Emanuele Feronato

“BALL x PIT takes the simple mechanics of a brick breaker like Ballz and transforms them into an explosive roguelite RPG. With twin-stick shooter action, Vampire Survivors-style power-ups, and surprisingly deep city building, each run becomes a whirlwind of frantic action and strategic planning. Unlocking new powers, fusing abilities, and upgrading your base is an irresistible game loop, enhanced by carefully crafted biomes and bullet hell battles against ruthless bosses. Kenny Sun proves once again that he knows how to turn simple ideas into brilliant and engaging experiences.”

“Gex Trilogy reintroduces the three original chapters of the famous 90s platformer, with accurate emulation and some modern features such as quick saves, rewind, trophies, widescreen support and CRT filter. The first episode, in 2D, is notable for its wall and ceiling walking mechanics, while the two sequels in 3D chase the Super Mario 64 model, losing some of the originality. The constant, dated humor may be repetitive, but the collection remains a solid product for nostalgists and completists, enhanced by extra content such as concept art or interviews with the developers.”

“Antonblast meets the primal need to play a game to smash everything and score points without caring too much about the story, which, however bizarre, is simply a guise for introducing the action. The various levels are very different from each other but always united by destruction. The atmosphere felt owes much to Wario and sometimes even to Sonic, with mad runs down very steep slopes and jumps into the void while crossing fingers for everything to be okay. The ability to remember critical points on the map is rewarded more than the players' actual skill, but who cares? It entertains, and that's enough.”

“Sorry We're Closed is an action adventure horror that brings back to our monitors gameplay and techniques born in the 90s, adding a modern story that talks about love, loss and acceptance, flavoring everything with fights and puzzles that integrate well into the experience and do not seem inserted just to add a couple of hours to the time needed to see one of the multiple endings. Despite the strong personality of the protagonist and the other characters, the direction of the production is not always clear, with action and puzzler sections easy for veterans of the genre but almost too much for lovers of story mode. An excellent debut, in any case.”

“[REDACTED] is a great Hades-inspired roguelite that wants to introduce new elements to stand out from the crowd and ends up throwing a spanner in the works on its own. Forget the race for freedom against rivals, and we will have an excellent dungeon crawler on our hands with a bunch of weapons and uniforms to unlock to tear zombies, monsters and bosses apart in an increasingly brutal way. Let's try to rely on the clashes with the other fugitives, and we will be disappointed. The gameplay formula is still relatively fresh, the artistic sector is excellent, so let's launch into this new ordeal without caring too much about originality.”

“As good to play as the first Horizon Zero Dawn, as beautiful to look at as the last Horizon Forbidden West. This is how this Remastered can be summarized, which keeps the gamplay of the original intact by increasing the graphic rendering thanks to the greater hardware resources available. In particular, Aloy and the other characters are now much more expressive and move in a world in which nature is lush and anthropic structures stand solemnly in the midst of volumetric effects with a realistic day / night cycle. Those who have recently played the original may not want to spend another forty hours on the Remastered, for new recruits it is one of the best ARPGs around.”

“The strength of the Just Dance franchise is that each edition will make the existing fan base happy. The weakness of the Just Dance franchise is that no edition will change the minds of those who can't stand party rhythm games. Just Dance 2025 Edition therefore goes its own way, pleasing fans and not caring about haters. Too bad the camera mode is still in beta and not present in the old songs, on the other hand the improved accessibility options make it a game truly open to everyone, meant to be danced to while jumping all over the house, sitting on a couch or locked in a closet.”

“Rogue Waters is a roguelite with turn-based combat that is certainly not among the most complete around, but it benefits from a fascinating setting and interesting use of pushing and projecting to create domino effects and quickly get rid of enemies. What's more, it has a story to be followed all in one go or by taking breaks while engaging in the many side quests. Unfortunately, the naval combat section was not articulated enough, but the battles and character growth lift the fortunes of this production, which will not fail to thrill lovers of turn-based combat.”

“Reynatis offers a compelling story and some nail-biting combat with a dual system of defense and offense that engages properly, especially in boss fights with huge monsters. Unfortunately, exploring Tokyo and the parallel world Another is not as engaging, as apart from rare situations it proves to be little more than a walking simulator. Technically it is not excellent, with models and textures reminiscent of what we saw on PS3, however, at least there is no slowdown or frame loss. If you are looking for a storyline full of charismatic characters, this might be your game.”

“A roguelite deckbuilder has finally arrived to properly revamp the gameplay that Slay the Spire seemed to have carved in stone. The management of our warrior's movement adds a lot of tactics to the fighting, and the non-draw deck abilities almost completely eliminate the luck factor by requiring extensive planning of one's moves, especially when trying to chain combos to eliminate multiple foes at once. The progression is the same as usual, alternating between battles and refreshment shops, but many other new features have been introduced.”

