The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa puts you in the worn shoes of Ringo, a high-school gang leader on his last autumn before graduation. By day you attend classes, work on grades and hang out with friends; by night you patrol the streets, spar in gritty brawls and chase fleeting moments of youth. There’s no grand quest to conquer rival gangs or expand territory—this is an existential beat ’em up that feels more like living a memory than following a mission list.

Fading Afternoon is an intriguing game where you step into the shoes of Seiji Maruyama, a middle-aged yakuza who has just been released from prison. The game presents familiar yakuza tropes, but it gives you the freedom to decide whether to follow them or not, posing the existential question of whether anything truly matters at this stage in life.