The Games Machine

Mafia: The Old Country offers a linear and compact experience, a rarity these days, that makes storytelling its main strength. It's not a revolutionary video game, nor does it aim to be, yet it manages to leave a mark despite the flaws of a gameplay that's overly formulaic. The depiction of early 20th-century Sicily is excellent, thanks to a commendable aesthetic and stylistic effort, and the inclusion of full Sicilian voice acting. Too bad for the many technical issues.

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There's a bit of everything in Luto. Wandering through its endless rooms and corridors that only appear to be the same, you will perceive visions of Silent Hill, references to the legendary P.T. and many other echoes from other psychological thriller games, from Layers of Fear to the underrated Reveil. A brief descent into the depths of the mind, but one that will linger in your memory even after the credits roll.

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Back to the Dawn is a management RPG set in a prison populated by anthropomorphic animals, with strong survival elements. We have twenty-one days to organize an escape, keeping an eye on time, resources, social relationships, and skills. Every action consumes precious minutes and can influence future events. The turn-based combat system follows the typical JRPG gameplay. Deep,branching, and challenging, it surprises with its wealth of options and narrative diversity, despite its unimpressive soundtrack. A brilliant and strategic game, to be restarted several times to see as many endings as possible.

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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a love letter to 2D action platform games, fusing arcade heritage with modern solutions and a kick-ass mise-en-scene. Short but dense, the game manages to impress with inspired design gimmicks, fiery direction and two protagonists perfectly integrated into the gameplay. The challenge is not brutal at first, but those who want to go further will find bread (and katanas) for their teeth. A return in style for a legendary saga - and a damn promising taster in anticipation of the real Ninja Gaiden.

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The Wandering Village offers us Onbu, which is great. It's great to shape our relationship with him and care for him; however, as a city builder, the game rhythm is pretty flat and lacks memorable moments. It all runs pretty smooth – maybe too smooth.

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Wuchang is overall a fairly competent soulslike, which makes it even more of a shame that its issues prevent you from fully enjoying it.

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Those looking for a co-op horror FPS will find satisfaction in Killing Floor 3's solid foundation, despite some performance issues and limited content. Conversely, those hoping for an evolution that retains the charm of the second installment, a game capable of revolutionizing the genre, or at least with a personality comparable to that of its predecessors, may be partially disappointed.

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The King is Watching integrates city building, strategy, and resource management into a seamless and incredibly satisfying gameplay loop. A few tweaks would be nice, but it's still an original experience that exudes passion from every elegant pixel. It's like when the boss is away at work and you take it outrageously easy, with one difference: here you're the boss; you're the King.

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Jamboree TV expands Super Mario Party Jamboree with new modes, mini-games, and Switch 2 features like microphone and camera support. It's chaotic fun with friends, but underwhelming solo. The additions are enjoyable but far from groundbreaking. A perfect party game-if you've got the right crowd.

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Wheel World is a sort of cozy cycling open world that's impossible not to fall in love with, even considering some minor bugs and some not-so-polished aspects.

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Patapon 1+2 Replay is the remaster of the first two games in the famous rhythm strategy series that was born on the PSP. As the Drum God, we lead a mini tribal army by giving orders only through sequences of four beats, to be executed with metronomic precision to advance, attack or defend. The system combines musical skills, tactics, unit management, material gathering, crafting and evolutions with the typical role-playing game system. Faithful and smooth re-release, ideal for those seeking a unique musical strategy experience, although the final third chapter is missing.

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Edens Zero features a good gameplay system coupled with an excellent combat system. Unfortunately, the game is extremely repetitive and superficial.

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Unfinished Business isn't a disaster, but it's not something that will stick in the memory of RoboCop fans either. It's a conservative expansion, simply replicating on a smaller scale what worked in the base game, without adding enough personality to make it a must-buy.

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Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree combines souls-like combat and Metroidvania structure in a layered, dark gothic world that's compelling, both artistically and in its setting. There are some technical issues, but it's a 2.5D adventure worth experiencing.

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Despite the introduction of a well-written new character like Lodi and the presence of the Nine, the gameplay in The Edge of Fate proves to be extremely repetitive, with dull puzzles and fetch quests that slow down the action. The Desert Perpetual raid offers a few interesting ideas, but the campaign feels shallow and lacking in narrative momentum, leaving the impression of filler content.

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Shadow Labyrinth takes Pac-Man in some strange places, but often too poorly designed to really enjoy the brilliant idea behind an anyway good metroidvania.

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The puzzles are logical, never distracting, often contained within single screens in an escape room style. Excellent voice acting and a cynical narrator complete an experience that demonstrates that adventures can still have a lot to offer, when crafted by skilled hands.

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An action-platformer with a high-rate of destruction and fun. Donkey Kong Bananza succeeds in not making us miss a true 3D Mario on the Switch 2. It can easily be considered one of the best exponents of the genre since Odyssey and sits proudly next to Galaxy in terms of variety, eccentricity, originality and fun.

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Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is a respectful and functional remaster of the RPG originally developed by Obsidian Entertainment. The visuals and overall performance have been improved, though the aesthetics remain dated. Modern accessibility options are lacking, and companion AI still shows its limitations. Nevertheless, most of the content – especially Mask of the Betrayer – shines for its narrative depth. It's a faithful remaster that aims to preserve the original's magic, and largely succeeds in doing so.

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Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream è uno stealth isometrico narrativo ambientato in un Paese nordico dei primi del '900, che si distingue sul piano artistico per l'ottima recitazione dei personaggi e una grandiosa rappresentazione degli ambienti. Il gameplay ruota attorno a infiltrazione, gestione del rumore ambientale e cooperazione tra tre personaggi con abilità uniche. L'assenza dei classici coni di visione rende l'approccio più realistico, ma l'instadeath penalizza l'improvvisazione. Il level design è verticale e labirintico, con percorsi spesso lineari ma ricchi di segreti e micro enigmi ambientali.

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