In our Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade review, learn why this Hades-inspired roguelike never quite reaches the depth it teases.
Donovan Harrell
Donovan Harrell
Donovan is a lifelong gamer with a love for fast-paced, single-player action games—especially Devil May Cry, Metroidvanias, indies, and action RPGs. He’s also an “advanced scrub” at fighting games and will play just about anything fun. Donovan is passionate about seeing more diverse characters and creators in the industry—or at least better hair options for Black people. With over a decade in journalism, he joined The Punished Backlog in 2023 to write more about what he loves. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @dono_harrell.
In our Cookie Cutter review, learn whether this punk-rock-inspired Metroidvania does enough to stand out in a competitive genre.
Everyone likes making lists of their favorite games, so we at The Punished Backlog figured we’d do the same! Here are our top 50 video games of all time.
The first Steam Next Fest of 2025 is underway, and we have games to recommend! From collectathons to cozy games, horror roguelikes to open worlds, don’t miss these Steam Next Fest demos.
Indie games are labors of love, and this year, it looks like there will be a lot to love! These are our most anticipated indie games of 2025.
From old Fallout titles to Helldivers 2 to indie roguelikes, Donovan’s top games gave him comfort even when the going got tough.
From straight-up horror games to RPGs and cute indies, here are some of the best horror game moments of 2024 so far!
In our Kill Knight review, learn why this blood-soaked, neon-laden top-down shooter is worth overcoming the steep difficulty curve.
Waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong? Make the wait easier by reading and playing our picks for the best Metroidvania games ever made.
In our Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus review, read about the game’s gorgeous art, great aerial combat, and troubled publishing at Humble Games.