In a post Elden Ring world, Dolmen feels dated and too formulaic. It also lacks the personality, character and soul of the genre’s luminaries. If you’re looking for a new Soulslike game to scratch the itch however, Dolmen will certainly do that, despite its lack of mechanical innovation and uneven difficulty.

A short clicker cum incremental game that’s desperately short on personality and purpose, Steam Engine is 20 minutes of waiting for a platinum trophy to unlock. It’s surprisingly among the better titles that RandomSpin have released on PlayStation consoles but it still feels like cynical trophy bait that very few people will get any enjoyment out of.

Whilst it may seem like an intermission before Bloodlines 2 comes out, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong isn’t engaging enough to fill the gap. Lacklustre gameplay, unsightly character models and a sense of “You should know this already” are enough to put off the new players. Maybe for the fans, but that’s only if they’re coffin up the money for it.

A few small gripes aside, Eternal Threads is a smart, uniquely structured and thoroughly enjoyable narrative adventure. By taking a trope that has become associated with the genre and owning it, the game feels fresh among the other games that attempt this concept too. If you enjoyed the likes of Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture or Tacoma, you’ll enjoy this.

A child friendly, deeply approachable title that’s design specifically for the youngest of gamers, My Friend Peppa Pig is a triumph in tie-in game design. Like an interactive episode of the TV show, the little Peppa fans in your life will likely love this title because of its authenticity and ease of interactivity.

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.

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is adorable with clever logical puzzles that may appeal to the masses who love a good puzzler. Despite being filled with Bioluminescent beauty though, the lack of direction and repetitive environment holds it back from being anything more than ordinary.

An animated short that has been transformed into an interactive comic book game, The Jekoos on PS4 is a project that constantly feels at odds with itself. Poor quality audio, a dire lack of content and absurdist humour that telegraphs its own punch lines amount to a very disappointing package.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an essential gaming experience. It’s simultaneously a hilariously absurd adventure that can be enjoyed on its own merits and an insightful examination of storytelling in gaming. The acutely self-aware new content reframes the original game to give it refreshing new purpose alongside a cluster of new barbs aimed at the flaws in modern gaming. A must play.

It may have some technical issues that highlight the indie budget, but the good in Winter Ember outweighs the bad. It has all the stealth trappings; the frustration, the patience, as well as the stickiness of the combat, to harken back to the olden days. It may not be original, yet it doesn’t matter when it looks this nice and plays like the classics.

While it gets the absolute basics right, Alienzix is plagued by poor design decisions that make it a thoroughly unenjoyable experience. Short, bland and frustrating to play, there are plenty of other shmups that are more worthy of your time than this.

Micro Pico Racers is a perfectly fine attempt to replicate the Micro Machines formula. It’s nowhere near as charming and the formula has aged quite a bit in the intervening 30 years between when it was first realised and now. If you’re hankering for a budget racer with a 90’s feel though, this will certainly fit the bill.

Lawn Mowing Simulator lands on PS5 in a good condition, though the lack of PS5-only features and a little bit of spit and polish wouldn’t have gone amiss. Thankfully, the zen wonderment of this game remains, and there’s really nothing else like it.

Arise – A Simple Story contains a beautifully told story within a charming puzzle adventure. With poignant moments and joyful visuals, this game has the ability to capture a breadth of emotion with ease. It’s a short but worthy edition to narrative driven puzzle games.

A decent enough romp, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is let down by a few technical issues and some extremely dated graphics. Switch Lite users won’t get the full experience, but still enough to go on. Console limitations aside, it is fun to hoof Rebels about and use them like levitating pin cushions from time to time.

In Nightmare is a pale competitor to other titles of the horror-adventure genre. Stealth that’s preferable to charge through, puzzles that are the blandest of time-wasters and a narrative of dark themes burdened with typos and poor delivery. Real nightmares threaten your sleep with terror and fear, whereas In Nightmare only threatens to bore or frustrate you to death.

A charming, if simple, Zelda-like full of pot throwing and weirdness, Lila’s Sky Ark will fill a few hours, but fails to really differentiate itself in a crowded modern market.

An expansion that offers little of anything actually new, Tunnels of Terror adds only minor alterations to a formula that had already felt stale and repetitive in Back 4 Blood. The rogue-lite elements add another layer of mucus to blast off, but Back 4 Blood remains the same meagre husk it was at launch.

Lake is a casual, explorative and chilled narrative driven game where you get to immerse yourself in the quaint charms of Providence Oaks. The game features simple controls, wonderful performances and likely the most relaxing game play you’ll experience all year.

A shooting game devoid or personality and quality, Clay Skeet Shooting is among the worst shooters on the PS4. It’s functional, sure, but it’s far from enjoyable.

What could have potentially been a good hybrid of walking simulator and multiple choice adventure is instead buried under boring gameplay and eye-straining visuals. Ashwalkers squanders any narrative replayability by being an all-round drab experience that is as uninspiring as the wastelands it’s set in.

Cat Café Manager is a cozy, stress-free casual management game for anyone who wants to adopt cute kitties whilst serving coffee. Whilst not changing the genre of management style games in any particular way, this is ideal for those wanting a homely game to play at ease.

Model Builder’s powerful suite of building and painting tools enable calming and creative game play that makes a potentially tricky hobby very accessible. There’s oodles of potential here but some of that remains untapped as of yet. Future DLC and updates will hopefully tap into that and extend the game’s longevity.

An essential game for fans of Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a spin off that’s worth exploring. What’s more, this game feels like a turning point for the series as it becomes smarter and funnier than it is goofy and crude.

Weird West sadly just isn’t as unique, strange or compelling as its setting and ideas suggest it should be. A decent twin-stick shooter with solid but repetitive combat, a limited sandbox and inconsequential decision making undermine the potential for an awesome gun slinging adventure. Sometimes, declaring yourself weird just ain’t enough, you’ve got to have the stones to commit to the best duels of the wild west.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an absolute celebration of a galaxy far, far away. TT Games have been at this one for a long, long time and now we absolutely know why. They’ve made perhaps the most complete, expansive and nerf-herdin’ entertaining Star Wars game there’s ever been. Didn’t think they could pull this off? I find your lack of faith disturbing.

If you have felt that spies have been portrayed in the media as too grumpy and serious as of late, look no further. Agent Intercept throws it back to the wacky Saturday morning cartoon antics of spies, paired with some old school racers too. It’s quite short, especially when the campaign’s done, but if you want ten hours of cars and gadgets, look no further.

The Ascent has the kind of graphical and audio design prowess that many games can only dream of. While some technical and mechanical issues disrupt the immersion, there’s no denying the sheer sadistic joy that comes from shredding through the neon glazed tiers of Veles. A critique of the Cyberpunk genre this isn’t, but damn is it a blast to play.