Leo Faierman

“Skate Story's psychedelic visuals separate it from its brethren.”

“Originally an ambitious Doom II mod, Total Chaos is an action-heavy survival horror gem.”

“Forestrike is a martial arts mix of crunchy roguelite systems.”

“Heart Machine's Possessor(s) is an attractive 2D metroidvania, with odd design choices.”

“Absolum is a gorgeous build-crafting roguelite beat 'em up.”

“A proper follow-up for Kyle Crane”

“I’m certain that Shape of Dreams will find its fans and treat them right, because roguelite debuts are rarely as content-rich, mechanically deep, or stable as this one; there’s even drop-in/drop-out co-op, a remarkably rare multiplayer boon.”

“Admirable for both its consistently creative vision and risky ambiguity, Hell is Us is an intriguing expedition you’ll absolutely want to see through to the end, even if its ambition exceeds its grasp. Go in as cold as possible and do your best to avoid the deluge of online walkthroughs sure to come; you’ll discover a game that’s attempting something new and is excited to show it to you.”

“Mafia: The Old Country impresses in Sicily.”

“A worthy successor to the classic NES trilogy.”

“Rogue Snail's Hell Clock is a detailed and gorgeous new roguelite ARPG that equally leverages Brazilian history and deep gameplay systems.”

“Fretless struggles with the fundamentals.”

“Atlus' RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is arguably the definitive version of this cult-classic PS2 game.”

“There wasn't much to fix in the original, and Monster Train 2 is now the slickest and most robust incarnation of this modern classic deckbuilder.”

“Horror at Highrook, a Lovecraftian RPG with cards.”

“Neople's The First Berserker: Khazan is a best-in-class.”

“A clever containment of order and chaos.”

“All in all, TMNT: Splintered Fate stands as one of the better games seen in the franchise, delivering a busy and accessible action roguelite supported by a tone-perfect narrative. All we need now is for Super Evil Megacorp to make good on that roadmap and beef up the content, but any Turtles fans and roguelite aficionados should find enough here already to spur their next grind session.”

“Unknown 9: Awakening's best ideas never clear the landing.”

“It must be a challenge to thread inspiration’s needle in a game like this one. Critics and players might point to Neva’s most obvious references as thematic shortcuts, but the game’s personality and careful sense of craft always shined through. I’m tempted to compare Neva to Playdead’s influential duology of Limbo and Inside, even though the tonal qualities remain quite different, primarily for the impeccable quality of its design and richness of its world, dialogue-free as it may be. It's a brief experience overall, but most players should feel compelled to happily join Alba and Neva in starting the seasonal cycle anew, their screenshot key on a hair trigger.”