While not bound for the embrace of death owing to its unique party system and visual flair, Deathbound struggles to stave off the reaper’s scythe thanks to technical issues, poorly told stories and unbalanced though otherwise competent gameplay. It may scratch the Soulslike itch for some, but whether you’d reanimate the souls of the damned for a longer crusade, only the Lady of Death knows.

Project Starship X is a well put together retro shmup with tons of style. It’s simple and hones its small selection of moves into well-handled and white knuckle sections of gameplay. However it’s also relatively short, and lacks any real depth unless you’re a score-chaser.

Curved Space is a decent twin stick shooter which has a variety of weapons, striking level backdrops, satisfying upgrade systems and a cool leash mechanic. Sadly, it’s significantly let down by repetitive objectives, technical issues and level design which is aesthetically, but not practically, interesting. While not a bad game by any means, Curved Space sadly fails to capitalise on its promise despite its solid offering of modes.

Unlike the French Revolution, you’re most probably going to fail at subduing this rebellious town a number of times. Deep and challenging gameplay systems are unfortunately undermined by an authoritarian difficulty curve, lack of variety in presentation and a bland story. For would-be dictators however, there’s a city worth pulling up kicking and screaming from the dirt.

Grab a partner or rope in a friend to laugh and cry your way through In Sink's series of carefully crafted puzzle rooms. While the repeated use of certain mechanics takes a toll on the fun, the more creative challenges are full of flair and are a joy to overcome. The highs just about outweigh the lows, leaving In Sink swirling the basin without ever really rising above it.

Eastward Octopia is a lovely addition to Eastward if you just want to bask in that world again and you are satisfied doing a few farming tasks. At only £4.99 it’s kind of insanely cheap. But if you are coming into this new, Octopia is too sedate for its own good and doesn’t give a good idea of the main game. Play Eastward first, and if you love it, only then consider coming back for a second course.

On the surface Poison Control looks to be cut from the same cloth as Persona, brimming with cute characters, witty script and changing hearts. But under the poison mires you need to clear and the poor shooting, the gameplay lacks polish and chokes on repetition, and the story often descends into caricature and mishandles a sexual assault. Its style is really only skin deep.

Hampered by control and interface issues, Planet Zoo is a neutered and dishevelled version of the graceful beast it is on PC. It has an abundance of content, a wonderfully educational attitude to conservation and the presentation value is top-notch. If it wasn’t for the crippling issues I faced running my zoos, this would be the definitive virtual safari management title.

Curse of the Sea Rats takes some good ideas for gameplay systems but fumbles them in the execution. As a Metroidvania, it could be a good entry point and if it is, it can only go up from here. However, the animation that is in the game and the music does make a pirate life one for me, just not an overall great one.

Vertical 2D battles in a giant tower are a great USP, but GrimGrimoire can’t reach the pinnacle with a battle system more bloated and complex than fun. Vanillaware’s beautiful signature artwork and clever narratives are as ageless now as they were back in 2007, but some design choices leave a bitter aftertaste.

A competent action adventure with a focus on stealth and platforming, Steel Seed is a fun enough romp through futuristic giga-architecture. It’s unintended glitches and unresponsive combat bring it down, and the overall package isn’t all that compelling when better examples exist elsewhere.

With a terrific hand-drawn style, an intriguing premise (inspired by a rich vein of criminally under-represented folklore), and solid controls, Tunche does a lot right, but it’s also a game that saves too much of its good stuff for the later stages, which is likely to drive away many looking for more instant gratification. With a more gentle introductory curve in the early stages and more rewarding incentives for progress, Tunche could be the next Castle Crashers, especially if you can rope some mates in. As it stands, it might be too much of a slog at the start to stick with, in order to see the good stuff further in.

A rough start that continues for hours may put some off, but if you love the Jurassic franchise then this could be for you. The stealth isn’t translated well from VR but it’s serviceable albeit one-note. However, the presentation and music compliment the franchises ethos exceptionally, making it a competent Jurassic experience.

Despotism 3k has a solid strategy resource management core and some excellent, creative text dialogue events oozing with humour. It also has one of the most punishing and demotivating RNG event simulators that can break each of your runs without mercy and will happily kick your progress to the curb. It’s a decent game, but just like its real life despot counterparts, holding onto ultimate power will always be impossible to enjoy when a Cthulu monster decides it doesn’t appreciate your delusion of grandeur.

