A triumphant new IP from Bandai Namco, Scarlet Nexus is probably the best RPG of the year so far. Its compellingly dark story will keep you guessing through two necessary playthroughs, while its engaging psychokinetic combat is in a class of its own, albeit with exceptionally streamlined progression. Throwing your toys around has never been so much fun.

Running free as Chesley in Farewell North is a liberating and visually beautiful time. With a heartfelt, emotionally investing story about grief and loss, stunning visuals and a soaring score, Farewell North overcomes its more straightforward mechanics and helps us appreciate the little things. Like playing fetch with your canine best friend, you’ll be wanting to come back for more, no matter the weather or occasionally rough edges.

It may have a half-baked premise, but don’t let that put you off of Ghostrunner. The gameplay far outweighs it, and once you get your head in the game, it’s so utterly rewarding. Hard, yes, but oh so incredible when you grasp it. Lose yourself in the visuals and synthwave as you rise to the top.

Ys X Nordics focuses on narrative and the essence of being a fun adventure, without much of the fluff that can weigh down more accomplished titles. It’s an open world, but it rarely demanded I wasted time doing fetch quests, and its melee and nautical combat are weighty enough for this kind of mid-length campaign. Ys X Nordics takes the series back to its beginnings, and while I can lament the things we lost along the way, it was still a worthwhile adventure.

Overall, there is plenty of game here and enough to challenge even the most hardened shoot-’em-up fanatic, but also enough tricks up its sleeve to cater for newcomers. Natsuki Chronicles will be on my ‘pick up and play’ list for a while.

You’re going to want a pen and a pad nearby to keep track of your characters, the threads and the keywords you’ll want to search for, and some questionable design decisions hold the game back from being an all-out classic of the genre – with the shocks and twists of Her Story towering over Telling Lies’ endgame – but it’s still well worth exploring if you’re looking for an interactive mystery to untangle.

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.

Wartales is a mix of great ideas tempered by some questionable design decisions. I really want to love this game, and there is plenty of fun to be had, but I can’t help but feel like there was a missed opportunity to make a good game a true great. For fans of the genre I do recommend picking it up and giving it a go, but I really hope that the game gets expanded upon in the future to let it live up to its full potential. [Early Access Provisional Score = 60]

A natural evolution of Absolute Drift, art of rally is a terrific passion project that serves as the perfect love letter to rally driving. Designed to be accessible to anyone, regardless of skill level, and with a huge amount of content, it’s a game that you could easily be playing a year from now and still finding new ways to approach it. As such, it’s an incredible value proposition and one of the best racing games in recent memory.

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.

Baring an incredible set of fangs, V Rising successfully coagulates the blood of multiple genres into a massively compelling, rich and satisfying vampire survival title. Morph into a wolf as you build your gothic fortress, venture out on challenging hunts and team up with or decimate your fellow vampires in a stellar time-sink of a game. Not many vampires can rival Dracula for his throne, but V Rising just might.

A unique FMV game that’s both poignant and entertaining, Five Dates is essential for fans of this genre regardless of a few flaws. Excellent acting, a smart replayable structure and culturally important subject matter make this an easy recommendation, even for those that don’t traditionally like games.

An Ys classic remade and now remastered, The Oath in Felghana is the Ys series at its most punishing and retro. Frustrating bosses, challenging combat from one end of the land to the other, retro design, and a dull forgettable story, make this one for the die-hard fans only.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins succeeds in both reinventing and rediscovering the bombastic thrill of a series that had drifted from its path. Veterans will likely feel disappointed with some of the personalisation changes and smaller character pool, but Origins delivers the incredible thrill of 1 vs 1000 clashes. With a deepened combat system and brilliant level of performance, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a welcoming spectacle for returning fans and newcomers alike.

Haiku, the Robot is an exceptional debut and a wonderful Metroidvania. The content updates and overall gameplay improvements over time have only bolstered the game’s overall package, making it the best time to play. General combat isn’t compelling and the introspective story can get lost, but the exploration and accessibility make the game special.

