CSI meets a walking simulator in Forest Grove, proving to be a compelling – if flawed – detective puzzler. The futuristic setting and web of personal intrigue make cracking the case a fun and engaging exercise, even if the process of gathering the evidence fails to ignite your detective excitement. The Kunstimatigaard holds an intriguing mystery to solve, should you decide to jump into the future.

While not without its flaws, Raji: An Ancient Epic is a competent and enjoyable debut from Nodding Head Games that leans on some video game classics for its mechanics and combat but blends them with Hindu iconography and Balinese mythology to give it oodles of character.

As a 2D beat ’em up, King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match excels in that field. If you’ve got someone for couch combat, then you’re in for a good time. There’s just little else in the way of extras to suggest this to anyone unfamiliar with the franchise.

A lot of Kafka’s spirit shines through in this game with the illogical mixed with the depressingly truthful and real. It’s such a shame then that the Xbox One version is beset with so many technical hiccups that threaten to spoil the narrative. Like so much of Kafka’s work, Metamorphosis feels like it has been left unfinished and in need of a few more weeks of polishing.

Embr isn’t going to change your life, but if you’ve ever dreamed of running out of your office job through a window to save innocent civilians caught in a blazing inferno with nothing but a hose, an axe and water bombs, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t sign up to be an Embr Respondr immediately.

Wonder Boy collection isn’t a bad collection of games. It’s just a simple no-frills homage to a bygone era. It could have done with a few more games, modes or even a few extra celebrations for this once-great franchise. Still, this is a pleasant run and jump down memory lane.

Bus Simulator 21 allows you to experience the day in the life of a bus driver managing their own company. Create routes, receive pay days, scold ticket dodgers and be on time. The game comes with a clunky and overwhelming interface and little tutorial, but if you shift past this, Bus Simulator 21 could invite a satisfying ride.

Goat Simulator 3 nails the ridiculousness in a bigger, more intuitive way. The humour hits in every corner of the huge open world you’ll be exploring, culminating in hours of fun. The controls not feeling as modern as its peers, alongside small performance issues dampen the overall package, but if you’re looking for something truly off the wall and friendly for all ages, this game is one to check out.

Forsake is a brilliant blend of helpless walking-simulator and teamwork-focused horror exploration. While the gameplay loop is slightly repetitive and the predator entities lose their luster, the sense of atmosphere and potential replayability with friends makes this an exorcism worth seeking out.

Reanimal is a whole beast of its own from Tarsier Studios, but only vaguely beyond the surface. It's a dark yet tasteful turn into more mature horror, with a striking art style, and a tremendous level of world building. However, its gameplay doesn't quite feel like the improved pivot every other aspect Reanimal has, as it's what we've come to expect from the studio. It's still an unnerving spectacle to trudge through, but it just feels a little too familiar to be impactful.

No coins are necessary when taking on the difficult challenge that is Battle Axe. It’s visually and audibly stellar, likely to please anyone looking for a hit of nostalgia. However, the promised features and improvements of the PS5 version are missing and half the game doesn’t work as intended. With that said, the core gameplay is adrenaline fuelled and satisfying, hacking up the overall fun factor.

Crash Drive 3 might be rough round the edges but it’s a content filled playground of stunt ramps, loop-de-loops and tank battles that’s worth a look. Played alone it’s plainly average but with friends, the game comes alive and thanks to cross-play, it doesn’t matter what platform they’re using. It’s big, it’s dumb and it’s regularly exhilarating. This entry is real growth for a series that is coming into its own.

Vampire :The Masquerade: Bloodhunt is a solid battle royale with huge potential that it’s not quite reaching just yet. The traversal and rooftop battles are huge fun and the map is terrific. So long as Sharkmob believe in it, there could be something pretty special here down the line.

Dosa Divas isn't without some ingredients missing to create a robust RPG, but it's a well-seasoned narrative adventure that's exciting your senses. The story and characters are heartfelt and impressively written, the combat system although not expansive is fun to engage with; and the cooking minigames, whilst not perfect, are an excellent detour to round out the gameplay loop.

It may look deceptively cute, but El Hijo hides a level of stealth cunning to rival its peers in the genre. Not so much difficult-to-master as tempering your own patience, the reward for persevering is ultimately worth sticking it out.

Ion Fury: Aftershock holds nothing back with its intention. It's as old school an expansion pack as you can get, with more of the same and a smattering of new features to justify the price tag. It won't appeal to anyone who hasn't played the first Ion Fury, but it's a solid continuation for those that have.

If you’re a fan of the likes of Overcooked and you’re looking for a new title to spice up your games night, Cannibal Cuisine is certainly worth your time. Despite its familiar aspects, it adds a little of something new to the formula via its darkly funny theme. It’s not as polished or as packed with content as the genre leaders but it’s still a dish worth tucking into.

Chessarama converts the tactical and strategic appeal of chess into a charming and brain-teasing puzzler successfully. It loses its Queen thanks to some minor technical hiccups and occasionally widely volatile difficulty curve, but there are more than enough pieces remaining to see it achieve a comfortable victory. Not quite a grandmaster, but an adept newcomer’s spin on the timeless game of chess.

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.

Still Wakes The Deep has a hauntingly well-realised setting in its North Sea oil rig, propped up by stellar sound and environmental design. Caz’s story carried some genuinely emotive moments, even if the backstory feels slightly underdeveloped and while the moment-to-moment stealth and navigation lack the depth of an ocean, they’re still deeper than the puddle many in the genre fall into. You’ll come for the nightmare, but stay for the rig.

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.

The game is a simple yet effective open-world exploration game that focuses on quality over quantity. The story doesn’t quite land for me and the cast is so big they became forgettable, but there’s an undeniable amount of charm present in it all. Caravan SandWitch respects your time above all else whilst catering to your 100%ing needs and I wish more games would follow suit. If a low-stakes open-world game is what you’re after this year, then Caravan SandWitch is a pretty good one to check out.

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.

Overall then, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has the makings of an incredible Warhammer 40k game – the gameplay loop is excellent, with the visual and sound design to match. Unfortunately, a lot of other aspects of the game do mar the experience somewhat, and it does feel unfinished in some areas. That being said, if Fatshark can build and improve upon the existing content, there is potentially a very special game here in future.

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.

Winter Burrow is a charming, storybook survival adventure that swaps stress for serenity, wrapping its cozy world in warmth and heart. It’s a delight to explore, but without a map or fast travel, that long trudge home can start to feel frostier than it should.

A cute coming of age space robot story and a fine addition to the cosy game genre, Growbot is a short and sweet puzzler with an ethereal soundtrack. This is one for those who want a short story, a beautiful art style and relaxing gameplay.

As a regular game, this title would likely have underwhelmed me somewhat with its basic gameplay and simplistic puzzle-exploration nature. The story is intriguing and hits its stride in the second half, but follows some usual tropes, doesn’t land all of its more complex themes and is relatively predictable. As a VR title though, the atmosphere of the forest, the foreboding sense of dread and the feeling of unease is ever present and amplified from the immersion of the headset and excellent audio design. It’s a great experience in VR and worth having a go with if you love all things horror or psychological thriller, just don’t expect to be scared to death or for anything deep gameplay-wise.