Morgan Wagener
Blockbuster Inc. is a great business management sim for both players new to business management simulators and veterans looking for something more relaxing. There is a lot to do and build in the game that will keep you busy for hours on end.
While Astor: Blade of the Monolith is well designed and the characters are colorful, the soundtrack is great but the combat system is easy compared to other Adventure RPGs. It’s a great game with potential that unfortunately feels a little undone in terms of story and character development.
INDIKA is a beautifully crafted story-driven adventure that is definitely not a game for everyone. While it is a short game to play through, there are times when the darker themes are highly prevalent and overwhelming and times when the game seems a little too quiet.
Buckshot Roulette is an intriguing darkly themed gambling game. The stakes are high for thrill-seekers and those who are a little curious about Russian Roulette, it could just be what they seek when they take a gamble with The Dealer deep in the underground club.
Distant Bloom is a fantastic cozy management game for those who just want to sit back and relax while going through a heartwarming story. The game plays a big part in the environmental theme without making it stressful or frustrating.
Highwater is a fantastic game with a story worth playing. It is highly immersive, allowing you to get lost in the gameplay for hours. It is a great casual turn-based strategy for those just looking to relax and watch a great story unfold rather than stress over how to out-strategize the enemy.
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a fantastic sequel to the first game and a great rougelite with short gameplay that both new players to the genre and veterans would enjoy. The gameplay is polished, and the controls are easy to learn, allowing players to get into the rhythm of shaking down other veggies for their hard-earned cash as Turnip Boy easily.
House Flipper 2 offers an enjoyable and immersive experience for players who enjoy home renovation and design. With its improved visuals, enhanced tools, and new Sandbox mode, players can unleash their creativity and construct their dream house from the ground up. The addition of a full-fledged narrative in the Story mode adds depth to the game, while the optional stipulations from clients provide flexibility for players. House Flipper 2 is a great game for those looking to unwind and have some fun while flipping houses.
While not the most groundbreaking simulator on the market, Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master is a game that delivers abundant laughs and suspense! The game’s tiny Easter eggs rooted in modern pop culture and its comedic characters effortlessly take center stage. Simultaneously, the game maintains a commendable level of seriousness and challenge, striking a satisfying balance that will keep veteran players and newcomers alike captivated.
American Arcadia is a fantastically story-rich puzzle game that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to play it again, even after finishing it. The art style, character design, mechanics, and plot of the story come together to create something incredibly unique that most puzzle game players will enjoy, even with some of the puzzles being a little unforgiving.
Alien Hominid Invasion is a fast-paced Run ‘n Gun platformer with roguelike mechanics that is great either alone or played with friends. While it would’ve been nice to have more variety in the objectives of a level, you can tell that The Behemoth put a lot of effort into giving players a lot of ways to play the game.
Thief Simulator 2 is an amazing stealth simulation and has really improved on a lot of aspects from the first game. Its controls are easy to learn and can be fun for those who enjoy stealth simulations or just about any stealth game.
Witchfire is a challenging but fun Rouglike shooter with a bit of a soulslike atmosphere that, while unforgiving, is highly rewarding once you buckle down into your role as a Preyer. While it’s a great game for those who are used to soulslike, it can become increasingly frustrating to those who don’t have the patience to deal with an unforgiving battlefield and an unfortunate downward spiral when you level up too fast.
Ugly is an incredible game with its simplicity in mechanics and the indirect way Team Ugly shows you the story. While most puzzle games and platformers will usually focus on combat and tools needed to finish a level, Ugly focuses on keeping it simple as well as creating an experience that is not only polished but highly enjoyable. It is the perfect game for anyone searching for dark yet mysterious stories and puzzles.
Highrise City is an incredibly immersive city builder with a sharp learning curve for those who expect it to just be a normal city builder, as a lot of the mechanics come from economic and resource management simulators. If you are familiar with typical city builders and are thinking Highrise City might be the same, you may just be biting off more than you can chew if you ignore the tutorials.
Blackout Protocol is a decent co-op rogue-lite with its own unique tricks. With the game being in Early Access, there is a great amount of potential for the game to add in content such as more playable characters and levels.
Railway Empire 2 is a fun strategy simulator, even if it is a little difficult for someone just starting the genre to get into the game. While the tutorial is highly detailed, it is still lacking in a few explanations that would help a novice player out. It is a game that keeps you coming back with five different campaign levels as well as many different scenarios to explore.
Killer Frequency is another success that Team17 can add to their list of titles, from a storyline filled with twists and amazing voice acting to keep you locked into the story. There is always something to do within KFAM’S studio, whether you hunt down killer records to add to your collection or just spend a few minutes trying to make that perfect shot.
Shame Legacy definitely has a scare factor but is severely lacking in parts where it’s most important. Having aimed a bit too high for what they wanted, even with the game having an incredible amount of potential in terms of the lore and world setting, it has fallen short because of an overuse of cliches that have been used in just about every survival-horror game to date.
DOOMBLADE is a fast-paced quirky Metroidvania game that nails any and all expectations set for it and, at the same time, blows them away. From an amazing soundtrack to incredible lore and easy-to-use controls, DOOMBLADE is definitely a hit worth playing, even if you do have to battle the same boss multiple times due to dying every time.