A cracking roguelike with a welcome progression system, Collapsed is only let down by its dated Flash-like graphics. See past that, and there’s a cracking adventure to keep coming back to.

Headland is an action adventure journey into the imagination. Although not breaking any new ground in the genre, the story, gameplay and combat is exciting and suitable from any age player. It’s full of vibrant colour, an endearing story and secrets to uncover that are worth spending your time on.

GRIME brings nothing new to the Metroidvania tag, but it doesn’t have to. Challenging enough combat, with some RPG-like loadout elements make for engaging gameplay. That it’s gross and its bosses skin-crawling also work in its favour. If you enjoy your challenging platformers, you’ll enjoy this.

Far more than just a remake of the 2007 game, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is a character driven deep dive into the psyche of the titular detective and a competent, enjoyable mystery game to boot. It might not be the most accommodating to newcomers to the series, but if you’re a fan of the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes titles, this is yet another cracking crime solver.

Whilst there is a whole lot of fun to be had demolishing buildings and playing with physics in Deliver At All Costs, it starts to lose its balance about halfway through. The story and pacing take a very sharp nosedive, and the post-endgame content is more for completionists. That being said, it's not terrible, and worth checking out for something wacky, if a little bit wobbly at times.

A dating sim that deserves to be talked about alongside the likes of Dream Daddy and Hatoful Boyfriend, Lovingly Evil is a funny, smart experience that doesn’t drown you in exposition and keeps it all charmingly light and breezy. Absolutely worth your time.

With an addictive gameplay loop that's hard to put down, Shogun Showdown is a brilliant roguelike in a year full of them. Sleak pick-up-and-play battles and deep systems offers so much play time, as long as you don't mind dying a lot.

With a beautiful new style, a more adult narrative, wonderful characters, and a modernised tone and feel, Tales of Arise brings the franchise smashing into the current era. It’s still got the tried-and-true Tales flavour, both good and bad, yet innovates with fluid combat that feels fresh. The best and most essential Tales game in well over a decade.

As an experience, Milky Way Prince is experimental, entirely unique and one that I’m glad exists. I imagine it’ll hang in the subconscious of most people who give it the time of day, but the subject matter will be too much for some to bear.

The Tartarus Key delivers on being a PSX-era-inspired puzzler that has a great sense of atmosphere and art direction. Puzzles are inspired, tensions are high as are as the stakes, with the only flaw being in its pacing and dialogue. There are no true scares but don’t let that dissuade you from what is otherwise a well-thought-out puzzle game.

A Space for the Unbound shoots for the stars and lands in the Milky Way, making it a 2023 stand out already. Whilst the gameplay wanes in the final hours, the story, characters and plot conclude in an immensely satisfying and emotional way.

It will mentally tax you at times, but Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead is a treat to play. A couple of technical issues here and there don’t ruin the experience, and any faults usually fall on your shoddy workmanship.

Nestling nicely among the raft of indie gems, Aspire: Ina’s Tale excels with a gorgeous art style, subtle yet engaging story-telling and excellent musical score. While you can largely solve the puzzles without much effort, your journey with Ina will be a compelling and rich adventure. It may not hold the loftiest aspirations, but Ina’s dreams are worth embracing.

While its lack of any narrative and tangible reward is a shame, Curse of the Dead Gods is a strong and well-crafted roguelite experience with a meaty soulslike combat system, and a remarkable number of mechanics and systems all working seamlessly together.

Retaining what made the first game unique, whilst making it a much more rounded experience that you’ll be more likely to revisit, Surgeon Simulator 2 is a good single-player experience that becomes pretty special in online co-op. Gather some mates and it’s one of the most fun multiplayer experiences of the year.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a reminder that games don’t have to be realistic or serious to be an awesome joyride of violence or chaos. The visuals are wonderful, the combat is sensationally stylish and the gore delivers on this ginger-haired cat’s name with aplomb. Despite the odd issue with the camera and navigation frustration, Gori is a thrill ride from start to end, and I’m desperate to see more of him in future.

It might not match up to the genre’s modern day visionaries but Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights is still a beautiful and engrossing Metroidvania title. A convoluted plot and some sections of uninspired combat are offset by fantastic boss battles and a beautiful soundtrack. A worthy stopgap while we wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong.

