I tried. I really did. Being so critically lauded, I battled with the feeling that I must be missing something. Many hours of unsatisfying combat, constant interruptions from either robotic or otherwise insufferable characters and eyerolling minigames. Turns out; it’s nostalgia and anime-brain that I’m missing, and if you don’t have those, the game is an admirably wide-scoped and gorgeous to look at chore. I get it, there’s a great game here for those predisposed to its sensibilities… but sadly that’s not me.

You’re an alien who runs and maintains a community support centre. Every day, you prepare a session to help struggling citizens of Mars; pick the topic, do some marketing, select the catering. Once midnight strikes, you’re effectively the event’s bouncer, responsible for inspecting attendees and ensuring they comply with the rules of that specific night. It’s a little reminiscent of Papers, Please and it’s a perfect opportunity to dust off one’s Playdate. Terrific game.

Relaxing little scenery builder with great vibes, awesome art style and terrific visual design. There’s already a decent amount of ‘items’ in your palette, but I also kinda wish there were more. Ripe for DLC, I guess! Still really cool already though, if you’re into purely creative games.

The Thaumaturge is a dense RPG set in alternate 1905 Warsaw with intricate settings, rich lore, and engaging side characters. Combat and sleuthing are secondary in service of its story, which I personally struggled a bit to connect with. Cool art, satisfying secrets, intriguing world and some compelling moral choices. Love the ambition and would recommend for fans of the genre.

There’s a temptation to talk about Pacific Drive with reference to genres: survival, extraction, roguelite, action, adventure, driving… But it’s doing something really cool with it’s tone and atmosphere, making it something altogether unique. Clever progression, tactile UI, great music, terrifying SFX, and a world worth exploring. Cool game.

Balatro absolutely rules. And this is coming from someone with abject disdain of poker… Traditional poker hands are your basic tools, but that’s about as far as the connection goes. The rest of Balatro is a wickedly clever, psychedelic, insta-classic roguelike through which you’ll devise cunning ways to break the game. Cards and modifiers are tightly designed, crisply defined and delightfully synergistic. Again, Balatro just rules. Play it.

I really want to like this game. It has a really well defined and executed identity and the overarching gameplay loop is super fun at a high level. What stopped me from having a great time won’t stop everyone: the gunplay and movement is chunky and cumbersome by design - and indeed fits the tone well - but it’s a bit too heavy and laborious for me. Still think it’s a super cool game, but it’s not my preferred feel.

[Early Access] Without taking anything away from Pocketpair, it’s kind of wild that it took this long for someone to pull this off. For everything Palworld may lack in (narrow) originality, it makes up for in execution. It throws down the gauntlet for what a creature collector could be, and somehow blends it with modern genres and sensibilities in a way that, surprisingly… just works? Time will tell if they truly stick the landing over the course of EA, but there’s already enough here for an outrageously fun time.

A space-themed Suika-like, with satisfying, bouncy physics, and a novel way to ease congestion. Simple but cosy, and it’s cool to see something like this made in PICO-8.

Buckshot Roulette is a stark and bite-sized horror-themed game that echos an essence of 2021’s Inscryption: a unique, gritty industrial vibe in an extremely tense, 15-20 minute package. It doesn’t outstay its welcome in exploring the concept, and is a refreshing little experience overall.