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It may not be a perfect deckbuilding game, but Zet Zillions still creates a very engaging atmosphere through creative mechanics, bold aesthetics, and fantastic music. For only $10 it's arguably still a fair amount of bang for one's buck, and is worth looking into for roguelite fans looking for something new.
Fans of stylish and fast-paced adventure platforming games should give RKGK a try because, despite its shortcomings, it's a fun installment of its genre. While the main story can be completed in around 10 hours, finding all the collectibles, defeating time trials, and winning each challenge will take more time and practice to accomplish. RKGK may not be a revolutionary take on the genre, but it sticks the landing enough to be worth a look.
Horrifying, uplifting, and visually splendid, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is a marked improvement over the first title that helps build upon the meaningful and complex concepts presented in the first game.
Still, pitting it against the mountains of similar roguelite releases to dig through every month, Harvest Hunt stands out with its great style and unique concept. While it's not yet announced as Steam Deck compatible, the game plays perfectly on the handheld thus far, with a smart controller configuration to match. Harvest Hunt remains worth checking out for anyone into folk horror, roguelites, and asymmetrical games – just try and poke the game's bear whenever possible.
Rumble Club feels like a natural evolution of streamer-oriented games, with quick matches, inoffensive styling, and no real skill requirement. Everything that makes it go down easy has the side effect of making it uninteresting, sadly, and its lack of distinct appeal is compounded by a number of sticking points that become apparent all too quickly. There's no reason that Rumble Club won't work within its intended context, but for anyone seeking it out with the expectation of a memorable experience, there are far better places to look.
While more content additions would be welcome, the small improvements - mostly ease-of-life additions that helps clean up archaic systems or UI - do at least amount to something, and the graphical improvements are jaw-droppingly beautiful, provided you're a fan of the art style in the first place. This is the definitive way to play Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and, beyond that, the definitive Paper Mario game in a franchise spin-off that should look to the past to discover its future following this remake.
To return to the start, there's still a lot to say about what this game is. It's equal parts literary and mathy. It's elusive but self-aware. It's romantic, in fits. It's something best played with pen and paper, even if it doesn't seem necessary for a while. It's a story told as fantasy, history, parable, and performance. It's Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. And it could very well be the best game that comes out this year.
Overall, Version 2.2 is a fairly standard update with its pros and cons and is much below the quality delivered with the previous patch, Version 2.1. Even with its flaws, mostly in its flagship event, the new patch delivered unforgettable moments and strong characters, even if they did not prove themselves as indispensable as the reruns. The best accomplishment of the patch lies in the narrative, as the main campaign quests in Version 2.2 establish Penacony as the best story arc in Honkai: Star Rail so far.
Overall, Solo Leveling: ARISE is still an excellent game, one worthy of a look even for those who don't usually find gacha games appealing. Sung Jinwoo being an effective character and a depth of strategy will even allow free-to-play users to thrive, though they'll likely be looking at battle pass subscribers with envy given how wide the chasm is between the two demographics. Strong gameplay, an adoration for the source material, and a number of tactical decisions that make strategy paramount characterize one of the better "free" mobile game releases in quite some time.
Animal Well is something quite remarkable. A Metroidvania title that still feels fresh in 2024 thanks to its puzzle-centric gameplay, incredible atmosphere and army of secrets to discover, this is a must-play for those who like a bit of mystery in their games. Players should just make sure to discover the secrets themselves.
Little Kitty, Big City fulfills its feline obligations and then some, offering a beautifully animated adventure packed with appropriate cat-ivities and whimsical, gentle humor. It’s all-ages, elegant, and over much too quickly, but it’s the best of its breed.
Crow Country might not be a new genre-defining title, as its aspirations in both scares and scale are reasonably modest. It is, however, an excellent journey into a deftly rendered setting, and it's hard to find significant fault with its intimate understanding of what makes this sort of thing tick. Crow Country is an assured love letter to the original crop of classic survival horror titles, but what really matters is that it's a delightful new entry in its own right.
Heading Out is an interesting racing game that blends narrative-driven elements successfully. The moment to moment gameplay is serviceable at the very least, with sections of real strength, but the experience is truly elevated by the game's atmosphere and structure. It won't be for everyone, but those who enjoy a title that tries to hybridize different ideas that shouldn't necessarily work together will certainly come to appreciate its full and compelling world.
Overall, Endless Ocean Luminous is an incredibly beautiful and immersive aquatic game. Slow loading screens and some monotonous tasks can take away from the immersion some, but for a cozy simulation of underwater exploration, it is a tranquil and fun experience.
Any lover of intricate puzzles and unique game mechanics would be able to appreciate the clever approach that The Lullaby of Life takes for stimulating the brain. Its peaceful tranquility make it a wonderful form of cozy relaxation, with the only caveat being for people with severe depression to be mindful of their mental health in portions. The story, colors, puzzles, and, of course, the music in The Lullaby of Life are excellent in their craft and deserve to be appreciated.
As an existential piece peppered with surrealist agitprop, Indika feels successfully distinct. There’s even something convincingly personal about the story that ably cuts a path through its weirdness, a core built around toxic romantic relationships. None of its decisions and ideas seem beholden to interference, but like an original concept produced with integrity and personality. Even if stretches of Indika may not be “fun” in the conventional sense, it’s an intimate and stimulating experience that sticks around long after it's over.
The ocean may seem like an immeasurable beast for new pirates, but once players spend enough time to get their bearings, the beast becomes less scary and more adventurous. Still, if players are not entertained by Sea of Thieves gameplay loop and cosmetic-only unlockables, Rare's pirate life may not be for them. For everyone else, including PS5 owners, there is more Sea of Thieves booty and timbers to shiver.
Overall, the game is engaging and fun, and with it taking less than five hours for 100% completion, it also offers a great choice for those looking to get a quick PlayStation Platinum trophy. It can leave players with a pensive feeling at the games end, pondering many of the questions that are left unanswered at the conclusion of A Tale of Paper, but not necessarily in a negative way - other than, perhaps, the need to reevaluate having a Roomba.
Despite its romance mechanic shortcomings and the fact the main character can sometimes feel a bit bland, the game still does a great job at being an engaging visual novel. The first Sucker for Love was more like a looser exploration of a silly idea, but Date to Die For has really taken those concepts and run with them to make something much more defined and worthwhile. Though largely leaning into raunchy humor and horror, the title still manages to raise a few poignant questions about just what love and death mean in its roughly five-hour runtime.
Shift Up’s Stellar Blade stands tall as a stellar debut for the PS5 and is undoubtedly going to be a staple for many action RPG fans. Its main strength lies in its combat mechanics and boss designs, which often steal the show. With a familiar setting inspired by its source material, Stellar Blade can still be quite an enamoring and challenging game that will test your skills and patience with pulse-pounding encounters.