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Dedication to the details takes the mech-based farming concept from a fun gimmick all the way to a genuine standout in one of our favorite genres and even in this very early stage, Lightyear Frontier already has given me some of my favorite gameplay moments in a farming sim.
Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire has some enjoyable pieces that sell an intriguing full game that one day will come to fruition, but until then it remains one to watch instead of one to immediately hop into.
Maple Powered Games has something here that I can just feel waiting to be mined out of this block of coal. If there's anything that's clear after my time with it, it's that Monster Harvest needed an Early Access period. In its current state, it's hard to recommend Monster Harvest. Fans of its genre inspirations will find little to enjoy in the game's interpretations of either gameplay style. Those looking for some winning combination of the two will walk away empty-handed. But I want to believe they can figure it out.
I cannot recommend this game in its current state and do not want to let it slide that this game released in a very buggy and incomplete condition, but I want to believe in developers. I've seen many games surprise with their growth years after launch and I want to believe that Bleeding Tapes is capable of doing just that. I want to believe that the team believes in Neon Blight, and so I'll leave my thoughts here and hope the team takes something away from this feedback. Bleeding Tapes, there is a lot of work ahead of you, but your output since launch shows you're more than ready to face that challenge.
Pierre Feuille Studio had lofty ambitions with Chronique des Silencieux. While their dreams of making the truest detective game were held back by some perplexing translations and frustrating logic, they accomplished their goals of making something truly unique. Despite the genre's booming prevalence in the last decade, Chronique's historical fiction approach to its mystery and the relatively ordinary mysteries you're solving make for an experience unlike many of its contemporaries. With a great hand-drawn art style and the endless promise of its detail-oriented systems, it does just enough to keep you intrigued across its 10-15 hour story, if you're patient enough to bother with the piles of documents and confusing leads, that is.
Much like the heroes in the game, at one point I thought Redemption Reapers could be redeemed. But in the end, the sins it committed were a bit too much and despite almost making it back into my good graces, it fell just short and left me wishing I was overwhelmed by the hordes of Mort sooner rather than later.
Retreat to Enen requires you to fully give yourself over to its experience to enjoy it. It requires you to go full zen, to release all the stressors, to breathe out all the negative energy that the game places in your lap and enjoy only the good. But sometimes in life, you can't do that. Sometimes you have to face the negatives and accept them. Take them and learn a lesson for the future. And that's what I hope Head West does, because Retreat to Enen proposes some ideas worth honing.
It pains me to say that Biomutant feels like a lot of rough drafts of ideas were cobbled together to create an incoherent whole. Experiment 101 has a lot of interesting things at work here and I really hope they keep making games, but focusing in one or two of their best concepts instead of tossing everything they have at a game would serve them well.
Paleo Pines' dino-based farming sim experience may make for a great first step into the genre for some gamers, but those who know what to expect from the genre may find more than a few questionable gameplay decisions hidden inside. With its adorable style and recontextualization of a farming sim's relationship with animal helpers, it plants the seeds for some strong ideas that (mostly) do enough to help you push through its most frustrating bits. Mostly.
While I spent most of my time with Simulacra 3 waiting for the game to reach its full potential and never quite seeing it happen, Kaigan Games continues to deliver one of the more unique horror series out there. Scrolling through a phone to discover the world's horrors is always worth it — it at least adds a new definition to doomscrolling, I'll tell you that — but I can't help but wonder what Kaigan Games could do if they met the full potential they continue to showcase throughout this trilogy. Regardless, it's a worthy expansion of the series, and with an affordable price tag, I definitely recommend giving it a shot.
The Fridge is Red is a fascinating horror game. Essentially six short experiences in one, this package highlights the best and the worst of the indie horror genre all in one. It simultaneously features some of the most innovative and interesting mechanics I've seen in horror games in a long time and some of the stalest. But with its satisfying ending and an overall dedication to establishing a sense of dread through its atmosphere and liminal settings, The Fridge is Red is still ultimately a batch of traumas worth exploring.
