Draknek masters a genre with a game of little touches, big challenge, and giant heart. [Eurogamer Essential]

Love is a warm but brief puzzle game about playing with time and fate and people's lives.

Some of the details and idiosyncrasies might not be exactly as you remember them - and no, Monkey Target is sadly not the same - which reminds you this is something of a cover version rather than the real deal. It's a cover version, though, of an all-time classic, and one that ultimately nails the all-important fundamentals. It might not be Monkey Ball exactly as it lives in your memories, but it's certainly the best Monkey Ball experience there's been since those magical originals. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The mind behind Threes brings us this 'cosy-crunchy' turn-based adventure that's delightfully deep and brilliantly approachable.

A folk horror spectacle turned score-attacker that will give you nightmares in a matter of minutes. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A work of powerful ugliness that skilfully refuses to find the fun. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Radiohead's near-genreless music is paired with a remarkable first-person walkthrough that's just a touch light on interactivity.

A pop-up picture book with a lovely feel - but busywork intrudes too often.

Platinum's modernisation of the classic shoot 'em up form has delivered something thrilling, distinct ‒ and in need of a bit of a polish

Laser Dog Games turns a deadly game show into a fizzing delight. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Exploring an essential subject with claustrophobic, surrealist verve, Milky Way Prince feels like the first steps of a future master. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The master of the 80s arcade spectacular returns to familiar stomping ground for a game that's fascinating if not exactly finessed.

There's a wonderful depth of tactics in this cyberpunk charmer. [Eurogamer Recommended]

In a way, it makes me look on those cinematic action-adventure games a little more kindly. I see the craft that the developers tried to hide, and I can enjoy the gaps between what they were hoping would happen and what often happened instead. But that's a fleeting thought, really. Mainly when I play Automatoys I think about Automatoys. I think about getting that ball from the start to the exit, and when one machine is done, I cannot wait to see the next. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Explore an endless wetlands in this glorious study in nature and solitude. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A bullet hell barrage that wants you to be a better player, Gunvein brings a confident blend of thoughtful elegance and unyielding intensity. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Give yourself to this elegant and empathetic study of solitude. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A brilliant musical puzzler that sends you out into the world enriched and filled with curiosity. [Eurogamer Essential]

Really, Lego 2K Drive was prefigured in 2019, with the Lego Speed Champions DLC for Forza Horizon 4, where Playground Games plugged its wondrous driving into a surfeit of visual jokes. The best of which was how well the British landscape, with its greebled turf and boxy clouds, responded to its toyish transformation - all those skittering dry stone walls you had ploughed through seemed right at home in Legofied form. From there, I guess, the idea grew and grew, but I can't help wondering if it should have stayed put.

30 years after the arcade original debatably debuted the bullet hell concept, Toaplan's best shooter is back in an imperfect port of a port.

Mask of the Rose is an incredibly ambitious dating sim - for better and worse, as its complexity is its greatest constraint.

A beautifully written and illustrated tale of young people trying to change their world, which comes alive on replay.

Bullet hell games bust through into wild new territory with this fidgety arcade treat.

A standard management sim with a coat of cosy paint lies under the short-lived novelty of using love as a resource.

2021's groundbreaking Wikipedia ARG returns with new art and fungal sidestories – and a superb execution of its multi-layered, misinformation murder mystery.

A thrilling arcade pool game with a lot of leeway for making your own blend of rules.

Moonring adds modern convenience to a classic Ultima-style RPG to create an approachable and appealing adventure with a huge amount of depth and discovery.

