Femboys of the Phalanx

While I can definitely see it working well solo, playing with two other players in real time is where 1001 Threads of Mizan really shines. There were no multiplayer quick time events or big flashy mid-fight cutscenes that triggered when everyone did a specific thing, but there were definitely moments where all three of us needed to attack a single weak point, or work together to defeat various obstacles at once in different areas during the boss fight. I'm very interested to see how this fusion of single-player and co-op works throughout the game.

With its gorgeous black and white, hand drawn art and heavily influenced 1980s tabletop RPG stylings, The Secret of Weepstone is the kind of game I would make... if I had any idea how to make games.

Its bosses are every bit as demanding as those found in a Soulslike, but the journey between them isn't built around constant punishment. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a game that manages to challenge the player without becoming exhausting, allowing the game to shift naturally between moments of intense concentration and opportunities to simply enjoy stylish swordplay.

Insidious: Out of the Further delivers a popcorn-rattling ride full of fun, creative scares and serviceable human stakes that more than justify tiptoeing through the tulips back to the spirit world.

The End of Oak Street hits all the right nostalgic notes for a family adventure clearly inspired by the '80s most iconic sci fi films. David Robert Mitchell pulls from the same back of tricks that made It Follows a cult classic to add just enough plumage to the dinosaurs to make his film more than just a Spielberg impression.