If you’re a fan of FMV games and dating simulators, Ten Dates is yet another easy recommendation from Wales Interactive’s ever-growing portfolio of published interactive movies. The acting and script are excellent and aside from a few odd musical transitions and dated references, there’s a lot of accessible fun to be had here.

The King’s Dilemma: Chronicles is a wonderfully adept video game adaption of the 2019 board game. Excellent writing, buttery presentation and with ethical dilemmas galore, it offers a huge amount of potential replayability. Aside from minor mechanical issues that don’t translate quite as smoothly and the fact this is for a niche audience, this is a realm well worth setting out to save or doom.

Like trying to solve your way out of a puzzle box that’s persistently creepy and occasionally nightmarish, Darq is an artistic game that leverages perspective to have your cogs turning and your head spinning. There’s a number of puzzles that rely on trial and error and stand our as low points but the rest of the game, including the 2 additional chapters, make this an easy recommendation for puzzle game fans.

NHL 26 is a terrific iteration of the series, bringing together immersive, in-depth gameplay thanks to the ICE-Q 2.0 AI system, terrific visuals and a huge roster of modes.. It's puckin' great.

A major update to Atlas Fallen, Reign of Sand brings a tight narrative focus and voice acting that reworks what existed into a really enjoyable AA adventure. Sliding through the dunes on your quest to find the Knights and overthrow a god is made all the more fun with a great powertrip of a combat system. Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand is the Definitive Edition and I’m so glad the developers gave it the overhaul it deserved.

The classics are here, all gleamed up for the current gen of consoles. If you’re dropping in now, you’re in for a treat. But if you bought last gen’s standard version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, be mindful of that crafty upgrade cost.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a relaxing, explorative crafting adventure game. The game invites decompressing and immersion into the fun Island of Gemea. If you’re here for cute animals, luscious environments and exploration, building farms, crafting ingredients and structures, then this is the game for you. The main story feels as if it ends a bit abruptly and the fast travel component is not ideal. However, with lots to do and lots to see you shouldn’t get bored quickly.

It’s not perfect then, but I highly recommend you play No Straight Roads on the biggest, loudest TV you can find and get completely lost in a staggeringly good, unstoppable psychedelic rock n roll extravaganza.

Wildboy Studios’ Norse-inspired rhythm combat RPG is captivating thanks to a bright art style juxtoposed against a dark, deep and loss-filled narrative. While fun, the combat, puzzling and exploration don’t quite reach the same levels, but have more than enough to be worthy of your time. No atonement required, Estra’s journey needs no redemption to be recommended.

A visually impressive racer, Super Impossible Road is tough but fair. Randomised levels, frustrating “one more go” gameplay, coupled with a classic PlayStation-era soundtrack, there’s fun to be had here. It’s a bit bare bones outside of its Career Mode, but that is deep enough to keep players going. Or annoy them in equal measure.

Crypto’s second return in Destroy All Humans! 2 Reprobed is another successful remake from Black Forest Games. A few technical issues and poorly aged mission designs aside, this irreverent, smartass alien still has plenty to offer the modern world with hilarious quips and hugely entertaining gameplay. Fire up your death rays, crack a joke at 1960s society, bust down that fourth wall – Cryptosperidium is back and he’s standing tall. Arkvoodle be praised!

Arizona Sunshine 2 may not have the depths of its neighbouring Grand Canyon, but it’s more than made up for due to the sheer satisfaction of clicking Zombie heads, in what has got to be one of the more immersive shooters on the market. The slapstick charm and snarky protagonist gain a heart as your fantastic canine companion improves the story as well as gameplay.

New Super Lucky’s Tale on PS4 is a charming, fun and technically solid port that looks gorgeous and plays well, even if there’s nothing particularly new to see here. Money burning a hole in your pocket? Get Lucky.

Offering no degree of hand-holding or tutorial, MXGP 2020 isn’t an easy ride. If it does take your fancy, however, you’ll fine a well-polished and authentic look at the world of motocross.

A precision platformer with a novel, magnetically charged traversal method, Super Magbot is a quality game. The storyline is a little lackluster but challenging yet satisfying game design makes for a very morish experience.

Hypercharge finally arrives on PlayStation, fully formed and ready to be added to your multiplayer lexicon. The PvE is smooth as silk and the grin you'll have on your face throughout is testament to how enjoyable the game is with friends. An indie gem.

