Three smaller games came out around July 29 and 30, and each now has enough reviews to read. Kusan: City of Wolves is a violent top-down action game chasing Hotline Miami's nerve. Blue Reflection Quartet is a four-part JRPG collection trying to make a tangled series easier to get into. Case Solved: The London Files is a cozy logic mystery that critics like precisely because it doesn't hurry you.
OpenCritic has Kusan around 79 from 15 reviews with 93% recommending it, Blue Reflection Quartet around 75.5 from 15 reviews, and Case Solved around 75, though its reviews read warmer than that. They're for different audiences and ask for different kinds of patience.
Kusan: City of Wolves review scores: about 79
Kusan is from CIRCLEfromDOT, published by PQube, released July 30 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and Switch 2. Scores run from SECTOR.sk's 6.5/10 to Gamer Social Club's 9/10: critics mostly like it, but what they like is sharp enough to cut some players.
Several reviews reach for Hotline Miami straight away, and it fits: quick deaths, violent rooms, route memorization and style-first presentation that makes every fight a small neon panic attack.
- Gamer Social Club, 9/10: "a stunning neon world" with excellent animation and a gritty graphic-novel style.
- PPE.pl, 8.5/10: "spectacular, brutal and challenging," with a dark world and story that pleasantly surprised the reviewer.
- Push Square, 7/10: "a fun top-down action game that likes to challenge you," with control and story issues.
- SECTOR.sk, 6.5/10: the cyberpunk animal-world massacre can be frustrating because of permadeath.
That dissent explains the audience rather than contradicting the praise. Failure is a big part of the design. Critics agree the combat bites, the presentation has personality, and clearing a room cleanly after several messy attempts feels great. They disagree on whether the repetition and punishment feel bracing or thin. If INVEN's "Hotline Miami meets John Wick" makes you relax rather than tense, it's probably for you. If permadeath feels like a waste of your evening, trust the lower scores.
Blue Reflection Quartet review scores: about 75.5
Blue Reflection Quartet is from Gust and Koei Tecmo, released July 30 on Switch 2, Switch, PS5 and PC. Critics know what Blue Reflection is good at; they're divided on whether this collection is the best way to experience it.
It gathers pieces of Gust's magical-girl JRPG series, including full games and more condensed story material. For an underplayed series that sounds like a gift; as a single product it's harder to judge.
- PlayStation LifeStyle, 8/10: "a fantastic way to jump into Gust's underrated JRPG series."
- Cubed3, 8/10: a four-in-one deal with three strong games and one poor one dragging it down.
- RPG Site, 7/10: "tremendous value and a great way to start the series," though some parts "leave a lot to be desired."
- Shacknews, 7/10: "not entirely successful," especially when it makes you trudge through Ray's recap slideshow.
- COGconnected, 70/100: likes the shoujo story, visuals and emotional music, but finds the gameplay simple and derivative.
- Niche Gamer, 6.5/10: a light, character-focused visual novel experience that's hard to recommend to most RPG fans.
- Nintendo World Report, 6/10: Ray and Sun soured it because they're included in compromised forms.
Digitally Downloaded still fell for it, saying the altered stories don't compromise the series' central idea and calling them "ethereally beautiful magical girl JRPGs" with a wholesome message.
It's valuable, pretty, earnest and uneven. If you already care about the series, the mid-70s may underrate the convenience of having everything together. If you're new, you may be buying two strong anchors, one compromised bridge and a lot of mood rather than four equal games.
Case Solved: The London Files review scores: about 75
Case Solved is developed and published by Interactive Dreams, released July 29 on PC. It's a small puzzle mystery, not a prestige detective epic, and critics are happiest judging it at that scale.
The word that keeps coming up is relaxing. Gamer Social Club gave 8/10 and said it "really got my brain moving," praising the lack of timers or pressure, smooth jazz and hand-drawn art. Pure Dead Gaming also gave 8/10: fun, engaging, finishable in an afternoon, with post-game puzzles if you want more. LadiesGamers.com gave a "Mind-blown" verdict, calling it a welcome cozy detective game whose cases aren't especially hard but whose closed logic puzzles get satisfying later. MKAU Gaming gave 8.5/10 on August 3, saying it understands "what makes solving mysteries satisfying," especially the freedom to think without time pressure.
Many puzzle games create tension with clocks, fail states or stressful deduction. Case Solved trusts the grid, the clues and the small pleasure of narrowing possibilities until the answer clicks. If you want messy interviews, branching suspicion and hard consequences, it may feel slight. If you want a neat afternoon of stylish logic work, the reviews are waving you in. Save it for the right evening.
Which to play
- Kusan: City of Wolves: the loudest recommendation, with a clear hook, strong scores and a visible split on difficulty. Your Friday night game.
- Blue Reflection Quartet: the most interesting critical read, because the debate is about the package itself. A long-term curiosity.
- Case Solved: The London Files: the easiest to underestimate. A Sunday afternoon palate cleanser.
Whichever you pick up, a line in Perthro about the Kusan room you finally cleared or the Case Solved grid that clicked will outlast the aggregate score.
