Overall, Shuten Order’s real selling point is its sense of style. Each screen of the game is a feast for the eyes full of colour and interesting designs. While its main story is solid, the individual routes vary in quality and their gameplay often feels a little lacklustre. Even still, there is a lot to love in this strange world and it’s hard not to enjoy the time spent there. Praised be the Shuten Order.

Gears of War: Reloaded is the definitive version of Gears 1, but only by default. A faithful remaster of a remaster that keeps the series alive and opens the door to PlayStation players, but doesn’t do enough to feel essential. It’s both dated and timeless, clunky and exhilarating, simple and unforgettable. A solid nostalgia trip, but a missed opportunity to make the original shine for modern audiences.

Overall, Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World brings a decent amount of new content to the table. The new Mouthful Mode abilities are great and work well in the new Starry Stages. While the lack of new Copy Abilities and a large number of reskinned familiar enemies might be a bit disappointing, the new content overall is certainly worth the cost of an upgrade pack for existing owners of the base game. For those who missed the original, the new content and performance improvements make it the best version of a fantastic platformer by far, and easily worth recommending to Switch 2 owners looking for a memorable experience.

Inventive, exciting, and addictive, Fresh Tracks delivers a unique take on the rhythm genre that will have you diving into its story-songs over and over. With fantastic music, thrilling boss battles, and tonnes of replayability, this is a must-play for fans of rhythm games.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition sits on the edge of what defines a remake. The audio, UI improvements, and inclusion of all its DLC make it an appealing entry point for newcomers and a nostalgic return for longtime fans. Yet, its dated animations, controls, and art style struggle to hold up against today’s standards. Still, with its sheer amount of content and strategic gameplay, it remains a worthy experience for anyone ready to dive into this gigantic universe.

Marvelous Inc.’s recent streak of Story of Seasons remakes has so far resulted in serviceable but not amazing experiences, but Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar manages to be a step in the right direction. It takes an already solid farming game with surprisingly complex layers and elevates it with more content and quality-of-life improvements. With its focus on stockpiling produce to sell directly to customers, it’s something different in an era where we are otherwise up to our ears in would-be Stardew Valleys. That said, a restrictive production method and a messy storage system still hold it back.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a thoroughly enjoyable and action-packed time that’ll satiate both series veterans who’ve long been awaiting a return and newcomers who’ve always wanted to check the franchise out. With Lizardcube utilising the best parts of their game design DNA while truly understanding what it means to be a Shinobi game, they have crafted this retro-infused adventure that celebrates the old and embraces the new. With kickass challenging platforming, combat, boss fights and setpieces that’ll take some mastering, meaningful progression that fits right into the series, and gorgeous, gorgeous sights that run the gamut on this shinobi-starring journey, Art of Vengeance is simply artful. It’s a pinpoint precision strike to the gut of those after some good old-fashioned ninja action chaos.

Being perhaps what you might expect, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake that is far from an out-there reinvigoration, instead opting to refine and fine-tune elements of its past rather than offering much new. That can take away from the grandeur and excitement of the experience a little, and it’s undoubtedly not helped by the choice to favour fidelity of environments and character models rather than the stylistic filtering and other artistic decisions we know and love the original for. With Delta, there’s now ironically a bit of an oroborous situation for Snake Eater, where the cycle continues, bringing a wonderful and memorable tale to audiences old and new, but also harming itself and its image in the process. Still, a bloody good game is a bloody good game. You’re in safe hands, wading through the dense forestry with Snake, and to many, the journey to a 1960s USSR setting will feel like coming home.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is both a fantastic Prince of Persia game and a brilliant roguelite. Evil Empire draws on the DNA of Dead Cells to make a game that offers a compelling combination of platforming and combat, robust roguelite systems, and an understanding of the underlying rhythms of action games. It’s as enthralling to watch and listen to as it is to play.

While its spoofing of the management sim lacks bite and its cast of characters is a tad thin, Discounty is otherwise an interesting debut title. Rearranging and optimising the layout of its titular supermarket is simple but unnervingly satisfying, and its daily loop makes for an addictive trip down the pixelated produce aisle, even if I can’t help but be disappointed by the ambition its story lost along the way.

Despite the passage of time, OFF still holds up incredibly well. The newer translation lets the utterly hilarious dialogue shine, the updates to the combat make it far more intuitive to use, but the part that really holds it together, the story, hasn’t changed at all, and honestly didn’t need to. It’s still a well-written, bite-sized experience that deserves the attention of anyone who loves newer RPG maker games or games inspired by that genre. You owe it to yourself to finally get around to beating OFF.

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.

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a hilarious take on a strategy campaign, pairing an unserious yet compelling story with genuinely tough gameplay to create an experience that is easy to recommend to any genre fan. The characters are rendered in a striking anime style, making it easy to fall in love with Scarlet, Lily, and their growing band of rebels. The fact that it’s light on side content means that the pacing remains fast and efficient, so you never have a chance to get bored.

