My Discoveries

One of the biggest surprises to come out of 2025 so far, Pipistrello is a fantastic 2D Zelda-like with tight puzzle design, fairly open exploration, charming writing, and a lovely GBA-inspired aesthetic completely with colorful chunky sprites and Hoenn-ass trumpet sounds. Everything about this game is just dripping with polish and confidence, and it nails the spirit of why I love these kinds of action-adventure games to begin with.

An incredibly creative and addictive platformer with a great sense of flow, especially once you start going for big combos, and the ways it which it influenced both Mario Galaxy and DKC Returns is fascinating. Sure, using the Wii Remote isn't as novel as using the bongos, but the added precision of a more traditional control scheme and the more generous progression allows me to appreciate the fundamental game design even more.

Basically Katamari crossed with a platformer, by the developers of Katamari for that matter. It's not too hard, but it is consistently pure, joyous fun, with a charming presentation, fun levels and bosses, and a banger of a soundtrack. Definitely one of the Wii's coolest and strangest cult classics.

What a lovely collection! While it isn't the best way to play the first six mainline Kirby games nowadays, it still holds up as a charming package between its in-depth history menu and especially its new challenge mode. As a Return To Dream Land diehard, it's very cool to experience some new original challenges built on its engine. It's short but definitely worth checking out for anyone who wants just a bit more of that Modern Kirby goodness.

I'm at a loss as to why Vanishing Earth got such tepid reviews when it released because it's a great shmup that can absolutely stand alongside the best the PC Engine had to offer. Tight controls, fun mechanics like a dodge roll and a combo meter, dynamic stages that make good use of the 3D visuals, a perfect level of difficulty to get beginner players into the genre, tons of replay value like secret missions and a Caravan mode, and a godly soundtrack, what's not to love?

Goldeneye gets the bulk of the attention for good reason, but Eurocom's follow-up is a surprisingly capable sequel that actually exceeds it in some areas. Visually impressive for the hardware, cinematic stages that emulate the movie far more closely, CPU functionality for the multiplayer mode, and most of all, a gameplay loop that actually incorporates more gadgetry and spying. Secretly one of the best FPS games on the console.