Akimbot does a successful job at emulating the PlayStation 2 action-platformer era of games. It’s incredibly flashy and movement feels fluid, frenetic and fun. Similarly, gunplay leads to explosive setpieces worth witnessing. Though being true to this era comes with its own faults in frustrating checkpoint systems and performance issues, it’s all made up for in charm. We don’t get games like these often these days and for that alone, it’s worth it. We are so back.

Dreams of Another is an admirable mess of a game. Its narrative is poorly executed through truly terrible dialogue and performances, it’s incapable of offering a creative alternative to its exploration beyond shooting, and its philosophical musings wouldn’t be out of place on r/im14andthisisdeep. But, for those players who decide to dream this particular dream, Dreams of Another offers an eclectic kaleidoscope of bizarre artistic motifs, a fascinatingly surreal mood and a (possibly entirely unintentional) thematic density that is still worth treasuring amidst the haze of its voxel world.

A great strategy title for fans of tactical turn-based combat. The synergy between different factions, playstyles, and faction heroes offers plenty of variety and, combined with the reward system, keeps things interesting. Maps can become repetitive after a long play session, but this felt like a minor bug in an otherwise solid strategy game.

Farmagia is a very interesting concept with a lot of good ideas, great voice acting and an elaborate story. There is a lot to like, especially if you are a fan of tropey anime romps, but it has its fingers in too many pies, ending up feeling unfocused and not as polished as it could have been. There is definitely a very interesting game in Farmagia with lots of moving parts and a story that clearly had lots of effort put in, but it falls short in a few areas with disconnected farming mechanics and framerate issues. This is a shame because there is a lot of heart to be found within. Any big anime fans are likely to have a good time with the story and voice acting, but outside of that, there isn’t much to grab players.

Neon Blood, on its surface, is a stunning pixelated cyberpunk adventure that boasts an intriguing plot. However, players will unfortunately find that when they spend more time with the game it is riddled with clunky traversal, uninspiring combat and the lack of accessibility features. Though Neon Blood looks like it would be an exciting cyberpunk adventure, the issues make it visually gorgeous but not a super fun experience.

While updated graphics and a new control scheme are all well and good, Aspyr should have done more to bring Star Wars: Bounty Hunter into the present day. The lives system should have stayed in the early 2000s where it belongs, as all it serves to do is make the game’s already murderous level of difficulty even more aggravating by dragging out the experience and arbitrarily making players replay huge chunks of the game whenever the game serves up enough cheap deaths. The bounty hunting system also could have done with improvements to make it easier and more enjoyable to interact with. While there is some fun to be found with flying through the sky and gunning down your enemies, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is overall too frustrating an experience to be an easy recommend for anyone but the most diehard of Star Wars fans.

The Tartarus Key is a good experimental indie horror venture. It never outstays its welcome and creates a thrilling, brooding experience that never cheapens itself with jump scares. Feeling a little existential in its atmosphere, this too is bolstered by the low poly PS1 era art style the game is going for. Though not every puzzle is the most fun to work through, they are at least all well thought out with plenty of fun quirks that work well with the escape room vibes. I enjoyed being in the heat of the moment, feeling something in my brain click when I solved a brain teaser and it resulted in rescuing another character’s life. Rounding it out is a fun cast I’m needing to see more of, with Alex as a force of nature of a horror protagonist. Rest assured, The Tartarus Key is a secret little gem that should be high on indie horror fans’ lists.

Gambonanza isn’t as feature-rich or varied as it could be, but it remains hypnotically compelling all the same. Whether you’re a champion chess player or don’t know your Rooks from your Pawns, Gambonanza’s short, sharp matches and varied Gambit mechanics are engagingly addictive, and are worth checking out for any roguelike fan.

God of War: Sons of Sparta really does try to tackle a different approach to the series while also retaining the feel of God of War. There was so much potential for a new perspective on the characters and their pasts that have yet to be properly explored, which made it all the more dissatisfying when the game came to an end and fell short on all these opportunities. The focus on the primary objective really didn’t leave much room for any other characters to be expanded upon, and the gameplay and storytelling weren’t compelling enough to keep me invested all the way to the end. If you really want to know what happens for yourself, or you’re desperate for a new Metroidvania, wait for some patches to fix the bugs and give it a go. If you don’t, then you will be fine to skip this one.

AEW had the right idea in wanting to focus on the nostalgia of the wrestling games we played when we were kids, but at the end of the day, the seemingly low budget and lack of polish is something that should be left in the past. AEW: Fight Forever has some fine ideas and its execution of moment-to-moment gameplay and animations isn’t terrible, but matches can be won with minimal effort or drama, presentation is missing key things that make wrestling special, and the story mode is repetitive, boring and self-masturbatory. Fight forever? In this game? No, thank you.

Adore is a rather good game that has a refreshing spin on the creature collection genre. The action-based isometric combat presents a unique take regarding controlling a team of creatures, and mastering when to summon them and customising a team made for a compelling experience. The gorgeous and charming art and soundtrack are also a pleasant inclusion. While the very limited variety in quest objectives starts to become an issue long before the credits roll, you can definitely still have a fun time with Adore’s new interpretation of isometric dungeon crawling and creature collecting.

Gotham Knights smartly puts focus on some iconic DC Villains and showcases a new threat with an interesting story full of conspiracies and secrets. It does a good job of establishing this story with underrated heroes, tying in fun action which is enhanced greatly by playing with a friend. Other elements, like boring diversions from the main story, a tacked-on crafting system, and an over-reliance on throwing piles of long, repetitive battles in your path towards the end are less successful, but I still enjoyed my time exploring Gotham City overall. Especially if you have a sidekick, this is a superhero adventure that is well worth suiting up for.

