After the success of last year's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many players are likely paying increased attention to studios around the world who may be borrowing Japanese RPG ideas and bringing them into new settings and drawing on additional inspirations. That seems to be the case for Midgar Studio's Edge of Memories. It's the second game in the studio's "Edge of" series, but this new installment seems relatively standalone. It also uses an action/RPG combat system instead of the earlier game's turn-based approach.

Players control Eline, a traveler navigating a vibrantly colored fantasy world that seems equally inspired by Japanese animation and the rich tradition of French animation. It's hard to get a super clear idea about storytelling from a short snippet, but the voice acting is strong, the music is gorgeous, and the setup for the fiction is intriguing; Eline is a soul whisperer who can somehow control and manipulate the Corrosion that is ravaging the world in which she lives.

The biggest draw in the demo is a look at the fast-paced combat, which leans into a mix of fast and heavy attacks, dodges, and combo-building with your companions to create an intriguing dynamic. And I only just got a taste of the robust leveling system, which sees Eline consistently acquiring new abilities across the course of her trek. There's a lot of reasons to recommend Edge of Memories after a demo playthrough, which moved the game up significantly in my list of anticipated projects over the coming months. – Matt Miller

Penguin Colony caught my eye for A) being the next game by the makers of Umarangi Generation, and B) penguins – lots and lots of penguins. After booting up the demo and being greeted with a title sequence directly ripped from The Thing, I knew I was in for something very strange. I still don't completely understand what I experienced, but there's enough intrigue in this slice to inspire a deeper look. 

This bizarre adventure unfolds in Antarctica circa 1939. You control, you guessed it, a penguin. Several, in fact, as you can hop between many of them at will, from imposing Emperor Penguins to small chicks. You can do penguin things like waddle, but it's faster and more fun to belly slide down and (somehow) up hills, dive and swim underwater, or hop. Some penguins are best suited for bypassing certain obstacles, such as taking control of a chick to squeeze through tiny openings. You also have to manage a stamina meter, the amount of which is determined by the size and species of your chosen flightless ice bird. 

Your initial goal is to follow the distant light of a flare shot by one of the many human expeditioners. One of these visitors cryptically narrates his unsettling experience on the continent as you collect glowing orbs revealing words such as "Colonist" and "Sex". Without spoiling too much, reaching their base camp reveals something very, very wrong is at play, both regarding the type of people who are visiting (the time period is a hint) and the discovery they've made. March of the Penguins, this is not, but if you want something captivating and weird, absolutely give Penguin Colony a shot. – Marcus Stewart

It's not uncommon to see developers go solo to work on a passion project of, but Yoshio Nishimura might have taken the most fascinating route: leaving storied studio Vanillaware to literally settle into a small mountain village in rural Japan, tend to his fields, and craft his games. His debut project,  Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, is the sort of thing I think you can only get from that kind of venture. 

It's a virtual tabletop game, like a digital adaptation of a Fighting Fantasy book, where you delve into the stories of a Warrior or Mage and explore the tale that unfolds around you. Make a choice, and you flip to the corresponding page number; take damage, and a little eraser removes your current number, and a lowered amount gets penciled in. Veritas Tales is tactile and fiddly, with lots of little interactions to uncover and charming hand-crafted touches to discover. I can almost imagine myself on a summer vacation in the countryside, finding this book on a shelf, cracking it open, and getting lost in the words and art. If that was Nishimura's intent, he's accomplished it, and then some. – Eric Van Allen

This charming exploration game puts players in the driver's seat of an off-road vehicle as it navigates forests, mountains, valleys, and rivers, all while charting a map, making discoveries about the countryside, and questing after what's over the next hill. Right from the start, the game touts itself as a freeform experience focused on the journey rather than clear, objective-driven play. With its relaxing audio and minimalist visual aesthetic, the game's tone reminds me a lot of what I like about the Lonely Mountains games, which focused on mountain biking and skiing.

But Over the Hill's gameplay is more focused on gradual and careful navigation of complicated terrain, using gear shifting, winches, and careful steering to make one's way past obstacles. Merchants provide a chance to customize your ride. Bridges and hidden paths open up avenues to new areas. Seemingly impassible snowy ridges or rocky slopes become surmountable with careful observation. You can also play together with friends, exploring the countryside as a team. I like a lot of what is on offer here so far – a gradual, slow-paced journey players can define at their own pace, with plenty of mystery and natural beauty on offer. – Matt Miller

We've all played Werewolf, right? Many are innocent; a few are lying; discern the truth and uncover the wolf in sheep's clothing; it's a classic schoolyard game for a reason, which has given rise to many, many virtual adaptations. How does Demon Bluff differ, then? Well, it's a single-player roguelike social deduction game that feels more like a complex logic puzzle than trying to guess which of your friends is a liar. 

