Anthem#9 is a stylish, compact roguelite that somehow works by doing less, but doing it well. No doubt it comes with a bold visual identity and an imaginative gem-chaining combat system. The lack of permanent updates might not be one for people who have become accustomed to the modern roguelite design, but this does mean the game is solely focused on offering a game that is purely about the player’s skill. Although the game’s tutorials and explanations can feel underdeveloped, the satisfaction of mastering its mechanics outweighs the early learning curve. In the end, what I found is that Anthem#9 delivers a surprising amount of depth wrapped in a striking, but simplistic presentation.

Visions of Four Heroes is very much more of the same, but that is not a criticism when the foundation it builds upon is solid. Dynasty Warriors: Origins laid a strong baseline for the series with its refined combat, improved presentation, and more focused storytelling. This DLC chooses to expand that storytelling, one of the strongpoints of the original game. The additional story content offers deeper insight into familiar figures, while the gameplay remains enjoyable taking down 1000s of soldiers in battle. Although it does little to push the formula forward, it successfully delivers more of what already worked, making it a decent expansion for those who enjoyed the main game.

Twinkleby is a decent and relaxing cosy game that delivers charm through its island‑building mechanics. The low‑poly dioramas style gives it a warm personality, and the freedom and ease of decorating islands and adjusting the islands make it inviting for casuals. However, the game is held back by slow unlock pacing in the early hour and frustratingly limited control over villagers, who sometimes wander on their own schedules and ignore the important items they desire, even when placed in front of them. Fans of cosy and casual games will find enjoyment in its gentle pace, making it great to play while listening to a podcast or watching some YouTube videos, but it doesn’t offer enough to be anything more than a cosy pastime, which feels very much like the experience it was created to offer.

Gunfire Reborn offers a solid mix of roguelite progression, creative weapons, and fun hero abilities, making it a good pick for fans of loot-focused first-person shooters. Its low system requirements and co-op gameplay further enhance its accessibility, and it makes for a great Steam Deck experience. However, the highly repetitive level design is a weakness that can’t be ignored. While expansions and seasonal systems add variety, they feel like compensation for the bland environments rather than a true fix. Overall, it’s a good game that is enjoyable, but not without some flaws that stop it short of greatness.

In summary, Out of Time warps into the Survivors-like genre with a mix of chaotic, era-mashing, auto-action, and a gear-based skill system that sparks creative builds. The Tether mechanic encourages co-op play, which is the better way to play the game. Future updates, including new Eras, gear, and modes, should help give the game legs for the long haul. Yet, repetitive missions, and simplistic and mundane map design, and minor hiccups keep it from standing at the top of the genre. For genre fans with time to spare, Out of Time is a fun ride, but it will not stop the clock as a true standout in the genre.

Ultimately, Killing Floor 3 delivers a solid cooperative shooter foundation. It’s fun, frantic, and mechanically good but it needs time to mature through content updates and system refinements to evolve into something great.

Trash Goblin has the basics of a cosy experience, offering a casual, low-stakes loop with charming characters and accessible mechanics. It’s pleasant, undemanding, and occasionally fun, but it rarely stretches beyond those foundations. The lack of failing mechanics keeps things relaxing but also dulls any sense of progression or challenge. As the systems begin to fade and repetition sets in, even the new patch content struggles to reignite that initial enthusiasm, it begins to lose its appeal. There’s enjoyment here, for sure, especially in short bursts, but it’s the kind of game you put down once the novelty wears off or the story wraps up. A fun little distraction, but not a noteworthy one.

RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business is more of the brutal, authentic RoboCop power fantasy fans loved when it comes to its intense combat. Gunplay is as meaty and over-the-top as before for the series, with the iconic Auto 9 still stealing the show. However, the expansion comes with some uneven pacing and technical issues that weren’t present in the original. It’s one for fans of the first game’s action but be prepared for a few rough edges in its current state.

Initially, I was going to give FBC: Firebreak a 6, marking it as “Fair” on our scale, but patch v1.2 shifted my perspective. It addressed several of my concerns and signals a promising direction for the game’s future. As it stands, FBC: Firebreak feels like a game with potential that hasn’t fully figured itself out yet. While it’s built on a solid co-op PvE formula and benefits from Remedy’s unique universe, it lacks the variety and depth needed to keep players engaged over time. The handful of missions wear thin quickly due to repeated objectives and static structure, and even with Corrupted Items adding some unpredictability, it’s not enough to mask the thin content. The lack of no voice or text chat makes teamwork clunky. Remedy has shown they’re listening with patch v1.2, which improved pacing and progression, but unless future updates bring significantly more content and variety, I can’t see this game having long-term staying power. For now, it feels like a solid foundation that still needs more built on top of it to truly stand out in a crowded genre.

AI Limit delivers a solid but somewhat uneven Soulslike experience, offering engaging combat driven by its attack-focused Sync Rate system and versatile frame abilities. At £29.50, it is an affordable entry into the genre, blending a gritty, anime-inspired sci-fi aesthetic with cryptic world-building. SenseGames’ debut succeeds in capturing the rewarding challenge of Soulslike combat, with solid boss fights (Hunter of Bladers is one of the better ones) pushing players to master mechanics. However, late-game areas can recycle enemy styles. Cramped spaces leading to unavoidable deaths and some collision issues also introduce frustration, occasionally disrupting the flow of the game. Despite those flaws, the lack of a stamina bar and its aggressive combat focus make AI Limit more accessible than traditional Soulslike entries. My 25-hour journey through Arrisa’s mud-soaked world was mostly enjoyable, even if some aspects did not feel as polished. It may not redefine the genre as a whole, but neat mechanical changes offer a worthwhile alternative for fans waiting on the next big hit in the genre.