Painkiller is a serviceable co-op shooter that doesn’t live up to its namesake. It gets the satisfying gunplay mostly right, but the rest is unremarkable considering its short length, repetitive objectives, grindy upgrade mechanics and lack of any kind of proper engaging narrative or satisfying conclusion. While it’s hard to call Painkiller bad, I’d also struggle to recommend it to anyone aside from hardcore fans of co-op, while DOOM Eternal exists. If you want an excuse to mow through rooms of demons with two friends, then Painkiller will serve you just fine, but fans of the original will probably have more fun with any of the large array of single-player boomer shooters available on the market.

Lost Epic is not a bad game necessarily, but it struggles to stand out compared to similar 2D action titles. The application of Soulslike elements only serve to slow the experience down with dull backtracking and grinding for experience and upgrade materials. Although its combat can frequently be very satisfying and a treat to behold, the sheer amount you’re forced to go through combined with limited enemy variety ensures that repetition sets in quite quickly. If you enjoyed Salt and Sanctuary, but wish its visuals were run through an elaborate anime filter, perhaps Lost Epic is for you. Otherwise, maybe wait for a sale.

After an initially positive impression, Aphelion fails to achieve liftoff. Shallow and outdated climbing mechanics, coupled with an abundance of boring stealth sections, make the narrative the only hope for this mission. However, with a lack of compelling characters or performances, the gravity of two unlikeable leads proves too strong for Aphelion. Despite strong visuals, instead of reaching for the stars, this sci-fi journey ends up falling back to Earth.

Despite being competent on many levels, FBC: Firebreak is an exceedingly familiar cooperative experience you have likely played before. Remedy’s signature flair for visual design and return to a familiar and beloved video game locale might be enough for absolute die-hard fans, but it is tough to see who the target audience for this entry into the RCU was envisioned for. While not a total misfire, FBC: Firebreak feels destined to be a footnote from the world of Alan Wake.

It’s a shame that the early pacing issues with Forspoken and the slow-burn drip-feeding of abilities will likely put off a lot of players and prevent them from seeing how fun the game can actually be when it’s firing on all cylinders. Bland and boring environments with some awkward visual choices and lifeless character models give an unfortunate first impression that is saved by its enjoyable parkour and versatile combat during the later stages of the game, along with a surprisingly heartfelt story. Forspoken might not be the savior we were all hoping for, but it’s a decent adventure with enough soul that it shouldn’t be cast aside entirely.

Red Souls Games should be proud of releasing their debut title; there is no doubt about that. But as a game striving to honour the paragons of survival horror, Post Trauma significantly falls short. Its astounding art direction and captivating music create an unnervingly eerie atmosphere that will stick with you well after the game’s conclusion. But Post Trauma‘s muddled and borderline incoherent story, flat characters, frustratingly difficult puzzles, and incredibly easy gameplay, where the stakes are never felt, are a real disservice to what is a clear love letter to horror.

Tamagotchi Plaza is a flat experience in a bright, colourful package. The minigames are fun for an hour or so, but take too long to add new mechanics, leaving the gameplay repetitive and unsatisfying. It’s fun to see so many Tamagotchi characters walking around this world, but it would have been far more interesting if there was anything substantial for them to actually do.

Shadow Labyrinth is such a fascinating reinvention of PAC-MAN that completely changes the concept of what a PAC-MAN game can be. It’s a completely unapologetic, brutal reimagining that fully commits to this vision. It pays off in its best moments, whether you’re fighting a huge boss or weaving through some difficult platforming, but the punishing early game and confusing design choices really weigh it down. It’s far from the most flawless Metroidvania, but if you can stomach the difficulty, it’s a compelling new PAC-MAN experience.

Cat Café Manager entices you in with hopes of cute kitties and a bustling management sim but sorely underachieves. There are a lot of awesome and inventive ideas, however the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I found myself enjoying the game with its chilled vibes and laid-back style, but also felt frustrated at all the missed potential. Whilst the representation of diverse characters gives the game several bonus points, unfortunately there are a lot of features missing to help make Cat Café Manager a timeless simulator classic.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is not the best version of the GameCube original, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad experience. The story still holds up, combat is still exciting, and the characters are some of the best in the series, but all these systems take getting used to compared to newer games. Worst of all is the Switch version, which brings several new technical issues to the game, includes short but repetitive loading screens after you do almost anything outside of menus. It may be a deal breaker for some, but for others it might be a small price to pay to play an RPG classic on modern consoles.

King’s Bounty II has all the ingredients of a great strategy game but is held back by a counterintuitive UI and generic story elements. While the overworld offers a beautiful open environment to explore, often there’s not enough there to hold your attention as a player, and you’ll find yourself wandering around aimlessly. Added to this is that your character’s travel is particularly slow, the game has a sleepy pace at times that holds the overall experience back. While its strategy battles feature some interesting ideal mechanics that might appeal to die-hard fans of the franchise, if you’re looking for a broad roleplaying strategy experience, King’s Bounty II might not be the best fit for you.

Neurodeck offers up an interesting premise and beautiful visuals. Story-wise and gameplay-wise, however, the whole experience feels like an Early Access release; many areas of gameplay are repetitive, and it’s easy to encounter the same enemies multiple times in a single run. I’m convinced this could be a stunning game if given a bit more love by the developers, but it doesn’t match up to the giants currently dominating the card-game genre. If you’re looking for a deck-building challenge, it’s best to keep looking a little longer.