MAGES. Inc. delivered and then some with Iwakura Aria. What’s within is an electric and rich visual novel story, a page-turner that is filled to the brim with memorable and beautiful prose as it expertly weaves its themes. Better yet, it sands off all the rough edges of the genre with quality-of-life improvements. Where there’s sacrifice and power found within the halls of the Iwakura mansion, there’s also love, adoration and devotion. Whether it’s in protagonist Ichiko’s investment in the illustrious Aria or the player following along at every beat, you’re both in for an artful and magnificent ride.

Echoes of the End has strong puzzle foundations and a good grasp on difficulty, making it the type of challenge that is just right. That said, these puzzles dominate gameplay with action getting less of the spotlight, making for a lack of balance. This is a fantastic pick if you prefer brain-teasers over fisticuffs. But if you were looking for a thrilling escapade, you may be disappointed, as the action in this adventure mostly takes a backseat.

Static Dread: The Lighthouse is a disappointing attempt at combining the suspense, dread, and worldbuilding of Lovecraftian horror with the gameplay of Papers, Please. With what little this game does right, such as its incredible character designs and art, it is sadly overlooked by its tonal inconsistencies and its diabolical mediocrity, from its poorly implemented sanity and energy mechanics to its horrendously easy and repetitive gameplay loop. It’s an easily forgettable and thematically incoherent narrative, lacking any genuine horror elements, and revealing its eldritch threats too early on. Few games capture the essence of H.P. Lovecraft, and Static Dread falls flat at every turn.

Overall, Tiny Bookshop is a fun, cozy game for book lovers where you live that dream of running a bookstore, while also forming friendships with the locals. The use of real books makes it feel personal, especially if you’re someone who reads often, plus it makes recommending titles to others a breeze. While the story isn’t perfect due to its lack of execution, it’s not too big of a deal unless you’re someone who’s invested in the narrative. Regardless, it’s still enjoyable and could introduce you to your next book.

Demon Slayer – The Hinokami Chronicles 2 gives you a strong fighting game that draws you into the story just like the original manga/anime. Prioritising teamwork and combos makes you utilise every moveset for maximum effectiveness. It’s not an easy game to master, and the story can be finished in a few hours. Fans will love what this game has to offer, but you may not enjoy the game if you’ve never heard of the Demon Slayer series.

1000 Deaths feels like it’s a crazy fever dream I had in the early 2000s after falling asleep in front of the TV. I mean this in the best way possible. Filled with fun levels, genuine heart and a killer, crazy aesthetic, if you’re looking for a colourful experience reminiscent of classic 3D platformers, this is for you.

In moments where you can dive into the mechanics on offer, Ritual of Raven really shines. Tinkering with the automations is fun and rewarding, providing a fresh spin on a well-worn genre. But the game doesn’t encourage these moments, instead pulling you through a narrative in a world that doesn’t feel fully realised. There are some excellent ideas here, but they don’t form a compelling whole.

Touting a unique brand of offbeat humour and some absolutely beautiful pixel art, Artis Impact is a labour of love that mostly hits the mark. While its combat system lacks depth and it could use a stronger core narrative, it presents a gorgeous world filled with charming character moments that surprise and delight. Despite a few rough edges, this is a bite-sized RPG full of heart.

At first, Mafia: The Old Country swept me up straight away. Its stunning world, compelling story, and rich sense of place felt like an Italian holiday. As I played on, the simplicity of its combat and stealth stood out more, but that’s not what I valued most. Not the most inventive action game, but one of the most immersive you’ll play this year. This is a leaner and more focused Mafia game that trades scale for storytelling and worldbuilding, and in doing so, delivers something quietly special.

The Wandering Village has a grasp of the building blocks of its genre, but never truly capitalises on its core mechanics or its premise. Rather, it presents an enjoyable but somewhat shallow city-builder that just happens to also be on top of a wandering behemoth, rather than truly embracing and exploring what that could mean in gameplay terms. While its visuals and audio are both lovely, there is little here to really sink your teeth into, particularly for a veteran of the genre. The Wandering Village is worth a visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

Killing Floor 3 delivers the punch and the thrill that you’d expect from this well-renowned franchise. Upgraded with modern audiences in mind, the title could have easily been the next big release from a talented development studio. However, with too little focus on content and polish and too much focus on replicating games-as-a-service design philosophies, Killing Floor 3 falls short of its potential.

Despite not completely lacking in fun, MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy stops short of doing anything interesting with its academy life sim elements or its dungeon crawling. Try-hard ‘funny’ dialogue waffles for too long, academy activities is largely messing around in menus, and dungeons are one-note and house the same enemies and traps that don’t offer a true challenge. If this is your very first dungeon crawler and you’re under the age of twelve, you might find enough fun to get you to the end, but for everyone else, this one will likely lie unfinished on the shelf after the first five hours.

The King is Watching is a satisfying, if slightly homogeneous, tetris-like roguelite base builder. While it struggles a bit with variety and uneven meta-progression, its gaze mechanic is a simple and clean hook that, alongside a creative setting and range of kings, makes for an almost comforting building manager run after run. The only problem is, that may not be enough to steal player’s gaze away from the wealth of other roguelikes it’s competing with this year.

