Possibly the most uplifting game I've played in years. A 3D collectation platformer that's gorgeous, well-written, and an absolute joy to play the whole way through.

The Suika-like genre has never been my cup of tea, but it turns out that adding RNG-based power-ups was all I needed to get one to hold my attention for more than a single 2 1/2 minute play session.

Although the "retro-inspired" design of this block-breaking puzzle game can sometimes border on just feeling unpolished, I still found the gameplay to be engaging, albeit a bit slow-paced at times.

One of the most inventive puzzle games I've ever played, where each uniquely-designed logic puzzle is themed around jigsaw pieces. Challenging, engaging, and charming in ways that took me by surprise.

Setting aside the extremely tedious endgame grind (which is slowly being patched, thankfully), this gave me almost everything I could've asked for in a sequel to one of my favorite games of all time.

Paper Mario's aesthetic meets Majora's Mask's side quests meets El Día de los Muertos. It wears its many influences proudly on its sleeve, yet still maintains a strong identity of its own.

Another game to help bolster the niche genres of "phrasal template puzzle games" and "animal-themed detective games". Fun, clever, and very well-polished, though rather short with its 2-hour runtime.

I kept catching glimpses of the phenomenal puzzle game that friends and journalists have been praising, but it was buried under so much frustrating RNG that I lost the patience to truly experience it.

While I do think it's a fun JRPG in its own right, its oversimplified crafting system didn't quite scratch the itch I got when I first started my exploration into the Atelier franchise.

Playing this felt a lot like playing the old hidden object CD-ROM games I had growing up, and I mean that in the best way. 38 total levels, 30 optional minigames, and around a 3-5 hour runtime.