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.

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.

A post-apocalyptic action-adventure framed as a train journey through a cute heartfelt story of discovery, loyalty, and the bonds we form with others, Eastward shines like a diamond on the Switch. It’s wholesome, it’s original, it’s quirky, and it’s full of that special ingredient that turns a little indie into a must-play. Eastward’s graphics, narrative, and characters draw you in almost effortlessly and keep a tight hold until this train has come to a complete stop.

Gunbrella is a cinematically fulfilling 2D action platformer whilst showcasing one of the best game mechanics of the year with its titular weapon. The shorter run time and less is more approach to the gameplay may not be for everyone, but the streamlined and frenetic run and gunning met with an intoxicating world is an astounding quality in any game.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy 7- Reunion is a prime example of how remasters should be handled. A massive graphical overhaul, streamlined and satisfying gameplay mechanics and wonderfully remastered soundtrack outweigh the 2007 originals flaws in bloated side-content and repetitive structure. Square Enix have kept their honour and given Zack Fair the hero treatment he deserves.

John Wick Hex isn’t your traditional movie tie-in game. Whereas so many others take a franchise and shoe horn it into a genre, Bithell Games have taken John Wick under a microscope, examined its DNA and gamified the essence of it. It’s an ingenious take on what it means to be the Baba Yaga, an efficient killing machine that’s as human as the next guy but fights like an assassin savant.

Fury Unleashed is also exceptionally hard.

Bold changes in direction and mechanics culminate in a mixed result for Sid Meier's Civilization VII. The thrill of outwitting your opponents and seeing your chosen society thrive is alive and kicking, but the fragmented nature of the ages mechanic and issues with non-military paths to success undermine the foundation of this societal evolution.

If you’re a fan of AVICII, then this game is a no-brainer. For the rest of us, this AVICII Invector: Encore Edition is still worth strapping your Quest on for and losing yourself in the bass thumping neon.

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.

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.

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.

Narita Boy is a feat of imagination, one of the most conceptually interesting games I’ve ever played. The retro world of the Digital Kingdom – its pixelart, design and art direction – are some of the most eye-catchingly beautiful ever committed to code. Its soundtrack is mesmerising, truly special synthwave. Narita Boy ends up more than the sum of its parts, going beyond the source code to deliver a game that should take its place alongside the greatest indies.

Refining the formula that has brought it such success, Borderlands 4 is the definitive looter shooter of this generation. Some technical hiccups take the sheen off what is otherwise a very polished experience that delivers poignant story beats, hearty belly laughs and a smorgasbord of slick, violent action. Despite its technical issues, this is the incremental evolution that Borderlands needed and rewards long time players with callbacks we've waited years to see. A true delight.

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.

There’s plenty to like about Minecraft Dungeons, and at £15.99 on PSN it’s terrific value for a game that you and your kids could beat in a weekend. It’s not especially difficult with four players and the light-hearted nature of it all ensures Minecraft fans will find plenty to love. It’s just a shame there’s no sign of the Minecraft’s primary mechanic, which would have been a great addition to the overall experience. It’s a good laugh and as is so often with co-op games, you’ll get the most out of it with your pals/family.

The reason Let’s Sing 2021 works as well as it does is because it feels more like a game than many of the titles it shares DNA with. Whereas most previous karaoke games were of the common “sing a single song and we’ll give you a score” variety, this feels the template on which all future games should be based upon. A more extensive core tracklist would be nice, and I hope future iterations might do a bit more to cater for the quieter singer, but this feels like an excellent pushing-off point for the franchise and the genre as a whole. [Tested on XSX]

Almost everything about Rain On Your Parade is geared towards giving the player a good time. A mischief simulator packed with wise cracks and pop culture references, it’s a lot of fun to play. Not all of the humour lands but enough of it does to make this an easy recommendation to anyone who liked Untitled Goose Game.

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.

A fantastic blend of turn based strategy, deck builder and roguelike games, Fights In Tight Spaces belongs among the best these genres has to offer. With a minimalistic art style that underpins a vast tactical depth, FITS is accessible, deeply engrossing and is one of the most slickly designed games I’ve played in 2021. An easy recommendation.

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.

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.

Standing on the shoulders of the PowerWash giant, Spray Paint SImulator does just enough differently to elevate the experience of a spray simulator. There’s plenty to do and the additional mechanics certainly add to the immersion and offers a fun level of creativity that will appeal to all ages.

R-Type Delta HD Boosted offers tight gameplay and nostalgic strategy, but muddy visuals and collision bugs hold it back from greatness.

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.

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.

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.

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.