Believe it or not, we play a lot of games here at Game Informer, but it isn’t always easy getting our hands on everything, let alone finishing them and writing a proper review. We’re always looking for more ways to point readers toward the most interesting games available – especially those that could easily slip through the cracks – so we’ve created Spotlight to highlight the cool games we’ve been dabbling with recently that we believe may be worth your time. We love chatting with each other about the games we check out each day, and we want to add you to the conversation. Here is a selection of noteworthy titles some of the editors have been sampling and want to shout out.
Blue Prince
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC – Release: April 10
After reviewing The Roottrees Are Dead, I didn’t expect to sink into another compelling puzzle game that would require note-taking this soon. Blue Prince, a game I’ve had my eye on for some time, has quickly occupied my brain matter with its inventive and engaging puzzle-solving. This first-person roguelike adventure tasks you with reaching the 46th room in an ever-changing mansion, where the floor plan materializes as you progress. Opening a door presents one of three randomized rooms to step into; some have multiple doors to allow forward progress, others are dead ends, but nearly all contain some kind of helpful perk, a vital piece of knowledge, a useful item, or a tantalizing secret.
Building a path to the final room is a tricky and mind-bending exercise, especially since you’re limited in the number of steps you take each day. Once you run out of steps or are unable to create a forward path, the day concludes and the mansion resets itself (along with your inventory) to start a fresh run tomorrow. This hook is plenty fun on the surface, but it doesn’t take long before you realize there are deeper mysteries to be solved beyond what lies in Room 46 – and I can’t wait to unravel them all. – Marcus Stewart
Puffies
Platforms: iOS – Release: April 3
Puffies is embarrassingly simple in its execution. If you remember those puffy stickers that probably appeared on your elementary school tests, the game is basically that. Mechanically, it functions the same as putting together a puzzle, but the context developer Lykke has created around it makes it more fun, more adorable, and sometimes more challenging. It has unseated Balatro as my go-to mobile game when I have a few minutes to spare. Receiving an empty sheet and a series of stickers and placing them just feels satisfying, and the art is great.
The challenge level and time commitment of each sheet are also clear before you start, which means if I only have three minutes to spare, I will go for the short, easy puzzle, but if I have more time, I am happy to go for the larger, more challenging puzzle. It is only available via Apple Arcade for the moment, but Lykke’s last, excellent, comparably simple puzzle game, Stitch, eventually made its way to Switch. I am hopeful Puffies will make its way to Switch (or Switch 2) as a premium game soon. – Kyle Hilliard
Pilo and the Holobook
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series One, Switch, PC – Release: April 10
Metroid Prime awakened the part of my brain that really likes scanning and cataloging things in games, and I’m always happy to indulge in this exercise. Pilo and the Holobook turns that singular mechanic into its entire identity. As a cute talking fox working as an apprentice for an old scientist, you’re tasked with exploring the cosmos to visit planets and scan everything in sight. Doing so turns the items into stickers added to a book, which quickly fills up as you can scan just about anything. Simple puzzles and quests tied to scanning are a breeze, making Pilo and the Holobook a laid-back (if one-note) excursion perfect for decompressing after dealing with more mechanically dense games or the rigors of life in general. I also dig its vibrant hand-painted style, which, combined with its isometric perspective, is reminiscent of Bastion. – Marcus Stewart
Haste
Platforms: PC – Release April 1
It only takes a few seconds of seeing Haste gameplay to understand why it’s cool. Having your hand on the controller speeds that understanding up even more, which is thematically consistent because Haste is all about speed. The basic gameplay is about outrunning an encroaching dark force on foot through a series of randomized levels. Sonic the Hedgehog is the easy and, frankly, appropriate comparison, but you have much more freedom of movement and fewer opportunities to be stopped in your tracks.
The game is also a roguelite, which means you are revisiting slightly different levels over and over. Expanding your gameplay skills is arguably more important to forward progression than the light RPG mechanics that let you tweak and upgrade your character’s statistics. I would like a steeper upward ramp of upgrades for your character, but the basic running gameplay is undeniable and immediately fun to play. – Kyle Hilliard
Marvel Rivals – Season 2
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC – Release: April 11
Today sees the launch of the new big season for Marvel Rivals, and the breadth of content on offer helps make it clear why so many players are remaining hooked to daily play. In these early months after the game’s full launch, Netease has impressed with the number of new maps, characters, modes, and other content the game has added. After a few early sessions today, it’s clear that trend is continuing.
It will be a long time before the meta settles, but new playable hero Emma Frost seems like a great addition to the cast, especially in her Vanguard role – a space where the game has been lacking for options. The new Krakoa map and overriding Hellfire Gala theme for the season does an excellent job of capturing the magic and beauty of that lengthy X-Men comic era. New team-ups, balance changes, and engagement hooks (like a Bingo-style reward loop for seasonal content) all provide solid reasons to log back in and try your hand at some matches. – Matt Miller
