critical acclaim Archives

AppWizard

April 13, 2026

One of our favorite games of 2025 is just $16 on GOG this week, and the dev says ‘if it’s still too expensive just pirate it honestly’

Skate Story is a game that combines skating and supernatural elements, allowing players to experience the perspective of a demon made of glass and pain. It was released in 2020 and is currently available on GOG with a 20% discount. The creator, Sam Eng, has openly encouraged players to pirate the game if they find it too expensive. The game has received critical acclaim for its unique premise and stylistic execution, with PC Gamer's Lincoln Carpenter praising its "stylish lunicidal skater" vibes. Skate Story is also available on Steam, but the promotional pricing is exclusive to GOG. Eng aims for the game to resonate with players.

AppWizard

April 6, 2026

Veteran indie developer scared to reveal new game in case it gets “slurped up by AI”

Lucas Pope is a notable game developer known for creating "Papers, Please" and "The Return of the Obra Dinn." He has since worked on smaller projects, including Mars After Midnight, but has not released anything on Steam recently. During a podcast, Pope expressed concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on game development, particularly regarding idea theft and the potential for his work to be copied or imitated. He feels uneasy discussing ongoing projects due to these risks and reflects on the pressure of following up his previous successes. Despite these worries, Pope's reputation allows him to avoid some challenges faced by less-known developers, and his next project is expected to generate significant interest.

AppWizard

March 28, 2026

Were PC gamers right to take against Syndicate’s FPS reboot? Only one man with an ancient disc copy can find out

In the early 2010s, PC strategy and tactics enthusiasts expressed discontent as mainstream publishers, like EA and Take-Two, rebooted classic '90s franchises such as XCOM and Syndicate into first-person shooters, disappointing dedicated fans. These reboots were criticized for straying from the original gameplay experience, which allowed for exploration and strategy, and instead confined players to tight spaces with wave-spawning enemies. Despite the backlash against these reboots, it led to a resurgence of strategy games, exemplified by Mike Diskett's launch of Satellite Reign, a tactical successor to Syndicate that received critical acclaim three years later.

AppWizard

March 20, 2026

Xbox Game Pass Adds One of the Great RPGs of All Time With 50 Hours of Content

Xbox Game Pass has added Disco Elysium – The Final Cut to its Ultimate, Premium, and PC tiers. The game has a Metacritic rating of 91 and won four awards at The Game Awards 2019, including Best Role-Playing Game and Best Narrative. It offers approximately 20 to 25 hours of main storyline gameplay, with an additional 10 hours of side quests, and around 50 hours for completionists. The version available is The Final Cut, released in 2021, featuring new content and full voice acting. Disco Elysium has an 88% approval rating on Steam and a near-perfect score on the Xbox Store. Subscribers can access the game without purchasing it, and a 20% discount is available for outright purchases while it remains part of the subscription service.

AppWizard

March 4, 2026

Steam Game With Perfect Review Scores Finally Comes to Consoles

Minishoot Adventures, a twin-stick shooting Metroidvania developed by SoulGame Studio, has been released on console platforms including Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PS5. Originally launched on Steam in April 2024, the game has received over 3,500 reviews, with 98% being positive, earning it the "Overwhelmingly Positive" designation. The game is priced at .99 and is also available on Xbox Game Pass.

AppWizard

February 23, 2026

Nightdive Studios’ Stephen Kick has 8,544 hours in Dota 2, and just clocked his 5,000th win: ‘I think it’s made me a better leader’

Stephen Kick is the co-founder of Nightdive Studios and a dedicated curator of PC gaming's golden age, leading the revival of classic games like Doom, Quake, and System Shock 2. He has a strong passion for gaming, which began with a visit to a friend's house where he played Wolfenstein 3D. Nightdive's remake of System Shock has received critical acclaim. Kick encourages collaboration with the gaming community for remastering classic games. He was inspired to enter game development by a competition for Dota 2, which ignited his passion for gaming. He has logged 8,544 hours in Dota 2 and acknowledges its significant role in his personal growth and family life. Kick also enjoys playing Plants vs. Zombies and uses Photoshop for his creative artwork. He maintains a tidy desktop and has a methodical approach to organizing his workspace.

