pc | video games are good

PREVIEW: Launching August 4, 2026, Big Walk is everything we wanted and more

These gamers were made for walkin’. And that’s just what they did. And one of these days these gamers are gonna... tell you about it... and that day is right now... Here it is. Sometimes living in the Pacific Northwest has its perks. In June, the VGG crew was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Panic offices and play an in-person-only preview of the upcoming open world walk-and-talk game Big Walk. Open to both the public and press alike, these sparse preview sp

Nate Hermanson

Jun 96 min read

An in-game screenshot of Fishbowl. A young purple haired girl stands in a glowing light in front of a glowing fishbowl and what looks to be a living room. A toy fish named Paplet is talking to her saying "c'mon, c'mon, let's be happy, happy..." as she stands looking distraught.

REVIEW: Surviving grief through routine in Fishbowl's slice of life

An honest and vulnerable exploration of grief.

Nate Hermanson

May 278 min read

A screenshot from Bubsy 4D, with Bubsy rolled up in a ball and spinning rapidly through the air across a body of water toward the next land mass.

REVIEW: Bubsy 4D? More like delightful, desirable, dashing, and damn is this really happening?

Sometimes it takes a cat 30+ years to achieve greatness, and that's okay.

Nate Hermanson

May 216 min read

An in-game screenshot of Forbidden Solitaire. A board full of playing cards arranged in a specific pattern. The four cards that are flipped up near the center are surrounded with sharp crystals. In the middle of the screen, an eyeball can be seen peeking out of a rippling pool of purple and blue water. The majority of the cards are face down.

REVIEW: Forbidden Solitaire is perfect execution of an absurd idea born out of a genius partnership

Geeked about spooky solitaire.

Nate Hermanson

Apr 307 min read

An image from Cairn, with Aava climbing up a steep rock face, is the background. Overlaid are elements from two other games. From Hermit and Pig, there are the titular characters with the word "cringe" over Hermit; a crowd of protestors holding signs that say "right to work" and "our kids are hungry"; and a person with a speech bubble that says "And don't forget, chaos and idiots rule this world. So, always be prepared to fight back." From Perfect Tides: Station to Station, there's a bust of the main character Mara looking dejected and a speech bubble that says "It's fine, let's just go." In the middle of the image, white text says "climbing out of the pit."

A Third Life Crisis or . . .

Games that have been my unexpected tethers to hope and persistence lately.

Nate Hermanson

Apr 2416 min read

An in-game screenshot of ILA: A Frosty Glide. A young femme witch with a green hat soars through the sky on a magic broom, toward a series of magical rings that are surrounded by coins. They're attempting to cover a gap between two snowy mountains.

REVIEW: The wintry ILA: A Frosty Glide is a warm hug of a cozy micro open world

ILA: A Frosty Glide has the perfect atmosphere for the chilly season.

Nate Hermanson

Dec 2, 20257 min read

An in-game screenshot of Undusted: Letters from the Past. An old tape recorder sits open with grime and dirt all over it. In the opening where a tape would go, leaves and flowers seem to be growing. A sponge and toothbrush are waiting on a darkened desk to be used for cleaning.

REVIEW: ASMR, pure emotions, and satisfying cleaning await in Undusted: Letters from the Past

A bittersweet narrative softened by a gentle ASMR soundscape and quietly satisfying cleaning gameplay.

Nate Hermanson

Oct 20, 20255 min read

An in-game screenshot of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. In a forest environment, a warrior spins in a red arc to slash at some encroaching demons.

REVIEW: The action roguelike's new era is marked by games like Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree

Hard to say goodbye.

Nate Hermanson

Sep 29, 20258 min read

An in-game screenshot of Arctic Awakening. From the first-person perspective, a person examines their wrist compass and a map simultaneously in an arctic setting. A round robot floats ahead of them, with a worried look on their face.

REVIEW: Arctic Awakening's blend of narrative walking sim and survival game mostly works

While Arctic Awakening sometimes left me feeling frosty, there's a definite spark that shines through.

Nate Hermanson

Sep 18, 20257 min read

An in-game screenshot of the game Henry Halfhead. A paper airplane with eyes flies over a messy classroom. Paint marks are all around the floor, a piece of homework with an incorrect answer scribbled in lays next to the mess, and a chalkboard at the front reads: MATH!

REVIEW: Henry Halfhead joyfully brings to halfmind the simpler things in life

A game for those with whimsy in their hearts — and anyone looking for a gateway to finding more of it.

Nate Hermanson

Sep 16, 20256 min read

Sizzle & Stack: The restaurant simulating card game that took over our lives

Quite literally, they cooked with this one.

Nate Hermanson

Aug 21, 20254 min read

An in-game screenshot of the game Herdling. A young person in a red hoodie stands in front of a campfire, surrounded by strange horned beasts in various states of rest. The fire is burning and the young person holds a staff with authority.

REVIEW: Lead the herd and develop bonds in Herdling

Herdling's story is one of survival, collaboration, and family. Okomotive balances your emotions beautifully, giving you tense moments of fear as you face the perilous natural obstacles on your journey to bring these creatures home — but then offering heart-soaring moments of joy in equal measure.

