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The Pathless is a gorgeous adventure with an entertaining traversal mechanic and a subtle but effective narrative. Running, jumping, and gliding around with your eagle friend while solving enigmatic puzzles is a real joy. While some lackluster stealth sections and difficulty maneuvering during some boss sections are present, it doesn’t take away from the overall experience. Whatever direction you decide to travel, The Pathless leads you to some special gaming moments.
Visage requires patience as you progress through some truly horrific chapters, rewarded with even more nightmares as you encounter many supernatural elements. There are some beautiful environments to investigate, but the reused assets and unused space only hurt this game’s immersion. In many ways, this works as an adventure inspired by PT, but it’s defining elements are found in its unique features.
No More Heroes is a game that sounds like it could be fun, and then on closer examination, looks bizarrely empty, full of padding, and shallow in terms of story depth. However, when you actually experience it, you’re left with an experience that experiments with just how much it can employ the concept of “less is more.” It’s got a down to earth yet absurdist narrative that is incredibly rewarding with an extremely cool and satisfying combat system providing an unstoppable feeling.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has some great gameplay moments, even though it misses the mark on what the original did so well. The adventure hosts some great boss fights, a responsive combat system, and an unlockable difficulty mode that makes the entire experience even more enjoyable with the addition of a kick-ass soundtrack. Still, it remains in the shadow of its predecessor. It’s less goofy and more absurd and ends up being a heavy-handed retelling to correct the original’s plot. If this weren’t a sequel, I would have been praising it far more, but it spends most of its time desperately struggling to figure out what its own identity is.
Ghostrunner is an incredibly addictive action game that requires a high level of skill for its difficult systems. It’s unforgiving in that regard, but it does a great job of teaching the player how to master each element to become a parkour badass with a sword. There are some moments where the action is brought to a halt due to layout, but there’s honestly nothing standing in your way from getting the most out of this adventure. Well, only if you aren’t counting the hundreds of enemies and obstacles ready to take you down.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition has a healthy balance of updated systems and features that make it a great introduction to what we can expect from action games in this new generation. Those who haven’t played will get to experience the best this title has to offer while returning fans can push their skills with the Legendary Dark Knight Mode and being able to play as Vergil. While I would have preferred a totally separate new campaign for Vergil, everything here shows how an amazing game can be better. Now, when is that Lady and Trish DLC coming?
Kingdom Hearts: Memory of Melody is an incredibly charming game that finally brings the stellar array of music from the series into the spotlight. Its various options and modes allow any Kingdom Hearts fan to enjoy, but it doesn't completely make up for some of the missing tracks. Still, the memories that these songs hold are represented brilliantly by a competent and addictive rhythm system that you'd be hard-pressed not to love.
Seven Knights: Time Wanderer is a rather straightforward attempt at a JRPG with the inclusion of a unique active battle system. There’s a ton of room to grow here in terms of improved dungeon design, less repetitive encounters, and a more interesting gameloop. Still, the story is rather good, and the character interactions are reason enough to see the adventure through until the end.
Mad Father is a legitimate survival horror experience that takes after the seminal Sweet Home. The storyline is genuinely intriguing and disturbing, with a captivating narrative complemented by authentic gameplay systems that create a true survival horror challenge. Despite simple pixel graphics, Mad Father manages to use its excellent sound design to create a horrifying atmosphere. It may lack 8K powered zombies, but there are plenty of scares here for even the most seasoned horror game fans.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes the advancements of the series found in Odyssey and applies it to a whole new setting. As brutal as the period of Vikings is, there’s something beautiful about this adventure. Every action is rewarded with some great moments of storytelling, and aside from a few narrative roadblocks tied to the player’s level, there’s an amazing world here just waiting to be discovered.
Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra isn’t exactly big on the story, but the way it focuses on exploration encapsulates Pokemon’s pure essence. It’s about exploring new places, making new discoveries, hunting down monumental beings, and doing it all with friends. Combine this with the Isle of Armor, and I feel this DLC is well worth the admission price.
Aokana – EXTRA 1 is an excellent opportunity to see how Mashiro and Masaya’s love life develops. It doesn’t pack the main game’s exciting action, but it knows how to use the character dynamics in interesting ways. Its choice of focusing on comedy and the awkwardness of first love makes an engaging story for those who were already captivated by the characters.
I don’t think Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin can be classified as one single genre. It’s blending of farming and action only scrapes the surface of what this game actually offers. Still, by looking at those two pieces alone, there is a ton of excellent moments of gameplay to experience. Yes, it’s very much a farming game, and yes, it is full of action, but these two systems run seamlessly alongside a beautiful story and brilliant presentation.
It may have taken me almost 20 years to become a Pikmin fan, but consider me sold on the series. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is just a joy to play from beginning to end. The game has several timers that keep you on track, but it rarely makes you feel rushed. There’s an added layer of accomplishment across each task you complete or day that passes where you don’t lose any Pikmin. While some systems show their age in terms of environment and controls, there’s a lot that makes it must play for Switch owners looking for a chill co-op experience.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon makes for an excellent new entry in this long-running series. The developers took a chance on a new protagonist and battle system, which forces fans out of their comfort zone for a very different yet, familiar Yakuza experience. Although the opening exposition can be a bit overwhelming, this is a standout video game on its own with plenty of emotional story beats, insane sub-stories, and plenty of ways to spend your time around Ijincho.
Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is a tedious and almost mindless adventure that will leave you staring at the screen, wondering if it will ever get better. Sadly, it doesn’t. However, its systems are easy enough for a younger fan of the series to enjoy and receive a starter course in RPG systems. The biggest compliment I can give the game is that it works, but other than that, this Bakugan Brawl isn’t as epic as it could have been.
Dirt 5 provides a more approachable racer that acts as a decent successor to Dirt 4 and Dirt Rally while taking on the series in a few different ways. Diehard series fans might miss some of the more simulation aspects from the series, but Codemasters definitely found a healthy balance of the two offerings. Sure, you might not be blown away by the graphics, but you won’t go wrong adding this fun racer to you next-gen launch catalog.
Watch Dogs: Legion is an interesting game in that it doesn’t feature a real main protagonist outside of the comical AI, Bagley. You may not care about each individual character, but their collective goal makes the narrative worth seeing through. The way you can take on missions any way you wish rings truest in this title, and what better set piece to do it all in than a fully realized London. Looking past some of the open-world janks may be required, but Watch Dogs: Legion is a hacking great time.
The Angry Video Game Nerd: I & II Deluxe is the definitive version of these challenging platformers. There’s more to love about the game for fans of the Nerd, which might make some of the jokes and references go over some heads. Although you also have some throwaway stages and unmemorable boss battles, this makes for a pleasant way to spend a weekend. Just try not to break your controller.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is a terrifying adventure game that utilizes the atmosphere and setting to deliver the scares. As the player shapes the adventure, the game reacts in unique ways to the choices made. The upgraded UI and improved multiplayer mode show just how far this developer has come in terms of game-making and storytelling. Some endings can feel a bit anticlimactic or rushed, but that’s just all the more reason to play again.