Dead Take is a solid adventure for the FMV genre that provides an eerie and moody atmosphere set in the Hollywood hills. What’s there is an intriguing exploration of the powers that be and the dog-eat-dog nature of the film industry, and how it can consume people. It may not contain the deepest or most complex puzzle, nor does it make replayability easy for optional objectives, but you don’t stay for that. What you’re there for is the stellar performances; the likes of Ben Starr, Neil Newbon, Laura Bailey and more giving it their utmost all to deliver you a sufficiently chilling horror experience. There are horrors in that mansion, and though not all in there may delight, it’s a worthwhile and memorable jaunt behind Hollywood’s closed doors.

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.

Based on the impressive visuals and soundtrack, I wish I had a better time with Atomic Owl. I love a good roguelike platformer as much as the next person, but without carefully executed roguelike random elements, Atomic Owl is just a platformer where you start from the beginning after every game over. This tested my patience as I powered through the same levels, again and again, after every failure. Atomic Owl also currently has too many issues with frequent crashes, buggy boss fights, and poor design to merit a recommendation to anyone but the most tolerant of platformer fans.

As an overall package, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition just doesn’t tickle me like the first game does. A less captivating band of characters and an unwillingness to lean as firmly into history as its rivals did both back in the day and at present just make for a tonally too strange entity for me to have truly vibed with. It’s a very fine game, but one that disappointed me. Maybe 20 years of anticipation was just bound to do that.

Developers Messhof have created a cycling utopia with Wheel World; they’ve created a universe that celebrates the art of cycling and includes a pumping soundtrack to go along with it. It’s a game that I’m honestly surprised hasn’t been made sooner, due to how prevalent cycling is as a mode of transport and how cyclists love their bikes and the freedom they give them. This is one that I would recommend to my non-gamer cycling mates, as it’s so easy to pick up and will provide them with an immersive world that I know they’d just love to be a reality.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV introduces a collection of fun new rule sets, but is brought down a bit due to the camera and microphone games that, for a title released in 2025, should work better than they do. That said, slapping your live reactions into your Mario Party games adds an undeniable layer of goofy entertainment that the series is known for.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn't exactly rewrite the soulslike gameplay design, but I honestly think it brings enough to the table to justify itself. With its fantastic Impetus Repository levelling system, I was able to build and rebuild Wuchang however I liked and fully explored its complex and flexible combat system. Admittedly, some mechanics are somewhat of a mixed bag, ranging from the delightful Skyborn Might resource which rewards aggressive play, to the more annoying Inner Madness feature that makes the player character a bit more of a glass cannon than I would have liked. Overall, however, those looking for a deep new soulslike to get stuck into, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is pretty damn great.

With the release of PATAPON 1+2 Replay comes vibrant and wonderful flashbacks to a colourful, vibrant, arcade-y and, most importantly, fun, era of games that don’t really exist anymore. It was a joy for me to visit these games for the first time, and I’m finally well invested in the majesty and magic of the RTS and rhythm fusion harmony that the franchise is known for. With how grandiose and exciting the battles get with their devotion to music and busy, frantic chaos that explode across the screen, I’d be hard-pressed to find any fan, new or old, who doesn’t find joy here, smiling like a huge dork as your units chant and stomp across the world. Though there’s still the oddball of funk, including some poor tutorialisation in the first game and real brick wall moments that require grind, I’m glad PATAPON is back in a largely unaffected package. Players should jump right into this here nostalgia-infused release. The water’s fine, and you’ll be remembering the Patapons’ spirit songs for years to come.

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.

Let Them Trade is a cute and cosy city builder, where you don’t have to micromanage everything. It’s easy for newcomers to understand, with helpful tutorials and a fun campaign. It also never punishes the players for making a mistake. But, there are areas where it needs to improve, such as explaining some of the upgrades, and better accessibility. Let Them Trade has a unique style to it, with wooden tiles where you can see the grain, and hilarious dialogue (even if it can be too real). There are no repeat scenarios, and each of them doesn’t overstay its welcome, either. It’s exciting to see what Spaceflower will bring to future updates, and what comes next for the cosy city builder genre.

For an independent studio’s debut game, Luto strongly delivers on Broken Bird Games’ ethos of delivering deep narrative experiences that reflect both their passion for video games but also great stories. Despite being a story about death, Luto has more on its mind than presenting melodrama. It’s incredibly unique, fantastic to look at, highly atmospheric, and poetically beautiful. Devoted to those who are no longer with us, and hoping to make a change in the world by humanising the struggles of living with mental illness, Luto stands as one of the most powerful games of the year. It’s transformative, evocative, and breaks form and conventions around how a game should be and how it should play, taking the overused trope of horror as an allegory for mental illness, and making it something truly memorable. It is a game that I cannot recommend more to those in the right headspace.

