Is it on the level of a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2? Or a Skate 3? Alas, no, but SkateBIRD successfully stands out from the crowd with a unique premise, lashings of charm and solid mechanics. It’s not perfect by any means, and can often be a pretty frustrating experience, but with a plethora of menu options with which to simplify and improve that experience, it’s a game that should appeal to anyone who likes their games on four wheels and a deck.

Override 2 is a different beast compared to the original. It’s easier to grasp, much faster paced and far more dynamic. Fans of the first game might not gel with these changes which make it more akin to a traditional fighting game. Despite the tweaks and a lack of game modes, this game manages to bombastically portray destructive kaiju battles in a very satisfying way.

While elements of The Chant are clichéd or clunky, there’s a surprisingly fun survival thriller nestled between its flaws. Creative monster design and excellent use of lighting (or lack thereof) can make for some nerve shredding moments too.

Boasting an incredibly unique, creative and gorgeous aesthetic with an exceptionally intriguing, well-told narrative, The Eternal Cylinder manages to still be rewarding even when its gameplay and mechanics become tedious and uninteresting. You’ll certainly be tired outrunning this circular vortex of death, but the tale is worth seeing through for the sights along the way.

Leagues ahead of last years iteration, FC 26 puts the power in the hands on the players and says 'just go have fun with it'. The difference is startling, and it's credit to EA Sports that they took as much as they did back to the drawing board to deliver an experience worthy of the Champions League. The additional monetisation is not welcome, though. And we can only hope that what's been added in that regard is rejected by the audience and removed for next year.

Fabledom is a charming cosy city builder with oodles of fairytale goodness. Despite a few bugs, this is an easy time sink and will have you entertained for hours. The game has a great art style that pairs well with the fun gameplay. That said, this might be a recommendation for the future, once a patch or two releases to iron out the kinks in this royal cloth.

El Hijo: A Wild West Tale’s focus on a non-combat brand of stealth, as well as its forgiving mechanics, serves as a very pleasant change to most stealth games on the market, and its overall style is cute without being cloying. It’s not perfect, with some roughness round the edges mechanically, but there are much worse ways to spend a few hours.

A vast improvement over the original, Daymare: 2994 Sandcastle still doesn’t reach those lofty, highly recommended titles. That being said, if you’re looking for some B movie cheese in an over-the-shoulder shooter, this should tide you over.

For Bluey fans it’s a no-brainer, and my kid enjoyed it immensely. It never does anything particularly memorable or of the same quality as the show and it is very short, but it’s a great sandbox for kids to explore and replay, and it achieves something wonderful in capturing the ‘feel’ of the show.

This nautical roguelike is chaotic, frantic and sometimes frustrating if you’re on your own. There’re too many variables in the trinkets/weaponry via RNG to squander your enjoyment and an AI that can feel unfair at times. But with a co-captain, there’s some treasure to be had, and a presentation that could cure scurvy.

Forspoken is a fun action RPG when it gets out of its own way. Its linear narrative and heavy-handed first few hours sap the player’s goodwill, before letting you free and realising its true potential. Strong combat and traversal mechanics really shine, and by the end, even the story manages to rise, like Frey herself, to the challenge.

For newcomers to the real-time tactics genre, it may represent a step too far as a first experience. However, for experienced players, Partisans 1941 is a solid and engaging title, with plenty of scope to try out a number of different approaches. Overall, it’s also a refreshing change to see the Second World War represented from a different perspective.

Held up by its superb class system and the intrinsic elation that comes with melting prehistoric lizards with a railgun, Exoprimal is unfortunately let down by a lacklustre story offering, anemic number of modes and a question over its longevity. While those drawbacks will put some people off, those fond of firing a grenade right up a Stegosaurus’ hide will be laughing long into their dozens of hours of playtime.

Spellbreak does more than enough to allow it to stand out in a stuffed genre and offers a terrific variety in its weapon options. There’s absolutely something here if you’re looking for a Royale without shotguns. Don’t sleep on it.

