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Ever since its inception, Pokémon has continued to grow in popularity, eventually becoming a mainstream phenomenon. This growth has also resulted in players finding a variety of different ways to play: There are the challenge runners who impose rules and restrictions on themselves. Shiny hunters who have been blessed with the patience of saints as they constantly reset for starters and of course, the competitive battlers. Make no mistake, Champions is firmly aimed at making competitive battling more accessible than ever before. Players, both new and old, will find that there is plenty to like here while there are also a few head scratchers. It’s a brave new frontier trainers.

Imagine this: You’re on the playground(or maybe the park) and decide it’s a good time to break out Pokemon GO or a similar app and go hunting for cute creatures that might be hiding around the landscape. This is the premise behind Critterrupters, the newest critter catching adventure being developed by Isle of Swaps dev Fuzz Force. I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to play and share my thoughts on a pre-alpha build of it and I have to say, there is a lot of potential here.

Turtle Power! How many of you remember the TMNT fondly from your youth? I know I do. I personally grew up with the 2003 series and it still holds a special place in my heart. But I’ve grown to love other versions of the Turtles over the years as well. Long time readers will know this isn’t the first time the Turtles made headlines on GF. My colleague reviewed Shredder’s Revenge a little over a year ago. So when I heard they would be coming to one of my favorite card games, you can bet your kunai I was excited and honestly? They’re pretty fun to play with.

Platformers are a curious breed. Ever since the days of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, they’ve remained popular. Yet being innovative and different can be a little difficult to accomplish at times. Fortunately Croak, the upcoming bouncy 2D platformer from WoodRunner Games doesn’t have such difficulties. In a Steam Next Fest, it takes a lot to really stand out and after playing the demo, I can see why it caught the eye of my fellow staff members. This game is a gem in the making and will be well worth checking out when it fully releases.

It’s Pokémon Day! It was on this day 30 years ago that Pokémon Red & Green released in Japan. While we celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, this is a good time to look forward as we appreciate the past! As always, the whole direct itself is on YouTube and I recommend watching it as there are things I won’t mention or spend much time on in this article. Besides, it'll be more fun to see what surprises are in store that way.

What happens when you combine archeology, puzzle-solving and hamsters? You get Hamstermind, the adorable puzzle game by indie dev Righteous Tree. Solve puzzles and dive deeper into a mysterious pyramid in search of treasure. The premise has just enough going for it to keep you intrigued and the puzzles themselves are actually pretty relaxing and cozy. I wasn’t ever bored in my time with Hamstermind. It’s not revolutionizing the puzzle solver genre but it also doesn’t need to.

Every once in a while, an intriguing looking Kickstarter crosses my feed. Bel’s Fanfare just launched and it's already making waves. Straight from indie developer Chibig(Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, Deiland, and more) comes another Kickstarter for a beautiful looking game. And this one is worth the excitement.

Bel’s Fanfare follows Bel, a demon whose family has spent many years trapped in the depths of The Witch of the Sea, as she becomes the new Aura Cleaner of the ship at the behest of Captain Popplar. Bel also receives a family heirloom from her dad Belceboo before reporting in: the ukobach shield. Armed with her family shield, Bel must venture into the many mysterious areas of the once prestigious The Witch of the Sea and cleanse them of Aura(which is created from impurities of the soul). While doing so, Bel is also working to finally free her family from the ship. Along the way, she meets a number of interesting patrons, including the reptile controlled chef Eden, the lion like theater director Sr. Fos and the Queen of the Sea, Rovella. And that’s just the start.

The Kickstarter launched only a few days ago and it’s already made over $250k and still climbing. I can see why too. Inspired by Zelda and Spirited Away, this game looks stunning from the visuals on offer and seems to include some pretty neat puzzles and boss battles. Just from the Kickstarter alone, I’m very intrigued by the premise and the mysteries lurking within The Witch of the Sea. The Kickstarter ends on March 7 so there’s plenty of time left to back it and get exclusive rewards like a special shield skin, physical copies and even a statue of Bel! Bel's Fanfare is well on track to release on all major platforms, with an early release possible in 2027.

Be sure to follow Chibig on Twitter and Instagram and other socials for updates!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in an actual fairytale? To approach the castle of your archnemesis, knock down the door and…find it converted into an office space? That’s the premise behind Escape From Ever After, a delightful rpg inspired by the classic Paper Mario games. If you needed a fun game to take you back to those days and scratch an itch you didn’t know you had, Escape From Ever After is for you. This was one charming story that had me smiling the whole time despite a few minor kinks.

January has been a big month for Magic the Gathering as its latest in-universe set, Lorwyn Eclipsed, released on the 23rd with its pre-release the week before. What’s Lorwyn you ask? Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is a plane with a duel nature that’s often at odds with itself, as plants, animals and even the inhabitants themselves change drastically between the daytime of Lorwyn and the nighttime of Shadowmoor. Originally visited in the original Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block almost 20 years ago, the time has come to return to the iconic setting in this highly anticipated expansion.

If you’re like me, you probably grew up with a Game Boy Color back in the day and poured hours into 8-bit adventures. I fondly remember my time with games like Dragon Quest IV, Oracle of Ages and a few others. Back in those days, the technology wasn’t very sophisticated, so game design was much simpler and exploration wasn’t guided by nav points. It’s that kind of nostalgia that Doki Monsters Quest chooses to invoke. Memories of bygone days where game mechanics were explained in booklets rather than in the game itself. This philosophy of old meets new works to both Doki Monsters benefit and its deficit.