These remasters maintain all the extra features from the previous collection – the visual improvements, 60fps + mode, photo mode and other tweaks – and ultimately are the best way to play these games, it’s just the quality of games on offer here aren’t quite as consistently good as the first collection. Aspyr have been doing a really good job with these remasters, especially the Legacy Of Kain set released at the back end of last year and shows that they can do an excellent job in bringing these classic titles back for existing fans to enjoy again but with enough modernisation so a new audience can enjoy them without losing the spirit and feel of the original releases. They didn’t really put a foot wrong with this collection – unfortunately, in the case of Angel Of Darkness, Eidos already did that all those years ago.

A year after its PS5 debut, Rise of the Ronin arrives on PC with Team Ninja’s combat prowess at its core—fast, fluid, and deeply satisfying. The story is engaging enough, though its pacing can feel slow at times, while the open world is filled with familiar tropes—plenty of icons, bandits, and the occasional stray cat, but also plenty of that great combat to experience. PC performance is underwhelming, and optimisation could certainly use some work, though there’s hope for future improvements. It’s not a masterpiece, but Rise of the Ronin stands out as a game where the real excitement lies in its combat, not the world it inhabits.

It feels more aimed at Warriors fans than roguelike enthusiasts, and with so many other options in the roguelike genre, Warriors: Abyss ends up being a fun, but flawed experience—an entertaining twist on Warriors gameplay, but not a standout in the roguelike genre.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins lays a solid foundation for the series’ future. It’s a positive step forward, offering the best gameplay and visuals we’ve seen in the franchise so far. The storytelling approach also provides a more in-depth exploration of familiar characters we’ve followed for over 24 years. The developers have done an excellent job enhancing the combat while maintaining most of the core elements that fans love about Dynasty Warriors. Let’s face it, a sequel is inevitable, and the missing features here could easily make their way back in future instalments. If this game is any indication, there’s plenty to be excited about for what comes next.

The gameplay is hindered by basic mechanics and somewhat awkward melee combat, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. However, the game excels in creating a compelling atmosphere, and the gameplay maintains a smooth flow. In the end, Hollowbody provides a nostalgic experience for fans of British survival horror at the price of a large takeaway pizza (£14.20), encapsulating both the triumphs and shortcomings of the genre, making it a worthwhile choice for an engaging evening for fans of horror games that like them with a sprinkle of nostalgia.

It seems that the developers forgot the vibe of Test Drive Unlimited. Instead, the proposition they bring is a game that falls short of its rivals. Maybe a few months of support, patches and content will enhance what is currently a fairly average racing experience.

Earth Defense Force 6 distinguishes itself as the most compelling entry in the series, successfully drawing me back into its captivating gameplay loop, a feat that previous titles had failed to achieve. Although this could easily be labelled EDF 5.5 due to asset re-usage and limited changes, the game ultimately delivers more of what fans cherish about the franchise, and new people coming in will find this all fresh and gain the best experience. If you never have been a fan, then this release will not alter your perception. Those in search of a radical change to the series may also be disappointed; however, there is hope that future instalments will introduce a fresh array of classes and features, as EDF 6 currently represents the apex of gameplay content available in the series.

Despite the shortcomings in interaction and gameplay complexity, Still Wakes the Deep has an appeal through its linear, but high-quality set pieces and engaging storytelling. The game’s ability to draw players in and keep them invested in the unfolding narrative is a testament to The Chinese Room’s proficiency in creating immersive experiences. By focusing on the development of compelling characters, a wonderful and personalised environment with the oil rig that is mysteriously engulfed in unknown biological matter, combining it with an appealing plot helps succeed in delivering an entertaining game. Players will find themselves engrossed in the eerie atmosphere and suspenseful moments that Still Wakes the Deep has to offer, even with the limitations of its linear structure and simple gameplay. Plus the game’s splendid visuals are a bonus that adds to the overall atmospheric setting.

Astor: Blade of the Monolith has a certain charm and fun element to it, but the game’s simplistic combat and repetitive foes take away from the overall excitement. I would like there to be more reasons to use powers against foes, but the variety of enemies is not big enough to support this. Although it provides enjoyable moments, vibrant visuals, and an intriguing setting, it falls short of being truly remarkable or memorable, yet there is a game that can be enjoyed even if it does not leave a lasting impression.

The story is told and then it ends, but it makes you feel like there should be more, leaving not a craving for another entry but slight disappointment that your curiosity isn’t fully satiated.

Alone in the Dark is a game that gets 60% right, and the rest is a mixture of poor or frustrating gameplay mechanics.

Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a lot like Aragami. And I need more of that, it’s just a kickass concept. But it needs some tough love and design direction if it ever wants its players to really be a part of the world they’re creating or to feel like an Ereban.

As it stands, this surprisingly good and dark, bloody horror experience is a refreshing entry to play with friends for a few hours that will surely leave a lasting impression or induce many nightmares for days to come.

Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is a sequel that decides to change a few elements to offer a more streamlined, less frustrating and generally overall better experience than the previous entries in the series. But there is a negative that comes with making the game easier to play and changing the investigation elements to be side-scrolling. While I enjoy this change, the lack of variety in the environments means it can become dreary during the slowly-paced elements between the interesting and climatic parts of each chapter. That said, the main element, the visual novel storytelling, brings a compelling horror tale that blends twists on Japanese folklore with a modernised setting to offer a strong atmospheric story with twists and turns to the end. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is a game for visual novel fans who enjoy tales about the supernatural with adult themes.

Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is a game that will not waste your time and is a decent, easy-to-understand tactical title that appeals to a wide range of players. It could do with more objective variety and increased hero count in the game’s battles, but this could easily be expanded on in a sequel. It’s all about imagination and that can go many places for a game like this. As for our hero’s first adventure, it’s a solid and different experience that makes it a worthwhile play for anyone looking for some unadulterated tactical fun.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a thin vertical slice of these genres wrapped in layers of farcical humour, designed to deliver on a bite-size evening or two of amusement. It does that exceedingly well.

Cookie Cutter stays true to the tried and tested metroidvania recipe. It does not try to do anything different in that respect, meaning fans of the genre know exactly what to be expecting with the game’s level design and progression. Where Cookie Cutter does stand out is more with its eccentric and loud visual design and fluid animation. Combat is a lot of fun due to how smooth it is. There have been a few melee-focused metroidvanias in the past and Cookie Cutter is a welcome addition to that group, bringing with it a violent and bloody adventure that is full of hi-octane encounters and great platforming controls that make up for the lack of innovation, varied environments and slight frustrations it brings to the genre.

For what it is worth for fans, RoboCop: Rogue City is a brilliant RoboCop game, but only a decent first-person shooter.

There is enough content here to keep the game entertaining for a while, and as long as the annoyance of the purposedly sluggish controls can be forgiven, then Party Animals will be having players laughing and cursing for many months to come all thanks to its wacky physics and fun game modes.

Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical offers an enjoyable murder mystery visual novel musical. This is down to the themes and the twist on Greek mythology. The addition of being a musical and the options for the player to change the outcomes of the songs through personality options helps make Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical bring a unique experience to video games. It leans more towards being an interactive story than a video game, and maybe any follow-ups can balance this to make it more of a video game. Still, that is not to put a damper on Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical, because what is here is a compelling piece of entertainment that I was fully engaged with the 5+ hours it lasted. A new sub-genre has been created with Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical, and with anything new, this can mean future iterations can only get better and that excites me seeing how the blend of music and story-driven adventure games could become, because Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical is a one-off experience I would like to become involved with again.

The only problem is we still want more! Don’t get me wrong, I’m always grateful to see a new deeply cooperative game release as, as mentioned, they are often few and far between, but the We Were Here games are special.

An impressive game on the one hand, but lacklustre on the other, There are some things to like about Fort Solis, but the actual interaction element can become a test of patience when walking around such a visually impressive mining facility becomes a slog.

In summary, Affogato manages to offer an experience that does not overstay its welcome, clocking in around 14 or so hours including many battle restarts. Within that time, Affogato showcases many positives with its gameplay, visuals and story, but some of the added content away from its refreshing reverse tower defence strategy gameplay is less fleshed out than it could be. Still, Affogato is a good time, a solid blend of different elements that come together to bring a tasty offering that fans of such genres will most likely enjoy. Affogato is a value-worth, bite-size alternative to the big guns available on the market, and sometimes people just want that from time to time.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg will not be winning any awards for best Atelier entry, but its aim was never to achieve this. The whole point of this release is to bring the title to the non-Japanese market to celebrate the origins of the Atelier games for its 25th Anniversary, and that is exactly what Gust and Koei Tecmo have done. The bonus is that they decided to throw quality of life and visual improvements while keeping most of the mechanics intact to let fans discover how much the series has evolved over time from its infant beginnings on the PlayStation. Fans will enjoy seeing how it all began, the fascinating idea of hiring teammates and the implementation of the Atelier mechanics that fans have come to know over the years broken down into a much simpler form. I cannot fault the developers for putting in the effort to offer fans a piece of history that was once locked away in Japan. For that, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg does it the right way and somehow manages to put a smile on fans’ faces.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a solid beat ‘em up that fans will enjoy in solo or cooperative play. It might not be the greatest beat ‘em up that has been released over the last few years, and the lack of online in a time where most people will be playing cooperatively this way is a big shame, but even so, this release is certainly one of the more interesting ones in the genre and offers fun for a few hours to grind through the unlocks in the shop.

The campaign does offer interesting and thrilling combat scenarios at times. The ones that get straight into the action are great, but other times it can be a little too much with its bullet madness, but then on the other side, sometimes missions pan out the pacing and this shows the weakness with the controls and lack of weight within the game’s physics. Story mode is over quickly, leaving the survival mode or a harder difficulty in the story mode to test your skills, but with a pocket-friendly price of £11.39, it does not bust the bank for people who fixate on game length. In the end, Nimbus Infinity is an enjoyable mecha game that does not offer any surprises, but even with its issues, is fun enough for fans to jump into Warspite and blow up some stuff while waiting for the next big mecha action game to drop.

Dokapon Kingdom: Connect might lure some of those Mario Party fans across, but the game feels more aimed at finding its own small audience who love the idea of a video game that blends RPG mechanics with a board game in a decent way. If you are one of those, then get ready to embark on a long adventure filled with friendly banter and devilish competition to be the richest person in the land.

