Our appointment with NIS America during PAX East was one of the opportunities I was most looking forward to, as I got to play Brigandine: Abyss behind closed doors, and it turned out to be quite a humbling experience. Typically, such a punishing demo would make me lose interest, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something worthwhile here, especially after the talk I had with the developer after the play session.

Clockwork Ambrosia is a game that takes that concept and goes in a fascinating, different direction, focusing instead on letting the player modify their weapons. To put it simply, I absolutely enjoyed my time with this game and its weapon mod mechanics.

Directive 8020 is worth the journey, despite a few rough detours. The performances are superb, and most of the writing is effective. However, there are way too many stealth sections.

What do you get if you take Batman: Arkham’s combat, mix it with a rhythm game, and throw it into several short levels? Well, you get Dead as Disco, that’s what! The game has just entered early access and is set to stay there for at least a year as it receives new combat mechanics, levels, and bosses to fight. At launch, there are five levels, in addition to the endless mode available in the demo. The game has a long way to go and is sure to receive lots of additional polish, but is Dead as Disco worth it in early access?

MagicCon Vegas 2026 showcase didn’t just tease new cards. It outlined a broader strategy: expand Magic’s reach through crossovers, experiment with new formats, and lower the barrier to entry without losing depth. From “Universes Beyond” spectacles to entirely new ways to play, MagicCon Vegas 2026 felt less like a preview and more like a mission statement.

When I first got my hands on a demo of Mixtape at Summer Game Fest last year, I knew it was going to be special. I knew it as soon as I put on the headphones and started vibing to…

I’ve been playing Apex Legends since the day it launched and I will say the new Overclocked update for season 29 is probably the most excited I’ve been for more Apex in over a year or two.

inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories is a game that had my attention as soon as I laid my eyes on it. I vividly remember the game at the corner of the room at Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition in 2025 with a line that would never end, but I was fine with not playing it because it just wasn’t the right atmosphere for it. Luckily for me, it was featured at the first Steam Next Fest this year, and I loved what I played in the demo, despite it toying with my anxiety.

Wax Heads still understood me on a level that another game really hasn’t in the 30 years I’ve been playing them. I laughed (a lot), I cried (a bit), I smiled (endlessly).

Annapurna Interactive has always been a name I associate with developers and publishers that create games with fascinating and deep narratives. With the rise of AI in nearly every aspect of our lives, it opens the door for a larger conversation about the existentialism of working alongside technologies that can grow beyond human comprehension. D-Topia, an upcoming puzzle game from Annapurna, seeks to tell a story in a similar manner, and I was interested in checking out how far the demo dives into this increasingly relevant topic.

I’d been patiently waiting for Motorslice for actual years. Seeing as so much of the game has you cut down robots in a manner reminiscent of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I was sold from the get-go. However, it’s not really an action game, focusing more on a Prince of Persia-esque experience. While there are many things to like about it, some baffling control issues significantly damage the game. I don’t regret playing it, but I do hope the devs improve the controls in the coming weeks to make the game less aggravating.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States, and in celebration of this special month, Steam will be running a 10-day activation from May 1 through May 10 featuring games by and about made by development teams with a focus on the AAPI diaspora. Assisting with the spotlight for these titles, developers, and publishers in AAPI in Gaming, a community platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of the Asian American and Pacific Islander diaspora in the video game industry.