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Often feeling like a game chasing greatness, Crimson Desert is in every sense of the word ambitious. Sure, Kliff’s story of revenge is one that been told a thousand times, but it’s seemingly endless open world begs you to chase the adventures beyond the horizon. When you tie this beautifully crafted playground together with a combat system that encourages the player to experiment and think outside the box, you get a game that feels impossibly complex while feeling eerily familiar in the same breath. Crimson Desert is many things – dangerously ambitious, clunky, beautiful, messy, and most importantly: mind-numbingly addictive.
Darwin’s Paradox is a strong debut from ZDT Studio, cleverly utilizing cinematic platforming genre staples to create a fun, well paced 5-hour adventure. That being said, an abrupt ending unfortunately robs the game of a satisfying conclusion, and it’s clear that the Nintendo Switch 2 version needed more time in the oven to properly utilize the hardware.
Grime 2 is a genuinely good game hamstrung by technical problems and some level design issues. The Mold absorption system is clever and forces you to engage with combat in interesting ways. The world design is beautiful and rewards exploration (mostly). The art direction is top-tier and the NPCs are interesting and occasionally hilarious. But the stuttering problems, the occasional finicky platforming, and the stretches of repetitive backtracking keep it from being the excellent game it could be.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance may not be the triumphant return that long-time fans have hoped for, but it is a confident step toward bringing the series back into the spotlight. Its moody pixel art, stellar voice performances, and thunderous industrial-orchestral soundtrack capture the gothic soul of Nosgoth remarkably well, even in a new 2D form. While the straightforward combat and brief runtime keep it from reaching the heights of the series’ best entries, the game still delivers an entertaining slice of dark fantasy that respects the lore and legacy that came before it.
As Max and Chloe have grown to young adulthood in Reunion, the series has matured in equal measure. Reunion ends Max and Chloe’s love story in the right way. More than simply fan service, this is a finale that delivers love to the Arcadia Baes, the series and its fans.
For those looking for a shorter, narrative driven game to dive into, I highly recommend The Posthumous Investigation. It’s an intriguing character study that keeps you guessing and makes you wonder, who truly was the culprit and why? What in the human condition made this man both so loved and hated? You’ll have to play to find out.
Fishbowl is a game that you need to accept with open arms and an open mind. A game that attempts, and at often times succeeds, in making you empathetic to Alo’s emotional state and perhaps even make you reflect in yours. They do this through their great usage of simple gameplay mechanics, art direction, sound, and music. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you sad. It’s a game that you need to be ready for in order to fully appreciate, if you’ll let it.
For those looking for a video game that feels like a warm bath after a long day, Hozy is one to sink into. With versatility in design comes so much replayability. No pressure, no time limits, just a great game to relax with.
Everything about John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando just works. SnowRunner with Zombies about sums it up. So far, I’m having an absolute blast. With each completion giving me enough to upgrade something to make me feel a little bit stronger. I haven’t been able to complete a very hard mission yet, but I’m getting so close. With a couple more levels and full communicating squad, that Sludge God will be mincemeat.
If you’re familiar with the survivor genre, you’ll likely get some enjoyment out of this, as the games difficulty will hold your attention, especially with the sheer amount of unlocks the game has. However, if you’re looking for a more fun and relaxing game you can check out of and just play, there’s easier, and better, games in the genre out there to try.
You play Trash Goblin for the relaxing tedium of everyday shopkeeping as well as encountering interesting folks along the way. You don’t play this if you’re looking for a challenge or engaging gameplay. That isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It’s entirely up to you depending on the kind of game you want to play.
At its best, Chico’s Rebound captures the addictive satisfaction that made block-breaker games a classic arcade staple. The clever stage design, creative boss fights, and charming pixel presentation make every successful run feel rewarding, even when luck occasionally plays a role. However, the repetitive tower exploration and occasionally demanding score requirements can slow the momentum and turn triumph into frustration. Despite these bumps, the core gameplay remains engaging enough to carry the experience, making Chico’s Rebound a fun, if slightly uneven, climb up the Celestial Tower.
With one of the best campaigns you will ever see in a racing game and a great arcade style of racing, Screamer is one the best racing games we’ve seen this generation. Its flashy artstyle is great to look at and while there is a lot going on with it’s gameplay, once you get a grasp of it, you will wonder why more don’t do dual stick racing.
Coming from someone who is completely new to extraction shooters, Marathon is a triumph. The excellent visuals, audio design and gameplay creates a game and world that wants you to have “just one more run”. Hell, I’m only writing this during the server maintenance downtime, otherwise I’d struggle to tear myself away! Bungie have succeeded in creating a world that is begging to be explored and experienced even if the lore and storytelling feels slightly secondary. It may feel overwhelming at first, but a little perserverance, and not much at that, will open up a game that is incredibly well made and demonstrates a lot of love and work.
While I admire what Daisuke Ishiwatari and his team set out to achieve with DAMON and BABY, the resulting work is weighed down heavily by poorly designed levels and unsatisfying combat. There are fleeting moments of charm to be found within its story and cute art style, but they are just as quickly diminished by a myriad of mechanics that fail to cohesively coalesce.
Much like Aeta’s quest, players of 1348 Ex Voto have some challenges to face in getting through to the end. If you power through the various bugs and design issues with the combat, you’ll find a decent 7 to 8 hour game that gives you a bleak look into a plague-ridden Europe. Buboes and all, 1348 Ex Voto’s strong voice cast, great environments and lighting might not be enough to avoid a big white X on it.
I mostly enjoyed my time with Project Songbird. The narrative is handled with care and earns its emotional weight without being spoiled here. The sound design and music deserves a lot of praise, and the voice cast and performances really sell the story being told here. However resource balance; bullets, painkillers, melee durability, occasionally tips toward overwhelming rather than tense. Some enemy encounters shift from scary into frustrating rather than maintaining dread. If you’re a scaredy cat like me, I’m sure you’ll also enjoy the roughly 5 hour journey into grief in the Appalachian mountains, and horror veterans might not get scared but are sure to get some fun out of trying to grab the no healing achievement as they stumble past mannequins and statues.
I had noted in my preview that Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! was not going to revolutionize the gaming world and that I was fine with that. Now that I have completed the game, I can safely say that while my opinion hasn’t changed, I do appreciate more of what this game had to offer. The one-liners, the comical levels of violence, and the retro vibes that are creeping back into the gaming industry (which I love). Its only weaknesses lie in the lack of needing some of the extra bells and whistles within the game itself.
Pokémon Pokopia is a smashing homerun. Whether you’re looking for a game with an emotional mystery story of what happened, a game to build your wildest creations, or even just a game to get to spend time with some of your favorite pocket monsters, there is a game here for everyone. The game just oozes sweetness, and I already know that this is one that I am going to drop over 100 hours into this year alone. Simply put, whether you’re already a fan of Pokémon, a newcomer to the series or just a fan of cozy games, Pokémon Pokopia is absolutely a worthwhile buy, and is everything that I wanted Animal Crossing New Horizons to be and more. It is an early game of the year contender for me and a reason to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2.
Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a refreshing palette cleanser. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its message of self-love very seriously. The Frogtime battle mechanics are surprisingly deep and I’m very excited to keep pulling from Booster Eggs to try and get a super rare Colossal Frog and make it to the top of the Battle Tower. It’s weird, it’s musical, and it’s deeply charming.