Different character cards will give you information, saying another is Evil or their proximity to said Evil, but one or more of them might be Evil themselves, lying to you about the results. Using the information to deduce who can be trusted and who can't becomes a stacked logic-box puzzle of if-then statements, reminding me of afternoons spent flipping through pages of tricky riddle books. I recommend playing this one with an audience and collaborating on the outcomes. Demon Bluff makes for a good head-scratcher, and I'm keen to see how it evolves past its demo offerings. – Eric Van Allen

Crypt Custodian creator Kyle Thompson’s new Metroidvania is set in a fantasy kingdom where all birds have been hunted and killed for their feathers to make a demented queen’s wardrobe. You control a member of one of the last remaining bird families, who have remained hidden at the bottom of a well, and while you’re the eldest child, you’re also the least adventurous. Nonetheless, when your mother tasks you with leaving the nest to retrieve food, you have to learn how to survive quickly.

Armed with a burning matchstick, which dims as you take damage in a nice touch, you strike down evil plants and other strange foes while unlocking new traversal tools. For example, gaining a bow lets you shoot the matchstick at walls to act as a springboard to reach higher areas. Well Dweller’s level design appears to be standard Metroidvania fare, but the fantastic art direction makes it look like a dark fairy-tale book come to life. The action is fun, particularly against the demo’s sole boss fight, and it’s complemented by sharp, humorous writing. Like the fairy tales of old, Well Dweller’s world is more twisted than its whimsical presentation lets on. – Marcus Stewart

I know what you're thinking: "Hey, Duskfade looks like Kingdom Hearts!" Despite sharing similar design aesthetics, such as a protagonist lugging a keyblade-esque sword over his shoulder and fighting enemies resembling Heartless, developer Weird Beluga actually drew much of the game's tonal and narrative inspiration from the 2002 Disney film Treasure Planet. Hence, why protagonist Zirian sports a questionably fashionable rat tail. 

What I enjoy about Duskfade is how much it feels like a throwback to PlayStation 2-era action platformers like the early Kingdom Hearts games, Jak & Daxter,  and even Dark Cloud. The story sees Zirian trying to rescue his sister and partnering with a sassy mechanical bird to do so, while bashing loads of monsters with his sword and using a double-jump and air-dash to find hidden goodies and collectibles. What's offered in the Steam demo isn't particularly groundbreaking from a gameplay standpoint, but Duskfade seems like well-executed – and good-looking – comfort food that transports me back to a simpler time. – Marcus Stewart

For more on Duskfade, check out the Halo: Campaign Evolved issue of the magazine we're spoke with the developers all about the game.

Woodo captures the combined coziness of filling in a good coloring book and painting an intricate diorama. This simple game involves clicking and dragging pieces of a scene into their correct spot, which can be as big as a goose's body and as small as a single leaf. Placing objects in their correct spots floods them with color and and unlocks cute little animations. Combined with its pleasant soundtrack, I'm already itching to use this game as a stress reliever after a busy day. Gradually filling in a scene also tells the tale of a fox accustomed to city life moving to the country where she befriends a frog named Ben. The cozy vibes and gorgeous art direction make me eager to bring more of these wooden dioramas to life. – Marcus Stewart

The first time I swung the game's titular sledgehammer at the side of a house and punched a hole so large the building partially collapsed, Virtue and a Sledgehammer had its hooks in me. On the surface, you control a very angry woman on a rampage through small towns occupied by sentient robots, using her 20lb hammer to smash everything around her. Winding up the weighty hammer swings and unleashing hell is cathartic, much like smashing objects in a Rage Room, as is bashing the shocked and angry robots (who contain the digitized memories of your former neighbors) to send them flying like bowling pins.

It wasn't long before I realized that this wanton destruction is therapeutic for the protagonist, who is hunting her older sister for reasons unknown while rebelling against her tumultuous past. I want to see where this story goes, but I'm just as enamored with Virtue and a Sledgehammer's entertaining destructibility. – Marcus Stewart