Neva is gorgeous to look at and… “fine”, but doesn’t quite meet the high standard set by GRIS. While its art style and sound design are captivating, the story and gameplay mostly feel a little derivative. The narrative lacks coherence, and a surprisingly simplistic theme is ultimately underwhelming. Combat and puzzles add variety but feel underdeveloped. Ultimately, Neva impresses aesthetically but lacks the thematic depth and compelling drive that made GRIS so good.

Sigh, it’s happened again. I love Metaphor: ReFantazio’s worldbuilding, atmosphere, cinematics, and a genuinely breathtaking UI, and I can see why it’s critically lauded. But, much like their other games, I just couldn’t get hooked for much the same reasons - laborious busywork and constant interruption to the actually-engaging parts of the gameplay. Outside its cutscenes, the world surprisingly feels oddly drab and empty (I often felt like I was in Pokémon Legends: Arceus), lacking the visual richness to match its ambitious themes. Despite admiring its vision, I sadly found it hard to stay engaged or connect deeply with its characters.

Destiny: Rising has been officially announced. A free-to-play mobile RPG shooter, is set in the Destiny universe. Developed by NetEase Games, the creators of Diablo Immortal, with Bungie overseeing, it launches its closed alpha on November 1. Expect campaign missions, multiplayer modes, and both old and new characters in an alternate post-Dark Age timeline. Feels like a bit of an oof.

Squirrel with a Gun delivers a zAnY, sandboxy experience where you control a gun-toting squirrel causing chaos in a suburban neighbourhood. It’s got some clever platforming and puzzle mechanics, and for a short time is a light-hearted, fun gameplay loop. Its absurd premise is the selling point, and you’ll know if you’ll enjoy it after seeing like 10 seconds of any gameplay.

KILL KNIGHT is a fast-paced, demanding, isometric shooter blending the brutality of DOOM with Crimsonland-like mechanics. Set in an eldritch hellscape dripping with vibes, its tight combat systems, rewarding progression, and striking visuals make it engaging, addictive and ultra cool.

Frostpunk 2 expands on the original’s brutal city-building survival beyond it’s citybuilding roots into grander strategy. The increased scale and deeper political mechanics make it more complex but just as engrossing. For me, a little overwhelming, and you definitely have to be in the mood, but it’s undeniably cool. Loooove the music, sound design, art, visual and UI design.

Take a look at another Alan Wake II expansion: Lake House, revealing fresh supernatural horrors. Set to launch in October.

The Plucky Squire is wildly a charming adventure that seamlessly transitions between 2D storybook worlds and 3D environments. Its vibrant art style and inventive mechanics make puzzle-solving a joy, carried along by the whimsical and engaging narrative. Can tell lots of heart and soul went into this one, and it makes for a delightful experience which doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I fooled myself into thinking that one gets a certain amount of enjoyment ‘for free’ by virtue of being in the Star Wars universe. This has previously been true and carried me through multiple otherwise-not-amazing games. Star Wars Outlaws has proven me wrong: an uninspired, bare-minimum “open-world” experience (if you can even call it that, given how restrictive it can be)… stealth, combat, and exploration that are painfully shallow, with comically bad AI and repetitive mechanics. It has its moments of charm and “huh cool :)”, but overall a disappointment that does not live up to its potential.

Black Myth: Wukong is a crazy impressive, visually stunning action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. It’s not a soulslike, and it’s not entirely a boss-rush either. Combat is fluid, satisfying, sometimes challenging. The enemy variety is wild, and the boss designs are compelling. The narrative is engaging, the overall atmosphere and world-building are captivating. Remarkable achievement for a studios first big game.