Summer is approaching, which means the foul-smelling lakes are about to go dry. That's a problem because my growing population and industry are both guzzling quite a bit of clean water. It's a race to extract and store as much as possible in the next ten days. I decide to spend precious resources on a new pontoon and to take people away from rock extraction to staff it. I have the needed reservoirs, and I hope that no one will die of thirst during the summer. While my reservoirs fill up, I plan to do environmental impact analysis on everything on this map, to get a better idea of where I want to expand. Once I get more wood, I will also build another kitchen to make sure that everyone can eat something cooked and not vegetables straight from the earth. My expeditions are ranging further each time, trying to get other humans to join the city. We're currently facing an overpopulation issue, so they're hunting more for tablets and rare resources than for new citizens....

Ever since Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream was announced, I kept my eyes on it, for a very good reason. It brings that vibe of Gears Tactics, Desperados 3 and Shadow Gambit, with a great level design, impressive stealth and a lot of soul. In fact, the game's main premise is that you play a girl who is desperately trying to find her brother. But make no mistake, the game is anything but easy, and you'll have to use all the skills at your disposal to get past all kinds of challenges. The city of Eriksholm is downright stunning, and you get to experience it firsthand in a multitude of ways. You go through alleyways, roofs, inside buildings, and you're also completing all kinds of quests as well. Naturally, you can rotate the camera, get close to the action or enjoy a more hands-off perspective and the panoramic views of the city. Since Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is narrative-driven, a lot of focus is placed on the characters and eventually, you will get to control 3 of t...

The fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls saga might not be the best in the series, but it's the one that Bethesda decided to give it the remaster treatment. The new remastered version comes with modernized graphics on all platforms, and all the content preserved as it should (including some of the old exploits!). In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you take the role of an insignificant inmate who becomes the most important person in Cyrodiil, one of the bigger provinces of Tamriel, the continent on which all Elder Scrolls games take place. Imprisoned for an unknown crime, you're visited by Emperor Uriel Septim VII, who's fleeing from mysterious assassins after having killed his three known sons. Because the Emperor has seen you in his dreams, you get pardoned and follow the group into the sewers, an escape route that could save the ruler of the empire. This is the start of an adventure that takes around 50 hours, depending on the difficulty you choose and whether or...

GLUM by CinderCat Games is one of those titles that's very intriguing, especially when it comes to its premise. It's a first-person game where you play the role of a goblin whose focus is to complete various quests at various levels. But instead of having a weapon, you just have a powerful boot, which you can replace or improve as you play. What caught me by surprise (aside from the boot-focused combat) is the amount of platforming you have in GLUM. You can push your boot to the wall, and it will help you vault to high areas, and that can help you reach important spots that are vital for your game's progress. Plus, there are all kinds of collectibles such as gnomes that are hidden throughout the map. While I didn't find the platforming difficult, it does take a bit to get used to the game's physics. And speaking of physics, that's where GLUM shines. The combat system uses physics creatively, since you can use various items at your disposal and throw them using your...

"They don't make them like they used to", that's the first thing that came to my mind after playing Captain Blood. This is a game that was supposed to come out in the late 2000s, but in 2006-2008 it entered development hell due to legal troubles. Yet now, close to 2 decades later, we finally have Captain Blood, and it's actually quite an interesting, fun game. The visuals here are reminiscent of the Xbox 360 era, which makes sense, because that's when the game was supposed to come out in the first place. Having Captain Blood released in 2025 feels like an anomaly, but a pleasant one at that. It's a linear hack and slash game where you will be able to upgrade the main character and access all kinds of abilities. What I like the most about Captain Blood is that it works great with a controller, but it's also decent control-wise on a PC as well. Additionally, you truly feel like a pirate, even if the game does become very repetitive through its levels. Then again, it ...

The cop is flying down the street, moving as quickly as possible, using his dual pistols to mow down enemies. Unfortunately, ammo is running low, and that means he will soon have to drop those and pick up a worse option with more bullets. The city is dark and the only things that matter are the enemies running around and the walls a high-powered rifle can shoot through. I push past some parked cars into a square, activating the slow-motion special power. This makes it easy to eliminate three enemies with a shotgun, before switching to an Uzi to eliminate another that comes into view. Unfortunately, I fail to notice an enemy with a machine gun on the right and it's time to restart the level. Bullet Noir is developed and published by WOLCEN Studio. I played it on Steam, where the game is currently in Early Access. The video game delivers fast top-down shooter action set in a dark world filled with heavily armed thugs and exploding dogs. The action takes place in a w...

In an industry filled with bloated open worlds and overly complex systems, Blades of Fire arrives as a sharp and focused reminder that less can often be longer, as every part is crafted with precision. Developed by MercurySteam, known for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Metroid Dread, this new action-adventure game draws inspiration from titans like God of War, For Honor, and Dark Souls, while forging its own path through a unique setting and a smartly designed combat system. The game unfolds in a dark medieval fantasy world abandoned by its creators—the Forgers, divine beings who once blessed humanity with the knowledge of steel. Without their guidance, the kingdom of Argen has fallen into tyranny under Queen Nerea, who has turned all metal within her lands into stone. Only her personal guard retains usable weapons, making resistance nearly impossible. Enter Aran De Lira, a warrior of divine lineage, capable of traversing between the physical realm and the celes...

A survival game that delves in the Cthulhu mythos is something that a lot of people have been waiting for, and RailGods of Hysterra manages to finally bring such an idea to fruition. The idea here is that the Old Ones came back, they destroyed most of the human civilization, with only a few people getting to escape to the Dreamlands. After a while, you get back to Earth in an effort to defeat Cthulhu once and for all. Right off the bat, RailGods of Hysterra is quite different, because you have a plethora of maps that you can only access via your Cthulhu-infused train. Here's where you can store stuff, manage blueprints and create a safe base for you to come back to. But the bulk of the game takes place on various maps that you can access via the train. You can change the train's speed and stop only at various spots/stations you want. I particularly like this approach because you get to choose where to go. That being said, as you enter a map, it's a good idea to be ...

Ever since I was young, I have always loved the Command & Conquer games, especially the Red Alert series. But the reality is, we've spent a decade waiting for a new C&C game and it never came. Tempest Rising from Slipgate Ironworks tries to bring us that amazing, fun gameplay with a very intricate, unique story, and one that feels very familiar. There are 2 main factions here, the GDF games place of the C&C GDI, and then we have the Tempest, which feel like the Tiberium counterpart. Each faction felt unique in its own right, since they come with their own unique approach to buildings and enemies. I enjoyed both campaigns because while we can fight as one of the two factions against the enemy, there's also a tertiary enemy coming in later on during the story. While Tempest Rising might not have the deepest strategy game story out there, I felt it was very functional, and it makes you care more about your faction. The fact that you have limits to how much you can bui...

The Beholder series has always been a very exciting and downright interesting one. It delivers exceptional political intrigue, while testing your ethics and morality at every turn. Although Beholder: Conductor offers a deviation from the original Beholder gameplay, it's just as interesting, and it shows the true innovation of these great developers. Of course, at its core, the game continues to focus on your decision-making, resource management and surveillance. What Beholder Conductor brings new to the table is the fact that it adds a fresh coat of paint when it comes to themes, narrative, which truly makes you feel like a train conductor. I am particularly fond of the story they are trying to tell, and the fact that you have so many choices to go through. The game does an excellent job at guiding you through the story and offering a multitude of quests. And while you try to uncover secrets spread all over the train while talking with passengers or staff, you also...