Garage Band Gamers
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This is a game that’s meant to be played as a family.
House of the Dead Remake is a great way to spend an afternoon at home if you’re a fan of the original, even if it has some minor issues.
If you grew up in the days of The Oregon Trail, but want something that’s little bit more Fallout, Ashwalkers is likely for you. It’s not going to be the most engaging game when it comes to mechanics, but it portrays an open-ended story that really does feel like you craft it, even if the road is a fairly straight and narrow one.
I really love the relationship between the King and the Hero. From the very beginning, you understand how much he loves the little girl. As you take Yuu out into the dangerous world, the dragon can be seen in the background watching over her. He even helps in battle, unbeknownst to Yuu. As a father, this really hit home with a four year old. Wanting your kid to go out on their own, but also watching from the shadows and doing what you can to help, whether they know it or not resonated deeply with me. There are twists and turns to the relationship, and it’s really something worth checking out if you’re a parent.
If you enjoy a solid mystery that dips its toe into the horror realm, and you have a strong stomach and/or a morbid sense of humor, this is something that is worth your time, even if the ending doesn’t live up to the narrative build-up.
This is a game that will provide you something you can keep coming back to for relaxation. This is a comfort food JRPG. This is a game you can put on and just grind away to build your party, with the enemies growing alongside you to ensure there’s enough challenge.
If you are a fan of 8-bit games, especially early Mega Man, I would highly recommend Trophy, as it’s an enjoyable trip down nostalgia lane.
Much like a bag of your favorite salty snack food, there is a fair amount of dead air in Blackwind; but there is just enough to consume to keep you interested if action games are your thing. And much like your junk food, don’t share it with anyone else, or you may walk away feeling kind of cheated.
DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game is a niche game that is hard to recommend across the board unless you’re someone who enjoys intentionally bad games. If that’s your thing, this will be right up your alley.
While the game isn’t as grand as I initially thought from the first act, the story is one that’s well worth seeing through. The characters you meet are interesting, the world is gorgeous, and the ideas are certainly relevant to the world we live in.
If you’re looking for something that’s family friendly and full of positivity, look no further than Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan. It’s probably not for those of you looking to play something deep and gritty, or even grindy, but for those of us with younger kids, it’s a great way to bond (and read!) with them, and build up the ever important skill of empathy.
This is a great little game that I think anyone who enjoys lore, mystery, and survival will dig. There’s so much going on in it, although it becomes much more manageable as you progress and learn more about the world.
Song of Iron isn’t the biggest or baddest Viking game on the market, but it does manage to tell a compact story that is presented in a downright stunning way by a lone developer. It doesn’t outwear its welcome, and despite having little to no replay value outside of a painstaking achievement/trophy to complete the game without dying, it’s well worth the meager price of admission.
If you love multiplayer madness, especially the kind that Team17 tends to publish, Moving Out 2 will no doubt delight you. As a single player game, it’s a fairly enjoyable (albeit frustrating at times) physics based puzzler. As a palette cleanser, it provides plenty of content to come back to between games. Regardless of what purpose the game serves for you, it’s one worth playing.
At the end of the day, it looks and plays like a game from 1997. This is still a great game, and if this is the only way you can experience it in 2023, I would recommend it – but don’t expect the same level of care that was given to the likes of Doom 64, Quake, or Doom 3. Except for Quake 64. That one still kicks so much ass it almost makes up for the mild shortcomings in the other options.
Everspace 2 isn’t perfection, but much like your favorite kid, it doesn’t need to be. At the end of the day, it’s an enjoyable experience that will give back what you put into it.
The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation is easily one of the better indie horror games of the past decade. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, has a decent narrative, and has some genuine horror bits if you’re willing to put in the work. I would even argue that Softstar Entertainment would’ve been a better choice to remake Silent Hill 2 after jumping into my first entry from them.
Marble It Up! Ultra is an absolute joy to play for anyone that has enjoyed the physics based marble rolling games of past decades. If you've never partaken in 3D marble platforming, there's no better entry point than this. Just don't expect the multiplayer lobbies to be fully populated without bringing your own group of friends.
If you consider yourself a patient person with a love for horror, Lempo is a game that deserves your attention - just keep in mind that it will likely leave you wandering around for what feels like hours on end until something clicks within your brain. It features some of the best puzzles I have invested myself in from recent memory, and captures the feeling of being lost in the woods to a tee.
As a bite sized, Saturday morning cartoon experience, it’s hard to beat. It’s cute, simple, and accessible to pretty much anyone.