Somerville is a bleak, threatening and intimidating world to survive as you struggle to save your family. Its mix of surprisingly in-depth gameplay puzzling, beautiful art direction and genuinely heartfelt narrative glimpses of hope help it overcome what could have been burgeoning control and technical issues. You’ll struggle with more than just the invaders on occasion, but you’ll persevere willingly to take in more of this utterly compelling world.

A bargain God of War inspired adventure, this is one for those with the soulslike fatigue. A tightly delivered narrative, characters with more than average depth, and combat that mostly works, Echoes of the End is a solid title that delivers far more consistently than most AAA games in recent memory.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for us. Not because it's good, because it's genuinely great. Full of life, vibrancy, joy and celebrating the long history of the blue blur, this is a kart racer that's heavy value for its asking price. Unlike others.

Saber Interactive are back, pulling no punches with the style they've crafted. It may put off newcomers, but RoadCraft is a solid entry to their brand of realistic rambling. Switching from vehicle maintenance to large-scale community repair is a nice choice, only marred with occasionally inconsistent textures, non-intuitive controls and often cumbersome tasks.

What looks like a simple arcade affair, The Last Stand opens up into a much deeper roguelike adventure. It seems like it’s putting a lot of eggs in one basket, but once it pans out and you get used to it, it’s a very engrossing game. Just don’t get too fond of the volunteers, they don’t stick around long enough to form a bond with.

It brings nothing new in terms of gameplay, but Terminator: Resistance Enhanced has other tricks up its sleeve. Namely a decent story and some of the best use of license to a movie franchise in a long time. If you haven’t played the previous gen version, there’s no better jumping point than here.

While some of the changes will be divisive, and the new Sector 8 content feels a little out of place, Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is still an excellent celebration of a classic first person puzzler. Refreshing the visuals and tweaking the puzzles to remove frustrations, this is a great starting place for Q.U.B.E. newcomers and a pleasant jaunt down memory lane for long time players.

Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Remastered is, again, a solid remaster of an already-great game. Whilst it may struggle to draw in newcomers, there's a reason why THQ keep trotting this out. Solid gameplay, fusing elements of other titles of the time, as well as a solid story make it a great time. Bolstered with updated visuals and all of its original content, it's certainly worth giving it a go if you missed it the first (or second) time around.

Stacks on Stacks (on Stacks) is an excellent example of taking a simplistic core concept and mechanics then using them in a plethora of inventive ways to create an enjoyable experience. It’s colourful and quirky yet easy to pick up and very intuitive. The Nintendo Switch feels like a natural fit for its structure, built up around short bursts of play, but the multiplayer is a little too much for the handheld consoles screen at times.

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.

An essential purchase for fans of Ash Williams and the unique blend of gore and comedy that the Evil Dead series has created, this asymmetrical horror game builds on the foundation that games like Dead by Daylight have laid. It might not innovate but there’s a surprising amount of content and replayability in Evil Dead: The Game that raids 40 years of film and television for ideas and puts them to excellent use.

Chivalry 2 is an immersive, chaotic, gory, hilarious, carnage spilling thrill ride of a game which will have you storming castles like a true knight of old one moment, before bewildering you with someone beating you down with a loaf of bread. It’s a fantastically enjoyable experience which is unfortunately held back by a light content offering and some technical as well as balance issues. While this knight may have taken an arrow to the knee, it battles on to launch a cabbage at you another day.

Whilst it may seem like a no thrills arcade entry, SkyDrift Infinity carries itself well with its gameplay. A kart-game-with-aeroplanes, it hits that nostalgic, high speed level of fun that we haven’t had since the early 2000’s, before everything became all boring and serious.

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.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is an example of how a game has potential to be good. As it stands, it still needs some balance and polish to its core. But aside from that, it shines when it works well. The real joy comes from playing with friends, standing fast against obscene amounts of bugs. It made lack the wit and satire of the film, but for an ambitious mutiplayer shooter, it may not eclipse Helldivers 2 or Space Marine, but it will stand on its own. Let's hope time is kind to this one.

Legion Tales expands the Last Train Home experience superbly with a set of light-hearted, blustering and challenging missions. With plenty of replayability value thanks to modifiers and unlockable squads, Legion Tales adds a good dozen or so hours to the already value-for-money base game. Be warned of the tank mission and the odd frustration, however, which turn more into nightmares than legends.

