DREDGE’s numerous gameplay systems that don’t overwhelm but invite players are a cloak and dagger for the true horrors that’ll keep you lost at sea. Phenomenal in its art direction and engrossing to play, it’s clear that Black Salt Games have dredged up a mystifying debut.

Papertris doesn’t reinvent the wheel of the puzzler Tetris, but does act as an interesting evolution to the classic formula. The game’s layered depth is an interesting element with new rules and tactics to discover. It also has a visually appealing look, and a soundtrack that has no business slapping that hard for an arcade game. A decent price makes it an easy recommendation if your looking for something fun, familiar and simple to sink your teeth into.

It can’t quite match up to ‘My Friend Peppa Pig’, but ‘Peppa Pig: World Adventures’ is another approachable and accessible title designed specifically for its target audience. Replicating the art style and vibe of the TV show, this game is a must play for fans of titular character. With a patch to iron out a few issues, it could be even better.

Overall, Stellaris: First Contact in a tough one for me to judge. There are excellent elements of this DLC, but there are others which need further fleshing out to really bring out the full potential of their mechanics. For hardcore Stellaris fans, there is fun to be had here and the new content is welcome, but it isn’t a must have DLC and can be skipped over if you don’t feel a particular affinity for these new additions to the game.

More than just another port or lazy remake, this version of Resident Evil 4 is everything you could ask for. It looks beautiful, but keeps its original feel. It has improvements that modernise yet don’t detract and, most importantly, is just as much fun now as it was back in 2005. A must-have for both series fan and latecomers.

Lightfall promises much and delivers very little. Devastatingly, I don’t know what else Destiny 2 really has to offer, apart from wrapping up the story for those who are smart enough to be keeping track. I’ll be there day one for whatever Bungie does next, but I might just, at last, be finished with Destiny 2.

Solitaire meets boxing with a cheap, cheerful and limited punch-up. Deck ‘Em is an hour of straightforward fun despite it’s lack of depth or content, but the low entry cost means it’s a decent way to spend the price of a high-street coffee for a bit.

A masterclass in narrative convergence, the eight-fold seemingly disparate paths of Octopath Traveler II come together to form a tightly plotted and engaging whole. Though its gameplay is not ground-breaking, its battles are fun and rewarding and manage to cut out much of the grind of its predecessor, making it an essential JRPG experience.

With a gorgeous art style, challenging but deeply rewarding combat, an interesting story and an approachable take on the soulslike formula, Clash: Artefacts of Chaos is a welcome new form for the Zeno Clash series. It has a few rough edges that will hopefully get fixed with a patch, but despite them, this is an easy recommendation for fans of Dark Souls or Zeno Clash alike.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken is a competent sci-fi soulslike with a beautiful and brutal new world to explore. It’s combat is serviceable, but its lack of explanations, narrative or even lore will leave many floundering without anything much to grab onto. This is one for the really dedicated Souls veteran who leans far to the extremes of the From Software design school.

A twin-stick shooter with simplistic and accessible design, there’s a certain catharsis to blasting your way through various locations as tiny soldiers. It’s hampered by repetitious gameplay and a couple of frustrating issues, but if you’d like an afternoon of running-and-gunning through comically undersized enemies, this might just be the immature cartoon game for you.

A dented chassis for what otherwise has a solid engine, Monster Energy Supercross 6 makes some adjustments to accommodate newcomers, but if you played others before, you’ve most likely already played this one. There’s a decent physics-based racer here, just the presentation doesn’t cross the finish line.

This is one of the most accessible Metroidvanias to embark on. Pronty’s underwater excavation in a city, crawling with well-designed bosses is one for both newcomers and seasoned players of the genre. Combat is lacklustre and it doesn’t reinvent in any game-changing capacity, but it sure is a world worth diving deep in.

