Firefly Studios continue to expand Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition's roster with two new strong additions in Baldwin & Bullseye. Baldwin has been a long sought after addition, while both provide engaging strategies to counter and account for. The new Trail of the Eagle is suitably grueling, once again proving there's plenty of life left in this desert yet.

Futurlab continues its trend of solid licensed DLC packs with Adventure Time. Five brand new levels to play offers real value, and the in jokes and easter eggs will have Adventure Time fans cleaning up.

Still shiny, still enormous, still a Bethesda RPG, Starfield arrives on PS5 in style, allowing the game to flourish visually the way it was always supposed to. The game remains a vast, wild and at times enormously frustrating experience, but the starlight here tears through the blinds, and it's well worth staring back.

Pragmata is a much more reserved and grounded title than its premise may suggest, but that's for the better. Its central duo of Hugh and Diana form a likeable bond, its gameplay keeps itself tight and focused with some great-yet-cumbersome hacking mechanics. Even with some imprecise controls and visual mishaps, Pragmata makes a trip to the moon a sight to behold.

Emerging from the shadows of the Crossroads, Melinoë leads the charge for Supergiant's sequel that sits at the very top of the roguelike genre. The combat is exceptional, the visuals are divine, the story is mythical and its expansion as a sequel is first-class. Hades II safely resides in the hallowed halls of Olympus, worthy of its place amongst the immortals.

Delivering on the promise to slay hundreds of dragon spawn with a sandbox of build diversity and compelling hacking and looting, Dragonkin: The Banished uses its Diablo inspirations to create a wonderfully addictive action game. It may not have the production values of the best in the genre, but this fledgling dragon spawn has spread its own wings and taken flight.

Bungie are once again at the forefront of sci-fi with their extraction shooter Marathon. Whilst none of the elements are purely unique individually, Bungie have cultivated a brutal ecosystem that gives you as much as you're willing to put in. The barrier to entry is high, and the player base are already daunting, but what is on offer is an FPS with exceptional gunplay and heightened encounters, wrapped in a brilliant setting.

In fully committing to its themes of artistic inspiration, trauma and self-doubt, Project Songbird shows a willingness to be emotionally raw and vulnerable, creating a real space for reflection and empathy. The psychological horror elements have a depth that slowly expands over the game's runtime, outshining its relatively straightforward combat and occasional technical problems. A nightmare is always distressing, but maybe there's beauty nestled within the pain.

With three exciting missions, a new batch of weapons and customisation options, Ready or Not: Boiling Point is a fitting conclusion to the three-arc DLC packs. It adds a new offensive element, a new treat and new challenges to overcome. It may be a deep end to jump into, as I did, but I'm a newcomer and I'm paddling just fine. Boiling Point brings the heat, I'm ready for it.

Continuing with the series' revival, Legacy of Kain: Defiance is again another spruce up of the old vampiric duo from 2003. Fans will appreciate the new look, quality of life improvements and better camera control. It may be a hard sell to newcomers, but it's still an accessible game in its own right. Paired with the Soul Reaver remasters, it's a good time to take a bite into it.

A sum of its parts indeed, Resident Evil Requiem silences any doubts about the previous entries it's mutated from. A mix of tense survival horror and action setpieces, Requiem is a welcome addition, perhaps even surpassing those you already hold high. It's beautiful, it's disgusting, it's over-the-top... it's Resident Evil, that's for sure.

Death Howl is an excellent and original soulslike deckbuilder, that's only mired by its pacing. Progression is sluggish, and the combat is so unforgiving that these challenges may dissuade some players. However, if players want that challenge and love turn-based card battlers, then it doesn't get better than this.

A decent offering from the weird mind of Goichi Suda, Romeo Is A Dead Man is a welcome return to the madness. Whilst fun to play, the inconsistent story beats, occasional jank and insanely bright and blinding fights can become too repetitive. Definitely one for the fans of Grasshopper, perhaps not so much for the unaware.

Two new AI Lords that offer meaningful challenge in both defense and sieges makes The Sergeant & The Lioness a tantalising expansion. The Trail of The Cobra delivers yet another brutal yet brilliantly rewarding skirmish campaign to master, all wrapped up alongside a new editing tool that lets you create your own Trails and Lords. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is quintessentially the ultimate way to experience this RTS all-time classic.