An effective story, some excellent performances from its cast, and very good production values do much to cover up its minor flaws and, as such, help Erica stand out from the crowd, when it comes to full motion video games. With a nice tight runtime, it’s also a game that doesn’t outstay its welcome. More of this kind of thing, please.

Understated, heartfelt and relaxing; Wanderstop may be a little simple for those looking for a "cosy sim". However, for those looking for thoughtful writing, a laser focus on being laid back and a demand to play it on your terms, it doesn't get much enveloping and cosy as this.

A beautiful, hilarious and all-around cute platformer/roller, Skully is deserving of the praise. The difficulty can ebb and flow at times, but don’t let that put you off.

Presented in timeless watercolour, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a beautiful and heartwarming recreation of Moominvalley in videogame form. Being true to its source material throughout while introducing new elements like Sigur Ros’s music, elevates the experience close to definitive. If you want to share Moominvalley with anyone, or simply bask in a world we’ve collectively know for generations, this is now the best way to do it.

With puzzles that will have you scratching your head for hours and a narrative that encourages you to do so, it’s a smart game that has just a few niggles that do very little to sour the experience.

Justice Sucks: Tactical Vacuum Action rights all the previous wrongs that Roombo: First Blood set. The presentation, gameplay improvements and variety this game has to offer when you’re just a Roomba killing folks makes for an entertaining gameplay loop that finally sucks the landing.

Overall, there is plenty of game here and enough to challenge even the most hardened shoot-’em-up fanatic, but also enough tricks up its sleeve to cater for newcomers. Natsuki Chronicles will be on my ‘pick up and play’ list for a while.

A Little to the Left has quaint, cosy design married with a multitude of gratifying puzzles and a mischievous cat. If you have an eye for organisation and live for the order of the everyday things in life, this’ll tick your boxes.

Station to Station is a beautiful voxel experience wrapped up in simple to pick up, difficult to master puzzler that’ll keep your engine chugging along until the end. It’s a short but special game that deserves an audience, the endearment of its central mechanic is well worth the ticket price.

While it’s a short, compact and competent point and click adventure at face value, The Plague Doctor of Wippra works best between the lines. A thinly veiled examination of the human condition during a health crisis, the game explores how little has really changed since the bubonic plague and the Middle Ages. If you like your adventures games to be deep rather than funny, this one is for you.

A beautiful looking experience, hampered only by some bizarre footwear volume issues, Maid of Sker is as every part a horror experience as its established contemporaries.

MADiSON channels the best instalments of the first-person horror genre to deliver a frantic, nerve-shredding and atmospheric tale of demonic possession. It delivers the scares often and will have you tentatively looking over your shoulder at that shadow that definitely wasn’t there before. It’s been a while since I felt this much trepidation moving through a cursed home, but it feels frighteningly good to test this demonic presence again. A must play for horror fans this year.

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.

Few games can compare to the unsparing and ferocious intensity that permeates through every part of Ready or Not's gameplay or presentation. The more controversial themes and imagery will likely be as stomach churning for some as the often times inconsistent AI and multiplayer experiences. Yet I still found myself returning to duty to bring order to the chaos. Ready or Not is a tough and unforgiving game, but one that's simultaneously rewarding and stressfully evoking.

Eloquent in design that never loses its puzzling magic, Paper Trail is a great entry into the puzzle genre. With perfect implementation of the ever-folding world you play through and wonderful visuals to bask in, you won’t mind if the story is by the numbers, as everything else will keep you glued to the page.

HotShot Racing is a must buy if you are looking to rekindle your love affair with arcade racers. Just be prepared to battle the rubber banding for the finish line.

A bright and breezy game that unfortunately drags a little at points, Paradise Killer is nevertheless an enjoyable jaunt that does something a little different with a genre that has a reputation for being somewhat dour. Absolutely worth your time – just be prepared to dedicate a little more of it than you might expect in the early stages.

It doesn’t offer anything new in “old school” regards, but the solid run-and-gun gameplay paired with two cracking soundtrack options should appeal to the curious.

Banishers: Ghost of New Eden is a comprehensive look at loss through the eyes of its two star-crossed lovers, with a world around them to match the quality of its narrative. Don’t Nod continues to be ambitious with the game’s open-world design, combat and RPG systems, and for the most part, they work harmoniously to provide a stellar experience. However, there is still that trademark over extending Don’t Nod games have that hold it back from excellence.

