Michael Manning

“Arknights Endfield is a genuinely exciting showing from Hypergryph, building off of their original hit with a massively widened scope. Engaging combat, beautiful locales, and the satisfaction of building a working facility clash with the same sins every Gacha has to commit to keep themselves profitable. If you can appreciate the gradual satisfaction of grinding or watching a factory work, Endfield might just be your newest obsession.”

“UNBEATABLE is a fantastic example of good things coming to those who wait. D CELL Games has demonstrated mastery of mechanics and narrative and, despite minor polish issues, has delivered with flying colors. D CELL Games rewards patient fans with a truly UNBEATABLE experience. If you love music, art, and the human spirit, you've have to try UNBEATABLE.”

“The ways in which the game lets you lay out your run are very satisfying, mainly handled by prophecies. After a few battles, you gain the ability to choose the enemy layouts, intensity, and rewards of the next fights. These choices grant some of that feeling of control, but the exact rewards are still left up to chance. As is the curse of rogue-likes, sometimes you'll just get unlucky. Being offered productions you can't afford and resources you don't need is maddening, but it adds to the satisfaction of a run where it all comes together.”

“No matter your preferred playstyle, the myriad gimmicks and game plans provided by Monster Train 2 will keep things fresh as you fight your way through the legions of Heaven.”

“Empyreal is a solid action RPG with soft rogue-like elements that manages to swing above its weight where it counts, but still suffers from some noticeable jank. The game still plays well and offers plenty of replayability, including a secret ending only accessible in a New Game Plus run. At the end of the day, Empyreal is a solid first showing by Silent Games, a team who clearly knows what they want to create. If you live for games where you can maximize the strengths of your playstyle while minimizing the weaknesses, Empyreal is for you. I see a second climb in my near future. Here's to hoping you'll catch some of what I've left behind.”