Steam – SmashPad

REVIEW – “Minishoot’ Adventures” is anything but mini with its big thrills, progression, and bullet hell challenge

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 11 Mar 2026

At the end of the game, I felt immense satisfaction. With all but a couple trophies awarded (that I may go back for at some point) and a couple faults worth mentioning, it still felt complete and like something substantial was accomplished. It’s a wonderful playthrough that respects you, your time, money, hard drive space, and effort.

REVIEW – “Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE” is far more beautiful but also far more frustrating

by Andrew Farrell | Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 09 Mar 2026

Remakes simply shouldn’t be 1:1 faithful to their original unless the original’s production values were so lacking that merely having better graphics is enough to make the game more palatable. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE could have focused solely on improving the original’s presentation and controls, but it goes farther, adding extra content and new mechanics. Unfortunately, these new mechanics only make the game worse, as they’re almost as frustrating as they are needless, tarnishing a game that could have easily superseded its predecessors while still not outright ruining what made the original so good.

REVIEW – “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection” sees the spinoff grow up in scope, mechanical density, and emotional maturity

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 09 Mar 2026

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a lovingly intrepid take on the series’ conventions. There’s a palpable whimsy to its character-driven moments and punchy, elephantine vigor to its action that rivals the greats.

FINAL PREVIEW – “Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection” is a (star)force to be reckoned with

by Michael Fertitta | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Previews Steam Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 04 Mar 2026

In my limited playing experience so far, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is shaping up to be a solid, modern way to experience a series whose brief existence seems to have flown under the radar by fans of the larger Mega Man franchise.

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories” is a cozy title that got me all nervous

by Danreb Victorio | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Previews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 26 Feb 2026

This demo only gives you this one shift, and it doesn’t take long at all. You’re tasked with taking stock out of the back and putting it on the konbini sales floor, making sure everything at the store is in order, and then opening up shop. Simple, right? Oh, if you only knew.

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Vampire Crawlers” deals a wickedly irresistible hand early on

by David Rodriguez | Android iOS Mobile Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Previews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 26 Feb 2026

Put bluntly, Vampire Crawlers chokeslams boredom through a glass table. The demo is impressive in its simplicity, but requires a hell of a lot more of you than Vampire Survivors did. In that sense, poncle could be on track to deliver a follow-up worthy of its still budding name and elephantine reputation. Can their lightning strike twice?

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: Is “Cleaning Up!” really fun?

by Danreb Victorio | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Previews Steam | 0 Comments | 26 Feb 2026

The Steam Next Fest demo of Cleaning Up!, which you can play now, features four levels that provide just enough to get your feet wet. There’s an apartment, a castle, a museum, and a cafe, each providing a new gimmick to differentiate itself enough. Only one of these levels qualifies as challenging, but again, it’s a demo.

REVIEW – The return of “City Hunter” is welcome and historically meaningful, but lackluster for what’s on offer

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 26 Feb 2026

With all this in mind, I can’t generally recommend City Hunter, but if you do want to see what TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine gaming had to offer by means of a cult product and you have a surplus of disposable income, have at it.

Everything we played during Steam Next Fest

by SmashPad Staff | Features Steam | 0 Comments | 23 Feb 2026

This virtual festival of sorts on Steam has been going on forever, but this year, we’ll cover it in ways we’ve never done before. Over the past couple years, we’ve bolstered our staff a bit to put out more content, and this year throughout every Steam Next Fest event, we’ll bring you hands-on impressions for the games that really speak to us.

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Wax Heads” captures the communal connection music has through a slice-of-life narrative sim

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Previews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 22 Feb 2026

As someone that prides himself on being able to recommend new, cool music to my pals, Wax Heads just hits all the right buttons so far.

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Armatus” promises a darkened, kinetic shooter experience for the roguelite landscape

by David Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch 2 PC PlayStation 5 Previews Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 20 Feb 2026

We’re not particularly starving for roguelites. Now a favorite of indie developers the world over for around a decade, it takes a lot for a new one to stand out among the crowd in gameplay, but also in art style. The ones I usually play tend to be on the brighter, sillier side with levity or at least a sense of humor to balance out the drama a la both Hades games. Armatus dares to be a little different with a dark, apocalyptic take for the setting while retaining a gameplay loop that makes genre fans ravenous.

REVIEW – “Demon Tides” is a devilishly good tribute to retro 3D open-world games

by Michael Fertitta | PC Reviews Steam | 0 Comments | 19 Feb 2026

Imagine my surprise when I got word of Demon Tides, an indie game that intends to recapture that same feeling of thrilling exploration and vibrant world-hopping that Wind Waker and A Hat in Time did. Yeah, it was a no-brainer to dive into this game to see if it hits the mark. And let me tell you, it absolutely does.

Category: Steam

REVIEW – “Minishoot’ Adventures” is anything but mini with its big thrills, progression, and bullet hell challenge

REVIEW – “Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE” is far more beautiful but also far more frustrating

REVIEW – “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection” sees the spinoff grow up in scope, mechanical density, and emotional maturity

FINAL PREVIEW – “Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection” is a (star)force to be reckoned with

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories” is a cozy title that got me all nervous

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Vampire Crawlers” deals a wickedly irresistible hand early on

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: Is “Cleaning Up!” really fun?

REVIEW – The return of “City Hunter” is welcome and historically meaningful, but lackluster for what’s on offer

Everything we played during Steam Next Fest

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Wax Heads” captures the communal connection music has through a slice-of-life narrative sim

[Steam Next Fest] Hands-On: “Armatus” promises a darkened, kinetic shooter experience for the roguelite landscape

REVIEW – “Demon Tides” is a devilishly good tribute to retro 3D open-world games

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