Tier list of the best games across all genres

S and A tiers are well-worth tracking and wishlisting as they already look like quality games. A tier is already good while S is “best of the best”.

B tier has the potential to be good for fairly large audiences but I suspect a decently-sized portion of the gaming community will find issues with these titles.

C tier ended up disappointing after the initial impression but there is a glimmer of hope still.

D tier is for games that I can’t imagine will offer a significant draw to many players. Cult following is what they can hope for at most.

E tier failed to launch, presented other game-breaking issues or legal terms caused me to avoid the demo.

Filtering method

I briefly went through all the available demos, of which there were over 1700 at the time, according to the Steam filter count. The initial inspection involved hovering the mouse over the game’s store entry in order to determine whether the featured image, description or gameplay snippet would catch my attention.

This way, a total of 73 games stood out. Unfortunately, it was just not feasible to review them all quickly enough for readers to have enough time to check out the demos afterwards so I had to forego 10 games from the city builder genre, resulting in 63 reviews in total.

It is inevitable that I have missed some games that may appeal more to certain gamers but such is the compromise of going through a massive library in a short time span.

Each game was given up to an hour for impressions. Some of them disappointed enough for their time to be cut short, others made me want to play some more.

Games were then rated in the “Tier list of the best games across all genres”.

Navigation tips

Impressions about the each game can be found in their respective genres which you can reach from the table of contents. Alternatively, you can use Ctrl+F to search for impressions of specific games.

In the bottom right of the screen, you will find a black arrow pointing up, which is the “Back to the top” button if you wish to browse the Table of Contents or the tier list without scrolling for years.

You can also click on individual games in the tier list above to go straight to their review.

CRPG

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy (A) is a fantastic thing to try out if you are disappointed with the direction of Dragon Age after the first one.

While the game is obviously made on a lower budget, it features a story that is interesting enough to keep the player hooked and the NPC dialogue is more robust than the things we are used to today. I would even go as far as compare the dialogue bulk to that of Baldur’s Gate 3, although none of it is voiced.

This game comes from Atom RPG developers and it shows, as we already know they are highly inspired by the RPGs of old, the same ones that made us all love the genre in the first place.

Action RPG

Chronicles of Sagrea (B) caught me by surprise becuase it looks like a Soulslike, behaves like one and yet it isn’t one. Combat initially feels as clunky as Skyrim’s until you figure out how much more depth it has.

There is only one attack button and you weave combos by using movement keys to alter your attacks and utilize available combos, akin to fighting games.

Ironically, “Chronicles” of Sagrea has no story to speak of, at least not in this demo, and since it’s a one-man job that is scheduled for release in Q3 2024, it is unlikely there will be much storytelling. However, the combat system is rather fun and definitely something to build on.

If you are a fan of Blade of Darkness, you may want to keep a close eye on this game.

Steel Seed (A) is a game that is giving off heavy Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order vibes. Not only is the protagonist accompanied by a droid only she understands but the general combination of background music, combat and environments is also highly similar.

That said, it is a rather good game even if the combat controls feel somewhat clunky at times. Another aspect in which Steel Seed differs from Star Wars Jedi is a significant emphasis on platforming. It’s not to say Respawn’s series doesn’t have platforming, it’s just that Steel Seed has more.

It is an enjoyable experience and a highly recommended demo to check out.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (B) borrows many things from Soulslikes and yet doesn’t feel like one. For starters, it has a story that doesn’t depend on collecting post-it notes to make a tiny bit of sense.

On the other hand, it also has many inconsistencies, even in the demo. One moment, Nor, the protagonist, doesn’t know where she is and a minute later she makes a comment how undead aren’t supposed to be there. The supposedly endless army of undead took over a town but when you get there it is 3 enemies and a mini boss. A literal god tells the protagonist what it is, she attempts to kill it only to see she can’t and then threatens the being regardless. All of this happens in the first 20 minutes or so.

One thing that will rub people the wrong way immediately is the striking similarity with Forspoken. Nor has a god companion while the Forspoken protagonist has the magical bracelet to keep them company. From the dialogue seen in the demo, I firmly believe Flintlock’s is leagues ahead of that in Forspoken so don’t discount it too fast.

Controls feel fairly clunky and I didn’t manage to find a way to get rid of mouse acceleration, which is something that will iritate MKB users to no end but the game is playable with a controller so you might want to go for that option instead. Parrying feels weird because the block will work most of the time but the window to stagger an enemy is extremely short.

