So Many Games
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In the end, Aether & Iron was the game I had only dreamt of prior to its release. It is a game that leads with evocative writing, flawlessly performed by a gifted voice cast, and set within an avant-garde world of compelling ideas. The vehicular tactical combat, dice-based skill checks, robust RPG elements, and sophisticated score only add to the wonder of how such a small studio has pulled off the most ambitious game of the year to date. It goes to show that you don’t need a high-fidelity, AAA open world to fully immerse a player; rather, just as much can be accomplished with an imaginative script that doesn’t waste a single word.
I love almost everything about GRIDbeat, from its pleasing aesthetic to its computer language and its wonderful synthy music. I haven’t experienced anything quite like it before, and I admire its incredibly detailed and inventive ideas. It’s just a shame that it couldn’t carry that over into its difficulty and checkpoint system. If you’re after a game that will challenge your reflexes and brain-to-hand coordination, then this is the one, but I’ll be waiting in a server somewhere for that upgrade to bring me back to my hacking ways.
Ultimately, this isn’t a game that’s trying to push boundaries. It’s creepy but cosy, with no real scares or lingering dread. The mechanics are solid, and for a five-hour experience, it’s excellent. Yes, it leans heavily on nostalgia, but that works in its favour. Life was good for me in 2001. I was four. My biggest concern was eating ice cream without it ending up all over my face. I don’t mind slipping back into that feeling every now and then. This game is great as it is.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is exactly the kind of mindless romp you need after a long day – the story isn’t too taxing, the characters are fun, and the action is engrossing; despite a positive gameplay experience, the recursive loop of menu hopping and resource gathering, particularly in the endgame, can be frustratingly bloated, taking away from what makes the game fun to keep revisiting.
Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime really showcases Bonte Avond’s elevation in game making, as it’s a massive step up from their previous games. This frog-obsessed world comes to life through its playful writing and bright, colourful visuals. It features a strongly designed strategy game with fun mechanics that fits well into the main game and, behind the jokes, puns and songs, features a narrative that many will resonate with. With a bunch of characters I want as my friends, Bonnie Bear turned out to be so much more than I expected and an experience I won’t forget anytime soon.
Filling a niche that has been left empty for three years, Sumerian Six is a very welcome return to grassroots stealth action; absurd gadgets and abilities give you the edge over your enemies but don’t take away from the primal fun that comes with dodging vision cones and setting strategic traps – it may come with the faults of its genre baked in, but it more than makes up for it in both style and substance.
There’s so much potential and promise baked into Fallen Tear that with all the rough spots ironed out and improved narrative beats, I can see this being one heck of an experience, and I can’t wait to see what state the game is in 6 months’ time. But until then, it might be best to stick this on your wishlist and watch its progress from afar.
Personally, Minishoot’ Adventures is going to stick with me because it reminded me of just how joyous it can feel to simply play and progress through a high-quality video game. That might sound obvious, but it’s a rare treat to play something that feels as satisfying and polished as this. It’s a good reminder that, no matter how old you are or where you end up in life, sometimes the best weekends are the ones spent completely forgetting what fresh air feels like and absolutely devouring an expertly crafted bullet hell shooter structured like an overhead Legend of Zelda entry.
I was utterly charmed, delighted and enraptured by Key Fairy’s gorgeous hand-drawn visuals, achingly beautiful writing and dynamic movement mechanics. It gave me butterflies, or perhaps they were fairies, in my tummy. Such is its beauty. It’s a game full of love and compassion that I hope brings as much joy and comfort to others as it has to me. We need more games like Key Fairy in this troubled world of ours.
Even though I feel everyone could benefit from some therapy, I have to concede that not everyone is up for it. In a similar vein, Vampire Therapist will also not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if the concept of the game interests you even the littlest bit, I urge you to give it a go. The warmth and humanity it has to offer feels like a warm blanket in increasingly colder times, and with Sam we have a protagonist worth rooting for, even if his past has been a bit shady. Yes, we can debate some of the logic used during the therapy sessions, especially when it comes to labelling ourselves (some lines just can’t be crossed and then ignored), but all of it is interesting food for thought, and ultimately that’s all this game and therapy in general can do: make you consider things from a different perspective.
