STWGames Italia

Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is Sol Brothers’ first foray into the world of gaming. A classic Metroidvania that makes exploration and its art style its strong points, but fails to impress due to a somewhat slapdash combat system. The story features some original elements, but suffers from a narrative that is at times slow and disjointed. There are a few bugs and technical glitches, which may be resolved in future updates. We’d give this title a solid pass mark, particularly given that the developer worked with limited resources.

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SWAPMEAT stands out as a game that defies convention, skilfully blending biting black humour directed at unbridled capitalism with a grotesque, cartoonish aesthetic. The mechanic of dissecting and grafting enemy body parts is not merely a brilliant aesthetic flourish, but the beating heart of frenetic gameplay that encourages constant tactical experimentation. Although it is at its best in the chaos of co-op mode and shines thanks to the level design of its boss fights, this title from One More Game unfortunately stumbles over an unnecessarily chaotic and frustrating progression system, accompanied by a certain repetitiveness in the voice lines and a few too many annoying bugs.

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Dave the Diver: In the Jungle is not just a simple addition to the original package, but a dazzling declaration of love from Mintrocket toward its own creation. Moving away from free micro-crossovers, the Korean team has crafted a paid expansion that is massive in terms of content, matching few others in recent gaming history. Moreover, it is capable of almost entirely revolutionizing the gameplay loop, refreshing the original title's experience and making it highly appealing again two years after its release. In short, Dave is back, he has shed his skin, and his jungle feast is simply unmissable.

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Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark presents itself as a solid Metroidvania, capable of introducing some interesting ideas that could have further enhanced its quality. However, these ideas are only partially developed and are accompanied by a number of design shortcomings, which limit its overall potential. Overall, the game is of a more than decent standard, offering several hours of entertainment thanks to its enjoyable and well-structured gameplay. Whilst it does not particularly stand out within the genre, it still manages to win players over thanks to its appealing art style and excellent attention to accessibility.

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Thank You For Your Application constructs the dystopia of Aeropolis City through highly entertaining satire. However, the tone is at times too light-hearted, which detracts from the immersive experience. The gameplay is very strong in the first part of the game, but becomes rather sluggish towards the end, where there is very little in the way of new content. Furthermore, the job interviews feel more like the border checks in Papers, Please than genuine candidate assessments, and we would have appreciated a deeper exploration of the selection mechanics that are already present but limited to brief special sections.

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33 Immortals is a game which, despite the release of version 1.0, remains a somewhat half-baked experiment. It certainly boasts an original core concept, a consistent aesthetic and a well-crafted co-op structure, but it falls short in terms of variety, storytelling and systemic depth. When played with the right group, it can offer some genuinely enjoyable sessions, but when tackled alone or with expectations of a much more polished roguelike, it soon reveals its limitations. Given its modest price, we can’t help but recommend it to fans of the genre, as we’re confident it will provide plenty of satisfaction.

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The Gothic Remake experience is certainly not for everyone, but those willing to pluck up the courage to get through the first few intense hours of gameplay will find it well worth their while, thanks to entertaining gameplay and a vast, detailed world just waiting to be explored. However, the game inherits some of the original’s flaws, whilst adding others specific to this new remake.

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Crushed In Time manages to breathe new life into the graphic adventure genre with a story rich in mystery and populated by characters that make it full of humour and stylistically appealing. The gameplay mechanics are simple but, thanks to the ‘pull-and-push’ system, they add variety to the gaming experience. The presence of countless puzzles and environmental riddles will make it appealing and challenging for fans of the genre and beyond. All in all… well done, Draw Me A Pixel – mission accomplished!

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Kioku: Last Summer is Lugn Studio’s debut title, and it certainly feels like one – for better or worse. The team’s intentions are clear; the game is just the right length and delivers a storyline which, whilst simple, reminds you what it’s like to be a child. However, there are far too many technical glitches that undermine the experience, turning what should be a cosy game into an all too frustrating one. Hopefully, like many others, the team at Lugn Studio will learn from their mistakes and improve their game with their next release, as the foundations are solid but need strengthening, especially if they decide to continue with a series of similar titles.

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The Remake of The End of The Greatest RPG of All Time proves to be a bold experiment, capable of deconstructing the conventions of Japanese role-playing games to create a fascinating investigative adventure with a strong meta-narrative structure. Despite struggling with some structural rough edges, an unfriendly interface and a cryptic nature that can prove frustrating, this title from Coin Drop Games wins you over thanks to its unique identity. Though hampered by a significant language barrier, it remains a digital gem recommended for those who love the most enigmatic and stimulating experiences.

