Scathe

Scathe

Navigate a deviously crafted maze and blast the legions of hell to bits in this fast-paced first-person shooter. The bullet hell elements make for a different type of shooter, and the inclusion of drop-in/drop-out co-op enhances the experience. Scathe also impresses with some polished visuals, big guns, and menacing enemies to use them on. Unfortunately, the audio could have been better, and the game can become repetitive. Nevertheless, Scathe is a lot of fun, especially when played with friends, and does enough to elevate itself above the horde of cookie-cutter shooters cluttering the market.

Gameplay: Scathe features plenty of action along with some extra challenges to keep players on their toes.

Graphics: The visuals are stylish and feature a lot of impressive designs.

Sound: The choice of music is great but needs more variety, and the sound effects lack punch

Beacon Pines First Look Video

Beacon Pines First Look Video

Beacon Pines by Hiding Spot and Fellow Traveller is a cute and creepy adventure set within a mysterious book. Playing as both the reader of the book and its main character, Luka, players get to sneak out late, make new friends, uncover hidden truths, and collect words that will change the course of fate. Check out the video below for a quick look at the start of this charming adventure

The Mortuary Assistant

The Mortuary Assistant

The Mortuary Assistant is a horror title where players must perform a series of stomach-churning tasks to prepare the deceased for burial. This would have been bad enough if it wasn’t for the fact that the mortuary is also home to a demonic entity with its sights set on the protagonist, Rebecca Owens. Unless players can help Rebecca identify the demon and then burn it along with the correct body, she risks possession or worse. However, this is easier said than done when the clock is ticking, and paranormal activity is ramping up around her. Overall, The Mortuary Assistant is a must-own title for fans of the genre and one of the best horror games of 2022.

Gameplay: The Mortuary Assistant is short but very replayable, and each shift will leave players on the edge of their seats.

Graphics: The visuals are good, and the game knows how to use visual scare tactics well, but squeamish players might not enjoy the mortuary tasks.

Sound: The voice acting is decent, and the ambient noises, as well as sound effects, are top-notch

Stray

Stray

Stray is a game that allows players to experience all the mysteries and thrills of a long-forgotten cybercity through the eyes of an adorable cat. In addition to roaming around doing things players would expect from a cat, Stray is also filled with action, puzzle solving, and a great cast of characters. Navigating the seedy underbelly of a dystopian society is nothing new, but doing so from a cat’s perspective is definitely a novelty. The game isn’t perfect, and the adventure is brief, but it immediately draws players in and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.

Gameplay: Along with solving puzzles and outwitting dangerous foes, Stray also allows players to explore and cause mischief in a way only cats can.

Graphics: Stray’s beautiful environments and attention to detail could rival any AAA studio and create a highly immersive experience.

Sound: Along with an excellent synthwave soundtrack, Stray is also filled with great ambient effects and even a dedicated “meow” button

Koral

Koral

Koral is a short puzzle game set in tranquil underwater environments. As a love letter to the ocean, it highlights the beauty and diversity of life underneath the sea while telling an important message about the destruction being wrought by humanity. While fun to play, the game is concise, and even with some variation in the puzzles, some parts can feel a little tedious. However, players who can overlook these flaws will find a game that was clearly a labor of love.

Gameplay: Koral features some mild puzzle solving and is relaxing for the most part, but the timed elements might annoy casual players.

Graphics: 3D models for the aquatic life and parallax for the fore and background elements make for a good-looking game.

Sound: The music is calm most of the time but isn’t afraid to tug on your heartstrings with some emotional orchestral swells in some spots

Loopmancer

Loopmancer

Loopmancer is a fast-paced action game that traps detective Xiang Zixu in a time loop where he is doomed to repeat the same day each time he dies. However, thanks to its rogue-lite elements, Xiang is able to unlock new weapons and skills that make each run a little easier. The hack and slash combat is the highlight of the game, and there are tons of weapons to unlock, while the beautiful visuals don’t hurt either. Unfortunately, the story is filled with cliches, and the frequent cut-scenes suffer from stiff dialogue. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons for players to keep looping their way through the game and experience everything it has to offer.

Gameplay: The combat in Loopmancer is fun, and there’s a wide assortment of melee and ranged weapons to dispose of enemies.

Graphics: Loopmancer features stunning looking levels and plenty of variety in terms of enemies and locations.

Sound: Despite decent sound effects, the audio quality and voice acting in Loopmancer are very uneven

Fishing Paradiso

Fishing Paradiso

Fishing Paradiso is a simple and relaxing fishing RPG that is very narrative-driven, thanks to a large cast of charming characters. The game is set in heaven, so the storyline is a little strange, to say the least, but catching over 100 different types of fish while customizing your house and learning more about the other characters is a lot of fun. Fishing Paradiso also packs a surprising amount of content beneath its 2D pixel art visuals and comes highly recommended.

Gameplay: Simple to pick up and play, but catching all the fish, unlocking new areas, and learning more about the NPCs is a lot of fun.

Graphics: The 2D pixel art visuals are charming, and the whole game has a vibrant look that quickly draws players in.

Sound: Although it lacks voice acting, the game features an upbeat soundtrack with an assortment of great tunes

Exo One

Exo One

Exo One is an exhilarating game about traveling across alien planets at high speeds. Using a gravity drive to build up momentum before taking to the skies and gliding takes some practice, but the game is a lot of fun once mastered. The storyline is quite mysterious but remains rather vague throughout the game. Nevertheless, despite some finicky parts, the game is a blast and had us looking forward to seeing what each new level had to offer.

Gameplay: Exo One is not a very long game, but it is fun while it lasts and offers a unique experience.

Graphics: The art style for Exo One is superb, and while the visuals lose some of their splendor up close, everything looks great when traveling at high speeds.

Sound: The hypnotic soundtrack and otherworldly sound effects create an atmospheric experience

Unrailed!

Unrailed!

Unrailed! Challenges players to team up and build a train track across an endless procedurally generated world. The twist is that it must be done while gathering the resources to make the tracks before the train that never stops moving runs out of tracks. The different biomes, each with its own challenges, and the frantic pace of the game make Unrailed! a blast to play, but it is definitely best experienced with friends.

Gameplay: Very simple to play, but things can quickly escalate if all players are not working in harmony.

Graphics: The art style is charming, but it can sometimes be hard to see exactly what is happening in the environment.

Sound: The soundtrack is catchy and features plenty of great tunes

Bugsnax

Bugsnax

On the surface, Bugsnax is a game about finding and capturing adorable critters with googly eyes and pun-filled names using an assortment of wacky traps. However, things take a strange turn when using these same critters to feed and mutate the other characters in the game. Nevertheless, catching Bugsnax is fun, especially as it often requires some out-of-the-box thinking or creative use of your traps. The lack of any real danger makes the game suitable for younger players too, but to get the most out of the experience, players should definitely complete all the side quests.

Gameplay: Capturing all the Bugsnax in sight is fun despite some repetition, and the memorable cast of characters all have interesting stories to unravel.

Graphics: The designs of the Bugsnax are hilarious, and the game world is very vibrant, but the way you can mutate other Grumpusses by feeding them the Bugsnax can yield alarming results.

Sound: Bugsnax features a stellar cast of voice actors along with a very catchy soundtrack