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Elex II presents a world and narrative of immeasurable depth in terms of the freedom you have to play your way and the choices you’re presented with as a player. Couple that with an extremely gratifying sense of progression, and you have a world that begs to be visited for repeat playthroughs. If you can look past the inevitable lack of polish, and archaic presentation issues, do yourself a favor and don’t let this absolute gem pass you by.
If you sometimes get tired of plodding, greyish-brownish-greenish pseudo-realistic military shooters, this is the antidote. Dazzlingly colourful, unrelentingly fast-paced, unrepentantly zany and bursting with potential for player creativity, Shadow Warrior 3 is absolutely joyous to play from start to finish. So after 25 years, do I STILL want some Wang? You’re damn right I do!
Kardboard Kings may have a short story, but its gameplay easily extends into the 20 – 30 hour mark and beyond. If you loved collecting Pokémon cards in real life and searched high and low for a shiny Charizard or others, you need this game. With coffee-shop casual music, a fun visual style, and dozens of cards to add to your personal collection, Kardboard Kings oozes that “one more turn” gameplay that’ll turn casual players into complete addicts. Can you collect them all?
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is, without a doubt, one of the best games that GUST has put out in over a decade, and it's once again renewed my faith in what the company has in store for the Atelier series as a whole.
Horizon Forbidden West improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, offering a stunning follow-up to an already excellent title which shows just how much a game can improve through refinement. Fans of the original will feel immediately comfortable, but they’ll find a far better adventure waiting for them. If you disliked the original game, Forbidden West won’t change your mind, but this is a must-own for everyone else.
Although About an Elf is only a 3 – 4 hour romp that ends in an unexpected-yet-should-have-expected way, it’s an elf-tastic epic worth playing. The writing is guffaw-inducing, the music toe-tappingly addictive, and the visual style unlike any other I’ve seen in gaming before. If you’re looking for a story-telling experience more entertaining than the actual story itself, lots of laughs, and plenty of opportunities to take screenshot after screenshot of glorious models and colors, About an Elf is a must-buy.
If FromSoftware was The Fellowship of The Ring, then Elden Ring is Mt Doom; the terminus of an epic journey spanning over a decade. It consolidates all the acclaimed Japanese studio's ideas into one cohesive and brilliant package. Its art design, lore, and world design are arguably the studio's most inspired work to date. And considering these are the folks that created Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this is high praise indeed. Elden Ring's open-world design is almost puritan in its purpose, reflecting the single-mindedness behind all the previous Souls games.
These are nitpicks though. Far: Changing Tides manages to take players on an emotionally engaging journey without a word, with a ship and the seas as your only companions. From beautiful isolation comes an unforgettable experience. If this sounds remotely like something that’s for you, definitely check it out.
I was hoping Queeny Army would be a fun retro run and gun adventure. But sloppy design and amateurish storytelling kept it from being anything other than mediocre. What’s painfully ironic is a lot of problems could have potentially been solved if this retro game had some form of in-game instruction booklet to explain things. Without that, though, it’s just a game that I can’t recommend, even for the low price point.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus nails the core of what could easily become the core of the series moving forward. Its world doesn’t look great, but it’s a ton of fun to explore and play around in. There’s definitely room for improvement in a next installment. A core quest for players to really sink their teeth into, improved graphics at least around the edges, and slightly rebalanced battles would be a great start. Still, for players who have spent the last twenty six years waiting for Pokémon to try something new, you’ll definitely want to take a trip to Hisui.
Welcome to Elk is a game that’s hard to quantify. Hell, it’s hard to even accurately describe. Somehow, it manages to be moving, mystifying, upsetting, intriguing, stressful, confusing, enlightening, and probably a dozen other contradictory things. Welcome to Elk doesn’t provide satisfying answers or endings. There are few, if any, likable characters. You’ll experience more trauma than you probably want to in just a few, short hours. And at the end of it all, you’re left clutching at the sharp, jagged shards of other people’s emotions, wondering… what do I do now?
