PC / CONSOLE6.5/10Golden Swirl review, an action deckbuilder fighting against its best idea
A deckbuilder with music, content and ideas, trapped in real-time combat that turns its best tool into constant pausing.
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IF / VERDICT / 2026
We play to the end. Then we explain what works, what does not and who should spend their time and money on it.
THE VERDICT
Two formats, two ways to judge them. PC and console games receive a score out of 10 for the complete experience. Mobile games use a thumb scale built around a more immediate question: is this worth keeping on your phone?
PC / CONSOLE6.5/10A deckbuilder with music, content and ideas, trapped in real-time combat that turns its best tool into constant pausing.
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PC / CONSOLE8.5/10A provisional score after 31.2 hours. Vale Sangora, its characters and Coen's growth have overcome a combat system that initially frustrated me. The ending still has to support everything the game has built.
MOBILEIF / MOBILE VERDICTVERY GOODVery good. A fluid, tactile port that fits short sessions beautifully. It falls just shy of excellent because the campaign ends quickly and its puzzles rarely push very hard.
MOBILEIF / MOBILE VERDICTRECOMMENDEDRecommended. Team Rocket's Ambition is an inviting return with a strong identity and cards that lead naturally into play. It cannot prove the competitive meta, but it makes staying easy.
PC / CONSOLE7/10A short, relaxing experience that knows exactly what it wants to be. Lovely pixel art, surface-specific sound and small rewards turn mould removal into a perfect pre-bed routine. It lacks depth, but a longer game might have spoiled part of its charm.
PC / CONSOLE7/10Sailing in Black Flag Resynced still has no rival: the rebuilt sea, the Jackdaw and naval combat justify the remake on their own. Ashore it is another story: melee combat is clumsy and dated, the parkour does its job without surprising anyone, and the modern-day plot is gone with nothing to replace it. Essential if you never played it; hard to justify at 59.99 euros if you know it by heart.
PC / CONSOLE1/10A hollow Bully imitation whose combat, stealth, classes and timetable fail alone and obstruct one another when combined. Nostalgia cannot carry a game released before it was ready.
PC / CONSOLE9/10A gorgeous, soulful turn-based RPG with outstanding art direction and soundtrack and a superb reflex-based combat. It falls a step short of a perfect score only by comparison with the very biggest, but its Game of the Year is thoroughly deserved.
PC / CONSOLE10/10A monumental RPG best enjoyed slowly. Total freedom, a world that remembers every choice and unforgettable characters. Not for those in a hurry, but give it time and nothing compares.