Overuse of camera panning, zooming in and out, as well as special effects is also present. If the game opted for “less is more” approach, it could be more enjoyable.

Despite all the notes above, Flintlock doesn’t feel like a bad game. However, all the positives it strives for often feel washed out by the meddling of corporate mentality, resulting in a mediocre experience overall.

The Land of the Magnates (A) has a pretty cool concept for the gameplay loop, revolving around the magical saz, a stringed instrument the protagonist is wielding. Bypassing obstacles, opening treasure chests and combat all depend on using the correct notes, of which there are three types, corresponding to left, middle and right mouse click.

Voice acting can be iffy at times, the story is serviceable and the art style is pretty good, making this a whole package even at this point when the game still has no release date.

Soulslikes

Enotria: The Last Song

Solid Soulslike (A) with a mix of crisp and clunky movements but it may not feel immediately familiar to the fans of the genre. Poise and general hit weight are upstaged by active abilities that come from wearing different masks and dealing enough damage to the enemies. It is a nice twist to the established formula but it may rub some players the wrong way. Additionally, the aforementioned clunky moves are seemingly random and counter intuitive for Souls fans who are used to quick and powerful attacks from sprint. This will likely throw many players off.

If you are looking for another Soulslike for comparison, Steelrising is probably the closest, although Enotria seems a little more difficult. Maybe it’s just the learning curve due to focus on abilities.

Descensus (C) reminded me of Achilles: Legends Untold at first glance, with the main difference being that Descensus attempted harder to emulate Souls series in an isometric view.

That’s a nice thing to strive for but the game falls flat in many of the aspects that make Souls games so good – attacks don’t seem to have weight, movement is rigid and floaty at the same time and enemy telegraphs are poorly executed. All these problems are significant but they are not something that can’t be fixed during the game’s lifespan. That said, the demo failed to keep me interested after the initial good impression.

Thunder Ronin (A) possibly has the most tangential connection to the Soulslike subgenre since it’s not an RPG by any means and the focus on parries rather than blocking and dodging makes Sekiro a better comparison than the mainline series.

Just like the Steam page for Thunder Ronin says, it is a boss rush game and you just go into different rooms to face off with them. Dodging is certainly a useful ability in this game but parrying enemies yields much more success. For example, simply dodging daggers leaves them stuck in the ground like non-explosive landmines that go off when you are near them. On the other hand, if you deflect, the daggers will disappear.

Meanwhile, the lack of animation canceling and enemies’ telegraphing being minimal while chaining attacks quickly leads to tedious trial and error type of learning curve rather than giving the player a chance to react on the go. Overall, Thunder Ronin is still a highly recommmended challenging game where succeeding gives a sense of pride and accomplishment. No 600K downvotes on Reddit required.

Roguelites

Sworn (A) is a highly engaging isometric roguelite with a charming art style and pretty standard things for the genre. You can choose between 4 characters who sport different weapons and abilities, all of which can be upgraded in different ways both permanently and temporarily. Boss fights are quite creative and while the game pace may start off slow, you will soon find yourself in bullet hell scenarios that never stops being thrilling, should you come out on top.

Odinfall (A) is another roguelite on the list. You will see many of them, not through my own preference but because each SNF features a ton.

In any case, Odinfall is pretty good – retro pixel graphics in top down perspective, high octane action, upgrades galore and an awesome soundtrack, the game has it all. As a cherry on top, it has an unusually intriguing writing for a seemingly small game. Without being on the nose, the game introduces you to a plot twist at the very beginning and you unleashing rampage on enemies becomes very fitting. There are multiple characters to choose from but most of them will only be available in the full game. Playable with both controller and MKB inputs, I would highly suggest the latter due to better accuracy.

Odinfall’s music is great and fits the setting perfectly.

The Carnival of Company (B) is a sidescrolling roguelite which offers basics that are quite easy to pick up on even if the controls might seem a little off in the beginning. Meat and potatoes of the gameplay loop is the parry system which has the player using both left and right clicks, depending on the type of attack coming their way. Left and right clicks are also their attack buttons.

While the gameplay loop carries this roguelite, the upgrades you pick up along the way aren’t all that exciting which begs the question of why the game had to be shoehorned into this particular subgenre.

