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Any recommendation of Order of the Sinking Star is going to have a lot of caveats which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s esoteric and strange in a way that only Jonathan Blow can accomplish and the puzzle design is close to perfection. You can see the sweat and tears he put into ever puzzle and I can respect all the hard work that went into it. Unfortunately for me the narrative didn’t really hold the whole way through and I wasn’t really itching to find those additional endings. It’s a game that does one thing really well and the rest of it really just depends on your constitution and how much you love pushing blocks.
While Control Resonant hasn’t quite reached the catharsis of their last title, it’s easily the Remedy game I’m most likely to come back to in the near future on the strength of it’s gameplay.
Terrible Lizards is a really fun game once it fully commits to the parkour gameplay, allowing for the game to have some truly fist pumping chases. The characters were all pretty likeable and I would love to see where this game goes in the future if we do get a sequel. Performance issues and some questionable gameplay choices between the parkour fun needs to be improved on in the future as they muddle down a pretty fun platforming game with a tense atmosphere. Not a perfect game by any means, but a great starting point for a developer who has made one my favorite indie horror games of this type in quite a long while.
Overall, Modern Warfare 4 is a great game. The sound quality and graphics are a step up from its predecessor. It goes to show that moving on from a previous console generation can make all the difference. It boasts a thrilling campaign that is a far cry in all of the best ways from its predecessors. It also makes for a great sendoff. Additionally, its multiplayer goes hand-in-hand with the fun, making playing against other players the most addictive in a while.
There may be more value in Tenebris for someone with nostalgia for the long gone era of the adventure game but for anyone else, even someone as open minded as me, it struggles to be anything more than a novelty.
It just continues to prove that Nightdive Studios is the developer to go to bring old PC classics back into the limelight. There is a audience for people who crave those old PC classics whose main focus was bringing an engaging action shooter first. It’s confident, bombastic, and exhilarating in all the right ways that show you that perhaps not every dog needs to learn new tricks.
As it stands, it’s simply a good licensed game based on the Hellraiser IP, with an engaging story packed full of callbacks and references to the first two films that I greatly enjoyed. Yet as a survival horror video game in 2026, it is very derivative of what has come before and doesn’t offer much in the way of originality outside of the thrilling Labyrinth set pieces and Genesis Configuration. It’s an enjoyable and enthralling game nonetheless if you can overlook its melee combat shortcomings and easy puzzles.
If you are in the mood to be an ace pilot and want to see what Bandai Namco does best, Ace Combat is where you need to look. When it comes to the series, Wings of Theve is one of the best entries yet, showing that the Aces team isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Instead, it is continuing to push the limits that the series has to offer to new heights.
I loved my time with this game and even amongst an impressive crop of horror titles I feel confident that Silver Pines can go toe to toe with the best of them. Silver Pines is well worth a visit.
Evil Empire continues to impress by adding a drawn art style and impressive visuals to the game overall. Not just from character designs but bosses, enemies, and environments too. And while its soundtrack is not the best part, the rest of the sound design fits well into the game. If you are a Castlevania or Metroidvania fan, or even a newcomer, it’s a strong entry for a titan of a series. And one that all players should try to experience as soon as they can.
RIN: The Last Child is not a bad game, but it isn’t very good either. The main shortcomings from this game comes from the main combat system being unbalanced and too easy and having some of the most stiff platforming in the indie space.
Silent Hill often aims to remind us that the real horrors aren’t the ones on screen, they’re the ones within us. As somebody who is fearfully weak to horror, and emotionally weak to a well-written narrative, Silent Hill: Townfall feels like what video games are supposed to be. It engaged me so much that it made me scream, and made me feel so much that it felt like my heart was sinking. Konami created a universe through which some of the most captivating stories can be told, and Screen Burn Interactive have told the best of its stories so far. Although I suspect it took a year or so off of my life, it was well worth it.
Its highs are so high I think it’s well worth traversing the valleys to get there. But those valleys are wide and they’re not getting any narrower. Every once in a while you need to remember that the cookie is every bit as important as the cream in an Oreo, that you need something solid to chew on to enjoy yourself. Onimusha is a tasty cookie, I just wish I could scrap some of the filling out.
HexaDome Tactics has a very solid gameplay loop with a core cast that is compelling both visually and gameplay wise but lacks the massive amount of customization and content that is expected in the tactics genre, but if you enjoy the setting and multiplayer tactics then this could be a worthwhile experience.
TCG Card Shop Simulator is a fantastic game, made with care. Only a lack of story is what holds the game back, and not by much. It’s a title that shows that there is a simulator out there for all players. In this case, if you are looking for something to get cozy, enjoy, and take your mind off things, it’s the perfect pick for you.
Not every element of Starsand Island is going to wow every player. What the game specializes in is having a little bit of something for every player, and allowing you to focus on the thing you most enjoy while encouraging you to extend your reach into other styles of play.
When I first approached Star Wars Zero Company, I wasn’t sure how I would like the genre it’s in. But the pairing of both the IP and genre goes together with ease. Bit Reactor knows how to tell a good story and make fantastic gameplay all through the lens of a turn-based strategy.
Sovereign Tower is a really good game that knows exactly what it wants to be with some missteps that can easily be fixed with a future game or a possible expansion. The characters are very fun, the gameplay is compelling, and the kingdom management is simple, yet engaging.
Cicadamata has a lot going for it. For one, it’s name is fun to say. For another, it seems to have an infinite amount of room for improvement, ones so minute the differences between them are only a handful of points, but in a game so slick and fun, any excuse to squeeze out another run is appreciated. Cicadmata is a gem, one I’ll happily recommend to anyone who will hear me out.
It may not stick the landing but The Sinking City 2 delivers classic survival horror in spades. Intelligent level design, thoughtful puzzles, and a creepy atmosphere make Frogwares’ latest a worthwhile venture into Lovecraftian horror.