Although currently a bit light on content (with more on the way) Jetpack Joyride on Apple Arcade does away with the original's microtransactions while still keeping the same addicting and fun gameplay loop. This is an absolute no-brainer for subscribers to Apple's gaming service.

Planet of Lana is exceptionally beautiful and atmospherically dense. The side-scroller offers classic platform puzzling, which gains in complexity through Lana's companion, Mui. Mui is a brave little guy - and one of the cuddliest representatives of his guild.

Reanimal is a stylistically and atmospherically excellent, varied horror platformer. You can also experience it across platforms in local and cross-platform co-op. The puzzles are somewhat lacking, but the action is particularly intense. However, this doesn't detract from a gripping horror experience, as good as Little Nightmares 3 should have been.

Knockout City is the fun version of a dodgeball game that you can only play online. Despite the easy-to-learn gameplay, beginners may quickly lose interest thanks to difficult balancing.

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes successfully brings the series’ signature horror atmosphere into an immersive first-person VR experience. Its chapter-based structure keeps gameplay varied with stealth, climbing, and chase sequences. However, the snap-turn camera system can break immersion during tense moments. Overall, it’s a strong VR entry for fans, though its dark visuals and controls have minor drawbacks.

With its very classic approach including five streamlined game boards from the N64 era and healthy collection of 100 mini-games Mario Party Superstarts is an enjoyment especially for veterans of the series. As always, the best way to play the game is with others on the couch or online. But because of the a little better balanced AI solo players can have some more fun as in the predecessor Super Mario Party.

Ghostrunner II is an adrenaline-pumping tour de force full of brutal sword fights, challenging platformer passages and high-speed motorbike races. Apart from minor weaknesses, you can expect one of the best (and most difficult) action games of the year.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink captivates you with its stunning game world and takes you on a great adventure high up in the clouds. With its likeable characters, its gripping presentation and its thrilling combat system, you too should join the crew, despite one or two weaknesses.

Scarlet Nexus convinces with a great story, which is meaningfully interwoven with the abilities of the characters and the unique opponent design.

Revenge of the Savage Planet turns out to be a consistent improvement of the first instalment, picking up exactly where it lacked, especially in terms of scope and accessibility. The five planets themselves are wonderfully varied and boast a high level of verticality. Added to that is a nice range of unlockable gadgets that provide previously unimagined mobility. What remains is a genuinely feel-good Metroidvania with a fast-paced story, plenty of variety, nice graphics, cool ideas, a strong soundtrack, plenty of humour, few flaws and a very flexible co-op mode that's compelling both online and offline. Bravo Racoon Logic!

Darkest Dungeon 2 forgoes the traditional route of making a sequel by adding more of the same and instead turns the entire formula on its head. It addresses some criticism of the first title with its changes, while creating frustration in new places with the overhaul. It’s far from a perfect game, but the dripping, gothic atmosphere and presentation still make it more than worth the while to at least try and bring a glimmer of hope into the endless darkness.

Forgive Me Father 2 rocks hard! The lovecraftian setting combined with an alien arsenal of weapons and powers as well as non-stop Boomershooter action and a Metal soundtrack that just rips can be tremendously fun. On the other side there is the mostly mundane leveldesign, upgrades that are barely worth that description as well as a sometimes pretty unbalanced difficulty in combat. Nevertheless this is absolutely worth a look if you’re intrigued by the genre or the setting itself.

Lost Judgment is a good sequel to an amazing predecessor. The fighting system is fun, the mission design is very diverse, and you can still put hours into entertaining optional stuff within the vast open world. There is just one thing that makes a huge difference. Takayuki Yagami's new case is not in the least as personal and captivating as his first one. That doesn't make Lost Judgment a bad game, but it makes it clearly stand behind the first part of the spin-off series.

If you want to be challenged or if four hours are not enough for you, Keeper might not be yours. But if you're searching for a dense and unique experience with creative gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a strong atmosphere you should absolutely play it.

Far Cry 6 is going to be somewhat divisive. Those that enjoy the series for its sandbox and the ability to wreak havoc with a large assortment of weapons and vehicles may find this to be the best the series has ever been. Those, like me, who enjoyed the antagonists, and the more scripted main missions may be disappointed to see the new villain, played by the brilliant Giancarlo Espacito, almost completely wasted. He barely makes a presence and when he does, the series is too comfortable treading the same ground as past titles. Nonetheless, this is an excellent Open-World shooter that trades any surprises it may have for very solid, streamlined Ubisoft gameplay.

