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Here you can find game recommendations that I highly regard or you to try out. From big budget AAA games to small free Itch.io experiences, it's sure to have something for everyone! (This may be updated to go by genre in the future.)
(No links are affiliated with any company. All reviews and recommendations come from me and me alone.)
Last updated: October 23rd, 2024 (+2 Game(s) Added; 16 total!)
Persona 5
Developer: Atlus/SEGA
Released: October 31st, 2019 (JPN)
Platform: PS4
Crix Notes: Persona 5 is fantastic. Between the well-written story, lively environments, likeable characters, engaging battles, and astouding soundtrack, there is so much to love about this game that if I wrote it all out, it would probably require its own stand-alone page. The game can be decently challenging at times, but each challenge is met with a satisfactory reward in the form of a new ally, information, or new passage to keep you invested all the way! Overall, if you are a fan of the JRPG genre or want to have a game that you can not only relax playing but engage with on a personal level, this is a must for you!
While the original game is no longer being sold (being the version I personally prefer), you can buy the expanded version right now!
Cold Front
Developer: RachelDrawsThis
Released: August 3rd, 2022
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: Cold Front follows two lifelong friends as they're stuck sorting out how to figure out a harsh predicament they're trapped in. Using RPG Maker's 2.5D engine, this game has lovely calm music, a nice small amount of horror, and a fantastic art style! This personally hit me in all the right heartstrings, so if you're looking for a quick game under one hour that has a very lovable duo trapped within a tense yet delightful story, you should probably give it a try!
遅れた宿題 Late Homework
Developer: sodaraptor
Released: August 2024
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: Do you like classic PS1 horror? Do you enjoy the subtle nature of psychological horror? Well, 遅れた宿題 Late Homework this is a nice little game for you. The game perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the era. Its mix of visual effects, sound, lighting, and texture work makes it feel like a modernized PS1 game, while still keeping that classic feel. While the game is very short, it is very effective in what it sets out to accomplish. I cannot recommend this enough.
Do NOT Take This Cat Home
Developer: Pixeliminal
Released: October 29th, 2023
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: A visual novel horror game done RIGHT. Not only does this game have 40 endings, but every single one is more interesting than the last, each with its own twists and turns. The game follows you, your average shut in, finding a cat in an alleyway, and you're tasked with figuring out what to do with it. Between the soft colors, well thought out story paths, brilliant descriptive writing, and clever usage of the engine's limitations, Do NOT Take This Cat Home is a MUST play.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Developer: Steel Wool Studios/ScottGames
Released: May 28, 2019
Platform: PC/PCVR, PS4/PSVR, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Crix Notes: Five Nights at Freddy's is a series with no need for an introduction. Ever since the series blew up onto the scene back in 2014, a VR entry was inevitable, and, oh boy, it did not disappoint! Regardless of if you're a fan of the original games tetrology, the subsequent games afterwards, or even a new player coming in blind, there is something for everyone to love. Amazing models, horrifying environments, a secret story, and even numerous endings can all be experienced with the games, as well as the crazy jumpscares people have come to know the franchise for.
If you are a horror fan looking for something new to experience, give this game a try.
JR's
Developer: The JR's Team
Released: August 20th, 2022
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: JR's is a unique take on the Five Nights at Freddy's formula. While you are still stuck in one spot, the objective is slightly different, having you spend the night investigating the facility to spot paranormal activities within the animatronics. Overall, it's a well thought out and challenging game with drastically unique designs for Freddy's and the gang. Highly recommend!
Turn it Around
Developer: Taito Corporation/Majesco
Released: Aug 28, 2007
Platform: Nintendo DS
Crix Notes: Turn It Around is an fun little compilation of minigames that have a very charming arcade style to them. While the content is limited, it is super fun to not only play and challenge your friends, but it also makes clever usage of making the DS's bottom screen into a paddle controller, which is surprisingly responsive! Initial reviews of this game weren't great, and were extremely critical, but for a mind numbing little game to play, this really deserves a second look.
Used copies aren't much nowadays, and it's a game that is perfect through emulation (especially with a drawing tablet,) so there is no reason not to try this little hidden gem.
Katamari Demacy: Reroll
Developer: Monkeycraft, Co. Ltd./Bandai Namco
Released: Dec 6, 2018
Platform: PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One
Crix Notes: What is not to love about Katamari Demacy? The original game was fantastic with it's upbeat soundtrack and addicting gameplay, and now it's faithfully recreated in HD! This has to be one of the better remakes I have seen in some time. They took the PS2 original and made it better. Everything you loved from the original is retained in this remake, and it was awesome to reexperience such a legendary title from the 6th generation of consoles.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Developer: Nintendo EAD/Nintendo
Released: April 27, 2000
Platform: Nintendo 64
Crix Notes: The sister title to Ocarina of Time, this game was only developed in less than 2 years yet remains, in my opinion, the greatest Zelda game of all time. It took the groundwork from Ocarina of Time and perfected it, utilizing new ideas and mechanics such as the mask transformations and day and night cycle. This has one of the most advanced stories in the Zelda series to date, yet is often overshadowed by its older brother that came out a few years earlier. If you have yet to play this game, please give it a try. You will not regret it.