Animations, assets and music have that charming symbiosis that old school browser games pioneered which is a double-edged sword. While it’s endearing, it is also going to push some players back if the low budget production irks them.

Wizard of Legend 2 (S) is a brutal roguelike with a fantastic art style, background music, voice acting and sublime gameplay. When you add the fact that “brutal” is not necessarily bad, you get a near perfect game.

This is one of those situations where a game is really easy to pick up and really hard to master, which will result in a journey of self-growth that will leave everyone happy, frustrated or both. Just keep in mind that the game’s movements and combat are crisp and precise so the frustration really stems from one’s own lack of skill. I know mine did and I know it feels great when you overcome those obstacles.

Easily one of the best demos in the Steam Next Fest edition.

Hell Survivors (A) is a roguelite where the stakes just keep rising as the hordes of hell descend upon your character. Leveling up is quick, however, which promptly results in you turning from a guy with a peashooter into an absolute killing machine that ploughs through demons as if they were made of butter.

There is a large arsenal players can unlock as well as multiple characters with different upgrade paths and stats, giving this bag of mayhem an evergreen status as no two runs feel the same.

Sidescrollers

Ceplion (B) has its charms such as the beautiful art style and interesting combat mechanics but it may not be to everyone’s taste. The game mixes modern way of talking with a medieval fantasy setting which always rubs me the wrong way and there is a surprising amount of empty walking for a sidescroller.

As the environments get more complex and you gain new tools, the game becomes much more amusing. There is a lot to be liked about this game, provided the shortcomings don’t alienate you beforehand.

The Light of the Darkness: Origins (B) is showing some promise as a metroidvania but the movements feel rather rigid which impedes the enjoyment factor. All the best titles in the genre have fluid gameplay so missing out on that aspect is usually a grave mistake.

However, the game has an interesting setting as well as atmosphere which could cause it to win a few hearts over even if they were disillusioned by gameplay. The game can potentially be good but the state it was in during SNF June 2024 is not there yet.

Metal Suits (S) is sporting a badass soundtrack, highly dynamic gameplay thanks to the suit interchange system and beautiful pixelated art style. This game is pretty much everything you could ask of a sidescrollers.

At times, it reminded me of Metal Slug but “Metal Slug on steroids with platforming” would be a more accurate description. The maps are also populated with a ton of destructibles, many of which are explosive.

In essence, you will hack, slash, punch, shoot and blow up your way through aliens who will do their best to stop your relentless onslaught. Highly recommended.

Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn (E) is a demo I was really looking forward to but unfortunately, it is only available in Asia, excluding Japan.

Blade Chimera (B) is an action sidescroller with a beautiful art style that looks a bit like Metal Gear Solid, although pixelated and hunting demons instead of political conspiracies.

Unfortunately, the control scheme is a bit weird and doesn’t allow for precision shooting so if enemies are on a diagonal axis in comparison to the protagonist, you will have no choice but to move while shooting. There are things to be liked about this game like the music, art style and overall feeling and some that will undoubtedly alienate players like the aforementioned control issues and boss fights that get repetitive quickly due to a limited move set.

Ghost Knight: A Dark Tale (A) is a macabre sidescroller that offers a fair tutorial and then immediately throws the players into the thick of it. There is no hand holding, it is straight to the fun part.

Art style and music are spot on and while challenging, the mechanics of the game are quite intuitive which leads to immediate dopamine hits and satisfaction. This one has been a long time in the making and I, for one, can’t wait to see the full product.

Fighting and Beat ’em Up

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra (A) is a classic beat ’em up that you would expect to find on an arcade machine back in the day. The game plays all the right notes with a wide roster of characters you can play, a significant variation of enemies and environmental hazards as well as powerups.

It does well everything a brawler can offer and it’s definitely a game worth looking into.

Night Slashers: Remake (C) disappointed after the initial impression mainly because the lack of depth in the combat systems. While the cel shaded art style looks pretty cool, there is just no enjoying a game that’s all about the gameplay loop that consists of one attack button and cheesing the enemies with vertical movements.

Cats

Cat Quest 3 (S) is a charming action RPG where you are a cat pirate looking for lost treasure. It is light-hearted and so overwhelmed with cat and pirate puns that one might think it’s developed by a conglomerate of dads. The game is not particularly difficult and it’s an overall pleasant experience if you are looking to chill out, which is kind of the reason for the existence of video games.