The Pinball Wizard could’ve taken things further with regards to its level design. The game only really gets fun near the end, when you have everything it has to offer. However, for a humble game with a dungeon crawler/pinball hybrid it executes the novel combination successfully. Gameplay doesn’t feel as solid for a pinball game, but as a casual arcade game to play in bursts, it’s worth pulling the plunger.

Twinkleby is a charming, whimsical take on the decorating sim, offering creativity without consequence. It’s light on challenge and sometimes drifts into slow territory, but for those who find joy in arranging, customising, and soaking in cosy vibes, it’s a floating-island daydream.

Some accomplished character work and a narrative full of heart, sits next to a deep and detailed rice-farming mechanic that will have you sinking hours in trying to get the perfect crop. However, fiddly combat and shallow platforming take their toll. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get lost in the farming, and let the other parts lie fallow.

Hearts of Iron 4: By Blood Alone is a solid addition to the game. The new mission trees are the high point of the DLC but whist the small changes which affect all nations are very welcome, its price is a large expense for those who just want to play nations other than those with the new trees, and a couple of the new mechanics need refinement. For HOI fans, there is plenty of content here that will add dozens more hours to your playtime, and for that it gets a thumbs up from me.

Player choice has a profound effect on the narrative in Hindsight 20/20 – Wrath of the Raakshasa. Even the choice of weapon can have unexpected consequences later down the line. The game occasionally struggles to wrangle all of this in a coherent way and there are some rough edges but for those that like a game that gets better the more you replay it, this is certainly worth your time.

Negatives aside, Gungrave G.O.R.E is a blast when it gets going. The cutscenes are over the top, as are the bosses and the main baddies of the piece. If you can put up with the archaic rust that comes with old-fashioned games, there is fun to be had in here.

Jackbox’s formula always remains consistent with hits, favourites and some skippable entries. Jackbox Party Pack 8 is no different. Although it’s not the strongest pack of 5 in the collection, this game still brings a wide variety of party games that can cater to almost any gathering.

Desolate but beautiful metroidvania MIO: Memories In Orbit nails the fundamentals of a lot of inspiration. Whether its precision platforming, finding shortcuts, soulslike bosses or wonderful evocative soundscapes, this one is well worth your time if you are a fan of the genre.

DeathOmen is small in scale but dense in horror tension. The half a dozen jump scare moments are immaculately curated, while the atmosphere is fantastically unnerving. It's over too soon and the walking and clicking aren't particularly investing, but DeathOmen is an (un)welcome sign of some terrifying scares to come. I'll be looking forward to leaping out of my skin again.

Whilst the DNA of Party Animals is nothing new, there’s enough here to warrant giving it a go if you’re a fan of the genre. The visuals are great, the animals are cute as all hell and the levels are beautifully designed. Playing it with friends really brings the game to life, so don’t forget to bring some along.

Memories of Celceta is like a bite-size RPG for kids or for the millennial with time constraints who still wants to play RPGs, but can’t commit to 100-hour behemoths like Persona 5. It’s fun and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Combining the awkward unforgiving nature of space with a short and focused puzzle exploration game, Heavenly Bodies succeeds in what it sets out to achieve. It’ll frustrate you, impress you, drive you mad and blow you away with its mechanics and 70s aesthetic. You might not always have fun playing it, but this is a Zero-G trip worth embarking on, smashed controllers and all.

An asymmetric multiplayer espionage adventure, Operation: Tango is a game that demands co-operation and requires good communication. The non-linear difficulty curve can make some puzzles feel out of place but that doesn’t prevent it from being a gratifying, fun frolic through a charming series of missions.

A old-skool minded metroidvania, unhampered by combat, The Siege and the Sandfox excels in its stealthy confines, creating a dark and masterful labyrinth to explore to your heart's content, but often because you are frustratingly lost.

Heartfelt, charming and very on-brand for Keita Takahashi, to a T is a fun episodic journey of a teenager stuck in the T-pose. However, with an emphasis on narrative and cut scenes, the gameplay takes a backseat, making those fleeting moments of T-posing minigame shenaginans feel less impactful as a result.