I’m a little sad about how Maiden of Black Water resulted in Project Zero’s pause as a series. Great photography gameplay is on offer and had me frantically thinking on the fly to snap some solid (and horrific) photos. Poor pacing, voice acting and less than admirable treatment of female characters is present though, which can at times be tough obstacles to overcome. Still, the eerie atmosphere the game sets up for itself remains throughout. It is a thrilling, quite pleasurable experience that, while the answers may not always be satisfying, will leave you guessing until its conclusion. I can only hope this remaster is the start of a new turn for the series. Flaws and all, the Project Zero franchise is more than worthy of another shot in the spooky spotlight.

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is a fantastically paced game seemingly designed to be experienced in bite-sized chunks with challenging controls that could be mastered by those willing to put in the effort. With all the thought and care put into representing these beautiful creatures and their heartbreaking lives, the game’s issues appear to stem from a lack of resources, not passion. Despite the repetition and technical struggles, it’s a short, sweet experience whose positive elements are more memorable than its faults.

While the Iron’s Hot offers diverse gameplay packed with an immersive narrative, innovative ideas, and crafting depth. However, there are some quality-of-life improvements needed, mini-games lack challenge, and you may find yourself with an overflow of work orders without incentives to complete them. Overall, the game delivers a captivating blacksmithing experience with some limitations that may unfortunately impact player satisfaction.

Considering the game’s notoriously troubled development, Skull and Bones is definitely not as bad as it could have been. With many of its tweaks to the naval combat pioneered in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, the game is often fun, particularly with a friend. However, those moments of fun are sometimes hard to find, and are buried under boring travel, glacially-paced harvesting and looting, and a rather shallow world to explore. If you’re a fan of other multiplayer live-service titles and are looking for a new kind of game to check out with friends, Skull and Bones certainly brings something new to the table that Destiny 2 and The Division 2 do not, but it is not all smooth sailing.

Chocobo GP could’ve been a simple kart racer that draws players in with beloved characters and tracks from the history of Final Fantasy, but instead, Square Enix boldly chose to make a sequel to an unpopular PS1 game. Bolder still was the choice to gate the promise of a more interesting game behind season passes and premium currencies. Mechanically, Chocobo GP is sound, and has enough ideas and potential to stack up to other franchise racers. However, I’m anxious to see how long this game lasts after release. There’s every chance it’ll develop a loyal playerbase large enough that Square will continue to support it, and maybe even rebalance the game to make that price of entry less steep. But as it stands, I don’t think Chocobo GP offers enough at launch to justify the effort and money required to keep playing it.

SLEEP AWAKE is an experience that doesn’t allow itself enough time to become the piece of art it desperately wants to be. It features all the elements of a beautifully intense and unique audio and visual experience, and has a decent story it’s trying to tell, but feels diluted overall by its short runtime. It almost feels like a game that was playing it a bit too safe, even in its experimental style, and it would have benefited from heavier auditory exploration and more content to properly develop its intriguing narrative.

Blood Bar Tycoon is an overall enjoyable experience which is hindered from being great by small bugs that add up really fast. It’s got a clean and fun art style, and light humour that compliments the darker tone of the game. With the lack of an overall bigger story to pull you in and keep your interest, it falls victim to the ‘tycoon game turned idle game’ where you’re simply waiting for your machines to make stock. There’s not a lot to keep you coming back once you’ve achieved three stars in each bar; while it’s a relatively fun experience while you’re playing, the somewhat repetitive gameplay loop doesn’t offer much incentive for a repeat visit, even if the drinks are bloody delicious.

The DioField Chronicle is an enjoyable experience for players who are interested in games with political drama and intrigue. It thrives on being vague and secretive, which fits the themes encountered in the game. Combat can also be fun to play around with, and it forces you to think differently when enemies can move around. Unfortunately, the game can take complexity too far, and it isn’t a game for casual players. The battle system can feel repetitive with a lack of variety, and the only thing propelling you forward is your desire to know how it all ends. But if you are willing to put some time into the game and understand it, you will walk away with a decent experience that is enjoyable in its own right.

Squirrel with a Gun has a janky charm, from its crazy attack animations to occasionally ridiculous physics-based challenges. The concept of a platformer where the player character is so tiny that their gun is used to propel them into the air is a clever one that I wish was used in a more enjoyable game. However, despite some occasionally fun challenges and crazy cutscenes, Squirrel with a Gun feels overstretched across its roughly eight-hour playtime, with an overall lack of technical polish that goes beyond funny and becomes frustrating to play. It isn’t bad overall and certainly has its fun moments (particularly the boss fights), but the bugs and general jankiness of the experience hold it back from reaching its full potential.

SkateBIRD is an adorable action sports game with a lot of charm and funky beats. Setting aside minor control and camera issues, the unique perspective of being a teeny bird helps bring a refreshing look to the skate game genre. From dirty cereal bowls to server cables, travelling across 5 different levels to help your human come home was enjoyable and engaging. Meeting several interesting and pun-filled birds who help you on your journey just added to the quirk and charm. Glass Bottom Games has done a commendable job making this accessible for all gamers, allowing for a unique player experience.

Fashion Dreamer is a game that tries to do too much at once and fails to focus on making the game satisfying in the first place. With all the different forms of currency, different ways to get free clothes, gacha games and bingo games, it is completely unfocused and doesn’t put enough effort into the important stuff: the fashion and a tangible sense of growth as you become more and more popular. There are plenty of older and much better fashion games out there, so Fashion Dreamer really shouldn’t be at the top of your list.