Besides the ground adventures, you can also sail the ship between islands and engage in rather exciting naval combat. Huh, maybe this AAAA game should cost $70 instead of $20.

As the name suggests, it is the third entry in the series with both previous games achieving Overwhelmingly Positive review rating on Steam. I have a strong feeling the third one will continue the tradition.

Only Way is Down (B) has a heartbreaking opening sequence and gives the player a ton of motivation to get through the game. That’s exactly what will be needed to go through some of its drawbacks though as this cat is clumsier than any I’ve ever seen. It will ragdoll after the tiniest opportunity to do so.

That’s not all either, this cat will die from a one-story fall, sometimes even less. I’ve seen a cat at a veterinary clinic that fell 8 stories. The damage? One broken claw.

Despite those drawbacks, there is something heartwarming about helping a kitty find its way back home after waking up on top of a skyscraper under construction.

Horror

Hollowbody (S) is a love letter to PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era atmospheric classics such as Resident Evil and Dino Crisis. Even though it is a solo dev project, the game absolutely nails the old school feeling, creative ways devs came up with to overcome the technological limits of the time and most importantly – the atmosphere.

This particular game takes place in a cyberpunk setting which is a great fit since it already conveys the extreme feeling of loneliness, as do the aforementioned classics. Some horror elements are present and even though not much is happening every second of Mica’s journey, it is never boring, courtesy of the atmospheric experience that gave us minor heart attacks back when we were children.

Survival

Survival games are usually very addictive if they are following the formula correctly and Once Human (S) did an exceptional job. It is the reason why I ended up playing it for almost two and a half hours, despite being on a strict schedule to check out all the demos.

Anyway, the game starts off with a confusing story exposition and expects the player to know the weird terms it throws at them but it picks up the pace rather quickly.

Gameplay can get slightly janky at times, which is better than most survival games and the crafting is fairly fluid so you always have something else to look forward to. Enemies weren’t challenging but I did play on a PvE server so the dynamic is likely better when every other player on the map is a potential threat.

Once Human is an overall enjoyable experience and easily one of the best demos from Steam Next Fest June 2024.

Duckside (C), on the other hand, failed to grip me in any way. The game is obviously attempting to get some funny shock value through the use of ducks instead of humans but all the assets on the map were obviously created for and by humanoids.

While the absurdity of the situation can be something fun to joke around and eventually lead people to be interested in the game, it is gameplay that is rather lacking. The game doesn’t waste much time on having you build a base barehanded while other ducks are running around with automatic rifles and the brief tutorial explicitly tells you to build a weapon first.

However, I only managed to find one other duck to have a fight with and the rest of my time in the game was spent wandering aimlessly around the map that doesn’t have anything interesting to offer either.

It’s possible the game will see more players which could make it more interesting with full release but there is a serious risk of Duckside being dead on arrival if the crowd doesn’t flock to it.

BUS: Bro U Survived (C) is a cutesy survival game that needs more polishing and a substitute for the current voice acting. A chill game is not what one might expect in the survival genre and this is a great selling point for BUS. It doesn’t take itself seriously and some decent humor pops up from time to time while you are whacking the caricaturized zombies across the face.

This game is best enjoyed with friends who would crank up the fun of the zombie apocalypse to 11 and it definitely looks like the game was primarily made for co-op as it becomes fairly tedious when playing solo.

ASKA (A) is a slow burn as the crafting system is very elaborate. To build a simple fire, you need stones, sticks, firewood and resin. Is that bad? Absolutely not. After all, depth and intricacy is what gives those sweet dopamine hits in survival games when you manage to put something cool together.

That was just the example of the most basic thing you can build, other than stone tools and weapons and ASKA offers the ability to build entire settlements and manage villagers who are in your employ. Combat is fairly well executed and while I was talking about all this, it occured to me that the game reminds me of Conan Exiles, a lot.

It is a highly enjoyable survival title, especially if you are more inclined to appreciate crafting over the other parts of the game.

The Alters (E) may or may not be a survival game. I don’t know because I couldn’t play the demo. The reason is a shader requirement that is not met by my GPU, AMD RX 5700 XT.

Crashlands 2 (B) is a vibrant and cute survival game that is trying a bit too hard to be funny. Some players might like it but I found it tiresome rather quickly.