The Game Bakers have a good eye for art, with Cairn now successfully rubbing shoulders with its stablemates. The joy in climbing outweighs the rough moments, that which will hopefully iron out over time.

As the hours tick away and you find yourself forgetting what hour it is or how many runs you've done that day, Roots Devour will have sunk its roots as deep into you as you'll have done in its addicting hybrid of strategy and card-placement gameplay. The atmosphere reeks of Lovecraftian madness, complimenting a commitment to the depravity of bloodlust. Some minor imperfections spoil the purity of the blood, but this is nonetheless a feast for the Outer Gods, and players alike.

Rather than a jumping-in point, Trails Beyond the Horizon is third in a trilogy and not a good place to start this series. However, for those already neck deep in Zemuria, Horizon is a well-built conclusion to the Calvard arc, and a fun way to spend 80 hours and send off Van and his team in style.

UNBEATABLE is the quintessential breakout punk band that delivers a brilliant debut album, albeit flawed and lacking some polish. The rhythm gameplay is endlessly satisfying and replayable, the soundtrack is fantastic and the final third of the story strikes a serious emotional chord. There are plenty of bumps along the way, but this band goes much further than you'd initially expect.

Skate Story is a bold and convention breaking skating game that wears its love for the sport on its sleeve. With a satisfying control scheme to master, psychedelic environments to trick through and incredible music to bop your head to, Skate Story is an audio/visual sensation that's only mired by it's confusing gameplay turns near the end. It's a real one of a kind for a genre that's almost as old as the medium itself.

HORSES isn't a game for the faint of heart, nor those who struggle to be confronted with intensive imagery. It's a rudimentary video game that uses the medium as a vehicle for exploration of intensive themes, which creates an incredibly unsettling and disturbing atmosphere. There may be other horror games that you'd prefer to play, but very few will evoke the kind of disgust and repulsion that HORSES achieves, and evoking emotion is what art is all about.

Lara's 2013 adventure returns and remains a terrific action-adventure thrill ride, and runs fairly well on Nintendo Switch 2. The new additions don't really add anything to an already great game, so if you can ignore the dated visuals and the shoddy gyro/mouse controls, Lara's first journey into hell remains an essential experience.

If you’re a fan of Final Fight and its ilk, there’s enough here to entice you. Doubly so if you’re a Marvel fan, but as somewhat of an outlier, I still got most of it and it doesn’t belittle you for not knowing them all. Partner up, and tear up, heroes.

A whimsical, irreverent and eccentric adventure game centred on musical theatre and improvisation, Once Upon A Jester is a pleasurable game that doesn't outstay its welcome. It might be a bit too simplistic for some, but the light-hearted, fun loving vibe of the game is a refreshing change of pace in a market over-populated by grimdark soulslikes.

Mysteria Ecclesiae features a new stunningly rendered location for Henry to uncover, with a compelling mystery that relies more on wits and stealth than combat. While some are likely to lament the restrictions on freedom KC:D 2 most excels at, Mysteria Ecclesiae offers some heartwarming nods to Henry's previous adventures, and provides a gentle wave of a send off ahead of the next installment.

Another one for the homage pile, Neon Inferno fits neatly into the retro-inspired category with aplomb. Offering challenge to those that want it, as well as a story-focus for those that don't, there's enough here for both the old and new school. In a time of over-complication, this is a reminder of the inherent fun in the simple. With lovely visuals and a banging soundtrack too.

Sprinkling tower defence strategising on top of an addicting roguelike bullet-hell proves a stroke of genius for Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road. Fantastic persistent and in-game upgrades that keep the gameplay fresh, a vibrant and playful art style and excellent bullet hell mechanics make this an absolute blast, especially on Steam Deck. While it does struggle with some repetition in environments and a grinding bottleneck, it'll be hard not to spot this entertaining monster coming over the hill.

News Tower reaches the heady stressful heights of the Tycoon genre, challenging you to keep a newspaper in print and filled with stories every week, to manage a tower of reporters, cleaners, and typesetters, and to satisfy a town of opposing factions, all wrapped up with a lovingly vibrant 1930s golden age string ready to be hawked on a street corner.

Setting a new high bar for interactive storytelling games, Dispatch takes the Telltale formula, refines and matures it into an essential experience. With world class voice acting bringing a top quality script to life, this game is a surprise GOTY contender.