I’m so glad Kaname Date is back. No Sleep for Kaname Date is such an enjoyable romp through the familiar world that refines the formula, confidently adding escape sequences that fit so naturally into the gameplay loop you’d think that they’ve always been there. While the story and mystery don’t completely hold up throughout, the character interactions and pure personality of the cast more than make up for it. For AITSF fans, it’s an absolute must-play. For newcomers to the series, it’s a compelling reason to dive into the series from the start.

Becoming Saint is a dull way to spend your time. While the pitch is intriguing and the visual presentation is neat, there is almost nothing here worth engaging with on a mechanical level. For a roguelike, that complete lack of narrative depth quickly gives way to an uninteresting and repetitive gameplay loop.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 sticks the landing with a clean kickflip and a modern twist. Iron Galaxy may have sanded off some of THPS4’s open-ended charm, but what’s left is a fine-tuned tribute to skateboarding. With excellent controls, deeper creation tools, and a diverse music and character roster (shoutout to our Aussie legends), the game is accessible and ridiculously fun. Even with a few bails, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves the Birdman’s legacy can still shred.

A brutal, lightning-paced take on the point-and-click adventure, The Drifter stands confidently among the greats of Australian horror fiction. Building a uniquely unsettling atmosphere with its chilling prose and narration, it presents a compelling supernatural mystery that will satisfy any adventure game fan. With gorgeous pixel art, killer voice acting, a soundtrack full of bangers, and an engaging gameplay loop, The Drifter is a home-grown triumph.

Smashing and crashing his way to a new generation, Donkey Kong is well and truly back with Donkey Kong Bananza. Each layer is an absolute joy, with largely destructible environments that are jam-packed with secrets and hidden goodies. It’s visually stunning, too; incredibly colourful and a true showcase of what the Switch 2 is capable of, with lots of variety. With so many collectables to find and a lot of nostalgic nods to D.K.’s long history, it’s a must-have platformer that nails the brief and lives up to the legacy of Nintendo’s greatest hits.

Misc. A Tiny Tale is a classic ‘we’re going on an adventure’ mixed with ‘little guy in a big world’ type of game, that’s downright adorable. With such personal storytelling, it’s easy to get attached to Buddy and his mate, Bag Boy. The overt themes of environmentalism and reusing items are something that a lot of us know about; these combine well with the more personal themes about obsessive thoughts or depression, which really get to the heart of the story. Some better visual accessibility when picking up rubbish would help, and it’s weird how characters chastise players who ask for help. But all in all, Misc. A Tiny Tale is an adorable romp that fans of Pikmin or Chibi-Robo will get a kick out of. It’ll be exciting to watch what Tinyware Games does next.

Overall, Kaizen: A Factory Story is a brilliantly made game that creates a difficult, but satisfying experience with likable characters and an engaging story to boot. It’s always exciting when it offers up a new tool to use, and you can figure out all the different ways it can be used. On top of that, the character interactions were always fun to read. Maybe this is better than a boring job in sales after all.

Kojima Productions’ best project yet is Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and it’s largely thanks to how refined and an improvement it is on its predecessor, rather than being the perhaps expected unconventional sequel. The star-studded cast and their conjoined chemistry have helped craft a more interconnected and personal world this time, only bolstered by the unbelievably gorgeous, detailed and technically impressive open world where every journey is its own story. Every job and delivery is a delight and an immersive challenge against the greater elements. Picking you up off your feet and prodding you along are all the other players’ structures and creations around the world. In Death Stranding 2, you are never alone. That remains true whether it’s paying respect to those that came before, or paving the future of open world games that Kojima Productions, and even you, the player, are actively doing at all times. What a bright future it is.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a fun, narrative-led stealth game that doesn’t demand too much of you. Stealth game veterans are unlikely to find a challenge in these common mechanics, but the beautiful details built into the world of Rosmark make up for it. The character-driven story is supported by great vocal performances and cutscenes that would fit in alongside any modern triple-A.

I enjoyed my time with Everdeep Aurora, although it could have been better. Nautilus Games very deliberately nails the feel of an old Game Boy game from the mid-1990s, although it may turn off players looking for something more complex or challenging. With its charming art style and gameplay, it’s hard not to have a smile on your face as you drill down into the Everdeep. That said, the lack of clear guidance regarding exactly what the game is asking you to do a lot of the time left me longing for a quest log or objective marker. If you’re looking for a chill platformer with retro stylings and don’t mind a lack of clear direction, Everdeep Aurora is worth checking out.

ISLANDERS: New Shores builds upon what made the first game great and why I got it in the first place back in 2020. It added new elements to keep players engaged, while also providing a fresh improvement from the first game, by featuring better visuals, music, improved gameplay mechanics, and a points system that encourages you to reach the top of the leaderboard. It’s a cozy game if you’re after something chill or an intense puzzle game if you’re after that top spot. Regardless, it’s addictive and will keep you hooked.

Against the Storm’s genre hybridity does jettison some of the base pleasures of the city builder, but otherwise, Eremite Games has crafted a compelling ‘just one more settlement’ roguelike gameplay loop. With the combination of a beautiful and familiar fantasy aesthetic, strong foundational mechanics with a lot of variety, and a remarkably intuitive adaptation from its PC roots to a controller, Against the Storm is an assured and accomplished console port.

