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.

All in all, Goat Simulator 3 is a wonderfully wacky experience that is sure to delight, whether you’re playing on your own or with friends. Its gameplay mechanics may get a bit old if you’re playing solo or looking for a layered gameplay story, but if you’re keen for a ridiculous and hilarious casual game to dip in and out of occasionally, Goat Simulator 3 will be an excellent fit for your library.

Daemon Masquerade’s corkboard mechanic is so simple that I can’t believe it’s not a standard feature of the genre. It’s implemented near flawlessly here, with a compelling narrative that’ll glue your butt to your chair for its runtime. Being just a few hours long, it’s a perfect bite-size mystery.

Age of Mythology: Retold has made significant upgrades to its RTS formula. Expanding on pantheons by using the power of the gods more often lets you experience the true force. Improvements to accessibility means learning the basics is easier for newcomers to the series. While the experience stumbles with more advanced concepts and is perhaps too reliant on faith for victory, you can still learn as you go. Age of Mythology: Retold has never looked better for fans new and old.

If you’re reading this and thinking ‘Gee, that sure doesn’t sound like a particularly great game’, well, you’re right, it’s kind of not. The Thing: Remastered so gloriously channels the vibe of something you’d rent from the video store on a Friday night and binge across the weekend that I can’t help but love it anyway. Level layouts are often uninspiring, what few puzzles there are tend to be mildly annoying in their design, companion and enemy A.I. alike are completely wretched, and from start to finish it filled me with childlike delight in a way that no new game has in years. I’ve always had a soft spot for earnest B games, and The Thing: Remastered is the most earnest B one I’ve played in a long time.

With its emotional story and complex management mechanics, Citizen Sleeper is a game you don’t want to sleep on. You’ll be swept away by its beautiful and harrowing world-building and fall for the characters that breathe life into this already intricate world. You will die and the learning curve is steep, however it is all worth it for the philosophical story Citizen Sleeper intends to tell.

WWE 2K26 is still the heavyweight champion of the scene; the series does not disappoint with loads of content across multiple varied modes of play. It features the largest roster of past and present Superstars of the series, despite a handful of those sitting behind a grind. Questionable micro-transactions still exist, but the gameplay is still solid and competitive, and there are several new features that help with immersion and presentation. It’s a worthy entry to the series, even if we are not exactly reinventing the wheel.

High On Life 2 is a sequel that took the concept of the first title, scrunched it up into a little ball, threw it in the bin and said “we can do better”. It smartly does away with the over-the-top edgy humour of the first game and replaces it with genuine funny moments, witty banter and charming personality. The addition of the skateboard for movement adds a super fun dimension to the gameplay and, in turn, helps combat to feel fast-paced and exhilarating. The extensive cast of characters, both old and new, is so full of personality, and even the smallest conversations feel meaningful. High On Life 2 is a vast improvement from its predecessor in every way, injected with fun from every angle.

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.

Please Fix The Road is a game that delivers exactly what it promises with an approachable, minimalistic appearance with puzzles that’ll wrinkle your brain. The strict puzzle design may not appeal to all and the rare instances of imperfect level clarity may be less than ideal. However, the bright, colourful, and delightfully animated world is just so charming, creating a wonderful presentation. Please Fix The Road re-invents itself time and time again, with every block you explode, bend, and shape proving to be so satisfying.

Wrapping up my time with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Episode Intermission, a few things are abundantly clear. Square Enix knows how to expertly overproportionate things and they know their fans. They’ve absolutely honed in on the combat to make it the best yet. Also, I can only imagine how gorgeous Midgar in a new light must feel to longtime fans. However, it at times dips a little into being greedy with your time when you consider the side activities on offer. Final Fantasy VII Remake and its DLC carry the feeling of majesty throughout. Yes, it’s at times arguably unnecessary. Yes, it’s ridiculous that this even exists. Still, I can’t wait to be along for every turn of the future Final Fantasy VII ride. Bumps and all.

Aliens: Dark Descent is an excellent addition to the Aliens canon. The Darkest Dungeon-style stress mechanics end up fitting the setting like a glove, and the RTS combat and disposable marines definitely suit the tone and style of Aliens perfectly. Although the reliance on infrequent autosaves can often prove frustrating, the game is overall easy to recommend for fans of strategy games, survival horror games, or Aliens fans hungry for something which strongly evokes James Cameron’s 1986 classic while adding its own new elements.

Playing as Babyface with such smoothly animated mocap and fluent combo chains feels powerful. Being able to charge through levels, using everything in sight to bounce off goons like a martial arts master is an unstoppable sensation. Sure, the story isn’t that deep and doesn’t have the budget or quality of larger game studios, but the game compensates with very inventive fights. Midnight Fight Express is the John Wick experience in video game form.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is another action adventure triumph for PlayStation and Insomniac Games. It’s got a world that’s so full of colour and life, lovable new characters who bring clever diversity to a well-established cast, and an ever-changing gameplay loop that’s downright fun and engaging. Even if the game panders a little too heavily to a younger audience for my taste, it still excels in enough areas to make this an easy recommendation for nostalgic fans and newcomers alike.

The new and improved Yooka-Re-Playlee takes cues from other modern platform games like Mario Odyssey, successfully turning a janky and awkwardly designed platformer into a bingeable collectathon that feels more packed with platforming challenges. A full overhaul to the graphics, controls, and UI modernises Yooka-Laylee and makes it appealing to more than just classic Rareware fans, but it comes at the expense of the game’s identity as a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie, something that was so central to the game’s original pitch. However, taken as it is, this remake transforms Yooka-Laylee into, if not a masterpiece, at least much less of a mixed bag.