Buy no...oh. This game is way too expensive on the second hand market to recommend you to purchase.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios/Sora Ltd./Nintendo
Released: December 18th, 2018
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Crix Notes: Super Smash Bros. has become one of the most iconic game series of all time, and for great reason. It has managed to become more than just another fighting game, growing into a celebration of the entire gaming industry as a whole. This series has stood the test of time with its charming design and smooth gameplay. This entry in the series took that idea of a celebration and sent it to the moon, bringing back every character in series history, nearly every stage, and massively desired newcomers.
The speed and feel of the gameplay is quite fluid while managing to be not ridiculously fast, but not slow, allowing for anyone to really join the fight. Hands down, this is likely the best entry in the series, and may even remain that way for years to come.
Tetris
Developer: Nintendo R&D1/Nintendo
Released: June 14th, 1989
Platform: Gameboy
Crix Notes: Tetris. The perfect game. A game that has seen only a few improvements in nearly 35 years of life, but at its core, it has not changed. It's addicting, challenging, and calming. This game has seen me through so much of my life in allowing me to calm back when I had little to no coping skills in life. If you have not played Tetris yet in your life, change that.
This version specifically is my go-to, but feel free to choose any modern rendition.
Salamander Public County Televsion
Developer: Tinzone Games
Released: July 29th, 2022
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: Salamander Public County Television may look like an asset flip put out for a quick buck, but let me tell you, it's so much more than that... I'm known for liking strange games, but what happens when you take a bunch of minigames with online leaderboards, a crazy and inventive style, and a wacky mystery where an entire town's population? You get this game. It is a blast to play, funny as hell, and downright wacky to its core. With unique challenge's given each day for you to complete to fill the days content quota for your television station, you're bound to get a good laugh from this.
Betrayal at Club Low
Developer: Cosmo D
Released: September 9th, 2022
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: Put dice, pizza making, text-based RPGs, Weird Al, and strange assets in a blender. What do you get? If you answered a bad protein shake, yes... but you also get this game. Holy shit, this is a title that's hard to explain, but to put it simply, imagine D&D skill checks using customized dice with Fallout's response system combined with numerous endings and throwing all logic out the window; that's what this game is. You gotta think weird to play it.
Overall, this game sees you undergoing a secret sting operation as a pizza delivery man in order to rescue your colleague from the dire circumstances he happened to be placed in. With so many different endings, ways to play, and dice to customize, this is a surrealist experience you don't want to miss.
The Exit 8
Developer: KOTAKE CREATE
Released: November 29th, 2023
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: The Exit 8 is a very subtle horror game where you are tasked with escaping an endlessly looping subway hallway located in Japan by trying to spot differences in the environment around you in order to escape. It does horror by using subtle details to carry much of what it has to offer and manages to do so extremely effectively.
If you want a subtle horror experience that breaks away from established conventions of the horror genre and manages to make the experience its own, play this.
In Sound Mind
Developer: We Create Stuff/Modus
Released: September 28th, 2021
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: In Sound Mind is a very experimental psychological horror game that has a direct emphasis on the use of music, with the soundtrack made by The Living Tombstone, and audio formats to tell a tragic story of a therapist and his patients. Its horror is manifested in emotional distress to the player, which can bring a good feel of tension while playing the game, keeping you invested within it's story. Overall, it is a phenomenal game with an amazing story and in-depth characters, each one leaving you with a piece of knowledge and heart as you progress. If you're looking for a horror game that breaks conventions and presents you with a captivating, yet emotional narrative, then please keep an open mind for this game. If you are looking for a horror game that breaks conventions and presents you with a captivating narrative, then please keep an open mind for this game. You may just find what you're looking for.
Alice: Madness Returns
Developer: Spicy Horse Games/EA
Released: June 14th, 2011
Platform: PC
Crix Notes: Alice: Madness Returns is a surprising action-adventure platformer that aims to put a rather darkened twist on the traditional "Alice in Wonderland" story. A sequel to "American McGee's Alice" from the year 2000, this game still holds up well graphically to this day! A mix of slightly challenging puzzle platforming, intriguing combat, vibrantly dark locals, and a story enfused around psychological troubles, this game aims to appease to horror fans while playing into the happy go lucky nature of the world of Wonderland. It is seriously a game that is well put together with a ton of content and collectables to find, and if you're looking for something rather different from your Mario and Devil May Cry, then this is the game for you!
More will be added soon! Check back for more recommendations!