With better, more functional games already in existence and more exciting ones on the horizon (hello Dungeon Chess and Auto-Chess), it’s incredibly difficult to recommend Sabec’s version of Chess to anyone. Checkmate? There’s no way out for this one.

Warborn is a stylish, smartly designed and content packed sci-fi strategy game. The 30~ hour campaign tells a fun narrative, despite a rocky start, that tests the player to overcome a decent variety of foes and puzzle like missions. With a tactical depth that’s immediately clear but surprisingly deep, it’s a joy to play both on and offline. A few niggles aside that could be fixed post release, Warborn is one of the better strategy games you’ll play this year.

If you’re hankering for a game that looks like it comes from the late 80’s/early 90’s and can keep you busy for an hour for a few pounds Sterling, that’s what you’ll get here. It is sorely missing multiplayer, leader boards and game modes that could really elevate it to bigger and better things. Maybe in a sequel…

If you’re desperate to play a Match-3 game and the only system you could possibly play it on is a PS4 then Rune Lord will give you what you want. There’s some easy trophies to earn here too. Unfortunately, if you’ve got a mobile phone or PC with an internet connection at hand then you already have access to a plethora of more innovative, more original and simply better Match-3 games that are free to play and will only cost you the amount of time to dismiss an occasional advert. When there are better alternatives with no monetary price, Rune Lord becomes a very hard game to sell or recommend.

Clocking in at just under 3 hours for a single play through, Gunman Clive HD Collection is a short yet charming experience on PS4. For the first game, the length isn’t so much a detriment because the game flows very quickly and is constantly fresh and fun. The remastered sequel is a far less enjoyable experience, doubling its length but containing some truly irritating or confusing sections. The unique art style is as much an annoyance as it is pleasing on the eye when used incorrectly but at least the soundtrack remains consistently pleasant.

Troubleshooter is ugly, mechanically shallow, stylistically mundane and lacks any kind of innovation. Without a framing or story to give it meaning, it looks like a hodgepodge of assets thrown together with some barely working systems and mechanics built around them. The design flaws are numerous, the soundtrack irritating and it is quite frankly the worst game I’ve played in 2020.

If you’re a veteran of Solomon’s Key and are desperate for more, Ghost Sweeper will provide you with what feels like the levels from the 1980’s classic that didn’t make the cut. The mechanics and enemy types have been recreated with a spit shine for modern TV’s and having a second playable character is a nice touch. Compared to modern day puzzle platformers though, Ghost Sweeper feels like a relic from the past that needed more of a refresh that simply updated visuals.

WarriOrb is a painful experience, and your enjoyment levels will depend on how masochistic you are. I found no impetus, no driving force to get the wisecracking Orb from A to B through any more sorry-looking levels. Very quickly I had had enough of retrying broken platforming sections two or three dozen times, for what is essentially no reward, except more of the same relentless, slow, monotonic boredom.

As a single-player experience, there is little to keep you playing past the first few rounds, but as a party game with some mates, there’s fun to be had. It’s not the epic that Rocket League is, it’s not the clever and skilled party game that Over-Cooked is, nor is it as memorable as many classic party games, like the Crash Bash, Mario Parties and Pokemon Stadium mini-games of old. But it does what it sets out to do, just with absolutely no embellishments or flair. There’s just very little to it and that lack of content is the main story here.

Those with the patience to can forgive its foibles and push through the issues that Construction Sim 3 has though will be rewarded with that strangely therapeutic and relaxing game play loop. It’s surprisingly rewarding to stand back and survey your virtual creations when they’re finished but there’s plenty of room for improvement with the inevitable next instalment in the Construction Simulator series.

Null Drifter is a fun game for a short burst of chaos and has plenty of good points with the dash mechanic and the various power-ups. However, give the game thirty minutes or so and you’ve pretty much seen all it has to offer. If your eyes can somehow translate the flurry of pixels on the screen, you’ll have fun unlocking the trophies, something you seem to win after every bullet fired. Null Drifter is a simple, fun, but ultimately shallow shooter, which is fine if you want a quick blast.

