Let's shine a light on them.
Sifu and Elden Ring are both brutal games that people are able to do immensely impressive things inside. Sifu snuck out before Elden Ring, and it's well worth checking out.
A game that earned critical and player acclaim alike, including our 86% review. The two games are different enough that hopefully Elden Ring hasn't impacted Changing Tides' sales too much.
The crafting sandbox that's a bit like Minecraft mixed with Stardew Valley with a healthy dose of Valheim thrown in. Thankfully, Core Keeper wasn't ignored, selling 500,000 copies in its first two weeks on Steam.
After years of teasers and rare demos, Tunic finally launched… right into Elden Ring's shadow. This is a game that does its Zelda inspirations proud with puzzles, secrets, and gear collection.
We called Ghostwire: Tokyo the best PS3 game we've had in years in our review, and we mean that as a compliment. It's technically shonky, but the rain-lashed combat is flashy and fun.
A supernatural western sandbox with zombies and pigmen that encourages quicksaving and problem-solving, and which deserves your full focus. One to get to after you've beaten Elden Ring.
This is cheating, sort of. Teardown entered early access over 18 months almost fully formed, yet its 1.0 version launched close to Elden Ring. Tearing stuff down in its voxel backlots is a joy.