Valor Mortis feels like a promising first attempt at something different. One More Level has demonstrated that a first-person Soulslike can work, even if the execution isn't always as successful as the concept itself. With some additional polish and a little more variety, this could have been a genuinely excellent addition to the genre.
Game Freak has spent decades being almost entirely associated with Pokémon, but Beast of Reincarnation represents something considerably more ambitious. This post-apocalyptic action RPG takes inspiration from games such as NieR: Automata and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, combining fast-paced combat, open-ended exploration, crafting, progression systems, and a canine companion who quickly becomes one of the strongest parts of the entire experience.
Replaced offers up some of the best pixel art to ever exist, and much of its combat is so stylish that it feels pulled from some of the best action scenes across any genre. Flipping over an enemy to perform an execution never gets old, but the rest of the experience just doesn't live up to that high.
Romeo is a Deadman is certainly a Suda51 game, and while it is Grasshopper’s best in years, I do wish the No More Heroes jank didn't follow itself here and infect combat and general movement. Still, the craziness that is Romeo is a Deadman is sound, and those looking for another bizarre fever dream are likely to be pleased.
