The Forgotten City is praised for its excellent storyline with multiple endings that can bring tears to tears. Maud even won an Australian Writers Guild Award and won the award for Excellence in Narrative at the 2021 Australian Game Developers Awards. In addition to this, 18 voice actors were involved in the work, and the original soundtrack was written by an entire orchestra.

Frostpunk 2 showed an entirely new side, partially becoming a simulator of political struggle in a post-apocalyptic world. The scale of the game became much larger, and, while it lost that personal touch of the first game, it brought the global problems of society to the fore. The big moral choices in the game are weighty, and the consequences can be terrifying.

Tunic is an isometric action game where players take on the role of a small fox on a big adventure in an unforgiving world. It might look cute, but it is far from soft, presenting a unique, cleverly mixed fusion of Souls-like combat and Zelda-like exploration and puzzles.

Supraland is a wonderful indie title that shows that a developer really can achieve anything with the right idea and creativity.

Dragon Quest Builders II is a game that provides the tools for one to craft some fascinating and detailed fantasy creations. The story is what drew me in, however. Dragon Quest Builders II is ultimately a game about fate and whether we are bound to our natures that hearkens to lore from the early Dragon Quest stories. Although rife with annoyances, the overall experience is worth it.

If you are looking for an escape from the craziness that is life then 3 out of 10 is the game for you. It offers something different for everything between the mini-games, the story, and the humor. Your adventures inside of Shovelworks Studios will take you all over the office and even into some outside areas. Video game development can be a cutthroat business and you will watch how the team interacts with each other as you play through the story.

I often found myself torn between pushing the main story forward and doing all the side activities, but the real tell was I just really enjoyed spending time in the game no matter what I was doing. The graphics, music, and game mechanics all work well together to provide many hours of delightful and fun entertainment.

Its visuals may have been scaled down but it's no less fantastic of a game.

Destiny 2 is an epic: a story with an ever expanding scale made greater by the heroes of whom the story is told with tragedy, struggle, and redemption. It is very fitting that the score to accompany it must be, too. And it is. There were moments that I had to put the controller down and simply listen, taking in the scope of what I was experiencing.

Full Metal Furies is high-quality side-scrolling brawler that understands its roots while still managing to both pushes the genre forward with its inclusion of some great RPG elements as well as add its own unique style to the genre. Furies offers many hours of single-player fun and shines exceptionally well when played to its full potential as a co-op experience. I highly recommend picking this title up if you’re looking for something new and charming.

Hitman 3 is an incredible conclusion to The World of Assassination trilogy that ends the rebooted adventure of Agent 47 with flawless gameplay, creative maps, and strong story-telling that reveals more info for players that want to know more. Hitman 3 is the best single-player tactical game with a third-person view that you've probably played in years.

The Alters makes you think about the value of every life, even the "fake" ones, the burden of choice, and the fact that within each of us there are many unrealized selves. It's a powerful, emotional, and philosophical statement, packaged within complex, multi-layered gameplay.

NeuroVoider is a great addition to the Switch, both providing a challenge for a single player while also being a great party game. The loot customization adds a hook to keep you playing and killing more monsters, while the procedural generation makes sure you always have new levels and loot to look for.

I can’t recommend Darkest Dungeon enough. Its hallway crawling, madness suffering, darkness fighting, dungeon romping is some of the best RPG play I’ve had in recent years. The game shines on the Switch, despite a few minor setbacks in the font and controls. If you’re a veteran of the game or have never tried it, put it on your want list because Darkest Dungeon is very easily added to the Switch’s growing list of “Best Games”.

The first VR game where I feel like everyone I know needs to play it.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's game world is interesting, and the combo-based combat feels like a mad cross between DMC and the Ori series. The game is absolutely worth the time to explore its huge map, and will provide us with interesting characters, in a reboot of the game series and a great introduction to 2024.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, you want this game, period. I didn’t know I wanted this mashup, but now that we have it, I can’t wait for the DLC, and I definitely want sequels.

