2026 Gaming Blog

The first game I played this year was Big Hops, an ambitious 3D platformer with emergent design that feels like a smaller scale take on what DK Bananza was going for. The mechanics are really fun and freeform, the level design is tight, and the Moebius-inspired environments look pretty sick, it's a good time all around. However, Big Hops is unfortunately also very buggy and janky which constantly pulled me out of the experience, and between that and the limited UI, 100% is just not worth it. I definitely enjoyed Big Hops, but it could really use some more polish across the board, which the developer is at least currently attempting to fix with patches.

Rubato is an indie game that went surprisingly viral thanks to its unhinged release trailer and having played the demo, I'm glad to say that not only is it just as unhinged as I was expected, it's also really good. At its core, this is just a really polished physics-based collectathon with a varied lineup of objectives, an absurd sense of humor, and a fantastic aesthetic and soundtrack that harkens back to games from the 2000s. The demo itself was roughly an hour of pure, uninterrupted fun and I can't wait to see what the full release has in store.

As a fan of Bomberman, I've been pretty frustrated with Konami's handling of the franchise of late. But finally, they actually gave us some good food. The Super games were never my favorite Bomberman titles, but they are the perfect entry point into the series with a variety of structures and gimmicks. This collection not only lets people re-discover some of Bomberman's most iconic games, but it even localized the JP exclusive fourth and fifth Super games, tosses in the NES duology for good measure, and ties it all together with a slick and charming presentation. And for a reasonable price to boot? Now bring on the PC Engine and 64 collections, Konami!

Pragmata's demo finally hit the Switch 2 and while short, it definitely got me excited for the full release. Its unique combat system that forces you to juggle RE-style gunplay with hacking puzzles seems unconventional and overwhelming at first, but learning its quirks only makes you feel like a badass for clutching out a win in every battle. Rounding out the package is some solid exploration, an intriguing story and setting, and a fun techno soundtrack, and it's just cool to see Capcom putting out such an ambitious, experimental title in 2026.

A touching cyberpunk VN about finding comfort and community in a corrupt world that feels particularly relevant, with a simple but effective gameplay loop about serving drinks to trigger dialogue branches. The protagonist Jill Stingray's surprisingly relatable and fully-realized character arc is easily the highlight for me, along with the top-notch atmosphere and soundtrack, but the cast had plenty of memorable and likable faces (even if there were a few I wasn't especially fond of).

I already liked Blind Forest, but this sequel is a soaring improvement on pretty much every level, and one of my new favorite metroidvanias of all time. The level design is consistently creative, the new combat system is a joy to master, the visuals are drop-dead gorgeous, the new boss fights and chase sequences are mindblowingly good, and the time trial modes adds plenty of replay value.

This is a cute demo for the very good Toree Saturn, though outside of its fun Christmas Nights theming and cool unlocks, there really isn't much to this one and it gets repetitive pretty quickly.

While I'm a big fan of the GBA Starfy trilogy, this entry felt like a step backwards despite still having the same fun core gameplay. The level design while more varied than before often feels gimmicky and slow-paced, the more out-there world themes lose the chill underwater atmosphere I love about the other Starfy games, and the soundtrack was oddly grating and high-pitched. It's still a decent platformer at its core, but sadly the most unpleasant Starfy game for me.

With a new Mario Tennis game on the horizon, I decided to revisit the most-beloved entry in the series and it really sunk its hooks into me. The new stage gimmicks and Power Shots add a lot of that Mario chaos to the gameplay while still keeping things accessible and arcade-y. The variety of mode types in Exhibition Mode, atmospheric daytime shifts in the Tournament Mode, and impressive roster of minigames kept me playing for way longer than I was expecting to.

The only localized Starfy game is thankfully one of the best for its smoother gameplay, fun level mechanics like minecart chases and low-gravity, rewardingly tough postgame, pleasant soundtrack, and bevy of side content. While its soft reboot status means it drops some of the series' staples, the new cast members like Bunston and the Terrible Trio are more than welcome replacements, and I can't really complain much when Starfy 5 is such a big refinement in terms of gameplay.

Nine Sols is a staggering accomplishment of indie game development, an incredibly ambitious, fun, and thoughtful parry-focused metroidvania with fluid movement, strong combat with an excellent flow state, solid level design, a compelling story, lots of engaging side content, and a very good boss roster. With the exception of the final boss which I thought was too overtuned for their own good, a nearly-perfect game in my eyes.

Probably my favorite iteration of Metroid II. Sure, it lacks the story punch of the original and the gameplay loop of killing 40 Metroids will never not get repetitive, but the mechanical enhancements to the formula with stuff like the parry, Aeion abilities, and Spidersparking are brilliant. The second half of Samus Returns is filled with fantastic boss fights and setpieces, and the soundtrack is one of the series' best. It's a great game, even if a bit overshadowed by its follow-up.

A very solid Rhythm Heaven game with a few really standout songs and typically great visuals and music. It's definitely more forgiving than its GBA predecessor but the touch-screen controls occassionally lack precision and caused me to slip up a good few times which can be kinda frustrating. When everything clicks, this game can still feel incredible to play, but I still prefer the more consistent Fever.