Crafting is pretty intuitive and the game is 2D so the requirements for it are a potato and two wires running through it. In other words, if you want to relax and unwind, this is a great game to do it with. However, I felt somewhat bored on multiple occasions during my time with the demo so I can’t escape the feeling a significant chunk of other players will feel this way as well.

Strategy and tactics

One would think that the turn-based Metal Slug Tactics (S) would be a hand brake on the frantic pace of the sidescroller series but the difference is really not that big. In fact, the game actively encourages as much movement as possible during combat even if you get the feeling that a nearby position offers better cover.

It is somehwat unique in this aspect. Imagine if XCOM’s dash offered flat damage reduction instead of a small hit chance change and then you got to shoot on top of that. This approach to combat utilizes the fairly small maps in Metal Slug Tactics much better and since there is no RNG when it comes to hit chance, it is best to sprint your heart out and blow up enemies on the go. It also keeps things fresh as you level up your characters and get new ways to solve those combat puzzles.

I saw Tactical Breach Wizards (S) showcase a few years ago and thought it was some random idea people had when they were high but the aptly named Suspicious Developments proved me extremely wrong by the time June 2024 SNF rolled out.

Just as you might expect from a game about special forces wizards, witches and necromancers, TBW doesn’t take itself too seriously. In spite of that, the game presented the most interesting story of all the demos I tried out during the week. While the dialogue is filled to the brim with quips, a lot of it is genuinely funny.

Without fancy voice acting or high end graphics, the game still managed to grip me tightly enough that it remained one of the few installed demos after I tried it out. Gameplay consists of breaching handcrafted rooms filled with bad guys and dispatching them in a creative manner in an attempt to get to the most dangerous tactical wizard of them all, the one that transcends time. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Shooter

Shell Runner (A) is a cyberpunk PvE extraction game. It employs top down perspective, fairly good background soundtrack and intriguing action that walks the fine line between tactical gameplay and bullet hell madness. It is good from the get go and only gets better the more options you get from gearing up your shells.

As far as premises go, it is rather simple – you pick up a mission from the computer, choose your loadout and go mop up the floor with the enemies. There is elegance in such a simplistic approach that doesn’t really get old as that cyberpunk power fantasy just keeps drawing you further in. If poly graphics are not a turn off for you, the game promises many hours of fun.

Moon Mystery (A) has satisfying gunplay going for it and the game seems to be heavily driven by narrative as the protagonist attempts to get out of a time loop or recurring nightmare. It’s a mystery what ails Sam and it’s quite intriguing trying to figure it out. On the gunplay side of things, it is fairly similar to Destiny 2 and you can even live the shotgun ape fantasy by sliding into enemies before filling them with buckshot.

Some of the negatives include quite obvious exposition dumps from the protagonist and possible performance issues but there is a ton of graphics settings to mess with to make it better. In my case, I just tuned overall settings down to medium to save time and it was all silky smooth once again.

You know how parkour is all about efficiency and free running is about doing it as stylishly as possible? I Am Your Beast (S) is both parkour and free running of shooters. The game literally grade you for going through missions based on both efficiency and style in high octane shootouts from start to finish.

While the graphics may hint at low budget production, the art style more than makes up for it. And presentation, well, is my favorite part in the whole thing. Exposition is cleverly obfuscated in dialogue that is as snappy as the game’s action but the protagonist goes through it with a trained killer’s calm with a hint of disappointment because he wasn’t left alone.

If it reminds you of John Wick, you are not far off. A couple of jiu jitsu moves are all I Am Your Beast needs to complete the set but it does have actual parkour to compensate.

The Desolation (C) is a shooter with the weirdest perspective I’ve seen since PS1. Back then, some of the games had to use this perspective to compensate for the lack of controls for the Y axis but at this day and age, using such a limited aiming angle is just a hindrance for the game.

Other than that, this looter shooter attempts to emulate Destiny and Anthem but the looting system is fairly unexciting which leaves a lot to be desired.

Ultimate Zombie Defense 2 (A) is a really solid zombie shooter. Just like in the Call of Duty Zombies, players are facing waves and have time in between rounds to rearm themselves, purchase perks and build defenses. Some might be thrown off by the difficulty spike when the special zombies kick in but I feel like that’s an obstacle that will be quickly surmounted as people learn the game after full release.