This is a simple game with a simple mission with only the bare minimum of content to keep you playing. Usually, even the simplest games are at least polished in one particular way or another with either beautiful graphics, or some interesting gameplay gimmick to keep you coming back. Galactic Warfighter has no unique selling point. It is as generic as its name suggests.

Simplistic but fun mini-games can’t quite match the quality of the music they’re accompanying in Teenage Blob, a unique split EP music/game that’s over before it really hits its stride.

A sound puzzle platforming concept that leverages character cooperation is ruined by technical flaws and a show stopping bug. There’s mushroom for improvement here.

It’s almost impossible to recommend Sabec’s Golf, a game with a single course, frustrating physics, a low-poly environment that’s difficult to read and a distinct lack of personality. This game is a hole in 1/10.

A cracking roguelike with a welcome progression system, Collapsed is only let down by its dated Flash-like graphics. See past that, and there’s a cracking adventure to keep coming back to.

Bringing nothing new to the table, suffering with some frustrating sections and with an art style that’s nice to look but can make the game hard to read, The Explorer of Night is a retro inspired platformer that’ll scratch that twitchy platformer itch for a day or so – but no longer.

The Darkest of Times stark and sobering reminder of how lucky we are, and what sacrifices were made for the greater good. As basic as you can get for a strategy game but it’s all the better for it.

Cave Digger loses a lot of immersion in the journey to flat screen TV’s but the game play loop of mining and then re-investing in making the digging faster and more efficient still works a treat. Coupled with the darkly funny DLC which is included in the non-VR version of the game, this is a game that’s still worth a look when played on a TV rather than a headset.

While it’s far clunkier than it’s PC counterpart, Niche on the Switch is still an interesting strategy game that uses population genetics as a core gameplay loop to both entertain and inform. It has its issues but it’s weapons grade cute and anyone who enjoyed Spore will get something out of this.

Described as a “sandbox hunting simulator”, Sabec’s Hunt is anything but. A poorly crafted open world, shallow shooting mechanics, bizarre AI reactions and very little incentive to play the game beyond a few runs, Hunt is the worst hunting game on PS4 by a country mile.

Whilst it initially looks like carnage, Police Stories offers a level of tactic and forethought to the top-down shooter genre. Get past that initial steepness and there’s a wealth of fun to be had in the methodical approach.

A shallow and featureless package, Air Hockey is a game that wrestles with its control method and loses. It lacks any personality and within a few seconds, you’ll have seen everything this game has to offer. Compared to many of the other Air Hockey games available today, or from history, Sabec’s effort is a spectacular own goal.

A console version of a classic pub quiz machine game, Sabec’s Spot The Difference is fun to play as a group and intuitive enough for a toddler to pick up. Unfortunately, a lack of content means that within a few hours, the images have repeated so often that there’s no more differences to find. There’s much better versions of this concept elsewhere and for a much smaller entry price.

Erratic physics, sluggish controls and a lack of any meaningful game modes means that while Sabec’s Table Tennis might look like the great sport of ping pong, it doesn’t play anything like it.

The saying “you get what you pay for” certainly applies to Road Bustle. An unsightly runner that’ll keep you entertained for mere seconds, this game is little more than a Platinum trophy with a price tag.

A unique narrative framing and art style give Stilstand the tools to tell the story of one woman’s summer long existential crisis in a compelling and original way. It’s a short experience but one that’ll be deeply relatable and darkly funny to those who know the sting of anxiety and depression. This is one of 2020’s hidden gems.

Probably the quickest and most pleasant platinum trophy on the Playstation 4, Feather gives you the chance to soar like a bird. It’s a shame that it is held back by an empty world, a lack of interesting things to do beyond flight, and control glitches.