
238 Published Reviews
Ashwalkers
PC8.00
Ashwalkers toes a fine line between survival and story and does a great job of it. The storytelling is just enough to tease out a unique ashy apocalypse without getting burdened by too many specifics, while the survival aspect is stressful but not impossible to overcome.
Clea 2
Switch8.00
Clea 2 is exactly what it needs to be—a short and engaging horror game with a unique mechanic that makes things just as fun as they’ve ever been. If you liked Clea, then you’ll most definitely like what Clea 2 has to offer. And, while the story might not make as much sense, the game’s good enough to stand on its own two feet if this is where you decide to jump into things.
Forgotten Fields
PC6.00
Forgotten Fields, at first glance, is intriguing, meaningful, and deep. And maybe it is — it certainly has its beautiful moments that make you yearn for tropical beaches. But stunning cinematics and dazzling soundtracks can only carry a game so far, especially when movement sticks, cameras are broken, and gameplay itself just feels overall unfinished.
Trials of Fire
PC9.00
Trials of Fire just has so much to offer. Addicting combat, awesome art style, old-school charm, near endless amounts of replayability, and just tons of unique options. Couple that with the option to tailor your experience to your own time limits, and there’s very little not to love.
Bishoujo Battle Cyber Panic!
Switch5.00
While I understand what Bishoujo Battle Cyber Panic! was trying to do, it ultimately fails to provide anything novel to the table and doesn’t go anywhere near being as zany as Gals Panic did. If you have a few bucks and like both Qix and anime girls with no sense of artistic consistency, then go for it. Otherwise, I’d just go play one of the original games.
Rain on Your Parade
Switch9.00
Rain on Your Parade is a delightfully charming puzzle game that will bring a super-soak players with its incredible creativity. Although I had plenty of fun breezing through on my own, I can absolutely see streamers and youtubers drawing in an eager audience, wondering what hilariously designed level awaits them next.
Flow Weaver
PC4.00
It never feels good giving a negative review. I sat on this for a full day, agonizing over scoring such a beautiful game poorly. But what other choice do I have when I had to restart multiple times for even a shimmer of hope to finish what I started?
POSTAL Redux
PS47.00
Postal Redux is a great definitive version of a subversive late nineties classic that men of a certain age can wistfully look back on as a naughty pleasure from adolescence. Still, returning veterans and new players alike will notice that this 24 year old game can only be polished so far and there’s a janky lack of refinement in the core gameplay.
Stick Fight: The Game
Switch8.00
Stick Fight: The Game is a case study in simplistic but smart game design. It’s an over the top, bombastic, and raucous fight that will leave you laughing and swearing in equal amounts. Who knew a game with stick figures could be so ridiculously fun?
Genesis Noir
PC8.00
Genesis Noir is a church for the religious and non-religious alike, and a spiritual experience worth undertaking at any price. Will you traverse time and space for the one you love? Or will you find love among the cosmos along the way? Genesis Noir knows the answer — find out by pursuing this mesmerizing journey on console or PC.
Liberated
Switch8.00
Doshin the Giant is a wholly unique and pleasingly confusing experience. Balancing working hard and being loved alongside doing things quickly but being hated — as well as random natural disasters — allows for a degree of tactics in an otherwise super chilled-out game.
MONSTER HUNTER RISE
Switch9.00
Sometimes it’s hard to determine what the best game in a series is. This time, it’s not. Regardless of what charms the Monster Hunter games of the past might have to offer, they’re no match for Rise‘s huge jump in overall quality and polish. I’m sure that Capcom will make a new Monster Hunter game someday and, when they do, maybe it will dethrone this one.
BALAN WONDERWORLD
PS54.00
From its dozens of forgettable costumes and frustrating mechanics to its uninspired visuals, it’s hard to recommend adding this one to your PS5 library, especially when there are much better platformers like Astro’s Playroom and Sackboy: A Big Adventure already available.
Retrace: Memories of Death
Switch7.00
Retrace: Memories of Death attempts to recreate a horror game along the same vein as Corpse Party or escape themes like Zero Escape, and to an extent it succeeds; at the same time, its repetitive nature with few hints in sight meant way too much backtracking with too little reward.
Can't Drive This
PS46.00
Can’t Drive This is an absolute riot. It’s ridiculous, over the top, and you’re practically guaranteed to laugh until you can’t breathe. It’s unfortunate that it runs out of gas so quickly, though.
Paradise Lost
PS48.00
Paradise Lost is a grim alternate history lesson that asks tough philosophical questions about humanity and sacrifice. With a fascinating story and a genuinely engaging setting, it’s a game that’s easy to recommend to fans of the adventure genre.
Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins
PC9.00
A short but fun escape room sort of puzzle-solver, Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is a refreshing take on a found-footage horror story that replaces the camera with a cellphone. Fans of Doctor Who, regardless of which was your favorite Doctor, should try it. Especially at this price.
STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town
Switch7.00
And, to that end, I feel like some of you out there will end up feeling that way as well. You’ll still be able to find all of the traditional SoS garnishings within Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town if you’re willing to dig deep enough—just be prepared to do a whole lot of crafting along the way.
Dragonborne
PC7.00
Dragonborne may not be perfect, but, if I’m being honest, its imperfections are kind of a part of its charm. While I obviously can’t say this for certain, it feels like everything in this game—both the bad and the good—was designed specifically to make this game feel like it was released in the early-mid 90s, just like any other Game Boy game out there.
Bob Help Them
Switch5.00
I enjoyed Bob Help Them’s wholesome nature and the action/puzzle/time management dynamic is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, the gameplay is too simplistic for its own good. Every action is performed the exact same way, and the gameplay doesn’t evolve over the course of its thirty-five levels.
Gnosia
Switch9.00
I’ve barely scratched the surface on every last amazing detail in Gnosia, but the truth is, this is a game best experienced and explored by the individual. I would be doing a disservice to everyone by explaining any further; if you thought Among Us needed more storyline, mechanics, and a single-player mode and you enjoy beautiful graphics with a compelling story, you absolutely must pick up Gnosia.
BRAVELY DEFAULT II
Switch8.00
What’s here works and is fun, but they can’t just rest on their laurels. I think they’ve shown they’re talented, but that’s not enough. They need to keep improving and evolving to keep their audience satisfied. Here’s hoping that if we get another game in the series, it’s something that truly blows our socks off.
Cardaclysm
PC7.00
Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four is a complex deckbuilder game with simple presentation featuring RPG elements acting like a roguelike — all wrapped in a very pretty package. While it suffers from some balancing issues and more information on the battlefield would be welcome, there was a lot attempted here with plenty accomplished.
Sizeable
PC8.00
Sizeable may not be a very long experience, but it is an absolutely delightful one worth having. Every single diorama was utterly charming in its presentation, full of life and stories, that I found myself glued to my seat in an effort to solve each puzzle just so I could see how adorable the next one was.
Curse of the Dead Gods
Switch7.00
If you’re a fan of roguelikes and want to try your hand at something reminiscent of Indiana Jones, Curse of the Dead Gods might be your game. For everyone else, it’s best to avoid entering this deadly temple of ancient horrors.