Apart from the obvious gacha repulsion, the major things stopping me from enjoying Genshin were laborious movement and unsatisfying combat. Wuthering Waves attempts to remedies these, with almost over-the-top traversal abilities, and more impactful (albeit still button-mashy) combat. That said, even ignoring how unashamedly they’re ripping Genshin, I still struggle to get properly into it. Several hours in, it feels like 90% of that has been spamming ‘advance dialog’, the VO is hilariously flat, and the story isn’t particularly compelling. Ultimately, if you’re into the genre, it’s worth checking out - and even if you’re not, it’s a fun braindead way to spend some time before the F2P grind becomes too harsh.

[Early Access] All of the Hades fundamentals are still here, but Melinoë definitely has her own identity which makes for a slightly more deliberate flow of combat, which is great. There are a bunch of new systems, all of which are interesting and interplay well. What can one say about Supergiant? Jen Zee’s art is incredible as always, Logan Cunningham and Darren Korb have absolutely killed the VO and music. The writing is heartfelt, engaging, funny. And of course, above all, the gameplay loop is tight, satisfying and addictive. Truly the best way to kill Time.

This super tight concept with an impressive amount of content won the LD55 Jam, under the theme of ‘Summoning’. Cool music, funny sounds, silly minigames, really polished, and more than anything just really fun and satisfying. It introduces mechanics well, escalates nicely and is genuinely addictive.

Daniel Mullins impresses again with this LD55 Compo winner. A clever jury-packing mechanic, noir storyline, unique characters and a polished design, Voir Dire explores its potential over about 15 minutes. Definitely worth playing to the end!

POOLS is an intriguing and graphically impressive walking simulator through oppressive liminal spaces, which somehow straddles both dread and relaxation with its eerie atmosphere inspired by The Backrooms. Really immersive audiovisual design trawls the depth of your imagination to conjure threats unseen, and maybe even a narrative. It’s a short and tight experience, so doesn’t outstay its welcome.

INDIKA is very clearly a game by and for people who enjoy satirical, surreal and profound arthouse cinema. Its eclectic mix of realistic 3D and pixel art 2D is underpinned and elevated by strong writing and voice acting - I was hooked from the first scene, and it even stuck the landing. The narrative is dark and compelling, the puzzles are engaging, and more than anything its thought-provoking themes and presentation make it unforgettable. I would love more games like this.

For all its egregious fan-service, turns out Stellar Blade is actually pretty good. You can tell Sekiro is there in its DNA somewhere - with a mild emphasis on parries - but I wish combat was a bit less forgiving and hack-n-slashy. There are a myriad of ways to approach each encounter, which is fun but again, lightens the difficulty a fair bit. I also wish there were more varied environments, which feel a bit samey at a certain point. Overall though, fun game with great music, cool enemies, boss designs and an engaging-enough story.

[Early Access] What’s not to like? Isometric soulslike combat, an incredibly dense world packed with verticality and hidden areas, combined with randomised loot to reward exploration. Impactful sound, great music, well-written characters, lore and… some of the best art I’ve seen in a game - every frame a painting. So far, the devs are showing what good looks like for an early access title, responding to feedback and frequent patches. Love.

I was hooked on Children of the Sun after about two minutes into the demo, and the full release didn’t let go. A puzzler disguised as a shooter which seems straightforward initially, but its clever and versatile puzzle design proves remarkably addictive - especially with leaderboards. Combined with the art, sound and music, the vibes here absolutely rule. Play it.

I love that Team NINJA are always trying stuff out - since Nioh through Wo Long and now Ronin, they’re obviously keen to experiment. Unfortunately, while their previous ones have been hits, this one is a bit of a miss. Any real sense of a soulslike is gone, making way for aggressively mid Ubisoft type openworld checklist activities. The bloated scope reveals a lack of polish. Exploration is a chore and unrewarding. Combat is fun at first, but quickly becomes pretty mindless (and amazingly, from these guys, super easy). I hope they try the openworld stuff again, but for me this aint it.