Margaret David

“Princess of the Water Lilies is beautifully crafted to become a lovely first choice for a platformer game. With intuitive controls, lovely art, and a clear, compelling story told without dialogue, it’s a small treasure of a game that will welcome both new players and gamers who love puzzles but struggle with platformers. The music and sound effects are equally lovely, coming together in a game that’s just really nicely put together all around. I may be bad at this game, but it doesn’t make me feel bad for that fact, and I found it encouraging to keep trying again.”

“Fading Serenades is a bite-sized life sim with a compact story and an even more compact backpack to play with. It’s a game by an indie developer that figured out what he wanted to do and executed it efficiently enough to keep things fun without bogging it down. Mini-games that may be temporarily tough and a little bit of quest repetition aren’t big enough flaws to drag down what’s a novella in a world of sometimes too-grandiose epics. While not an in-depth game with a world of things to do and craft, like Stardew Valley, Fading Serenades manages to make you enjoy your time with it and leave you both satisfied and maybe wanting a little more. That’s a fine treat with life sims, these days.”

“Foolish Mortals is a loving throwback to point-and-click Lucasarts games like Full Throttle, with quality voice acting and clever puzzles set in a richly designed, fictional Louisiana bayou. It’s a ton of well-designed fun, and stunningly well-polished for a game from apparent newcomer designers Inklingwood. With a cozy tone and a light supernatural style, it’s definitely a must-play for Tim Schaefer fans — or anyone who loves a good story.”

“Lord Ambermaze is an excellent blend of mystery dungeon-style tactics and puzzle-solving, placed in a world that’s occasionally sombre but never grim or gritty. With a delightful visual style and a clean control scheme, this is an excellent game for fans of both classic dungeon crawlers and chess-like puzzle games. With the prologue still available to try out, there’s little reason to not take Lord Ambermaze for a spin if you think this might be your speed. What it does, it does extremely well, making for a compact gaming experience”

“Shujinkou ports to the Nintendo Switch with its spirit blessedly intact. The biggest differences come down to the game’s load time and text size, plus the choice for players to check it out at a lower price point. That balances with the larger cash outlay, but chance to play a demo on the Steam version. More importantly, Shujinkou remains the same inventive, smart, comfy treasure I tried out this past winter. It’s not just a terrific dungeon crawler for fans that love delicately picking through gridded maps for treasures and trials. It’s a genuinely great learning tool for anyone interested in learning Japanese, with a mind towards keeping your attention and personal pace at the fore. It’s simply a great success in both genres.”

“Point and click adventure games are a great place to loosen your imagination and travel to new worlds. But it’s easy to be led astray by obscure puzzles, especially when the hints may sometimes be less than helpful. Combined with a developer whose attitude on a public game forum is scaring off potential players, it’s hard for me to give Cloud Cats’ Land a fair shake. Pretty to look at, but frustrating and guided by bad taste, I have to suggest giving this one a miss”

“Stickin’ the Landing is a charming, easy to play physics puzzler that lets you be a rocket scientist without all the study. With its colored pencil aesthetic and no-fault play style that encourages you to experiment, it’s a terrific game for the right kind of mind. With a demo available on Steam, there’s no risk in trying it all out and seeing if its brand of peaceful but purposefully fidgety gameplay is for you. It’s the kind of game that not every player will click with, but those that do are in for something special. Stickin’ the Landing is simple but fun, offering plenty of potential zen-like moments as you get that cute little paper rocketship home just one more time. While my attention span can’t click with the game as deeply as I’d like, I see a lot of good times here for other players willing to take a chance on a new kind of experimental flight.”

“Hidden Things Forest Elves is a pleasant puzzler in the vein of other modern hidden object style games. With two large screens full of detail to play through, its value is up to you, but it’s a nice bite of zen time for those looking for a moment’s peace in a globally tough time. It won’t take you long to finish your time with the game and it’s not breaking any new ground with its charming graphics and simple play, but it’ll be nice time spent, presented well.”

“Danger in Pompeii attempts to revitalize edutainment with an adventure game that puts you in the shoes of a kid both frightened and fascinated by what’s to come. Without obsessing over the horrors of the tragedy, the game allows players of any age to learn something new about Rome through what we’ve learned from one of the most unfortunate and most well-preserved historical sites in the region. Perky enough to avoid feeling dry and pacing its educational aspects well, it’s a plain ol’ just nice game for anyone who’d enjoy an adventure through a world they’ve never experienced. For younger gamers, especially those with educational assistance from an adult, it’s a fun way to feel genuinely invested in history, learning without feeling condescended to. A bit on the short side (understandable for its niche and price point), and with a tough job ahead of it, navigating a historical tragedy, Danger in Pompeii is a nice surprise that does a great job of not feeling like the usual homework.”

