Under the Island is presented as a cozy version of that style of action adventure game, which doesn’t really result in the sort of game that comes to mind as a cozy game. It’s more like a Zelda game that isn’t super aggressive to challenge your skills and has a lot of variety to its dungeons to subvert your expectations.

When High on Life launched, gamers had their first taste of a wacky and self-aware shooter where guns talked to them, and jokes wrote themselves. At times, the gameplay felt short, but the writing took the spotlight. Squanch Games built a comedic and action-packed adventure game that remains true to its core, but this time, it’s bigger, wackier, weirder, and deftly executed. 

Ultimate Bug War! is a clear callback to the FPS games of the late 90s with some flavoring from the PlayStation 2 era in the 2000s and, of course, modern accoutrements and comforts. At its core though, it’s really simple: you have a wide arsenal of Bug-repelling weapons. Use them freely and fiercely to defend humanity as Private Sammy Dietz.

After playing Monster Hunter Stories 3 for over 10 hours, the potential for this turn-based spinoff to reach greater heights is definitely there. Monsties, anyone?

Have you ever wished you could interact with a cartoonishly charming world with all the elasticity of Mario’s face from the Super Mario 64 start screen? Draw Me A Pixel is where your hands need to reach for then.

It’s hard not to recommend ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard. The puzzles are satisfying, I felt immense satisfaction working within (and out of) its boundaries, and now I feel like I could apply to be in Mensa. The places it goes, literally and figuratively, are things I haven’t seen done in a game like this before. I’d hate to spoil any of the key moments so I won’t, suffice to say they all work incredibly well, from the easter egg references to other games and media, to things from Pixel Maniacs’ own creative minds.

I first saw Fallen Tear: The Ascencion after I received a press release promoting a trailer for the game. When I found out it was being developed by a studio in the Philippines, it had my full attention. My roots are important to me.

In 2000, Nintendo released the original Paper Mario, an instant hit for RPG and Nintendo fans alike. While recent entries have left many fans disappointed, its legacy has spawned several titles from indie devs that have attempted, and generally succeeded,…

Sometimes it’s worth it to just feel like a kid again who doesn’t have strong opinions about intuitiveness and just loves cartoons because they exist. Despite the four games in Nickelodeon Splat Pack being of mixed quality, if you grew up with the classic Nickelodeon cartoons then you really should get this game.

Romeo is a Dead Man is a great action title with some bloody combat, but it’s a bit too messy in its delivery.

Code Vein II remains a big piece of the puzzle in a world littered with puzzling Soulslike at the moment. Usually, a second entry into a series like this one does something that would surprise fans (in a good way), but I fail to see that happening for Code Vein II.

There is absolutely fun to be had and I’ve been solo queuing this whole time so far. Finding good loot is exhilarating, strategizing on the spot during a raid is demanding yet rewarding (if you win anyway), and the plethora of content on the horizon is enticing. I may be biased toward this sort of game, but it’s only going to win me over with solid gameplay, compelling design, and respect for the player. Highguard has all of that so far.