Moonglow Bay is a frustrating one, mainly because we wanted to love it so much more. It tries a lot of new things with varied success, focuses on a few core gameplay systems that we wish were a little more engaging, all while telling a story about loss and community that's a cut above in its genre. It's just a shame that a few major glitches and pacing issues really hold it back from reaching its full potential. With Bunnyhug still hard at work with fixes, we just hope it gets closer to that apex we wanted to see it reach. Bunnyhug has a lot to offer, that much is clear. And if you can see your way through the storm to witness the beautiful dawn that waits for you at the end of the game, Moonglow Bay is well worth a visit. Just be warned: The water might be a little choppy in the meantime.
The stealth can be frustrating at times, the bugs can be grating, and it can be simpler than you might want it to be, but El Hijo still has a lot to love. Honig Studios have crafted an incredibly wholesome experience with a freedom in choice about how to approach each scenario that leaves things nice and flexible. It's an extremely breezy experience, one you can glide through in a few sittings, that I think this industry needs more of.
Born of Bread is a colorful, fun-first RPG that fans of the genre and newcomers alike will find a lot to love in. Across its 15-20 hour journey, it'll charm you, it'll remind you of some classics, and it'll set up a superb look and sound for an adventure. But it won't be without its issues. Add in a few progression-halting glitches and you've got a game that doesn't quite reach its greater ambitions, but is still worth tossing in the oven to watch rise.
Decarnation is a game I really wanted to love more. It has an undeniable style. Its grounded and painfully real horrors are genuinely spine-chilling, and the flair of its cinematic presentation is top-notch. It's just a shame that some clichéd writing, a flawed ending, and a generally repetitive gameplay experience (especially in the back half) hold it back from glory. Decarnation is still a game worth experiencing, especially for fans of horror and the inspirations Decarnation wears on its sleeve. But tread lightly. You never know who might be watching...
Hello Goodboy is just a downright pleasant time. I smiled lots, even if I'd wanted and even expected a little more out of it, but at the end of the day, I realized... I just might not be who this game is for. I imagine a parent and child sitting on the couch, doing voices for each character as they read along, puzzling out the ways to get through the game's light challenges, and taking the story's lessons about life and what comes after to heart. For them, Hello Goodboy might be great, but for us...
Serial Cleaners is a unique game, one that asks you to clean up the kinds of messes you'd usually leave behind in some other violent game. It pushes forth a stylish story with compelling characters, wrapped up in a package that some may be understandably disappointed by and others might be surprised (and relaxed) by. With its easy-to-dupe AI, the need to be perfect in your work fades away, and instead a calming, weird sense of comfort lures you in. And in this world, sometimes "weirdly comforting" is all you can ask for in your pastimes.
Jack Move is exactly what you'd expect. Maybe too much so, bordering on generic at times. Other than a same-y but enjoyable narrative, a few fun battles, and some light puzzle work, there are no exciting twists to pull you in. But you don't always need that. Not all RPGs need to be 40-60 hour epics and Jack Move proves there's a place for the shorter contained experiences too. It proves that some great aesthetics and some fun writing can be more than enough to anchor otherwise generic RPG action.
On the whole, the Jack Axe juggling act of dodging one-hit-kill obstacles, dispatching enemies, and nailing teleporting axe throws teeters on the edge of too hard. But Keybol keeps it just attainable enough to keep you going, pushing you forward despite the pain points. A few control issues make for a more frustrating experience that departs from the "if you fail it's your fault" experience of games like Celeste and Super Meat Boy. But if you and your axe can hack your way through it, there's a fun platformer waiting for you underneath. Non-masochists need not apply.
The Good Life isn't for everyone in the same way that Swery65 himself isn't for a lot of people. But I encourage you to ask if it's for you and go find out. When you give a game like this a chance, you just might sink into the oddities and fall in love with a world of animorphing British folk who ask absurd tasks of you. Undoubtedly, you'll find yourself upset with more than a few decisions made by Swery and his team at White Owls. But amidst the hodgepodge, you also might find something golden that fits you like a glove.