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.

A gorgeously presented modern twist on the classic 3D platformer, Ruffy and the Riverside is positively glowing with charm. Featuring a cavalcade of fun environmental puzzles that take advantage of its unique copy-and-paste “SWAP” mechanic, a delightful blend of hand-drawn spritework and rendered environments, and cheeky writing that makes you fall in love with its silly little characters, this is a perfectly lovely adventure with tonnes of heart.

PEAK is, well, the peak of climbing games. Aggro Crab and Landfall Games’ combined talent resulted in an incredibly tactile, aptly challenging and delightfully chaotic puzzle platformer. With lots of colour, whimsy and charm, every pitfall or plummet to your death on the trying climb is just another opportunity for you and your friends to pick yourself up off your feet, and get moving again. It’s dangerous to go alone, take this plush alien toy, healing balm and your best pals with you. You won’t regret it.

As a throwback to the old 2D Castlevania games, Chronicles of the Wolf is serviceable and mostly effective. If you’re after a nostalgia trip that doesn’t have many ambitions to forge its own identity or take note of the quality of life improvements that metroidvanias have been honing since the 1990s, Chronicles of the Wolf will be a satisfying romp through the French countryside. However, the game isn’t aspiring to anything more than a simple trip down memory lane, and would be hard to recommend for anyone not already a Castlevania fan or looking for something that evolves on past Metroidvanias rather than simply imitating them.

Rematch is a wonderful reinterpretation of football with just enough innovation to make the sport its own. Thanks to an amazing gameplay loop and beautiful art style, every match has been unforgettably fun. Unfortunately, some current issues with server performance and limited, restrictive content stop Rematch from becoming a must buy. Still, anyone looking for a hot new multiplayer game like nothing else should keep a close eye on Rematch’s future.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a wonderful return to a game previously locked behind the 3DS. With it, history is repeated: there isn’t all that much of a reason this should only be confined to the Switch 2, limiting audiences for an RPG classic once more. Yet it is. Still, A great game is a great game. My first journey with the Warriors of Light has been fantastic and magical, depicting beautiful environments full of rich tapestries, a classic fantasy story with some surprise twists and turns and an incredibly robust, creative and experimental combat system with oceans of depth. Whether returning to Luxendarc or a newcomer like me, this is one of the first no-brainer RPGs for the Switch 2.

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.

Dune: Awakening builds on the solid foundation of Survival gameplay mechanics from Funcom’s prior entry in the genre, Conan Exiles. While aspects of the game, such as combat and questing, are less than great, these flaws don’t prevent players from enjoying the well-executed gathering, crafting and research-advancing progression loop, as well as simply existing in and exploring the world of Arrakis. Those who love survival games OR the Dune franchise will likely have a great time here, though others may have less reason to stick around to the endgame. The solo and group gameplay is distinct from one another, but either approach will allow you plenty of fun time in the sun, the sand, and (if you’re unlucky) the belly of a sandworm.

Crown Gambit is a gorgeous experience that successfully blends strategic card-based combat with a rich, dark fantasy narrative. It feels like it’s been ripped out of Game of Thrones, in the best way. The Ancestral Grace mechanic adds such a brilliant layer of tension to its usage, weaving your combat choices into the story with some meaningful consequences, though its overuse can substantially negate the challenge of combat. While there are occasional pacing issues, Crown Gambit’s incredible art direction and world-building make it a game well worth playing.

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army sets a new standard for remasters by offering more improvements and upgrades than many games that bill themselves as full remakes. As someone who never played the original, it feels like I’m playing a modern Shin Megami Tensei title, even though it still has many of the tell-tale signs of a 2000s game. I don’t know how the game could have been playable without such a smooth combat system and the countless quality of life features.

Rooftops & Alleys builds an incredible foundation with its dynamic and exciting parkour & freerunning. Although it can be very difficult to learn and is rife with inconveniences, slowly understanding how to navigate across rooftops becomes such a thrilling time. What holds the game back is how few options the player has to test their new abilities. Despite some solid foundations, a notable lack of interesting missions or enticing exploration makes Rooftops & Alleys feel a bit too empty.

Robots at Midnight is a solid enough romp for the action RPG space. The robot infested world of Yob is a curious and colourful place infused with retro nostalgic futurism, dusty droids and bright purple stormy skies. A lot of flowers should be given to Finish Line Games for making a palatable Soulslike that can be played by all, even offering some engaging play in the supercharged MITT abilities that have you soaring around environments or sucker punching bots. Thanks to other elements, such as a lot of stock standard combat pacing and flawed exploration, Robots at Midnight doesn’t necessarily do a lot to significantly distinguish itself in the hugely populated genre crowd, but it is a different flavoured experience for the space if you’re looking for yet another to eat up. It’s not quite a home run, but it’s a damn solid swing and crowd pleaser nevertheless.

