Latest articles by Abbie Stone
I'm obsessed with detective games, and I think these 9 prove that 2025 was the best year for the genre ever
CASE CLOSED It’s a real genre renaissance out there, chief.
I spent 2025 digging through all the word game roguelikes flooding Steam to see if any could capture Balatro’s magic—here are the highly scientific results
BAD-LATRO? Sweet spell of success?
Death Howl review: A brilliantly abrasive hybrid of deckbuilder and soulslike
RED CARDS One of 2025's most hateful games. Recommended!
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review: A fun revival that opts for solid fundamentals over innovation
RYU-LLY GOOD An imperfect but enjoyable 2D slash-‘em-up from the creators of Blasphemous.
Shadow Labyrinth review: Pac-Man is entertainingly miscast in this grimdark Metroidvania
WHACK-A-WAKKA An enjoyable adventure with a serious identity crisis.
Fight predatory capitalism with a yo-yo possessed by your aunt's spirit in this brilliantly bizarre metroidvania
STRING THEORY Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo feels like a long lost Nintendo game.
Monster Train 2 review: Roguelike deckbuilder heaven, and a worthy challenger to Slay the Spire and Balatro
FIRST CLASS Satan’s favourite deckbuilder makes another irresistible pitch for our souls.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows forgets to make learning history fun
SLOWGUN Boring someone to death is a form of assassination, I suppose.
Expelled! review: Inkle proves the Overboard structure can tell a more complex story without losing the malicious glee
Class Act Inkle once again makes being a monster magnificent.
Knights in Tight Spaces review: John Wick meets D&D in this brutal turn-based strategy roguelike
GOOD KNIGHT A solid sequel that flourishes the more you play, though repetitiveness might stop you wanting to.
You've got to try these 5 brilliant free roguelike deckbuilder game demos before Steam NextFest ends on March 3
TOP DECK Be a haunted house, play pinball billiards, and help a bird migrate with the power of spelling.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review: Flawed and overfamiliar, but still as joyously OTT and hilarious as ever
YARRKUZA Yakuza's first pirate spin-off doesn't quite find its sea legs.
The best part of this brilliant detective game is going back to a time when searching the internet was a huge pain... uh, for different reasons than it is now
PINING The Roottrees are Dead is a retro journey through a mysterious family tree.
Nine Sols review: A masterful metroidvania that builds on Sekiro-style combat and tells a great sci-fi story too
SOLS-LIKE I've got a feline Sekiro fans just met their new favorite game.
Even without Hollow Knight: Silksong, these 10 games prove that 2024 might just be the best Metroidvania year ever
SUPERB METROID Who needs Silksong anyways?
Ballionaire review: Pachinko chaos and deckbuilding strategy collide in this short but sweet roguelike
ON THE BALL What do you get when you combine a tree, a piggy bank, a trampoline, and a pachinko board?
Void Sols: A beautiful 2D soulslike with enough bright ideas of its own to stand out
SHAPE UP A soulslike made of shapes.
Slitterhead review: Probably the only game this year with a blood minigun
BLEEDING TIME There will be blood.
In this brilliantly clever RPG, you have to learn to play Tetris wrong to survive
TETR-ACE Flowstone Saga is an inspired spin on the iconic puzzle formula.
Now that Silent Hill 2 is out, it's time for Konami to remake Silent Hill 4 next
HOME ALONE It's a flawed gem that richly deserves a second chance.
The Plucky Squire review: A delightful storybook adventure that literally leaps off the page
PLUCKY CHARMS This cute puzzle-platformer that goes brilliantly off-book.
Black Myth: Wukong would feel a lot more epic if it didn't keep faking scale so poorly
WALL ABOARD The Monkey King's realm is plagued with invisible walls.
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers review: A blackjack roguelike where you can shove any kind of card in your deck
RAW DEAL A clever new spin on deckbuilding, held back by some frustrating balance issues.
