DeVuego

Denshattack transforms the absurd concept of trick-performing train carts into one of the year's most exhilarating arcade experiences.

The Spirit of the Samurai offers a bold and visually distinct adventure with its stop-motion animation and engaging action. While the game excels in creativity and combat variety, it’s held back by clunky mechanics, lackluster menus, and uneven pacing. Fans of experimental action titles will appreciate its ambition, but its shortcomings may frustrate others.

As beautiful and serene as After Us is, it tells a painful story of a world destroyed by the impact of humans. As you save each animal, the darkness that plagues the environment grows more pronounced, and you’re left wondering if this is a world even worth saving. This adventure will pique the curiosity of any player through its clever platforming sections, environment design, and strong narrative message.

Hunt the Night is an incredibly challenging and fun action game. Progression relies heavily on the player’s skill and understanding of enemy attack telegraphs to avoid damage. Sure, you’ll die a lot, but the knowledge gained from each encounter will keep you alive until the boss fights. Puzzle also has some depth to them, requiring players to be immersed in the world to solve the trials. Luckily, this is easy, thanks to the detailed lore found throughout the game world.

To enjoy Sword of the Necromancer requires you to be invested in the narrative, but to do that, you’ll have to get through gameplay that lacks many refinements that a roguelike needs. The system of bringing monsters back alive to fight for you is limited because you have to manage only four slots of items, which often shadows the game’s most unique systems. As charming as this game looks, it doesn’t ever become a challenging adventure or an interesting experience.

Call of the Sea is a puzzle adventure that should be played by all fans of the genre. Its writing and environments are strikingly immersive as the player and Norah find themselves traveling deeper down this rabbit hole of mystery. There are moments of confusion in its design, but all the tools are present to explore this beautifully charming adventure; my only wish is that it was longer.

Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp is a great evolution of this series as it builds on the foundation of the previous entry, capitalizing on what makes it so great. The multiplayer mode will provide the best experience this zany monster dating game has but at the cost of a dull single-player offering. With so many collectibles and charming monsters to date, this is one prom you don’t want to miss.

Yuppie Psycho is a surprising title that I ended up loving fairly early on in the adventure. The symbolism and metaphors about office life shine in a disturbing way that could make someone question going into work the next day. While gameplay elements, boss battles, and exploration is a huge part of the game, I think it was Brian’s determination that had me wanting to see this adventure through until the end. I applaud the writers of this game as there are just some moments that really connected with me whether in a humorous or somber way.