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.

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.

Lake is a narrative-driven postal simulator quite unlike any other. With a rich story, wonderful characters a beautiful town to explore, if you’re looking for something to ease your mind, you can’t go wrong.

An ancient Chinese character tale rather than an epic, Xuan Yuan 7 is a linear RPG that takes inspiration liberally from the best games around, but has no idea how to implement anything it’s stolen. Combat is farcically easy, systems are barely explained, puzzles feel decades out of date and there’s that stamina bar that does nothing. Sometimes there’s a reason you haven’t heard of a series.

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.

Hokko Life fits the bill for a simple, yet charming experience. For seasoned players, be mindful there is a slow burn to start and may be more suited to those who are newer to the genre. Whilst some mechanics are not intuitive for console play, Hokko Life on console still captures the creativity and calmness of the farming sim genre.

Meet your Maker is a solid new adventure for Behaviour Interactive, boasting a strong community-driven set of systems and mechanics that encourage creativity and ruthlessness in their design. The lack of available options, a poor progression system and grid-locked currencies dull the excitement of raiding somewhat, but the core structure of this outpost should allow it to harvest for some time yet.

A delightful central relationship gives this love story RPG wings, but generic survival beats and somewhat empty worlds leaves Haven not quite the essential indie experience we were hoping for.

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.

It won’t blow your mind with innovation or story, but 9 Monkeys of Shaolin isn’t trying to. It revisits the 70’s style of kung fu games, and has fun with the source material. Either solo or with a friend, there’s fun to be had here.

A few niggles aside, Lawn Mowing Simulator is another game in the blossoming sim genre that takes workaday tasks and manages to create a zen, ASMR-esque experience that transcends boredom. This game certainly has a niche and won’t be for everyone but if might surprise you with how equally innocuous and engaging it is at the same time. Even for someone who hates mowing their lawn, I found this title to be enjoyable. If you’re looking for a new simulator in the same vein as Farming Simulator, House Flipper or Euro Truck, this certainly could be it.

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.

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.

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.

KARMA: The Dark World presents a wonderfully horrifying alternate history world to become enveloped in, thanks to its superb visuals, excellent soundtrack and engrossing themes. Its story is perhaps overly ambitious with plenty of confusion and its light gameplay elements may have some lamenting what could have been, leaving a mostly positive but somewhat diminished sense of karmic balance.

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.

RoboCop: Rogue City is an absolute blast of 80’s goodness from beginning to end. From the gorgeous visuals built in UE5 to the nailed-on Robo atmosphere, Teyon has poured a whole lotta love into this one and it’s paid off in spades. You’ll buy this one for a dollar. But please buy it for more than that if you can.

The Switch version is undoubtedly the worst way to play Layers of Fear 2 – but it’s still worth a look for horror fans who only have the Nintendo hybrid console available to them. The game itself carries an engrossing narrative set in a game world that’s constantly trying to surprise the player through a 5-7 hour adventure. While the puzzles are middling and the visuals less impressive than the other versions of this game, there’s plenty of scares and a thick atmosphere without a massive amount of gore.

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.

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.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is a fun, familiar dip back into the world of Bikini Bottom packed with charm, ghostly goings on but a fair bit of repetition. It’s comfort food for the nostalgic, but if you’re looking for something fresh beneath the waves, you might not find much treasure here.

Sunday Gold is a gem mined from the rough and the dirt. The writing is on point and witty, the gameplay streamlined yet satisfying and the art style is catchy and engrossing. There are some rough edges to this golden nugget, but it’s enough to form an ingot which the game’s playable gang would promptly steal. Peaky Blinders meets comic book noir, better grab your whiskey and peaked cap.

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.

The grandmaster of difficult action games is back. The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection pulls no punches, nor does it change or cater to modern sensibilities. It’s as classic as it was in 2004, with some crow’s feet doing little to tarnish it. It’s still absolutely nails, but if you’re a fan, you can’t go wrong with Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1 & 2. Oh, and the third game is in there too.

Looks like Warcraft, plays like Fable, Amalur brings nothing new to the table. An RPG-lite, if you will, there’s enough for casual players to have fun with, as well as hardcore players to sink time into.

Phoenix Point is a game I desperately wanted to love. It has exceptionally complex and deep mechanics, solid turn-based combat systems and fun global strategy gameplay, coupled with a decent story and some decent new additions to provide it its own identity. It is also, however, riddled with technical problems, inconsistent mechanics and frustrating difficulty spikes. Like a true phoenix, it can rise with glory when it wants to, I only wish it didn’t thud back down to ashes so frequently.

There’s so much work to be done to make FIFA a viable contender again as a genuinely great sports game. The sad part is, I don’t think EA Sports really care anymore.

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.