Luna Abyss’ strength may not be its originality, but it weaves multiple genres and shooters together to craft one of the most engaging titles this year. Fawkes and the collective stories that are presented here come to life with strong writing and brilliant performances, with twists and turns that are genuinely pulled off to sheer perfection. I adored Luna Abyss, and simply want more.
Bus Bound is such a relaxing experience that is a fantastic way to unwind and continue to unlock new areas of the city, bus routes, and customization options for your bus. It may disappoint fans of Bus Simulator in its watered down simulator elements, but It's a choice I strongly believe was the right call, allowing Bus Bound to be something more digestible and casual.
The world of Opus: Prism Peak is a finely crafted tale that ebbs and flows with wrenching and heavy emotion not often felt in many forms of media these days. I kindly recommend Eugene's story to anyone ready to take the plunge into a new world that threatens to pull you in and never let go of the heart it exposes in you.
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.
The Occultist is a first-person supernatural ghost story crafted by DALOAR and Daedalic Entertainment. As you travel to Godstone Island in search of your father, you discover that a cult has performed a ritual that has made the island devoid of life, almost frozen in time. However, Godstone Island isn’t the only part of the game devoid of life
Incantation is, simply put, a walking simulator horror experience. You’ll collect documents to learn more about the lore, solve puzzles, and avoid confrontations as you have no way to truly defend yourself. The atmosphere is fairly impressive with a few solid scares, but a limit on your interaction with the world does lessen the appeal.
Running a small shop that sells a variety of wares is never an easy task, even in the best of times. But when you have a debt hanging over you that if you don't pay, it is your flesh on the line. This is where we find ourselves with Fortune Seller, a gothic rogue-like where you are the shopkeeper trying to pay off your debt.
If you’re a fan of word-based games of any kind, then Beyond Words is absolutely a must-play. It’s an experience that I will continue playing for hundreds of hours. While Balatro’s ‘lightning in a bottle' success might not be replicated here, it does provide that similar rush when a round goes your way and you feel like an absolute god. With all that in mind, it’s impossible not to recommend it to everyone who likes these deckbuilding roguelike-style games.
