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In a series where depth has always been prioritise over accessibility, it’s a shame that Team Ninja didn’t go far enough in making the depth itself more approachable, then, as in every other department, be it storytelling, combat, or progression once you make sense of it, Nioh 3 is an incredible experience, worthy of any fan who likes either Soulslikes or Character Action Games. The addition of Open Fields feels like the missing piece of the puzzle that the series was lacking, leading to Nioh 3 feeling like a more complete package than ever before in providing environments to let its top-tier gameplay sing outside of the more linear, scripted levels, while the new Ninja combat style allows for more flexibility and enemy variety than ever before. Gripes around accessibility aside, Team Ninja can comfortably take a bow, having finally achieved the full potential for this wonderful series with Nioh 3.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a shining example of why this iconic series endures. Its development team understands that you don’t need overly complex progression or to reinvent the wheel in the storytelling department, and the result is one of the purest, most endearing JRPGs I’ve played in recent memory that both fans of the original and newcomers will enjoy in equal measures.
Despite its share of rough edges, Skate Story still won me over. It leans more on style than substance, but that style is some of the most striking I’ve seen in years, and it carries the experience far. The problem is that the game rarely finds inventive ways to use its own brilliance, leaving it feeling like a journey that peaks too early.
There’s also the question of value. Following Black Ops 6 so quickly means you’re essentially asking players to commit to another year-long engagement with a very similar experience. The improvements are meaningful, but incremental. If you burned out on Black Ops 6, this won’t change things.
Not only was MARVEL Cosmic Invasion more than worth the wait, it’s easily the best beat ’em up I’ve played all year. It’s clear Tribute Games is amazing at this genre, and they seem to be improving with age. This is a colorful, creative and varied experience with lasting replay value. While it wasn’t quite perfect, assuming that glitch I encountered gets fixed, you can add another .5 to the overall rating. This is a wonderful adventure, and one every Marvel true believer has to play.
While Hannah features a lovely gloomy aesthetic and an interesting premise, the awkward gameplay, camera and one-hit deaths made it a slog to actually play. It’s unfortunate, because it’s clear there’s some good ideas here. They just needed a lot more polish before the game was released. Here’s hoping they manage to fix some of these issues in the near future. But until then, Hannah is a game that’s hard to recommend.
Atsu’s journey of revenge may not be totally unique, but it’s incredibly well executed and totally compelling. Not much about the story of Ghost of Tsushima really stuck with me after completing it, but I’m going to remember Ghost of Yotei. It smartly builds on the foundation of its predecessor and comes out as a far stronger overall package. If you remotely enjoyed the last game this is an easy recommendation.
Foolish Mortals does a good job of a lot of things, and once it gets going it offers a spooky good time for fans of adventure games. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and I do wish its interface had a bit of an overhaul but fans of adventure titles will have an excellent time with it. This isn’t a game that’s going to win over anyone who doesn’t already love the genre though.
If you’re looking for a creepy mystery, you won’t do much better than The Séance of Blake Manor. It looks great, it sounds fantastic, and it offers a wonderful cast of characters who you’ll love investigating. From the first time I sat down with it until I figured out all the mysteries hiding in that hotel I couldn’t stop playing it. This is one of the very best games of 2025.
Despite my issues with the adventure, GIGASWORD is still a tremendous Metroidvania experience. It’s frankly hard to believe this was made by a solo developer, it’s that good. Not only is it one of the best examples of the genre I’ve played in recent memory, it’s also a game that’s a glowing love letter to the NES era of gaming. Here’s hoping the issues I mentioned above get fixed so that everyone can fully enjoy this puzzle platformer.
R-Type Delta is an incredible SHMUP that sits among the very best of its era, or any era for that matter. Its high level of difficulty and low level of adaptability may turn some players off, but genre fans who haven’t gotten a chance to play it absolutely need to check it out.
Lumines Arise is an absolute showstopper of a title for the PlayStation VR 2 and I suspect will play much the same in VR on PC as well. In any other context it’s still an excellent puzzle game albeit one that you’ll likely finish with rather quickly. Still, if you remotely enjoyed Tetris Effect then Lumines Arise is just as well made and is well worth your time.
Still, despite some minor complaints about the ending, I had an absolute blast with each episode of Dispatch. For the last few weeks, checking out the new episodes has become a part of my Wednesday schedule that I couldn’t wait for and now that the game is over I’m going to miss it next Wednesday. With excellent characters, an interesting world, and a mostly satisfying conclusion, my only real complaints are that I wanted more of it. More room to develop the plot and more of the interesting gameplay. Hopefully it won’t be too terribly long before we get more of Dispatch.
Make no mistake, with the patch that has been promised, Persona 3: Reload on Switch 2 has the potential to be the definitive version of the game I expected, but until then, it’s unfortunately a heavily compromised port that still just about succeeds on the strength of the core game underneath.
That being said, whether you buy now or wait for a sale, there’s no denying the quality on display here, with the Secret Trilogy remaining as brilliant today as it did when each instalment was released, and I hope shining a spotlight on what I consider to be a high point for the series results in the next brand new Atelier title takin a few pages out of Ryza’s book.
I won’t go so far as to call The Namco Legendary Pack a must-purchase. The history captured here isn’t unique enough for that, especially when you consider only a handful of playable games have been added to the overall package. Still, what’s here is interesting, well presented, and offered at a reasonable price for the couple of hours of education and entertainment it can provide. If you’re a fan of Namco’s earliest works, it’s worth the price of admission.
My complaints with Forestrike are ultimately quite minor, though. It’s an incredibly unique action game that requires a great deal of planning and foresight to see your way to the end. If you aren’t able to slow down and approach a game with patience than it won’t be for you but if you’re willing to meet it where it is you’ll find a compelling game which feels entirely singular.
Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection features an absolutely absurd amount of content, both when it comes to the games you can play and the documentary included as well. I’d have loved to see a bit more about what the Mortal Kombat team was going through during the tail end of the 90s, and there are certainly a few gaps when it comes to the games included that would be great to see filled in. Still, fans of the series will find that Digital Eclipse has made yet another great collection that entertains and educates in equal measure.
Even though it was slightly held back by some issues on Nintendo’s handheld, I’m still beyond happy I finally got to dive into Deathless. The Hero Quest on Switch. This is an incredibly well made rogue-like deckbuilder that I would recommend even to those hesitant to jump into the genre. Whether you play it for the stunning artwork, unique Slavic story or just because you love the genre, this is one game every fantasy fan should check out.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Majogami, I just feel it could have been better. Though I love the artwork and amazing style Inti Creates always brings to the table, I feel the gameplay was more than a bit jumbled. The simplest way to put it is that sometimes less is more, and I hope that next time, Inti gives us a pure, easy to parse concept with all their usual amenities. Still, those looking for witchy fanservice, gorgeous artwork, surprisingly deep replay value and epic boss battles have a great new adventure in Majogami.