Despite fumbles with its new melee combat and difficulty balancing, Control Resonant's storytelling, world, and bizarre quests kept me eager to explore its distorted New York.
Simon Ordell’s journey through the Scottish town of St. Amelia in 1996 is not without its shortcomings, but the experience is an affecting one buoyed by the first-person perspective.
Building on the already-great remake of the first game, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter masterfully updates the gameplay and timeless story, adding up to what is now the Trails series’ defining entry, and one of the best RPGs of the year.
Whiplash-inducing crashes and unique character abilities are initially satisfying, but only the most dedicated rubberneckers will find a reason to stick around.
Every mission in the final arc is a statement, demonstrating a mastery of level design and a willingness to subvert expectations laid out five years ago.
Super Meat Boy Forever’s simplified controls produce a bit of frustration, but this is a game that rewards pushing through the pain for the thrill that comes with completing a harrowing platforming sequence.
Beyond Light is a major turning point for the franchise in both story and gameplay, but the accompanying departure of older content diminishes the game in significant ways.
It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a wonderful platformer that takes what’s come before, sprinkles in its trademark aesthetic, and shakes things up enough to feel fresh and exciting.
The Pathless is a wonderfully different game that makes you feel like you have ownership over the entire experience and are not being led along by a pre-scripted playbook.