If you were a fan of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, or JRPG's in general, you will not be disappointed with this game! This is the first title in a while that took my attention and held it firmly. I've had plenty of fun, great made games over the past few months, but this one takes the top so far.

This game is fun for all ages and provides you with the opportunity to play as a female heroine for once in a while. She uses her hair as a weapon and transforms by belly dancing to save the world. Yes this is awesome.

This game has taught me a little more about patience in this type of sim game and has allowed me to open my mind to the possibilities of new gaming opportunities.

A gorgeous piece of skateboarding. The culmination of everything we've come to expect from OlliOlli with a heart-warmingly wholesome approach that reminds us anybody can board if you've got the urge.

Two Point Studios took the recipe of their previous games and improved upon it. And, while Two Point Museum is not a revolution in games of this genre, it is at the very least a big step forward. The game adds depth to its micromanagement systems without forgetting about the comfort and convenience for players, all the while offering bright, cheerful visuals and impressive gameplay.

A fantastic new addition to a game that nails the landing. OlliOlli World's Void Riders DLC pushes the envelope jsut a little, without loosing any of the charm and delight that make the core game one of our favorite's of this year. time to All Hail Nebulord!

The Bard's Tale 4: Director's Cut is the version of the game we deserved.

Blown away by how much cultural and environmental awareness Island Living brings to the minds of everyone who plays I genuinely appreciate how The Sims 4 team continue to break molds, shine spotlights where they seldom are and highlight traditions in a unique, respectful Sim translation.

What The Golf is an enjoyable, imaginative, sometimes satirical take on Golf. Labeled as the game for those that hate golf, most levels keep with the same underlying concept of golf, but you never truly know what you'll end up doing until you're in the thick of it. With plenty of replayability options, including multiplayer, What The Golf is a sweet little diversion that would be suitable to play with the whole family.

By far the best expansion Bungie has released to date.

It has been three days since I said goodbye to the colorful cast of characters in Mythic Ocean and yet I still think of them fondly at random moments throughout my day. Mythic Ocean is one of those rare gems that gently works its way into your heart and mind, where the story is so creative and wonderfully told that you can’t help but think back fondly on the time you spent in its world. Mythic Ocean isn’t about putting limits on the player for the sake of progression. Instead, it encourages you to dive deep into its story and rewards you with a world full of life, color, music, and meaning that is sure to stay with you for years to come.

It’s Skyrim. It’s been around for years and if you love it you’ll love it on the Switch. If you don’t like it, you probably won’t like it on the switch. To me, this might very well be the way I play Skyrim from now on because it’s so easy to put down when my daughter or wife need me and pick it right back up once my free time starts rolling in again.

You will be hard-pressed to find a puzzling game more beautifully crafted as Gorogoa. Everything from its music to the hand-drawn puzzle frames ignites the imagination to keep search and digging for more. Even with its short length, Gorogoa is a satisfying game. It is also an exercise in asking questions about our own devotion and the lengths that we might go to in order to connect with the divine.

This shift in the overall Total War mindset really makes the Tomb Kings expansion stand out. Instead of amassing all the territory you can to subdue and vanquish your enemies, the Tomb Kings feel more focused. It’s not about amassing a world empire, rather the Tomb Kings are about restoring the glory of their own empire and gaining the power they seek that way. As a result, the whole affair was shorter than my normal Total War campaigns, but it was one of the most satisfying campaigns I’ve had since the Shogun 2 days.

Little Goody Two Shoes is a bewitching scary fairy tale about the most secret desires of our heroine Elise and the price that is required to fulfill them. It sets out to teach players and Elise a lesson, but everyone is free to decide for themselves what that lesson is.

Wargroove is the best turn-based strategy RPG that's come out in ages. With a near limitless content pool, a solid single-player campaign, and addictive multiplayer options, it should be around and entertaining its fans for years. Here's hoping it's the start of a new franchise, because I already want more.

