pc | video games are good

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 205 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 298 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 187 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 166 min read

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

Quite literally, they cooked with this one.

Nate Hermanson

Aug 214 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 218 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 185 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 17 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 146 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 297 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 217 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 76 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 57 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 298 min read

An in-game screenshot of Promise Mascot Agency. It depicts a conversation between Pinky, the severed finger, and Tofu, a giant block of Tofu. Pinky says: "We're all about making dreams come true and if your dream is to make a difference in people's lives and crush old men under your boot, we're here to help."

REVIEW: The stray mascots of Promise Mascot Agency gave me hope we'll survive 2025

The last place I expected to find hope for the nightmare year that has been 2025 is in the giant sparkly eyes of a severed pinky. But that's just the kind of world we live in right now.

Nate Hermanson

Apr 108 min read

An in-game screenshot of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza. On the deck of a pirate ship, various crew members pose for a photo. Some cross their arms, some raise a fist in glory. In the front, the game's protagonist Majima points at the camera. Next to him, a young boy stands with his hands at his waist, and his father stands next to him in a backwards cap raising his fist. A baby tiger sits off to the side as well.

REVIEW: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the definition of a side story... and that's not a bad thing

Being a pirate captain for a "short" 40 hours in the Like a Dragon universe is a dream I never knew I had.

Nate Hermanson

Apr 78 min read

A collage of key art images for four roguelike games: Ballardo (pool balls soaring on a green background), Desktop Survivors 98 (a "Clippy-like" sword with eyes on a desktop background), Wordatro (a lined paper background with star-shaped stickers), and Maze Mice (mice running from menacing cats with blue orbs floating near).

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: Seeking the next Balatro amidst four unique roguelikes

Four Steam Next Fest roguelike demos that'll hook anyone who loves to survive enemy hordes or make number go up.

Nate Hermanson

Mar 27 min read

A collage of two images: The key art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tactical Takedown and the key art for Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion III.

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: These two demos prove Strange Scaffold both never stops working and never misses

They have cooked once again — twice again, actually. Demo impressions from Strange Scaffold's Steam Next Fest offerings.

Nate Hermanson

Mar 16 min read

An animated GIF of Wanderstop. A woman with medium length white hair is tied up with a yellow band. She pulls on a lever that pours out a bright pink liquid into a teacup below. The liquid overflows out of the cup and drains into the grate below.

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: 40 minutes with Wanderstop had me doing too much self-reflecting

Uh oh. It's my face reflected back to me in that cup of tea, isn't it?

Nate Hermanson

Feb 284 min read

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: Promise Mascot Agency is nutty in all the right ways

Ain't we all just a thick block of tofu caught in the narrow door of life?

Nate Hermanson

Feb 275 min read

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

REVIEW: The stray mascots of Promise Mascot Agency gave me hope we'll survive 2025

REVIEW: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the definition of a side story... and that's not a bad thing

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: Seeking the next Balatro amidst four unique roguelikes

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: These two demos prove Strange Scaffold both never stops working and never misses

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: 40 minutes with Wanderstop had me doing too much self-reflecting

Steam Next Fest '25 Mini-Preview: Promise Mascot Agency is nutty in all the right ways

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