It is hard to ignore Gun Jam’s lack of content in its current state, as it feels like the game should be in Early Access now rather than fully released. There are elements that clearly should be featured, tutorials, and ways to look at high scores, that are criminally missing that hurt the overall presentation, while the limited stages and song count hurt the general package. That said, what is here shows the foundations of the game’s mechanics and quality. Gun Jam feels like the game is a few updates away from being a good rhythm-based shooter hybrid because what is here is fun to play. The soundtrack is top-notch, an absolutely great set of head-banging tunes. Even despite that unfinished feeling, rhythm fans will most likely enjoy and appreciate what is available and what the developers are moulding. With the team at Jaw Drop Games having heard the feedback from players and promising to support the game with content in the future, which I hope they stick with in the long run, Gun Jam should be able to eventually join the list of good rhythm games that its promising beginnings seem to exhibit.

It will be interesting to see what will happen to the Atelier series going forward, now that Ryza’s chapter comes to an end after this entry. The increased presentation and improvements following the first two titles really demonstrated how the trilogy resonated with its audience. Hopefully more care can be put into better streamlining the mechanics and UI elements, as this series just needs a few more polished ingredients to produce a truly high grade experience. In the meantime, this flawed trilogy of games is still worth the appraisal for both old and new school fans of RPGs, or any enthusiast of watching the numbers go up.

There is something remarkably enjoyable about taking a wild war machine and going ham against a stupid amount of enemies – pushing that enemy count up to as much as your PC can handle in free battle mode and watching all hell break lose is something magical. If only the rest of the game was as brilliant as its impressive shipbuilding.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a charming remaster for the Nintendo Switch that puts a happy smile on anyone with its colourful visuals and cutesy presentation. Fans who enjoy Kirby might want to experience all the new additions in this re-release, but with the game being charged at full price, you might want to ask if all the new stuff is worth the asking price. For new Kirby fans that found the pink blob through other games on their Nintendo Switch, then this will be an embodiment of pure fun for you, bringing all the good and enjoyment Kirby can offer for a group of friends sitting around the TV. Be warned, the game is still overly easy on its standard mode, which makes the Extra Mode unlock a huge shame that it was not available from the start, but at least the level design makes up some for the lack of challenge. For people who just want to sit down after a hard day of work and relax with some entertaining platforming, then Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is suited for such circumstances with its sweet, colourful adventure that is ideal for family fun or stress-free gaming.

Mahokenshi is a visually eye-catching and mechanically solid entry into the big world of deckbuilder games and brings in a mixture of elements that will appeal to not just card/deckbuilder fans, but people who also enjoy board games.

An intentionally janky experience that will make you laugh in amusement at its balls-to-the-wall randomness and moan in frustration at its awkward gameplay features. A fair attempt at bringing back the fun, no-nonsense action games of the PS2/PS3 era, but one that does not quite hit the same heights as those B-tier titles. A specific crowd who enjoys these less fluid action games will find something to like here, but maybe wait for a sale before taking that ride to crazy town.

There are so many of these 90s-inspired shooters that anyone who is a fan is having a field day with all the options available. Dread Templar becomes another solid entry in this subgenre. It offers a nice mixture of retro gameplay along with some more modern ideas with its skill tree and weapon modification concept. Dread Templar is a fast, fun, twitchy shooter that enjoys promoting the old through great-level design, hectic gameplay, pixellated visuals, and its groovy metal soundtrack. Dread Templar is a competent first-person shooter offering made for a certain audience, and I think the developer is happy with delivering a good retro-feeling shooter for those people to add to their video game collection.

All of these details come together to form a fairly lifeless game – one with all the fixings and foundation of another epic showcase but without any of the polish or love that is so evident in the team’s previous undertaking. Now I know for a fact this game is going to be incredible. I have confidence in Fatshark; they’ve earned that by showing how much they care about their work and their player base. But, right now, in its current state, there’s simply no way I can call it a worthy successor. The gunplay is wonderful and I’ll no doubt continue to dip in here and there, but longer sessions quickly become dull and there’s no real hook, no grand finale, to motivate me to push on. I can’t wait to see what it’ll become but, in the meantime, I think I’ll take a look back and revel in the masterful predecessor, Vermintide 2, and all of the juicy extra content I never got to dive into. TL;DR Age of Sigmar > 40k.

Thy Creature is a game that wonderfully displays its horror with great artwork, and it shows that the developers had fun crafting their vision of the traditional Frankenstein story. While the puzzles are simple when outside of battle, moving them into the framework of a bullet-hell and having the player need to resolve these while avoiding waves of horrors is a fascinating blend that somehow works. It sure is a challenge, but one that always ends in a satisfying feeling. It might be easy to beat for veteran bullet-hell players, but for the average gamer, this game will offer an unsettling challenge that will test you over its 10-hour adventure. It will frustrate, it will amaze, but overall, it sits as a good game with a unique blend of two genres that it somehow makes work together.

Lunistice has been created to give fans of platformers who are on their way to middle age something to reminisce with. The developer has done a great job in replicating what made the platformers for the PlayStation and Saturn so enjoyable that I could not help but smile as I played. The game brings tight controls, silky smooth gameplay, and a wonderful visual style that upholds the charm of those consoles of old; there is something aesthetically pleasing about it. Lunistice might not be a long game, but what there is a blast to play. Not all games have to push the boundaries of the medium, some can just give us a jolly good time. Lunistice does that without needing hours of your time, yet engages the player with its platforming and level design. Lunistice is a good pick for anyone who wants to enjoy a platformer that feels stripped straight from the late 90s for an afternoon or two. Plus, at an incredible price of £4.99, checking out this blast to the past will not hurt anyone’s gaming budget.