Survival Kids doesn’t take any big risks in its kid-friendly approach to survival games. Yes, it is technically kid-friendly in mood and scope, but that’s also underselling the maturity and capability of children playing games. Its level-based approach doesn’t evoke a sense of wonder and exciting exploration that its counterparts are known and beloved for. Its tasks are monotonous and very quickly become repetitive, almost as if they’re not trusting you to understand the same thing they’re teaching and showing you every few minutes. With only nine levels, but with rough pacing in those missions, it’s an experience that somehow passes you by in a flash, but also feels like a slog. There’s fun to be had if you’re with friends in the silly and chaotic gameplay moments, also working together as a refined, well-oiled survival production machine. Still, at the end of the day, Survival Kids isn’t all that much of a successful return, remaining hardly a splash in the ocean.

Whether you want to take the righteous route or become the true menace of Nottingham, Hood: Outlaws & Legends is certainly one of the best Robin Hood games to play. The art and world design care are impeccable, representing a grim and gory version of the English folklore. It’s empowering to play as legendary vigilantes and decimate the establishment or opposing forces with strategy and stealth. Although, it doesn’t come without its fair share of problems. The winching mechanic, and currently the only objective type in the game, is unmistakeably frustrating and poorly conceived. Without a proper refresh of the goals, the community might take their gold elsewhere. Not forgetting technical bugs that need squashing, Hood: Outlaws & Legends may let you steal from the rich but not without taking a little bit of your patience first.

LONE RUIN is a game that’s simply too short for its own good. A lack of content means the experience is over long before it ever should be, and any additional difficulty modes and a survival mode don’t do enough to justify the small scope. The experience is saved somewhat by good gameplay and a great spells/upgrades system, though not enough to call this one a real must-play.

The versatility of wall-running and jumping with the agility of Spider-Man with machine guns is undeniably entertaining. Traversing the excellent dark and brutal world with these abilities makes it all that much more fun. However, it’s clear there are polish and refinements required if this bounty hunter wants to make bank. Necromunda: Hired Gun is messy and not the game Warhammer 40,000 fans or FPS lovers will be speaking about in years to come.

Homeseek is a colony simulator that frequently puts you in uncomfortable situations. Just as you think everything is going well, it pulls the rug out from under you and forces you to react. You must balance short-term survival with long-term exploration to find new livable areas. Instead of building a self-sustaining civilization, you must move to greener pastures while surviving against the odds. The learning curve is steep as you are expected to make several mistakes. Not everything is explained to you either, forcing you to learn as you go. But if you are willing to stay with the game and adapt, you will find a great challenge that forces you to really think.

The kindest thing I can say about Shattered Space is that it’s “just more Starfield”, and if you wanted more missions and story content, then this expansion delivers. However, if you didn’t enjoy the base game very much, Shattered Space doesn’t provide much reason to return. If you wanted a colourful new planet to roam around and a couple of new scripted story missions to expand your experience with Starfield, Shattered Space certainly provides that. However, with few particularly unique missions that stand out from the main game, and an overall lack of new mechanics, interesting new narrative content, or polish, only the most diehard of Starfield fans are likely to get much out of it.

While The Good Life is an often frustrating and dull experience, riddled with annoying mechanics and lacking in polish, I’d struggle to say that I necessarily had a bad time overall. I found the town of Rainy Woods and its mysteries engaging enough to want to see the experience through to the end. There are so many nuggets of potential that are held back by irritating health meters and repetitive side quests. If you’re a fan of SWERY’s previous output or have a lot of patience for fetch quests, there is reason enough to check out The Good Life, but it is a hard sell for pretty much anyone else.

Despite what is clearly an earnest effort, Lost Soul Aside fails to do justice to whatever director Yang Bing’s vision was. It never stops feeling hamstrung by its lofty aspirations, but is derivative in its execution and doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. If you’re the type of player who can forgive an average experience in return for genuinely great combat, then it might still be worth your while to grab it on sale.

Perish offers a great world to explore and a surprising amount of graphical prowess for an indie roguelike. The setting is intriguing and the combat varied and engaging enough. The game stumbles with framerate drops and a gameplay loop that may not have been finetuned to perfection, though if you have a crew to play with, Perish still offers a good amount of fun that’s worth your time.

World’s End Club wanted to be like Danganronpa or Zero Escape, but it doesn’t measure up to either. This game has a pretty cool story sandwiched between aggressively average platforming segments that wouldn’t stand up to snuff ten years ago. It has a cool art direction and likeable characters, but the writing itself is not masterful enough to make the unconvincing plot twists work, nor to make up for the boring and repetitive gameplay.

There’s a decent time to be had in Slitterhead as a blood-wielding badass dealing with some dastardly demons in the striking and grungy concrete jungle of Kowlong. The game finds a satisfying balance of empowerment and challenge as you hijack body after body to topple your foes. Similarly, it’s exciting to use these supernatural powers to traverse the land and uncover mysteries across the city. The game, however, is held back by an obtuse story, a frustrating lack of apt signposting in some missions, and an adventure you never really wrap your head around in its twelve-hour runtime. It may not make a huge mark on the horror action scene, but to the select few that vibe with its freakishness, it’ll be an underrated gem for years to come.

Mato Anomalies has solid RPG fundamentals that can create an enjoyable experience in the beginning. Combat is fun to engage with, the world looks interesting, and the story has an intense start. Unfortunately, the game drags itself down with a narrative that never figures out what it wants to be, throwing in multiple themes which make little sense collectively. Combat requires increasingly large amounts of time investment, which can make you sick of the grind. It’s hard to find yourself continuing to the end, and the game doesn’t make much sense even if you do finish it. If you are looking for an RPG that requires grinding and you don’t mind the repetition, you might enjoy Mato Anomalies. For those looking for a strong narrative that leaves you impressed, look elsewhere.

For fans of the series, or for players looking for a slightly more involved grind during their commute than the usual mobile fare, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX offer a heap of monster-rearing pleasure. However, this pair of titles is truly a product of its time: a lack of tutorials, janky graphics, and a set of opaque gameplay systems reliant on heavy grinding might prove too high a barrier for the average creature collector. Pick this up only if you’re prepared for a nostalgic romp through the highs and lows of late nineties game design.

