Grime 2 confidently treads familiar metroidvania ground, embracing tried-and-true mechanics. While it doesn’t introduce anything particularly groundbreaking, fans of the genre will appreciate its deep combat system and challenging platforming sections, all supported by responsive and smooth controls. The entire experience is elevated by the imagination behind its vibrant world.

Vampire Therapist presents itself as a beautifully written visual novel, making excellent use of its psychoanalysis theme in a way that feels perfectly in sync with its fantasy characters. The voice cast delivers their performances with professionalism and charm, bringing a host of memorable characters to life. Together, they guide players through a wide range of life issues, each explored through uniquely imaginative perspectives.

Somewhere within Greedfall II lies a compelling blend of an intriguing story about colonisation and a well-designed real-time-with-pause combat system. However, it becomes difficult to appreciate its world-building and combat when the real battle is against a myriad of bugs and game-breaking issues, some severe enough to force a complete restart.

Capcom’s unstoppable streak of excellent titles continues.This time, it succeeds in a sci-fi setting, delivering stunning visuals and a deeply personal story between Hugh and Diana. Their relationship feels natural, heartfelt, and genuinely funny in all the right moments. More importantly, Pragmata achieves something truly unique, by introducing a fresh gameplay mechanic in the third-person shooter genre, seamlessly combining shooting and real-time hacking in a way that feels both innovative and satisfying.

Death Stranding 2 remains a highly imaginative continuation of the captivatingly macabre universe from the mind of Hideo Kojima. The PC version stands as the definitive edition thanks to its customizable technical options, offering breathtaking visuals and a smooth experience on modern systems.

Fatal Frame II returns with significant updates, enhancing its already excellent horror atmosphere through modernised visuals and effects. The addition of a stalker mechanic may be somewhat questionable, however, the new gameplay and story content are more than welcome for those who played the original. A 60fps mode on consoles would have been appreciated, though the 30fps performance isn’t a major hindrance to enjoying its well-crafted horror experience.

Everdark is an honest indie addition to the horror genre. While it doesn’t compete with big-budget productions, it delivers a brutal, nostalgic experience through well-crafted gameplay and effectively implemented survival horror elements. It’s on the shorter side and has some technical issues, but overall, fans of the genre will appreciate what it offers.

It goes without saying that the original Super Mario Bros. Wonder was an excellent 2D platformer, worthy of Mario’s legacy. This new edition retains that quality, but when it comes to new content, it lacks any truly exciting additions or levels. The new character feels like a repetition of existing ones, and the new transformation is underwhelming. New players will still have a blast, but those who already own the game won’t find enough here to justify the upgrade cost.

Bungie once again nails the shooting, delivering consistently satisfying combat moments in Marathon. Its retro-futuristic aesthetic and lore create a dilapidated sci-fi world that feels both mysterious and captivating. During traversal and tense firefights, as you attempt to extract valuable loot, the game offers a thrilling and engaging experience. However, it’s baffling how convoluted the menus are, creating unnecessary confusion even for simple tasks. Additionally, in its current state, the content feels somewhat lacking,though Bungie has promised to expand it in the near future.

Screamer is a truly unique racer, standing out thanks to its charming anime aesthetic, both on the track and in its well-crafted cutscenes. The characters are well written, even if the story is somewhat predictable. Thankfully, the driving model is up to par, offering a variety of nuanced mechanics within its arcade feel that keep the challenge high but fair. Unfortunately, it’s dragged down by a limited selection of courses and vehicles.

The only positive thing that can be said about this cheap Dark Souls imitation is that it actually starts when you press the button.

It may not be groundbreaking, but Toxic Commando still delivers unadulterated fun. No grind, no chores, just good old-fashioned zombie shooting. With three friends along for the ride, spreading mayhem across the map, it becomes a truly satisfying experience. As a bonus, John Carpenter’s signature synth soundtrack perfectly brings the grindhouse atmosphere to life.

The quality of the original Tales of Berseria is nothing short of praiseworthy. However, this review focuses on what the remaster brings to the table, and in that regard, the release is quite perplexing. It feels more like an overpriced patch than a true remaster, offering only a slight visual upgrade.