A beautiful take on the ancient Chinese story, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have joined forces to create something magical. Wo Long is a tour de force, with its only issue being that it tries too many new things that will largely be ignored. At its core, it’s a solid Souls take and gorgeous game to add to an action fan’s library.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure takes everything positive from its predecessor and raises the stakes significantly. It takes beloved characters, fleshes them out further and pays off every single thread it dangles throughout the two titles. It is so ambitious with its plot and delivers it effortlessly. Combat is fun, engaging and highly customisable. The Crossbell Arc deserves to be mentioned alongside the titans of the genre. If you are a JRPG fan and you’ve got the time to play them, these titles should be mandatory.

Small pockets of appealing visuals can’t paper over the vast number of issues with Task Force Delta – Afghanistan. A tasteless and out-of-touch set-up, incredibly poor AI and an unbalanced health system result in a rough and decidedly sub-par first person shooter.

While it has its issues, Clive ‘N’ Wrench is a charming, cheeky and fun 3D platformer that pays homage to the greats that came before it. It doesn’t even attempt to innovate, instead attempting to replicating aspects of the 90’s classics with varying degrees of success. If you’ve got fond memories of Banjo-Kazooie, this one’s aimed at you.

Company of Heroes 3 is a solid, but flawed, new entry into the series. The multiplayer especially is still amazingly fun, but there are a plethora of balance issues that need to be solved for it to truly shine. In addition, the single player modes are in many ways a bit lacking and even at times a bit boring. It requires more refinement, but if Relic can improve the AI, and build upon their Italy campaign, then the future is bright for the Company of Heroes franchise.

Dust & Neon may be a diamond in the rough for those looking for a unique sci-fi western cover-shooter. However, the roguelite systems do a disservice to the twin-stick shooting gameplay, making it far from the most wanted.

Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator captures both the stress, gratification, and realism of the heat in the kitchen. With the opportunity to juggle many different knives at once, such as prepping, managing staff, and cooking, there’s a lot to this game. Players can show individual creativity through plate and restaurant design, or focus simply on the meal. It’s a solid addition to the many different cooking games within the simulation genre.

By building the experience around its main protagonist, Scars Above creates impressive symmetry between its story, combat and systems. This results in a standout sci-fi soulslike that’ll accommodate genre aficionados and newcomers alike. It has a few blemishes but they do little to sour the experience.

Children of Silentown has a thought-provoking story, with an art style that is impossible not to enjoy. A point and click adventure spanning over five chapters to enjoy – if you can get past the infuriating mini games – there’s much to be fond of. Unfortunately, the story ends abruptly, but your journey up till then will be full of mystery and intrigue.

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.

Although the core game is enjoyable and the stories it can generate will leave lasting memories, Blood Bowl 3 has a lot of problems. For Blood Bowl fanatics interested in PvP, there is fun to be had here, but for the more casual player who likes to play against the AI, it’s a really hard sell. With a few changes and improvements, the game could be a great one, but for now it is a bit of a fumbled attempt at a touchdown.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is flawed in a lot of the ways it sells itself on. As a Metroidvania, it’s a really weak attempt, but as an Arcade Action Platformer it’s astounding. It just didn’t lean into one or the other enough. If you’re not a fan of Gal*Gun, most of it will go over your head, but fans may love this. Though as an entire package it just does okay.

A beautifully dark throwback to the classics, Aeterna Noctis revels in its classic charm. The difficulty also apes that of its forebears, which for some they might enjoy, others it might be too much. For those impartial, it’s another in a massive catalogue of Metroidvania titles.

Another oddball, off kilter FMV game from Kimulator’s Films, Sheesh-Man is a step in the right direction for the developers. It’s still rough and struggles to tell a coherent story but there’s enough outlandish gags in here to make it worth an hour of your time.

A brilliant duet of simple-to-play, tough-to-master rhythm game, mixed with a snare-hit of nostalgia right to the face. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is both a beautiful collection of incredible music and a fun battler that rewards your rhythm skills with satisfying progression.