Directive 8020 is a solid sci-fi yarn let down by some early snark-filled writing. The plot is serviceable in showing you some gorgeous locations full of people you may or may not want to save, and a bevy of monsters you’ll get bored hiding from. If you’ve enjoyed the studio’s previous work, then rest assured that Directive 8020 may well be worth checking out.

Toxic Commando feels like a game that knows exactly what it is, and makes no apologies for the classic titles it riffs on. It’s a bit of a blast-from-the-past, that smartly imbues plenty of modern design ideas and gameplay components resulting in a relatively satisfying mix of systems and replayability. The plot? Beyond stupid. The writing? Dated and painful. The fun? Thankfully, the developers have got that part nailed. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is really, really dumb, but I can’t deny that I had a pretty good time playing it – and that’s got to count for something.

While WILL: Follow the Light can very much look the part, it simply didn’t hold up for me when it came to the actual gameplay and narrative. The story felt fragmented and poorly delivered, even though a late game twist and a heartfelt message about the time we have and the choices we make felt genuine. While narrative ‘walking-sim’ fans may find some enjoyment and a few bright ideas, it’s not quite enough to make this sailing trip truly worth the journey.

At its best, Kiln’s robust pot creation and genuinely raucous multiplayer are a great base for a game that needs more content and polish in both performance and gameplay to truly live up to its potential. Despite this, every multiplayer match I played managed at least one moment that made me smile or laugh. The pot creation made me both proud of my pathetic creations and jealous of everyone else’s talent, and the general vibe just made me want to stick around. This is one work of art I hope gets finished and not merely abandoned, but it does need a little more time in the oven.

Aphelion is a thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure of loss, desperation, survival, and importantly, hope. Despite a few very late-game wobbles, this is one mission for humanity you should undertake.

Tribute has done great work here. Where scrolling beat ’em ups like this can often get really repetitive and stale, Scott Pilgrim EX really has a nice blend of customisation, character variety and replayability to give it some legs. Sadly it doesn’t have as many modes and extras as Tributes other work or the original 2010 game, but what’s here on offer is still really really good.

Vampire Therapist is a chilled experience to play through, and one that I enjoyed from start to finish. It was educational but not preachy, and the humour, voice acting and storyline kept me entertained. I had a couple of gripes, but overall – you could say I’m definitely in the ‘fang-club’.

There is so much content in this game, and if it’s your jam, you could easily spend hundreds of hours breeding, training, racing and amassing huge piles of gold. If you like checking tasks off endless lists, then maybe it’s the game for you too. I can see why it has been popular on mobile, and even desktop – and I’m sure the VR version would be great fun to try, but I ended up pretty bored and going through the motions just to get through the story. Rival Star Horse Racing is a very nice looking, non-challenging way to spend a few hours, but I think I’ll release my (hilariously named) horses into the wild and go back to the city where I belong.

Bus Bound, to me, is the kind of game that proves that a bus driving simulation game can be fun, rewarding and enjoyable, even if the act of slowly manouvering such a vehicle is not something that excites you in the slightest. But a satisfying yet relaxing driving model, precise yet somewhat forgiving rules of the road, and a very lively and great looking town to explore and evolve to your liking turn the game into a very enjoyable experience. Not a massive amount of content as of today, but with a lot of player agency and even a 4-player online co-op mode, it’s definitely one of the finest vehicle simulation games I’ve ever played. Bus Bound is the bus simulation for bus enthusiasts and newcomers alike, and thus far my surprise hit of the year 2026.

When the timing is right, Dead as Disco can be a joy to play, with an accessible and addictive combat system, a bright and imaginative art-style and perhaps more importantly, the music chops to match that artistic vision. There’s still a lot of work to be done of course, but with the add-your-own-music feature bringing potentially limitless content to enjoy, Brain Jar Games are potentially on their way to a number one smash hit. [Early Access Score = 70]

Like a long Family Guy skit or an Asylum movie, it’s not even the quality of the humor itself – it’s the sheer audacity of coming up with this stuff and committing to it in a finished product. Priest Simulator: Vampire Show is not a balanced, polished or ambitious videogame, but the sheer absurdity of the humor and player freedom make it a fun experience – even though the actual gameplay is pretty damn janky and repetitive. Keep this one for a rainy day, or when you’re looking to try something absolutely ludicrous. Priest Simulator: Vampire Show is not a great game, by all means, but the sheer levels of insanity on display are worth, but only if you like absurdist humor and don’t get offended by certain… less than favourable views of religion.

Ultimately, ‘Outbound’ frustrated me because I truly wanted to love it. Its key art was charming, its core concept appealing, I truly was all in on a title that could be a calm port in the storm of a crazy world. And in its first area that potential was being realised imperfectly, but with charm. Flaws unfortunately stack up, with each area pushing the initial issues to their natural breaking points and the initial fun of the survival crafting loop turning into a crushing grind with little in the way of reward. There is fun to be had here for the patient, and perhaps with friends, some welcome life can be injected into the abandoned world. Right now though, it’s hard to recommend this one for the average camper.