Roguelite meets poker meets... the mad urge to try one's luck against the mercilessness of mathematical probabilities. To the wrong players, Balatro may become an addiction - to the right players, it certainly will.

Pros:
+ the simple presentation is perfectly realized
+ the gameplay loop is simple but addicting
+ no knowledge of card games or poker is necessary
+ gameplay is designed to offer various playstyles
+ joker system is a constant battle of risk and reward
+ huge number of jokers allows for plenty of experimentation
+ jokers and consumables can be sold and
+ option to skip fights extends the playstyle choices
+ unlocking new cards is a great motivator
+ challenge mode is a nice palatee cleanser between runs
+ the sole music track somehow manages to never get annoying

Cons:
- the tutorial is barebones and skips important aspects of the game
- joker and boss descriptions are often uninformative
- joker interactions cannot be inferred without trying them out
- higher difficulties are unbeatable without the right jokers
- boss blinds seem to be randomized, leading to unwinnable situations
- some of the bosses are not balanced and can damage a run beyond repair
- not all hands are equally viable for a winning run (straights are not worth it)
- some bugs and technical issue still have to be ironed out

Playtime: 48 hours with almost all decks unlocked but still quite a few difficulty levels to overcome.

Magic Moment: Getting the Egg joker, which periodically increases in sell price, and the Joker that adds the sell value of your jokers to your multiplayer in the first ante. Edging out a win on the final ante with a hail mary discard.

Verdict:
Balatro's deceptively simple look belies a surprisingly complex, satisfying riff on Texas hold 'em poker, combined with the usual rogue-lite chorus of "just one more run". The game constantly calls for meaningful choices that can turn a run on its head, even if the number of viable combinations of poker hands and jokers gets smaller and smaller as the difficulties increase. The challenge mode, however, is a nice addition that extends the possible playstyles even more, at least for players willing to really grind their teeth on the game's inherently frustrating randomness factor and often unclear joker interactions.

In any case, Balatro is a must play for roguelike and card game fans alike, and more proof that simple ideas can make for the best games. Play it, but know what you are getting into.

I'm a sucker for a tough game, and Wo-Long's reputation as a real ass-kicker echoed throughout my Internet echo chamber. After beating it, I can safely say: this reputation is overblown, and thankfully so.

Pros:
+ the audio-visual presentation is good enough
+ the general difficulty is lower than in other Team Ninja games
+ overleveling is easy and encouraged by the mission-based structure
+ stages are usually small but hide a lot of secrets and hidden loot
+ combat system is daftly designed and carries a lot of weight
+ deflect system is lenient and very fun to use
+ spirit gauge is a unique spin on the classic stamina system
+ ranged and stealth attacks are viable combat tactic options
+ flag and moral point system are unique in the ARPG genre...
+ ...and reward thorough investigation of each stage
+ once understood, the five elemental phases can make all the difference
+ equipment can be easily upgraded and personalized
+ main menu indicates missing trinkets in each level

Cons:
- the game is only saved at battle flags
- enemies and allies are dumb as rocks
- the hub are is needlessly expansive and difficult to traverse
- even with the help of videos, the tutorial is mostly useless
- the amount of loot dropped by enemies is far too high...
- ...rendering item management extremely time consuming
- elemental attacks feel underpowered compared to weapon attacks...
- ...and are tied to moral ranks for no apparent reason
- jump mechanic is unintuitive and leads to cheap deaths
- enemies can use their fury attacks frequently and in sequence
- bosses can reset their spirit damage at a whim
- the story is impenetrable to anyone not familiar with the Three Kingdoms
- technical performance and load times on PS4 are pretty wonky

Playtime: 60 hours with all DLC finished. All flags acquired and all optional battlefields beaten. I didn't bother to pick up all of the trinkets in each level, though.

Best weapon: My trusty 4-star mace of Polaris that I found at the beginning and which carried me to the final boss.

Magic Moment: Fighting the famous Li Bu for long enough to understand all of his movements and attacks, only to beat him decisively with the help of the deflect move at the end. Reaching a snowy battlefield and using the stealth mode effectively for the first time. Beating the final DLC boss after literally days of trying.

Verdict:
Contrary to popular belief, Wo-Long is not a soulslike, but instead a classic action RPG more similar to the modern Ninja Gaiden and Nioh games, and is all the better off for it. The mission-based structure, morality rank system, lenient deflect windows, and frequent help from friendly allies renders the entire experience much more forgiving than what you have come to expect from games in the soulslike genre. Combined with the powerful five phases system, which can be used to completely cancel enemy attacks, and the mission-based system that usually offers various options, Wo-Long is always engaging and rarely frustrating.

So play this if you want to play a really fun ARPG with unique mechanics are satisfying combat.

At least since the release of the impeccable Return of the Obra Dinn, logical deduction games are appearing more and more in the puzzle game landscape. Chants of Sennaar continues that trend with aplomb.

Pros:
+ beautiful and distinct visuals in the style of Mobius comics
+ music and sound design always fit the given situation
+ outside and indoor areas follow a clear and distinct architecture
+ translation puzzles are one of a kind in the genre
+ the different languages all work and look distinct from each other
+ main translation interface is quick and easy to navigate
+ translation validation system is directly lifted from Obra Dinn
+ optional puzzles serve as skill checks for later levels
+ technical performance and load times are impeccable on Switch
+ you can pet the cats

Cons:
- the story is too vague for my taste
- manual input of words can get a bit tedious over time
- except for the final stage, words are always taught in similar ways
- stealth section interface is a bit cumbersome
- walking speed could be a bit higher
- even the perfect ending feels far too abrupt

Playtime: 12 hours, perfect ending included.

Magic Moment: Finding the first teleporter and understanding the size of the tower. Differentiating between languages from word order and syntax alone for the first time.

Verdict:
Chants of Sennaar is remarkable in more ways than one. Not only did the creative team at XXX manage to invent a unique kind of translation puzzle gameplay, they also opted to present it in the bright and colorful art style of a Mobius comic, thereby creating an immersive combination of form and function. Even though the general gameplay loop stays the same in each stage, understanding the relations of different terms and their meanings between different inhabitants of the tower stays engaging throughout the short but perfectly tailored runtime. Only the lack of a clearly comprehensible narrative feels like a missed oppurtunity, but I'm sure someone on Youtube will be happy do divulge it further.

If you liked Obra Dinn or feel yourself drawn to the look and feel of Chants of Sennaar, this is a must play.