Though troubled and caught up in transition from expansion to a fully fledged game, Dying Light: The Beast still excels in the core fundamentals of combat and parkour. The story is forgettable, while the lack of night-time scenarios feels disappointing, but The Beast will give Dying Light fans more of what they most desire: decimating infected crowds and dashing across skylines with reckless abandon.

Space Crew shares the DNA of its predecessor Bomber Crew and utilises its strengths in interesting and engaging ways, and is a worthy follow up, though the fiddly controller mapping means you really should be playing this on a PC.

Like a combination of South Park and Superstore, Negative Nancy is a smart but short visual novel that balances whacky buffoonery with cutting and deft real world observations. Centred around the power of the word “no”, it’s a unique hook that’s not just a pun for the title. There’s some repetition involved if you want to see everything that this game has to offer, which does take some of the sheen off of it, but Negative Nancy is still worth your time.

It’s hard not to admire what Nova-box attempt to accomplish with Seers Isle. There’s some narrative devices used in this game that most visual novel games would shy away from and there’s a cast of characters that beg to be explored further via player choice. It’s easy on the eye and tells some entrancing stories – but a few of these tales trip up over the complexity of essentially having 8 lead characters and being unable to give them all a satisfactory arc without repetition.

Whilst adding a new style and shock to Dead Island 2, Haus offers a paltry run time and not much else. It’s a perfect morsel if players own the deluxe version, but some might feel robbed with such a short DLC.

A savage monochromatic roguelike shooter with a difficulty curve reminiscent of a vertical straight line, Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition is tough to love early on. Over time though, the smart risk vs reward system rises to the surface and the slick gunplay becomes challenging rather than simply impossible. While it doesn’t match the heights of its more modern day peers, it’s still worth a look if you’ve got the time to dedicate to it.

Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a mixtape of differing qualities. There are a couple of bangers in the form of its rhythm gameplay and cartoonish style. There are some flops in its messy difficulty curve and obstructive puzzle mechanics. The music is the perfect blend of childishly amusing yet annoying in equal measure, leaving a tracklist that’ll have highs and lows for all the family, but you’ll be mostly smiling throughout.

Despite a lack of substantial upgrades, Dungeons 4 maintains the core of its predecessors while upping the ante with bigger, larger and more bombastic battles. The Absolute Evil has become a familiar and well-worn arbiter of wickedness at this point, but even if the story is still silly and the gameplay is largely the same, building an army of minions still never fails to entertain. Slay the unicorns, it’s too bright up in that overground.

Indika tells a story that tests religion in a deeply nuanced fashion and I must confess I just love what Odd Meter was trying to say. However the gameplay, for the most part, is just serviceable, and not even a dedicated prayer button could lead the game to full salvation.

System Shock is a classic and Nightdive Studio have not gotten in the way of bringing it to modern hardware. With punishing gameplay, relenting atmosphere and an all-timer villain with SHODAN, it’s an incredible remake. The console experience isn’t the best but it doesn’t totally dampen the grandfather of immersive sims.

Whilst it has a plot about as generic as it is boring, MindSeize makes up for it with some cracking Metroidvania-like gameplay. It will test you at times, but the sense of accomplishment outweighs the frustration. Just ignore the story.

Model Builder’s powerful suite of building and painting tools enable calming and creative game play that makes a potentially tricky hobby very accessible. There’s oodles of potential here but some of that remains untapped as of yet. Future DLC and updates will hopefully tap into that and extend the game’s longevity.

A flawed gem that’s an obvious labour of love, Mundaun combines unique hand pencilled visuals with an intriguing narrative that’ll keep you engaged until the credits roll. It has a few issues and the game play can be a little reductive at time but there’s a lot more to love than hate with this game.

Fly Punch Boom is a refined, fun multiplayer experience with a simply competent single player mode as a sweetener.

As resurrections of near-20-year-old franchises go, Aquanox Deep Descent is a very solid effort that, with a few tweaks and a bit more polish, could potentially be special. Here’s hoping that THQ Nordic gives Digital Arrow the opportunity to make another one.

Cat Café Manager is a cozy, stress-free casual management game for anyone who wants to adopt cute kitties whilst serving coffee. Whilst not changing the genre of management style games in any particular way, this is ideal for those wanting a homely game to play at ease.

