Alyssa Rochelle Payne
ORDER 13 is a bite-sized horror game that will have you on edge as you try to keep your cute cat alive and strict quotas fulfilled. Cute, scary, and challenging – it's definitely worth a try.
The Backrooms 1998's jumpscare-heavy take on the Backrooms is an underwhelming entry in the horror space with poor sound design choices, lack of intentionality with its mechanics, and bugs.
While Waiting is a lovely puzzler that embraces patience and offers a tonne of fun if you let your curiosity go wild while you wait. Its variety, replayability, and charming style make it easy to recommend.
Into the Emberlands is a delightful exploration-based game that sees you gathering resources and rebuilding a cute yet ramshackle town. It's perfect for those needing a chill and casual time with a good balance of challenge and variation.
Creo God Simulator makes smiting villagers fun, and there's no shortage of godly powers at your disposal, but gameplay lulls, high building costs, and repetitiveness can dampen your time as Creostrider.
Don't Be Afraid 2 faithfully recreates the first's horrific atmosphere and shifts its focus to escape rooms. More puzzle variety and a grander scope could've elevated the experience, but it's still a worthy pickup for fans of David's story.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn't BioWare's best work, but it's good. Offering a beautiful world and a ton to do, heading back into Thedas is an easy choice for some. For others, the downgrade in writing and limited combat might be a dealbreaker.
Sofie: The Echoes looks like a compelling story-driven shooter at first glance, but it's rife with awful enemy AI, optimisation issues, poor design choices, and game-breaking bugs. Steer clear of this one.
Garden Witch Life has fun gardening gameplay and a lot of potential, but the good is overshadowed by underbaked characters, awkward progression, bugs, and a lack of "witchy" elements.
Copycat has visual charm and enjoyable cat-based gameplay, but with a short runtime and poorly executed story, it isn't worth your time, especially if you love cats.
The Crimson Diamond is a cosy retro-style murder mystery with an excellent story, enjoyable puzzles, and a charming protagonist. This is a must-play for anyone who loves text-based adventure games or wants an accessible, modern entry point into the genre.
The Casting of Frank Stone takes Supermassive's tried-and-true storytelling and mixes it with Dead by Daylight's lore to tell a chilling, gruesome tale that's highly replayable and accessible to non-DBD players.
Innovative, memorable, and well-written, Vampire Therapist is easy to recommend to visual novel fans and anyone interested in cognitive behavioural therapy.
Until Then is a story-rich adventure full of standouts: its beautiful pixel art, relatable protagonist, realistic character dynamics, and thoughtful representation of Filipino culture. It's a coming-of-age tale worth experiencing.
SCHiM uses shadows in delightfully creative ways, turning ordinary objects into astoundingly helpful tools. This wholesome, vibrant 3D platformer offers an adventure that shouldn't be missed.
The Lullaby of Life is a relaxing puzzler with lovely visuals, excellent pacing, and a calming soundscape. This beautiful, bite-sized adventure is definitely worth exploring.
Scholar's Mate is an interesting entry in the horror genre, blending an eerie atmosphere with escape room gameplay, but its tricky puzzles might not be for everyone.
Distant Bloom beams you up to the cosiest alien planet you could dream of. It has minor issues, but they don't detract from the cute, relaxing experience as you revitalise a wilted world.
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a lovely interactive productivity tool that radiates positive, relaxing vibes. With cute spirits and customisations, getting work done has never been so cosy.
With striking visuals and satisfyingly smooth combat, Death of a Wish is an action-packed RPG that you won't want to miss.