While its technical shortcomings are hard to ignore, there’s an undeniably solid shooter buried beneath Kingdom of the Dead‘s bumps and bruises. With fantastic presentation and a satisfying arsenal of weapons to wield, it’s a worthwhile throwback to a simpler time when monster closets were plentiful, and stopping to reload your guns was unheard of. If you’re a fan of DOS-era shooters and don’t mind a bit of jank, there are far worse ways to spend a weekend.
Is Ocean’s Heart worth playing? Absolutely. The low difficulty and complexity make it feel like Zelda for beginners, but that’s not necessarily a fault either. It might not reinvent the wheel, but Ocean’s Heart has just enough heart to make it worth it.
We should forever remain impressed with One Hand Clapping. It’s fresh and unique in a way that makes you hit your forehead and wonder why you didn’t think of it sooner. But in my heart, I know that One Hand Clapping could have become something so much better had it been a truly solid platformer in its own right, or swung hard into teaching singing, or created deeper, more impactful melodies to really convey a more coherent story. I’m grateful for a game like this to exist, but I can’t deny that the feeling is slightly overshadowed by my eagerness for another title to learn from this one and refine the concept further. Regardless, One Hand Clapping is good now, priced fairly, and definitely deserves your attention… as long as you have a microphone.
Strange Horticulture is the botany game of my dreams. It has that research-minded gameplay I’ve been seeking for years. And while its story has a lot of moving parts that makes it hard to shift gears between listening carefully to a few patrons and peeking through a microscope, poring over books, and braving the elements to find exotic flora, it pulls you in with its deeply intriguing mystery nonetheless. I can’t recommend Strange Horticulture enough, and for a multitude of different reasons that all boil down to a unique blend of elements entrenched in an unsettling mystique, I declare this to be the bar by which all other games released in 2022 shall be measured.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires almost feels like Omega Force trying to apologize for the misstep that was Dynasty Warriors 9. Whilst, admittedly, very little has been done to move the Empires series forward, I think this is exactly what Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires needed to be; comfort food for fans of the franchise who may have been concerned about the trajectory the franchise was on, following the failed open-world experiment. By focusing on providing a familiar blend of strategy and impeccable combat, Omega Force has delivered an experience that feels like it has the interests of the fans at its core. Where Omega Force goes from here with both the mainline entries and subsequent Empires games remains to be seen, but for now, fans can at least enjoy this return to form.
While I might have liked slightly more memorable levels or stronger personality from the supporting cast, OlliOlli World provides hours of skating bliss with rock-solid controls and a great sense of progression. Once you’re in the zone, it’s easy to lose hours as your quest for Gnarvana provides a sense of gaming nirvana. This one’s definitely worth a look.
Land of Screens may not be the longest game you’ll ever play, but it’s one that, if you let it, has the potential to have the longest impact. Every level has something that will resonate with someone, driving home the point that maybe, just maybe, being terminally online isn’t the way to live life. With cute visuals, soothing audio, casual gameplay, and a tiny pricetag, Land of Screens takes a tired conversation that is oft ignored and repackages it to offer an obvious but fair lesson. Skip on the screen time, but don’t skip on Land of Screens.
Baldo: The Guardian Owls may have had a rocky launch, but the issues have been cleaned up to such a degree that the low scores earned months prior don’t necessarily apply anymore. I’d recommend caution before jumping into it, however — even in a perfectly playable state, Baldo: The Guardian Owls is still a polarizing title. If you love cozy aesthetics with design choices that feel more suited for the 90s – 00s, Baldo: The Guardian Owls should definitely be on your Wishlist. If not, well… in the worst case, I’ve found it to be a fantastic cure for my insomnia.
The King of Fighters XV is a knockout entry in SNK’s flagship fighting game series. Smartly building upon the foundation of its predecessor, it ups the ante in subtle yet meaningful ways that should satisfy even the most discerning fans of the franchise. While the ways the Rush Combo system has been expanded upon probably won’t change the minds of those unimpressed with it in the previous game and the character selection is slightly pared-down, the rock-solid online performance, breathtaking visuals, and satisfying fighting system that pins it all together will keep you coming back for more.