TRON: Catalyst proves that there are still plenty of stories to be told on the Grid, even if it never fully realises this potential itself. Its narrative is well-written and engaging, it faithfully captures the aesthetic of the films and has perfectly function combat and exploration, but its repetitiveness and inability to fully take advantage of the possibilities of TRON’s ‘discfu’ leaves it feeling like version 0.8 rather than 1.0 when it comes to taking advantage of the possibilities of this series.

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.

The GEX Trilogy won’t convert new fans, but for those raised on tail-whips and TV parodies, it’s a nostalgia-packed return. A solid, if safe, remaster that could’ve done more but still lets Gex channel surf once more with style.

Date Everything! is an exemplary example of what happens when game developers remember they have free will and can do literally anything they want. A classic dating sim style game but with a twist, Sassy Chap Games decided it would be really cool to basically hire the entirety of the professional voice acting industry and assign them all to sexy human versions of furniture, and somehow it worked spectacularly. Date Everything! is an experience dripping with charm, inclusivity and pride, and is the exact right amount of self-aware. Being able to make a hundred characters equally as unique and captivating as they are is such an impressive feat. This is a dating sim that breaks free from the mould, and even those who aren’t fond of the genre will find something to love within this world.

The Alters has taken the idea of choices and their ramifications and used it to create a world where you can only count on yourself to survive. It mixes these with literal elements of survival, such as mining for materials, keeping important items stocked, and keeping your base in working shape. All these elements made me think about my own choices in life, and what could have been if I had taken different paths. Therefore, not only was The Alters a captivating story and world to play in, but it also really made me think philosophically about life and what it really means to survive.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is a smart sequel. It leans on the original’s strongest elements in the aesthetic and stylistic choices, whilst moving the gameplay into a new and entertaining direction. It doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, though it does succeed at producing a high-quality product that feels good to play. Thanks to an interesting upgrade system and in-built chance mechanics, The Eternal Die stands out on its own and proves to be a game absolutely worthy of your time.

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 are worth the wait due to the content and story presented. Susie’s character arc is very vulnerable and will bring you to tears, Kris’s mystery thickens, and the world expands meaningfully and emotionally. The humour and heart that made Undertale and early Deltarune chapters special are still here, with more polish, questions, and challenges. And with six chapters still to come, we’re only just getting started.

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 are worth the wait due to the content and story presented. Susie’s character arc is very vulnerable and will bring you to tears, Kris’s mystery thickens, and the world expands meaningfully and emotionally. The humour and heart that made Undertale and early Deltarune chapters special are still here, with more polish, questions, and challenges. And with six chapters still to come, we’re only just getting started.

Mario Kart World is incredibly easy to fall in love with, largely due to its solid injection of nostalgia and visual upgrades that help to justify the hardware upgrade. This is the best-looking and smoothest Mario Kart has ever felt, and Knockout Tour is sure to set the world on fire as the go-to game mode for this generation. I wish there was more to strive for in its Free Roam mode, but all of the other foundational parts that have made Mario Kart a success for so long are here, and better than ever. When playing with friends, it’s still the undisputed king, making this a must-have title on your shiny new Switch 2 that will be enjoyed for years to come.

A fun, cooperative puzzler with some neat ideas that mostly hit their mark, Parallel Experiment is an adventure that tickles your brain and challenges your collaboration skills. While its puzzles don’t always satisfy and its control scheme can be irritating at times, for the most part, this is an engaging teamwork experience with some rad artwork and solid voice acting. Recommended for escape room aficionados and patient puzzle fans.

There’s a lot to love in Nice Day for Fishing, but it’s marred by repetition. By the time you’ve cast your line a few dozen times or run about the map from end to end to fetch whatever the wizard Baradun needs, the magic fades. What works well in the short NPC Man skits doesn’t entirely hold up across the course of a full-length game. Still, even though it might not be the legendary catch you’re looking for, Nice Day for Fishing is far from a throwaway, especially so if you’re a Viva La Dirt League fan. In short bursts, it’s a very enjoyable time. It is indeed a nice day for fishing… but not a nice week.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is exactly what it claims to be: an interactive manual with a few bells and whistles. It’s the Wii Sports of the Switch 2 era, helping users understand the console, its features, and how it all fits together. While charging $15 for something that feels like it should’ve been bundled might be a turnoff, the level of detail and interactivity makes the price somewhat justifiable. It’s not a must-have, but if you want a fun way to explore your new console, it’s a decent way to spend a few hours. Just don’t rush through it; enjoy it for its charm.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is amazing and well worth the wait, and Level-5 bringing it to multiple platforms to experience it in all its whimsy and wonder was an incredibly smart and measured decision. I’d struggle to find anyone who wouldn’t gel with how effortlessly endearing it is, with its vibrant world and charm, dopamine-providing levelling system, a bounty of activities and things to see and do. The side-games that feel like their own games, whether that’s exploring a Breath of the Wild-like open world or creating a cute and cozy village of locals à la Animal Crossing, are substantial and meaty, adding to the fun and delight that awaits around every corner. Even the most monotonous task of chopping down a tree is suddenly super exciting. The Fantasy Life series, and The Girl Who Steals Time, are just that magical and effective in doing so. This is a level up for Level-5. Job complete.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma perfectly blends the farming and combat experience with Japanese influences. The result is an immersive cultural experience that you don’t want to put down. You actually feel like you are rebuilding villages and restoring prosperity to the land instead of just being a landowner. While it isn’t perfect despite several improvements to the formula, it nevertheless delivers a fun experience that you won’t soon forget.