Overall, Infernax is a title I didn’t know about a week ago and has quickly sucked me in and become one of my top titles to play for 2022. It is available starting February 14, 2022. I highly recommend this for anyone who is into retro-style RPGs and platformers. Have fun and enjoy it as much as I have.

Frostpunk is a rare blend of social simulation, city management, and survival game that just about does everything right. There are times I wish it was a bit easier to come back from a misstep, but that’s the point of the game – you need to make choices, live with the consequences, and try again if you fail. I just feel bad that each time I do fail, the people who depended on me are let down, and likely dead. It’s that kind of emotion, a sense of real responsibility to these digital characters, that makes me think Frostpunk may be the best city management game I’ve ever played and one I’ll be playing for countless hours.

Whether you are a veteran of the franchise or not there is a fun game here to be had by all. Plenty of characters to unlock and pick from, 2 player online co-op, 4 player offline co-op and a couple of different modes to venture into after you complete the story. Feel like you need more of a challenge? Arcade mode expects you to do the entire story in one sitting with one life just like the "good old days." The art style is magnificent and the satisfaction you get when you do start to feel out the combo system and the enemies weaknesses is second to none. While there have been many great beat em' ups in the past 2 decades. None have had that Streets of Rage feel that is unique to those Sega fans. I can safely say, this has it.

In Gerda: A Flame In Winter, you have six hours to live a small but eventful life, full of contradictions and moral torment. It is the life of a person who did not participate in his own war but who understands that it will not work to stay away anyway.

Magic: The Gathering Arena is an excellent entry point into the twenty-six-year-old franchise for new players and lovable for veteran players as well. While it’s generally a very fun experience, it’s not without technical issues.

Even in the Early Access phase, Gordian Quest is a polished, solid game. If you enjoy the genre, you will get a few hours of enthusiastic card-slinging in the first Act as your party of brave heroes struggles to remove the curse plaguing the land. The game already features plenty of content to keep players happy and manages to carve its own little niche by combining CCG gameplay with roguelite and RPG elements. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

The Division 2 has given me something in a game that I haven't experienced in quite some time: an enjoyable and compelling leveling process and an endgame that has a dynamic nature to it.

A fantastic follow up to The Darkside Detective. A Fumble in the Dark is even more of the same irreverent action and spooktacular silliness from the best beat cops in Twin Lakes PD.

Nioh: Complete Edition is a worthy “Soulsbourne” game, and maybe one of the best. With the inclusion of all the DLC and the great performance of the port, Nioh should be a day 1 purchase for all fans of the genre. The combat system allows you to play fast and aggressive or slow and defensive, whichever suits your playstyle, and the inclusion of DLC weapons from the start means that you have an incredible amount of customization right off the bat to play through this deep, lengthy game.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is a small piece of nostalgia with some modern improvements to get you ready for the upcoming title from Relic Games. The developer’s main focus has been visuals and it’s definitely succeeded, though some issues still remain from the original core of the game.

As a racing simulation, F1 2019 builds the perfect balance of a real-world racing experience and cultivating a budding racing career.

A fantastic follow up to an amazing remaster. this off the wall adventure takes the core of an iconic set of Freelance's finest and keeps it strange in higher definition. Get Sam & Max Save The World then get this.

I'd highly recommend Ender Magnolia to the fans of the metroidvania genre, everyone will find something for themselves here.

Honestly, I adore Ape Out. Visually it seems very uncomplicated, but step into the shoes of this gorilla and you will find that its simplicity belies a very considered approach to game design.

Gris is not only beautiful, but it's also the perfect platformer for anyone who likes a challenge to be about more than reflexes or enemy slaughter. It's a thinking game, that also happens to have really good platforming at its core. It's neither too long nor too short, and worth every penny to experience the year's most beautiful visuals.

