Three well-reviewed 2026 games that are easy to tell apart once you stop reading critic scores as a shopping list. Mina the Hollower is a focused adventure. PRAGMATA is a sci-fi action game where shooting and hacking share the same beat. Mixtape is the gentler pick, a coming-of-age story about three friends' last night together, carried by its soundtrack. Here's what reviewers said, what each game is going for, and when to play it.
Mina the Hollower review: 10/10 from IGN, 90 on Metacritic
Mina the Hollower came out May 28, 2026, from Yacht Club Games, the Shovel Knight studio. IGN gave it 10/10, and Metacritic listed 90 from 64 reviews when we checked.
Samuel Claiborn at IGN praised its strange, dreamy world mixing gothic fantasy and steampunk technology. More useful than the perfect score is what the praise describes: a dense adventure full of mysteries to chase, with combat that rewards attention. You burrow, fight, explore and keep finding a reason to check the next room. The retro look does real work, giving the world a readable silhouette without making it feel like a museum piece.
It's the clearest recommendation here if you want a game with a strong identity and no interest in padding. For the full breakdown, see our Mina the Hollower review deep dive.
PRAGMATA review: 88 on Metacritic
Capcom released PRAGMATA on April 16, 2026. Hugh and Diana make their way through a lunar facility overrun by rogue AI, pairing third-person shooting with hacking. Gamesplanet's review roundup reports an 88 on Metacritic, and IGN describes an action-shooter built around one specific gimmick that nails the important parts.
Plenty of games have an idea they want you to admire. PRAGMATA has one it wants you to use. Shooting handles the immediate danger; hacking changes how you solve it. The two collide, so fights become small problems to read rather than rooms to clear.
It's the most divisive choice of the three. Mina aims for a confident retro-adventure shape and Mixtape aims for a feeling, while PRAGMATA asks whether its combat puzzle can carry a whole sci-fi campaign. Pick it when you want something mechanical to chew on, especially if familiar action-game rhythms have started to blur together.
Mixtape review: 10/10 from IGN
Mixtape came out May 7, 2026, developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. It follows three friends through their last night together. Its Steam page quotes IGN's 10/10 review calling it a distinctive experience with nostalgic charm, humour and poignant moments.
It's less interested in big systems than in moving through a collection of memories. The soundtrack isn't decoration; it's how the game remembers its characters, which gives it a warmer, more personal rhythm than the other two. A story about one last night depends on whether its characters land for you, and no score can guarantee that. But if you want something shorter and more emotionally direct after a run of huge open worlds, Mixtape makes a strong case. (Our Mixtape review deep dive covers why some critics scored it lower.)
Which to play
- Mina the Hollower: a tightly focused adventure with retro presentation and exploration that keeps opening new doors.
- PRAGMATA: action with a puzzle layer, in a sci-fi setting built around shooting and hacking.
- Mixtape: a music-led coming-of-age story on a smaller, more personal scale.
You don't need to play all three. Pick the one that fits your mood, and if you log it in Perthro, note which Mixtape song or Mina boss stuck with you.