In its 10-15 hour runtime, Deliver At All Costs delivers (haha) a short and sweet package of iconic video game driving nonsense. The driving mechanics handle well enough to feel satisfying to play, while also being unwieldy enough to turn you into the worst road menace of the 1950s. Focused on feeding you laughs every chapter through its gameplay and juxtaposed seriously dramatic storyline, reckless endangerment has never been so much fun.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a faster, roguelike remix of the Souls formula that swaps deep exploration for co-op urgency. Combat is more agile, pacing is relentless, and boss fights thrive on teamwork. Still, not every change lands. FromSoftware’s familiar connection issues can spoil a good run, the storytelling lacks expected depth, and the Limveld map may be mastered very quickly. Overall, Nightreign delivers exciting high-speed battles and rewarding experimentation. It’s a bold spinoff that breaks the rules and mostly gets away with it.

While the core gameplay loop of Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo feels dated, there’s a lot to enjoy in the retro-inspired experience that Pocket Trap have crafted. The level design and puzzles, badge and upgrade system, and art design make it worth a look if you’re craving an old-school adventure. There’s a great game in here, but it’s sometimes held back from shining through.

A joyful, unapologetically silly celebration of being different, To a T offers up a chaotic series of adventures that the right player will find absolutely delightful. On top of this, it explores themes of disability inclusion, bullying, and loss in a positive and uniquely accessible way. Despite some moments of tedium and a little too much repetition, To a T is a jolly great time and a perfect treat for younger or cosy gamers.

CraftCraft: Fantasy Merchant Simulator has the bones of a really great game. The delightful, fully voiced characters and the charming, bold art style make the town of Windspell feel like a place you truly want to visit. It’s just unfortunate that the bones don’t have enough meat to carry them through, with messy mechanics and so many bugs that our store might need fumigation. It’s clear there’s a lot of heart and soul behind the world, and the characters are so easy to fall in love with, but it just feels like CraftCraft needed some more time in the forge.

Survive the Fall is a microcosm of the post-apocalypse genre in its most consistent form. All manner of wild and disparate societal annihilations lead invariably to the same familiar people and places. Where the genre offers the potential for the truly unique, absurd and unusual, Survive the Fall is predictable in its competent mechanics and portrayal, but fails to present itself as a stand-out in any field. It is what it is, and that is exactly fine.

PEPPERED: An Existential Platformer has created a world and characters that are so silly and weird that it’s a delight to explore. However, some players may find the replayability tedious and therefore won’t be encouraged to continue to explore once they have died. Clocking in at just a few hours, though, if you love your surreal humour and wacky worlds, I’d give PEPPERED a shot.

Blades of Fire offers some compelling and exciting ideas, particularly with its reverence for weaponcrafting and rewarding forge mechanics. But its love of steel and violence can only take it so far; its combat is enjoyable at first, but wears out its welcome across a lengthy campaign that is filled with too-chatty characters and a world that’s very frustrating to get lost in. Even with those caveats, its eye-catching fantasy world and weapons that pack a punch still have enough charm to see it through. Not every one of its big swings lands, but as they say, “you miss all the shots you don’t take”, and Blades of Fire at least gives the action RPG genre a solid crack with a unique point of view.

JDM: Japanese Drift Master shines in places like the graphics and the cars themselves. Gaming Factory has put a lot of love into this, and it shows. Especially using Polish musicians to fill up their radio stations. There are some issues, though; the story itself doesn’t leave an impact, the difficulty of the AI is inconsistent, and there are some bugs. But it’s all about the drifting, and that’s where it makes up for it. The driving is fluid, and the NPCs can be quite challenging. However, the cars sound amazing, it really sounds like you’re driving a Miata! Fans of Tokyo Drift, Initial D and general drift racing sim fans will have a ball with JDM.

Out of Sight is a short and simple experience that captures the horror of being a child in an unfamiliar and frightening situation. While its well-crafted audio design and second-person perspective distinguish it from other games of the genre, I was never excited by its flat and predictable story, nor its highly repetitive and bland gameplay.

Strange Scaffold have done it again and has made another wonderful romp that is well worth your time, this time adapting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles name and world. Dispel any doubt: the indie studio’s writing chops and style transfer well to the universe of the team of amphibian martial artists, bringing over so much charm and pizazz from the IP in its first-ever turn-based affair. With plenty of visual and audio flourishes and delights, you’re transported to the franchise’s heyday and better yet, while you’re at it, you’re engaging in some good old-fashioned tactics fun, using the turtle brother’s skillsets to take down wave after wave of thugs. It might not be the most mechanically deep or hardest of the genre, but it’s all worth it to see those lovable crime-fighting teens back in action.

