Monster Hunter Wilds is an excellent addition to Capcom's long-running series. The game combines the expansiveness of Monster Hunter World with the improved pacing of Monster Hunter Rise into something worthy of the sum of its parts. The new Focus Mode attacks look and feel amazing, the menagerie of new monsters to hunt is suitably varied and exciting to take down, and for those who are into it, the narrative has its moments. Admittedly, those who want more than the standard Monster Hunter gameplay loop may be left wanting; however, Considering the degree of post-launch support, both free and premium, that previous games have enjoyed, we can perhaps expect more down the line following Monster Hunter Wilds' release. Despite those concerns even in its launch state, Monster Hunter Wilds is an incredible time, whether you're new to the series or a Monster Hunter veteran.

Warriors: Abyss wastes no time giving players a tangible story and also appears to lack depth in its opening moments, but that also doesn’t matter. Instead, it focuses on translating the Musou experience into a tactile and fast-paced roguelike adventure and it excels at doing just that, rewarding players the more they put into it. Providing a thrilling and refreshing take on the Warriors series, it is not to be missed.

Stories From Sol: the Gun-Dog would fit right into any collection of the best PC-98 titles, emulating the detailed art and bit-crushed music flawlessly while also integrating modern game design to marry the best of both worlds. It creates an exciting and dramatic sci-fi universe just like your favourite mecha anime from the 80s, while avoiding the bad tropes that are best left in the past. It’s an excellent debut into the world of Sol, and I can’t wait for whatever next instalment may come.

Keep Driving may seem just like a car management sim, but it is so much more than that. It makes you take your time and focus on the necessary things; meaning it makes you think about the importance of being mindful and taking care of yourself. It is also a charming tribute to life on the road in the early 2000s before social media made adventures like this not so freeing and exciting. It challenges you with how you must continually manage your environment and self and gives you the autonomy to decide exactly what this road trip will look like for you. But, as the game says, you’re young – you’ve got time! So, slip in a Swedish indie CD, fill your tank and get ready to experience a cosy, yet exciting road trip and if all else fails – keep driving.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a thoroughly enjoyable sea-faring adventure filled with delightful ship combat and hectic brawling and swordplay encounters. Though it might rank somewhat lower in the series thanks to its weaker story and somewhat disappointing substories, it won’t bother players all that long when they merely engage in some of the open-world chaos that comes with living out a pirate’s life. Yo-ho, Yo-ho, a Mad Dog’s life for me.

Impeccable vibes, a solid narrative, and strong characters make the trip to Velvet Cove more than worth it. Tape 1 of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage effortlessly transports you back to a simpler time, while telling a grounded and melancholy tale of what happens when the perfect summer, isn’t. While it’s occasionally let down by an uneven technical state, the strength of the story still stands tall. I’m more than excited to continue the story of Swann and her friends in Tape 2.

While Waiting is a wonderful game about time wasting, and all the fun and creative ways in which you can do that. Sometimes all you can do is sit and wait, and sometimes that gives the most rewarding outcome. Sometimes the most important thing you can do with your time is nothing, as long as it’s with people you care about. Living life, being with the people you love and doing the things that make you happy is never a waste of time.

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is enjoyable, but there are several other action-adventure games that simply do it better. If you like what Tomb Raider has offered so far, you should happily jump into this trilogy. Otherwise, better and cheaper alternatives like the first series of remasters, or the Legend trilogy may prove to be smarter options. Despite any flaws, it’s great to see Croft preserved in this way. Hopefully the next three titles also see a collection in future, to finally bring the full series to modern consoles.

Afterlove EP offers a deeply heartfelt and genuine narrative experience, showcasing clear thought and care in its world-building, characters, and storytelling. The rhythm game segments may not provide much of a challenge for the average gamer but do so much to add to the overall vibe, especially with the wonderful music. Though certain early sections may feel a bit too railroaded and lacking in dialogue choices, the journey as a whole is special with a story that is bound to pull at your heartstrings.

