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.

Surreal push-your-luck roguelite is greed distilled into a game loop. The trinket synergies give it roguelite texture beneath the gambling compulsion, and the lo-fi surrealist aesthetic earns its weirdness. Early access and lean on content, but the foundation is sharp. A promising little menace.

A port of a free Playdate game from osuika, now on Steam with cross-platform online multiplayer between the two versions. You slide office chairs at a target - physics-based, simple, immediately fun. The multiplayer works well and the high score mode has more pull than I care to admit. Cool little game, and the fact that it talks to a Playdate across platforms is hilarious.

Roguelike deckbuilder where you roll custom dice - each with unique and creative faces - and chase a point total. Balatro’s DNA is obvious, and the structure is clean enough. The loop never clicked quite for me; something in the feel had me admiring the concept more than enjoying the runs. Definitely worth a look for number-goes-up enjoyers.

An ambitious gacha mixing real-time combat, Satisfactory-like base-building, and a grab-bag of other systems and minigames. The factory sim and automation are what you’d expect (if simplified), the presentation genuinely impressive, but tutorial bloat and predatory pulls may test your patience… and your wallet.

Possessor(s) left me conflicted. Its art direction, soundtrack, and emotionally resonant story are all excellent, but the metroidvania fundamentals don’t always support them. Unclear maps, awkward traversal, and not-particularly-satisfying combat sequences weigh down an experience that otherwise shows a lot of care and ambition. Feels like had it had a bit more time, this could have been something great. Worth a look for fans of the genre (or studio) though!

Dispatch nails the Telltale-style revival with sharp writing, heartfelt characters, and standout voice acting. The combination of superhero satire and dispatch management is surprisingly compelling, with striking visuals and a soundtrack that lands every beat. The episodic format, I think, was smart - because you definitely have to be in the mood for a session of this type of game, so medium-sized bursts fits well. Won’t be for everyone, but a great addition to the genre.

Pocket Boss is a brisk, clever satire dressed up as data-fixing ‘puzzles’ (or probably more accurately WarioWare minigames). It’s short, funny, and sharply designed - over before it wears out its welcome at about 30-40min, but memorable in how it skewers corpo culture. Probably best played on phone.

Equal parts zen hike and slapstick disaster. The Foddian leg-by-leg controls click into a weirdly soothing flow, then betray you in spectacular fashion. Big, silly, oddly tender - more Death Stranding for clowns than rage game. Not really for me, but I laughed, swore, kept walking.

Borderlands 4 is a blast when you lock into the core loop - snappy gunplay, meaningful loot, big playgrounds. But the bombastic, quippy aesthetic and tone now read like a bit of a relic. You almost have to meet it halfway - tune out the dated swagger, focus on the systems - then you can find the fun. In any case, if you’re looking for a shooter to turn your brain off in, there’s a lot to like.