and that's not what makes the monster-catching genre special.
Airhead is a puzzle platformer that wants you to explore and uncover its meticulously laid-out secrets. Sadly, it’s too afraid to destroy even an inch of the mystery it has so meticulously crafted that it just leaves you wandering in the dark. Unfortunately, this drags the whole experience down as, due to how unclear it is on what you’re supposed to do, you don’t have time to appreciate its unique art style, ambient sound design, and interesting platforming mechanics.
Knight Vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur is hard to recommend. It has solid ideas and concepts, but the execution has seriously missed the mark. The game has padded out its story and gameplay with tedious grinding, and instead of actually creating a fleshed-out experience, the game just decides to wash and repeat itself until you either get everything or uninstall it out of exasperation. If you want to give it a go, by all means, do so, it is fun, but you probably need a lot more patience than you think.
GUN JAM is an excellent game, in theory. Due to the lack of any real story and issues with its only real stand-out feature, it’s hard to recommend GUN JAM to anyone who is a fan of rhythm shooters, as the game feels under-baked and not fully fleshed out.
Ravenbound is a highly ambiguous game that fully allows players to explore its vast ever-changing landscape. Despite its ambition, the game lacks refinement and makes the game feel underbaked and not fully developed. The game has had a lot of passion put into it. This is incredibly evident in the game's soundtrack, which is tribal and ambient and takes heavy inspiration from traditional Slavic folk music, the layered vocalizations and echoing drums just entirely immerse you into the world of Ravenbound.
Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man, is a fine entry into the cosmic horror genre, but if you came looking for a full video game, you are sadly going to be disappointed as Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man is just a short interactive comic. While its atmosphere and art style are both impressive, it is far too short and leaves you wanting for more.
Stray Blade is a game packed with lore and characters that are both fun and memorable. What original mechanics and design choices the game has failed to shine bright enough as it seems to be too occupied with trying to follow a formula rather than figuring out what will make it shine above the rest.
Curse of the Sea Rats is a game that has that classic 2D animation charm, with its character design and voice acting, but the same cannot be said about the game’s gameplay which seems to not be that fleshed out and is too heavily built around its co-op. If you want to experience the game at its best, play it with a friend or younger sibling, otherwise, you won’t have the most enjoyable experience.
BLACKTAIL feels like an interactive folk story; with the use of Slavic myths as well as its own original ideas, the storytelling and immersion are truly excellent. Despite all the praise, combat is a huge drawback and does bring the story down quite a bit, but BLACKTAIL is truly like no other and gives an excellent twist to a classic folk story. BLACKTAIL is currently available on Steam.
Clunky Hero is a fun little metroidvania that takes jabs at one of the most overdone character stories and gives an experience full of charm and humor. However, the game does have a hitbox issue that makes the combat feel clunky and rigid and many of the jokes come across as juvenile and unfunny.
Life of Delta is a short and simple puzzle game but it is one fantastic experience. The game is packed with charming characters that feel unique from each other and lets you experience a story that is heartwarming and impactful, wrapped up neatly into a five hour long package. While this was most likely done to stop the game from dragging on, this does, however, leave you wanting more.
Jagged Alliance 3 may come across as your standard military strategy game that tries to take itself a little too seriously, and it is, but the game has a lot more layers to it. The game gives you many choices that impact the story and offers players plenty of variety on weapons, mercenaries and playstyles. Pity about its soundtrack.
Inkulinati is a fantastic 2D turn-based strategy game that is both quite complex and incredibly engaging. The game has a unique art-style that emulates the ink drawings seen within the old manuscripts that give it plenty of charm. The game is in Early-Access and does lack content in its story campaign but it still has plenty of content.
World War Z: Aftermath is an excellent addition to an already incredible experience, with the addition of new characters and just general quality of life improvements. The expansion builds onto what is already there and fits seamlessly into the main game. There's not much to say about World War Z: Aftermath, the additions it makes to the gameplay aren't crazy but simply build onto what is there and somehow makes it even better, if you have the patience to grind.
Teardown is a game that clearly shows that the devs care a lot about their audience and that they want players to have as much fun as they possibly can have with their game. The game is certainly an interesting one with its demolition and heist mechanics that is paired perfectly with beautiful lighting and satisfying sound design. Teardown is definitely something you should check out.
Zoeti is a fun yet simple deck-building game that incorporates both RPG and roguelite mechanics into its gameplay. Sadly due to how these elements conflict with one another, you cannot completely appreciate both. That’s not to mean the game isn’t worth your time, and you should definitely check it out, especially if you want a deck builder that doesn’t faff around and keeps things simple yet enjoyable.
Paleo Pines is a game for all ages, from both young children to nostalgic adults who want to go back to simpler times. The game fulfills a childhood fantasy many of us had while growing up and combines it with a fun farming sim that is both simple and easy to learn as it is rewarding to do.
The Pale Beyond is a game definitely worth checking out. Its writing does justice to the tragic story of the events on which its story is based and features characters that feel unique and are incredibly fleshed out, though your objective isn't always clear. Its story and music will have you enthralled.