Impulsegamer
HomepageImpulsegamer's Reviews
MOUSE: P.I. for Hire may be the most gorgeous game you play in 2026…but sadly not in execution. It's wonderful to look at and listen to, but an overly formulaic approach with gameplay shortcomings hamper its overall execution.
A sloppy port sullies what is otherwise a solid survival horror experience.
The kind of cosmic horror that makes you ponder your place in the universe
Adorable Adventures ends up being more engaging than it might initially seem. It's not a long game, and you can see most of what it offers in a few hours, but there's enough optional content to stretch that time if you want to fully explore every corner. What stands out most is how cohesive it feels. The mechanics, the world, and the tone all support the same idea of slowing down and experiencing nature through a different perspective. If you enjoy relaxed exploration and games that focus more on atmosphere than difficulty, this is an easy recommendation. Helping Boris reunite his family feels rewarding because every objective along the way is genuinely fun to take part in.
The Shadow Update builds on what already works and expands it in ways that feel thoughtful and consistent. The new characters introduce fresh playstyles, the ball types open up a huge range of combinations, and the added passives and building give you more control over how everything comes together. It's the kind of update that makes you wonder how the game felt before it existed. With one more free update on the way later this year, it's clear the game isn't slowing down, and if this pace continues, it's only going to get harder to put down.
Tamadotchi Life: Living the Dream might not be the bold reinvention some fans hoped for, but it doesn't need to be to recapture the series' charm. Even with its missing legacy features and a few creative tools that don't quite hit the mark, it remains a wonderfully daft, personality‑driven sim that thrives on the unexpected. Perhaps what's most important, though, is that even after spending a serious amount of time with Living the Dream, it remained funny. It's the kind of game you dip into for ten minutes and suddenly find yourself grinning at a Mii having a meltdown or, well, trying to stop a Mii from making an ill-timed proposal to someone that's just not that into them. If you're willing to embrace its quirks and forgive its limitations, Living the Dream is a welcome, delightfully weird return to one of Nintendo's most eccentric worlds, and an even better introduction to those yet to familiarise themselves with the Tamadotchi universe.
Aphelion is a beautifully created game by Dontnod and while it's gameplay has its issues, the narrative is pure sci-fi perfection
Starfield makes planet side on PS5 and mostly sticks the landing.
It's easy to lose track of time here, moving from one fight to the next, exploring every corner, and having fun with the constant sense of momentum. Between its satisfying combat, strong sense of scale, and commitment to its old school roots, this is one of the more memorable VR shooters to come out recently. If you enjoy fast paced action and don't mind a bit of a learning curve, this is the kind of game that can keep you hooked for hours without even realizing it.
ChainStaff is the kind of game that sticks with you because of how confidently it commits to its ideas. It takes a single mechanic and builds an entire experience around it without losing momentum or focus. The combination of strange storytelling, flexible gameplay, and striking visuals makes it feel distinct in a crowded genre. Even with some rough edges, there's a lot here to enjoy, especially if you like mastering systems and finding your own rhythm within them. It's also easy to see the appeal for speedrunning with how fluid movement can become. If it catches your interest even a little, it's worth stepping into, because there's not much else that plays quite like it.
The Day I Became a Bird is short, simple, and centered on a very specific feeling. If you're looking for something relaxed and inviting, it delivers on that without hesitation. The story is sweet, the presentation is thoughtful, and the overall experience feels genuine. It may not offer much reason to come back beyond collecting everything, but what's here leaves a soft impression. It's the kind of game that might remind you of what it felt like to be young, to care deeply about something small, and to believe that even the simplest idea could take flight.
Saros, while not without some notable flaws, is still an engaging, intricately crafted, and intriguing roguelike action game that sets a new bar for Housemarque as an upgrade to Returnal in many ways.
Tides of Tomorrow set out to overhaul the choice-based games genre with it's Story-Link feature and, while promising, it is a relatively shallow mechanic. Still, the original wrinkle it adds on top of a solid, albeit flawed single-player choice-based game is a welcome addition to the genre.
Capcom digs into their past to pave the way for their future, taking the tight gameplay experiences of their PS2 era games with a fresh new hook.
Dragonkin makes a mild attempt to walk among giants. With moments of great potential and elements of great design but poor implementation and lacklustre performances, this game only manages to be 'okay'
Devil Jam is a fun chaotic few hours enjoyed with cold a beer in hand after a long day's work, just don't expect it to be anything more than that.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a disgrace to the legacy of the talented game developers like Amy Hennig and Paul Jenkins, who not only created one of the most underrated fantasy worlds of the gaming industry, but also managed to gather around a dedicated fan base that keep the soul of the series alive via YouTube video essays and Subreddit conversations. Ascendance is a nostalgia-filled title that is not even worthy of borrowing the titular name of the franchise, let alone be the title that the fans waited decades for: it's an unredeemable abomination.
RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike is messy and unpredictable, but it's also genuinely fun. It's the kind of game you load up for five minutes and somehow lose an hour to, because you're chasing that one moment where everything lines up and the coins keep falling. It shows that not every game needs to be tightly optimised or deeply strategic. Sometimes, it's enough to recreate a feeling. And if that feeling means anything to you, it might be worth dropping a coin in and seeing what happens.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a stealth game that understands the value of focus. Instead of trying to do everything, it builds its identity around shadows, movement, and clever level design. The result feels a bit like stepping back into the era of compact PS2 games where levels were designed with care and the experience trusted you to figure things out without constant handholding. What makes it even more impressive is that it comes from a small team making their first game. You can feel the passion behind it in the mechanics, the art style, and the thoughtful level design. The ranking system, different playstyles, and challenge medals also give the game plenty of replay value for anyone who enjoys mastering stealth systems.
Under Par: Golf Architect feels like a rough draft of something that could genuinely fill that SimGolf-shaped hole. It's got the charm and it's got the ideas; it just needs more polishing. If you've been waiting years for something like this, it's worth a look. Just go in expecting some rough edges… and maybe save often.