Created by just a single person, Dystopika distills the essence of the visual appeal of cyberpunk worlds into a small but creative package. What’s here is simple and accessible, even if it feels a bit light in terms of content to play around with. Despite this, it’s hard to deny the inherent appeal of erecting the perfect futuristic metropolis as you kick back and take in the sights and sounds.

Dordogne’s limited gameplay stints what is otherwise an exceptionally creative experience. The story is impactful and the handcrafted watercolour-painted world is beyond impressive, not to mention a soundtrack of the year contender. You won’t get lost in the brush strokes, but you will fall for its incredible charm.

Living up to its title, King of Fighters XV is a fantastic slice of 3D fighting action. Don’t worry if you’re not a long-time fan, there’s enough to get you started here. A massive cast of brawlers, plenty of styles to choose from, and a host of fighting modes make this worthy of fighting fan’s collection.

House Flipper 2 showed me the joy of cleaning, throwing out the trash and donning my paint roller. I thoroughly hate cleaning and interior decor discussions in real life, but there’s an innate satisfaction that comes with doing it virtually the real world just can’t replicate. It has some issues and it might be too chilled for its own good in places, but House Flipper 2 is a DIY project worth taking on.

The TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is exactly what it says it is. It’s thirteen classic Turtles adventures, with some modern quality of life improvements to tip the scales on occasion. For those expecting more in terms of remake, remaster or more content, it won’t be found here. Just pure nostalgia.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii exemplifies the pure thrill of being a hugely entertaining pirate themed adventure. What it loses in gameplay water depth and broadside storytelling, it makes up for with a streamlined approach to the Yakuza formula, an often times hilarious tone and a willingness to let the player go utterly wild. Goro may not achieve Blackbeard infamy in his pirate antics, but the blast from his cannons causes enough of a splash to make Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii worth a trip to Honolulu.

Wearing every cliché on its sleeve, The Quarry is having a whale of a time with its setting. Sometimes it's satirising the slasher film, others it subverts them. With many endings and path-altering decisions to make, no two playthroughs are alike. Coupled with a heap of horror alumni, as well as up and comers, The Quarry is a veritable romp through jump scares, ghost stories and video nasties.

Understated, heartfelt and relaxing; Wanderstop may be a little simple for those looking for a "cosy sim". However, for those looking for thoughtful writing, a laser focus on being laid back and a demand to play it on your terms, it doesn't get much enveloping and cosy as this.

Justice Sucks: Tactical Vacuum Action rights all the previous wrongs that Roombo: First Blood set. The presentation, gameplay improvements and variety this game has to offer when you’re just a Roomba killing folks makes for an entertaining gameplay loop that finally sucks the landing.

Star Wars Squadrons is a terrific dogfighter, reminding you beyond anything else that Star Wars, when done properly, is supposed to be really, really fun.

Pumpkin Jack might not add anything ground-breaking to the genre, but it’s an adventure platformer that tastes like home. Reminiscent of old school games such as Medieval, Spyro the Dragon, and Bugs Bunny: Lost In Time, it’s a joyful experience with a wide variety of game play. Albeit a bit clunky with controls and combat, the humour, dialogue and character capturing that Halloween spirit exceeds those trivial irks.

Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip is a hilariously heartfelt sandbox adventure that simplifies the genre's scope to pack a mightier punch. Everything is purposeful in the search for its collectathon gameplay and the world is a joy to explore, making it a tiny but terry-fic trip.

Sprinkling tower defence strategising on top of an addicting roguelike bullet-hell proves a stroke of genius for Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road. Fantastic persistent and in-game upgrades that keep the gameplay fresh, a vibrant and playful art style and excellent bullet hell mechanics make this an absolute blast, especially on Steam Deck. While it does struggle with some repetition in environments and a grinding bottleneck, it'll be hard not to spot this entertaining monster coming over the hill.