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Crimson Desert is a dense, daunting game that rewards players who invest with dedication. It is also a game that has immensely changed at launch and will continue to evolve through the efforts of Pearl Abyss and its community. While certainly flawed, it is a thing of awe.
Diablo IV – Lord of Hatred is by far one of the more impactful and thoughtful expansions to hit the series. The narrative is absolutely well-done, the backend improvements to the gameplay are well-executed, and the gameplay experience as a whole is fun from beginning to end. There’s not much to hate with this one.
Bandit Trap from developer PICOMY is a fun multiplayer game that creates a unique, two-sided challenge between home invaders and homeowners. The 3v1 gameplay is simple and fun, though it is still going through some growing pains.
The Player Who Can’t Level Up, from developer Tripearl Games, is a promising action roguelike adventure that is fun, mindless in a good way, and a solid experience for players looking for a challenge. Keep an eye on this one, folks. This could be something special by the end of its development.
The Spell Brigade separates itself from the pack of Vampire Survivors-adjacent games by letting up to four players engage in unruly, wave-based chaos. However, the power climb is locked behind a steep grind that takes too long to feel rewarding.
Aphelion treads familiar waters for anyone who has played an action adventure game in a post-Uncharted world. But its emotional and grounded narrative about the search for hope is potent enough to look past many shortcomings.
Life is Strange: Reunion attempts to tackle the difficult task of wrapping up the loose end for two beloved characters. Max and Chloe are the highlights of a weaker entry that struggles to navigate its simplistic gameplay and less important subplots.
The Day I Became a Bird, from developer Hyper Luminal Games Ltd., is a fun, adorable visual novel adventure that features a fair amount of well-placed gameplay and a good dose of creative and nostalgic flavor to it. It’s a short journey, though, clocking in at 1.5 hours.
OPUS Prism Peak from developer SIGONO, INC. brings one solid narrative to the gaming table. It features humor, drama, compelling characters, and a worthy journey for the player to take on. All of this is wrapped in simple gameplay elements that don’t take the adventure too far away from the story.
Saros pushes the envelope on multiple fronts, changing the roguelike genre in ways that's more player-friendly than ever while taking advantage of the PS5's DualSense controller in novel fashions. It's near perfect in several ways, even if its story lacks the satisfaction that its gunplay otherwise provides.
Creating a video game like Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a bold undertaking. When you consider all the aspects involved, it becomes even clearer just how ambitious it is. Taking on the rubber hose animation style, the one we have come to love through Cuphead, is a significant risk. To take it even further and center it around an anthropomorphic mouse detective, set in a 30s raw, bleak noir world is wild. But I am so glad that Fumi Games stuck their neck out and created a truly unique experience. By no means is Mouse perfect, but it is a fantastic entry in what I hope is a long-running franchise.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss revels in the player working to unravel the unfathomable in Lovecraft's influential universes. This is a game about eerie atmosphere and piecing together mysteries, taking players on a claustrophobic journey through infinite horrors.
The Rogue Prince of Persia's fluid traversal, gorgeous art style, and satisfying combat make it a promising roguelike platformer. What it lacks in endgame content and variety it makes up for in a game that has now set the gold standard for what traversal should be for all platformers going forward. With its physical release and imminent free content updates, now might be the best time to try Evil Empire's take on a Prince of Persia title.
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Pragmata shines as a new IP that rarely plays it safe. Confident in its vision and unique third-person hacking combat, Capcom uses the relationship between its two protagonists to deliver an action game with plenty of heart.
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TAMASHIKA is undoubtedly a surreal, bizarre game that uses psychedelic visuals and whiplash action to funnel players into a flow state. Yet it is a game that also feels intimately familiar and natural to the roots of the FPS genre.
ChainStaff embraces the past to fuel its patently insane premise, execution, and creature design. This is one weird game that, through its minor annoyances, should delight retro fans seeking an 2D shooter that frequently surprises.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a welcome addition after the Soul Reaver games received the treatment. Though fans may wait for Blood Omen to have its moment, having this 2003 with a suite of upgrades could make it palatable for newcomers to be drawn into the Legacy.
Despite Marathon being a punishing crucible that will throw players to the wolves, its uncompromising vision can't be denied. Bungie's peerless gunplay makes this extraction shooter shine in a bleak alien world where players hunt each other for personal gain.