“Gaucho and the Grassland is a refreshing idea, adding adventure and cultural history to a game genre that can always use more diversity. But as it pulls up towards release, it’s still in a bit of a rough state, with game-locking bugs and some confusion left as to how to accomplish some of your many goals. The developers appear consistently active at working on the game, posting fairly frequent updates about what they’re working on. They’re not very responsive to Steam users, preferring Discord, so bear that in mind. Overall, I desperately want to like this game, but with its current issues — and my inability to double-check several of them before writing this review — I have to stick to the lower end of our review scale. But do please keep an eye on this game and listen to fans as the weeks go on. I have hope that this game will grow into something special, but even as it meets its release date, I feel it still needs some time to get there.”

“Union of Gnomes takes the now-familiar terrain of deckbuilder roguelites and adds some neat twists that turn the usual card management system into supply management. With a slick, colorful art style and quick gameplay that handles well on Steam Deck, it’s great for quick sessions, but benefits more from strapping in and figuring out the game’s various quirks if you truly want to delve into everything the game has to offer. Unique and cheeky, it’s a great addition to a genre that’s both overstuffed and yet lacking real headliners beyond its most famous brand ambassador, Slay the Spire.”

“Starlight Legacy is a brief but charming throwback to the earliest years of Final Fantasy, with a competent story, familiar gameplay, and a visual style that reminds us why we can’t quit our love of pixelated games. At roughly ten hours of gameplay, it never has a chance to hit a long stride, but it’s a pleasant bite of game for someone looking for a wind-down after this year’s glut of long-play classic JRPGs. The game is also another great reminder that indie developers are out there doing their best for the love of the game. When it shines through, maybe it still can’t out-gleam the professional classics, but it’s proof that there’s still a lot to this nostalgic genre to love.”

“Devoted to a cozy, play at your pace style and supported by a well-planned and executed story featuring some great characters, Palia enters its first major expansion with the strength necessary to give it a long-term boost. The ever-expanding world is a joy to explore, and the new Elderwood region is large, intricate, and full of neat little nooks where one can find platforms for goodies and shortcuts, all to further the understanding of the world of Palia’s lost history. There are plenty of skills to master, but it never feels overwhelming. Improving your toolkit is up to you, naturally paced by how much you’re willing to putter around with the skill to do some other thing you decided you wanted. The social aspect is no afterthought, walking a careful line of interactivity that allows the world to feel alive without stressing the less social of us into situations that absolutely require us to be outgoing (aaaaaaaugh). Palia hits a blend of tone and style I didn’t realize I was looking for, adding the home customization of Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight Valley to a story I found both fresh and comfortingly familiar at regular intervals. In a time of heavy stress, it’s soft, it’s pleasant, and it offers nifty mysteries to think about. It’s a world that’s going to continue to earn regular visits from me as it continues to grow, and I truly hope I’ll see you there.”

“Maliki: Poison of the Past is a beautifully designed game with a loop that feels heavier on combat and exploration than it is on farming. The combat, while balanced and intriguing, may end up being a little tougher than you’d expect from games in this niche, and you may well feel like you’re missing some opportunities to simply pootle around your crops. But if you’re locked in and ready for a turn-based RPG with a little meat on it, you may well fall in love with Maliki. I found myself a little frustrated — but understanding — with being dropped back at the dungeon’s entrance in the early game, as my resources dwindle too fast from trying to hustle back to the checkpoint. It’s going to be a matter of heavy preference for gamers. Still, I solidly mark this as one for the RPGers looking for a slightly lighter adventure fare than, say, Lunar. Then, I would recommend it for farm sim fans looking for a little excitement in between harvests.”