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007 First Light stands out as the best James Bond video game since GoldenEye, and succeeds in the far-from-certain feat of honoring the legend without merely imitating it. The origin story crafted by IO impresses with its narrative maturity and mechanical depth, leaving room for future developments. There are, however, aspects where the game could have been more daring. In fact, a certain underlying caution hangs over every aspect—a choice to play it safe that holds the game back just as it reaches the threshold of absolute excellence.

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Echo Generation 2 represents a bold attempt by the development studio Cococucumber to evolve its IP. The highly inspired art direction confirms exceptional aesthetic talent, but unfortunately, these brilliant ideas are held back by a combat system that, while intriguing in the early hours of gameplay, ultimately clashes with poorly balanced spikes in difficulty. Despite this, Echo Generation 2 is well worth experiencing for fans of tactical challenges and vaporwave atmospheres.

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Mina the Hollower is a splendid tribute not only to a specific era of the past, but also to an approach to video games that is becoming increasingly rare these days. Ossex and its surroundings exude character from every pore thanks to a mix of absurd personalities, bizarre dialogue and unexpected situations, presented to the player through a truly remarkable layering of quests, activities and events. The gameplay follows this same formula, offering a combat system that is mechanically simple yet effective, and a platforming element that evolves over time with an endless array of ideas and movement mechanics that are varied and increasingly unique.

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In answer to the questions we posed at the beginning, Mixtape is neither an interactive film nor a traditional video game in the most conventional sense. It occupies a space all its own, blending cinema, music, and interactivity to tell a story that would likely not have had the same impact in another medium. Beethoven & Dinosaur is a bold experiment that could have taken more risks with gameplay and devoted more attention to some of its characters, but it still manages to find its own identity.

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LEGO Batman: The Dark Knight’s Legacy is, without a shadow of a doubt, the finest brick-based incarnation of the Caped Crusader ever created. Traveller’s Tales has delivered an adventure brimming with personality, which celebrates decades of the character’s history through a reimagining that is both entertaining and, above all, faithful to the original material. However, those hoping to find the same depth and level of challenge as in the Arkham series may be disappointed.

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MOLE is a psychological horror game that draws its strength from its narrative structure: the M-13 drill becomes an extension of Viktor’s fragmented mind, where past and present constantly overlap. Not everything is equally convincing, however: some puzzles feel repetitive and the pace loses its edge towards the end, dampening the tension. It remains, nonetheless, a worthwhile experience, underpinned by a highly effective atmosphere and art direction.

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Atomic Owl is a nostalgic experience that manages to tug at the heartstrings thanks to its excellent art direction and memorable soundtrack, but which ultimately reveals its limitations as soon as you scratch beneath the surface. The clunky controls, imprecise hitboxes and early structural repetitiveness prevent Hidalgo’s adventure from rising above mediocrity, transforming a potential gem into a decent action platformer that lacks the spark needed to leave a lasting impression.

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Stonemachia is a very bold debut, which stands out not so much because it reinvents the soulslike genre, but because it filters it through a powerful cultural identity and truly memorable art direction. It boasts excellent ideas in its combat system, a fascinating world and a highly impactful soundtrack, but it still suffers from some stiffness in its level design, backtracking and technical polish. Overall, however, it remains a little Italian gem, imperfect but full of personality, which deserves attention from anyone looking for an out-of-the-ordinary dark fantasy action game.

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Call of the Elder Gods is an adventure brimming with good ideas, offering solid puzzles, inspired art direction and an intriguing return to the Call of the Sea universe. The story and themes at its heart are handled competently, but they struggle to truly surprise, particularly the former, which often remains tied to the more classic tropes of Lovecraftian storytelling. The real problem, however, lies with the technical aspects: stuttering, visual glitches and erratic loading times end up compromising the exploration sections in particular, turning the experience into something far more taxing than expected.

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Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II presents itself as a sequel that has chosen the path of structural expansion rather than radical reinvention, and in many respects this choice proves effective and consistent with the foundations laid by its predecessor. However, there is no shortage of elements that could have benefited from more attention. In any case, taken as a whole, Mechanicus II represents a coherent and respectful evolution of a formula that had already proven its worth, and one that will satisfy both devotees of the Omnissiah and players seeking a turn-based tactical game capable of standing out for its identity and character in an increasingly crowded landscape of offerings.

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