“One of the most unique and gorgeous deckbuilders so far, offering a fresh and intuitive battle system as well as a monster-catching flair. Plus, the music and creature designs totally own.”

“Touting some of the tightest melee combat of the year, this stylish blend of Katana ZERO and Cowboy Bebop had me on the edge of my seat beating mfers up and volleying across platforms.”

“Lovely and lively, this marvelous first-person puzzler nurtures an enthralling mix of accessible yet cerebral puzzles and Gone Home-y storytelling. Gorgeous visuals, music, and level design.”

“Providing worthy competition to Two Point Hospital, this hilarious sci-fi riff on Theme Hospital boasts tight design & controls, witty dialogue, phenomenal voice acting, and charming cartoon visuals.”

“Regardless of your familiarity to Moomin, this handcrafted delight will whisk you away to its wondrous world for a heartfelt and effortlessly charming tale all the same. Gorgeous in every sense.”

“Proudly crude in every sense of the word, this adaptation of the zany tabletop title offers a breadth and depth in both its gameplay and set of features. But it's the hilarious voice acting that's #1.”

“Aggro Crab have done it again, delivering a colorful, cunning, delightful, and accessible entry into the Soulsborne genre. Smooth action/platforming too, and the anti-pollution themes fit so well.”

“Hotline Miami 3 ain't happenin', hon, but its legacy lives on in Anger Foot—albeit now in first-person and bathed in Free Lives' offbeat personality. Few games are as exhilarating AF as AF is.”

“Hauntii is not your typical twinstick, thanks to its emphasis on possession and artful handcraftedness. Few games this year can contest its beauty, or its sense of awe and wonder, with such tightness.”

“One of the year's finest action roguelites sees the affable Turnip Boy goin' full heist mode with a cleverly designed, hilarious, and cute gungeon crawler. Wonderful tunes and pixel art too.”

“Lovers of short, cute investigative adventure titles will find plenty to enjoy with DD:TSS. It's clever, it's fun, it's adorable, and it doesn't outstay its welcome. Does what it says on the tin.”

“Dan and I were pleasantly surprised by just how damn rad The Fate of Baldr is as an Orcs Must Die!-esque melding of co-op third-person shooting and tower defense strategy. Gorgeous environments too.”

“Delightfully providing a wonderful finale to this cult favorite series of Metroidvanias, Moonlit Farewell is lovingly crafted and a complete joy to play. Tight design with impeccable pixel art.”

“Every year, Devcats drop another banger entry into their A ___ Full of Cats series, and the outstandingly robust ATFoC is no less cute, charming, or clever than its predecessors.”

“Despite completely sucking at it, I cannot dispute that Slidemagi is a robust, kickass tactical RPG with an inventive control scheme and design around it, as well as a cute claymation aesthetic.”

“Surprising no one, Hades II is already a sterling sequel that builds upon the world, cast, and mechanics of its predecessor in fresh—yet comfortably familiar—ways. Shaping up to be a masterpiece.”

“Blistering combat is decisively ATME's big selling point, as few action roguelite contemporaries tout such exhilarating fights with such buttery smooth controls. Looks and sounds great too, though.”

“Lovers of short, morbid, indie story games will find much to appreciate with Sunflower Pie. It's strange, affecting, creepy, and pulls no punches.”

“It does not take long for Balatro to sink its hooks into you, being one of the freshest roguelite deckbuilders yet. Psychedelic visuals, magnificent music, and insatiable gameplay.”

“If you were yearning for a Hades-esque retelling of Greek mythology but with even better queer and neurodivergent representation in a spectacularly written text RPG, then FoA here is the ticket.”

“Excellent humor, boundless style, exceptional voice acting, and intriguing mechanics make for one of the coolest, freshest games of the year. It's a typing dungeon crawler after all!”

“Jetpacking is always going to be a joy in video games, and Jett Rider capitalizes on that fact—while heaping on top some great tunes and humor too. One of JanduSoft's finest releases yet.”

“Hook this exhilarating, Akira × Duke Nukem × [post void] FPS straight into your veins for a brilliant time. Let's call it early: this is doubtlessly the #1 FPS of the year. It goes so hard and fast!”

“Despite its appearances, Hoversteppers is much closer in terms of gameplay to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games than Jet Set Radio, and it's a welcome THPS spiritual successor in a world bereft of 'em.”

“Sometimes, you just desire a laid-back idle game to while away minutes between other matters. And RR absolutely provides, with the cute distinction of existing at the bottom of your desktop.”