If you enjoyed Hyper Light Drifter and like me, you’re a sucker for good pixelart, there are things to like in Resolutiion. It’s got plenty of HLD’s beauty, just little of its charm. Basic combat, an empty world devoid of reasons to return, and some odd design choices, mar its otherwise great potentia.

The core structure feels a tad dated while the reimagined game play elements don’t quite go far enough to match modern day standards. Below the eccentricities of Colossal Cave is an adventure packed with character and charm that’s still worth taking however. Even for newcomers.

Somerville is a short but sweet sci-fi apocalypse story with an attempt at telling a human story. Whilst the narrative does fall flat by feeling no connection to the characters, the action set pieces, puzzle mechanics and overall art direction are spectacular. If you can look past the inconsistent controls and lacklustre story, there’s a lot to enjoy about Somerville and it’s a quality debut from Jumpship.

If you can get through the crashes and technical hitches, Necrobarista: Final Pour suits the Switch well. It is a beautiful appealing visual novel about one last night before death takes you to pass on. You don’t play the game, you watch the story unfold. The characters are individual with clear meaning within the story. The story has an interesting concept that could be taken in any direction.

There’s no debating it though – this remaster is the best way to play Saints Row 3. Those who haven’t experienced the insanity of beating a pedestrian up with a 3 foot dildo can do so on an Xbox One or PS4 for the first time. Whether a visual upgrade will be enough to warrant a double dip for returning players however will be up to your individual taste.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle: The Order of Giants delivers more of what the base game so excelled at, albeit in a trimmed down fashion. The puzzles and tombs in this DLC deliver some of the best you'll find, but the new location being so sewer-orientated is a let down. Pulled up by the scruff of the neck by some fun storytelling and more excellent gameplay, this expansion does just enough to make you want to don the famous explorer's hat once more.

Ion Fury isn’t a bad game. In the conventional sense, it’s a very functional shooter reminiscent of the heady days of all the aforementioned titles, with that modern (albeit minimal) sprucing. But it’s so laden down with questionable and somewhat controversy-baiting humour that lets it down a tad.

An atmospheric adventure, The Coma 2 has enough puzzles and personality to keep horror fans going until Halloween. While it succeeds in gameplay, it’s story is pretty simple, and it gets repetitive by the end of it’s six hour campaign.

Dive into Warriors: Abyss and you'll be met with a huge playable roster, frenetic action and a wealth of replayability value. The sights may not be as pleasant and the story is non-existent, but shifting the Warriors franchises into a rogue-like works surprisingly well.

House Flipper 2 showed me the joy of cleaning, throwing out the trash and donning my paint roller. I thoroughly hate cleaning and interior decor discussions in real life, but there’s an innate satisfaction that comes with doing it virtually the real world just can’t replicate. It has some issues and it might be too chilled for its own good in places, but House Flipper 2 is a DIY project worth taking on.

Locomoto is a perfectly pleasant cozy experience that will scratch that itch if you're looking for something a little different to do than start a farm. Full of whimsy and fun characters, you've definitely had a worse train experience than this one.

It may not be perfect, with a control scheme that’s functional but still a little too clunky, and it’s almost impossible to recommend to anyone who owns a capable PC. However, if you only own an Xbox, all of the main features are there, the match engine is better than ever and it’s a great title to dip in and out of for 30 minutes at a time.

Pile Up! Box by Box is a 1-4 co op platform game. It can be played solo or with friends with four worlds to explore. This game is a fun entertaining friendly game that I would recommend to anyone who likes co-op or is new to co-op. It has a few quality of life issues, such as a lack of a map, and the jump button not quite being up to par when crucial, but has lots to do for it’s short run time that can still pack a good night in gaming.

You’re going to want a pen and a pad nearby to keep track of your characters, the threads and the keywords you’ll want to search for, and some questionable design decisions hold the game back from being an all-out classic of the genre – with the shocks and twists of Her Story towering over Telling Lies’ endgame – but it’s still well worth exploring if you’re looking for an interactive mystery to untangle.