Monster Train 2 is a roguelike deckbuilder par excellence. Its design makes it clear that developer Shiny Shoe has a deep understanding and love of what is so enthralling about this particular subgenre and doubles down. It’s carriage after carriage of big numbers, satisfying combos, dizzying synergies and new tactical possibilities that have kept me tied to the tracks for dozens of hours already, and will likely haul away dozens more in my future.

It's honourable, in a way, to present the Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster mostly unchanged from its original 2002 PS2 version. The visuals have been given a freshen up, and some smart changes – like weapon switching on the fly, auto-save, and more – definitely make for a more playable experience. But the fixed camera angles and dated production values don’t necessarily show Onimusha in the best light, leaving this remaster as a clunky history lesson for newcomers, and a solid throwback for fans.

RoadCraft is a game that will require absolute patience if you want to get the job done, while adding some leeway to speed things up a bit. While game progression is slow, it is part of its charm as these are heavy work vehicles, and they’re not made for speed, thus fitting its theme. The world is very well-detailed and eases you into its mechanics throughout your gameplay. While sometimes repetitive, it compensates with different strategies to complete the task. The beautiful landscapes of your work areas make it forgiving when your vehicle travels through the rough terrain. It’s like you’re doing actual work as seen in real life, thus creating a great simulation game.

The key to any great roguelike is capturing that “just one more run” feeling, and Into the Restless Ruins nails it right on the head. A successful run feels great, and a failed run only pushes you to dive back in and do better. I’m almost glad there’s no mobile port, as my productivity would be in some serious danger. It’s a genuine indie gem that should be in the library of any avid roguelike fan.

A short-and-sweet cyberpunk-noir tale, Neon Hearts City tells its dystopian story simply and effectively. Featuring satisfying adventure gameplay and some excellent voice acting, it paints a pixel world that’s at once futuristic and nostalgic. Despite its short length taking the teeth out of its plot, this is a fun-sized experience that classic point-and-click fans will take delight in.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is still a good game, like the original was all those years ago. The excitement of wandering the open world of Cyrodil is still there, getting into shenanigans with goblins in caves, doing away with the undead coming through Oblivion Gates, and getting into thievery and tomfoolery across the great unknown. There are meaningful changes to how skills work and how to read the world, making it the cleanest and smoothest run through Bethesda’s great RPG yet. However, it is bogged down by the change in art style, where fidelity disappointingly removes any colour or substance that was once found. A blemish on one of the greats. Much like an old car that’s been plodding along a little too long, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered mostly still runs, and a new coat of paint helps some, but don’t be surprised by the sensation of feeling like things are going to fall apart at any moment.

The Precinct is a campy love letter to ’80s cop dramas, blending street-level patrols with high-speed chases in an open world. While it nails the tone with stylish set-pieces, exciting car chases, and a synthy soundtrack, the clunky implementation of mechanics and shallow upgrades hold back its more simulated gameplay. The Precinct may not always follow protocol, but it sure knows how to throw a siren-blaring good time.

The Midnight Walk is undeniably a big stab at both a moody experience and a satisfying puzzler. MoonHood’s debut stumbles a bit at the latter, running into some lacklustre puzzle design and monotony with how scarcely it mixes this up, but it makes up for it in setting. There are a lot of cool, eerie horrors that await on the mountain hike, depicted and animated to unbelievable detail, all the more striking than the last. Backed by enthralling 3D sound design that has you dreading every little footstep of those creepy crawlies, it’s a fairy tale horror adventure that is more than the sum of its parts.

DOOM: The Dark Ages swaps out space-age speed for steel-shod fury, and it works wonders. This isn’t just a prequel, but a ballad sung in blood and fire where every flail swing and shield parry feels like gospel. Sure, the dragon rides and giant Atlan mech missions are very weak, and you might need the horsepower of a car to run it at maximum settings on PC, but when most of the time you’re shredding armies of Hellspawn with a gun that grinds skulls for ammo, who cares? This is the Slayer in his knightly prime. Long live the king of ripping and tearing.

Revenge of the Savage Planet offers cooperative fun in an alien environment worth exploring. A varied gameplay experience propels you around a dynamic world of wonder, amplified by vibrant visuals and punchy audio. Let down somewhat by its comedic tone and unpolished approach, this title falls short of its full potential but still finds ways to surprise and delight along the way.

Empyreal has a great combat system with lots of opportunities to try something new. Hunting for better equipment is exciting, and developing your character is a rewarding feeling. But there’s not much else to do, and the shine wears off quickly. This is also a game that demands a good PC, or you might run into problems. It’s a great game for fans of varied combat and boss rushes, but not much else.

Spirit of the North 2 is a visually stunning open-world adventure that confidently stands apart from its predecessor, featuring an emotionally moving orchestral soundtrack that wraps around the vivid scenery like a loving embrace. Making progress and completing puzzles feels rewarding, and even just exploring the vast environments feels like a reward all the same. The story is engaging and emotional, and it’s easy to grow personally attached to the little fox as they learn just how big their world truly is.