Avowed is impressive in almost everything it sets out to do. It has sharp writing, captivating companions, an intriguing story and a varied world that is just thrilling to explore. It's visually stunning, too, with high production values including satisfying audio that makes the Living Lands feel bustling with life. Where many games falter in offering "bigger and more", Avowed smartly focuses on its strengths, making for a breezy yet vibrant RPG that feels polished and intelligent, offering lots to do but never outstaying its welcome. Obsidian Entertainment has once again proven they are skilled storytellers, offering a must-play adventure for anyone who has a love for the fantastical.

Dawnfolk is a brilliant simplification of the city-building genre with satisfying, short scenarios to play through without skimping on difficulty. Even in easy mode, it does start getting tough towards the end and there are both hard and impossible modes on offer for those who want a little more spice. It’s supremely engaging visually and controls really well with an easily readable and comprehensible style. There are hours of fun to find in the darkness, so long as you are ready to illuminate it.

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.

Though not quite as strong as its predecessor thanks to its narrative devices, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is another incredibly strong RPG under Nihon Falcom’s long-running belt. The party is stacked this time and serves as a warm-found family. Perhaps one of the best in the RPG scene. With this, there are a lot of exciting combat shenanigans and party DNA to engage in, joyously laying waste to beasties and mysterious figures. Better yet, the city of Edith feels more lived and breathed in than ever thanks to the bountiful list of activities and completion metrics to engage with. Though their journey is slightly rocky, at least Arkride Solutions has and always will have each other.

Leaning more into visual novel territory than detective work, Urban Myth Dissolution Center firmly guides you through some of the spookiest stories in contemporary folklore. Its striking pixel art and emphasis on social media as a tool for investigation lend it a unique charm, though it’s let down by repetitive gameplay and awkwardness in its narrative pacing. Worth a look for fans of creepypasta, but those keen on a more fleshed-out investigative experience may be left wanting.

Slender Threads is an easily digestible adventure narrative, featuring great voice acting and a dramatic, spooky story. The sinister dream motivating Harvey’s actions adds some good tension to the unsettling town of Villa Ventana, but the big reveal at the end fails to impress. Seasoned veterans of adventure games may miss the lack of creative, out-of-the-box thinking, though the game’s simple puzzles will probably work for a casual playthrough, or for genre beginners.

Techno Banter is a wild ride that lets you have the power to control the vibe within the vibrating walls of The Green Door. The way that developer Dexai Arts has captured the grittiness of a Berlin party street with their vibrant yet seedy characters shows how much love and respect they have for this world. With fun, unique mini-games and music from real Berlin DJs, the atmosphere is unmistakably stylish. Incorporating a simulation-style game mechanic, and having to walk up and down Rainbow Road before and after your shift really gave me a sense of immersion in this world. For gamers who love the club scene or appreciate techno music, Techno Banter will make you feel like you are in control of the party, and that’s a pretty cool position to be in.

Rift of the Necrodancer is a solid rhythm game with some fresh and exciting takes on the classic Guitar Hero formula. The different enemy types and health system make this stand out from the crowd, but at higher difficulties, these fade into the background as you memorise your way through the tracks. Still, with killer design, delightful minigames and some absolutely banging tracks, this game delivers foot-tapping goodness that might just have you hooked.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an incredibly ambitious RPG venture that soars when all its moving system parts and systems work as they’re meant to. As promised by Warhorse Studios themselves, protagonist Henry can be just about whatever you want him to be, whether that’s a wise diplomat, a mischievous thief or a drunk who finds himself regularly in barfights and down in the dirt. This is bolstered by meaningful skill specialisations, a strong bond between Henry and Hans and a story with exciting twists and turns. However, immersion is broken often with disappointing bugs, odd narrative choices that don’t bear weight and the fact female characters don’t get to do much of anything. A good game that could’ve been amazing had it been given a little longer to cook, Warhorse’s follow-up is a fun time despite all its obstacles but isn’t quite ready to be crowned victor just yet.

It can’t be denied how impressive Civilization VII is as a complete package. This is a franchise that finds a way to continually satisfy, even when compared to its already glowing legacy. Amongst a sea of strategy games, Civilization VII stands tall as a title that understands its identity, shows incredible attention to detail, and lives up to lofty expectations. Future expansions will undoubtedly fill certain notable absences, but even before then, we still have a formidable release that’s deservingly ready to eat away at your free time.