With a touching tale of yearning and personal growth on a backdrop of a near sci-fi future, Old Skies meets the standard of quality I’ve come to expect from Wadjet Eye Games. It explores the moral quandaries of time travel in a way I have not seen before, asking not what effect it might have on the future, but what effect it might have on the travellers. Its story is told well, all the while offering mostly quality puzzles that have plenty of potential for fleshing out in a future instalment.

Imagine Earth is a great strategy title with a meaningful underlying message. With original mechanics regarding natural resources, the health of your planet, and overpopulation, the game offers an immersive and thought-provoking experience that will satisfy both veteran strategy game fans and newbies alike. Its gorgeous visuals and story will be a great fit for anyone who enjoys city builders and strategy titles and is keen to try out something new.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage might be a smaller experience than the mammoths that have preceded it, but that doesn’t make it lesser. Clocking in at a decent 20-30 hours of focused gameplay and story, it’s a great return to form to the stealth-focused days of Altair and Ezio. While the main missions could have used more variety, it’s encouraging to see that Ubisoft hasn’t forgotten the franchise’s roots.

SteamWorld Heist 2 delivers an excellent blend of steampunk, pirate adventure, and tactical gameplay. With its distinctive style and original soundtrack, this sequel stands out. While the strategic missions and characters shine, the narrative and overworld ship combat are it’s weakest points. Overall, it’s a treasure trove of tactical fun, offering a blast for both seasoned strategists and newcomers.

Although Tiny Thor may seem like a pretty simple platformer when you first encounter it, is actually quite complex. You will need to become a master of Thor’s hammer and find the most effective ways to use it in order to progress throughout Asgard. The game never feels stale as each level brings some new gameplay element to continue to challenge the player and offer opportunities to use Thor’s hammer in creative ways. Whilst the level of difficulty and the lack of health is a bit frustrating, fans of fast-paced, ever-changing, cute platformers will find a lot to love in Tiny Thor.

Out of nowhere, En Garde! is a surprise hit and a swashbuckling tale well worth playing. Engaging in fights, whether that’s one-on-one or being outnumbered as you navigate an environment, using many obstacles and contraptions is immensely fun. Complimenting all of this is a painterly world, backed with a strong soundtrack, clever dialogue quips and a lot of heart. My biggest gripe with En Garde! is that there isn’t more of it, something I so desperately need. As iron and steel collide in tense frantic battles or as you send your hundredth mook careening down a flight of stairs, one thing becomes apparent: Fireplace Games have made a hell of an unbelievably charming and special game.

Strange Antiquities sticks very close to the premise of the original, Strange Horticulture, while improving on almost every aspect. It offers a dark, atmospheric mystery with multiple endings, but the real entertainment comes in the form of examining the dozens of weird, creepy, and downright unsettling items stocked on your shelves and feeling like a genius when you decipher their hidden clues. Strange Antiquities is an easy recommendation to make for any fan of research-based puzzles.

Come for the time-loop mechanics and Undertale inspirations, stay for the beautiful, heartfelt and guttural story. In Stars and Time is an artful indie RPG that explores a found family’s battle with time. With this, it explores complex topics with grace and utmost reverence. Though it’s a little long in the teeth and could have been a bit tidier in how you unravel some of its mysteries, within is a magical world much worth exploring, backed by fantastic chip-tune music, a sense of place and some real good vibes. Unlike protagonist Sifrin and his problems with memory in the time labyrinth, your foray into In Stars and Time won’t soon be forgotten.

LEGO Voyagers is a simple adventure co-op game that features a straightforward story that will tug at your emotions. It doesn’t hold your hand, and you and your friend are required to work together to complete this simple game. It executes the “show-don’t-tell” very well. While it does lack the opportunity for expansive exploration, it’s the type of game that makes you want to relax and see how far creativity and teamwork will take you.

After a poor last effort, WWE 2K22 brings the long-running wrestling franchise back in a big way, proving that the extra development time is just what the doctor ordered. It successfully streamlines its in-ring action so that it’s more adaptable to players of different skill levels, removing archaic systems that previously bogged it down. Animations and presentation are top notch, and there really is a game mode for everybody, with a lot of variety. While not all the modes deserve to main event when you dissect them in detail, there’s still a very strong foundation to build from; the bottom line is that WWE 2K22 is the best wrestling game in over a decade.

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.

A Juggler’s Tale isn’t a long game, it will only take you a few hours to complete. However, its length is refreshing in a time where we are surrounded by massive open-world games that can leave us exhausted just by looking at their playtime. Abby is a joy to play as, and though she doesn’t say a word and is sometimes taunted by the narrator, her story resonates through the way she survives and thrives in a world that wants to keep her grounded and tied up. The way that you can literally feel the weight in her strings adds a layer of empathy for the protagonist and makes you realise how strong-willed she really is. Though she is small in stature and doesn’t look like she’d be strong, this puppet’s tale will make you realise that strength comes in all sizes, even in the shape of a little marionette whose only real talent is juggling.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a successful return to the 3D offshoot of the long-running ninja action adventure series. As is staple with the series, players are delivered challenging, tight and tense combat that requires serious strategy and skill to come out on top as you’re clashing against samurai, ninja and otherworldly beasts. Within are delightful and electric setpieces that feel hallmark for the series. Though the campaign could’ve been a bit more memorable by including a few more high-calibre moments and a better inclusion of their main hero Ryu, what’s within is still a bloody great time with high replayability as you slice, dice and rip apart your foes, bathing in their blood. Ninjas are friggin’ cool.