ColonelMustard

BioShock Infinite delivers one of the most striking worlds I’ve ever explored in a video game. Columbia feels alive, vibrant, and unsettling all at once, hiding darker themes beneath its bright floating city aesthetic. The relationship between Booker and Elizabeth adds a surprising emotional depth to the journey. What really elevates the game is how its story slowly unfolds into something far more ambitious than it first appears. By the end, it leaves you with the rare feeling that you’ve experienced something genuinely unforgettable.

Portal is one of those rare games that feels like an entirely new genre on its own. The portal mechanic is so simple in concept yet endlessly clever in execution, turning every puzzle into a moment of pure realization. What’s remarkable is how the game constantly teaches you new ways to think about space, movement, and physics. On top of that, the writing and atmosphere are unexpectedly brilliant, giving the whole experience a unique personality. Few games have managed to reshape their genre so completely with such elegant design.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most impressive RPGs I’ve played in years. The sheer freedom it gives the player is astonishing: almost every situation can be approached in multiple ways, and the game constantly reacts to your choices. The writing and characters are fantastic, making every companion feel genuinely memorable. Combat is deep and rewarding, especially for players who enjoy experimenting with creative strategies. It’s the kind of RPG where every playthrough feels like a completely different adventure.

I’ve only spent a few hours with ARC Raiders so far, so this is very much an early impression, but the game has already blown me away. The atmosphere is fantastic, mixing a grounded sci-fi setting with moments of real tension during exploration and combat. The encounters with the machines feel unpredictable and genuinely thrilling, especially when playing with other people. What impressed me the most is how natural the gameplay loop already feels: scavenging, surviving, and making it back alive creates constant tension. If the rest of the game maintains this level of intensity and polish, ARC Raiders could easily become one of the standout multiplayer experiences of the past year.

I’ve only spent a few hours with Pokémon Pokopia so far, so this is very much a first impression, but the game has already left a fantastic impression on me. It feels like a genuinely fresh step for the series, with a world that is vibrant, full of personality, and surprisingly fun to explore. The mechanics are easy to pick up but already hint at deeper systems that could become very engaging over time. What really stands out is the sense of adventure and discovery that the game captures so well. If the rest of the experience maintains this level of charm and creativity, Pokopia could easily become one of my favorite Pokémon games.

Disco Elysium is one of the most extraordinary RPGs I’ve ever played. Instead of relying on combat or traditional progression systems, the game builds everything around dialogue, psychology, and player choice. The writing is simply phenomenal: sharp, philosophical, often hilarious, and constantly surprising. Every conversation feels meaningful, and the way the game turns your own thoughts into characters inside your head is pure genius. It’s not just a great RPG : it’s one of the most intelligent and daring narrative experiences the medium has produced.

Hollow Knight has beautiful art direction and an impressive world to explore (10/10 for that). However, the difficulty spikes and long backtracking sections often made the experience frustrating. The map system can also feel unnecessarily punishing. While the atmosphere is excellent, the gameplay sometimes feels overly demanding for the kind of exploration it encourages. A very polished game, but not one I fully enjoyed.

Death Stranding has a fascinating concept and a very distinctive atmosphere. Unfortunately, the core gameplay of delivering packages across long distances became tedious for me very quickly. The story is ambitious but often confusing and overly self-serious. While I admire the originality of the project, the experience felt more exhausting than enjoyable. A bold idea that didn’t quite translate into fun gameplay.

Breath of the Wild completely reinvented the Zelda formula, but I personally struggled with its structure. The open world is impressive but often feels empty, with many repetitive shrines and activities. Weapon durability becomes frustrating rather than interesting after a while. I admire the freedom the game offers, yet I missed the more focused dungeons of older Zelda titles. A bold experiment that didn’t fully work for me.

The Last of Us is often described as a masterpiece of storytelling, but I found it surprisingly conventional. The relationship between the characters is well written, yet the overall plot follows very familiar post-apocalyptic tropes. Gameplay also feels fairly standard for a third-person action game. It’s polished and cinematic, but I never felt the emotional impact many players describe. A good game, just not the masterpiece many claim it is. I prefered the series !