In its current form, the lack of consequences means Enshrouded's gameplay doesn't feel particularly gripping. Which is a shame, as it has plenty to offer in its building systems, and in the potential silliness of its 16-person multiplayer mode. That said, Enshrouded is still in Early Access, and it's likely to undergo a fair number of changes as developer Keen Games tweaks things and responds to player feedback. I hope that during this process, Keen Games considers introducing a higher level of threat to Enshrouded (perhaps through difficulty modes), and finds a way to make the game's survival elements feel more significant. In the meantime, Enshrouded is still a decent way to while away the time with friends, particularly if you all just want to play fantasy Lego. And if you're after a chill survival game - well, you'd be hard pressed to find one that's more serene. [Early Access Impressions]

Lacking both depth and balance, Cursed Clash is ultimately a transparent attempt at trying to sell something solely based on its association with a popular IP.

The survival horror multiplayer has mastered publicity stunts, but it doesn't make a lasting impression.

There's a confidence to Manor Lords that belies its one-person development, and what's there can be spellbinding, but it's a pastoral idyll that still needs significant development. [Early Access Review]

After a brutal start, No Rest For the Wicked's early access build settles into a compelling gameplay loop, but a lack of standout moments tempers expectations. [Early Access Review]

I'm slightly baffled by the drubbing No More Room in Hell 2 has received on Steam. Sure, there are rough edges, from amusing bugs such as zombie hair disappearing when you smack them with a pipe, to more serious issues including the occasional crash. But in structure and tone, it's comfortably the most engaging zombie game I've played since the original Dying Light. It takes the concept seriously, patiently builds its tension, and weaves some interesting social dynamics into the mix. I can understand why some people might glance at Torn Banner's work and write it off as another zombie game. But if anything, No More Room in Hell 2 is a prime example of why you should never take the undead for granted. [Early Access Review]

Two RTS classics that are still worth playing today, even if the greatest enemy of both Warcraft armies still ends up being the humble tree.

Two RTS classics that are still worth playing today, even if the greatest enemy of both Warcraft armies still ends up being the humble tree.

Naiad offers real pleasures and real frustrations - but always with a purpose in mind.

Soulslike thrills combine with sky-high production values to make Path of Exile 2 a hugely impressive package, even in early access. [Early Access Review]

LCB's latest shows a powerful control of the things that make true pulps great.

InZoi, then, has been a bit of a disappointment so far. Its good bits – the slick presentation, the expansive customisation, and the simple pleasures of tootling around in such richly detailed worlds – are continually undermined by the void where a bit of virtual humanity should be. But even so, I can't deny there's something here; a solid systemic foundation that feels ready to be tuned and finessed into a far more interesting game – and that, of course, is precisely what early access is for. There are other questions still to be answered that could make the difference between a long-lasting legacy and a short shelf life – how Krafton plans to introduce monetisation after early access, for instance, or whether InZoi can generate enough enthusiasm to support the kind of dazzlingly rich modding scene that's helped sustain The Sims for so long. It's a start, though, and I'm curious to see where Krafton goes from here. [Early Access Impressions]

The ant-sized thrills of Grounded return in a sequel which lays exciting foundations for the future. There's work to do but, already, an exciting adventure to have. [Early Access Review]

After an absolute age, EA's wheelie classic is back with great handling and a whole world of slightly jarring niceness. [Early Access Review]

Identifying clues is now a more intuitive process. While before you might mistakenly think an adjoining picture was part of the same hint, the game now highlights the clue in question so that there's no ambiguity.

It's not every day you get to roll a decapitated dominatrix robot head around in the name of quality mobile entertainment.

Years of careful study underpin a deceptively familiar sequel. The new additions make a difference but it's the confidence in what this eccentric card game is that shines through. Cruelty has never been so enjoyable. [Early Access Review]

Peter Molyneux does his greatest hits, mixing god sim, business sim, and third-person adventure into a charming, appealingly tactile - if slightly awkward - whole.

Great emphasis and great care - in many ways to already great success - has been placed on understanding and recreating the ineffable Bond-ness of the licence. That goes from the casting decisions to the story to the way Bond moves and talks; the way the game's mechanics are constructed; the tiny, missable moments of craft across animation, sound, music, lighting. The options available at any time. Even the type of game 007: First Light actually is. [3-Hour Hands-On Impressions]