Farley Santos

“Lovish is a pleasant retro-style experience built around simple controls, brisk levels, and light humor, delivering a competent 2D adventure with a fair number of secrets for players who enjoy exploring off the beaten path. However, it is also a limited and occasionally repetitive game, with many sections failing to leave a lasting impression and rarely pushing beyond the basics. Optional challenges and hidden content help soften these issues but don’t fundamentally elevate the experience. Ultimately, Lovish is a fun and well-executed journey that succeeds at what it sets out to do, even if it never truly stands out.”

“Kotama & Academy Citadel is a competent metroidvania that clearly understands the fundamentals of the genre and delivers a solid overall experience. The fast, combo-heavy combat and the vast map packed with content are standout features, and the colorful anime-style atmosphere helps make the adventure engaging. Still, its approach is quite conservative: the traversal abilities follow the expected pattern, and the main structure is almost entirely linear. Although it introduces interesting ideas, the game does not explore these mechanics deeply enough to leave a lasting impact. The result is an enjoyable, but not a particularly bold experience.”

“Sektori stands out with sharp gameplay, a vibrant atmosphere, and an action pace that rarely gives a second to rest. Its strengths are clear: precise controls, creative arenas, memorable bosses, and a rhythm that rewards quick reflexes and decision-making. There are some drawbacks — such as the relatively mild impact of roguelike elements or occasional visual confusion — but they don't detract from the overall experience. Overall, it's an intense, stylish, and carefully crafted experience for those who enjoy high-difficulty games and nonstop action. Players seeking technical mastery and adrenaline-pumping matches will find a great game here; those after something lighter may face a steep but rewarding learning curve.”

“Morsels is a game marked by boldness and creativity, featuring charismatic characters and a world full of secrets, but it's hindered by confusing systems and excessive punishments that disrupt the flow of the experience, even alienating experienced players. While it hides interesting potential behind its eccentricities, it requires patience and persistence to be fully appreciated. With adjustments to balancing, clearer mechanics, and reduced punishments, Morsels could be much more brilliant, but as it stands, it’s a unique yet limited journey, best suited for those seeking unconventional experiences and willing to deal with its challenges.”

“Battle Suit Aces is a unique experience that blends anime narrative, strategy, and card mechanics into a creative and engaging package. Its story captivates, the characters are overflowing with charisma, and the visuals impress with their hand-drawn style. The card-based combat manages to be both accessible and deep at the same time, despite a few limitations. With loads of charisma and a vibrant universe, the game by Trinket Studios delivers an experience that balances tactics and narrative in well-measured doses. For those seeking a different kind of card RPG with the soul of an anime and the heart of science fiction, this is an adventure that's definitely worth embarking on.”

“Monument Valley 3 captivates with its stunning art direction, dreamlike settings, and an accessible design that invites contemplation. Noor's journey is engaging and filled with creative puzzles, though simpler and more predictable compared to previous titles. While it introduces new ideas, such as boat navigation, the game doesn't take many risks in terms of innovation and variety. With a brief campaign and linear solutions, the experience is welcoming, but it leaves the impression that it could have gone further in terms of depth and challenge.”

“Outrider Mako presents a striking visual proposal and an atmosphere inspired by Japanese mythology, which grabs attention right from the start. The delivery of items to gods and the use of Red Nectar in combat introduce creative ideas, but the shallow execution falls short. Additionally, the repetition of maps and mechanics makes the experience tiresome over time, despite offering some fun moments here and there. Still, it may appeal to those who enjoy a more laid-back adventure, with plenty of style and a unique atmosphere.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition elevates an already memorable adventure to new heights. The technical improvements — such as smooth 60 fps gameplay, 4K resolution with HDR, and near-instant loading times — make exploration even more enjoyable, despite some lingering limitations. Additionally, the support for Zelda Notes adds useful and interesting features to the experience, although its implementation through an external app limits its practical potential. In the end, this new version preserves the charm and depth of the original journey, now with refinements that enhance immersion and make the return to Hyrule more captivating than ever.”

“Aureole – Wings of Hope offers a creative and challenging experience by combining fast-paced action with a unique mechanic centered around throwing a halo. The variety of stages, which constantly introduce new ideas, makes the experience dynamic and full of surprises. Despite its simple control system, mastering the physics requires practice, and successfully overcoming tough moments rewards the effort with great satisfaction. On the other hand, the excessive trial-and-error and high difficulty in certain sections can make the journey feel tiring. Still, Aureole delivers a solid experience for those who enjoy precision and speed and are willing to persevere until they reach perfection.”

“Rift Riff reinvents the tower defense genre with its inventive approach. The ability to influence enemy paths creates multiple strategic options, and the wide variety of towers, monsters, and resources encourages creativity and experimentation. This freedom sometimes leads to trial-and-error situations, but fortunately, the fast-paced action minimizes the impact of this issue. These qualities, combined with the captivating setting and interesting content to explore, make Rift Riff an immersive and memorable experience.”

