DeVuego ES_COR

A week or so removed from playing Gris, I don’t know what I’ll remember it for, if at all. Gris feels like it almost belongs in a museum, with crowds marveling at its art and sound for a few minutes, before moving on to something else. There are moments of beautiful brilliance in Gris, all of which are dragged down by a decidedly average platforming game.

All told, Samus Returns is a strong comeback that stakes a legitimate claim on being the best game on the 3DS. MercurySteam has executed on this remake wonderfully, sliding in seamlessly with the rest of the series. It's been a long, frustrating seven year wait, but it's great to have Metroid back. Here's hoping it won't be leaving again any time soon. 

Rime is a beautiful, beautiful game that manages to feel remarkably empty, even in the face of its earnest attempts. The aesthetic that breathes life into the island of Rime feels a bit too familiar, but it doesn't dampen its vast, ever-photographable horizons. Nonetheless, Rime is a light third-person adventure game with quiet puzzle solving, in a year where we haven't had much of those, which alone makes it a worthwhile respite.

If you've played a Telltale game, you should have a basic understanding of how Blues and Bullets plays out: tightly scripted scenes, moral choices, QTE battles, and not all that much interaction from the player. But its well-crafted film noir atmosphere—along with some honest-to-god puzzles—make this adventure more than just another copycat.

An enjoyable, randomly generated FPS romp that's surprisingly addictive. Despite being priced perhaps a little high, and occasionally exhibiting some slowdown and minor glitches, Ziggurat offers many hours of potential entertainment for those willing to take up its considerable challenge.

If you need to know why gamers collectively turned up their noses at adventure games in the late '90s, look no further than AR-K: It contains every design flaw we washed our hands of 15 years ago. It's hard to tell if Gato Salvaje has played an adventure game since this fabled era, but if they want to save Episode 2 of AR-K, they'd better start.