“The Crimson Diamond is not a game for everyone; indeed, the adventure genre, already quite niche in its own way, is made even more hostile by the presence of text-based controls. However, anyone should try this experience, because such well-packaged products rarely come out and transcend the nostalgia operation by offering a story worthy of Agata Christie in the artistic guise that made the defunct, but still alive in the hearts of fans, Sierra On-Line so famous. The excellently crafted parser and a notepad full of hints make it much more accessible than you might imagine.”

“Arco is the type of video game that fits the definition "hidden gem" perfectly. The story is interesting and expertly told, with numerous references to Native Mesoamerican culture. The tiny graphics are full of points of interest to discover along a rather large map that presents threats in every corner. The fights, the true fulcrum of the game, are managed with a hybrid turn-based mode that forces you to reason to overturn the situation initially always against us, and the presence of the ghosts of the past - real enemies to kill - require speed in making decisions. Those who love turn-based RPGs will have a lot of fun.”

“It takes a good deal of recklessness to develop a video game similar in every respect to Ratchet & Clank, knowing what kind of production you're up against. Akimbot, without mincing words, comes out in pieces; not because it's not funny, but because of the compulsive desire to be a clone of the masterpiece Insomniac. Ironically, the most interesting sections are those with their own character, without wanting at all costs to include citations of other people's intellectual property. A real shame, because technically it is well made and offers a good level of challenge, but it is penalized by the merciless comparison.”

“Knock on the Coffin Lid aims to expand on the gameplay of the Slay the Spire-inspired games by adding an interesting story to follow thanks to charismatic characters, excellent speech, and a highly polished graphical style. Forget the forked progression until you get to the boss, here there is great freedom allowed for exploration thanks to very large maps full of interconnected points of interest. Fighting takes place in the typical style of this genre of video games, and although the many cards available do not introduce great innovation, we are in front of one of the best card battlers around.”

“Terminus: Zombie Survivors is an excellent turn-based strategy with a character creation and growth system worthy of the best role-playing games, where before facing zombies you have to think about your vital parameters, just like in survival games. Fifteen classes, multiple endings, procedural map generation and tons of items to find, craft and use guarantee hours of playing time. Combat is simpler than what we've seen in the XCOM series, with gameplay more similar to board games than video games, but anyone who loves zombie culture will want to get to Terminus at least a few times.”

“It's easy to say "boomer shooter," but how many exponents of the genre, with bare-bones gameplay and linear levels, would be able to entertain like King DOOM? Very few, and from time to time id Software likes to remind us. DOOM + DOOM II is the front row seat to watch this show, as well as a game that should be in every respectable collection. Online multiplayer will not rewrite the rules of competitive gaming, but Legacy of Rust could open the doors to new mods bringing new episodes into a great virtuous loop. And just to clarify, the vote is not at all political. It remains to date an awesome game.”

“CYGNI: All Guns Blazing aims to be a vertical-scrolling shoot'em up tied to the old traditions of the genre, taking advantage of what hardware has made possible over the last four decades. It has hit the mark, including everything that is to be expected in works of this type, without wanting to add anything else. The result is the closest thing to a coin-op we could find in a parallel universe in which arcades have not known oblivion. Fast-paced, colorful, pyrotechnic, punishing, and capable of making everyone realize that shmups can still provide a lot of fun.”

“Dungeons of Hinterberg is an excellent action RPG with a particularly strange story that never veers towards the demented, involving players who will end up identifying with the young protagonist. The beauty of the Alps is beautifully represented, and every corner of the map holds landscapes to admire. The advance in the dungeons loses a bit of bite due to seen and overseen puzzles and virtual barriers that circumscribe the area in which the fights take place. Interesting, on the other hand, are the magic available, which changes from area to area. If you're looking for a dungeon crawler that can stand out from the crowd, you'll love it.”

“Anger Foot is the game that many of us wanted, but no one has had the courage to develop so far. A first-person Miami Hotline with Duke Nukem's Mighty Foot-style enemies to kick, oversaturated colors, thumping soundtrack, and several shoes to try, each with their own unique powers. There is also room for firearms, with the right degree of devastation, to traverse the levels without leaving any survivors. The indoor action is much more frenetic, getting a little lost in the outdoor sections where parkour takes over the shootout, but it remains a tremendously fun shooter/brawler.”

“Nuke Them All is a variation on the usual RTSs that focuses all on action and confrontations with opposing troops, sometimes interrupted by zombie apocalypses or alien invasions. Base building and resource management are barely sketched out, and complicated scientific research trees are not even present. All we have to do is capture the flags on the battlefield as quickly as possible and then launch the final attack on the enemy. The maps are large with multiple biomes, although elevations and depressions in the terrain do not seem to offer any particular advantages or disadvantages. If you are looking for a casual approach RTS with furious shootouts, this is your game.”