Moving to an open-world concept is a brilliant step forward for the Pokémon series, but currently, this release lacks the Nintendo quality that we expect from their published titles. In terms of mechanics, vision and gameplay elements of Pokémon, this is a shift in the right direction, and it only makes me get excited to see what future games do on new Nintendo hardware, whenever that arrives. I still recommend Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to fans of these wonderful little critters or to people who grew tired of the original formula, as the shift to an open world makes for a more exciting experience. Just be prepared to suffer from something that is very un-Nintendo like with this game’s inconsistent frame rates and the occasional glitch, which will put a dent in what should have been a wonderful new direction for the extremely popular creature collecting series.

Moving to an open-world concept is a brilliant step forward for the Pokémon series, but currently, this release lacks the Nintendo quality that we expect from their published titles. In terms of mechanics, vision and gameplay elements of Pokémon, this is a shift in the right direction, and it only makes me get excited to see what future games do on new Nintendo hardware, whenever that arrives. I still recommend Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to fans of these wonderful little critters or to people who grew tired of the original formula, as the shift to an open world makes for a more exciting experience. Just be prepared to suffer from something that is very un-Nintendo like with this game’s inconsistent frame rates and the occasional glitch, which will put a dent in what should have been a wonderful new direction for the extremely popular creature collecting series.

Is Bayonetta 3 worth playing? If you’re already a fan, absolutely. Just don’t expect it to be the absurd larger-than-life addition than we all hoped it would be. If you’re on the fence about it – this isn’t going to be the one to change your opinion. The combat is still there, even if it is starting to rust up with age. There are still signs of that unhinged expressiveness the others are renowned for under the layers of bleak environments and flat out boring narrative. The whole thing can still often look colourful and eruptive, but is heavily anchored by the limits of the Switch – truly a cruel fate for what could be one of the craziest worlds to experience in a game if Platinum Games would be set free to do as they please. It really is a shame, especially after such a long wait. It’s not a bad experience by any means, and it did have fairly unreasonable expectations to live up to, but it ended up falling rather short in just about every way. For any other series that might be satisfactory, but not for Bayonetta. It deserves better than just ‘good’.

The series has grown and evolved over the years and WRC Generations is a pleasant look at the history and all the improvements the developers have made during its active career, leaving with us a rally game with some of the best stage designs ever conceived in the video game rally genre, but one which fans have mostly seen before.

If you and a friend or partner are into this cosy niche corner of gaming and are happy to spend an afternoon burning your brains together, The Past Within is a must play. Mostly because it’s good, but also sort of because there aren’t many other options that you likely haven’t already exhausted. If I could get my way, I’d be playing new games just like this weekly. But the sad truth is they’re a rarity, and we should cherish them when they’re here. So make sure to get comfortable, grab a relaxing drink, and hang out with your ally on a discord chat or over the phone. There’s no rush, no time limits or anything. Just enjoy what makes these types of teamwork-focused games so special by spending time with someone you care about and you’re sure to have a great time.

A great concept with rewarding moments of gameplay that is only slightly hampered by a handful of little things, as well as the omission of other things. A little more enemy variety, a little less level wandering and a tightening up of other aspects would have made this game a real rock concert for the ages. But it’s still an entertaining effort that was worth the trip to the back alley….or a friend’s garage, or wherever it is people go to listen to concerts these days.

Cult of the Lamb is a good game. It’s a lot of fun. But I have this nagging sensation it could have been so, so much more interesting, and it leaves me wanting.

I think fans of the genre will really appreciate what Live A Live is trying to accomplish with its storytelling variety, even if the battles can become grindy towards the end of the game.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a slow burner, but once everything comes together, it provides some of the better Musou madness, but now with a better story and much-improved character development, which shows how short the Fire Emblem element was in the original Fire Emblem Warriors. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a recommended title for Musou and Fire Emblem: Three Houses fans, which will keep you entertained until the next entry hits.

It’s a real shame that the two halves of gameplay, the action and the puzzling/exploration, differ so greatly in quality or this would be an easy recommendation to any 90s nostalgia-hunters. Instead there’s a clear divide and the fun often comes crashing to a halt, constraining the player to slowly back up and work a row of dawdling dummies with a pipe for five minutes to conserve resources. To make it worse there are actually two extra modes, a classic wave-based survival challenge with a shop between each round and a procedurally generated labyrinth, that both rely on this exact approach to play: aggro the mass of dopes and painstakingly beat them to death with a melee weapon in order to save any important armaments for the real problems. I still say it’s worth giving a shot if you’re into this style of retro horror, more so because of how exceptionally cheap it is, as long as you’re aware of the few clumsy design choices that all too often get in the way of the experience.

Evil Dead: The Game needs some polish to take it to the next level, as there are some areas that could do with some quality-of-life improvements, and to fix some of the weird physics. Currently, there is an issue with the game having limited content, which could factor in towards its longevity, but as it stands, Evil Dead: The Game is incredibly fun and is a well-crafted multiplayer idea that could jump from being good to great if they support this game in the future with patches and content updates. With the developers already proving to have a track record with supporting titles in the past and saying they plan to support this game for a long time, Evil Dead: The Game can only improve and get better with more content and mechanics that the developers will hopefully add to the game to take it to the next level and become THE asymmetrical 4 vs 1 horror game.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a fair stab at bringing something for the fans, a game that did not have enough time to be fleshed out, so had to bulk the journey out with its stamp collection, but overall, it’s a fair game, nothing too good or bad, just a game that I did enjoy for the most part, but tries to hinder that enjoyment with some questionable and generic quest padding.

