Dead in Vinland is a seamless genre-melding of resource management and RPG elements. Visually dazzling and complete with a delightful cast of characters, it’s the latest installment of what could be a successful franchise.

If your goal is to never have an interaction beyond your basement, this game delivers. Otherwise, its only function is to give players a few laughs and severe second-hand embarrassment. Alternatively, it could be turned into a drinking game with your buddies: Take a shot every time the camera goes out of focus, the acronym “PUA” is said, or there’s an opportunity to whip Big Richie out.

In this debut beat ‘em up from Deadbeat Productions, chunky graphics mix with smooth mechanics. Add a layer of cheesy one-liners, sandwiched between saucy superheroes and crusty villains. You hold something tasty and classically-inspired in your hands, if perhaps a little unexceptional. It’s not Disneyland’s Monte Christo, but an enjoyable BLT.

Too Kind Studios set out with very specific goals and they hit every wicket. Pankapu is an action-platformer successfully fused with roleplay elements. Sidescrolling collides with thoughtful storytelling, while carefully curated levels coalesce with nonlinear exploration; Pankapu the Dreamkeeper is an artful balance between retro favorites and contemporary design.

Dreamy yet disturbing, Cherrymochi’s Tokyo Dark keeps its crosshair leveled at a sweet spot between Japanese visual novel and point-and-click adventure. Backed by beautifully illustrated environments and an eclectic soundtrack, Tokyo Dark gives the impression of having been carefully crafted; the creators were thoughtful in how they integrated different elements to evoke a striking ambiance. Featuring supernatural cults, dark family secrets, kawaii cat maids that wax existential and a protagonist who speaks primarily in ellipses, the game nails narrative but misses the mark on a pointless stat system.

We play games for all kinds of reasons—primarily for that dizzying, juicy hit of dopamine. But, a surprising side effect of staring at boxes and hitting buttons is the cultivation of quick and efficient decision-making abilities, particularly for those players partial to rapid-fire and high-pressure genres, like RTS. Thus saith science.