Despite the fact that Princess Peach: Showtime! has some brilliant elements and is effortlessly fun, it is clear that it feels like a safer and more rudimentary offering from Nintendo. But, for younger folk or those less familiar with gaming or the world of Mario, there is heaps of fun to be had with this game.

Wax Heads is a cosy, relaxing little game and especially if you're a music fanatic, it's lovely to potter about running the little record shop. The simple gameplay is perhaps a bit too simple, and the challenge lies in the vague clues the customers give, so it can all get a bit monotonous. However, I think Patattie Games deserves credit for trying something new, and it's actually a great idea they've come up with here and the fact that it's all been created by just two people with help from only a handful of external contributors is even more impressive. If you enjoy good music and are looking for a relaxing and cosy game that's particularly well-suited to your Switch or Steam Deck, then Wax Heads could be a really good choice, and you can try a demo on Steam if you'd like to check it out before you buy.

Marathon’s foundations are solid, strong, and well-functioning, and although the game might lack a hook, or simply maps that build on this solid foundation, I feel confident enough, even without Cryo Archive, to recommend Marathon solely on the basis of this rather fantastic loop. That doesn’t mean Marathon is a fantastic game in itself, but it could very well turn out to be one, and that’s more positive than for a great many other live-service games.

Despite a few elements that rubbed me the wrong way, there's not much else you can say about The Smurfs: Dreams other than the fact that this game is a pleasant, sweet, easy, and good cooperative platforming experience. It won't eat up much of your time, it generally will keep you interested with unique level design and gameplay iteration, and the difficulty and degree of challenge means it's an accessible and fitting offering for all ages.

Horizon 6 disappointed me. Me, who has played all six instalments in the series. I feel some of the progress Horizon 5 introduced is missing; I don't think Playground are willing enough to experiment with everything from progression to UI design; and I don't think Japan comes across well as a setting here. But conversely, this, along with the last handful of Horizon games, is one of the best arcade racers you can find, based on everything this game predictably executes so masterfully. I therefore take the liberty of recommending Horizon 6 solely on the basis that it works as well as it does, although I must once again recommend that Playground Games really take their time to be more ambitious in the future.

Pacific Drive could one day be something special, one of those wonderful indie darlings that really puts the studio on the map. Keep an eye out for it, because this idea is just so damn cool.

Promenade is a great game that I still find just as solid and engaging as when I first encountered it. If you're interested in a platformer that's different and offers an extra dose of puzzles, this is definitely one of those indies you shouldn't miss.

Apart from minor annoyances, A Dream About Parking Lots is a nice little walking sim. In many ways, it's more of a therapeutic experience than a game, and considering what these kinds of games usually cost, the £3.39 you have to pay for it is nothing.

If you're into adventure and puzzle games, Killer Frequency is a nice and slightly different take on a game in that genre. But it's not a game for everyone.

The game is relatively monotonous and really quite boring in its gameplay loop. The reason I'm giving it a recommendation is because Keep Driving is very much a "vibes" game, and you'll know if you're in tune with that after watching the trailer. The pixel art graphics are gorgeous and the soundtrack features a couple of Swedish indie bands I've never heard of before, but which have been on repeat in my music app ever since.

MotoGP 23 continues to keep the series at a steady and good quality. The new dynamic weather system and career mode provide good improvements from last year, but it still feels like there are more steps to take.

Redacted definitely manages to entertain, but it doesn't quite reach the same level as Hades or Dead Cells. That said, it's not a bad game and I think many can appreciate the developer's new direction. But for me personally, there was more to be desired.

While I won't deny that Saltsea Chronicles has a slow pace that often leaves a little to be desired, this indie adventure game does have its moments.

I will now put Phantom Fury on the shelf for a few months to return later this summer, when Slipgate Ironworks will hopefully have had time to balance the experience and improve the feel of the relatively substantial arsenal of weapons that the game presents. Because there is undeniably a lot to be impressed, amazed and entertained by here, even if it is in a relatively unpolished form at the time of writing.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club lives trapped in the cases of the past, and will continue to drag the heavy chains of archaic, clunky gameplay for all eternity.