It is the little things added to FIFA that always set the game apart. The stadiums, the feel of the game, even trash blowing across the pitch make you feel like you are in a real match. EA has been on a mission to make all of these elements a strong part of the game to put any fan into the matchday insanity. We had a lot of fun with FIFA 2018 and will continue to play for a while.

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a breathtaking sensorial odyssey. It is the MMO I have been waiting for without the MMO part, and boy would my heart skip a beat if it were massively multiplayer online. Ubisoft has won a new superfan.

It’s now 8 years old, but Super Meat Boy is still one of the best platformers in recent memory. Perfectly simple controls, great level design, and grotesque but cute humor make a very memorable experience. When Super Meat Boy Forever lands on the Switch, you can bet we’ll be playing that too.

What happens when you mix Hades, Diablo, and fairy tales? This is Ravenswatch. Like Supergiant's Hades, Ravenswatch will start as an Early Access game, making it a great place to refine its core mechanics and flesh out its fantasy world. With new characters and gameplay updates coming after the launch of Early Access, Passtech Games has enormous potential for the next promising step towards RPG. They're off to a great start already, and watching that world and its gameplay evolve has got me excited to see where Ravenswatch goes next.

Just Shapes & Beats allows some simple ideas to blossom into an inventive, engaging challenge that proves a tiny cluster of well-proportioned pixels can contain more personality than the mightiest action hero.

Two Point Hospital is the perfect building simulator that has liberal amounts of humor, cute interactions and progression that allows a sense of urgency we always look for in a game.

Tales of Vesperia may very well be the best JRPG on the Nintendo Switch, even if it's over a decade old. I'd love to see more games get the port treatment to the Switch, but even more than that I'm hoping that the series leads decide to bring the next game to the Nintendo console at launch. Recommended for any fans of the series or the JRPG genre.

The Yakuza Remastered Collections is definitely a worthy pack with a bunch of new additions to the original game and enhanced visuals that makes it fit roughly into the current-gen gaming platforms. Although the collection should’ve arrived earlier than Yakuza 6, yet you shouldn’t miss it if you are eager to dig into Kazuma Kiryu’s past.

Guacamelee 2 is a perfect sequel, but I still can't help wish there was a bit more ingenuity too.

Overall, Wreckfest is a very fun game, and it is very simple to pick up the controller and just play.

There’s nothing quite like Kingdom Hearts. It’s like the most elaborate fan fiction of the Disney universe – a digital walkthrough of the movies with a loosely connective narrative tissue that just doesn’t matter much when all is said and done. If you embrace that it’s all nonsense to serve you up a delightful nostalgic romp through some of the greatest and most beloved family films, you’re not going to be disappointed.

The game is highly optimized for performance, with the exception of the low 20Hz tick rate.

From the very first moment till the very end of your journey, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a heart-warming experience and a real pleasure between the visuals, puzzles and combat. Atmospheric music, beautiful lively graphics, believable heroes and cute little Rots - each little element is woven into the amazing whole that is the gaming experience provided by Kena.

Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is an exciting new chapter for the MMO. It offers an engaging narrative that kept this progression driven gamer distracted which is saying a lot. Although the expansion didn’t offer a new class we were introduced to a pretty fun new skill tree and despite the grind to unlock it, it offers some great new approaches to combat. With a beautiful new zone, intriguing story and only a few minor grievances, I highly recommend picking up Summerset.

The success of Hogwarts Legacy clearly shows that good sales and warm feedback from players are ensured not so much by the gameplay thought out to the smallest detail but by carefully reproducing the right atmosphere. But this is already a subtle moment, akin to real magic, and here the nameless developers of Avalanche Software succeeded.

In Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, his name appears on the screen more often than in the original. The gameplay has been perfectly preserved, and MGS3 has never looked more luxurious graphically.

A delicious deep dive into the Legendary Lords of the Vampire Coast. With its unique victory conditions and mechanics that scream YAAARRR, it’s a welcome addition to the Total War: Warhammer universe and well worth your time and money.

