Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is likely going to be western audiences first shot at the beloved series. This self-contained tale of Zhao and his sister Xiang is an extremely well told one. Everything from the combat system, story, and its cast of characters, all shine in this remarkably well crafted Chinese adventure.

Omen of Sorrow by all accounts sounds like a kick-ass fighting game. You play as one of 12 monsters, or monster hunters, various creatures known the world over, and fight in burning forests, chilling London streets, or in long-forgotten pyramids. While the game can excel in some of its visual aesthetics, it fails hard at literally everything else.

Tormented Souls can certainly look to entertain fans of the classic survival horror games, fused with mechanics and gameplay systems of the era. While modern gamers may not fully embrace a lot of its outdated designs, I still think there is a solid enough game here that shows tremendous promise for a potential franchise.

Life is Strange: True Colors is the latest main entry into the beloved series, helmed by Before the Storm’s Deck Nine, the new stewards of this franchise. As Alex Chen, who has reunited with her brother after eight years apart, you’ll dive into the mystery around his recent death, a secret that has repercussions to not just her, but the townsfolk as well.

When accompanied by friends, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is an enjoyable time. With a wealth of classes, weapons, and skills, you can fight your way through hordes of Xenomorph as you attempt to uncover what Weyland-Yutani is up to. With 12 missions and an enjoyable, if repetitive, horde mode, not to mention additional content to be released in the future, this might be one of the best Aliens games in some time.

Psychonauts 2 is an impressive sequel as while it’s been 16 years since the original, Double Fine hasn’t skipped a beat and advances its story in a way where it feels like a direct continuation. As Raz gets to meet his heroes for the first time, he learns that not everything is at it seems as while a powerful figure from their past is set to return, he must also deal with a spy amongst them.

Dreamscaper is another roguelike that immediately got my attention upon first seeing it, inspired by the likes of Hades and The Binding of Isaac. It is here, as Cassidy, where you will dive into your own dreams, combating evil representations of things such as Fear, Loss, and Negativity. Cassidy will also come to rely on the people around her, supporting her when she needs it most as she looks to uncover some painful memories.

WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] - The Story of Eirudy is a charming JRPG that tells the story of its titular character, Eirudy, as she navigates the interactions with humans for the first time in her life. While Adrian, a boy she meets in the forest wants to be her friend, his ties to a mad man looking to destroy her will have her often choose between protecting herself, or going with her heart.

Twelve minutes is a time loop game that is focused on uncovering a mystery. You’ll discover its clues as you converse with a few characters and items around your tiny three-room apartment. With an all-star voice cast starring Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy, and Daisy Ridley, I expected some stellar performances, but the stilted dialogue format causes those well-acted moments to feel tonally broken and wastes the incredible talent of these performers.

Dragon Star Varnir is your typical visual novel JRPG with a combat system that feels largely undercooked when you really take a look at it. While the artwork and largely enjoyable story hold the game up, its lacking presentation, bland environments, and repetition just drag the game down.

Dodgeball Academia, a bite-sized 9-hour sports RPG is rather enjoyable, allowing you to jump, roll, and dodge out of the way of a variety of spicey dodgeballs as you work your way through an inner-school championship, keeping an eye out for your friends, and an even closer one on your rivals.

Much like its streets and alleyways, filled with trash and neon spectacle, The Ascent lives in both of these worlds. It can often be buggy and have a few hollow systems, and yet be incredibly engaging, fast-paced, and utterly beautiful. Had the game seen a delay to fix its launch issues and adjust its deeper systems to feel more worthwhile, I’d have a strong case for this to be a contender for my game of the year.

Skyward Sword is essentially the start of the series’ canon, telling the first adventure of Link and Zelda. While the original was held back by inconsistent motion controls, the largely better Joycons and new button controls make this journey a far more enjoyable adventure at every turn, flick, or swing of the sword.

Skydrift Infinity is a fun arcade-like flying game featuring power-ups, boost rings, and a ton of planes and skins to unlock as you play. If the game sounds familiar, it’s because it was originally released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC back in 2011. Its main campaign is enjoyable enough, but the lack of full lobbies makes its multiplayer unreliable at best.

Death’s Door is incredibly special. From its polished take on what I loved about Hyper Light Drifter, or its level design and item use that we see in some of the best Zelda games, to the incredibly subtle detail to its animations and visuals, Acid Nerve has created a truly stand out game that begs to be experienced.

Worms Rumble is a fun if thin offering of PVP action starring those lovable Worms from ages past. Its action is dressed up with various costumes and weaponry in a Battle Royal space with a few extra modes to pad out its content. It’s certainly enjoyable, but much like its inching along cast, it lacks the legs to likely remain relevant and keep its community playing.

Scarlet Nexus is as Anime as it gets. It has a wonderful cast of characters, a bonkers plot, engaging and fast-paced combat, and a vast array of costume pieces to trick out your team in. Pick from two wildly different protagonists as you borrow powers from your party in an effort to take down grotesque creatures known as Others as you unravel a conspiracy in your midst.

Greedfall: The De Vespe Conspiracy is the first and likely only DLC for Greedfall, a game that while had several issues plaguing it, was an adventure I adored. However, after pushing through the DLC, the excitement I had for returning to this game for a new adventure feels wasted as this short addition feels more like a bad side quest.

Sure, it’s free, but there are tons of free games that at least look like they have effort put into them. This feels like something made over the course of a day and found its way onto the Xbox. Again, it’s free, does feature three-player co-op, so who knows, someone may enjoy this, but I couldn’t wait to uninstall it.

This short 5-8 hour escapade, starring Yuffie, is a delight, and while it’s over before you know it, it leaves a lasting mark on you due to its smart use of her character and the expanded world established in the FF7 Remake. That said, some aspects of this add-on do feel a tad too thin in their offering.