Players can hop into matches that have already started which practically means you will at least get random players to join the zombie defense so you don’t have to go at it alone.

It’s a really fun shooter, even if it’s not the peak of the digital art world.

I wasn’t sure whether to put Skopje 83 (B) into shooters or roguelites because the game is both of those. In fact, the best description of the game is “Slavic Borderlands Roguelite”.

There is some promise in the game’s mechanics, narrative and art style as they all show signs of competent execution but it is still early in development, at least if the demo is any indication of the current progress rather than being a very old build. Enemies were casually walking through walls and animations are still pretty rigid but here is to hoping that the full release will be rid of these issues.

Kill Knight (A) is a challenging isometric shooter that requires a lot of knowledge. The good part is that the game is fun from the get-go and only gets better as you get more comfortable with weaving all the fancy attacks into one another. Slash the demons to get heavy weapon ammo, use the heavy weapon to charge up a powerful attack that can heal you, shoot everything in between and so on.

Some players may find issue with the art style which is deliberately “glitchy” but since we’re talking about hordes of demons and literal hell in a somewhat sci-fi setting, it is actually on-brand.

Zombie Raid: No One Survives (A) is an isometric zombie survival with drop-in, drop-out co-op. The game features fantastic sound design that really carries the atmosphere, even though graphics are nothing to scoff at either.

Between waves of zombies, players are prompted to pick up weapons and gear around the area, some of which is dropped further away from the survivors’ zone and can be around zombies even if they aren’t actively attacking. This increases the depth of the game as you have to constantly think tactically on top of being a crack shot if you are to survive.

With an amazingly rich arsenal of weapons, no two rounds of zombie onslaught will be the same. Oh, and if mere zombies are not enough to pump dopamine, you may want to join 4v4 PvP matches. If that’s not enough, the full game will have a ton more game modes to fit your fancy.

Evil V Evil (A) is janky but highly entertaining. The player takes on the role of a daywalking vampire so they are basically Blade, except there is an order of them and not just one guy.

Vampire powers and high octane combat really sell the vampire power fantasy and wiping the floor with enemies never gets boring in this game. On top of that, the full game will feature multiplayer so you can do it with friends.

Voice acting is fishy at times but at least the setting includes ancient vampires which could explain the odd speech patterns.

Iron Meat (A) is a sidescrolling shooter akin to Contra series with a setting that is awfully similar to Doom series. Even the player character looks a lot like Doomguy and the Earth is being attacked by hordes that closely resemble the forces of Hell, although these were just man-made horrors beyond my comprehension.

With a wide variety of power-up weapons available, creative boss fights and a bitching soundtrack, this game promises a great time to anyone who gives it a whirl.

Blazing Trail (E) demo sadly wasn’t available when I tried to download it. At lest check out the trailer below as the game shows a whole lot of retro promise.

Intravenous 2 (S) is more of a tactical stealth action game rather than a straight up shooter, although that option is not forbidden, at least not in every mission. In the demo, stealth was optional in the first one so guess how that turned out.

Anyway, the game features immensely deep mechanics with each weapon having a stack of stats, just like the plethora of mods for it. The player has countless options to remain stealthy but you do need some knowledge to successfully pull it off.

It is one of those demos that took a disproportionately large chunk of my time because it just sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. Absolutely recommended.

Ash & Adam’s Gobsmacked (A) is a fantastic roguelike shooter where you, a goblin, go into an arena, wreck every enemy and accessory in the place, grab all the gold and proceed to the next one.

The game’s quick pace is accompanied by background music that is a perfect fit for the tempo and it shifts quite often, to accommodate whatever you are presented on the screen. Sometimes it’s combat, sometimes it’s a gold shower. Coins, not liquid.

Level Zero: Extraction (E) would load up the opening cutscene and then crash and I couldn’t get it to work after multiple attempts.

Platformers

Fading Skies (S) is best described in three words – whimsical eye candy. It is the first thing that makes an impression and it never fades away throughout the adventure but we shouldn’t discount the rest of the game because of that.

It is a competent platformer in 3D that reminds of some PlayStation classics such as Jak & Dexter or Spyro the Dragon. Such games are fairly rare today but some have seen resurgence with recent remakes and the occasional new entry. However, Fading Skies is a completely new franchise in the market that seems to have a future almost as bright as its environments.

