Neon White is a truly unique first-person action experience. With its clever level design and Soul Card system, chaining together demon-slaying and platforming to get to the goal the quickest is a breeze. The game’s compelling cast and setting draw you into its story, and the wealth of side content and drive to improve on one’s scores will keep you coming back. Even its sluggish boss fights and somewhat samey visual style doesn’t do much to hold the game back. If you are looking for a truly unique indie action title, you should definitely check out Neon White.

Sniper Elite 5 is a culmination of many years of gameplay systems and development processes being polished to a mirror sheen. Making tremendous strides in both technology and visuals, Sniper Elite 5 can stand amongst the likes of its AAA contemporaries with gorgeous, realistic environments and visuals. Character modelling and animation could still use some refinement and the narrative left something to be desired, though the story thread was enough to provide adequate pacing for the action on screen. If you’re a fan of the series or looking to finally see what all the fuss is about, Sniper Elite 5 is the best the series has ever been.

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.

The core gameplay of Mario Strikers: Battle League is fast and frenetic, keeping your palms sweaty as you battle with your Nintendo favourites in an intense game of soccer. It’s flashy and well animated in all the best ways, with that trademark personality and charm carrying it a long way. It's also a wonderful example of "easy to learn, difficult to master", that starts simple but has some reasonable depth, even within the confines of its short matches. It’s a shame then that there just isn’t much more meat on the bone; with offline modes extremely limited with only quick play and tournaments, you’re going to have to truly love the mechanics to justify spending a lot of your time in competitive multiplayer. For those with a lot of mates to kick around with, that might be enough, but for everybody else, it’s a yellow card.

The Quarry proves to be a worthy successor and a notable release within Supermassive's lineup of branching-path slasher games. A frightful narrative full of tense moments creates a satisfying experience for horror fans, made even better when played alongside others. An ambitious amount of choice proves to be a double-edged sword as the game teeters on the edge of quality and quantity, with one particularly egregious mechanic dampening the experience for those who don't like to replay large chunks of a game. Though, despite its obvious shortcomings, there's a level of campy fun that's undeniable as the game engages from one freaky sequence to the next.

Souldiers is quite good, but doesn’t quite reach the peaks that it aims for. However, despite its unbalanced and restrictive class system and frequent difficulty spikes, there is a ton to recommend, from its detailed and varied world, beautiful animations, and engaging combat. Souldiers is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re prepared for its challenges and looking for a deep and engaging metroidvania platformer to get into, Souldiers is worth the recommendation.

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.

Card Shark’s story, art design, and soundtrack alone make the game a worthwhile experience. What begins as a classic rags-to-riches story quickly evolves into something far more interesting, full of intrigue and betrayal. Progressing the story by cheating the pants off a bunch of pre-revolutionary French dandies in cards is a truly unique and satisfying premise, and it’s largely pulled off well apart from a few imprecise controls. Otherwise, the gameplay might be a little too one-note to hold your engagement for the entire runtime of the game.

Loot River is certainly a roguelike unafraid to explore new waters, but what it lacks is a refined loop. Constantly repeating the run, even in different dungeons, isn’t an easy concept to float. However, the game’s unique movement mechanics and visuals do a lot of work to sell the experience. If you’re looking for a roguelike that’s going to punish you, then check this one out, but try not to be too shocked when you realise there are no life jackets provided.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a great game hurt only by its length and occasionally convoluted mystery mechanics. I’ve been around the block and then some with the FMV genre. This particular experience has certainly climbed up there in the ranks for me. With ambition and potential reached avidly, this is frankly a type of foray I haven’t played before. Provided are mesmerising set and costume designs, along with excellent character working and acting. Topping it all off is an enticing mystery and gorgeous cinematography to immerse you further. This is one for the books and a case worth investigating indeed.

Kao the Kangaroo is a nice 3D platformer for getting your feet wet. The gameplay from previous entries is the same and it is easy for beginners to pick up. The graphics look good and keeping it simple fits with the game’s theme. Unfortunately, the game feels too short, ending just as it picks up momentum. Collectibles feel like unnecessary game padding, the story feels like an excuse plot, and the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. This may satisfy fans who were looking forward to Kao the Kangaroo’s return, but there isn’t much for players who were hoping for a great, modern 3D platformer.

Transitory issues aside, We Were Here Forever is, at least at the time of writing, my favourite game of the year thus far. At times it frustrated, but all that did was make the completion of its various brain teasers all the more satisfying. The mark of a truly fantastic game is one that aligns all its elements around a central purpose or goal. In this title, everything orbits around testing the skill of its participants, and that makes for a truly memorable experience for its pairs of players.

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.

Evil Dead: The Game is a no-brainer for fans of the series and even horror fans in general, capturing the best elements of what makes Evil Dead so memorable and weaving them into a great experience to share with friends or even tackle alone. While it may have its flaws, the dedication put into this title is obvious from the get-go. If you’re tired of running from what bumps in the night and want to get some payback, this is the game for you. “Come get some.”

Eternal Threads, at its core, is a story of six people sharing a home and experiencing pretty day to day problems. However, with the added element of time travel and the game’s emphasis on nothing being insignificant, you become invested in the way the characters’ lives play out and the choices you make for them. I found myself cringing when the characters made a mistake, feeling bad when I chose a path that hurt them, and rejoicing when they finally found peace. Due to the way these characters are given believable backstories and personalities, I took the power of having their lives in my hands seriously and made sure that my six new friends received the past and future that they rightfully deserved.