If you’re sensible, please, for the love of God spend your time and money on literally anything else. Lust From Beyond will derive no joy, only misery and lethargy.

Broken Roads is a game that I wish I liked more. The authentic Aussie identity which shines through its dialogue, voice acting, and art is a joy to behold, and its exploration of morality through the application of classical moral frameworks in a post-apocalyptic setting is a terrific idea that brings a unique spin to played-out moral choice systems. Unfortunately, underwhelming combat and loading screen-laden fetch quests definitely hold it back, and the presence of game-breaking bugs make it only a tentative recommendation as long as you keep those aspects in mind.

Curse of the Sea Rats is a competent 2.5D Metroidvania that offers an absolutely delightful style. The story and gameplay are basic at best, with design oversights and shallow combat that unfortunately drive this simple narrative. Still, the small package comes with a fun four-player coop that complements the classic cartoon animation and critters throughout the journey. This platformer won’t rattle the scene, but it’s a great game for families to play.

Truth is, as a whole, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle feels like a cheap imitation of Resident Evil’s recent output, which is really sad when you consider that its precursor managed to do its own thing, even if it had flaws of its own. The fact that the franchise managed to take both a step forward AND back at the same time is certainly confusing, and as a follow-up to a title I genuinely enjoyed for its earnestness, it’s disappointing to see a franchise full of potential squander it to become a lesser imitation of what inspired it.

Arctic Awakening’s intriguing premise is quickly buried under a slushy heap of mediocrity. Its mystery is undercut by poorly conceived writing, the character dynamics and performances leave you colder than its wintry landscapes and whatever visual beauty that can be found in its intermittent spectacle is often dashed by raw survival mechanics and sluggish pacing. In more assured hands, this could have been a familiar yet effective 4-5 hour narrative adventure, but in its current state, you’d best leave it buried in the snow.

Kejora is a short and simple game with an animated art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films and the books I read in school to help me learn different languages. Despite its efforts and how much I thoroughly enjoyed the introductory act and the larger themes, questions, and ideas, the limitations of its clunky gameplay, declining quality of its story, frequent bugs, and an immersion-breaking lack of sound effects left me less engaged, indifferent, and bored by the end of it all.

I appreciate what Scathe was clearly aspiring to be, but it doesn’t reach those aspirations. Its sprawling, directionless levels were no substitute for a more tailored experience with a difficulty curve and intended order of obtaining new weapons and spells. Flooding the stages with enemies and hazards that appear out of thin air felt unfair more often than not, and the lives system and scarce health pick-ups only slowed down what is intended to be a fast-paced experience. If you enjoy DOOM and FPS’s inspired by it and want to play it co-op with your friends, there is some enjoyment to be had, but there are better-designed co-op shooters on the market that are more deserving your time.

Ravenlok is not a bad game, but judged on its gameplay, it feels somewhat insubstantial. Those going into the game looking for an engaging and challenging action experience will likely be turned off by its simple and toothless combat and overreliance on fetch quests. That said, for younger gamers or those seeking a more straightforward adventure through a surreal world filled with memorable and strange characters, it’s a decent time, and is worth checking out on those merits.

Urban fantasy which mixes fantastical elements with a recognisable and familiar setting is one of my favourite genres, and Reynatis’ premise definitely ticks a lot of those boxes. However, despite a generally rather fun combat system and memorable soundtrack, Reynatis breaks down as it progresses, with dull environments, forced backtracking, poor technical performance and lengthy boss fights. If you can look past these issues, there is some fun to be had, but it is a highly tentative recommendation at best.

Hellboy Web of Wyrd isn’t the worst video game adapted from comics I’ve played, but it certainly could’ve been better. Lance Reddick delivers a wonderful performance in what is one of his final roles. Similarly, the Hellboy universe is as tantalising in its grim dark fantasy as ever before. It too has some fun brawler combat with upgrades that will make or break your run. This should be a roguelike foray made in harmony with one of the punchiest and most unique adaptation spins we’ve ever seen. Instead, Web of Wyrd is never in pursuit of anything all that meaningful. Narrative threads aren’t all that engaging. The Mike Mignola art-style charm only lingers, ruined by the repetitive level design and jaunts through the same narrow hallways and combat scenarios. Never invigorating itself, Web of Wyrd is another in a long line of IPs adapted into video games that is, at most, a damn shame.

With Drag x Drive, Nintendo’s latest multiplayer jaunt is both the things we hoped for and the things we feared. It feels immersive and thrilling in the middle of matches to be giving it your all as you speed across a court and try to sink shots as best you can, being one with the chaos. Similarly, it’s a concept and control scheme that we haven’t seen before in games, one that deserves credit. In the same breath, though, this hyper-specific control scheme and skill ceiling will leave a lot of players, both casual and lesser-abled, behind with how demanding it can be. It doesn’t help that the Nintendo charm isn’t quite there, nor is there enough substantial side content.

You don’t need me to tell you how much of a tough sell Dolmen is this year. Still, if you’re at all a fan of the Soulslike genre and willing to forgive a little jank that comes with slight overambition and a smaller budget, I recommend giving it a go. For every frustration I had for not having quite as many “Aha!” moments when opening a door or discovering some lore, it’s equalled with other ways the game is working to impress. On offer is a solid nightmarish journey from the darkest depths to the dreadfully eerie conclusion at the world’s own horrific ground zero. This is held up by clever combat implementations and a rewarding sense of experimentation and exploration. Atmospherically enticing and fun to play, Dolmen is a game I won’t let you all forget. Even if I’m one of the few banging my drum, championing it.

