Post I.V update, YIIK is a genuinely fascinating and surreal experience. If you enjoy bizarre interpretations / exhibitions of the spiritual and metaphysical, you'll be drawn in and hooked just as I was.
The Citadel hits the perfect balance of mutual high lethality gun fighting. You can and will get killed extremely quickly if enemies catch you by surprise or your concentration lapses, but you kill them just as quickly. There are no irritating bullet sponges to be found here. This combined with the ability to lean around corners and tactically approach encounters is rather F.E.A.R.-like and it's pulled off incredibly well in this boomer shooter context. Movement is very fluid, with the high movement speed you'd expect from a shooter of this style along with the ability to double jump and slide. Hitscan doesn't exist in this game, so it's possible to run from distant enemy fire instead of being forced to take chip damage. The Martyr herself is very sexy but on the whole the game isn't particularly lewd. More than anything, it's eerie and ominous in tone with a great soundtrack and focused aesthetic establishing a feeling of dread, tension and isolation. Pick this up if you're looking for an interesting, unusual and tightly designed shooter.
RemiLore is a nice little hack & slash with very mild roguelite elements. As you earn dessert points you unlock magical secondary abilities tied to the many weapons of varying types you acquire and get permanent boosts to the efficacy of pickups among other things. The game incentivises constant aggression for the most part and dashing in and out of enemies as you attack them is quite fun. While not terribly long if you're just playing through the story, there are a bunch of extra modes that modify the game experience if you're hungry for more. Pick it up on sale as I did though, because the normal asking price is far too steep for a game of this modest scope. Choux being so incredibly adorable earns the game an extra star.
Sunblaze has you step into a superhero training simulator as the super cute heroine Josie, narrowly avoiding death thanks to your quick reflexes, sharp mind and growing skill. You're given a simple, tight moveset that meshes very well with clever level design that never feels unfair despite it's punishing difficulty. A significant part of the challenge lies in puzzling out how you are meant to navigate a level and the sequence in which you have to trigger and exploit obstacles as you run and jump through them. The main story is made up of six chapters with their own distinct theming and exclusive obstacles, each of which meaningfully alters your approach to clearing levels. It's a lighthearted affair with a colourful aesthetic and a sweet narrative featuring a loving father-daughter relationship at it's core. The music strikes a good balance of keeping you hooked into the game while remaining chill enough to discourage the flaring of tempers. This is a truly wonderful indie platformer and I heartily recommend it to fans of 2D platforming. Playing it is so much fun that it's genuinely hard to put down.
SiN might be held up as a cult classic in some circles, but it was overshadowed by it's '98 contemporaries for a reason. An ugly artstyle, jerky animations, and the worst level design I've ever seen in an FPS of any era make for a frustrating experience. However it must be said that when the atrocious levels weren't getting on my nerves with areas that look virtually identical, terribly implemented stealth sections, snipers that instantly knock half my health off while perched above and behind me and a serious lack of health and ammo, the actual gunplay was pretty smooth and fun. Until the game would inevitably throw more frustrating, poorly thought out design choices at me anyway. If you're interested in trying out old-school FPS games, don't play SiN. It might ruin your view of them and cause you to miss out on some real gems.
