A dark premise that, like most uncomfortable experiences, deserves to be told. A few technical issues knocked my pacing back slightly, but didn’t stop me from seeing this through.

Swimming in 90s vibes, colour, and charm, Neurodiver is a tasty second helping of this vibrant future, full of characters I enjoyed catching up with. Its trouble lies in the lack of content, expansion to the world, or even meaningful explanations of its plot. It’s fun to neuro-dive in, but you’ll quickly realise this is the shallow end of the pool.

Plantera 2: Golden Acorn is worth the visit to the garden if you like the idle sim/clicker genre. More of an interactive screensaver than a videogame, it’s still a delightful, adorable visual garden. It runs on the same natural formula of the genre, remaining accessible and easy to play. Cute, adorable, albeit a bit basic, but enjoyable in the short term.

A good first lap for a racing series debut, RiMS Racing is a game designed for bikers. It adds an element of maintenance and customisation to the racing formula which makes for a compelling career experience. With great action on track and a unique system off it, RiMS is certainly worth your time but has room for improvement in a sequel.

A little rough around the edges, even for the lo-fi approach – Chasing Static is a decent time if you’re looking for a short sci-fi horror story. The PSX art style lends itself into being an aesthetically memorable experience that might please fans of that era of horror games. Despite the game’s title I wasn’t necessarily guided by the static, resulting in a missing trick. However, the decent albeit a little vague story made me want to stay in the game till the end.

A great introductory game to the turn based strategy genre for younger gamers, Eldrador Creatures puts kids at the centre of its design. It probably could and should have been more than it is and this game won’t entertain TBS veterans but if you’re looking for something to entertain the kids in what remains of the lockdown, this game is worth a shot.

Dungeon Escape is a fun 2D platforming game with solid mechanics and a challenging but rewarding series of levels designed to test your patience and your reflexes. Despite its short length and decidedly inconsistent difficulty curve, it certainly merits its existence and will likely give you a couple of hours of enjoyment. It may be an imitation of a superior game, but sometimes, imitation can be flattering.

It’s to SNK’s enormous credit that they’ve kept the Samurai Shodown franchise fresh for long enough to deliver a game in 2021 that deserves to take its place alongside the heavy hitters of the mainstream fighting scene. Sadly, a lack of content means that it’s unlikely to be first choice for the afficionados. Still worth checking out though, especially if you’re able to give it a go at 120fps.

It takes a bit of getting used to, as expected, and is a bit heavy-handed with its combat and vague on storytelling. But once you’re getting used to its nuances, Chronos: Before the Ashes opens up into a great little Soulsborne affair.

A much improved and expanded second lap for the series, Formula Retro Racing – World Tour is a retro inspired racer that attempts to modernise the Virtua Racing and Outrun formula. It succeeds, to some degree. There’s still unfulfilled potential however, as the game lacks a variety of game play modes and the single player content can be completed in just a few hours.

Overboard is a 2D puzzle murder mystery, and is infectiously intriguing with a quirky art style. If you love murder mysteries and choice based games, you will have a lot of fun with this short snapshot version of one suiting it’s release on Switch and IOS/Android. Your patience may run short replaying 35 minute sections from the beginning however.

Two Point Museum's Switch 2 port retains the games gloriously entertaining mechanics, hilarious dialogue and addictive gameplay loop. It stutters in the visuals when the crowds pile up though, and the lack of mouse controls is a strange thing to miss for such a big port. As such, there are far better places to experience this terrific game.

Golfie is a first of its kind deckbuilding, roguelike minigolf game. Whilst simplistic in design, Golfie offers a range of challenges to the player that adds an extra dynamic to your usual minigolf fare. There is a certain charm to Golfie that is not often met with sport games. It’s a welcoming roguelike that’s easy to lose an hour to.

Managing to encompass the feeling of a leisurely stroll through an idyllic, relaxing location, Spilled! has both a great message regarding the environment, while also being a relaxing experience in and of itself. The short runtime might leave you wanting a bit more, and the boat can occasionally feel a tad cumbersome, but Spilled! remains a visually lovely and atmospherically pleasant jaunt through waters ready for your clean up operation.

Hopefully fixes are on the way for its technical issues because otherwise, I Am Fish is a fun and charming physics puzzle title. This game feels like the next evolution of the comedy sim genre that’s replacing the wonky, janky nodding goats and intentionally poor control schemes for a more deliberate style of comedy that’s much more accessible, interesting and polished.

Rita’s Rewind is an enjoyable throwback that Power Rangers fans will appreciate, but its frustrating flaws prevent it from becoming a standout in the beat-'em-up revival.

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.

Slasher inspired with a gratifying nostalgia for tank controls, inventory management and limited saves, The Fear Business is a short and bloody retro horror game. The PS1 era visuals are a treat, and though the save system and voice acting has their befuddling moments, this is a crazed killer that has some legs to keep up the hunt, before inevitably being overcome by those meddling kids... sorry, reporters.

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.

Among Ashes is an impressively original retro-horror that's main downfall is its worship to other franchises. There's a great narrative told between multiple worlds and some genuine scares that are worth experiencing. When you're not sure if the game's got a bug or a feature, you know you're in for the right kind of paranoia.

Mayhem in Single Valley’s components themselves don’t stand out. However the culmination of all the over-the-top apocalyptic retro inspired elements makes a game about saving the world a decent time. The levels are fun to explore, the comedy is bashful and the music a true highlight; there just maybe not enough mayhem.

Boasting a unique universe with interesting factions and streamlined strategy gameplay that works surprisingly well on console, Songs of Silence is mostly singing from the same hymn sheet. It botches a couple of notes thanks to significant framerate and performance issues alongside some wild difficulty spikes, but it's otherwise an army working in harmony.

While it’s not pushing the genre any further forward, Scarf is a perfectly pleasant way to spend 6 hours of your life. As a non-combative puzzle platformer, it lacks originality. Thankfully, a clever two sided narrative carries the game as it tells both sides of a tale and positions the player in the centre. Just make sure you play this game with a guide so you don’t have to replay whole levels again.

The persistent threat of being submerged below the rising tides makes Flooded a tense affair, naturally encouraging efficient and smart city-building thought. Clunky console controls, infrequent yet frustrating glitches and less important peripheral mechanics mean there are holes threatening to capsize this ship, but the hull and crew keep it afloat. If you can handle the relentless pressure of the waves, you may find a lot of satisfaction in enduring this flood.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has an identity crisis. The core gameplay is diverse and addicting. The tonally grim but hilarious story showcases Rocksteady at their best, and the game is technical wizardry. However, anything live service about the game entirely complicates what is otherwise a winning formula that not even Task Force X can save.

A modern day twist on a neglected classic, Horatio Goes Snowboarding is a budget, simplistic but addictive arcade game. It’s not quite on the level of other Infinite State Games but it’ll still fill an evening or two with enjoyable twitchy action. Maybe longer if you take on the leaderboards.

Maestro passes the baton to you to be a conductor with outstanding results. The core gameplay is fine-tuned and authentic, with a soundtrack that's one for the ages - and not because it's a lot of old songs. However, with a lack of incentive to outperform yourself or peers, and no good way to play the game outside of going between songs for 2 hours, Maestro is slightly lacking in being an essential VR game.

It’s not a massively deep game, with a skills-and-stars upgrade system cribbed from many a game. That being said, Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a fun little adventure in a First World War mold. Taking to the skies has never been so colourful.