Sheltered 2 offers players an interesting mix of resourcing, crafting, and combat mechanics. With plenty of stats to keep an eye on throughout a playthrough, you’ll find yourself making complex decisions to keep your faction alive. Through the added feature of expedition parties and combat, Sheltered 2’s gameplay feels varied and engaging overall. While its user interface can be complex and overwhelming at times and its aspects of micromanagement might not be for everyone, if you’re a strategy aficionado who’s not deterred by numbers, there’s plenty to love in Sheltered 2.

Unfortunately for Foreclosed, the glitches, confusing systems, and undercooked game mechanics overwhelmed my experience with the game. On the surface, Antab Studio present an exciting and engaging future-noir thriller, but look much further and you will see a cyberpunk-by-the-numbers experience that falls flat. Even taking into consideration the well-realised cyberpunk world, and the clever use of comic book aesthetics to present the game’s narrative, Foreclosed fails to impress on most fronts. Gameplay is key, and unfortunately Foreclosed presents and feels like a middling shooter from decades past.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 almost gets there but it’s just not consistently fun enough to warrant ongoing play. The open worlds are large and some of them are well designed, but there just isn’t really anything to do other than drive around. The races themselves are too much of a mixed bag, mixing some exciting races with other tracks that would better suit a Rally Car rather than a Monster Truck. The arena challenges are fun for a while but they become too repetitive to keep going back to.

Knight Crawlers offers several ways to customise your rogue-lite experience. You can change your character’s outfit, decide on your combat approach, and how you approach a dungeon run. Rather than throwing large numbers of enemies at you and seeing what happens, the gameplay allows you to choose what you want to do. Unfortunately, Knight Crawlers is still held back by several issues. Melee combat isn’t effective compared to ranged combat, and the wobbly character’s movement can work against you. There are also a good number of bugs that can interfere with your experience, forcing you to restart otherwise-successful runs. The potential of Knight Crawlers is there, but some areas haven’t received the refinement that could have helped demonstrate said potential.

Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a hilarious music adventure best enjoyed with friends. Bursting with eccentricity, the game’s comedic narrative unfolds as you conquer the zany Rhythm Castle, grooving to a beat or herding magical rats. The game’s unpredictability keeps the fun alive. It’s certainly not for solo play and proves to be tricky to learn, but this game shows Konami can still deliver unique and memorable gaming experiences.

Sadly, She’s Leaving‘s trite plot, absence of compelling characters, and lacklustre gameplay elements mar it, leaving very little to actually recommend. It is a short, play-it-and-forget kind of game, so much so that by the end of my playthrough, I felt nothing towards it but the indifference of knowing I could have spent my time doing anything else. It is a completely mediocre experience, but one that Blue Hat Studio can, and should, learn from.

I Hate This Place is a well-constructed game that provides a decent level of entertainment, especially for those who love a creepy cult setting or a ghostly mystery. While the narrative isn’t the most compelling story ever told, and there are certain aspects of the gameplay that could have been improved on, the overall experience is enjoyable enough that players might be able to look past them and enjoy taking in the atmosphere and charming visual style.

A lo-fi ocean adventure for those in need of calm, monotonous focus, Endless Ocean: Luminous provides an experience that is entirely low stakes, low risk, and low reward. It’s incredibly soothing to dive in and chase down a huge variety of aquatic creatures through the game’s diverse, atmospheric marine environments, but anyone looking for a deeper narrative will be left high and dry. Check this out if you’ve got the funds and don’t mind fumbling through a bit of jank to reach your zen state of mind.

Winter Ember presents players with an engaging story and plenty of interesting levels to explore. While its combat can feel repetitive and the voice acting could be polished a lot further, overall the game offers some fun stealth mechanics that will be entertaining to fans of titles like Weird West, Desperados III, and Sherlock Holmes.

Thanks to the way Suicide Squad – and every game following the live service model – is structured, this review will probably be obsolete a year from now. The current (base?) version of the game is pulling its punches for now, to dole them out seasonally over the coming months and years. Based on player retention, there’s no way to know if it’ll be worth your while in the long term to jump into Suicide Squad at launch. But there’s the kicker, you can get a lot out of it already, just not in the ways live service models are known for. A genuinely compelling narrative, a huge city to play in, and the prospect of playing with friends are a solid foundation to grow from, even if the repeatable mission design needs some work.

Stray Blade has some redeeming qualities, though these will largely be subjective. It is easy to tell that Point Blank Games set out to create a title with passion in an attempt to offer something more unique. The visuals and art design are gorgeous, the world is interesting if a bit generic, and the general gameplay loop can be addicting if you can put up with the clunky combat. Though with that said, Stray Blade does little to warrant your attention in the landscape of today’s video game offerings. If you want a souls-like RPG that you can turn on, take in the vibrant scenery, and play through whilst turning your mind off, you could do far worse. For those looking for a refined combat experience, tight controls, and rewarding gameplay, you would do best to look elsewhere.

Critter Café takes you to a colourful world that mixes modernity with fantasy. Not only are you operating the magical animal café of your dreams, but you also get to escape reality and go on an adventure to save critters. However, unlike other restaurant-based cozy games, there’s a missed opportunity to offer more interactive opportunities outside the café operation and the exploration of the ruins, making the game feel a bit boring, lifeless, and repetitive.

The Lords of the Rings: Return to Moria has some very solid ideas. A game set in the Fourth Age is incredibly interesting and exciting. This is why it’s such a shame that Return to Moria is not a success. There is a lot of heart in it, sure, but the core gameplay loop just isn’t engaging enough to make the game worth buying over other survival titles, even if you are a big LOTR fan.