A Grade A return to a solidly high achieving franchise. Two Point Campus has plenty of silly SATS and delightful moments without upending the core of what makes the Two Point experience so easy to enjoy.

Do you remember what you saw in this game? The unboxing will be no less for me than the last superhero movie I watched. Maybe I'll remember her the next time I move, or maybe even grin. I enjoyed the short time I spent with Unpacking and hope there will be more in the future.

Farthest Frontier is a game that can be both relaxing and challenging if the players want it so. The lovers of measured city building gameplay can find it very appealing, as each action is rewarding in both visual and gameplay sides. However, for a strategy game it doesn’t have enough varieties for military or offensive building, thus hardcore fighters shouldn’t judge it harshly. Overall, the game has potential to win over even more players than it already did in Earle Access, taking the place among other famous representatives of the genre. It has a lot to offer and even more potential to grow further.

When the title credits roll, you’ll be hard pressed not to feel bittersweet to know this is the end of Kiryu’s long tale. Where the series goes next is anyone’s guess, but it’s hard to imaging it without our scarlet-shirted protagonist. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is not only a great game, but a fitting closure for the long and turbulent story of Kiryu Kazuma.

Destiny 2 on PC makes you feel as though the series really always belonged on the computer. The extra level of detail in each nook and cranny, the fluid, fast-paced and incredibly accurate movement thanks to the control set-up coupled with high framerates, and the support Destiny 2 has for multiple GPU and monitor setups really drive home that Bungie and Vicarious Vision made Destiny 2 its own on PC.

Age of Mythology: Retold is a faithful remaster that lets players old and new experience the unique mix of base building, troop management, coupled with the control over heroes and monsters alike.

The Hunter: CotW drops most of the arcade style and replaces it with a slower paced, more realistic hunt. At first, I thought this would limit the audience to a more narrow scope of player. That is, until my 9-year-old daughter quit playing Minecraft, sat down next to me and asked, “Can I play?” Since then, she has logged more time playing than I have.

The hunting beat’em up portion of the game is responsive and requires timing and coordination while the cooking segment requires time management and nimble matching capabilities.

Knights and Bikes is a great tale of adventure and friendship. I love the message that the game sends about the power of imagination and how it can help you overcome tragedies.

For newcomers to the series, it’s a fantastic option because, obviously, you’re not gated by a hundred different consoles just to experience the story for yourself. It’s incredibly easy just to boot up one of the collections and get started carving your way through armies of heartless. For veterans of the series, it’s a great way to relive your childhood for the exact same reasons.

The Smurfs – Dreams is a nice, family-friendly platformer that can also be appealing to fans of the genre and co-op enthusiasts. Despite being short and having some optimization issues, its creative challenges and engaging mechanics make it an enjoyable adventure.

OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a 2D skateboarding simulator that refuses to lie to its players. You will struggle and you will experience pain. It is going to be difficult, but if you can pull it off, it can be incredibly satisfying… even if the execution of such tricks involved a healthy heaping of dumb luck and/or divine intervention.

Cat Quest III is a short, fun game with simple but interesting combat that will keep you occupied for a few evenings. While largely a standalone, there are plenty of nods to the previous games in the series.

Moonlighter is an overall brilliant sum of its parts with the kind of things roguelike fans, action RPG fans or even lifestyle sim fans can find engaging. It's an addicting piece of grinding RPG gaming that comes highly recommended on any platform you choose.

Despite the fact that Hardspace: Shipbreaker can be called a high-quality and unusual project, it is quite difficult to recommend it to everyone and everyone. This is a very peculiar simulator for diligent, it takes time before you start to get any pleasure from it. But if you really like projects that reward meticulousness and glorify the simple work of ordinary people, then you will certainly like Hardspace: Shipbreaker.

A genuinely unique escape into another world, challenging players to experience the world around them. If you loved ABZU, Journey, and Season: A Letter to the future then this gorgeous escape is worth your time.

