DeVuego

Call of the Elder Gods delivers a worldwide adventure with a tinge of mystery, crafting an experience which exceeds its predecessor. Aside from some pacing issues, the puzzles, the characters, and the story are elegantly pieced together. I came away satisfied by all accounts. The attention to detail, the excellent puzzles, and strong performances elevate this Lovecraftian adventure.

Wax Heads is more than just record sales behind a counter. It's about human and musical connection with great writing and characters, backed by a very good soundtrack, I'll be playing for months to come!

Crisol: Theatre of Idols is a steadfast horror survival game. While its inherent inspirations are worn proudly on its sleeve, Crisol rarely steps outside of its comfort zone. I like the idea of sacrificing health for ammo, but it needs substance to really sell the idea. Enemies might hit hard, but enemies rarely outpace themselves, and it becomes easy to guess where enemies will come from and how fast they'll lunge at you. The sense of tension in the world's empty streets and earlier sections is genuinely impressive, though.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a complete 2D package that brings in a whole lot of new ideas into retro game design. Demanding platforming is my ‘souls-like’ of choice, and the Ninja Gaiden franchise has always provided that feel. Here, it’s even more evident and works to near perfection in my mind.

Blades of Fire is a weird game with a solid story, good-looking visuals, and a unique approach to combat. However, the game is a slog to explore, one of the best parts of playing video games.

Neva is a striking example of artistry in video games. It tells a touching story within a world filled with corruption and wonder. Neva is a deliberately and beautifully profound game in every way.

Mika and the Witch's Mountain has a friendly, welcoming art style and world to explore. Unfortunately, it is far too short, and the core broomstick flight mechanics don't feel as intuitive as I would have hoped.

Worldless is a fun little Metroidvania title with tons of confidence in what it does.

Lords of the Fallen shows promise and delivers an exciting adventure but falls short of providing a consistently engaging Souls-like experience.

Filled with memorable and exciting puzzles, Ugly tells a foreboding story about a royal who faces his family and their delusions of beauty.

Skills and smarts are not sins in Blasphemous 2. This stellar spiritual successor to one of the best modern Metroidvanias uses them to greatly strengthen its overall spirit of play.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is deep and filled with memorable moments. It also has a lot of heart and deals with some heavy themes with grace, which I’m confident many will resonate with. With that said, I came into this game with no expectations. I’m saving Deconstructeam’s library into my wishlist as I plan to explore their previous games to see how I missed them. From the world-building to the music, writing, and characters, I’m floored by how great this experience is.

Curse of the Sea Rats is full of fast and engaging gameplay, topped off with a great hit of nostalgic presentation that breathes life into a crowded Metroidvania genre.

While there were times I felt too frustrated to continue, Souldiers still got its hooks in me. Some of the old-school decisions from the checkpoints to some of the fights may not be the best choices and may not work for everyone, but everything else around that is excellent.

It’s a tough adventure, but one worth fighting through. I found myself enjoying even the toughest challenges and traversals. Souldiers is tougher than it looks, but also more enjoyable the longer you stick with it.

Metroid Dread is hauntingly beautiful and dreadfully terrifying, giving us one of the best experiences on the Nintendo Switch. Bolstered by the gorgeous new OLED model, planet ZDR is a dreary place that will make your skin crawl at times. Fans of the older games, particularly Super Metroid will resonate with Dread. It only took two decades but the conclusion of the Metroid saga is satisfying, delivering one of the best experiences yet. There’s a reason we’ve classified an entire genre of games as Metroidvania – the queen cannot be toppled, and Metroid Dread is a shining example of how the original is always better.

The Game Kitchen has passionately brought two of gaming’s most-loved genres together in Blasphemous that is worthy of much praise. The slick gameplay and painstakingly crafted art present what can only be considered a product of love in the highest form. While the story is creepy and subtle, there’s a world and a culture to the game that I’m sure many players will instantly fall for. Blasphemous is indelibly hard because there’s simply no way that you’re going to forget how hard its mechanics are testing you. As is often the case with games like it, this is an adventure that will quickly decide whether you want to go on it or not.

GRIS is not a platforming game, but instead an experience that excels at possessing brilliance through aesthetic beauty, a tranquil atmosphere, a soothing soundtrack, and memorable gameplay mechanics. It will also leave you interpreting the many themes touched upon throughout Gris’ journey to restoring order within her own world. Even thought there is no dialogue present, powerful statements are continuously made that will warrant an emotional response and result in creating a memorable and lasting effect on every player. GRIS comes highly recommended, not because of its a visual masterpiece, but because it possesses many elements that have a hidden meaning that is waiting to be discovered.

A great indicator of a great game is where it is tough to put the game down. One where you want to keep on coming back to the game’s world the moment you stop playing. Metroid Samus Returns has that feeling and I couldn’t help but play it longer than I wanted to and pick it up the next day sooner than I should have. The game does everything so well and finally ends the long wait for another 2D Metroid game. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 13 years for another Metroid game.