Marco Bortoluzzi

“MIO: Memories in Orbit is a great metroidvania that I would have personally praised even more if it wasn't for its excessively cryptic exploration and for its trial & error platform sections. Still, absolutely a must pick if you're into the genre.”

“The Berlin Apartment is a short but sweet walk through a century of history of the German capital, where the underlying theme is life under oppression; of the Third Reich at first, and of the DDR later. Good voiceover, pleasant visual style, but the "gameplay" is a bit clunky at times.”

“Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is easily one of the best game in the bullet heaven genre, thanks to an impressive amount of content, to the quality of its presentation, and to the fact that blowing up bugs never stops being fun. A bit of a shame that there's no coop, though.”

“Abyssus is a solid enough roguelite that is sure to provide hours of good fun, especially if played with friends. However, it does lack a bit in variety, weapon balance is a bit questionable at times, and in can get more chaotic than it needs to be.”

“Echoes of the End's biggest issue is that it struggles to keep up with its own ambition. For example: the visuals are pretty, but that makes the rough gameplay animations stand out even more, and the combat could also use a fair bit of work.”

“Wuchang is overall a fairly competent soulslike, which makes it even more of a shame that its issues prevent you from fully enjoying it.”

“Broken Arrow is a solid RTS that can provide good fun to anyone who's willing to spend a bit of time studying its systems, but the lack of campaign saves and an occasionally unclear UI are definitely areas where there should be improvements.”

“Lies of P: Overture is a valid addition to the base game, in particular because it doesn't just add new gameplay (enemies, bosses, weapons, Legion arms) but also some very powerful story moments. Wholeheartedly recommended.”

“RoadCraft aims for a specific target – that is, people who find heavy machinery unbelievably cool – and hit it straight in the middle, granting dozens of hours of playtime spent paving roads and using cranes. It could use some work on the interface, though.”

“Steel Seed is the kind of game that you'd love to see do better, because while its combat lacks polish and its story is fairly generic, you can feel that this is a game born out of ambition. Unfortunately, while they're never bad, most of its elements can't keep up the same level of quality as its breathtaking vistas.”

“Are you desperately looking for a new soulslike to play, and you also like anime girls that fight in high heels and dress like they're going to a cosplay show, and also don't mind a graphic style straight out of 2014? Well then I guess AI Limit isn't the worst choice you could make, as it does offer a fairly smooth experience, but it's also not going to be a great one.”

“Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a valid sequel that shares its predecessor's compelling setting and some of its characters, while also introducing new mechanics. Stress could perhaps have been better handled, being essentially neglegible most of the time and nerve-wracking during the new time-limited contracts, but that's pretty much the only real criticism I can move at the game.”

“Threefold Recital is narrative game with light investigative elements, by which I mean that more often then not a wrong deduction will simply lead to the main characters correcting themselves. But the story itself is compelling, the dialogue is snappy, and the minigames are varied enough.”

“Ender Magnolia follows in the footsteps of Ender Lilies by delivering a longer-than-average metroidvania with a fun combat system and a very pleasing art style, especially when it comes to backgrounds. However, while its story beats are by no means bad, they lack the spark that was present in Ender Lilies.”

“Beyond its very obvious Overwatch comparisons, Marvel Rivals is a competent hero shooter that is fun to play and easy to pick up, full of love for the original characters, and with a free to play model that refreshingly doesn't require you to unlock gameplay elements. Hopefully some technical mishaps can be fixed with future patches.”

“Providing an environment where you can shoot dozens, hundreds of enemies with glee is one of the most surefire ways in which you can keep gamers entertained. However, that's also all that Viscera has going for it – weapons are shoddily balanced, the graphics are chaotic and messy, and the game's poorly optimized. Still moderately fun, but not the kind of game you'd enthusiastically recommend.”

“ZERO Sievert's clear inspirations are Escape from Tarkov and STALKER, and it succeds in providing a decent mix of the two game, with a good atmosphere and solid weapon mechanics. However, the crafting system (and its resource requirement) feel a little grindy and less milsim-oriented folks might find some mechanics a little frustrating.”

“Despite taking more than a small share of inspiration from Hollow Knight, and being a fairly by-the-book adventure, Voidwrought is a competent metroidvania with a fluid, dynamic gameplay and an excellent soundtrack. Definitely worth considering if you like the genre… and also if you need something to make the wait for Silksong slightly more bearable.”

“While the effort that went into creating Mars 2120 can certainly be praised, this is not the kind of game that you would easily recommend to friends. It's never bad or outright awful, mind you, and playing it is a fairly easy-going experience. But at the same time, low enemy variety, poor bosses, generic story and uneven optimization means that this game will stay very far from the top of the charts.”

“Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is a good metroidvania that lacks any significant flaws, but at the same time has a hard time excelling at anything beyond its gorgeous pixel art. A solid choice if you're a fan of the genre, just don't expect it to make you forget about Silksong.”