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By swapping the American town of Silent Hill for the Scottish island of St. Amelia, and third-person view for a first-person perspective, Townfall could easily have lost what makes Silent Hill feel like Silent Hill. Thankfully, that’s not the case. The foggy and oppressive atmosphere, creepy creatures, interesting environmental puzzles, story mysteries and little bits of information revealed along the way are all here. And it all comes together beautifully thanks to some great visuals and sound design. The main problem is really the gameplay. Sure, Silent Hill has never been about fast-paced, in-your-face combat, but the cat-and-mouse sections with the monsters quickly become pretty boring and repetitive. We wouldn’t be surprised if some players gave up on the game because of this. And that would be a shame, because the story and the way it all comes together in the end are definitely worth seeing through.

Garfield may not be in the same league as Mario or Astro Bot, but his take on 3D platforming is still quite respectable. Aimed primarily at younger players, Escape from Monday offers solid level design and around ten hours of content. The gameplay is accessible and keeps things moving thanks to the cat’s three special powers. However, the lack of sound effects, repetitive humor and boss fights hold the adventure back. Garfield won’t be winning any Game Awards, but younger players should have a lot of fun with this dreamy, food-filled adventure. And that’s what really matters.

Streets of Survival is clearly not the best beat ’em up out there, but it’s not the worst Walking Dead game we’ve had either (Overkill’s The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Destinies have already been there...). The pixel art works really well here, and the different levels follow the story arc of the second half of Season 8 quite closely. So both old-school gamers and fans of the TV series will feel right at home. That said, both groups will probably be frustrated by how limited the game feels, with a campaign that can be completed in just three hours, as well as the publisher’s greed, with a simple endless mode locked behind a DLC that costs almost as much as the base game.

With Onimusha Way of the Sword, Capcom could have easily messed things up, especially after leaving the franchise dormant for so long. But instead of turning it into an open-world game or a Soulslike, Capcom went back to basics and built the experience around what really matters: the sheer pleasure of wielding a sword. Sure, the writing is pretty standard, the open areas can be tedious, and some side content lacks variety, but all of that quickly becomes secondary once the combat kicks in. Chaining parries, landing a perfectly timed Issen, watching souls swirl around Miyamoto Musashi and taking down bosses that force you to master every mechanic is exactly what makes Onimusha feel special again. And then there’s Musashi, a charismatic, funny and slightly arrogant hero who gives the adventure plenty of personality. In short, Capcom absolutely nailed it.

By turning a relatively contained adventure into a much bigger game, Remedy took a real risk. Completely reinventing Control without losing what made it special was no easy task, but the Finnish studio pulled it off. The hand-to-hand combat is up there with the best in the genre, while exploration makes great use of supernatural movement, open and highly vertical environments, and gravity-bending mechanics. The story and atmosphere also stay true to the original and to Remedy’s unique style. There are a few technical hiccups during in-game cutscenes and some dated mechanics, but they’re easy to overlook. Remedy delivers an ambitious, bold sequel that takes the franchise to the next level.

With more distinct characters, a richer range of moves, more levels, and side modes that are both more varied and more demanding, Salsa Palombia avoids the dreaded “1.5 sequel” syndrome and fully earns its status as a proper follow-up. Sure, we would have loved to see a real story, or to revisit a world as captivating as the one from The Hidden World DLC. But those two missed opportunities don’t stop this new adventure from doing the platforming genre proud, even if it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel. Younger players and seasoned gamers alike will find challenges suited to their skill level, while the vibrant, colorful art direction, always tasteful, is sure to appeal to absolutely everyone.

At a time when games keep getting bigger, longer and more ambitious (and we love that too), Insomniac has chosen the opposite approach. No massive open world or endless side activities: Wolverine gets straight to the point, keeps the pace high, and simply delivers a great time. It’s not perfect, with some dated mechanics and underdeveloped stealth, but once you embrace its old-school philosophy, it’s hard not to enjoy the ride. Wolverine won’t reinvent the action or superhero genres, but it’s a confident, focused and satisfying adventure. And with GTA 6 around the corner, its shorter, more focused experience might be exactly what we need.

There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls, from Marvel’s history with Capcom to the huge expectations surrounding Arc System Works. And then there was the 4v4 concept: how do you fit eight characters on screen without overwhelming the player? Surprisingly, it works. Sharing a single health bar across the team makes the game approachable while leaving plenty of room to master your entire roster, a philosophy that fits Marvel perfectly. There are still some rough edges, especially with assists, screen readability and the relatively small 21-character launch roster. Solo content is also limited, although the Episodes are a pleasant surprise. But the important thing is that Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls is genuinely fun, and delivers what you want from a good fighting game. It’s not the new Marvel vs. Capcom, and that’s probably for the best.

A little less revolutionary than we might have imagined in our wildest dreams, The Blood of Dawnwalker is still a must-play for vampire fans and anyone who enjoyed The Witcher 3. It blends a fairly classic approach, especially in its visuals and open-world design, with some welcome ideas like its time-based structure and directional combat. But where it really shines is in what matters most for an RPG: its storytelling, exploration and meaningful player choices. The foundations of a great series are here, and we can’t wait to see where Coen’s journey takes him next, potentially across several games and centuries, all the way to the modern era.