The small hitches and spotty audio don’t spoil what is an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable narrative. The diverse cast of characters, showing more inclusivity than any other romance visual novel on the PS4, is certainly welcome. Arcade Spirit is tightly written, with only a hand full of lulls, but plenty of heart and a tonne of quirk. While it’s not going to be challenging the greats in the visual novel genre, It’ll surely raise a smile or 10 on your face.

Chorus shines in its exceptionally fun flight chops and smooth handling. Dogfighting in space never felt so responsive or satisfying and the backdrops can be stunning. However its ambitious, heavy story and unsympathetic heroine will leave some cold, some confused, and others simply bored.

The Falconeer lacks an actual Falconeer protagonist to hang its adventure from and ends up impersonal and fragmented. Odd dis-incentivizing design choices seek to undermine what is an otherwise wonderful lore-filled world and some of the most fun and frenetic aerial combat this generation.

Despite a few issues, Wind Peaks delivers 2 hours of zen-like, chilled gratification like only a hidden object game can. Games like this aren’t traditionally ‘fun’ or engaging but they scratch an almost primordial itch to find the missing things. If you need a Switch title to fill a boring train journey, this one would fit that bill.

The presentation and the fear factor of Yomawari: Lost in the Dark leave a great first impression. The beautifully crafted visuals and moment-to-moment potential horror you face makes it an unnerving experience that’s hard to shake. However, the more you play, the less you’re rewarded with actual reasoning from the story. It’s a gut punch to persevere in the final act. This may be appealing to fans of the series but it didn’t make a new one of me by the end.

A cosmic point and click adventure, Blood Nova crafts an engrossing fantasy-meets-sci-fi world which will hopefully continue beyond this game. Its story is well told, complemented by pleasing art work and excellent music. Its only blemishes are a hand full of puzzles that feel dependent on the player’s comprehension of the game’s complex lore and a tendency to deliver necessary exposition after the fact, resulting in some confusing moments.

Samurai Warriors 5 is a fresh reinvention for a series that was beginning to feel familiar. A story focussed on Nobunaga’s early years takes the bold choice of ditching many series mainstays. However, the combat and overall presentation haven’t received the same level of new blood and remain as over the top and ridiculous as ever. If you’re a fan, SW5 is as fun as it’s ever been.

Crash Team Rumble shows off the crisp visuals and beautiful design we know and love from Toys for Bob and continues to capture the essence we adore from the Crash Bandicoot series. Whilst filled with easter egg fun and nostalgic highlights such as the music, the gameplay suffers from balancing issues that are vitally needed within a live server sports-like game.

Like any creative 4-chord song, Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson makes good on the promise of a turn-based RPG that melds a great tune with a stylish bassline. Also much like a 4-chord song, it quickly becomes easy to predict and master, lacking that extra depth to elevate it beyond its accessible design. Even so, it's hard not to play it without a smile on your face and an appreciation for its colourful visuals.

At its heart, Front Mission 3 Remake is a mostly-faithful adaptation of the 2000's original. It retains the same tactical mech action, with some smoother transitions and polished graphics. But with the looming accusation of AI asset usage, and not much else being done to draw in newcomers, it may be a slightly harder sell than expected.

A relaxing collect-a-thon adventure game, Submerged: Hidden Depths is visually stunning with graphics that are comparable to those of big budget titles. Although the story lacks depth and the main mission can feel a bit repetitive, if you want a game that is very chill and completely devoid of stress, this is worth picking up.

For the modest price , Aliens: Dark Descent is a solid and well-designed AA strategy title. The mix of various influences coalesce into a frantic, tense and rewarding gameplay cocktail that has a decent (if predictable) story to carry you along for the ride. The bugs and technical problems are notable and frustrating, but they’re an annoyance that pales to the experience of taking on the Xenomorph hordes in your very own Alien-style movie.

Lack of challenge and concessions in gameplay depth hold Augmented Empire back from being as appealing to strategy genre veterans and those who like their games to put their skills to the test. Thankfully, the interesting approach to decision-making and the world of New Savannah make up for these deficiencies, making this indie title a solid augment to invest your time in.

