WhatIfGaming

Unicorn Overlord surprised me. I was surprised to enjoy the auto-battle combat and the world. I was equally surprised to see me spend 40 hours on it in a work week. It's a gorgeous looking world with stunning art. It's a must play for fans of strategy RPGs and Vanillaware alike.

Alone in the Dark is a strong return to form for the series that helped kickstart the survival horror genre. Its excellent atmosphere, strong mystery, and largely engaging combat design lend to a satisfying and thrilling experience. Some of the character work feels underdeveloped, and a few design choices don't always make sense, but Alone in the Dark is worth the scares, and offers a decent amount of replayability for multiple playthroughs.

Rising Lords is a hexagon-grid-based tactics game that introduces elements from Battle Brothers, Civilization, and chess to create a game that is rich in mechanics, but lacking in depth. Its medieval presentation and art style are a highlight, and there's a decent variety in the content offered. While it's fun for a couple of hours and up to a couple of days, the lack of a multiplayer scene or mod support seriously harms the longevity of the game.

Highwater is a straightforward, simple story set in an extraordinary, post-apocalyptic flooded world. The characters gel the experience together, but the overall world-building suffers from occasionally stilted dialogs and scenarios. It is still a fantastic-looking game with excellent music, that offers a sail worth taking at least once.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is the perfect way to revisit the series on modern platforms. The addictive gunplay, diverse units, and level variety hold up to this day, and you can easily spend hundreds of hours in each entry thanks to multiple game modes, and multiplayer. The UI is a bit dated now, and the lack of crossplay support is holding the collection back, but if you're looking for some of the best Star Wars action video games have to offer, you can't go wrong with this.

Berserk Boy is a love letter to Mega Man X, and there's a lot to like here. Its fast-paced combat and movement system thanks to the Berserk Orbs keeps things fresh, and great animation work sells each dash and bash. Some uneven elements of the presentation aside, Berserk Boy is worth your time if you're a fan of 2D action platformers.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sets a new standard for JRPGs, and it's one of the best entries in the franchise yet. It's a sequel that tackles a classic with respect, and reverence to retain what made it special but delves deep into its characters, and the world to satisfy fans of the original, and the remake alike. The combat is a highlight and meaningfully iterates on the 2020 entry and the jaw-dropping presentation invites you to explore every inch of its diverse world. Some technical issues aside, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an incredible game that's worth spending close to a hundred hours in.

The Thaumaturge is a story driven top-down adventure game that plays like an existentialist novel by Dostoevsky. Its rich cast of characters and expanding story draws you in and sinks its pangs into your brain. If you're looking for a story-rich game that's relatively easy to get into and has some excellent art direction, this is the one. Just be mindful of the performance issues and uneven voice acting in some parts.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is an excellent addition to the MudRunner series that retains the core experience of trekking through hazardous terrain while adding new tools that push you to become creative with how you maneuver around all sorts of obstacles. Its scientific research backdrop lends to greater mission variety, and deeper customization allows you to make each truck your own. It's a great place for newcomers to the series, and a fantastic new adventure for veterans alike.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had so much potential. The game may change for the better, with new characters joining the fray. Its funny writing, good facial animations, and voice acting are not enough for a resounding recommendation. Rocksteady will only improve the game further down the development road.