Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars

While Sea of Stars impresses with an engaging series of combat mechanics, memorable characters, and some fun traversal systems, as well as some gorgeous visuals. the narrative built around it didn’t always keep my attention. 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre does a remarkable job of bringing the 1974 classic to life. As the Slaughter Family hunts you down, you’ll need to outwit, outsmart, and out-dodge them in order to find the necessary tools needed to escape.

Bramble: The Mountain King

Bramble: The Mountain King

Bramble: The Mountain King was released earlier this year and it got a little bit lost amongst so many big releases. That said, this is a must-play title as it was both one of the most relaxing and tense experiences I’ve had this year.

Adore

Adore

Adore takes the Pokémon formula of commanding a squad of monsters into an isometric adventure akin to Diablo or Torchlight. While its combat, progression, and style is fairly decent, generic missions, incredibly tiny text, and a grindy repetitive loop significantly hold it back.

Dros

Dros

Dros, an action puzzler that has you escaping a 40-floor tower, has moments of solid character work, hurmor, engaging puzzles, and while a few environmental assets can often get in the way, it nonetheless delivers a solid little adventure. 

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm

Oceanhorn 2 is a prequel to the events of Monster of Uncharted Seas, placing you in the role of an unnamed hero destined to save the world. Join your allies in Trin, Gen, and Master Mayfair, and rise up against the Dark Army in this enjoyable, if flawed, Zelda-like.

Slime Girl Smoothies

Slime Girl Smoothies

As the new Floor Manager at Slimey’s, a bar that has four unique Slime Girls working their bodies to produce drinks, you’ll get to know the girl’s strengths and weaknesses and even get to know them a bit more personally.

Marble it Up! Ultra

Marble it Up! Ultra

Marble it Up! Ultra is a return to the world of Marble it Up! With a wealth of stages, unlocks, and goals to work towards, not to mention a whole multiplayer suite, being a colorful little marble has never been more fun.

Atlas Fallen

Atlas Fallen

Deck13 has largely made a name for themselves by adapting the Fromsoft formula across both 2014's Lords of the Fallen and their futuristic follow-up in The Surge. So when it was shown that the team would leave that formula behind in favor of a character action game, I was more than intrigued.

Sword and Fairy Inn 2

Sword and Fairy Inn 2

While the Sword and Fairy series has had limited exposure in the West, bringing characters from that series and mixing it up with a restaurant sim isn’t actually a bad idea. Given the cute nature of its visuals and concept, I fully expected to find a charming little adventure within its Inn, but ended up wishing I had booked elsewhere instead. 

Remnant II

Remnant II

Remnant II takes all the ideas that worked previously and doubles down on them to an extent that makes this a damn near-perfect sequel. While it doesn’t reinvent or add to the genre, Remnant II is nonetheless a damn impressive outing.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons

While countless beat-em up's have been released since Double Dragon's debut in 1987, few have provided as much variety and replayability as the latest entry in the series, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. 

Exoprimal

Exoprimal

Exoprimal was a big surprise out of Capcom when it was first revealed. While its core foundation and gameplay is remarkably solid, the lack of additional game modes and variety can make the title fairly repetitive. Still, Exoprimal largely succeeds with engaging gameplay and a diverse cast of Exo-suit fighters.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara

While Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara continue the events of this young adventurer, it's a considerably different and drastically scaled-back journey, one built around Koa visiting numerous islands to complete a series of platforming trials put in place by the five Pirates of Mara. 

KIllsquad

KIllsquad

While Killsquad certainly has its shortcomings, I still found its gameplay to succeed in the end, offering a pretty enjoyable game when taking on its contracts with other players. Without a story to connect you to its world, your mileage may vary on whether its gameplay and customization are enough to keep you playing.

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI

While Final Fantasy XVI is a vast departure for the series, its core elements are undeniably familiar. Its combat may certainly divide the series’ faithful, given its change from the expected, but this adventure is still nonetheless one that embraces the true spirit of its lineage. 

The Tartarus Key

The Tartarus Key

The Tartarus Key is a tribute to the PS1 era, taking the classic look and approach that was present in a great deal of its releases. While the title itself is not true survival horror, it does feature many of the genre staples of having a mystery to unravel, a gloomy mansion to explore, and puzzles to see you through.

Dave the Diver

Dave the Diver

Dave the Diver combines the unpredictable nature of a rogue-lite with the hustle and bustle of working a sushi bar, complete with your own staff and dishes prepared from the ingredients you catch. This fusion works as well as its menu, a mixture of tastes and flavors as you also uncover a secret brewing at the bottom of the sea.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie

Trails into Reverie is the culmination of three individual sagas spanning nearly 20 years. While it certainly feels like a third entry in the Crossbell Saga, it certainly follows in the footsteps of Trails of Cold Steel, bookending various story and character arcs. It may retread some story ideas and falter in its narrative, but Reverie is still an impressive conclusion worthy of your time.

AEW: Fight Forever

AEW: Fight Forever

The latest evolution in professional wrestling has been the AEW, the first real avenue of competition to the WWE, since the buyout of WCW some years past. In doing so, AEW has reached out to a market that the WWE has dominated for years, video games. AEW: Fight Forever, while a release in 2023, looks to the past for inspiration.