The Punished Backlog
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Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a great remake of an already tremendous video game, and one I imagine I’ll continue playing long after this review goes live. Despite its removal of the present-day sequences, it still maintains the heart of the original and makes its brightest spots shine as bright as ever. Resynced now stands as my favorite game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, without a shadow of a doubt.
The latest offering from developer Undercoders is neither expected nor simple. Each time I thought I had Denshattack!’s gameplay or narrative pinned down, I was delightfully lurched in another screeching direction. There are a few key stops that Denshattack! makes during its nine-part tale that — no spoilers — make this well worth your time, and it boasts a vibrant world and cast of characters who have something critical to say.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic is the perfect way to play Moss if you don’t have a PSVR headset and you’ve been wanting to try Moss ever since its 2018 debut. The Forgotten Relic is billed as the definitive experience, and I agree. The original 2018 Moss is great but way too short; I finished playing it in about 2.5 hours, and the story ends abruptly. Moss: Book II spends more time on plot and weaving in levels, and together, they feel like the complete game. Fans of environmental puzzles, delightful character design, and straightforward combat will love Moss: The Forgotten Relic. But if you don’t like those things, then you won’t like Moss — even though the mouse is really, really cute.
Swapmeat is a surprisingly deep roguelike with plenty of entertaining parts under the hood. Its titular mechanic is great fun, even if RNG occasionally gets in the way. Runs are challenging but never insurmountable, and the variety of locales, weapons, and powers gives the game plenty of replayability, whether you’re playing alone or with friends. Its grotesque style won’t be for everyone, and I do wish there were a few more planets as part of the rotation at launch. Still, for $16 and some change, Swapmeat is excellent value — cheaper than most fast food meals, and certainly more savory.
Abyssus takes a fairly straightforward concept and manages to do a lot with it. There’s never a dull moment, and even if certain challenges can get a little frustrating — every run presents a couple of objective-based rooms, and they’re never as fun as just killing guys — I never got tired of the experience as a whole. If anything, one of the most positive things I can say about the game is that even after writing this review, I plan on going back for even more expeditions just for the hell of it. It’s got its blemishes for sure, but it’s an undeniably great time if you’re in the mood to wreak havoc in dimly lit rooms.
NBA The Run is a fun game that’s hampered by stick-thin features. If you can gather some friends who don’t mind spending $30 for a single mode, you’ll have a fun time. Set up a private lobby, let the AI fill in as needed, and have yourself a ball. However, if you’re going into the experience solo, or with two other buds hoping to conquer an online bracket, I must advise against it. The gameplay is terrific, and I have no doubt future iterations (should Play by Play Studios greenlight a sequel) will only improve on this foundation. But NBA The Run, as presently constructed, just doesn’t have the roster depth needed to go the distance. The bright side: There’s always next year.
Much like Supermassive Games’ recent efforts in Little Nightmares III and The Casting of Frank Stone, this latest entry in The Dark Pictures is somewhat forgettable in both its safe competence and repetitiveness. In this way, Directive 8020 feels like the least loved Alien films. At its best, the game is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror episode where the player anticipates the other shoe dropping with a jaw-dropping reveal. Ultimately, however, Directive 8020 is a haunted house without consequence.
As an ASMR experience in shelving, inKONBINI works great. However, because it has the ambitions of narrative but fails its characters, it can’t hope to compete with narrative-driven shop games that weave story into the fundamental gameplay. inKONBINI is a peaceful enough game to simply be a chill vibe simulator, but it is also not interesting enough to be a shop sim. Fans of Japanese convenience shops will find something to love with inKONBINI, but for everyone else, there are many more titles (such as last year’s Tiny Bookshop or this month’s Wax Heads) that will better scratch the itch for a cozy store simulator.
Wax Heads is the new game for those who enjoy cozy life/job simulator games, with heartwarming stories and stunning visuals woven throughout. I can truly see this game becoming a huge part of discussions around cute, stylized, relaxing video games, as well as a big name in the cozy gaming community. Patattie Games is definitely one to watch, and I can’t wait to see what dynamic duo Somerwolff and Tome create next.
Yaza Games knocks it out of the park again with Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, if only for a somewhat niche audience. In no small part, the game feels made for medievalists, as well as for folks who love medieval books and cozy games. The game finds comfort in its gameplay loop, and is supported by an entertaining series of short stories. I expected the charm of the scriptorium to wear off quickly, but after nearly 10 hours, I find myself giddy to go back through the individual stories of these trope-y characters and spend more time in “Sandbox” mode, designing to my heart’s content.