Hirogami is a fantastic little platformer with surprising depth. Its origami world, from every folded tree and piece of wildlife, is a joy to behold, brought further to life with a vibrant soundscape inspired by traditional Japanese instruments. While the combat could perhaps have been a bit more enjoyable, Hirogami’s narrative, layered with subtext about the place of traditional art forms in the modern era and overall fun platforming kept me engaged for its 8-ish hour playtime. If you’re seeking a platforming adventure with a remarkable artistic vision, Hirogami is a great time and an adventure worth unfolding.

I really enjoyed Unknown 9: Awakening; I loved its pulpy globetrotting action tone and likable cast, and the combat and stealth were rather a lot of fun. The ability to remote control foes and turn them against their allies was a cool unique mechanic that, if anything, could have stood to be even more central to the gameplay. Despite some less-than-stellar boss fights and a somewhat shallow main villain, I had a very good time with Unknown 9: Awakening, and so might you. Hopefully it, and the rest of the Unknown 9 expanded universe, will find enough of an audience that we will see more of Haroona’s story in the future.

Godstrike is, at its crunchy centre, a boss rush game built around a somewhat interesting mechanic that, no matter how flawed, certainly gets the adrenaline pumping. Each of the encounters feels well designed but immovable to the average player. There are only so many times the player can try at an encounter before they feel disheartened at the difficulty. Not feeling like one can sacrifice time for abilities is disappointing too. The game also refuses to acknowledge that not allowing the player any way to recoup lost health disadvantages players unfairly. It’s a game that means well with a new challenge for high-skilled players of twin-stick shooters, but casual players won’t need much time to realise just how tedious learning these controls can be.

South Park: Snow Day! brings a snow day to life by letting children direct power struggles between nations. The trademark humour of the series returns, making you laugh every step of the adventure. A robust combat system helps you coordinate with your allies while encouraging exploration and taking advantage of your environment. Even if you are alone, AI bots are trustworthy allies who do their best to help. Upgrades are also handled nicely, giving you a variety of playstyles for your character. While chaotic combat and satire might not be for everyone, this remains a solid game to play with others.

I want it to be known that I really wanted to like The Spirit of the Samurai. I am a massive fan of stop-motion animation, and any piece of media that utilises or seeks to evoke or pay homage to that style has earned my respect. That said, as well put-together as the cutscenes are, The Spirit of the Samurai is just not very fun as a game. From the clunky and unresponsive controls to the linear and murky levels filled with oddly placed traps and pitfalls, it can often feel like a slog to actually play. If you are a fan of stop-motion animation, then you may get something from the experience, but it is unlikely to be too satisfying for just about anyone else.

Lost Ruins is a retro-inspired cautionary tale. For every Metroid or Double Dragon back in the day, there were a hundred clones that just did not get it perfectly right. Even 30 years later, developers can’t always figure out the secret sauce or how to make it all work. In some ways Lost Ruins is a proper testament to the classics, they were just so much more nuanced than their visuals let on. This game has some great ideas and a concept that works on paper, and from time to time it works in the game too. But all too often it stumbles when it should have soared.

Rusty Rabbit constantly kept me entertained with its easy and fun gameplay, extensive lore and super cute visuals. I had an absolute blast drilling through bricks, chatting with the BBs and exploring all the different connected dungeons. Though some elements, such as the skill tree and reasons for requests, were hard to understand, I was always super pumped when I booted up Rusty Rabbit and got to spend time as a middle-aged, grumpy, yet strong and courageous junk yard bunny.

While there are certainly some areas where Tales of the Shire shines, like its highly engaging cooking mechanics, the package as a whole is lacking the polish to be a real winner. There was clearly a lot of love put into the game, and hopefully, with future patches, the performance issues will be resolved. For now, though, I am still longing for the rolling green hills of the Shire, because this game didn’t quite scratch that itch.

Blightbound is emerging from a year in Steam Early Access, but it might be doing so too early. Lingering issues with visual elements overlapping each other, uneven party balance, repetitive loot with lacklustre stats, and a bare-bones levelling design suggest that this game could do with more fundamental development work before hitting the big stage. With its creative art and engaging voice talent, there is definite potential here for a fantastic dungeon crawler, but the elements have not come together yet.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox takes a unique concept but doesn’t quite manage to assemble something memorable out of the sum of its parts. A combination of unsatisfying combat and clunky controls makes for a poor metroidvania, and its narrative and puzzle elements are not enough to make up for it. There is some fun to be had here though, and its graphical style certainly makes it easy on the eyes.

Hotel Barcelona is a messy but ambitious experiment that often feels like it’s trying to do too much at once. Its style and inventive ideas, like Slasher Phantoms, branching levels and absurd characters, show flashes of brilliance, but the clunky combat and overstuffed mechanics make many runs more testing than enjoyable. In the end, it’s memorable for its imagination, but not for being a satisfying or polished experience.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is a game that should not have been made. It provides a core gameplay experience that is neither realistic enough to be a simulation nor interesting enough to be an actual game. At the same time, it unironically tries to cater to a fantasy that positions everyday people as enemies to be dealt with. Shamelessly borrowing the trappings of the Grand Theft Auto series without any of the satirical overtones leads to an unsettlingly pro-violence experience. It is even difficult to enjoy the game’s impressive environmental design thanks to a litany of visual glitches. Police Simulator: Patrol Officers misses the mark in almost every regard.