V Rising is a decent multiplayer survival sim. The game definitely deserves your attention. For a small price, you can get a large amount of content that will take dozens of hours to complete and this is only just the beginning. [Early Access Provisional Score = 90]

Rarely have I played a game (multiple times on various platforms, I might add) that so thoroughly nails the atmosphere.

To me, it’s the perfect afternoon.

Subsurface Circular is an exploration of our humanity… as presented by robots. It presents you with the opportunity to wrestle with what you value along with the questions of autonomy versus automation.

MiSide is not just a gem, it is a masterpiece that features a stunning narrative and beautiful graphics. The developers invested not just the skills, but also their very souls into this game.

Chicken Police isn’t a game in which you can expect multiple endings, but you can expect a very engaging detective noir visual novel with a healthy dose of wit, gorgeous music, and intriguing characters. Without giving too much away, it took me about 10 or 11 hours to finish the game, since I took my time and experienced all of the side content and didn’t speed through any dialogue. Even conversations you thought were already over sometimes have additional quips and voice lines if you bothered to visit the character again. I’d highly suggest taking your time and enjoying the ride because it will not disappoint. Chicken Police is the guilty animal film-noir treasure that I didn’t know I needed in my life until I took flight into the Wilderness and experienced it for myself.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a bold, dark, epic saga, featuring an astonishing replayability value. The developers have experimented with Kingmaker, and have gone all-in with Wrath of the Righteous, creating one of the best story-driven CRPGs of late.

Helldivers 2 is an exciting adventure for a group of friends who have long dreamed of immersing themselves in cooperative action and spending time together. Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony worked together to surprise the community, create a very high-quality game and open a portal to an incredibly fun universe.

It is a beautiful and thoroughly captivating short story. Puzzles, while not overly difficult, are thoughtfully constructed and fit together like clockwork. Robert’s plays with our perceptions and understands that the audience is capable of keeping up with the unfolding story.

Look Outside is an extremely original project and gameplay-rich masterpiece created in just half a year. The game offers deep narrative, a great variety of actions and possibilities, a multitude of endings, and much more. It is capable of delivering many indescribable emotions that are worth experiencing for yourself.

Killer Queen Black is a surprisingly superb mix of action and strategy in a 2D arena. Levels, game modes and character choices are rather limited after repeated matches, but the action and strategy are enough to keep players invested simply by having a good time. Killer Queen Black is an exceptional choice for gamers that want quick fun in a 2D space.

If you are a fan of miniature RPG board games and tactical turn-based gameplay wrapped around a simple to play ruleset, there is a lot to like in Demeo. Combining the VR environment, voice acting, sound effects, and animations make for a great experience, especially when played with friends. While it currently doesn’t replace a tabletop RPG, I can see the potential, and it is a big step in the right direction. With a few balancing tweaks and more updates/content, this will be an amazing game.

Horizon: Forbidden West is a worthy sequel to Zero Dawn, reaching new impressive heights in terms of story, gameplay, mechanics and the open world design.

The characters are mesmerizing.

Local play lets you take your game to a party, and the ability to take turns with the controller means you can play with just the hardware that came with the Switch. Combined with improvements to the classic formula, the gameplay of Worms WMD makes it a good entry point for those new to the series as well.

I am very much enchanted by this game. It is not without its flaws, for certain, but I didn't find any that broke the game or my appreciation and excitement for it. I feel that the step that Ubisoft Quebec took to make this experience more immersive and personal for gamers was a strong move, and they did it with style and a competence that greatly benefits the game as a whole. If these are the kind of evolutions we have to look forward to in the future, I eagerly await the next releases from them. Until then, go forth and let the drachmae roll in.

Yoku's Island Express is wholly unique - a seamless blend of platformer, pinball, and puzzle game that never outstays its welcome our wears out its charming visual style. Highly recommended. NOTE: Our copy was provided by Team17 for review purposes.