Sumptuously animated, Greak Memories of Azur draws you in with its high-end artwork. However, the game is an exercise in frustration and bad design choices. A central mechanic of three characters controlled by one player with no co-op option, hinders platforming and renders combat nigh on impossible. I’m out here trying to forget Azur.

Rubber Bandits has nearly all the components for a great party game, whether playing with friends in your house, or playing online with strangers. With multiple game modes, characters to choose from and tactics to employ, this game could be a lot of fun. The only thing holding it back currently is the input delay, reaction times, and the sheer frustration of playing online. There is a diamond in the rough somewhere here, it may just take some digging through the dirt.

Whilst there isn't much gameplay to get stuck into, Urban Myth Dissolution Center has an engrossing mystery worth experiencing. Hypnotic visuals and decent writing may not make the game feel any less slower but it's perfect for those wanting a macabre visual novel to get lost in.

The potential behind Way of the Hunter is there to give the likes of the Cabela series a run for its money. It’s just marred with a few too many technical issues that prevent it from being a fun and immersive experience overall. Stuff it and move on to the next quarry instead.

Ultimately, while 8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adventure is a competent enough addition to the Metroidvania genre, with a decent story and acceptable gameplay, it doesn’t do enough with its potential to rub shoulders with the giants of the field. If you’re mad for these types of games, you can do much worse. However, if you’re only interested in something more unique, this probably isn’t interesting enough to do the job.

Attempting to punch above its serfdom beginnings, Rising Lords serves up a competent yet disappointingly hollow strategy experience. The tutorialisation will ward off many potential banners and despite a charming board game aesthetic, it struggles to consistently demonstrate its knightly qualities. With some time and reinforcements, there’s hope this young lord can achieve their lordly status, but it’s not quite yet.

Swapping clubs for running and swinging, The Cub is an okay platformer that rides the coattails of Golf Club Nostalgia’s wonderful aesthetic, soundtrack and satirical ingenuity. The frustrating controls and basic gameplay mean this fledging doesn’t develop as strongly as its forebear did. But, there’s enough still running through this cub’s DNA to make it part of the pack.

As a movie, In Sound Mind may have been an interesting and quirky, if slightly derivative, story of introspection and psychological understanding. As a game though, it simply doesn’t have the depth of mechanics to hold you through its 5-6 hour runtime. Sporting awful combat and stealth sequences, boring level design and inconsistent presentation, In Sound Mind activates too few of the adrenaline-controlling brain areas. Instead, it peaked some interest which slowly faded out the longer I played. You wouldn’t be out of your mind to play it if you’re a psychological horror fan, but you’ll potentially be in two minds of whether it was actually fun to play.

Battle Brothers has remarkable freedom that’s rare to see in the RPG genre. It truly feels like your decisions and actions have weight and that the responsibility for your band of warriors rests in your hands – quite literally on the Switch. That’s backed up by a deep turn based battle system that’s deceptively strategic. Unusually long load times and a frustratingly steep learning curve, compounded by a lack of an adequate tutorial, means that some players will bounce right off this game however, never getting to experience its best aspects.

The console versions of Cloudpunk then are, at the time of writing, buggy and a little broken in places they shouldn’t be, but if you’re lucky enough to power through without any major issues, you’ll lose hours to the fantastic narrative, terrific central character performances and gorgeous neon-soaked visuals.

The Callisto Protocol is a good game that falls short in almost every department of being a great one. Predictable story, gratifying-yet clunky combat mechanics and a lack of variety hold back what is an otherwise visual and audible spectacle. Dead Space has cast a long shadow since its release in 2008 and The Callisto Protocol can’t emerge from the depth of its superb darkness.

When you get over the niggling feeling of what seems like a mobile port, Dustoff Z is quite fun. It has an element of grind to it, sans microtransactions, but treat it like a simple-minded arcade game and you’ll have a blast.

With an interesting take on the core gameplay of asymmetrical horror and a clear love for the franchise, Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Video Game is dreadfully unbalanced and unforgiving for solo players. Whilst the game has great art direction, the animation and overall movement feels dated. If you like the franchise or indeed Illfonic’s asymmetric outings you can probably dig this, but otherwise it’s not all too memorable.

Born of Bread would grab your attention if it was in the shop window of a bakery. It has all the hallmark elements for a warm and inviting paperlike RPG, though its contents are lacklustre with a basic story, systems that punish your exploration and a combat system that needs a little tinkering. However, the heart of the game and all-around pleasantries do make it at least half a baker’s dozen.