Replaced fits its narrative in many ways. The story and visuals are incredible, among some of the best I have seen. The combat tries too many things, but does get credit for trying. The characters feel alive, with history baked into their every interaction. And Reach is a superb main character, a childlike AI forced to be a different type of tool in search of what their purpose is. Replaced has its flaws, especially during combat. But I don’t think those flaws stack up enough to detract from the things it does with a master’s touch. Replaced reaches for the stars, but only ends up hitting the moon. And that’s still pretty good.
I played Creature Kitchen at the beginning of April, but I’m still thinking about it a few weeks later. It just made me feel things. I felt safe but also challenged, surprised but also content. I loved making real dinner for my real-life creatures and then cozying up with my Steam Deck and making spooky dinner for my spooky creatures. I have never played another game like this, one that so perfectly balances both cozy and creepy. Because it’s so good, I do wish it were a bit longer. I’m not usually a big fan of achievement hunting, but perhaps I’ll give it a go as an excuse to spend more time at my spooky cabin. Even though I know how it all ends (and it does stick to the landing), I might return. I’m always a bit hungry, after all.
If you can look past the technical struggles of Aether & Iron, you will find a gripping narrative fueled by colorful characters and an equally colorful world. Gia’s journey to find who she wants to be, and what she wants to do, gripped me from start to finish. The side characters are lovely and diverse, representing different walks of life throughout New York. The combat is fun and interactive, even if surprisingly difficult in moments. In the end, Aether & Iron is an experience worth having. Just know that nothing and no one is flawless in New York City.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an excellent game that is perfectly enjoyable on Nintendo Switch 2. Despite a lower resolution and framerate than on PS5 or Xbox Series X, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to revisit the world, characters, and battles of Kena’s debut journey. If you’ve never played Kena before and would like to experience the magic before Scars of Kosmora drops, this is a fitting entry point. That said, if you do own any other modern platform, I highly recommend playing elsewhere — if only to enjoy Ember Lab’s work at its utmost beauty.
Just when I thought the first-person shooter genre had gone stale on me, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire walked in, tipped its hat, and changed my mind. This game won me over with its endless charm, its witty and genuinely cheesy dialogue — the cheese puns never stop, and I didn’t want them to — and a level of aesthetic commitment that extends to every corner of Mouseburg. A few structural quirks in the case sequencing keep it from a perfect score, but MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a triumph — as close to perfect as it gets. Fumi Games has built a world that deserves to be explored, a story that earns its weight, and a combat system that keeps you coming back for one more run. At $29.99, this game is worth every cent.
Sigma Star Saga DX is a tale of highs and lows. The lows can be pretty rough, but the highs are lofty enough that I’d call DX a solid experience in and of itself. It’s a pretty good action RPG overall, but within it is a potentially great game that occasionally gets in its own way. That said, I’m really glad Sigma Star Saga DX exists at all. It may never have been an all-time great game or even a particularly notable hidden gem, but it deserved the DX treatment as much as anything else.
Tombwater sets up an intriguing space in the current indie game landscape. A Western horror game disguised as a Soulslike is a brilliant sale, but Tombwater is so much more. It is a triumphant realization of the 2D Zelda formula in a non-medieval, Bloodborne-esque setting. I hope I get to return to this world sooner than we’ll likely return to Yharnam.
Project Songbird is a game I think anyone in a creative industry should play, whether you’re a musician, a painter, a writer, a game developer, or someone in any field that is about making something. The game shares a prominent and important message about how many artists will push themselves so much farther than could ever be sustainable. This felt especially relevant in today’s world, where artists are being forced to compete with the existence of generative AI. In publishing Project Songbird, Rush and FYRE Games have made me want to create. Playing this game made me want to make the things that I want to make, and to not allow anyone or anything to make me resent doing the creative things I love.
Esoteric Ebb will delight those who love fantastical tabletop adventures but have been craving a single-player experience, especially if you are remotely into medieval stuff, silly stuff, political stuff, and/or male identity stuff. I am not alone in thinking that it's one of the best successors to Disco Elysium, a game I very much loved. There's strong potential for Esoteric Ebb to get a sequel, or even some DLC, and I'll be lining up to try it. I think Esoteric Ebb is an excellent example of the CRPG genre, though it is pretty deep into its systems and those who are new to this style or don't enjoy it will be hard-pressed to click with it. But if you do love a TTRPG, you're gonna love it. I'm confident that, at the end of the year, I'll be putting it on my list of best indie games.
Death Howl provides healing to one of life’s most challenging experiences: the death of a close loved one. As Ro physically fights through this world, defeating monsters to save her son, many of her most important battles are emotional, as she wrestles with grief. While Death Howl leans heavily into its Soulslike difficulty, its chess-like tactics allow for countless possibilities. I logged about 56 hours completing quests and exploring the world, and I’m just short of that platinum trophy. You better believe I’ll be back to finish it and revel in the spirited strangeness of another world.