AppWizard

January 28, 2026

Code Vein 2 may not be a soulslike masterpiece, but it proves that the rule of cool is much more fun

The first hour of Code Vein 2 felt lackluster due to the absence of exhilarating combat and overwhelming tutorial prompts. However, the gameplay improved significantly with the unlocking of dual swords and the execution of a Drain Attack, leading to a more enjoyable experience. The game is rated between 7-8/10, offering exhilarating combat mechanics and diverse build options, despite a lack of narrative depth and familiar character archetypes. Players take on the role of a Revenant Hunter tasked with preventing the world's collapse caused by Horrors. Code Vein 2 is available in Deluxe and Ultimate Editions priced at .74 / £63.74 and .24 / £72.24, respectively, both with a 15% discount, while the standard edition is priced at .74 / £46.74.

AppWizard

January 13, 2026

After Expedition 33’s success, Split Fiction’s Josef Fares warns publishers not to “only do” double-A

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has received critical acclaim and commercial success, winning Game of the Year at the previous year’s Game Awards. Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight Studios, warns the triple-A gaming sector against merely replicating trends from Expedition 33's success, emphasizing the need for innovation rather than imitation. He highlights the importance of diversity in gaming, asserting that both triple-A and double-A titles have their place in the industry. Fares points out that while high-budget games face pressure to avoid risks, innovation is still possible, citing examples from studios like Naughty Dog, Rockstar, and Nintendo. He also mentions that other major studios, such as Capcom, are exploring unconventional ideas.

AppWizard

January 6, 2026

In 2025, Monster Hunter fell prey to profit

Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds sold 8 million copies within three days of its release, making it the fastest-selling title in the company's history. However, the game's review ratings on Steam fluctuated between Mixed and Mostly Negative due to performance issues, leading to a drop in sales from 10 million at launch to fewer than 500,000 in a single quarter. Capcom's net sales fell by 24.7% year-over-year and profits dropped nearly 40%. The company has introduced 190 microtransaction items for the game, while significant improvements to its optimization are not expected until February.

AppWizard

January 4, 2026

30 hidden gems from 2025 to grab before the Steam Winter Sale ends

The PC gaming landscape in 2025 features a diverse array of new titles, many receiving critical acclaim. A selection of 15 standout games has been curated based on specific criteria: they were released or re-released in 2025, received little to no prior coverage, have around 95% positive user ratings, offer offbeat yet accessible gameplay, are discounted by a minimum of 30%, and include one game per genre. 1. Project Silverfish - Price: £17.50 (30% off); Developer: Siris Pendrake; A non-linear shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world with lizard-people and multi-faction battles. 2. Contract Rush DX - Price: £11.72 (30% off); Developer: Figburn & Melon; A platformer blending elements of Mega Man and Contra with vector animation and humor, allowing players to tackle levels in any order. 3. Godpoke - Price: £10.05 (40% off); Developer: LimboLane; An adventure where players mend quarrelsome gods using a dialogue-stealing mechanic to solve puzzles. 4. Missile Command Delta - Price: £11.72 (30% off); Developer: 13AM Games, Mighty Yell; A tactical hex-based strategy game with a teen drama narrative and point-and-click puzzles. 5. Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion - Price: £5.10 (40% off); Developer: Bubby Darkstar; A humorous FPS where players navigate a beach while dealing with quirky robot foes. 6. Maliki: Poison Of The Past - Price: £15 (40% off); Developer: Blue Banshee; A JRPG-inspired title featuring time travel and turn-based combat based on a webcomic. 7. Desecrators - Price: £7 (30% off); Developer: Woodhound; A roguelike shooter with procedurally generated levels and online co-op support. 8. Wyrmhall - Price: £2.55 (70% off); Developer: Leafy Games; A game where players manage an artifact-cleaning stall in an interdimensional nexus. 9. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo - Price: £11.72 (30% off); Developer: Pocket Trap; An adventure game featuring dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving mechanics inspired by classic Zelda games. 10. Lingo 2 - Price: £5.95 (30% off); Developer: Brenton Wildes; A word puzzle adventure set in a minimalist block labyrinth. 11. Skogdal - Price: £8.37 (50% off); Developer: Erlend Kirkeboe, Kay Arne Kirkeboe; A deck-building game set in a quirky, 90s Norway with humor and strategic gameplay. 12. Schism - Price: £6.50 (35% off); Developer: Fami; A low-fi action roguelike with a punk aesthetic and intense combat. 13. My Little Puppy - Price: £14.69 (30% off); Developer: Dreamotion Inc.; An emotional adventure following a corgi's journey through the afterlife. 14. Decade - Price: £5.95 (30% off); Developer: Last Piscean; A narrative-driven game exploring time travel consequences in a post-apocalyptic world. 15. Kiloton - Price: £2.14 (50% off); Developer: Jack Morehart; A minimalist strategy game simulating geopolitical tensions with quick decision-making.