The big month is almost here. March is going to be huge, with Bloodborne, Axiom Verge, La Mulana on Vita, Hotline Miami 2…and there’s more. But February was able to hold its own, with a few notable releases, including some great indies(!), that I didn’t expect to grab me in the ways that they did. Though I’m waiting for Bloodborne to swoop in and take me away, Monster Hunter is a pretty nice distraction during the downtime.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Before this year, I barely knew what Monster Hunter even was, much less knew how much time I would be dropping into it. I’m nearly 30 hours into this juggernaut, with no signs of slowing. It’s a game where I can go from quietly picking herbs, to fighting a giant electric bird monster in a span of seconds. Monster Hunter is huge game with a seemingly endless number of mechanics to learn, and I’ve been loving every minute of it.

The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D

Majora’s Mask is a game I didn’t wholly appreciate the first time around, but has been slowly growing on me. Though I’ve yet to make it to the first dungeon due to a certain time sink, I’m understanding how and why the game works better than I ever did in the early 2000’s. It’s Nintendo at its darkest and most weird, which is a state I’d wish they’d inhabit more often. And that Clock Town theme is some of my favorite game music of all time, so that’s reason enough for a revisit.

Castle In The Darkness

A game that loves retro games as much as you, Castle In The Darkness wants to relight the spark that made NES games so great. You’ll see references to old games just as often as you’ll be facing death during it’s challenging run. It feels a whole lot like a good Castlevania game mixed with Mega Man and a bit of Dark Souls, and that’s a very good thing.

Honorable Mentions:

Until You Wake Up:

A smart, spooky puzzler that lets you figure everything out by yourself.

What Do We Do Now?:

Another puzzler, in which the satisfaction comes from learning when you’re even in a puzzle.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse:

A decent follow up to the DS’s Canvas Curse, making for a fun afternoon playthrough with friends. Worth playing through just to see the amazing clay art, even if you’re only able to glance at the tv while playing on the muddy-colored gamepad.