Deadly Premonition 2 is technically a mess with terrible performance and dated visuals. Many gameplay systems feel outdated or underdeveloped. However, the quirky humor and bizarre storytelling return in full force. The characters and tone remain completely unpredictable. Like the first game, it’s bad in many ways but too worse to be charming.

Deadly Premonition is one of the strangest games I’ve ever played. The controls are clunky, the combat is terrible, and the technical issues are constant. Yet somehow the bizarre characters, surreal dialogue, and unpredictable story make it oddly compelling. It feels like a low-budget Twin Peaks fever dream. A deeply flawed game that’s impossible to forget.

State of Decay offers an interesting mix of survival, base management, and zombie combat. Managing a community of survivors adds some tension and strategic decisions. However, the game can feel rough around the edges with technical issues and repetitive missions. The systems are interesting but not always well balanced. It’s enjoyable, but clearly imperfect.

Spiritfarer is a rather unique management game that explores themes rarely tackled in video games. Guiding characters toward the afterlife creates some very touching moments. I really enjoyed its cozy atmosphere and lovable characters. The gameplay can become somewhat repetitive over time. Still, it’s an emotionally powerful experience overall.

The Witness is built on a simple idea: learning to see the world differently in order to solve its puzzles. I really appreciated how the game teaches its rules without ever explaining them directly. Some puzzles can become quite frustrating though. It requires patience and careful observation. But the moments of realization are incredibly satisfying.

Papers, Please turns a bureaucratic task into a surprisingly engaging experience. Checking passports quickly becomes a real moral dilemma. I really appreciated how the game explores themes of power and responsibility. The deliberately repetitive gameplay won’t appeal to everyone but for me, it was one of my best game experience ever ! That minimalism is also what makes it so effective ans memorable.

Subnautica is a fascinating survival experience built around exploration. Discovering the depths of this alien ocean is both beautiful and terrifying. The game does a great job creating a sense of adventure and progression. A few technical issues can occasionally break immersion. Still, it remains a very memorable experience overall.

Return of the Obra Dinn offers a truly unique investigation. Reconstructing the fate of an entire crew purely through observation and deduction is a brilliant idea. I loved the satisfaction of slowly solving the ship’s mysteries. The difficulty can become quite demanding at times. But that’s also what makes the experience so rewarding.

Frostpunk is a very bleak city-builder that mainly revolves around the moral decisions you have to make to survive. The frozen atmosphere and constant pressure work really well. I especially enjoyed the difficult dilemmas the game throws at you. Once the scenarios are completed, replayability can feel a bit limited. Still, it remains a very memorable experience.

Katamari Damacy is delightfully absurd. Rolling a giant sticky ball that absorbs everything around it is a concept that’s both simple and strangely addictive. The art direction and soundtrack give the game a very strong identity. The controls and camera can feel a bit clunky at times. Still, its originality makes it a memorable experience.

Outer Wilds really impressed me with its sense of discovery. Everything relies on curiosity and understanding the world rather than traditional progression, which feels quite rare. Exploring this solar system and slowly piecing together the mystery is incredibly satisfying. At times, the lack of clear objectives can be a bit frustrating. Still, the overall experience is truly unique.

I was quite surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reception of Many Nights a Whisper. Personally, I found it rather dull and disappointingly shallow in its themes. The game revolves around a ritual where you train for a single decisive shot while deciding whether to grant people’s wishes, supposedly raising ethical dilemmas about responsibility and desire. In practice, however, the questions it asks felt extremely basic, almost caricatural, and never really pushed me to reflect in a meaningful way. The gameplay doesn’t help either : it’s very minimal, mostly repetitive practice with a slingshot leading to a short finale, and the whole experience is over very quickly. In the end, the game honestly feels more like a demo for an unfinished project than a complete experience. It touches on topics like trans identity, vegetarianism, and social expectations, but only in a very superficial way, never really committing to them or exploring them with any depth. For a game that seems to want to say something meaningful, it ends up playing things surprisingly safe.