An incredible video game seventeen years ago and an incredible video game now, Ninja Gaiden II Black is an immensely strong and timeless action game. All these years later its combat animation, diverse arsenal of weapons and setpieces are unmatched. Though there’s still the issue of it not quite being the most definitive version, this 3D reboot run of the Ninja Gaiden franchise is as relevant as ever. Remember around the time of this trilogy when the age-old debate was whether pirates or ninjas would win in a fight? You simply need to look no further than Ryu and his friends in their blood-soaked glory.

Everything that I loved about Citizen Sleeper is present here in Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. The music and art are as stunning as they ever were, the quality of the writing is exceptional and there is no shying away from complexity when it comes to the questions posed and the sometimes painful, but often beautiful conclusions drawn from them. While it doesn’t engage with its core theme as extensively as I might have liked, I found myself enjoying every moment I spent in the Starward Belt, and I was captivated by everything I saw through the Sleeper’s eyes.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap takes a now-established idea and gives it new life via a roguelike progression system. Whilst the foundation of the idea is still solid and provides many an hour of fun, the implementation is needlessly grindy and imperfectly scaled. Deathtrap is not the evolution of the series we wanted it to be. It’s still a good amount of fun but falls short of its ultimate potential.

Eternal Strands delivers a slick, action-packed fantasy adventure with tonnes of heart and a whole lot of elemental fury to play with. Despite a little tedium creeping into its late-game grinding missions, it manages to weave an unbelievable number of mechanics into a cohesive gameplay loop that feels very satisfying. On top of that, its vibrant and imaginative world is gorgeously realised and full of delicious lore for fantasy nerds to devour. An incredibly strong first offering from new indie studio Yellow Brick Games.

SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada has some neat ideas that separate it from other extraction shooters on the market, but it can’t fully shake off its repetitive nature and half-baked concepts. The fun loop of exploring a dangerous world, gathering resources and trying to survive the numerous threats trying to take you down goes a long way initially but eventually loses steam as monotonous grindy objectives rear their ugly head on maps without much variety. For now, SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada doesn’t quite live up to its ambitions; but with its decent foundations and a bit of time to add, improve and tweak its interesting universe, it could grow into something special down the track.

The Stone of Madness feels like an admirable gamble of a new direction for The Game Kitchen, and one that mostly pays off. Besides the frustrations with the stealth, sanity system and inconsistent tone, its core prison break loop remains a satisfying one, and the monastery’s environmental design and artistic direction make it a compelling playground to explore.

The Roottrees Are Dead is a triumph of investigative fiction, offering a compelling yet grounded family mystery within countless articles, websites, and archives waiting for you to uncover. The game has been much improved over its original iteration on itch.io, and the extra content “Roottreemania” adds a cool follow-up mystery to the main one. Any fan of investigation games will have a great time with The Roottrees are Dead.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is an excellent follow-up to the first game, and a great game in its own right. The addition of elemental spells and overall rebalancing of a few features feels like an intuitive expansion of the original, and the new locations and characters introduced in this sequel were great additions, buoyed by Doug Cockle’s iconic narration. That said, it still doesn’t feel quite as good as it could be, with its preponderance of annoying flying bosses and Arlo’s disappointingly limited moveset. That said, Odd Bug Studio has a good thing going so far with the Tails of Iron series, and I look forward to what they have planned for the future.

Though Sniper Elite: Resistance ranks somewhat lower on the scale of games in the long-running franchise thanks to small bugs and a milquetoast campaign and protagonist, engaging in some sandbox Nazi-killing is still as fun as it’s ever been. From every viscerally satisfying shot that can sail through a Nazi’s skull to the hectic gunfights that hectically erupt across the battlefield, what remains as stellar as ever is the high-octane action. The game is bolstered by the emphasis on replayability with the quality of additional game modes and the fact it’s a side-offering to the main Sniper Elite narrative, leaving it a fitting venture for newcomers and veteran Nazi slayers. No matter who you are, Sniper Elite: Resistance is an action shooter game worth your time because, and say it with me, all Nazis must die.