Technically a platformer since you’re supposed to jump on things, Supermoves (E) kept crashing on startup so I didn’t get the to live the Michael Scott fantasy.

Akimbot (S) has both platforming in 3D as well as action so it was a 50/50 whether I would place it in platformers or shooters. The thing is, the game does both very well.

Gunplay may not be to Destiny 2 standard but it is not supposed to be either. Akimbot is a lighthearted, playful adventure with a heavy Crash Bandicoot vibe. While the game’s attempts at humor may not always land, the relentless Claptrap-like banter actually fits the setting.

Want a game to make you feel good while relaxing? Look no further.

Racing

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown (E) is a hotly anticipated game whose demo I eventually decided to avoid. The reason for that is found in the demo’s EULA which sounds a whole lot like a non-disparagement clause. Having checked out other people’s thoughts on the title, there is a lot to be criticized and regardless of whether Nacon is willing to enforce the clause or not, I would rather steer clear of this 45GB demo.

To be fair to Nacon, I did review their games in the past and some received significant criticism with no issues coming from the company afterwards. However, the line on the image above rubbed me the wrong way and due to the sheer number of the demos in this article, I couldn’t afford to waste time on legal nuances.

Parcel Corps (S) has you delivering parcels, just like the name suggests. So basically, it is like Death Stranding but it’s fun.

In this game, you are a bike courier and the game does its best to relay the experience in the most hilarious way possible. After a brief tutorial, you are thrown into the open world to complete the deliveries and should you get knocked off the bicycle, you do the only reasonable thing there is – pull another bike out of your backpack.

Instead of worrying about tripping on a small rock, you are wall riding, bunny hopping and grinding rails on your way to the delivery point. With art style to match the lighthearted nature of the game, it promises great times for anyone who gives it a shot.

Victory Heat Rally (S) hits me like the way we remember racing games in the arcades – beautiful, pixelated, over the top and fair. The twist is that Victory Heat Rally is not designed to eat your quarters so this game is genuinely a great time.

Racing tracks are curvy and demand constant drifting which has its own subset of mechanics. The better you drift, the faster you will be due to the boost you get outside the curve. Hitting an opponent while drifting will boot them outside the track and force a restart.

So yeah, the game has one more thing going for it in comparison to its arcade predecessors – the systems are fairly deep instead of relying on cheesing.

Aero GPX (A) is a frantic racing game with 30 racers on the track for maximum mayhem. The game features powerups and racing combat so you will never be bored, regardless of which place you are currently in.

While the demo has only the singleplayer mode, the full game will feature shared screen PvP which is undoubtedly going to be a blast for a group of friends, provided you have enough controllers around and a screen big enough to show the magnificence of the action for everyone.

Colin McRae Rally 2.0… I mean, Old School Rally (S) is beautiful love letter to the late ’90s rally classics. A solo dev going by Frozen Lake Games wasn’t satisfied with merely giving us the feeling of an old school rally game during gameplay but they went for the full package with a main menu that will invoke the nostalgia of the PS1 age.

All the great rally cars from the era have been recreated although they are not licensed so you will notice slight differences in appearance as well as their names. That said, there is no mistaking the overall appearance of the classics such as Toyota Celica GT-Four, Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.

Are you missing podracing from Star Wars? If so, Deathgrip (A) is exactly the thing you need.

It is not only a racing game either – you will be shooting the opposing racers and they will reciprocate. This system is not superficial as it brings along subsystems such as repairing the damage to your racer at the expense of speed, learning to use lock-on features to shoot enemies efficiently and deploy countermeasures when they are on your tail.

There is also the afterburner which increases your speed but if you overheat, will need to do some repairs on the fly but while all that is unfolding, you also need to keep an eye out for shortcuts and tight passages on the track to properly line up the thrusters so you don’t crash.

Deathgrip may draw inspiration from podracing but it brings both original ideas to the table as well as new spins on the existing ones.

Sports

Rapid Soccer (A) is a less-than-serious football game but unlike the serious “leaders” leaders FIFA (EA FC) and eFootball, this one focuses on creating a fun experience instead of a cash gobbling machine.

Multiplayer features up to 8 players which should be great fun for groups of friends, be it locally or online.

While Rapid Soccer doesn’t have all the fancy licenses EA FC and eFootball do, its knockoff clubs and names are immediately recognizable.