Ultimately, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth delivers more of what we saw in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. It's an accessible adventure for a younger audience where the charm of Tove Jansson's stories meets simple gameplay mechanics, and it's easy to recommend this if you enjoyed its predecessor. Admittedly, the adventure on offer this time around may not be quite as grand in scale, and much of it can feel a little too familiar and repetitive at times, but a quiet, atmospheric winter's day can, as we know, be just as inviting as a warm and lively afternoon in the sun. Hyper Games continues its tradition of respecting the source material in the very best way, and if you like Finnish little trolls, these digital fairy tales are the very best on the market right now.

There's nothing quite like what the Onimusha series offers. There's plenty of Japanese mumbo-jumbo to enjoy, the 16th century world is wonderfully designed, and Jubei Yagyu and his friends are all great characters. Plus, the game never gets frustrating or drawn out thanks to the slightly smoother gameplay system and the fact that it's only around ten hours long.

Ninja Gaiden 4 thus gives a rather mixed impression, but nevertheless one that leans positively. There is a familiar charm to the way the adventure is structured, and although I don't want to brush aside the criticism of substandard graphics and outdated design and defend it with rose-tinted nostalgia, the concept of simple action, built with equally simple game code, works surprisingly well. It's not a game that will go down in history in the same way as its predecessors, but it's still an adventure worth playing through if you're craving more frantic ninja action.

It's a good game - in many ways better today than it was then, with lots of content and a racing curve that anyone can handle, whether they're just starting to learn to drive or drifting on a daily basis. However, the lack of a proper online mode where you can play with or against others is a missed opportunity. Instead, you have to battle it out on leaderboards that invite rivalry. The AI-controlled opponents tend to behave strangely aggressively at times, with proper PIT manoeuvres that send you spinning, which of course has no place here.

At its best, The Lamplighters League is really charming with colourful characters and a somewhat clichéd but entertaining apocalyptic story. Unfortunately, it doesn't go all the way to the finish line and the repetitive structure is a bit of a let down.

Considering that there are 169 different Shard Cards, it feels like there is a lack of tactical and strategic depth in Fragpunk's team game setup, which Bad Guitar would need to work on. I've encountered some glitches with the netcode as well that would need to be tweaked but overall I've enjoyed this colourful action title.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a decent kart racer. The gameplay works well, you can easily do long powerslides, the many vehicles feel and sound different and the tracks are quite well designed.

Rebellion has, with Atomfall, made a kind of rebellion against modern gaming storytelling which I appreciate even if at times I felt overwhelmed by all the clues I am asked to follow up. It's familiar in many ways but with a different approach to moving you and the story forward, but this isn't necessarily something that will be appreciated by everyone who instead wants a more clear and structured experience.

Possessor(s) offers an interesting touch on an established Metroidvania formula, but in my opinion it's best played in shorter sessions. In addition to a story that is slowly unravelled through memories and flashbacks in the main characters' shared inner lives where it's anything but black and white, a message is also conveyed about commerce and obsession where even demons are not allowed to be left alone as raw materials without being exploited and extracted. It's a bit tragic to see the developer hit with layoffs just before launch after three years of development, something that hopefully does not affect the planned improvements that have been promised. It deserves to be played by those who have no problems with a little challenge within the layout where the controls could also have been a little tighter, but where it ultimately demonstrates in a creative way that pride comes before a fall.

If you have a penchant for crime novels or detective games, this is a game you can't afford to miss.

So, the key thing to take away from my experience with 30 Birds is that this game is a colourful and rich puzzle game that excels thanks to its unusual narrative and beautiful art direction.

If you like games like Bubble Bobble and aren't expecting something that turns that whole concept upside down, it might be worth checking out Slam and Roll. It's classic arcade, nothing more, nothing less.

Convergence: A League of Legends Story is a really solid platformer, and an even better story. There are some minor annoyances throughout, and the game peaks fairly quickly with a slow middle section, but the end payoff certainly makes it worth sitting through in its entirety.