The beginning of the year is the best (and maybe even only) chance to catch up on some games from the previous year. The releases will ramp up soon but let me show you what I played so far in 2026.
Pipkin || 28/10/25
I grew up with Pokemon and am hugely attached to Gen I-IV. In my eyes the franchise lost something since the transition to 3D. Pipkin is a monster catcher that gave me some of the feeling I miss in modern Pokemon games. The beautiful sprite work for each monster has so much character and charm. Not knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the monsters as well as the feature to give them a weapon with skills attached, leads to a lot of room for team composition and strategies. The monsters have their elemental types but also sub-type like Tank or Support. I loved catching mons, putting them in my team and trying out various formations. The designs are also vastly different, ranging from cool over cute to silly. The fights play out with four characters on your team; yourself and three mons. The skills can do physical or magical damage, give out status change like poison, create weather conditions to boost your attacks, heal and so on. The ending was pretty abrupt, but it’s a fun and cosy game you will beat in roughly 15 hours.
Static Dread: The Lighthouse || 06/08/25
I am loving this! It’s like a mixture of Papers, Please and No, I’m not a human (there are references to these games!) in the best way possible. You take on the job of a navigator in a lighthouse. Ships contact you through a radio, transfer their papers, and you guide them according to instructions. While doing your job you have to manage the lighthouse, your health and the occasional visitors. One of those visitors is a creepy sea creature that tries to spook you and lure you into doing harmful deeds for it. It will knock off pictures from the wall, leave odd writing on the floor or keep a literal eye on you through the ceiling. The world outside is going down hill, the previous lighthouse guard went missing and everything around you is going more awry. The way the game combines lore, atmosphere and player agency is incredible. I liked the demo but did not expect to end up loving it that much. Pleeeeease check it out!
Bits & Bops || 09/12/25
I am a huge rhythm game fan and Bits & Bops scratches that part. Its vibes and look are very reminiscent of Rhythm Heaven and Wario Ware. You get a cute presentation of a scenario like taking photos and have to press the button to the beat to take action. It’s catchy, uplifting and charming with so much attention to detail. Even screwing up a note is kinda fun because of the lovely visual change. Most sons have a fair difficulty level which is perfect for newcomers while the mixtapes are a bit more challenging for us sickos.
Quick Shoutout (not played yet)
Pathologic 3 || 09/01/26
I have seen so much about the previous Pathologic entries but have yet to play them myself. However, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be great. The trust I have in Ice-Pick Lodge as a studio is huge and despite the immense cult following the games have, there is nobody that loves the series more than the devs. I hope I will manage to play these games some day soon, so my obsession can run even deeper than it already does.
Deceived of Joy || 06/01/26
A short and super affordable horror game experience that creates a bizarre and surreal feeling where you never knows what’s real or fake. There is voice acting, unsettling visuals, puzzles and creepy atmosphere.