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Vinebound is a delightful surprise, and it deserves to find players this summer, especially those looking for a cute, but chaotic co-op blast.
Neverwinter Nights 2 Enhanced Edition does the bare minimum as it brings the game to consoles. It looks a bit better, but that's about it. It's still buggy and rough around the edges, but it is at least Neverwinter Nights 2. If you really want to sit back and play it with a controller, this will do it for you. If you want anything more, the original is more than playable on pretty much any PC, and has deep mod support.
A Dream About Parking Lots is an interesting little experience that uses a real life situation many of us would have found ourselves in, and uses it to create a therapy session. It is a short and succinct experience that has quite a lot of depth to it, though it isn't the best looking title.
Heartworm is another top notch indie horror to add to the collection and one that perhaps feels the closest to the games that clearly influence it. The mixture of Fatal Frame combat and Silent Hill gameplay is perfectly judged and the end result is a game that not only pays homage to the classics but deserves to be considered amongst them.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a well-crafted game and a major step up from the prior entry, but it isn't the kind of groundbreaking or unique experience that will get casual fans or non-fans invested in the series.
Dear Me, I Was offers reflection on a life accompanied by eye-catching art and gentle piano music. There's very limited interactivity though, and while the story is relatable at some points, it's not particularly unique. It is worth picking up if you're looking for something that will make you sit back and reflect, but it feels as though Dear Me, I Was will only appeal to a very specific audience.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a perfect entry in the series that makes for a great entry point and a standout experience in its own right. Smooth controls, fantastic level design and some perfectly judged boss battles make for one of the best 2D action-platformers you'll find. With the extra layer of replaying levels for better ranks and the unlockable hard mode for the bravest ninjas, Ragebound provides plenty of enjoyment and challenge for those who want it, while also being approachable for newcomers.
Atomic Owl is a satisfying roguelike with a simple progression that allows you to make headway quickly through the levels. This does come at the expense of the combat, which is a bit too on the easy side, with the platforming much more challenging than any boss fight. Overall though, if you want a short, simple, and good looking roguelike then Atomic Owl is worth a go.
I very much enjoyed the majority of my time with Once Upon a Puppet, and while it was not entirely without issues, it's a nice fusion of search adventuring and the linearity of Little Nightmares. This one is well worth a look for platforming fans.
Killing Floor 3 is like a McDonalds at 3am after a big night out. It's basic and definitely not nutritious, but when you're in the right mood, it hits the spot. If you're after deep narrative or refined polish, look elsewhere. But if you and your mates just want to splatter monsters with some cracking gunplay and a healthy dash of chaos, you'll find plenty to enjoy here.
Tales of the Shire offers a comfortable and lazy fantasy life, but it's one that feels genuine and heartfelt. Fans of the genre will love it, as long as they're prepared to fully embody the peace and tranquillity of a Hobbit's way of life.
s.p.l.i.t is a tough game to write about, as at heart it is just a simulation of a textual file interface wrapped up in a dark and oppressive environment, but it is also so much more than that. The perfect fusion of themes and mechanics makes for an experience that is almost suffocatingly immersive and the darker aspects (although absolutely not for everyone) elevate s.p.l.i.t to be one of the most harrowing games you'll find. Aside from the essential content warning, I'd recommend going in as blind as possible and just playing out your The Matrix and Sneakers fantasies.
Wild Hearts S is not the best place to play Wild Hearts. The less powerful hardware struggles at points to do the large, fantastical setting justice, and it's disappointing to find the performance is inconsistent in a port of an older title. However, this is an old-school hunting title, whose core mechanics hold up extremely well in a post-Wilds world.
Despite a fascinating premise, one inspired by both Chinese folklore and real-life history, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers resolutely fails to deliver on any of its initial early promise. This is a Soulslike by the numbers, one hampered by a cornucopia of PS5 performance issues that plague the game like a disease.
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV takes the beloved boardgame series to new heights, emphasising the Switch 2's focus on social play while making the most of the new camera and the Joy Con 2's great mouse controls. Not all of the DLC's content are essential, relying on gimmicks that you'll quickly tire of, but as a whole package, this is a great next step for Mario Party.
Shadow Labyrinth has a really great premise, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The progression is too slow to keep things fresh and interesting, the story is lacklustre, and the gameplay just doesn't meet the expectations you would have for what is supposed to be a big new turning point for Pac-Man.
The Drifter is a new standard in point and click adventures and deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as the very best the genre has to offer. The look, sound, and feel of the game are all superb and it tells a story that never stops being thrilling. All in all, it's an essential purchase for anybody who has even a passing interest in the genre.
No Sleep For Kaname Date might not move forward the narrative of this franchise in a major way, but it does provide a really entertaining and engaging side story to AI: The Somnium Files that fans of anything from the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi will absolutely adore.
Islanders: New Shores is a gorgeously vibrant and chilled experience, one that brings a zen-like vibe to the city-building genre. Accessible and addictive, you'll wish you could stay in paradise just a little bit longer.
Unfinished Business is a great evolution of Teyon's take on RoboCop, with the more focused narrative and progression helping the story to push you through some combat encounters, whilst also adding some excellent lore to the wider world of Alex Murphy. If you enjoyed the first game, and maybe even if you didn't, then I can recommend this return to Detroit. You have more than ten seconds to comply, but resistance is futile.