“StarVaders is a roguelike that stands out by combining dynamic tactical combat with a deck-building system full of possibilities. Even though it relies on familiar mechanics, the game impresses with its variety of strategies, diverse pilots and robots, and its vibrant, charismatic atmosphere. The experience also benefits from creative and well-designed battles, with enemies and challenges that require constant adaptation and encourage experimentation. Featuring a wide range of content, StarVaders is an engaging option for those who enjoy intelligent combat in a stylized universe full of personality.”

“BlazBlue Entropy Effect stands out for its intense gameplay and stylized visuals, offering fluid combat full of possibilities. The variety of characters with unique styles makes the matches exciting, and the combo system provides strategic freedom. On the other hand, it lacks depth in some aspects: the roguelike elements have little impact, with repetitive stages and some confusing mechanics. Still, the game delivers good action moments, especially for those who appreciate the BlazBlue universe and its exaggerated style.”

“Rogue Loops stands out with a creative approach and well-structured mechanics. The cycle system with improvements accompanied by curses adds an interesting strategic touch, and the agile combat keeps the experience engaging. The variety of heroes, skills, and synergies guarantees good possibilities to try out different play styles, making each run unique and unpredictable. However, repetition ends up being a problem in the long run, since the structure of the challenges changes little between attempts. Even so, Rogue Loops delivers a fun and challenging game, which has the potential to become even better with future updates.”

“Reignbreaker presents an exciting premise with its fast-paced combat and an intriguing world, but it fails to develop its ideas in a solid way. The gameplay is initially addictive with the spears and abilities, but ends up becoming repetitive due to the lack of content diversity and a narrative that does not evolve. The difficulty can be challenging, but it often becomes more tiresome than rewarding. Overall, Reignbreaker is a game that shows great potential, but fails to go beyond its initial mechanics. For those who like fast-paced action and challenges, it can be fun for a while, but if you are looking for something deeper and with more content, the game may not deliver enough.”

“Lilac 0 is an intense and challenging experience, tailor-made for bullet hell fans who enjoy the pursuit of absolute mastery of attack patterns and ever-increasing scores. With its stylized retro aesthetic and lean mechanics, the game delivers frenetic action and moments of pure tension, demanding precision and perseverance. However, its structural simplicity and limited content can make it repetitive in the long run, especially for those who don't engage with the ranking-focused replayability dynamics. Still, for those looking for a true test of reflexes and endurance, Lilac 0 is a great option.”

“MainFrames stands out for its creativity in transforming a digital environment into a charismatic platform and puzzle adventure. The mechanics of manipulating windows and icons are well explored, bringing varied challenges and keeping the experience dynamic. On the other hand, the irregular difficulty and moments of trial and error can make progression frustrating, especially in the more advanced stages. Still, for those looking for an enjoyable experience and willing to overcome some barriers, MainFrames delivers an original concept with very creative moments.”

“Knights in Tight Spaces offers a creative approach to combining tactical strategy and deckbuilding in dynamic and claustrophobic combat. The inclusion of multiple heroes expands the strategic possibilities, allowing for combination attacks and different approaches to play. However, the experience suffers from repetitive combat and problematic card balancing, limiting the variety of viable strategies. Despite an engaging combat system, the lack of diversity in challenges can make the journey predictable over time. Still, for those who enjoy strategic battles and deckbuilding mechanics, the game offers rewarding moments, especially when mastering positioning and emerging unscathed from seemingly impossible situations.”

“Overall, the new additions to Darkest Dungeon II offer content that expand the experience without reinventing it. In Inhuman Bondage, the Abomination returns as a versatile and strategic hero, while the Catacombs add new challenges for the more experienced players. However, the DLC's impact is moderate, making it more interesting for people already immersed in the game and who would like to test variations in the team compositions.”

“Naiad stands out for its simplicity and beauty, offering a relaxing journey through a picturesque world. Although there are moments when the flow is interrupted by obscure puzzles and repetitive activities, the game succeeds by allowing each player to find their own rhythm, whether exploring every corner or simply gliding through the water. Furthermore, Naiad shows that there is magic in simplicity, making us appreciate this brief and unpretentious journey.”

“Ballionaire reinvents the classic pachinko game by introducing triggers that allow players to influence matches in creative and chaotic ways, transforming a game of chance into a dynamic and tactical experience. With vibrant visuals and light-hearted humor, the game offers exciting moments as elaborate combinations lead to unpredictable interactions and high scores. However, the innate randomness can still be frustrating, and the lack of clarity in some item descriptions makes decisions difficult, and the limited variety of content compromises the game’s longevity. Still, Ballionaire offers a unique experience for those who enjoy experimentation and strategic chaos.”