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Seeing these titles preserved and served up to a new generation is something special.
As a God of War game, it lacks the scale, brutality and larger-than-life spectacle that define the series. And as a Metroidvania, it struggles to stand out in a genre that already boasts heavy hitters
If you loved Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game, then Scott Pilgrim EX is basically the sequel you’ve been waiting fifteen years for. I don’ think it quite stands at the top of the modern retro brawler renaissance, but it’s pretty damn close.
After nine years in the shadows, it’s undeniably good to have Styx back. Blades of Greed delivers solid stealth, satisfying verticality, and just enough mechanical evolution to keep things interesting. But it also plays things frustratingly safe. The story lacks bite, the structure leans heavily on uninspired repetition, and the presentation never quite escapes its rough edges.
Earth Must Die is a British-made sci-fi adventure about an alien emperor, an inconvenient human invasion, and a whole lot of bad decisions. It’s rude, sarcastic, and filled with smart puzzles — even if it never quite reaches genre-defining heights.
The best Paper Mario game since The Thousand Year Door just so happens to be missing the Paper Mario nametag. Escape From Ever After spins an entertaining fairy-tale yarn, backed by likeable characters, smartly designed combat, and a clear affection for the genre it’s riffing on.
Terminator 2D: No Fate is uncompromisingly retro, for better and for worse. It doesn’t just borrow the aesthetics of 90s action games — it fully commits to their structure, their difficulty, and their occasional rough edges. If that style clicks with you, there’s a lot to love here: tight level design, a genuine affection for T2, and enough challenge to keep repeat runs engaging. If it doesn’t, the stiffness and repetition will quickly wear thin.
Marvel’s Cosmic Invasion is a chaotic, colourful beat-’em-up where you tag between Marvel heroes mid-combo, smash cosmic bugs and cause delicious pixel mayhem. It’s fast, fun, gorgeous – and might just be Tribute Games’ best brawler yet.
Cute and quirky definitely describe Hoomanz!, but they also sum up its biggest limitation. I love the concept behind it all, but found myself losing interest in the gameplay after just a couple of levels. The developers wanted to keep it simple and casual so anyone can play, and it does nail that. But the best kinds of simple games also offer some hidden depth or clever hook to keep you playing — and that’s what Hoomanz! is missing. In a way, it’s a mercy that Hoomanz! is short — by the time its charm wears off, the credits are rolling.
While it is fantastic to see Simon return, his grand comeback isn’t an impressive display of point and click magic – it’s more like an amateur magician’s routine; kinda simple, but you can’t fault the heart and enthusiasm that went into it. It’s an absolutely solid adventure game that leaves me hopeful we might see more from Simon. If you love the genre, pick it up and give it a go.
Like its tiny hero lugging a giant shield, The Knightling carries a lot of promise. Its vibrant platforming and playful worldbuilding shine, but slow combat, pacing stumbles and a drab final act weigh it down. It never quite becomes the legend it wants to be, but it’s still an earnest, endearing adventure worth a look if you’re more into hopping and gliding than hammering foes.
Lizard Cube have done it again. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn’t quite dethrone Streets of Rage 4 as their crown jewel, but it’s a damn fine challenger — a katana-sharp platformer that proves the old ninja still has plenty of fight left in him. Joe Wusashi might grunt his way through a story thinner than a shoji screen, but when the controls feel this good, the art looks this stunning, and the soundtrack slaps this hard, who cares? Welcome back, Joe. Accountant name or not, you’re a legend.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a solid entry in a genre that’s fast becoming as crowded as its arenas, and it certainly dresses the part with its Norse gods and moody, almost triple-A presentation. But beneath the gleam lies a familiar, relatively safe loop that rarely strays from the beaten path carved by Vampire Survivors and its ilk. There’s fun to be had in the chaos — dodging through a blizzard of skeletons while Thor’s hammer spins off into the distance never gets old — but the repetition and lack of meaningful variety make this more of a hearty snack than a full feast worthy of Odin’s table.
Mafia: The Old Country fits in perfectly with the previous 3 games – all deeply flawed in their ways, while all being deeply memorable.three games – all deeply flawed in their own ways, yet
Your enjoyment of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is going to depend heavily upon how much you love Pro Skater 4. If the 4th entry in the series was a massive part of your childhood, and you were excited to see it remastered and playable on modern hardware, you’re probably going to be pissed off. This isn’t Pro Skater 4, it’s more like Pro Skater 3 with a Pro Skater 4 inspired level-pack attached to it.
Ruffy and the Riverside cleverly apes classic platformers while delivering a gimmick that makes it feel fresh and modern. In fact, its whimsical nature, built around an intriguing gameplay mechanic, gives it a classic Nintendo vibe. The story sets up for future adventures, and considering this is the developer’s debut title, they are future adventures I would love to see made.
11 Bit Studios has a bit of a reputation for bleak, thought-provoking games that punch you in the soul and leave you emotionally drained on the floor. This War of Mine and Frostpunk both stood out because they didn’t just challenge your reflexes or resource management—they challenged your morals. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that The Alters picks up that same mantle and runs with it into sci-fi territory, asking the classic question: “What if you could meet the version of yourself who didn’t screw everything up?”
If you’re willing to embrace its old-school charm and overlook some dated design choices, Tainted Grail offers a rewarding RPG experience in a fascinating setting. Come for the dark fantasy, stick around for the dash of Monty Python weirdness and all the fun adventures you wind up experiencing when you step off the beaten path.
It ain’t perfect. It’s buggy, it’s unbalanced, and it’s madder than a Goff on prom night—but that’s exactly what an Ork would call a good time.
Will it split the fanbase again? Absolutely. The Dark Ages makes big swings — slower pace, less difficulty, more story, fewer glory kills — and not everyone’s going to be into that. But for my money, it’s a worthy continuation of id’s mission to keep DOOM evolving. It might not be peak Slayer, but it’s still a brutally fun time that earns its place in the series. Just don’t expect to be challenged the same way Eternal did — this one’s more about feeling powerful than becoming powerful.