PCInvasion

Although it shows promise early on, Into the Pit runs out of new tricks astoundingly quickly, leading to endless repetition and a total lack of challenge.

Overall, Inscryption is weird, freaky, and generally enjoyable. I wasn’t a huge fan of the twists and turns, but don’t let that be a deterrent. Those twists are something you should experience for yourself, rather than have them spelled out for you. If you’re a fan of strange, you’ll more than likely be a fan of Inscryption.

Aeon Must Die has extremely creative ideas that simply don't merge well as a game, resulting in a frustrating experience that gets old rather quickly.

Boring, pointless, and jammed with grating characters and obnoxious story beats, The Good Life doesn't live up to its name.

Chasing Static is let down some by overused narrative tropes and a short length, but strong world design and enjoyable pacing help make it worth a playthrough.

Circuit Superstars glows with polish & attention to detail that should definitely help it stand out in the sea of racers that are out there.

Back 4 Blood is another great multiplayer zombie game, but some serious balance issues force it to stumble out of the gate.

New World feels like a modern MMORPG. It looks beautiful, the combat is fluid, and there's plenty to keep you engaged. The island feels alive with warring factions and hostile enemies. And the fighting is very fun. You'll never be short of tasks to complete, but sometimes the narrative will leave you feeling uninspired. It needs a little more emotion injected into it.

You can easily finish Jack Axe in less than four hours, but I felt it was long enough. It kind of reminded me of a good NES game, albeit much more fair than those from that era. The field of 2D indie platformers is horribly crowded, but this game is worth a look due to how well it plays. Plus, I like the collect-a-thon aspect, as I’ve always appreciated games that did it right. As long as I don’t have to swim.

Far Cry 6 is grand in size, scale, and scope. It will make you marvel at its sights, all while enjoying the frantic action. Likewise, I definitely appreciated it due to a shared culture and history with Latin American countries. Unfortunately, it's also bogged down by crashes due to screenshots and atrocious AI combatants. The former can get fixed via a combination of graphics settings, but the latter will require more than a prayer to the Virgen Maria.

Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a wonderfully crafted 2.5D adventure game that features well-made puzzles and engaging platforming sequences. Its surprisingly intricate confrontation mechanic coupled with the underlying messages about complex social issues ensure that this is a game for all ages, not just kids.

All-in-all, Samudra is pleasurable and very noble. Clearly, a lot of thought and care was put into this game. And while that’s not always enough, Samudra is good enough to recommend for a cool price of $10. The water is not always so fine, but you should still give the game a chance if you want something that’s not so demanding.

It's insanely violent, it's reprehensible, and it's unashamed. Succubus may not push any gameplay boundaries, but it's one hell of a good time as long as you have a cast-iron stomach.

If you’re not a fan of competitive shooters, or actively avoid them (like me), Lemnis Gate is worth a gander due to its original mechanics and sleek presentation. It presents a tactical sandbox with fluid shooter action in short, fast-paced matches, where the rush of victory is second to none.

Jett: The Far Shore deftly blends exploration and narrative elements, telling a story of struggle and hope against the odds. Small issues aside, the game shines with great writing and believable characters who press on even as challenges arise.

Industria lacks polish and isn't very long, but it's a well-made, interesting first-person shooter made with some clear talent.

The Eternal Cylinder is a gorgeous adventure game that features one of the most compelling stories I've seen in years. Its strict linearity may be frustrating for some, but that slight downside is vastly outweighed by this game's many strengths.

Steel Assault is a great, action-packed experience that is very easy to recommend to fans of old-school retro arcade games. However, offering only one hour of playtime at that price point may put off newcomers to the genre.

The Last Friend is a hell of a fun time, combining action-packed combat and flashy tower defense into a killer package. It's a bit short and too easy, but these dogs will have their day.

Away: The Survival Series is the worst game I’ve played this year. If I have to say something positive, the textures and colors can be pretty at times. But the game’s performance is awful and even things such as the lighting gets messed up and rapidly switches between multiple times of day. This is an extremely buggy game with clunky controls and very little to offer anyone. It was nowhere near ready for release and you absolutely shouldn’t play it. The cuteness of the sugar gliders be damned.

A Juggler’s Tale really is greater than the sum of its parts. Even now, thinking back to its highlights and story concepts, I’m still impressed by how original sections of the game can be — frustration be damned. Between its creative story, surprisingly strong presentation, and some really fun ideas that correspond very well to the game’s puppet show theme, this is a game that fans of cinematic puzzle platformers would do well to check out. Unless they just really hate puppets.

Unsighted delivers engaging top-down action combat and a heartwarming narrative about connection, sacrifice, and love. The gameplay is fast and victory tastes sweet. Not everyone will enjoy the journey's burdens, and getting lost can frustrate you immensely, but the destination is worth the journey.

Medieval Dynasty is a survival RPG that manages to stand out in the oversaturated market that it occupies. By combining ideas from several other popular franchises, developer Render Cube has managed to create a genuinely unique product. Its story hardly stacks up against AAA RPGs like The Elder Scrolls but it's good enough given the game's many other strengths.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is gorgeous and extremely well made, but there's less heart here than I was expecting. It's still a worthy adventure with great controls and lots to see and do, though.

Hot Wheels Unleashed has a lot of good concepts and ideas that are sullied by awkward execution and weird design choices. Its physics could use some more fine-tuning, and its AI needs to be rebalanced, along with a revamped track builder. Yet, there's still some glimmer to its toy car shine.