Taking each piece of Salt and Sacrifice on its own, the game really should be an incredible ride. Taking the Souls-like gameplay loop, injecting Metroidvania style progression and item use, and stirring in some Monster Hunter elements should make for a delicious, challenging experience. Instead, the game unfortunately boils down to a repetitive, grind-inducing slog through samey areas and against predictable bosses. Ska Studios deserve praise for their attention to detail, striking visual achievement, and the game’s lofty ambitions, but that simply is not enough to stand up against some of the other titans of the genre.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is an impressive strategy title. With gorgeous graphics, a robust story, and engaging strategy gameplay, its single-player campaign will be a joy to play for strategy fans. The game may have some missteps, but the number of missions and additional ways to upgrade the Baleful Edict keep things interesting for seasoned strategy veterans and newbies alike.

Visually, this is a cosmic horror fan’s fantasy. Nameless creatures and an accursed world are all procedurally generated for a unique experience in each run. The downside is the incredibly disappointing gameplay often layered with grinding, camera and control issues, underwhelming combat, terrible UI, and repetition beyond the norm for a roguelite. Accompanied with a few haunting bugs here and there, Source of Madness is merely a shadow of more enjoyable games.

Despite an absolutely stunning visual design and an imaginative interpretation of Sámi culture, Skábma – Snowfall is let down by some frustrating design decisions. Its cumbersome control scheme and lack of guidance between story objectives lead to gameplay roadblocks that hurt the pacing of an otherwise compelling narrative. While it stuns with its gorgeous landscapes and presents interesting (if underutilised) ‘spirit drum’ mechanics, it’s difficult to recommend Skábma in its current state. I’m looking forward to seeing Red Stage Entertainment continue to support the title and bring out its strengths.

Best Month Ever! does indeed live up to its title… except with a few pitstops. While there is some clunky dialogue and awkward animations, the game still shines through with its story and themes. Best Month Ever! tells a good story about a dying mother’s wish, with mature themes that are treated with the utmost care, and a beautiful art style. The game is lacking with some accessibility issues and subtitles not always matching up with spoken dialogue. However, with an action-packed adventure, fans of point-and-click games should pick this one up when they can. Overall, it’s a touching story that almost anyone can connect with.

Trek to Yomi is, for me, just shy of a veritable masterpiece. Looking at it purely subjectively, I think this game is bloody brilliant, and certainly one of the finest non-AAA games I have played in a long time. Rich combat, striking visuals, a gritty narrative, and dynamic audio experiences blend together to make this game a true stand out of 2022 so far. Unfortunately, I feel the hyper-stylised tone and fixed Japanese language setting may prove a turn off for some and cause this game to be overlooked. However, if you have even a passing interest in Japanese culture, cinema, or just plain solid gameplay, then I implore you to give Trek to Yomi a look.

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.

Teardown does a great job in delivering on its premise, offering players the ability to pull off professional heists any way they want by manipulating the environment to their advantage. You will always have something to do if you get bored of the campaign, such as the sandbox mode where you can experiment and play to your liking, or the challenge mode where you put your skills to the test. Unfortunately, the game’s freedom is tied to your progression in the campaign, forcing you to work within certain constraints. Unless you are a big fan of creating your own experiences, you can quickly become bored of the game if you don’t give yourself time to take a break. Despite this, Teardown is still a solid sandbox experience that can provide hours of entertainment and goals to work towards. For players looking for a good sandbox experience that makes you think and promotes your creativity, you can’t go wrong with Teardown.

If you’re after a bell-bashing good time with all the style, boss battles, and even cooking, then this game is going to sing the tune you’ll want to hear. Anuchard is a hearty indie game with much to give to those who are looking for an appropriate mix of dungeon donging and puzzle-solving chaos. It might not be a genre cornerstone with some notable shortfalls, but it will still keep you ring-a-ding-dinging as you solve puzzles and traverse its dungeons.

A Memoir Blue is an interesting case study for where the future of indie games may be heading within the next 5 years. While both visually striking with a seemingly simple narrative core, A Memoir Blue is able to deliver an experience that evokes emotional sympathy and combines its game concepts directly with its themes of family and estrangement. Despite being a short experience with limited opportunities for interesting gameplay scenarios, I sense this is only the beginning of an exciting style of video games.

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.

As much fun as Nintendo Switch Sports games are, it’s hard not to feel as if Nintendo didn’t exactly push the boat out on the game. 6 games might have been enough for a new game in 2006, but not these days, and not for a full-priced game. That and the lack of extra modes and options make it feel like it’s a half-game, something that should have been bundled in with Nintendo Switch Online instead of sold at full price. It’s still a fun distraction, perfect for engaging the non-gamers in your family… as long as you’ve spent enough hours unlocking some accessories first.

Rogue Legacy 2 learns from its lineage and presents a superb sequel with a huge amount of depth of content. With so much replayability and meaningful progression, the game will have players hooked on its delightful gameplay loop for hours upon hours. Built with both style and substance, Rogue Legacy 2 is a tremendous success for fans of the original and the genre. It may not be a game for everyone, but for those willing to take up the challenge, a truly splendid journey awaits.