None of the collections have skewed negatively for me yet, and although a couple of them I didn’t particularly register with, that continues to be true. I’d say these remarkable bundles are must-plays as long as you understand that balance and don’t get turned off by the odd dud.

Despite those flaws, anyone looking for an entertaining mix of turn-based action will have a fun time with it. Just like the Saturday morning cartoons that inspired this game that you all enjoyed as a kid; they might not be the best TV shows, but they did the job of providing happy entertainment. Sometimes that can be enough to be satisfied for the day, and Implausible Industries has created something similar to that emotion with their game Research and Destroy.

It might not be a title you cherish forever, but I guarantee it will leave a bit of itself with you. An interesting twisted take on a classic, with accessible mechanics, and a powerful soundtrack that annoyingly still hasn’t yet become available for purchase.

It’s a real shame that the best way to play (with someone else) seems to have been given the backseat to a more solo-focused experience, even though the games are far too shallow to hold any one person’s attention for long.

Wobbledogs hooks in the player with its bright, colourful visuals, and its cute critters that easily charm their new owners. Wobbledogs is not for everyone. It is a niche title that requires a specific type of player, a very casual and family-focused player, to enjoy its mostly passive gameplay. Apart from the minimal interactions and early game unlocks, there is little gaming to be done here and is more about watching from the outside to see how these dogs go about their life. This is a pet simulation, and an inexpensive one at that, with a price tag of £15.99. In that aspect, it delivers a solid experience. Its excitement comes from what mutations are going to happen next, it is how the game pulls at the hearts of its players to adore their freaky wobbledogs. The whole gut flora concept is quite a bespoke and detailed mechanic, and seeing that come to fruition through these digital animals, from their infant stage to death, makes it fun. Although, it is probably best to play while doing something else, as there can be a bit too much downtime to keep a player’s full attention.

It is not on the same level as other retro-inspired shooters, such as DUSK, but one thing I always say is that not every game has to be the best, just as long as the player found it fun, and with Kingdom of the Dead, I found it entertaining from beginning to end. Kingdom of the Dead is worth checking out for people who want to step away from complexity for a bit and just shoot something without having to think much about it. Sometimes life needs simple things to have a good time.

It is a promising start for this huge expansion, with a varied selection of tracks, some straightforward, some complex. It does seem weird the order they are in when it comes to the cup progression, and I do question why we need tracks that are designed as openers in the old games. If Booster Course Pass Wave 1 is the opener, I’d imagine as we get further into the release schedule, those selected will begin to showcase the bigger, larger and more complex tracks, and that makes me stoked. The expansion itself is easily worth it for Mario Kart fans. We are talking about doubling the number of tracks that were in the original Mario Kart 8 Deluxe release, meaning that we get to experience the fantastic Mario Kart 8 gameplay across a whole game worth of new tracks. With the price being as cheap as it is, it is a no brainer that Mario Kart fans should pick this up. A good first wave, so let’s see what Booster Course Pass Wave 2 brings.

When it comes to video games, it is more than just a way to learn, it also has to have other elements to make it a good game. This is where Never Alone: Arctic Collection falls short; there are issues with controls and glitches that make this more irritating than it should be. I like what Upper One Games are doing here, but Never Alone is a great informative piece mixed with an imperfect video game hampered by mediocre controls and awkward glitches. Should this stop you from playing? No, but just be wary that this journey through the Alaskan winter might not be as cool as one anticipates.

Ghostrunner: Project_Hel offers a nice addition to the base game, upholding the original game’s amazing soundtrack and visuals. The expansion brings an extra couple of hours of that addictive live, die, repeat puzzle and action format that somehow the developers have managed to make work without frustration. The impact this time around is not as awe-inspiring as the surprise hit of the main game, but Project_Hel takes those foundations and adds a little twist with more combat-based scenarios to find solutions to, but does nothing to push the initial design forward that was formed in Ghostrunner. More of the same, then, although, not a negative on this DLC, since the original was not a lengthy game either. This is one for the fans, giving those more of what they were asking for until the sequel arrives.

Reverie Knights Tactics features straightforward mechanics, which might leave mega fans of the genre wanting more depth, but overall, while Reverie Knights Tactics brings nothing new to the genre, it is a fun challenge for people who enjoy tactical games.

Don’t get me wrong, it might have the odd ‘scourge’ attacks, which are revamped levels up to the teeth with powerful monsters and dangerous threats, and a few unlockable wave-based combat trials (a stretch goal that was reached), but it really doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before. However, bringing it all together with a solid design, satisfying controls, and being the cherry-on-top nostalgia-fest that it is really seals the deal. A splendid example of the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

The Kids We Were is a simple game that is fully invested in its narrative. There is not much of a game to play here, meaning it is not for everyone; mainly fans of heavy stories or visual novels will enjoy this time-traveling, heart-warming adventure. It touches on serious topics, treating them with a good conscience, and does so while throwing in the fascination of time travel and the whole idea of “what if you could change someone’s future for the better?” The voxel graphics might not totally fit with the themes, but the music and script make up for this, which allows The Kids We Were to tug on your heartstrings with its satisfying conclusion.

It’s a good time and a fantastic brain-burner, but perhaps by trimming some of the weaker areas and focusing on what makes it special, Relicta could have stood a little taller next to some of the giants in its category.