Dread Nautical is a solid and intriguing turned based, tactical roguelike RPG, just don’t expect your tense horror itch to be scratched, because you’ll be very much looking in the wrong place. The gameplay isn’t too overbearing for newcomers and the games primary characters certainly are fun to explore this doomed ship with, the story is twisty and keeps you engaged, and the hard mode will test your metal beyond much else around at the moment, but there’s very little here you haven’t seen before elsewhere and executed with more panache.

If you can get past that and seek a new type of challenge, then you can’t go far wrong with Shred! 2. It has indie title written all over it, so if you can appreciate it at that arcade level and price point, it’s definitely worth a look for those that want to push themselves. It’ll push you and you’ll get mad at times (please, do. I can’t be the only one that gets annoyed), but if you can persevere until you unlock new rides to help, it opens up the challenge with progression and practice.

Taken as a whole, PolyAmorous doesn’t get everything right with Paradise Lost, with some maddening technical issues too often dragging me out of potentially powerful or touching moments, but there are enough terrific little touches here that – when combined with a compelling narrative, haunting sound design and some interesting background storytelling – serve to make it worth a playthrough. Just be prepared to do a bit of squinting.

Perennial Order makes bold design choices to create a fantastic world with great ideas but not without some flawed execution. If you love bleak eldritch horrors with a side salad of creative boss fights then you may just enjoy this, even if there's a few weeds in the gameplay.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU has its heart, setting and story all in the right place. However, the gameplay doesn’t quite facilitate the lofty ambition that it generally goes for. The gameplay is frenetic but not as tight as the game wants you to be and the combat has an unconventional approach to difficulty. However, I had fun in the world and if there are more stories in Kenzera, consider me already there.

Whilst there’s barely been any kind of update to the visuals and the complication of moving PC controls to a controller is present and correct, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is a delight, purely because it’s always been a damn fun video game and in that regard, like everything else about this game, nothing has changed.

Killer Frequency’s lacklustre gameplay is elevated with a good story and even better audio/visuals. The world Team17 have created is one I hope they revisit as it’s a well-scripted, well realised and for the most part decently acted. Anyone who likes 80s movies or slasher flicks, in general, will also love the B-movie charm that this goes for.

Bilkins’ Folly is a charming yet deceptively challenging puzzle adventure that would fulfil most players’ pirate fantasies. The wonderful array of mechanics and the pitch-perfect comedy that harkens back to ’90s adventure games is a cosy time. It’s not without some minor flaws, but it’s an admirable exploration of being a different yet entertaining game.

A worthwhile entry into the DC/Batman game series, Gotham Knights can be a fun experience in single-player or co-op with its strengths lying in variety and its four-Knight team. However, its confusing UI, repetitive stripped-back combat, and lack of stealth options leave it unable to reach the glorious heights of the Arkham games.

A new campaign with 3 new locations that also introduces a dinosaur exchange to good effect, the move to the Mediterranean makes the Malta Expansion the most worthwhile piece of DLC for Jurassic World Evolution 2 so far. It’s not a revolutionary content pack, but it’s worth going back to experience the best Jurassic World Evolution 2 has felt since release.

Ancient Enemy is a chilled out take on Solitaire underneath a RPG card battler. It’s not the longest of games, the narrative is a little rote and if you really dig into the mechanics early on, you can find combinations of attacks and special abilities that make the game a touch too early. That being said, it looks fantastic, sets a brooding tone through its music and writing and, as card battlers go, is really quite enjoyable to play. This game won’t be for anyone but if you’re into the niche, or you’ve enjoyed Grey Aliens other games like Shadowhand, this is certainly worth a look.

Mirror Forge will creep you out and make you uncomfortable with its superb Silent Hill inspired environments. The gameplay is unthreatening and the story is predictable, but there’s something about this indie horror game that’ll have you soaking in its grim and disgusting dimension-hopping universe.

Lawn Mowing Simulator lands on PS5 in a good condition, though the lack of PS5-only features and a little bit of spit and polish wouldn’t have gone amiss. Thankfully, the zen wonderment of this game remains, and there’s really nothing else like it.

