A vast improvement over the original, Daymare: 2994 Sandcastle still doesn’t reach those lofty, highly recommended titles. That being said, if you’re looking for some B movie cheese in an over-the-shoulder shooter, this should tide you over.

Under the Waves is a flawed but impactful deep-sea denizen. The immersive gameplay, contemplative themes and powerful eco-conscious flare make the game a uniquely wonderful narrative adventure. Some of the finer details are uneven and taint the big picture, but you will come away moved in spite of its problems.

In a sea full of roguelikes/lites, Dust & Neon floats on by like an innocuous limpet attached to bigger players. It’s not terrible, nor is it bringing anything new to the table. The future-retro style is attractive to look at, which otherwise holds up this rather shallow experience.

Green Hell VR comes along with all the same challenges of surviving in the tropics you have come to expect from the game. However, the PSVR2 controls haven’t improved the experience, and unfortunately exploring the lush landscape is a boring chore as you only have a few small areas and terrible loading times.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is an incredibly dense mech action title. Every facet has multiple layers that force you to chip away piece by piece, making the game so rewarding when you put in the work. The gameplay is laced with adrenaline and wholly addictive, with a mission structure that only indulges it, making Armored Core VI hard to put down. With a plethora of modes to get lost in, extensive customisation and impeccable world-building, this is another incredible title by FromSoftware.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a mystifying and emotive title from Deconstructeam. The complex characters and card-creating/reading mechanics bring exciting concepts to the interactive fiction genre that leave a long-lasting impression. A game that is uniquely beautiful inside and out and deals with topics with much-needed maturity and representation. Let the game cast a spell on you and you will be left bewitched.

Don Duality is a wonderful tycoon game with duality gameplay in seizing the city and laundering money through a successful restaurant. A surprisingly addictive gameplay loop which has players fighting to stay alive another day and needing more strategy than meets the eye. For fans of the tycoon this is a good entry that sits comfortably between the big hitters and the idle clickers.

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.

Mediterranea Inferno is unafraid of tackling a multitude of serious themes and exploration of the more immoral, shadowy parts of human desires. It has moments where it’s too brash and its themes won’t sit comfortably with many. But, for those who descend into this psychological character study, there’s a host of beautifully rendered, disturbing imagery to feast upon.

Fluid movement, excellent level design, gratifying combat and a bombastic soundtrack make SPRAWL a fantastic and challenging shooter. It has the odd problem with traversal and a frustrating late-game bug, but SPRAWL has the systems to match its ambitions. As you fight half a dozen mechs and ping off headshot after headshot, you’ll forget all about everything else.

Fort Solis is an immensely beautiful game from top to bottom, with outstanding performances from the whole cast. However, it doesn’t completely deliver on the thrills, nor in the story and for a title not entirely rich in gameplay, the other elements don’t shine as brightly as a result.

For shooter enthusiasts, there is some fun to be had with Nova Strike thanks to the weapon upgrade system but mostly we’ve seen it before and done better. The roguelite style makes it fresh, but it’s still unlikely to keep gamers amused for more than a day or two. Due to this simplicity, it’s not really a game for those who like to visit bullet hell.

Blasphemous 2 is a near-flawless sequel that only improves on its own formula. The game is bigger, bolder and more confident in every facet. Combat is more diverse and brutal, the platforming more fulfilling and the presentation more enriched and hauntingly beautiful. One of the best 2D Metroidvanias that honours the Soulslike formula, whilst carving out its own path.

Another measly and unfulfilling dinosaur addition, the Jurassic World Evolution 2: Prehistoric Marine Species Pack is an overpriced and underwhelming offering. You can stick to the base game with little concern on this one, save your £6.49 for an old-school classic game instead.

A masterpiece on any system, Shadow Gambit The Cursed Crew is a high-performance wave-slicing ghost ship on PlayStation 5. Making lovely use of the Dualsense and optimising controls for console, you’ve got the absolute best version of pirate stealthing on your massive living room telly box.