“Medieval Legacy is a game that will feel dry to those unfamiliar with grand strategy and lineage games, with menus that may intimidate and a realistic unfairness to your struggle, even on the introductory Medium setting, which makes this not the best entry point for gamers intrigued by the premise. To you, I beg, try King of Dragon Pass, or the cozier Echoes of Plum Grove as a launching pad. Then come join us over here in numbers land. But for those of us that don’t mind being blasted with a whole lot of information and countless ways to flub your run (ask me about my hundreds of hours in Stellaris), Medieval Legacy is a pretty darn good legacy sim. The month-to-month turns give you plenty of time to putter through the menus, talk to neighboring families, and decide on your course of action. While it seems like there’s not much to do at first with your minimal resources, there’s much more lurking around to discover, making for a slightly clunky in places but earnest and enjoyable sim. I liked this game a surprising amount, and will continue to plug away at it until I get a family I can be proud of. But my score should be taken with caveats for the comfier gamer, and I wish the early access demo was still available. Still, at a budget price, I highly endorse giving this game a fair shot, so long as this kind of thing is your jam.”

“The Electrifying Incident: A Monster-Mini Expedition may not be a full meal, but it’s a delicious snack of a game for fans of A Monster’s Expedition. Anyone who’s a fan of block puzzles, slidey or otherwise, or who can think spatially are going to get a kick out of this little charmer. Light on story but full of this adorable little goon with his grabby toy and his PPE-approved vest, it’s the video game equivalent of a short story you’ll be thinking about for days afterward.”

“Nif Nif is precisely the entry-level rogue-like deck builder the genre’s been needing to usher in new players and offer a cozy change-up for long-timers. Its aesthetic is consistent and adorable, its tone is light and cheeky, with dorky in-jokes that bring smiles, and it’s quick and easy to play. It’s easy to assume that means the game isn’t ambitious — and really, it isn’t — but what it does, it does with a simple charm that’ll keep you coming back. Until my partner passed over the giant brick of a fantasy novel we both wanted to read, and he’d finally finished, I was making this my just-before-bed game. It was a great choice, leaving me perfectly happy to roll over and go to bed, whether I’d won or not, and still feeling I was learning new things about deck builder tactics. Just a super little game, honestly, and I hope you’ll love it, too.”

“Trolls vs. Vikings: Reborn isn’t reinventing the tower defense genre, but for those who love the simple yet complex options of similar games like Plants vs. Zombies, this is going to be a welcome treat. With accessible difficulty and intuitive handling, it’s easy to drop a lot of time noodling around with your tactical options, feeling clever until you’re ready to up the heat on yourself. That makes Trolls vs. Vikings a good contender for your first tower defense-style game, too. For those who like tougher challenges, Trolls vs. Vikings has your back, too. The Valhalla difficulty challenges are exactly that: beat them, and you can rest knowing that Odin himself might admire your strategic wits. Me, I’ll be in the back playing Normal with the old dude’s ravens, Hugin and Munin. They cheat, but they’re good listeners.”

“Grimoire Groves has an active ad campaign that claims some of its early players are calling it a mix of Hades and Animal Crossing. It is neither of those things. The NPCs aren’t dynamic, they aren’t your neighbors, and they will become the source of your headaches. The combat isn’t Hades, because it quickly becomes onerous and grindy, and I felt zero joy when I beat the first boss. The combat isn’t smooth, either; aiming your spells is inexact, and only the lack of enemy damage keeps that from being a gamekiller itself. This is a game I desperately looked forward to, and I work hard to be gentle in my reviews, because I can admire the effort. I wanted to be gentle this time, but my partner put his hand on my arm and pointed out that I literally screamed at my Steam Deck in frustration. Grimoire Groves is polished and pretty, put together by people who clearly know what they’re doing, and yet somehow forgot to make the game loop fun to repeat. I cannot recommend it. It made me angry and unhappy to continue, and nothing was satisfying about the loop or its characters. I hope it will improve, but it’s going to take a lot to bring me around for another try.”

“Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin is going to offer up some happy times to people who’ve been wanting more of this particular franchise’s jaunty style and accessible RPG/defense gameplay. I also believe this game is a good option for new players, with some familiar bits from other genres — I really like the skill trees, for some reason — and a pause function that also allows you to catch your breath, move tactically, and even aim your ship’s weapons. That removes a lot of stress from real time gaming. While my review copy did have some issues, they were disclosed up front and I’m confident in this developer’s ability to go after any big problems swiftly enough that most people aren’t going to know they were ever present. And with an interesting story featuring some genuinely great characters, there’s more than enough reason to give Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin a good, solid try even if you’re not normally a tower defense fan. A pleasant surprise, and a great way to zone out from the world for a little while.”