Supergiant don't miss, the game is stellar and while I slightly prefer Hades 1 combat (two dashes are more fun than a sprint) the game is almost entirely upgraded from Hades 1. The game loses points just for general unoriginality. Hades is the studios most clean game but it is also the least interesting and that trend continues here. Supergiant are amazing world builders and I was really looking forward to exploring a new world with unique gameplay but this isn't that. A great game lacking any major flaws besides the fact that its all been done before. Where other Supergiant games feel like they innovate and permutate on what games have done and what they have done, Hades 2 is disappointingly trite despite its undeniable quality. Brilliant, but conceptually disappointing.

Persona 3 Reload is a faithful remake to the original and absolutely succeeds in matching and surpassing the original in quality. The story and characters are the most emotionally driven that they've ever been and with the updated visuals and combat it works to make a very enjoyable and worthwhile game. Due to it being a remake, there are certain parts of the game that don't age particularly well, specifically Tartarus is an absolute slog that feels terrible to play through and ends up being generally unrewarding. A stellar game, held back slightly by some outdated aspects.

A more story and character focused entry, Talos Principle II succeeds in many facets of its design but ultimately fails in being a puzzle game. These are the worst puzzles of the Talos games and while new mechanics are constantly introduced, no properly fleshed out levels contain them. While I think there is a lot to like here such as the story, characters, graphics, setting and almost everything else, the game fails at being an engaging puzzle game. Despite this I enjoyed my time with this game very much, just not the puzzle aspects.

Regardless of how rough around the edges the game is (and those edges are rough) the message and style of the game fully succeed in creating a colourfully unique experience. The Artful Escape is, unsurprisingly, an art > game experience with limited gameplay which I am usually a fan of. However, when the barebones gameplay constitute so much of the runtime of an already short game, it left a sour taste in my mouth. For a game that centers around the idea that you need to be your own person and make what you want to make, the game is strictly linear in its storytelling and gameplay. In a game about making your own music, the game doesn't let you chose what to play most of the time which in my opinion, detracts from the overall message. Despite its flaws, The Artful Escape is a stylish, musically rich and charming game that succeeds at its goals and is well worth playing.

Atmospheric, dreamy and engaging. The combat really fails to be interesting though and your restrictive move-set but high health pool makes every fight a face-tank and spam situation. It feel very hard to lose most fights fairly (you have no i-frames meaning getting repeatedly hit by the same projectile is very possible) but most bosses are different enough (especially The Briar) that they are at least a little memorable. The post-game is great but the final boss-rush section bugged out for me and after trying every fix I could, I could not complete it. Enjoyable all around.