Swimming in 90s vibes, colour, and charm, Neurodiver is a tasty second helping of this vibrant future, full of characters I enjoyed catching up with. Its trouble lies in the lack of content, expansion to the world, or even meaningful explanations of its plot. It’s fun to neuro-dive in, but you’ll quickly realise this is the shallow end of the pool.

Eloquent in design that never loses its puzzling magic, Paper Trail is a great entry into the puzzle genre. With perfect implementation of the ever-folding world you play through and wonderful visuals to bask in, you won’t mind if the story is by the numbers, as everything else will keep you glued to the page.

Despite not having the production values of some of its contemporaries, Robobeat would have Basshunter himself chasing this drop. Weighty, satisfying combat mix into a hyper-charged melody of excitement, head bops and intense rogue-like runs. A lack of real story and limited variety mean the mixtape slightly tails off, but the core of this setlist can keep you raving long into the night.

Crow Country doesn’t reinvent the genre of survival horror but it represents the best bits whilst also being excellently distinct in its presentation. The puzzles are multifaceted and engaging, the combat is tense and satisfying and the overall design is a retro horror fan’s dream.

King Arthur: Legion IX uses a strong foundation of engaging turn-based combat and a fantastic Rome-inspired setting to craft a compelling journey. Crashes and rough edges mean this is a war-weary Centurion, but it comes through with the hearts of many a lion, likely the ones felled in glorious gladiatorial combat.

Despite being made by only a single developer, Hexguardian proves to be a tower defence title worth its weight in gold. Depth of challenge and excellent randomiser mechanics make this a sturdy, yet deceptively engaging tower to bask in. There’s a slight touch of repetition and the odd interface or visual issue that sight some structural weakpoints, but Hexguardian’s tower is a booming beacon of wanton destruction.

Launching with seven new missions costing a measly £2.49, Valley of the Wolf follows in the footsteps of Swine’s Bay brilliantly. With new tactical challenges for veterans to master and brutal scenarios for newcomers to cut their teeth with, Firefly Studios’ final chapter in the Jewel campaign is excellent. Stronghold: Definitive Edition continues to live up to its title.

Lunar Lander Beyond attempts something of a reboot of the Atari classic with a modern wrapper. But underneath the shiny hood, the gameplay is virtually unchanged, difficult, and dull, and the extras have done nothing to implement a reward system that might keep newcomers trying to develop the skills needed to enjoy it.

TopSpin 2K25 brings the series back in serious style, with plenty of options to enjoy and absolutely superb gameplay mechanics that really brings the sport to life. The new gauge mechanics bring a whole new level of strategy to the game and the huge roster of new and legendary players allows you to create some classic matches between legends you may have never seen before. TopSpin 2K25 is absolutely superb and thirteen years later, reclaims its crown as the pinnacle of the tennis game genre.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU has its heart, setting and story all in the right place. However, the gameplay doesn’t quite facilitate the lofty ambition that it generally goes for. The gameplay is frenetic but not as tight as the game wants you to be and the combat has an unconventional approach to difficulty. However, I had fun in the world and if there are more stories in Kenzera, consider me already there.

Harvest Hunt sows some excellent horror rogue-lite seeds with an interesting folklore background, brilliant card modifiers and a suffocating atmosphere. The growth is unfortunately stunted through lack of variety and some cheaper horror tactics, but with perseverance and post-launch support, I have confidence the devs can harvest a true indie horror classic, once the blood moon reaches its peak.

Finally arriving on Sony’s console, PlayStation players are now blessed with one of 2023’s best games. Dave The Diver is a sprawling, beautiful and immensely fun video game. The rogue-lite and management genres are blended with nigh-on perfection, and the presentation is simply stellar. Serving up what can only be described as a remarkable masterclass, Dave The Diver is a must-play for anyone yet to sample this delectable treat.

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.

Ereban: Shadow Legacy attempts a number of ambitious stealth-action components but fails to come out from the shadows with basically any of them intact. A predictable story, underwhelming level design and more bugs than a forest log blunt this assassin’s blade. If Ayana’s journey is the first step in mastering the darkness, I hope a sequel can turn off the blinding lights.

