ZA/UM’s follow-up to Disco Elysium is an espionage RPG built from the same mechanical bones: isometric, dialogue-heavy, sharp and surreally written. There are things to like here: the exert and ailment systems, and some dramatic encounters. The new setting of Portofiro is more populous than Revachol, but I suspect fewer of its faces will stay with me. Despite the name, it doesn’t fully commit to being a spy game; it’s Disco in a trenchcoat, and the shadow of everything that happened at ZA/UM never really lifts. The art and writing are legitimately good - from any other studio, unambiguously so - certainly Anton Vill’s artwork is extraordinary. Strip away the context and it’s an uncontroversially good game - I just can’t tell how much of the distance I feel is the game falling short, and how much is conflicted grief for what could have been.

A cosy, clever puzzler with adorable art, quirky dialogue and just enough logic to feel satisfying. It’s short and can get repetitive, but, like Thomas Was Alone showed, personified shapes add immediate heart and charm. Hard to not like.

A wonderful addition to the deduction genre. Roottrees channels the spirit of Obra Dinn through a unique, research-heavy lens. Immersive, intricate, and deeply rewarding - few games so elegantly reward attention to detail. Must play for fans of the genre.

A solid follow-up with a “refined” UI (which I’m still not sure whether I like) and quality-of-life “improvements” (which I didn’t really feel necessary), atop weaker storytelling and puzzle design. The mystery unfolds a bit too predictably, and some puzzles feel like busywork rather than meaningful deduction. Still enjoyable, but an unfortunate step down.

PROXIMATE is a brilliant blend of cosmic horror, corporate satire and very clever gamedesign. The navigation mechanic ramps up the tension, complemented by sharp writing and immersive sound design. Short but impactful, it’s a funny, haunting experience that lingers.

Daniel Mullins impresses again with this LD55 Compo winner. A clever jury-packing mechanic, noir storyline, unique characters and a polished design, Voir Dire explores its potential over about 15 minutes. Definitely worth playing to the end!

New DLC for The Case of the Golden Idol has been released, which is a good opportunity to shout out what was one of the best, most slept on releases of 2022. It’s called The Lemurian Vampire and it I can’t wait to get stuck into it. And if you like detective games and haven’t played Golden Idol, what are you waiting for?

If you love FMVs or even just film, it’s cool. Extremely strange at first, but if you can stick with it, and it clicks with you, it’s pretty cool. Definitely not for everyone.

Decent follow-up to Her Story. Great production, but some of the magic is gone: it’s not as immersive and some of the writing is a struggle. That said, definitely play if you love FMV games.

Fun and creative little puzzle game with great art - perhaps shorter than some would like, but a cool game exploring its base concept nicely nonetheless.