Deltarune (Chapter 5)

I'm always reluctant to play the latest chapters of Deltarune.  Not because they're not great (they definitely are) but because they're over with so quickly and I'm always left wanting more of these wonderful adventures.  In a way, though, I'm also glad they're as short as they are - you just know if this franchise was being released by a giant corporation they'd demand it be some super dry open world game with tons of collectibles and fifteen times as many fights; not because they further the story in an way, but because they need to fill out some publisher's arbitrary length quota.  In addition to a fantastic and imaginative game designer, Toby Fox continues to be one of the most instinctively clever, funny and charming creative talents out there.  His characters are consistently unique, memorable and funny; even when they're meant to be intentionally obnoxious they still get a ton of laughs from me.  They also manage to be surprisingly touching during the more dramatic moments, which is no small feat considering how outlandish the whole scenario and many of the designs are.  The game mechanics continue to surprise too, with Chapter 5 working in puzzle-platformer elements and even a clever parody of Phoenix Wright's trials during one memorable combat sequence.  All that, plus the consistently beautiful 2D art (even a full-blown anime sequence at one point) and fantastic music make this yet another memorable entry in the episodic adventures of Deltarune.  I'm still hooked, and the months or years it'll take to bring this story to its conclusion are going to pass really slowly.

Developer: Toby Fox
Publisher: Toby Fox, 8-4
Released: 2026
Platform: PC, macOS Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

Earthbound Beginnings Remake

A fan project that began life nearly two decades ago and finally saw a release in 2026.  Earthbound Beginnings Remake (part of the Earthbound Collection project) is a modification of 1995's Earthbound, utilizing that game's engine and quality of life improvements (with a few of its own, like a run button and buying multiple items at a time) to recreate Earthbound Beginnings' world and gameplay.  Sometimes to a fault - the game's difficulty is still quite uneven, with some downright difficult enemy-packed areas, overly strong attacks and debilitating status effects hampering you seemingly every step of the way.  It definitely still feels like a punishingly hard NES game as you play it.  There is clearly a lot of care put into the presentation too - the sprites are faithfully recreated from the original game and given a 16-bit facelift, and while some music tracks are modified or carried straight from Earthbound (including the unused haunted house theme), others are recreated expertly in its sound font.  Despite a few rough edges, this is a high-quality project and well worth a look for any serious Earthbound fan.  It's also very easy to play - there's an online patcher on their website, so all you have to do is provide an unmodified ROM of Earthbound and then run it with an emulator or flash cart of your choice.

Developer: Earthbound Collection Team
Publisher: Earthbound Collection Team
Released: 2026
Platform: SNES

Fire Emblem: Engage

The followup to the somewhat divisive Three Houses, Engage goes back to basics in many ways.  While Three Houses felt fairly overdesigned between its class system, school sim elements and just a generally massive cast, Engage goes back to a being a fairly streamlined and linear adventure.  Characters come and go at the whim of the story, the Weapon Triangle returns, and there's no longer a class system in place.  Given that it was also meant as a celebration of the franchise's 30 year anniversary, its plot also incorporates this in the form of Emblems - heroes from previous games who fight alongside this game's protagonists in spirit form.  Characters can equip rings that grant access to Emblems, and filling the meter to activate an Engage grants them new special moves and bolsters their stats for a few turns; a bit similar in premise to Persona (or Tokyo Mirage Sessions).  As characters use their Emblems more their bonds improve and they gain more passive bonuses.  The visuals have seen definite improvement too, with more expressive characters and a lot of visual flourishes on special attacks, giving it an almost tokusatsu vibe.  That said, the actual plot of the game isn't really anything to write home about - an amnesiac hero (or heroine), four countries entrusted with powerful artifacts, a dark dragon threatening to drive the world to ruin again, you've seen it all before.  Still, if you want a Fire Emblem that goes back to basics while introducing a more streamlined design, an interesting new mechanic and paying homage to games of its past, this is one you may want to peruse.

Developer: Intelligent Systems

Publisher: Nintendo

Released: 2023

Platform: Switch