Nick Hanchet

“In the end, Arknights: Endfield feels like a game made with quiet confidence. It’s dense, occasionally stubborn, and absolutely uninterested in chasing mass appeal. That won’t work for everyone, and it doesn’t try to. But for players willing to meet it on its own terms, Endfield offers a richly atmospheric, mechanically engaging experience that feels rare in the free-to-play space. It’s flawed, sometimes frustrating, and often brilliant, a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, even if it makes you work a little to appreciate it. As with every GaaS, however, especially the Gacha-based ones, its survival is contingent on future content and on whether the systems implemented, both present and future, feel fair to the burgeoning playerbase.”

“Certainly not for everyone and absolutely not your typical game, Actual Sunlight provides a deeply emotional and occasionally difficult narrative to wade through on a dreary afternoon.”

“DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition is probably the most content-rich, sit-down and zone-out kind of game that has ever existed. With a multitude of modes at your disposal, and with friends in tow, you can’t go wrong with this.”

“Ms. Splosion Man rightfully deserves to have another chance at success, and certainly deserves to not be so quickly forgotten about. Tight controls, bundles of character and great multiplayer mayhem is to be had throughout, and I can’t thank Twisted Pixel enough for having the gumption to release this upon us once more.”

“YouTubers Life: OMG Edition isn’t necessarily a bad game, but it’s an awful port for Nintendo’s finest. Considering mobile iterations also exist, it’s bizarre that touchscreen inputs are nowhere to be found. Whilst that certainly wouldn’t be the saving grace, it would certainly alleviate some of the many control issues found throughout. A unique take on the sim genre, one that’s unfortunately hampered by technical woes that almost make this unplayable. Almost.”

“Beautifully animated and a dream to play, Mark of the Ninja: Remastered rightfully stands next to the greats of the stealth genre. Intelligent design choices build the foundation to what is one of this generations best releases, let alone remasters.”

“Surgeon Simulator CPR is a clumsy, yet enjoyable, outing that is best played with a friend. Not for those that don’t like squirting blood… or fun.”

“Next Up Hero manages to introduce intriguing, innovative ideas, but at the cost of executing the core gameplay mechanic well.”

“Picross S2 perfectly encapsulates the alluring “one more go” feeling that so many like-minded puzzle games aspire for, and does so with such masterful implementation. Jupiter show they are still the master of their craft, as they have always been in their 25 years of releasing Picross titles across Nintendo’s hardware.”

“Glaive: Brick Breaker appears to be a game that exists just to pay homage to its inspiration, Brick Breaker. It never tries to be much more than that, and is content wallowing in mediocrity.”

“Skee-Ball seems more than happy to resemble an early-2000’s flash game instead of a unique take on the arcade classic that it represents.”

“Tinder-esque swiping meets an infinite timeline of royalty? I'm in.”