Full of genre familiarity that subverts expectations, Into the Restless Ruins proposes a new challenge for those into roguelike deckbuilders. With resource management, strategic placement of your cards acting as dungeon rooms, as well as hordes of enemies to autobattle, the game has all the addicting traits to keep you hooked. It's on the shorter side, alongside being visually uniform across the levels, but the core gameplay is what kept me restless to jump back in time and time again.

A few niggles aside, Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a well structured and engrossing family friendly adventure. Revolving around the themes of diversity, inclusivity and, most importantly, empathy, it’s a wholesome game that carries a powerful message that it deftly delivers via almost every facet of its game play and narrative. If you like your games to be relatively threat free while including the best aspects of combative games, Rainbow Billy will likely be right up your alley.

Paying homage to Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie murder mysteries through the lens of classic British humour, Lord Winklebottom Investigates will have you puzzling and pondering a curious and quirky case. It’s arrestingly charming, complete with a gorgeous hand drawn art style and excellent voice acting. The challenging leaps of logic required to complete the game mean this might not be suitable for point and click novices but fans of the Lucas Arts classics will have a blast here.

OTXO doesn’t change the top-down shooter formula that we’ve all become accustomed to, but it does couple some gameplay elements from the best to ever do it, making it an undeniably satisfying game to play.

Lost Words: Beyond The Page is a heartbreaking, beautiful tale, dealing in grief, depression and escaping into our own perfect worlds to escape the sadness of reality. Do yourself a favour and bring this story to life.

A retro inspired run and gunner that’s as tough as an old boot, Destructivator SE harks back to a time when games had just a single weapon and we were happy about it. There’s a few random difficulty spikes and you won’t see anything new for the genre here, but it’s still a rewarding experience worthy of your time.

A turn-based strategy game with remarkably solid, pretty and entertaining foundations, Reverie Knights Tactics is a good if unspectacular entry into the genre. Its gameplay and design could have benefitted from additional depth, but this compact package offers a pleasantly enjoyable romp with even more hope for future entries. Completely usurp other tactics games it likely won’t, but there’s enough here to have you entering your own reverie in this tale.

Full Void perfectly encapsulates the classic 2D platformers for better or worse. Whilst the general gameplay is clunky, the puzzle-solving is simple yet fresh and keeps you engaged throughout its short runtime. The pixel art style brings an incredible atmosphere to this sci-fi dystopia, even if the story doesn’t reflect that overall, but there are some unique qualities in its presentation that make it special.

For those who enjoy the FMV genre, Death Come True is an interesting example of the genre done through the lens of Japanese influences rather than the Western one’s we see so often. The narrative is unique, turning branching narrative’s on their heads and while it leads to a decision that ultimately feels empty, the repeated 4 hour murderous journeys through Death Come True is one worth taking. The cinematography and acting skills on show sell a plot which often borders on the absurd and would be right at home in a visual novel game. If this is what we can expect moving forward from Too Kyo Games, I’m excited to see what they do next.

Created by just a single person, Dystopika distills the essence of the visual appeal of cyberpunk worlds into a small but creative package. What’s here is simple and accessible, even if it feels a bit light in terms of content to play around with. Despite this, it’s hard to deny the inherent appeal of erecting the perfect futuristic metropolis as you kick back and take in the sights and sounds.

I am reminded as I try, often unsuccessfully, to manage my family and my subjects and stave off invasion, of Yes, Your Grace’s first message. Don’t try to satisfy everyone. This applies to your petitioners and family, but I think it also applies to the developers and their uncompromising creation. This game will not satisfy everyone, but so what? Instead of doing that, they have catered to a core audience, and to the already diehard fans, who will find within Yes, Your Grace something unique, narratively complex and unwavering in its vision.

Whilst not the deepest or most realistic of Trials-like games, it makes up for it with silliness and charm.

It’s impossible to ignore the similarities to The Witness, and it’s disappointing that it’s so patchy from a technical standpoint, but The Pillar: Puzzle Escape was a short, pleasant and surprisingly enjoyable puzzle game that people should check out. It’s not overly taxing, so you might want to look elsewhere if you’re specifically looking for a challenge, but it’s a fine game for zoning out and killing a couple of hours.