House Flipper 2 showed me the joy of cleaning, throwing out the trash and donning my paint roller. I thoroughly hate cleaning and interior decor discussions in real life, but there’s an innate satisfaction that comes with doing it virtually the real world just can’t replicate. It has some issues and it might be too chilled for its own good in places, but House Flipper 2 is a DIY project worth taking on.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits lands on Switch 2 in good condition, but the feeling can't be shaken that it could be much better. Whilst the heart, story and the fantastical wonder remains, technically we've seen far better on the hybrid system, and this port does a disservice to a game that should be treated with more care.

If you have a squad of like-minded buddies ready to lose many an evening to slaying some zombie infested hordes, Back 4 Blood will provide you plenty to satisfy that urge. It doesn’t quite capture the greatness of its forebears and it stumbles over itself with its erratic difficulty curve and repetitive nature, but Back 4 Blood has immensely satisfying, if simplistic, gameplay mechanic. This is a veteran, war-torn survivor who’s maybe danced this bloody dance once too many times, but it knows damn well how to deliver that co-op fun.

Fall of Porcupine is a 2D sidescrolling narrative game that touches upon the reality of healthcare as we see it today. Fall of Porcupine does feel like it unnecessarily worked overtime on the length but was still a joy to play. A wonderful soundtrack and characters with depth. Visually appealing despite screen tear and other technical difficulties.

Retro Machina is a charming and well-constructed Metroidvania about a little robot who dares to question its existence. The beautiful graphics and crumbling art deco world will impress, and its fun but challenging combat and robot slaving puzzles will keep many players satisfied for the entirety of its 10-hour run time.

A coming-of-(m)age story with optional romance and multiple endings, Spellbound: The Magic Within is a diverse and inclusive visual novel that’s engaging from start to finish. It’s lacking some quality of life tools which can make replaying it tedious but it’s still an entertaining alternative to the big wizarding worlds and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Trifox is an ambitious and largely successful blend of classic 3D platform and modern twin-stick shooter mechanics. While the difficulty spikes can be off-putting at times and some combat sections can feel a little too much of a grind, some excellent set pieces and a fun, charming style kept me wanting to see what was next. A solid debut effort from Glowfish Interactive.

Dordogne’s limited gameplay stints what is otherwise an exceptionally creative experience. The story is impactful and the handcrafted watercolour-painted world is beyond impressive, not to mention a soundtrack of the year contender. You won’t get lost in the brush strokes, but you will fall for its incredible charm.

A haunted deck that's as likely to throw you a royal flush as it is sell you down the river, Deck of Haunts satisfies in its creative cards, wickedly evil fantasy power trip and a delightfully vile concept. Its best demonic forces are kept at bay thanks to a lack of real campaign or structure and some underdeveloped room expansion. Even so, if this were a haunted house at Universal Studios, you'd be disappointed to miss it, even if it's not the main attraction.

A sweet cosy automation game, Little Rocket Lab brings life back to a small little town with style. It may not be for everyone, but those that get a kick out of this kind of peaceful, stress-free experience will find plenty to enjoy.

Taking on the Dark Fate universe with ease, Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance offers a gritty, at times brutal, realistic RTS experience, with a standout campaign mode and wonderful immersion into the Terminator world. However, the skirmish and multiplayer modes are lacking the firepower to ignite a full resistance, coupled with some callous difficulty balancing. Even so, hope for humanity remains even in the darkest moments, and the future isn’t written yet, so let’s hope the developers can make their own fate by building on this excellent foundation.

An investigative autobiographical game exploring cold war espionage through the effect that that had on a family, Cosmic Top Secret is a fascinating concept that combines stark reality with Monty Python-esque eccentricity. The content of the game is captivating, following one woman’s quest to uncover her parent’s classified history. It’s a shame that the moments between the engrossing revelations often feel clunky or rote.

An intense and fun experience, Granblue Fantasy Relink sits at the short but spectacular end of the JRPG spectrum. Running to some 20 hours all told, and maybe retaining a few too many of its mobile influences, you’ll wonder why it took seven years to release. But hey, with the wind in your hair, the ride is still a sweet one.