TheGamer's Reviews
Despite the limited gameplay and slightly repetitive nature of wandering around rooms to click on objects, Mixtape is an experience I’ll remember for a long while. The sharp dialogue that feels real and stays the right side of grating, easy-going storytelling, excellent soundtrack, and supreme confidence to play around with the medium make Mixtape well worth tuning into, even if some will be put off by a perceived lack of things to do. I still haven’t really figured out if Mixtape is a video game, but I do know that I thoroughly recommend you give it a spin.
At the moment, Everything Is Crab is in a great state, but I think it’s missing a lot of content for more replayability and variation from run-to-run. I can see a ‘meta’ developing quickly, too, which will reduce choice even more. That being said, even in its current evolutionary form, I’d say this is one of the better roguelikes so far this year.
If you are looking for an interactive story-based cozy game, this is a rad choice. However, don’t expect much more from Wax Heads than a well-executed moral stand against an increasingly AI-loving, money-grabbing and overly-polished world of entertainment.
Dead as Disco is not only my favourite game I’ve played so far in 2026, but one that I can see being a true all-timer as more content is added and it’s polished up even more.
Masters of Albion’s little quirks and British humour make it endearing and funny, adding some much-appreciated details to what makes it stand out, like its crafting and odd building mechanics.
Invincible VS is a strong fighter that expertly captures the tone, spirit, and bloody chaos of the beloved source material.
All in all, Vampire Crawlers is a tremendous achievement. Everything here works almost flawlessly, with a gameplay loop that is quick, sharp, and smart. Genre transitions within the same game series rarely work so wonderfully, but Luca Galante and Poncle have created an incredible experience that will make you crave more, even if it overstays its welcome a tad for completionists.
Aphelion has everything I’d expect from a competent DON’T NOD project, from the sound design to the story to the characters and beyond. The narrative and two leading protagonists captivated me with struggles that felt well-acted, thematically rich and consistently surprising. I cared, and would have been utterly devastated if they had never made it back home.
Aside from those infrequent technical issues, this is a smooth, comforting, and narratively rich experience. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth's balance of warmth and depth is everything I want from a cozy game in the modern era. I can already anticipate that I’ll be returning to the charm of Moominvalley in a few months, when the Lady of the Cold visits me as well.
It feels like one big adventure, and you’re only privy to one piece at a time. Delving into the depths of a foreign planet would usually be off-putting to me as a cozy gamer, but the world of Carcosa drew me in.
I enjoyed my 15 or so hours with Tides Of Tomorrow, but I won’t be replaying it. It’s a game that you could definitely replay if you vibe with it, because there are plenty of different choices that you - and whoever goes before you - can make, but I feel like I’ve got my fill of the world, and was generally satisfied with the outcome of my narrative. Even if I heard most of it before I got there.
Bright skies, calm waters, and a version of Sanctuary that hasn’t collapsed yet. So when it inevitably does, when Mephisto tightens his grip, and everything starts to crumble, it lands with more weight than it otherwise would.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is, crashes and caveats aside, an excellent game. Key is a triumph, the puzzles are imaginative, and the final chapter earns everything it demands of you. I’ve spent about 12 hours with it and I find myself wanting to talk about it with everyone who has ever shared even a flicker of an interest in Lovecraft with me. It’s a cosmic horror that brings classic tropes into futuristic dressing and manages to do that well. What’s not to like?
The more you put into this game, the more you’re going to get out of it. For me, it already feels like it has all the ingredients to become another cult classic masterpiece that will go down in history.
Sad Cat elegantly depicts these themes, and I believe anyone who plays Replaced is going to have an enlightening experience, which I imagine is exactly what the studio was going for.
Mouse is an enjoyable and visually stunning shooter with just enough uncapitalized potential to make me mourn what could have been. It looks amazing, the music is spectacular, the voice acting is top-notch, and it feels great to play in the moment, but its unwillingness to put up even a semblance of challenge is its biggest downfall. I’d still very easily recommend it, but sticking it on the hardest difficulty is almost a requirement.
It’s got big ambitions, a big heart, and two big and beautiful characters leading the charge on an intergalactic adventure like no other. Cheese and cliché aside, Pragmata is a rare triumph.
Regardless of what you specifically look for in a cosy game, there’s a little something for everyone here. Even with my nitpicks, I’m unlikely to forget the stories I pieced together to tell Tabitha’s life story anytime soon.
Throw in all the quality of life features that let you either play these games as they were intended, or with mod cons so that you can actually finish them, and this collection is a fantastic celebration.
Even when Super Meat Boy 3D had me moments away from rage-quitting, occasionally thanks to a death that wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help but smile as I bashed my head on whatever wall I was struggling to jump off. Meat Boy’s legacy is a very particular one that won’t appeal to everyone but, even with some wobbles, 3D proves itself to be a sequel that’s worthy of standing next to the original masterpiece.