Despite a flimsy narrative and gameplay quirks, Gord has a stellar sense of atmosphere and a haunting presentation inspired by the ex-Witcher talent in the team. It functions well for a console RTS title and while it doesn’t quite have the depth of other base-building games, it’s got enough challenge and wonder to keep you interested till the end. Maybe even a couple of custom scenarios too.

A blistering challenge and a steep learning curve await but if you persevere through the difficulties there is a great feeling VR game and an impressive skating game too. Deficit Games have done an exceptional job to feel authentic whilst remaining arcadey and fun. Outside of the great gameplay and entertaining levels is a flawed sense of progression but it’s a great first attempt.

Releasing rougher than the Family’s jagged weapons, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has an abundance of technical problems and balance issues to overcome. Even so, the emergent gameplay and complex systems still shine when given the chance, creating a more strategic and brutal entry into the asymmetrical horror space. Perhaps there’s room for more than one horror icon in the genre after all.

Atlas Fallen is at its best when you’re kicking seven shades out of enormous crabs and snakes, and unfortunately has little else that lives up to these moments. Whilst the traversal is solid, going back and forth through a treacherously dull wasteland doesn’t particularly inspire replayability, and when you’ve done it thirty times, you don’t want to do it again. Rent for the combat, then return it and there’s a chance you’ll probably never think about it again.

Moving Out 2 plays it safe with more of the same fun from the original. Whilst the game is more cohesive and streamlined with its levels, it loses some of the random craziness that you weren’t expecting from the first. New modes are decent and the addition to online co-op is great but don’t go into the game expecting it to reinvent the wheel.

TellTale and Deck Nine have laid the foundations of what could be one of the best in both of their catalogues. The introduction can feel like a whiplash if you’re entirely new to The Expanse, but the characters and world help you settle in nicely. The level design and overall presentation are a step up from the cel-shaded roots, though the characters don’t look the best comparatively. Overall, a very promising first episode.

Channeling a wonderful 80s pixel aesthetic and a frantic approach to run-and-gun gameplay, Mega City Police delights with its intense and challenging, though short-lived runs. A game that hits more than it misses, it’s a fantastic reminder of why the 80s action heroes were so revered, and probably feared, too.

Offering a more simplistic approach to traditional RTS systems, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is an accessible entry that impresses with its sieges and immersive qualities. Its approach to story and presentation are poor, but the Warriors games have never been renowned for these qualities. Instead, you’ll be making your own story as you betray alliances, pull off subterfuge and conquer those who stand against you.

Viewfinder is a point-and-shoot puzzler that just clicks. The reality-shifting photography mechanic is an exceptional feat that rivals Titans in the genre. The overall presentation only improves Viewfinder as it lets the gameplay shine, whilst matching its quality for the most part. The story could’ve been more outward to give more motive but an overall excellent puzzle game.

Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross has a unique deckbuilding mechanic that I hope can be built on within the genre and an eye-popping art style that deserves appreciation. It stumbles in almost every other design decision and awkward approach to story and characters, but avid card players and anime girl appreciators will have found their niche title.

Killsquad’s attempt at a twin-stick shooter unfortunately falls flat in almost every aspect of its design. The competent but bland combat, aesthetically interesting but boring presentation and poorly balanced mechanics lead to a functional but ultimately lifeless video game. It’s not bad, it’s just not a lot of fun to actually play.

With one of the most addictive gameplay loops of the year, Dave the Diver combines diving roguelike and sushi bar management with the skill of a master sushi chef. Its plucky irreverent tone, fun writing, constant minigames, and well-balanced drip-feed of mechanics made for an experience I was happy to sink many hours into.

Held up by its superb class system and the intrinsic elation that comes with melting prehistoric lizards with a railgun, Exoprimal is unfortunately let down by a lacklustre story offering, anemic number of modes and a question over its longevity. While those drawbacks will put some people off, those fond of firing a grenade right up a Stegosaurus’ hide will be laughing long into their dozens of hours of playtime.