I hope the game does well so that we can see more of Bright Memory: Infinite, as it could easily be an episodic game release and allow its developer to showcase even more of its dazzling visuals and exciting first-person gun and melee mechanics. For now, enjoy a short afternoon’s worth of shiny, stunning action that will leave you wanting more.

Unless you are a hardcore fan, existing players will not find much to gain from picking this up. This is a release for newcomers, which to be honest, there will be millions who would have missed this due to the platform it was originally released on. For those people, you can expect a creepy game that oozes atmosphere, but is hampered by cumbersome controls and poor pacing. A trade-off I personally feel is worth taking to experience Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water‘s bespoke approach to horror.

Killsquad is a good attempt at merging a few ideas from other genres and coming up with an arcade-style isometric shooter with a loot grind. The action loop is solid, and the high enemy count makes for some frantic action that merges quick ability activation with the player’s own skill. It falls short in some elements, such as no end game content and a loot grind that is too focused on the shop rather than rewards through contracts, and could do with a better diverse set of abilities and weapons for each character. Still, this is a game that is easy to jump into, and even if the end game does not exist, taking the game as an experience from the first to the last contract is good enough to recommend, think of it as an isometric shooter rather than an action RPG. One thing though is that make sure you have yourself a friendly bounty hunter or three to come along with you to get the best experience from this entertaining, blaster action game.

The track editor is brilliant, enabling people to go delirious with imagination, though sadly, sharing these creations is hindered by the poor UI and filtering options. I also dislike the concept behind blind boxes, it is just not a good way to unlock more cars, too many dupes for it to be anything other than frustrating. Apart from those cons, I have good words for Hot Wheels Unleashed. This is a solid recommendation for anyone who enjoys arcade racers, especially ones that go more for skill and speed over the randomness of power-ups.

Severed Steel was fun to play, but I couldn’t recommend it at its current price in its present state. Greylock Studio needs to throw some intense boss battles in there, a few tough enemies, and, in my opinion, rework the bullet time metre. I really hope the developers don’t move onto their next project straight away, and instead turn this game into a series that will make people look forward to the sequel. If you love these types of games, then there is no doubt in my mind that you will also enjoy Severed Steel.

Perhaps when all four episodes are released and the boasted 200+ microgames are all available it’ll be worth jumping back in for a few rounds, like you would with WarioWare, but until then I’d say it’s more like a comical RPG than anything else. A great time, but far from the ‘party’ experience some may go in looking for.

In a time where rival games are doing it better, it was always going to be difficult to rival Streets of Rage 4 without doing something exceptional. Mayhem Brawler is not that, but I am not sure it was ever trying to be. Instead, I think the developers wanted to give fans more decent beat ’em up action, which the developers have successfully done.

WRC 10 is the best the WRC series has ever been. It might not be the biggest leap in improvements, but the refinement of the vehicle control, the improved physics, new tweaks to the career – just as time-consuming as last year’s – and the increased legendary car/track count help make the return to the series a good one. There is just a bit too much deja vu here that might put off casual fans from buying the game if they already have WRC 9. Sadly, that is one of the downsides that come with these yearly sports releases. Still, I can recommend WRC 10 to the people who want a new racing game, and those who are into motorsports will find WRC 10 a great title to play with, just make sure you try to go for the full wheel set up to truly experience throwing a car around these amazingly designed courses.

At first I felt like Wonhon was a revenge fantasy built on the outrage of the atrocities committed during the Korean War (a time when Japan annexed Korea and worked to entirely wipe out their culture and history), but it’s not. Not entirely. It gives players a peek through the looking glass at just a few of those horrible truths and grants them some catharsis as they’re able to put some of the victims at ease, even if what they believe they need in that moment is the bloodshed of those that wronged them. But when that starts to come apart all we see is the suffering caused at the hands of War Pigs. It’s just a shame that the game ends before it really gets to explore those avenues any further, leaving it to fall a little short in both the gameplay aspect and in its observations of an abhorrent smear on World History that is all too recent.

Overall, Samurai Warriors 5 is another solid entry in the long-running series, but does not do much to bring in new players, as it still has that repetitive nature and simplistic mission design that the series has been known for. This is more for existing fans to have another game to confidently enjoy, but the cross over function with the game modes does make the initial hours a slow burn before it opens up all the good stuff.

Cris Tales claims to be a “love letter to classic JRGs” and it has all the elements that make up a great JRPG by bringing back things we’ve missed about the older classics but it hasn’t quite executed them as well as I’d hoped. The combat was easily the best part of Cris Tales but this was unfortunately ruined by loading screens/times; I hope they can get this fixed ASAP so the game can receive more credit. This is one of the few, maybe only, games I’ve played where my experience was ruined by a mix of technical issues.

In the end, Capcom has made a faithful resurrection for Ghosts ‘n Goblins, keeping true to the original game in so many areas that it causes it to also suffer from the same issues I have with the older games. These issues do not make the game bad by any means, this is still a decent game to play with good level design, an addictive, if annoying, loop, but the unbalanced nature of the controls does feel stuck in the past. The awkward jumping and response from Arthur will make players scream out in frustration from time to time. Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection does no wrong in bringing this series back from history and will suit anyone looking for a challenging platformer. Just note that this game will take your lives away like a seagull stealing food.

This is not a game I can recommend for its uniqueness. It’s not a game that tells an interesting story. It’s not even a game that gets it right all the time. What it is, is solid. Fun. It’s fast-paced and endlessly engaging. It’s challenging, and full of clever design that I only wish would have been explored even earlier in the experience. And I have to say, it had me glued to it for a while there as I finished up the hard modes. This is definitely one you need to check out if you like this genre but just be aware that what you see is what you get, it never dives any deeper. It often reaches excellence but doesn’t stick around for long.

