Dome Keeper: This game is fun! It can be relaxing or hectic depending on what you want it to be, a lot of different playstyles in a
mining game is pretty crazy. It's like if you took optimized strip mining from Minecraft and added a billion little mechanics, anyone who grew up on that cave life like I did is sure to have a good time. Lots of different things to try, a nice game for people who just want to relax and dig, and also a nice game for people who want to get pumped up and dig
optimally. There are some issues I'd consider objective flaws, but the game is still getting worked on and expanded on slowly, and it already feels like a very complete package to begin with. I had lots of fun,
8/10 and I may return here in the future if I'm in the mood.
(playtime: 26 hours)
Chrono Ark: Anime game is good I'm afraid. The fanservicey art style really isn't for me, but the way the narrative and VN elements are intertwined witth the roguelike mechanics is really unique, the card game is fun enough, and importantly it is just a very good narrative. For me it was "only" an
8.5/10, if you appreciate everything that this game does to its fullest (including the artstyle and the nitty gritty of the gameplay mechanics) it could probably rise even more for you.
(playtime: 26 hours)
Leap Year: This year's Linelith - a puzzle game that is short and sweet, with a fun innovative core idea and lots of very clever little twists even though the game is so short. If you're playing any puzzle platformers, you should be playing Leap Year - it's just really clever, short and sweet.
9/10 though it's probably only that high because I'm a big puzzlehead.
(playtime: 2.5 hours)
Roboquest: This game kicks ass! Not much of an FPS guy but this game is just SO good, every run feels like you're running some new unique broken combination of weapons and upgrades. I'd say the one drawback is that one class is clearly way stronger than all the others (and it happens to be the one with the least skill expression) - I'm thankful for this as someone who is Bad At FPS Games, but it just feels a bit cheesy. If they fix that issue any time soon this game is just perfect, it's a ton of fun going through it and discovering secrets and slowly powering up until you get that first win. And then you keep going because the gameplay is just so much fun. Really good game,
8.5/10 but an even stronger rec for anyone who likes FPS games.
(playtime: 24 hours)
The Rise of the Golden Idol: The sequel to one of the better mystery games in recent memory, the new chapter in the Golden Idol storyline is just as good as the first. They toyed with the systems and the narratives quite a bit, some things were improvements, some things not as much, all in all the experience is about as good as the first one imo. Which is to say: quite good! The mystery solving is a highlight, I think the game would have benefitted from better exposition of the characters - especially because personal motivations of each character are very often key to understanding the scenarios, but overall a solid experience, and I'm happy the Golden Idol series seems to be alive and well.
8.5/10 despite my complaints, definitely a good game.
(playtime: 10 hours)
Can of Wormholes: My personal favorite out of all the games I played this year, this is a SENSATIONAL puzzle game. The absolute best hint system I've seen in any puzzle game, Can of Wormholes isn't afraid to challenge you but it also gives you a helping hand if you're not seeing things. It's so rare to find a puzzle game that respects both the experienced and the novice player experience SO highly. It's clear tons of care went into making the player experience as nice as possible, which is a really big breath of fresh air in the puzzle genre. A lot of designers settle for a narrow skill level target and simply don't care about you if you're outside the target, but it's clear Can of Wormholes tries to accomodate people at literally any skill level. Hint system aside, a lot of the puzzles are just extremely fun and well-designed, and it feels like this game is flinging a new The Witness-level secret mechanic twist on you every hour or two, which is just unreal. Absolutely fantastic game, and proof that there is so much more to do in the puzzle game space compared to what is being done right now.
9.5/10, if you are not completely terrible at spacial reasoning give this a shot and try to get through it, I promise it rules.
(playtime: 14 hours)
Beastieball: Finally, monster collector designed for pvp x sports game rpg, with vn elements. It's like they saw inside my heart's innermost desires and designed a game around them. The game is still in early access, with a lot yet to be developed, but it very much rules and I am hoping both the game and the competitive community develop healthily so I can jump back in in the future.
8.5/10 because it's straight up unfinished at the moment, praying that I can raise this vote by a lot more in the future.
(playtime: 28 hours)
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes: Like a giant escape room that spans an entire manor. Find codes, find where to place the codes, over and over and over until you earn access to every nook and cranny, and you then use your accumulated knowledge to "win". The puzzles really aren't complicated - it's really a stretch to even call a lot of the obstacles here puzzles, more of just keys-and-lock systems - but the important thing is that they keep your mind busy while you soak in the plot and the OUTSTANDING aesthetic (the entire game is in grayscale with the addition of some red - extremely bold choice and yet it works). The escape room stuff is mostly filler/backdrop: the real core of this game is the experience of trying to make sense of the situation from heaps of scattered and contradictory information, and enjoying the faultless artistic choices. In the moment I was a bit annoyed by the tedium, but with a little bit of time behind me it's a clear
9/10, and I am definitely hoping for more games to follow the blueprint set by this game.
(playtime: 24 hours)
Metaphor: ReFantazio: I'm sorry Metaphor diehards I'm afraid I'm of the stance that this game is Worse Persona 5. Luckily for you Persona 5 is an absolute masterpiece and being a cheap knockoff in a different setting still means you're amazing. When I compare the two games I just cannot overlook how rushed some sections of Metaphor feel (basically everything after the midpoint of the game honestly), it's a huge objective flaw. The one thing you CAN unequivocally give to Metaphor above P5 is the quality of the character writing, especially the villains are very good (the allies are still hit or miss much like P5), but that's not enough if I'm trying to make an objective judgement. The worldbuilding is somewhat shallow and it feels like it's only built as a shell for the big hero versus villain plotline, too, so it's not like Metaphor's writing is even superior all-around. But uh this game is obviously fantastic in spite of these shortcomings,
9/10 and you didn't need me to tell you. Persona 5 clears though.
(playtime: 106 hours)
Arctic Eggs: This game has the same vibe as How Fish is Made but only like 1/5th of the graphic nasty stuff. It only alludes to graphic nasty stuff with its words most of the time. No surprise at all this comes from the same publisher, though I am surprised a different dev was able to reproduce the same surreal vibe
and add genuinely interesting gameplay to it. It is a bit expensive for how short it is though, which knocks it down a notch in my books. Still very glad I bought it though,
9/10 only slightly brought down by the expensive pricetag.
(playtime: 100 minutes)
Thank Goodness You're Here: This game is one giant piece of classic self-deprecating British humour and I'm here for it. You need to be in tune with the culture a bit to really appreciate it, but man it's really funny. It is also outrageously expensive for such a short game though, so it gets the same rating nerf as Arctic Eggs I'm afraid.
8/10 is a good representation of how satisfied I am with my purchase, the experience is a little better but the price was way high.
(playtime: 2.5 hours)