The 2026 release of Poker Night At The Inventory is as impressive as it is unusual – gameplay overhauls are a massive improvement, while graphical upgrades are largely positive in spite of some questionable creative decisions. All of this sadly doesn’t make up for the fact that the game as a whole simply hasn’t aged well – 16 years on, the dialogue and characters only hold a place in the hearts of the most nostalgic, but thankfully a low price point means those wanting to relive the original won’t need to break the bank.
Pieced Together is a delightful exploration of friendship, the beauty a relationship like that can bring into life, and the sadness you can experience once that seemingly unbreakable bond seems to drift apart. It has clearly been created by people who have learned important lessons from life and are able to look back at their younger selves with a level of reflection that evades so many people. This is an experience for gamers of a certain age, with millennials set to be hit straight in the nostalgia while also relating to Connie’s life as a 30-something. Maybe I should get back in touch with some long-lost friends after all…
As I played, it became clear that I was chasing a ghost. There’s a lot of brilliance in the game design and general moment-to-moment puzzling. Without its defining crank characteristic from its debut on the Playdate, some of its flaws rose to the surface and overrode the joys in its classic, dungeon-solving gameplay. Enthusiasts for the genre or players strapped for time will likely enjoy the quick pace and short dungeons in Ratcheteer DX, but others will fuss over its sticky controls and obtuse tutorialisation.
As someone who usually steers clear of horror, Reanimal is one of the few games have been actively excited for – as a fan of the first two Little Nightmares games, I expected nothing but the best from Tarsier Studios and they delivered spectacularly. An unsettling, well-paced horror that serves up both a stunningly designed world as well as enough subtext to keep video game essayists in work for a decade, Reanimal is a must-play.
Overall, Relooted is a unique hybrid of puzzle-platforming, infiltration strategy, and momentum runner with a historically informed geopolitical narrative. That sounds like a lot. because it is a lot. This game is incredibly ambitious, both thematically and mechanically, so even though it is not a triumph on all occasions, it really does punch above its weight for a small South African studio. Shallow in some parts more than others, yet incredibly provocative throughout, this game increased my respect for global cultures and broadened my western lens on African archaeology and anthropology.
If you are looking for a comically gory, esoteric escape into a world of time-space nonsense through the lens of a hack ‘n’ slash game, Romeo Is A Dead Man has you covered. It certainly doesn’t manage to hold its pace with the story exposition, minigames and QTEs creating an obstruction instead of an engaging tale, but the action, the characters and the simultaneously hilarious and jarring dialogue make the game worth trying out.
The game asks you once again: who do you trust? And who are you willing to fight for? Are you ready to face the consequences of the choices you’ve made? Do you even realise how serious those consequences can get? Just like Sybil, Kaneeka’s mother, Scarlet Hollow seems to be answering questions by raising even more questions. But answers are coming, and you might not like what you’ll get.
Love Eternal is a remarkably tight precision platformer with exhilaratingly joyful movement mechanics. It also has a fascinating and disturbing story to tell about loneliness and our desperate need for love. The unconventional telling of this tale – the subverting of genre expectations and the liberal use of surreal symbolism – is surprising and original and helps to create meaning amidst the apparent chaos of complicated lives. The platforming is tough, and the experimental narrative requires a little patience, but this is an astonishing piece of work that fully rewards the effort.
Under the Island is a wonderful trip down memory lane, both for millennials and Gen Xers who rode the highs of the 90s and for the games we played. It’s a love letter to top-down Zelda games, and the love is deeply felt in the creative mechanics and wonderful art style. The story may struggle to find footing, but the gameplay is the hero here. Armed with a hockey stick and a sense of urgency, Under the Island is a worthy play for folks looking for a nostalgia-laden adventure.
It’s easy to see that The Perfect Pencil was made with a deep love for the genre, impressing its own unique spin on each element of the gameplay for better or worse. A well-written and deeply meaningful story ties all of these elements together spectacularly – don’t let the whimsical appearance fool you; this game doesn’t pull its punches. Sadly the game also loses half a star due to a lack of accessibility options.