Destructoid

Kao the Kangaroo feels like a game with more potential that wasn’t executed on, but the vibrant visuals go a really long way. It’s a very clean mascot platformer foundationally, even if the world isn’t nearly as remarkable as it could have been. I would play a sequel in a heartbeat, and I think if the characterization was shored up, it could have had a chance of breaking out of a presumably niche market.

Evil Dead: The Game is an authentic and passionate recreation of a chaotic, violent, and wildly slapstick classic. Though plaudits are deserved for the title’s atmosphere and fan-pleasing references, a litany of technical hiccups, unstable mechanics, and odd design choices frequently hinder this promising release. In time, Evil Dead can become something very special. But as it stands, it still delivers a fistful of fun for its ravenous fanbase. Shop Smart.

If you’re heavily interested in a vampire-fueled mystery game with some good “a-ha” moments, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong can deliver. It’ll falter and miss some notes here and there, but it does at least sate my thirst for some vampire storytelling for now.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a game that will definitely grow on certain people. At first, I was underwhelmed by its basic combat and linear structure. But the cast and the visuals worked as a calming salve as I delved further in and started to unlock those aforementioned mechanics.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe might joke about overly aggrandizing reviews, but it’s one of the few games that’s actually deserving of one. For all its smugness, I’d love to sit here and tell you that The Stanley Parable is pretentious and full of shit, but it earns every right to its pretension.

The gameplay is just overwhelmingly underwhelming. Poor exploration, unimpressive combat, and a merely passable narrative can’t be made up for by aesthetics. Which is too bad, because the aesthetics are terrific. The backgrounds have a stunning amount of variety to them and are of almost poetic quality.

Citizen Sleeper elicits feelings like that incredibly well, while providing a practically catered experience that will stick with me, long after my departure from Erlin’s Eye.

Like all minigame-based affairs, there are sports I can see myself playing time and time again, some on occasion, and one (soccer) that I’ll only play in certain exact conditions. But one thing that worries me about Nintendo Switch Sports for some players is the longevity aspect, depending on the type of person you are and how many players you have access to.

Its puzzles stretch across blatantly obvious to rather murky. It’s not that it ever gets difficult; it just sometimes forgets how to communicate. Otherwise, it’s pretty. Everything else makes little impact.

I knew from my limited time with the Early Access version that Rogue Legacy 2 would be great, but I didn’t necessarily think it would go on to become one of the best games of 2022 and one of my favorite roguelite games. The competition is fierce, but it’s ready.