What makes it stand out against some of those other games it has borrowed ideas from is the fascinating setting and bizarre character design. It is strange in all the right places but just cannot jump above the games it took inspiration from for its gameplay.

Right now it’s still a good time, more so with a full group of friends, but it definitely becomes mundane quickly, especially after figuring out how and when to push spawn points and prepping for fights over hurriedly trying to winch for a desperate win. Those strategies need to be constantly challenged, though, instead of feeling like a to-do list each round. The introduction of a skill ranking system would also go a long way as playing with similarly skilled groups is like a whole different game than when completely crushing a team or getting grouped with those still learning the basics. I have high hopes for Hood. I’d love nothing more than to see a steady flow of engrossing changes to help build a solid community around it but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

We need more Volt Patrol – it’s too interesting not to push any further than this. Until then, I seriously recommend it if it looks like something you’d be into but just be warned, you’ll come away itching for more and there’s nothing else to fill that void. Also – I hate you drones! How do you work?!

Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight sits in the middle of the landscape for 3D platforming. It is an achievement that one person managed to develop most of the game on their own, but that is not an element that should be taken into account when speaking of the quality. The gameplay is stripped back for simplicity, which is a double-edged sword for Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight. The challenge is never truly there, and the limited amount of challenge rooms means the game never gets the time to flesh out more intricate platforming designs, leaving it with a lack of variation. Still, when it was all coming together, I was enjoying the game, its lovely art style, its sort of tranquillity state when the music hits and the platforming is in full swing as it can be. It might not be a memorable platform game, but Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight is a fair starting block, a sort of alpha test that could be made into something much bigger, deeper and better in a sequel.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen is more of it, although it does well with what little is already there. I mean, using bombs grown from special plants and strings of portals in conjunction with one another to map explosives down specific routes to destroy blockades is brilliant, and more so when used to fight crazed mutated forest animals, but it’s over all too soon when there’s so much space to expand. What’s worse is that as the story progresses and we learn more about the world and the origins of the living produce, a lot of darker questions begin to surface but none of them are really answered. The whole thing feels more like the showcasing of an idea, even though it does come full circle by the end. All I’m saying is that if we got to see more adventures of Turnip Boy in the future, it would be totally cherry.

What I would love to see from Godstrike is: 1 – improved enemy attack visibility and the fixing of unwinnable positions to cement itself as a serious icon in the world of leaderboard scrapping; and 2 – a steady stream of DLC content in the form of extra bosses, new powers, and maybe more ways to play to fix its limited content and absence of deeper replayability. There’s an opportunity for something special here and I seriously hope the team manages to make the most of it side-by-side with the community.

There are some rough edges here but knowing that the team is actively working with the community to sharpen them up is a fantastic sign and I fully believe that if they keep it up, Dandy Ace will be a force to be reckoned with.

Nanotale – Typing Chronicles was a great experience, I’ve never played a typing game before, so this was a fresh idea to me, and it definitely won’t be my last. Fishing Cactus have released 2 games in the Typing Chronicles series, and I hope they don’t stop there; I don’t think they really pushed the boundaries of what this kind of game can achieve but that only gives me hope for the next instalment.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy‘s core elements come together to make for understanding and engaging friendly JRPG. It has the option to automate complex elements and the battle system can be grasped early on without hours of learning, helped with the solo focused action. Whoever you are, the game wants you to enjoy its charming story and over-joyous characters. While there are some points where the plot can be interrupted, due to all the bite size dialogue squeezed into the the adventure, and there are signs of budget restraints in its game design and enemy variety, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy still makes for an entertaining time with a series that keeps adding additions to expand over its many game entries.

It’s still by no means a masterpiece. (As soon as you include imagery of people defecating on each other for pleasure the word ‘masterpiece’ must, of course, be immediately discarded), but it is a vastly improved experience over the original. Not only have there been significant upgrades made to the gameplay, it also delves much deeper into every aspect of the story: from the land of ecstasy, ‘Lusst’ghaa, its inhabitants, history, and eventual downfall; to the different cults, their leaders, beliefs and motivations.

At a time when multiplayer games are a great way to catch up with friends, Bonkies delivers a chaotic experience you can play with family and friends both old and new to games. Restricting the game to local co-op only was a big loss but if you have 2-4 players to play with or have a good enough connection for Remote Play then I can guarantee a fun time.

It’s by no means a classic. It’s not something you would run to your friends to recommend. It’s a game you can enjoy quietly by yourself, as you hack-and-slash your way through run after run, laughing off terrible plot moments and feeling satisfied.

The Medium is an interesting title to play through, but I think it is fair to say that while the split-screen, dual world element is a fascinating idea, it never truly excels at pushing the idea to its maximum potential. There are teases of what could be done here, but this is no new revolutionary way to play. Taking The Medium as an horror game, it brings a brilliant soundtrack that gives life to its locations with eerie atmosphere, an engrossing story that I wanted to see until its conclusion; the main element people will remember once the dust has settled in. Expect The Medium to be a mixture of uncomplicated investigatory item solving and walking through its striking environment art, a captivating and well presented world that is visually pleasing (or disgusting depending how you look at it), but one world where the scares are scripted to certain parts of the story, which stop any potential for this game to have a truly frightening experience.