Darius Games are regarded by some as the best shooters ever made, but do you really want to pay nearly £50 to play the same game nine times? That’s a lot to ask even the most avid fan.

Journey of the Broken Circle is beautiful and written well with some delightful dialogue, hampered by the actual video game bit, which doesn’t really measure up to its presentation and story. It’s a shame, because otherwise it’s a pleasant enough journey with something important to say.

Well crafted and responsive, Terror Squid is an addictive one-stick dodger through a bullet hell of your own creation. It does it’s one thing really well, but with just a single mode and a single gimmick, there’s not really enough to justify the price tag. This is one for the score-chasers.

If you need a Metroidvania in your life, it’s a good one. It’s simple to grasp and is very appropriate and playable for kids. It’s got a lot of charm. It’s just not very memorable for those of us who have played the greats of the genre.

Despite a flimsy narrative and gameplay quirks, Gord has a stellar sense of atmosphere and a haunting presentation inspired by the ex-Witcher talent in the team. It functions well for a console RTS title and while it doesn’t quite have the depth of other base-building games, it’s got enough challenge and wonder to keep you interested till the end. Maybe even a couple of custom scenarios too.

Voyage is a wonderful piece of art that will wow you visually and sonically at every turn. It’s the gameplay that sadly holds it back from greatness. An awesome debut, Venturous are a developer to watch.

Sonic Superstars is a perfectly serviceable Sonic game with beautiful visuals and nailed-on movement of the main characters. The number of collectables and confusing level layouts holds it back from true greatness, but there’s just enough here to keep the fanboys at bay until Sonic and friends return once again.

A deeply approachable and accessible kart racing game that’ll be sure to entertain fans of the TV series, particularly the younger ones, Paw Patrol: Grand Prix makes great use of the characters and licence – but could have gone further. A neat little stocking filler this Christmas.

A colourful, family friendly 2.5D platformer that makes no effort to hide its inspirations, Stitchy In Tooki Trouble delivers a few hours of well-crafted gaming. For older players, it’ll feel like a blast from the past that’s over just as quickly as it began. For younger players though, Stitchy will keep them engrossed for longer with forgiving systems, luscious worlds and slick platforming play.

Endzone 2 emerges from the fallout shelter with a new direction. The shift to a more modular, zone-based world map, as well as more directly involved expeditions both pays off and causes drawbacks in equal measure. However, the core of this colony sim continues to be entertaining and well structured, even if it is as slowly paced as the rate of radiation decontamination.

Under the Waves is a flawed but impactful deep-sea denizen. The immersive gameplay, contemplative themes and powerful eco-conscious flare make the game a uniquely wonderful narrative adventure. Some of the finer details are uneven and taint the big picture, but you will come away moved in spite of its problems.

FromSoftware have tried their hand at an entirely different style of game in Elden Ring Nightreign. The stripped-down, condensed and multiplayer-orientated focus leave a title that has many thrilling moments, but feels devoid of the life and soul that made the original Elden Ring such a special experience. Entering this fog alone is folly, but with a couple of like-minded Souls vets, there's plenty of great moments to be had amongst the repetition.

The Darkest of Times stark and sobering reminder of how lucky we are, and what sacrifices were made for the greater good. As basic as you can get for a strategy game but it’s all the better for it.

Terra Memoria is a quirky little adventure full of anthros and crystals, paying homage to PlayStation-era gems like Breath of Fire IV. It succeeds in rendering cooking and crafting essential by working them into its levelling system and addictive turn-based combat, even if its story and characters are a little too simple to be memorable.

A graphical facelift will be appreciated by fans, and make it easier for newcomers to experience a cult classic. However the game itself has not been improved and shows its age across its dull repetitive combat, stilted animations and decade old ideas. The Remaster doesn’t shed new light on a game that might have been better remembered remaining in nostalgic darkness.

NAIAD is a relaxing puzzler that lets you learn through your experiments. Whilst this is perfect if you want a laid back game with impactful themes, the lack of hand holding does create friction on what is otherwise a game all about going with the flow.

FIST is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania, elevated by its cast of anthro characters and its deep and interesting dieselpunk world. However, this doesn’t distract enough to forgive its unbalanced combat, very standard level design and a lot of back-tracking.