Nate Hermanson

Aug 21, 20258 min read

VIDEO PREVIEW: Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree's ideas of sacrifice make for a compelling action roguelike

VGG got to spend four hours with this snappy action roguelite that explores ideas of sacrifice and collaboration.

Nate Hermanson

Aug 18, 20255 min read

An in-game screenshot of Time Flies. A fly sits on a vinyl record atop a record player that has had its power switch flicked on.

REVIEW: Time Flies makes the most of its short life

Even as it brought a newly heightened sense of my own ever-ticking life clock, I found that Time Flies was time well spent.

Nate Hermanson

Aug 1, 20257 min read

The key art for the game Downhill. A young woman wearing a long coat with a furry collar stands at the edge of a hill overlooking a large city. Three suns sit above the peak of a giant castle.

Steam Next Fest Mini-Preview: Downhill's fourth wall-breaking shows a ton of promise

Anybody seen a fourth wall around here? I can't find it.

Nate Hermanson

Jun 14, 20256 min read

An in-game screenshot of TMNT: Tactical Takedown. Michelangelo, an anthropomorphic turtle ninja with an orange hachimaki band around his eyes, stands triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air. He says: "There's nothing we can't do together, dude!" Donatello, an anthropomorphic ninja turtle with a purple hachimaki band around his eyes, beams back with pride. Behind their illustrated cutouts is the backdrop of a grid-based city street.

REVIEW: TMNT: Tactical Takedown turns beat-em-ups tactical without sacrificing any of the adrenaline

TMNT: Tactical Takedown is full of great ideas that, while only half-realized at times, make for an undeniably fun tactics experience for gamers of all levels.

Nate Hermanson

May 29, 20257 min read

An in-game screenshot of StarVaders. It depicts the game's combat screen. A wave of alien invaders descend downward through a tile-based grid. Two long snake-like aliens prepare shots that go straight forward and down two diagonals. Many of the invaders have blue shields around them. The player controls a red robot at the bottom of the screen by choosing from one of a few cards shown in their hand.

REVIEW: I never want to stop playing StarVaders

StarVaders burns bright and is no flash in the pan. I can't stay away from it and neither should you.

Nate Hermanson

May 21, 20257 min read

The key art of Every Day We Fight. Three soldiers stand on a pile of rubble, each wearing a yellow band somewhere on their body to signify their team. Two floating orbs and a giant monolith loom behind them.

Mini-Preview: Every Day We Fight feels like the evolution the turn-based tactics genre needs

More active than the usual tactics game, but in a way that preserves why people love the genre.

Nate Hermanson

May 7, 20256 min read

The key art for the game Despelote. A photograph of a city is tinged with a dark pink tone while black and white line art of kids playing soccer on the street is overlaid. There is a black and white flag of Ecuador, a group of people sitting around a TV in plastic chairs, and various other people milling about.

REVIEW: Despelote's part-game part-documentary speaks to the power of sports in community and simpler times

Ecuador, 2001: A boy, a ball and a country on the cusp of greatness.

Nate Hermanson

May 5, 20257 min read

An animated GIF of Wanderstop. It starts with a sword flying through darkness before cutting to the main character Alta wincing and shaking her head on a bench. She's got white hair done up with a yellow bandana and what looks to be a black leather jacket. It cuts to serene shots of nature and hanging pots before cycling again.

REVIEW: Wanderstop's therapeutic and tactile tea-making brought me to tears

Walked a chamo-mile in Alta's worn warrior boots.

Nate Hermanson

Apr 29, 20258 min read

PREVIEW: Launching August 4, 2026, Big Walk is everything we wanted and more

REVIEW: Surviving grief through routine in Fishbowl's slice of life

REVIEW: Bubsy 4D? More like delightful, desirable, dashing, and damn is this really happening?

REVIEW: Forbidden Solitaire is perfect execution of an absurd idea born out of a genius partnership

A Third Life Crisis or . . .

REVIEW: The wintry ILA: A Frosty Glide is a warm hug of a cozy micro open world

REVIEW: ASMR, pure emotions, and satisfying cleaning await in Undusted: Letters from the Past

REVIEW: The action roguelike's new era is marked by games like Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree

REVIEW: Arctic Awakening's blend of narrative walking sim and survival game mostly works

REVIEW: Henry Halfhead joyfully brings to halfmind the simpler things in life

Sizzle & Stack: The restaurant simulating card game that took over our lives

REVIEW: Lead the herd and develop bonds in Herdling

VIDEO PREVIEW: Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree's ideas of sacrifice make for a compelling action roguelike

REVIEW: Time Flies makes the most of its short life

Steam Next Fest Mini-Preview: Downhill's fourth wall-breaking shows a ton of promise

REVIEW: TMNT: Tactical Takedown turns beat-em-ups tactical without sacrificing any of the adrenaline

REVIEW: I never want to stop playing StarVaders

Mini-Preview: Every Day We Fight feels like the evolution the turn-based tactics genre needs

REVIEW: Despelote's part-game part-documentary speaks to the power of sports in community and simpler times

REVIEW: Wanderstop's therapeutic and tactile tea-making brought me to tears

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