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OPUS: Prism Peak tells a deeply personal story with genuinely earned emotional moments. It offers a unique take on the midlife crisis, filtering it through a magical prism that many older players will likely find relatable. However, it’s held back by an unnecessarily complicated notebook system and an overreliance on photography as a gameplay mechanic, which somewhat undermines the idea of the protagonist using an analogue camera.

If nothing else, Replaced is a stunning pixel-art game set in a cyberpunk world. The developers clearly have a talent for crafting vibrant environments and detailed animations through the pixel-art style. Overall, it keeps you hooked with its exciting, if somewhat simplistic, combat and strong forward momentum. If only it didn’t rely so heavily on repetitive actions, like constant box pushing and unnecessary backtracking.

Saros is a triumphant successor to Returnal, delivering an outstanding sci-fi experience. Its excellent visuals bring the planet Carcosa to life, while its fast, fluid combat remains consistently satisfying. Special praise should be given to the meticulously crafted audio, with an eclectic soundtrack and impactful sound design. Moreover, Housemarque demonstrates a clear evolution over its predecessor, refining an already memorable formula into one of the strongest experiences in the Sony Studios lineup.

Xenonauts 2 is a highly competent, albeit unofficial, successor to the original XCOM. Its old-school aesthetic may be an acquired taste, but fans of this niche genre will find a deep and challenging experience, both in base management and in combat, that is highly rewarding and benefits thoughtful tactical thinking.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss certainly nails its Lovecraftian atmosphere, especially in some truly daunting set pieces. Its environmental puzzles are also well implemented, offering a high level of challenge that fans of the genre will appreciate. If only the story lived up to the same standard.

As far as transitions from 2D to 3D go, the new Super Meat Boy proves that this is not inherently an improvement. Although there is a decent variety of levels, its serious lack of depth perception results in gameplay where you struggle more with the controls than with the level design itself. The bland visuals don’t help either.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire does an excellent job of translating 1920s and ’30s cartoon aesthetics into an old-school FPS. It fully embraces its noir setting, delivering clever one-liners, energetic jazz, and a well-written, humor-filled conspiracy to unravel. It’s held back somewhat by repetitive shooting and limited enemy variety, but all in all, it stands as a charming and stylish tribute to a bygone cartoon era.

There are myriad ways to customize the Miis and shape their lives through a variety of humorous situations. However, the game moves at a very slow pace, which proves to be its biggest drawback, as players are often left simply waiting for something to happen.

In the long line of so-called simulator games arrives Crime Simulator, another entry marred by repetition, questionable AI, and technical issues. While there’s some freedom in how missions can be approached, and a bit of fun in co-op, it ultimately delivers only the bare minimum expected of its premise.

Capcom’s unstoppable streak of excellent titles continues.This time, it succeeds in a sci-fi setting, delivering stunning visuals and a deeply personal story between Hugh and Diana. Their relationship feels natural, heartfelt, and genuinely funny in all the right moments. More importantly, Pragmata achieves something truly unique, by introducing a fresh gameplay mechanic in the third-person shooter genre, seamlessly combining shooting and real-time hacking in a way that feels both innovative and satisfying.