Mary Billington
Silent Hope is a challenging dungeon crawler with familiar sights from Rune Factory sprinkled in and there's definitely some fun to be had for those looking for a more action-packed adventure that's set in the same universe. However, the unbalanced heroes and mandatory grinding will certainly put off many players.
Fae Farm is one fun farming sim with tons to keep you busy for many in-game months as well as a large world to explore beyond the farm. The only thing it's missing is a substantial family system so pick it up if you're more into the farming and adventuring side of things.
Rune Factory 3 Special is an attractive upgrade to the DS original and I had fun exploring its dungeons, upgrading my tools, farming, and wooing my future wife. However, its issues with inventory management, lack of gender and marriage options, and a rather limited set of dungeons make it a middling (but still good) Rune Factory game overall.
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case is another enjoyable mystery with great gameplay and a complex storyline that'll keep you guessing. I'm definitely looking forward to Blazing Griffin continuing to improve the series and seeing what they come up with next.
The Entropy Centre is a difficult first-person puzzle platformer that will reward you for thinking ahead and remaining patient so make sure you're prepared for quite a challenge as well as some needlessly frustrating footwork.
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE does a good job of refreshing the mystery solving formula with fun mini-games and an attractive neon city backdrop; that is, if you can sit through hours of banter between the more enjoyable parts.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a classic puzzle detective game from the makers of the Phoenix Wright series and it's absolutely packed with humour, satisfying puzzles, and colourful characters that you'll get to know well throughout its complex supernatural story.
Disney Speedstorm is a kart racer that's a heck of a lot of fun and it has an enjoyable and unique power-up system so if you can get past the confusing currencies and menus then definitely give it a chance.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores extends the tropical scenery of the main game and introduces the land of Hollywood to the story complete with a solid amount of content and upgrades which makes it a fine choice to lengthen your adventure with Aloy.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a rewarding investigative experience with familiar gameplay that has you play as both Sherlock and Watson as they follow the phenomenon of Cthulhu around the world while fighting to keep their sanity. Although it's smaller in scope than the previous title and is lacking in terms of side-quests, it's still a fun journey and is presented beautifully to boot.
Process of Elimination is a fun detective game with an interesting cast and story as well as a unique board game twist on investigating. As long as you're prepared to read a lot of text, you'll enjoy unraveling the mystery of The Quartering Duke.
Tchia is a highly enjoyable and varied coming-of-age adventure game with a ton to see and do. The possession mechanic is a ton of fun, the sights and sounds are undeniably attractive, and it has a good dose of dark humour to top it all off.
DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate is a mostly fun investigative VR adventure that sets the stage for hopefully more games in the genre. Physically standing inside a crime scene and finding clues is surprisingly thrilling but I just wish it had a more interesting world to explore.
OCTOPATH TRAVELER II is a JRPG with a lack of direction in its story that's mostly saved by its fun job system and battle mechanics.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is a fantastic showcase of what an action game can be in VR with its intense battles that will try their best to outwit and exhaust you. The climbing segments can go on a little too long but they're varied and enjoyable enough to hold your attention. In the end, I can't wait to see what happens next with action-adventure VR games. 😄
Tales of Symphonia is a classic action JRPG that's as enjoyable as it's ever been as long as you can sit through the load times and weren't expecting the sequel to be in this package. It's a fan favourite for a reason and I'm thoroughly enjoying playing through it for a 3rd time.
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey explores an alternate mythological history to the Ripper killings of 1888 and it certainly has a lot of flaws but if the subject matter intrigues you, there's some enjoyment to be had with its high quality writing and impressive voice acting.
Backfirewall_ does an excellent job of personifying something that the average person takes for granted: their smartphone. Exploring its artistic CPU and cluttered Bin is a lot of fun and it offers a surprisingly heartfelt story. If you can look past the glitches and don't mind referencing a guide here and there, this is one unique first-person puzzler that's worth your time.
SEASON: A letter to the future is an intriguing slow-paced exploration game that actually makes scrapbooking fun by drawing you into its attractive world as you make record of every sight, sound, and touch before it's all washed away.
Drago Noka presents an imaginative and attractive pixelated city-builder with a twist and some exceptionally deep gameplay. As long as you're not in it for a story, you'll end up sinking hours into exploring the nooks and crannies of what it has to offer.