Recent reviews by ATalksToSelf

Considering this was an April Fool's project made by the Sonic social media team in addition to their normal work, which got approved by SEGA for release, for free, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is already not a standard Sonic game. But then you add on the fantastic character designs and art style, funny and engaging writing, fantastic music, and even a fun yet challenging mini-game? 10/10 game, give it a try.

Short but sweet. If you liked Portal 1 and 2's writing, go play this.
It's also free, you have no excuses.

Iconoclasts is tagged as a metroidvania, and while that's true, it's mostly a story-driven, action, puzzle-platformer.

I originally started the game back in 2018, but got stuck on a boss and put it down for A Hat in Time (also very good). I decided to finish it this summer and despite not remembering any of the story from the first three areas of the game, was sucked back in quickly. I slowly filled in what I had forgotten as I played, while pushing forward with more and more curiosity. The story is fantastic, and every character fits the title of Iconoclast in their own way.

Most of Iconoclasts' gameplay is running around 2D areas, each built like a metroidvania map, finding secrets, solving puzzles, and fighting enemies. There's a few mini-bosses per area, and an end boss before you can move on, all of which were clever fights where the issue isn't how not to die, but how to damage the boss. They serve as mini-puzzles of their own, and were a highlight of the game, especially the big story related ones.

For a game made by one guy over 7 years, Iconoclasts is very impressive. The graphics are beautiful, the music is full of high-energy jams and more emotional pieces, and everything weaves together to form a finished product that I can't help but recommend.
Please, give it a try, there's so much more to discover than the opening will suggest.

A short and wholesome experience.

I've only tried a few Metroidvanias before, but none of them really caught my interest. However, a friend recommended Yoku's Island Express, and the pinball idea looked fun, so I gave it a shot.
Fantastic decision.

Yoku sees you set forth as a beetle postmaster on a tropical island, exploring around as you help people out, all while collecting many goodies along the way. Everything is tightly woven together, making backtracking easy, and the pinball mechanics are a blast to use. There's a few upgrades later that give you extra options and open up new areas, and none of them feel underutilized. It's a shorter game, but if anything, it's better for it, as nothing overstays its welcome.

Edit: A new randomized mode was recently added, which gives you a random unlock when collecting one. This covers pretty much everything you'll pick up, and unless you turn off the logic, is still built to avoid softlocking you behind a progression gate. It's lots of fun and a great way to replay the game.

As someone who hasn't tried a rougelike/rougelite before, Hades drew me in within seconds of my first run. Every single run feels unique, thanks in part to the different weapons, different god boons (special upgrades), fun enemies, and challenging bosses. Sure, you're going to die a lot at first, but as you gain darkness for some permanent upgrades as well as experience, the game begins to feel easier. Not to mention, dying sends you back home to the House of Hades, ready for more story via talking to all the different characters. It may have taken me 80 runs to beat the final boss for the first time, but every single one of those 80 runs was a blast to play.

This game is great. If you like 3D platformers, give Hat in Time a shot.