There are just a few development decisions, made too early or too late, that bring down the experience.

Combat and RPG progression get an ingenious social twist in this disarming slice of fantasy.

Dawntrail ups the ante with exhilarating combat experiences and builds a stunning new world, but meandering storytelling highlights the MMO's flaws.

Creature collecting has never been quite so ruminative and beautiful.

The First Descendant is neither bad nor outstanding. It doesn't do anything particularly well, but it doesn't do anything insanely badly either. A mid-range shooter that is outshone by the greats of the genre.

There's a deceptive depth to Zenless Zone Zero, even with its smaller scale, thanks to this dual focus on pleasing both casual players and those looking for a deeper challenge, mirroring its dedication to both chilled exploration and fast-paced combat. Instead of feeling like a game warring with itself, however, these wildly different vibes weave together to make Zenless Zone Zero what it really is: a successful fusion of ultracool action with slice-of-life goofiness.

While the setting and inspirations are Filipino through and through, the themes of friendship, love, loss, and acceptance in this visual novel are universal.

Bungie sticks the landing as it finally brings together the threads of its epic first saga.

Much of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is more of the same gruelling beauty - but a shift to explict storytelling and signposting means its essence as a living, evolving shared text is lost.

While Still Wakes the Deep is a beautiful work of atmosphere and tension, all that can be shattered by its strictly linear trappings.

Skald is a propulsive throwback RPG that exudes grisly character, though its commitment to tradition holds it back in a genre rife with competition.

More than just its nostalgic visuals, Crow Country is funny, self-aware, and extremely hard to put down.

It starts with a bump, but played the right way, V Rising offers riches few other crafting survival games can match.

With Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo weaves together interlocking puzzles, infinite timelines, and supernatural mischief with only minimal clumsiness.

Hellblade 2 continues Senua's story with grace, confidence, surprising brutality and thundering conviction.

While its battles can be surprisingly punishing and occasionally uneven, there's a lot of heart in this gorgeous turn-based tactics anthology, and the scale of its ambition just about sings through.

Bleak realism meets absurdist fairytale in a stylish, surreal, and astonishingly surefooted - if mechanically unadventurous - exploration of faith, free will, and demonic temptation.

It feels especially meaningful that I write this review during the process of travelling – an act of moving, reorienting, learning, and witnessing. It is meaningful to witness this game and its message – to resist, always, I mean, it's right there in the name – during a time of unprecedented student uprisings against Palestinian genocide. When I finally begin to write, I glance at my notes, which consist of a single sentence: What if the centre of the world, whatever that thing might be that we orbit and orient ourselves around, was a huge c**t? I relay this question to my friend, who takes less than a second to respond. "Isn't it already?"

Explore a bright vision of subterranean nature in this astonishingly rich Metroidvania.

Sand Land proves once again that Akira Toriyama and video games are a perfect match.

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]

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]

Stellar Blade has a fair bit of weirdness, but its killer tunes and vibey, flow-state combat - plus a transformative hard mode - are enough to leave you entranced.

What Tales of Kenzera lacks in creative game design it makes up for in vital, passionate storytelling.

A big throwback RPG that doesn't meaningfully mess with Suikoden's 30-year-old formula.

Mechanically, Life Eater uses a diary-based puzzle system in some really interesting ways, but it struggles to say anything meaningful about the shock-factor setting it's gone for.

A visually arresting, warm-hearted tale of a gofer searching for his purpose, Harold Halibut flounders amongst endless fetch-quests and waffle.

This time it's Hades that Shiny Shoe's game feels similar to, but with some delicious differences that make this roguelike stand out all on its own.