Buildings Have Feelings Too! is an incredibly quaint and gorgeous game that also fills you with absolute rage, which is honestly quite a feat. The confusing connection between whimsy and frustration doesn’t entirely feel like the desired intention of the creators. This game has amazing potential to be a unique and engaging building management simulator but instead falls short, burdened by its own rules and regulations that rival the dullest of body corporate committees. Go in expecting great dialogue, visuals and sound, but be aware, there is little room for management and experimentation here due to the tight constraints and restrictive solutions to the puzzles.

Overall, Project Motor Racing feels like it lends more toward an arcade-style experience than the initial hype suggested. Whilst it does feature an impressive curated library of vehicles to drive (and they all sound fantastic by the way) and a decent enough career mode, it lets itself down in several ways. The AI drives on rails and is not friendly; they do not like being put two wide through a corner and will defend their line at all costs. There is also no radar or effective spotter, which makes driving in cockpit or hood view pretty dangerous when things are getting tight on track. Whilst it is a playable game on a controller, it just is not the benchmark simulation racer that it was touted to be.

Martha is Dead isn’t for the faint-hearted, though sadly that’s not for the right reasons. There are too many moving parts in this game that weigh the already poorly-paced story down. If this was a spooky investigative adventure that required you to take photos to unlock the brooding mystery hidden within, I’d be all for it, because that’s one part that actually works. But alas it’s instead left as an over-exerted mess that is more focused on a couple of key shock-value moments than anything substantial. This game needs a swift autopsy to dissect out the crimes before a merciful cremation.

Princess Maker 2 remains an incredible and addicting game, but Regeneration is a disappointing remaster, offering barely any gameplay changes and an inconsistent art style. It misses obvious quality-of-life improvements that Princess Marker 2 sorely needed, leaving us at a loss as to why they bothered to remaster the game at all. Play Princess Maker 2 as it’s a fantastic piece of gaming history, but there’s no need to pay for this particular version.

There’s a lot of potential to Monster Harvest, but it falls short on delivering a farming sim game that comes close to rivalling others in the genre. Hopefully, with time, Monster Harvest continues to grow, but until then it feels like it’s missing what makes the hard work worthwhile. Honestly, this feels like an Early Access title that still needs more time before it’s ready for full release. It seems the phrase ‘third time’s the charm’ does not apply to game delays.

FOAMSTARS knows what it’s doing following the Splatoon blueprint, but it’s an easy pop that values its in-game economy more than fostering a community during the teething period of its release. I worry for the future of this one in the live service vacuum. While there are aspects that feel fun, this game still needs to prove itself in the market which is no easy feat. Locally, this is a tall ask but with server numbers untenable it really may be the writing on the bathroom wall for such a new multiplayer game – bubbles not included.

To The Rescue! delivers a meaningful message about animal welfare in a family-friendly package. An inoffensive tycoon game full of cute dogs and happy moments makes running a dog shelter a cheerful task. Yet, that task becomes painstakingly frustrating with a poor interface, micromanaging dozens of pups with a limited inventory and clumsy controls. It doesn’t help that there are many, many glitches and game-breaking bugs. Little Rock Games might be biting off more than they can chew with To The Rescue!.

Log Away doesn’t have quite as much to offer as other games in its genre, lacking the sprawling freedom offered in other building games and not making it up enough in other areas to make it worth playing all on its own merit. While Log Away certainly has its moments when the sun hits your cabin just right, the overall experience leaves a lot to be desired, with hardly enough opportunity for creativity to make coming back worth it.

The House of the Dead: Remake could have been such an easy recommendation if it controlled properly. It hits all the right notes EXCEPT for the most important ones, and I seriously cannot wrap my head around how it got released in its current state beyond a deadline that absolutely should have been pushed back. Either way, I think the Switch got the short end of the stick here… with FPS lag and bad controls to boot. At this point, you’re better off waiting for a version on another platform or at the very least waiting for a patch for this one, because this is one game that should’ve stayed dead a while longer.

Behind the technical state of Of Ash and Steel, you can occasionally see glimpses of what could have been. A throwback RPG for those nostalgic for the games of the early 2000s. As it stands, the game is barely functional due to a plague of bugs, unplayable performance issues, and systems that barely hold together. Accompanied by myriad smaller issues, Of Ash and Steel feels closer to a first draft than a final launch. Some people might get lucky and manage to thread the needle of poor performance and buggy gameplay and have a serviceable time with Of Ash and Steel. I was, sadly, not one of those people.

Gungrave G.O.R.E is overall a bit of a misfire, and evidence that some franchises should stay in the early 2000s. The game is a spectacle action game that has failed to learn anything meaningful from 20 years of game design evolution, from the importance of having an interesting or charismatic lead to gameplay which gives the player options and which evolves over time. The levels show a strong disposition towards dark and grey, and the plot won’t do much to engage you either. If you’re a diehard Gungrave fan who has been longingly awaiting the franchise’s revival, there might be something for you here; for anyone else, there are far better offerings out there.

I can tell that there was a lot of love put into Clive ‘N’ Wrench, and this is impossible to ignore. It’s an amazing feat to make a game, especially one as complex as this one, but even still, there are many areas where Clive ‘N’ Wrench falls flat. There are moments of greatness, such as in the well-crafted platforming sections, but overall it’s an underwhelming experience with lacklustre animation and a soundtrack that fails to impress.

Rendezvous is a beautiful-looking game let down by some unfortunate gameplay design decisions. It has a stunning visual aesthetic, blending retro pixel art with modern lighting and rendering effects to create a suitably atmospheric and moody cyberpunk vibe. However, it is held back by bland combat, cheap instant-fail stealth segments, and puzzles that vary between overly-simple and frustratingly unintuitive. While the city of Neo-Surabaya is vibrant and intriguing, the action-movie main plot doesn’t leave much space for exploration or immersion. There are some neat ideas in Rendezvous, but fans of adventure games will be left wanting.