Dune: Spice Wars is a clever, multilayered, challenging RTS that skillfully translates so much of what is cool about Frank Herbert's universe in its interesting mechanics.
With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur's Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.
Jagged Alliance 3 is a flexible, challenging, approachable throwback turn-based tactics game in which the only thing that feels truly dated is the humor.
Aliens: Dark Descent is a fascinating, tense, inspired survival horror RTS with a few too many technical bugs to recommend it without caveats.
Amnesia: The Bunker is a smaller, more self-contained episode in the groundbreaking horror franchise that shows Frictional still has some chilling, new tricks up their sleeves.
A roguelite sequel that takes a few steps forward and one or two back from the original, but keeps the gloomy but intense spirit alive.
Age of Wonders 4 is a dizzyingly customizable fantasy 4X made mightier by a legacy that follows you across multiple campaigns.
The Great War: Western Front is a deep RTS that shows a lot of attention to historical authenticity, though that can certainly bog things down.
Have a Nice Death is a punishing but satisfying roguelike with some extremely tough boss fights, but it could be a bit less stingy with long-term progression.
Even in early access, Sons of the Forest is already a strong survival crafter sequel that takes all the things The Forest did so well and does them a little bit better.
Blood Bowl 3 is a sloppy, muddy, buggy rehash of a better game.
A rousing mystery brought to life by a great voice cast and nuanced character writing can't really save Deliver Us Mars from its shortcomings.
Dragonflight is a sharply-written and breathtaking experience for the first few dozen hours, but suffers from somewhat threadbare endgame options.
Pentiment is a clever Medieval detective story with a gorgeously-realized world that I can hardly recommend highly enough.
The Entropy Centre is a more than competent Portal tribute with clever time-manipulation puzzles and an endearing cast, but it doesn't take its clever concept as far as it seems like it should.
Victoria 3 is a remarkable, if a bit janky, nation-builder with ocean-deep political and economic systems that suck you in and don't let go.
Scorn is a relentlessly unsettling delve into a surreal, macabre world of alien mystery, but the scariest thing about it is the dreadful combat.
Real-time tactics meets old-timey politics in The DioField Chronicle, a fast-paced JRPG where quick and fun combat are paired with a generic story and some awkward controls.
Farthest Frontier needs a bit longer in the early access oven, but its realistic food systems and problem solving already provide a lot to enjoy.
The wacky humor might be hit or miss, but as a management sim, Two Point Campus graduates with honors.