Having eternally shied away from D&D, to say I experienced a degree of trepidation when faced with the behemoth that was Baldur’s Gate 3 would be an understatement. Following many a late night coaxing from friends regarding which nefarious entity I’d be drawn towards, however, with sweat-drenched brow and an audible gulp I cautiously entered the realm of Faerun. And oh my goodness, how quickly Baldur’s Gate 3 had me in its captivating thrall. A series of awkwardly timed updates disrupted my act III shenanigans (well, disrupted my embarrassingly beefy mod folder) so I placed Baldur’s Gate 3 on hold until all the potential game-breaking nonsense sorted itself out. With each passing day the Shadowheart-cum-Astarion hollow left in my soul grows ever-deeper, and I find myself staring longingly at the shortcut .exe on my desktop. But soon, I will return.

7’scarlet has all the makings of an effective remote spooky village mystery with a likable enough cast, but I am unfortunately not far enough in to comment on anything of potential salience. Immaculate vibes, though.

A surprisingly poignant piece about bonds forged throughout one’s life, portrayed through the unexpectedly effective conduit of a turnip quite literally running through life. From the soil it sprouts, to the soil it will eventually return and it’s up to you in Minabo: A Walk Through Life how it all fares. While Minabo could ostensibly be ridded of its thought-provoking lustre after a round or two, a few hours in and the journey nevertheless remains compelling each time due to the variables which are involved, echoing our own lives.

There’s just something about kitsch management sims which kneed an all too pliable, primordial part of my brain – and if they invoke a pixelated aesthetic? Be still my beating, equally squishy heart! Dave the Diver makes for a delightful entry in the ever-expanding gathering-and-utilizing-resources-with-a-pixel-backdrop multiverse, in which you apply myriad techniques in order to capture fish and sell ‘em off when the sun sets via an increasingly busy sushi joint. Despite being a staunch vegetarian, the fishing part doesn’t instil queasiness but naturally YMMV here.

I want to like Buried Stars - really, I do! But there’s just so much circuitous, repetitive yapping following every single interaction in which the cast reiterates what other members have mentioned on multiple occasions. I heard nothing but praise for Buried Stars but I am not sure if my attention span can handle the arduous task that is 30+ hours of this…!