A real blast from the past, Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening is as classic an anime as it gets. Whilst it seems like a niche game for the fans, it's an accessible action platformer for old and newcomers a like. Interspersed with original animations and corny dialogue, it's a fun little romp through the golden era of anime and space adventuring.

Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion suffers from too many systems and not enough depth. Sure, there’s a lot to do and a lot of mech customisation, but it’s all set in an underwhelming and cliched story and a barren open world devoid of compelling content.

We don’t get enough science fiction survival horror games, so when one comes along it’s a real treat. Cronos: The New Dawn merges effective brutal combat and excellent charging gunplay, with a design, atmosphere and aesthetic that is next level memorable. If you felt the void after Dead Space, this will fill it. And then Merge with it, and make something new and spiky and horrible.

Metal Eden’s hyperkinetic and challenging gameplay that tested age-old strategies was appreciated, even if it’s science fiction city and story was too safe and generic to be memorable. It is not Metroid however much it might want to look like it on the shiny spherical surface.

Hirogami has a bright world to explore and some interesting gameplay ideas to fold over. However, the art of it all is a little lost when the developers' over ambition doesn't come to fruition in the game. It plays old, feels like it too, and despite being a throwback to the PS2 era, it doesn't have the tact and precision to pull off this nostalgia trip.

Hell Is Us succeeds in a fantastic throwback premise; to do away with modern quest markers and maps and just exist in the game and find your own way. Yet you are never lost, because its world breathes and lives and guides in far subtler, deeper ways. An incredible modern classic of both mystery and narrative structure that I hope inspires a whole new generation of game developers.

A slick and stylish revival that captures the spirit of classic Shinobi while adding modern polish. Tight combat, striking visuals, and smart level design make this a must-play for fans of ninja action.

Vlad Circus: The Curse of Asmodeus is the follow-up I wasn't expecting, and one I wish could have been better. The gameplay is lighter, the story less rich and the tone even more bleak than Descend Into Madness. If this wasn't attached to a good prequel, this would be overlooked.

There's not a huge amount to get excited about with Sporting Goods Shop, but what it does it does well enough to justify its existence. If you're new to the genre, you could do a lot worse. A veteran simulator player? Move along, you've seen it all before.

A bitesize indie adventure guiding a herd of fictional creatures back to their home atop a mountain, Herdling has charm in spades, and a wonderful minimal design that prioritises experience over everything.

A pleasantly competent cosy sim, Discounty combines light drama with supermarket running gameplay to make something very relaxing. However, it may be a little too relaxed as there's no progression tied to gameplay and no real room to excel at being a shopkeeper, giving you nothing to work towards with agency. Cosy sim fans will have a good time but not a great one.

A bargain God of War inspired adventure, this is one for those with the soulslike fatigue. A tightly delivered narrative, characters with more than average depth, and combat that mostly works, Echoes of the End is a solid title that delivers far more consistently than most AAA games in recent memory.

It looks beautiful, it's got the right amount of challenge in it, and it plays smoothly. What more could you ask from Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound? As a standalone title, or to tied over until the next main game comes along, you'll certainly have a flipping good time.

Perhaps the cosiest of cosy games, Tiny Bookshop revels in its serenity, offering a gloriously tempered adventure that brings you into a story you'll want to live out yourself. If you know your books you'll be instantly hooked. For the rest of us, Tiny Bookshop is difficult to put down once you begin, much like the novels you'll be selling in this delightful game.

Mafia: The Old Country strips back much of what weighed Hanger 13's previous entry down. While the story and gameplay rely solely on solid and well-trodden tropes in a much more linear design, the intense focus on great characters and a gorgeous Sicilian setting make this a leaner experience that's worth the lower price of admission. This Mafioso family has a long way to go to re-establish its place at the head of the table, but the beginnings of its criminal enterprise are promising.

Fantasy Finds doesn't just add a few shiny trinkets, it gives Two Point more personality, new layers of strategy and a big injection of continued silliness. The new experts make for a great add on , the artifact buff brings a clever link between display and discovery and the decor is joy for anyone who aligns more with the architect class than the management one. The price point for the content you get is absolutely worth it. This is the perfect reason to unlock the castle doors again if it's been a while since you've jumped in, whether it is or not...be careful where you put the chicken statue, though.

A bitesize RPG with some incredibly gorgeous pixel art, Artis Impact has a quirkiness and charm that will either win you over, or frustrate you beyond belief, but it’s odd systems and largely unrealised combat system will exasperate regardless.

Dripping in Lovecraftian and Papers, Please! inspiration, Static Dread: The Lighthouse forgoes the generic focus on monster shooting, instead drawing you in and challenging your sense of reality with difficult moral decisions, stress-inducing gameplay and an unsettling, ever-deteriorating environment. Few games capture the essence of H.P Lovecraft's particular blend of madness from unknowable knowledge, but this Old Great One does.

Bringing a conquest mode to Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance adds to the already excellent gritty and realistic tactical battles from the vanilla release. Unfortunately, the mode is also lacking in substance, with no diplomacy and attack vs defence variables to consider, which leaves Uprising feeling like a great concept that's a sad case of missed potential.

Spy Drops desperately wants to be an authentic homage to the original Metal Gear Solid, but fails in almost every aspect. Riddled with issues, from the camera, to the AI, to the level-breaking glitches, there's simply little redeeming quality to this low-effort copy. Just do another re-run with Solid Snake himself and save yourself the pain of this.

Time Flies may be on the short side, but it's quirky and funny list of things to do and surprising amount of attention to immersion transforms a quick jaunt into an impactful life lesson. Life's too short to worry about the small stuff, be a fly for a couple of hours.

Endzone 2 emerges from the fallout shelter with a new direction. The shift to a more modular, zone-based world map, as well as more directly involved expeditions both pays off and causes drawbacks in equal measure. However, the core of this colony sim continues to be entertaining and well structured, even if it is as slowly paced as the rate of radiation decontamination.

Eriksholm the place is a beautiful creation, full of detail and complexity. It’s a shame that Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream lacks the same kind of complexity. With only a handful of stealth tools or route options, it feels like a guided tour of the city rather than a stealth adventure where anything could happen.

In attempting to modernise and streamline the formula, Killing Floor 3 delivers a decent but disappointing follow-up to a niche classic. The changes to Perks, weapon variety and introduction of the social hub do little to uplift the core mechanics, and even hinder the best of what Killing Floor 2 delivered. The music and MEAT system deliver the thrills alongside solid gunplay and wave-based survival, but this sequel struggles to build a menacing legacy that can stand alongside the previous iteration.

Another drop in the Soulslike well, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is if anything a spirited and colourful take on precedings. But lush visuals and a smattering of some tweaked mechanics don't really do much to differentiate from practically any other offering in the difficult action-adventure genre. One for the devout, perhaps, but nothing new to those that are getting Souls fatigue.

The Edge of Fate is a desperately disappointing follow up to The Final Shape, offering little to nothing of value to the overall Destiny 2 experience. A forgettable story, lifeless new locations and joyless mechanic additions, this is a sad indictment on Bungie's current place in the industry.

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.

Birdigo captures that feeling we all felt when we played Balatro for the first time, but gives it a Wordle/Scrabble-esque remix with a narrative about migrating birds. On paper, it probably shouldn't work but John August and Corey Martin have created a game that is quite frankly unputdownable. A glorious puzzler with roguelike mechanics, Birdigo's talons will hook you in and not let go.