Full Court Heroes (S) is everything you could ask of a retro basketball game. It has great mechanics, beautiful art style and a wonderful set of ’90s NBA team knockoffs.

Initially, the game may seem intimidating due to the sheer number of controls for offense and defense but it all starts clicking in naturally over the course of the first match.

Perhaps the best of all, the game features local multiplayer and even mods so those aforementioned knockoff teams may actually properly reflect real ones at some point in the future. If all that weren’t enough, you can enable a “CRT effect” to emulate the good ol’ displays before the flat screen era.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find a trailer for the game but there is a series of Devlogs with the latest one embedded below.

SuperSpec RallyCross (A) is a cutesy rally game from an isometric perspective that puts a different kind of twist to the winning formula.

Simply finishing first is not enough as players also have to take the Joker Lap once per race in order to secure additional points. Taking it twice, however, will result in a penalty. As a result, you get small and contained but still wild races that can be enjoyed in local multiplayer as well.

Additionally, the art style is reminiscent of Micro Machines V4 which is always a nice nostalgia boost.

I classified War of Wheels (A) as “racing” but the more accurate description would be medieval Batmobile annihilation. Everyone gets one, it has multiple weapons and wrecking the opponent is always the best choice.

While the demo is limited, the full game will feature a campaign as well as vehicle customization that allows you to swap out weapons on your wheeled death machine.

Steering feels a bit laggy but at this time, it is unclear whether this was intentional to balance some things out or if it’s because the system is a work in progress. After all, the demo is just a slice of the unfinished product. Still highly enjoyable.

Viva Veloce (B) has that top-down charm of the retro racing games and the cars handle differently but still nicely. That said, the control scheme on the keyboard is a bit weird and takes getting used to but it’s not hard to grasp.

While it’s fairly easy to get into the controls, mastering the game will be quite difficult due to the breakneck speeds and precision handling that are required to finish even the most basic time trial races.

There are many things to like about Viva Veloce but the potentially steep learning curve might throw some players off.

Other genres

Pinball Spire (S) ask the question of what would happen if you put more exciting objectives into classic pinball and then added a new table every so often? It then gives the perfect answer – from the beautiful pixelated art style, over fantastic soundtrack to deliciously thought-out gameplay, Pinball Spire does it all very well.

Essentially, you are a going through different pinball tables and solving each table’s objective so you can progress to the next one. Additionally, the tables don’t always have the rectangular shape as more creative ones pop up. Each of them has “enemies” that the ball will temporarily disable on contact and provide you with manage to charge up abilities such as slow motion, fireball and probably more, once the full game arrives.

Do not miss out on this original and, frankly, beautiful idea.

Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess (A) is an homage to the Strike series that regaled gamers in the ’90s and early 2000s and it’s all about an attack helicopter that pulls of incredibly difficult missions.

In Megacopter, it is not about world conflicts but an alien invasion and the players take the role of a ruthless pilot called Jack Copter.

Unlike the Strike series, Megacopter feels lighter when it comes to controlling the rotorcraft but the general feeling when shooting ground and air targets remains the same, just like the perspective.

If you were itching for more Strike games, Megacopter is your next stop.

Disco Samurai (C) caught my eye as a rhythm action game in a cyberpunk setting sounded fantastic but it disappointed after that. I usually don’t have any problems following the rhythm in such games but in this one, I kept missing the beats.

Maybe it’s because the action is not intuitive and seems like it requires the player to land as many hits after a parry but that is not the case. It definitely appears like the game would rather have you hit the enemy once if you want to stay on beat rather than twice before they recover. On top of that, the enemies will float across the map to hit you if you don’t land a parry or dodge which renders combat movement useless.

In the end, playing the game the “correct” way didn’t feel satisfying and doing it the “wrong” way was just plain bad.

Unrated (City Builders)

Unfortunately, I can not extend the day’s duration at a whim so I had to make some compromises by not reviewing certain games I would otherwise check out. The entire City Builder genre got axed as I just did not have time for 73 quick reviews in the span of five days or so but that doesn’t mean there is nothing worth mentioning there.

A total of 10 games caught my eye so make sure you check them out if you are into City Builders.

• Zephon
• Endzone 2
• Hollywood Animal
• Kaiserpunk
• Drill Core (kind of city builder)
• Airborne Empire
• Republic of Pirates
• Chocolate Factory
• Citadelum
• Railroad Corporation 2