Echoes of Aincrad (PS5)

The world itself feels alive, from the sun filtering through the castle's stone corridors to the way enemies react differently depending on the time of day. Combat has a satisfying weight to it, and I've already lost hours just exploring the floating castle.

The character creator is surprisingly deep for an action RPG—I spent almost an hour just tweaking my hero’s face before even starting. The way sunlight filters through the floating castle’s corridors makes exploration feel genuinely immersive.

I’m already ten hours in and I still catch myself just standing on the floating platforms staring at the sky; the world building is that immersive. The character creation lets you tweak everything from the eyes to the way your hero walks, which I did not expect.