Square Enix's new conceptual return to 16-bit JRPGs is incredible.
RPG/roguelike/deck-building card game Slay the Spire finally comes out of early access on Steam, ready and able to consume all of your free time.
Ages ago, when Castle Crashers hit Xbox Live, fans were happy to just pay out for a few new character and weapon skins, but the Mr. X Nightmare DLC appears to have been treated with the same level of care as the original game. Anyone who’s been looking for a better reason to go back to Streets of Rage 4 than just crawling up the leaderboards should jump on this DLC release, and the Survival mode’s 2-player online capability provides a great excuse to bring a friend along for the ride.
Match all of the above with a mesmerizing soundtrack of hummable motifs, from cheerily playful ditties to dramatic dirges, and everything in between, and Eastward distinguishes itself handily within its heavily populated genre. While it's not without its shortcomings - in particular, a bit less variety in combat and puzzles than the genre often typifies - where it shines, it does so brightly. For RPG fans, Eastward is the real deal, and it’s an unmissable and impressive feat of indie design that deserves plenty of recognition amongst a sea of bigger releases in 2021.
It’s a comparison born of Dead Cells’ tradition of fond inclusions and references to other games in the past, all spun through its irreverence and charm. The persistent attention to detail seen through each of its iterative updates is present in The Queen and the Sea; for instance, eagle-eyed players may spot allusions to The Queen’s protectors in a late-stage level of the main game. The Lighthouse fight is absolutely the centerpiece of this DLC - and one of the most thrilling engagements in the wider game itself - but it all boils down to must-own material for longtime fans.
With its unlockable deck types, tricky economy, advanced joker concepts, challenge runs, and ascension-like “stake” system, Balatro offers countless hours to engage its treacherous machine of diversion. If this was preinstalled with Windows in lieu of Microsoft’s mandatory, productivity-wrecking Solitaire back in the 90s, modern civilization as we know it could have very well ground to a halt. For fans of deckbuilders, Balatro is an addictively delicious, menacing creation which devours hours without mercy. It should be handled with great care.
Enter the Gungeon hits the Nintendo Switch with a special version-complete physical edition of one of the finest action roguelikes ever made.
Lucas Pope's Return of the Obra Dinn is a maritime detective mystery that is unlike most any other game in the genre of interactive fiction.
The Rutger Hauer-starring cyberpunk noir adventure game >observer_ arrives to the Nintendo Switch in an extremely well-crafted and impressive port.
A phenomenal new port of a 2018 gem, Sairento VR is a brilliant PlayStation VR action FPS featuring a dazzling amount of customization and content.
Into The Breach arrives to the Nintendo Switch in a surprise release, and it's a must-play for fans of tactical games with the mettle to persevere.
Pode is a delightful and serene co-op puzzle platformer on the Nintendo Switch, and the first console game by Norwegian studio Henchman & Goon.
Devolver Digital presents The Messenger, a finely-tuned action platformer that will satisfy hardline retro enthusiasts and new gamers alike.
From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is one of the finest games in their catalog, but it's exceptionally difficult, even by Souls game standards.
One of the hardware's first must-buy exclusives. It's impossible to play this game without smiling!
This is a singular dramatic achievement in the adventure game genre, with high production values and a superb narrative.
The definitive version of 2017's experimental classic, NieR: Automata Game of the YoRHa Edition packs in DLC and a few fun extras on PS4.
Ghost Giant is a new PlayStation VR adventure game by the studio who brought you Zombie Vikings and Flipping Death, and is definitely a must-play.
Justin Roiland presents Trover Saves The Universe, a magnificently debased and hilarious action-adventure game that's even better in VR.
Astral Chain represents PlatinumGames in top form, bringing a phenomenal action adventure game and engaging narrative to the Nintendo Switch.