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Arcadian Atlas successfully captures the essence of a bygone area in RPG gaming. Nostalgic but original, the game is reminiscent of classic titles but never strays away from doing its own thing. With a brilliant jazz score, beautiful and expressive visuals, and a compelling, dark story, Arcadian Atlas is a newfound classic that’s sure to appeal to nostalgic gamers and first-time RPG players alike.
While it does try its best to pull your attention away, the core gameplay and added depth in Pikmin 4 will leave it remembered as the best in the series to date. It takes any repetitive gameplay and throws it out the window with new Pikmin, dungeons, mini-games, Oatchi, and more. There always seems like there is something new to discover in Pikmin 4 until the very end. However, Nintendo has made a game that is so engaging that players will take as long as they can to get there.
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a fantastic platformer that will captivate audiences of all ages with its engaging gameplay and nostalgic charm. Whether players choose to embark on a leisurely journey or seek out thrilling challenges, this game caters to both casual gamers and avid speedrunners. With its optional difficulty settings and intricately designed levels, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara provides an immersive experience that keeps players hooked from start to finish. As a loving tribute to classic platformers, this game pays homage to the genre’s rich history while adding its own unique twists and surprises. Undoubtedly, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara will be hailed as a remarkable title that leaves a lasting impression in the hearts of platformer enthusiasts worldwide.
Sticky Business is a cute and creative take on the desktop simulator genre, allowing players to get out their best ideas using pre-made stickers. The game is as cute as it looks and its ability to run so well creates such an adorable experience that’s really easy to lose yourself in. While it’s pretty shallow, it’s also exactly what it promises to be and does a good job of doing it.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes Definitive Edition breathes new life into the aging game, elevating it to meet the standards of a modern audience. The gameplay, while intriguing, may be best enjoyed in shorter bursts or on the go rather than in extended playthroughs. The Definitive Edition successfully revitalizes the game, making it a worthwhile choice for both newcomers and fans of the original, offering a unique experience that can be enjoyed in convenient and manageable sessions.
As much as I wanted to enjoy Remnant 2, I don’t think that a game should be that level of hassle just to get through the first experience it offers. It’s not a bad idea to make boss fights a little harder when more players involved, but your game has to be approachable by players or it will not make a wave among similar titles. Paired with the technical and extreme connectivity issues that we experienced during gameplay, it’s hard to recommend this game to anyone who wants to play without Google open for guides and server status checks.
DROS is a solid little puzzle platformer that is sure to appeal to fans of the genre. The game’s unique setting is shared through phenomenal art and told through the experience of its two protagonists, whose unique relationship and complementary differences are the core to both the narrative and the gameplay. Pick up DROS for a relaxing yet mentally stimulating good time, and fall in love with the two simple but likable protagonists.
Full Void offers a tense pixel-platforming adventure that will see players jumping across a variety of urban areas as they work to fight off an AI that’s taken over the world. While the gameplay is basic and the runtime short, it’s interesting and varied enough that most players will enjoy the time they spend with it. It would be interesting to see OutOfTheBit evolve on this concept further in the future to really flesh out these ideas.
LISA: Definitive Edition isn’t going to be for everyone. The simple and dated gameplay can be a bit of a chore at times to get through, and the extreme subject matter certainly won’t be palatable for everyone. However, LISA: Definitive Edition tells a wonderful, if painful, story, and until we have a LISA animated series LISA: Definitive Edition is definitely the best way to experience it.
While faithful to the genre, Ember Knights make some solid creative decisions and implement quality-of-life fixes that many roguelikes desperately need, and opens the genre up to a multiplayer experience. Unafraid to make players feel powerful while still presenting a real challenge, Ember Knights is a game that feels like it was designed to have fun, favoring fun builds and creative interactions with the world over any artificial difficulty, providing a genuine challenge that’s no less fun for players alone or with a group of friends.
My Friendly Neighborhood likely started with a brilliant idea of creating a Sesame Street-like horror game, but it feels as if that vision has been muddied. Through redundant puzzles, an overzealous attempt to be kid-friendly, and characters that are more annoying than frightening, this title is likely to be one of my bigger disappointments of the year. The idea is still worth checking out if you really like the concept or get the title on sale, but full price is a hard ask.
Jagged Alliance 3 takes a familiar yet improved-upon turn-based experience, a unique resource management system, 4x-Lite strategy and a satirical setting bursting with character and tosses them all together. While the turn-based combat isn’t going to be everyone’s favorite aspect of the game, it is easy to say that Jagged Alliance 3 hits way more than it misses and offers plenty more for players to enjoy.
While Testament does some really fun stuff with puzzles, it doesn't really get interesting until you're several hours in. Whether it be the bland combat or seemingly endless lore the game wanted me to learn, I just never felt engaged by the world that Fairyship Games was trying to build around me. Testament is trying to do too much and falls short of an engaging experience because of that.
From start to finish Oxenfree II is able to evolve in every aspect from the original. Night School Studio has created another exceptionally spooky story that ends with an even stronger emotional gut punch than the original. The puzzles are fun, if not challenging, and the way the game reacts to players' choices is not only a boon to the story but also seems as if it could encourage several playthroughs without getting stale.
Only Up! is the kind of viral game that gets a lot of attention due to the fact that an audience’s favorite streamers are playing it and raging. However, it’s a poor imitation of Getting Over It at best and feels like a rushed cash grab at worst. While SCKR Games manages to get the basics right and promotes a basic sense of accomplishment, it feels like this title has a long way to go before it can be considered even good.
AEW: Fight Forever is undeniably a unique and unconventional game. The game’s charm lies in its distinctiveness, using its captivating licensed soundtrack and departure from traditional gameplay mechanics to make something strange and unique. The unusual control scheme, cartoony graphics, and limited player customization may deter newcomers and those outside of the target audience from picking it up, but the game was made for fans, and for those fans I say go ahead and give it a try.
If you appreciate unconventional and visually captivating experiences, Sludge Life 2 offers a distinctive journey through a world filled with peculiar characters and a vibrant urban landscape. However, those seeking a more narratively satisfying adventure should probably look elsewhere. Sludge Life 2 is a game that will appeal to a specific audience, but not all players will find it to be a lasting and fulfilling experience.
Kingdom Eighties is beautifully repetitive and simple while still managing to be a lot of fun to play. While it might not look like it from afar, developer Fury Studios does a lot to ensure that the player never gets too comfortable inside this greedy new world. If the developer were to refine and improve on this concept, I could honestly see myself playing future titles like this, guiding my children to victory.
Nova Lands offers an interesting, if familiar, little journey with a fun enough gameplay loop. The game’s clean graphics focus on automation should provide a refreshing and fun experience for fans of titles like Factorio and Forager. While the title lacks in scope and replayability, the overall gameplay remains enjoyable, though it’s not lacking in room for improvement. With refinements to island variation, resource distribution, replayability, and other areas, Nova Lands has the potential to become a truly stellar gaming experience that keeps players coming back for more.
Final Fantasy XVI has over 25 years of history to live up to, largely acting as the culmination of the battle systems and dramatic storytelling from that time. While the animation and combat are truly extraordinary, the pacing in the quests and drawn-out cinematics often left me hungry for the next fight.