Whilst Highwater starts with some rather lovely visuals and whimsical charm, it soon devolves into a tedious, languid affair that failed to launch. If you can endure the droning voices and hackneyed lyrics in here, you may enjoy this turn-based nautically-induced apocalypse adventure.

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a pleasant companion tool for increasing your productivity and fostering a more mindful space to focus. It’s not really a video game in the traditional sense, thanks to the lack of interactivity and gameplay. However, it has a wonderful set of relaxing tracks and a charming aesthetic that makes it a welcoming, peaceful addition to your day-to-day routine, even if it’s not a gaming essential.

Terra Memoria is a quirky little adventure full of anthros and crystals, paying homage to PlayStation-era gems like Breath of Fire IV. It succeeds in rendering cooking and crafting essential by working them into its levelling system and addictive turn-based combat, even if its story and characters are a little too simple to be memorable.

With a vague and unsatisfying story and simple yet frustrating gameplay, Saviorless needed more than an astonishing art style to be the one worth saving. If you’re into the more retro side of 2D platformers than you might get a slight hint of that nostalgia, but it’s otherwise a very one dimensional adventure.

Beat Slayer is Hades meets Hi-Fi Rush and it lives up to its name of slaying some brilliant tunes. A superb art direction blended with intense, frenetic rogue-like action and a pumping techno soundtrack make this a mixtape worth digging out the headphones for. It’s not a perfect record, owing to a lighter story and the odd combat quirk, but it’s one worth having in the collection.

One Last Breath doesn’t wear its influences on it’s sleeves, but rather took the whole shirt as it doesn’t do enough to differentiate it from the games that came before. A short runtime and decent enough gameplay does make it pleasant enough but it ultimately doesn’t push for more.

OTXO doesn’t change the top-down shooter formula that we’ve all become accustomed to, but it does couple some gameplay elements from the best to ever do it, making it an undeniably satisfying game to play.

South Park: Snow Day! is a pale imitation of the series’ previous titles, and falls short of the imagination and hilarity they produced. Whilst it’s certainly fun to run around South Park and interact with your favourite characters, the laughs are few and far between, the gameplay is deeply mediocre and if you were wanting more after the end of The Fractured But Whole, this certainly isn’t up to scratch. But hey, it’s £25. I’ve had worse takeaways that cost more than that.

A Rift In Time allows players to expand their ever continued adventure within Dreamlight Valley. New characters, a new tool and new surroundings – say more? With lots to explore, discover and collect, you won’t be disappointed with what A Rift in Time has to offer.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is true to the spirit of the original in all the ways a sequel should be. Simultaneously obtuse yet immersive, brutal yet rewarding and handsomely engaging yet hands-off. The struggle in the early hours gives way to what is one of this year’s best RPG experiences, with an incredible amount to discover, overcome and master. It’s been a long 12 years, but the Arisen’s return is one of a burning heart, begging for you to get lost in its weird and wonderful world.

Alone in the Dark returns with a refreshing take in terms of its setting and atmosphere. However, it never gets to shake off its nostalgic cobwebs to be a fulfilling game that can go toe-to-toe with survival horror peers. With lacklustre gameplay and uninterested protagonists dampening the experience, you can’t help but feel this game is from a bygone era.

Presented in timeless watercolour, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a beautiful and heartwarming recreation of Moominvalley in videogame form. Being true to its source material throughout while introducing new elements like Sigur Ros’s music, elevates the experience close to definitive. If you want to share Moominvalley with anyone, or simply bask in a world we’ve collectively know for generations, this is now the best way to do it.

The Thaumaturge is a deep, complex and expertly crafted RPG game. Ripe with engaging, layered stories that enthral and disgust in equal measure, this depiction of Warsaw overrun with the flaws of human nature is supremely compelling. It may be slightly too long and has the odd technical flaw, but this is a world worth delving into, a character study of the human condition brimming with intrigue. An excellent video game that may surprise some as a potential game of the year contender.

The Outlast Trials pulls off a great multiplayer horror experience, whilst keeping the spirit of the franchise alive and screaming. There’s not a whole lot to keep you playing after exploring all the levels and the gameplay itself can feel quite repetitive. With that said, there are some brilliant scares and clever ways to keep you on your toes if you so desire to keep going back to therapy.