It’s hard to hold any of Tormented Souls’s flaws against the game since so many of them are by design. It’s very strict adherence to the classics of survival horror means you have a game that can easily frustrate, but also captivates with its struggle for survival like very few horror titles do these days. The story is cheese and the difficulty can feel arbitrary when we have to replay entire chapters of the game after dying to a hidden trap, just because the game refuses to include checkpoints. This is, however, a game that survival-horror fans have wanted for many years and it shows that fixed camera angles and limited saves can make for an incredibly intense horror experience even today.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake takes the presentation and soundtrack of a real classic to a contemporary level and also optimizes controls and enemy behavior. The 2-player co-op mode is a nice addition which, strictly speaking, already existed in the 2019 Switch version. If you already know the latter or have already played through the original, you are paying primarily for a nice technology upgrade. However, if you never experienced the original, the remake is undoubtedly your best option at the moment.

Rollerdrome is a celebration of the mantra “easy to learn, hard to master”, except even the beginning stages require advanced levels of hand-eye-coordination that may challenge a more casual audience. Despite having various, commendable options for difficulty and accessibility, at the core, Rollerdome is aimed at a niche of hardcore players that love chasing highscore and chasing the elusive “perfect run”. While certainly not to everyone’s taste, Rollerdrome is absolutely stellar at what it does and lands its killer combo with a stylish presentation and a banging soundtrack.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe remains a fine jump-and-run game that makes mostly anything right concerning new HD graphics and new skills. It is fun to play, as long as you don't expect something very challenging. Also the scope of the game is fine, but especially fans of the Wii original should know that they should not expect too much from the completely new epilogue mode.

Yacht Club Games still knows how to make a good Shovel Knight game. The mix of old strengths and new elements combine into a fun, vertical experience that make Shovel Knight Dig an experience we can fully recommend.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail is a great expansion that has a lot to offer. The graphics update is really good and the Final Fantasy music is still a masterpiece. The main story questline is okay, but unfortunately not as outstanding as players had hoped. Nevertheless, the new world of Dawntrail is worth a look for every MMO fan, as there are new dungeons, new jobs, new decorative items and much more.

While Dynasty Warriors: Origins is not a complete reboot of the franchise it still offers enough new elements to make it a great starting point into the series. The big battles are still the strongest part while the main story is interesting enough. The story of the protagonist is rather boring though and the character often feels completely out of place in the retelling of the history of the Three Kingdoms. The main battles are grand and exciting but everything else can start to feel rather boring after a while. With that said it still offers a fun “Dynasty Warriors” experience on modern hardware.

In the first one or two hours of play, “Inkulinati” still feels quite cumbersome. However, once you have worked your way through the numerous tutorial lessons and internalized the basic principles, the title starts to pull you in and creates wonderful gameplay moments for lovers of turn-based strategy games. The Monty Phython-inspired humor is also appealing and graphically “Inkulinati” is something very special thanks to its unique medieval style. Plays great on Steam Deck too.

Concerning its gameplay mechanics, New Pokémon Snap is nearly as thin as the N64 original. But that does not reduce the captured fascination of the well-animated and diverse pocket monsters and especially not the fun while playing the game. Developer Bandai Namco did a good job and delivers a non-action focused Pokémon adventure on switch, that at least every fan of the franchise needs to play.

A promising entry to the long-lasting legacy of Dungeon Keeper that lacks in both variety and depth long-term. While the theme is fun and offers the occasional genuine chuckle between a lot of chliché-ridden humor a lot of the gameplay goes from fun to tedious in the later stages of the game. This game will have you hooked for a couple hours, but it’ll struggle to have you coming back for more once you’ve seen it all.

If you like slow and deliberate horror then Routine is an absolute must. It’s positively dripping in atmosphere and does a tremendous job of immersing you on this seemingly lost place on the moon. It looks great and offers incredible music and even better sound design. When it comes to the gameplay it is unfortunately rather bland. It does what it does pretty alright but it never reaches the heights it offers in its other elements.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t a radical revolution for the series. Instead, it refines the formula with minor improvements, delivering excellent stealth, engaging combat, and likable protagonists. The core gameplay remains largely familiar, but if you’re looking for the most stunning depiction of Japan in any medium, this is it.

The great strength of The Elder Scrolls Online are the stories based on often excellently written dialogues. And High Isle fully exploits this strength with a motivating main mission. But as fresh as the story may seem, the rest of the chapter feels a bit like an annual ritual.