Crimson Desert is an enormously ambitious game, both figuratively and in scope. We’ve rarely seen a single-player experience this large, in terms of content and mechanical variety. Even 100 hours in, we’re still discovering new areas, traversal methods, and bosses. However, it also proves that no matter how high the quality of the content (at least in a single-player game) diminishing returns eventually set in. In the end, a mediocre story does little to support the experience, and the initial excitement gradually gives way to a dull sense of routine.

Anyone expecting a faithful transition of the God of War franchise into 2D will be sorely disappointed by Sons of Sparta. It lacks the raw violence of those games and the weight behind their attacks. Ultimately, it feels like a very typical metroidvania that struggles to stand out in such a highly competitive genre.

Crimson Capes is a modest indie metroidvania that earns plenty of personality points thanks to its use of the rotoscope technique, which gives it uniquely smooth animations. The combat is well designed, akin to the original Prince of Persia games but with more depth. Subpar platforming holds it back somewhat, hurting its exploration aspect, however, it still offers solid action with plenty of boss fights.

RIDE 6 builds on the strong foundation of the series, enriching its content with an impressive roster of motorcycles from many different disciplines. The newly introduced dirt bikes are its weakest addition and their presentation still needs improvement. Nevertheless, its rich career mode and well-designed driving model will keep aficionados busy for a long time.

Capcom once again strikes a high note with the new Resident Evil entry, though this time its ambition introduces a few rough edges. Requiem delivers excellent survival horror during Grace’s sections and offers a wealth of Easter eggs and references for longtime fans to dissect. However, in attempting to incorporate the best elements from the franchise’s many, and often wildly different, installments, it occasionally feels somewhat disjointed. Even so, Requiem stands as yet another strong addition to Capcom’s seemingly never-ending streak of quality releases.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a solid AA hardcore stealth game that may not break new ground in the genre, but in the current drought of AA and AAA stealth titles, it’s more than welcome. While there are some AI limitations and a few bugs that should be ironed out in upcoming patches, the level design is thoughtfully crafted and the stealth mechanics are predictable in the best way, consistent and well implemented.

Crisol: Theater of Idols can be succinctly described as a budget BioShock. That may sound harsh, but few modern FPS games evoke this kind of nostalgic design, and despite its shortcomings, the developers earn the comparison. While limitations in enemy variety and loot are evident, Tormentosa remains an intriguing place to visit and explore.

While barebones in modes and lacking tutorials, Aces of Thunder still delivers a great VR experience. Its highly detailed warplanes, excellent audio design, and realistic physics will convince you to push through the steep learning curve and take part in its intense dogfights.

The original Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains an excellent game, but the Switch 2 update is a clear disappointment. The promised technical improvements are almost negligible, and the game remains “stuck” at 30 FPS. Moreover, the new mouse controls are a mixed bag. Helpful for interior decoration, yet strangely omitted during exploration. All in all, this paid update is not worth the price.

A beautiful and full of nostalgia remake of the original classic from the '80s, albeit with poor controls that can damage the overall experience.

This new Speedball entry successfully captures the essence of the classic sports titles by the Bitmap Brothers, certainly no small feat. Its controls could stand to be simpler, as the game overcomplicates its handling in ways that feel unnecessary. Likewise, its visuals lean a bit too heavily into trends set by other popular online games. In the end, however, it remains a faithful modernization of the core Speedball experience.

Our Adventure Guild doesn’t attempt to reinvent the tactical RPG genre and struggles with repetition in both its quest design and recruitable characters. That said, it could still serve as a welcoming entry point for newcomers to the genre.

Once more, Tarsier proves it knows how to craft a horror setting that feels torn from the darkest corners of a child’s imagination. Compared to the Little Nightmares games, Reanimal features a far more dynamic camera that heightens tension and amplifies its intense chases and moments of awe. However, these striking set pieces are the exception in an experience that remains largely reminiscent of the studio’s previous work. As a result, Reanimal stands as a satisfying new entry, but one that ultimately plays things a little too safe.

Citadelum is an easy to learn historical city builder that feels right at home in the portable mode offered by Switch 2. While it may not break new ground for the genre, its streamlined design can provide many fun hours of building your own Roman Empire.

Ebola Village feels like an amateurish imitation of Resident Evil Village, offering nothing to set it apart.