The sheer amount of puzzles on offer here is incredible, without ever being overwhelming. There’s a solid sense of progression, with goals to work towards – but you’re also free to explore however you wish, tackling the puzzles that interest you and, for the most part, ignoring the ones you don’t enjoy as much. It’s already great but with a few updates over time, Islands of Insight could really be something special.

Despite these issues, it’s hard not to be won over by Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on the whole, especially if you’re a Suikoden fan. While its story might not have much emotional impact, it’s still pretty engaging. And many will love the fact that this does genuinely feel like a JRPG from the golden age of the genre. It’s not quite the Suikoden successor we were hoping for, but it’s still a worthy game in its own right.

If you’re wanting to pick up an accessible space shooter that you can casually play but has a great deal of depth, Everspace comes more than highly recommended. It’s a game that will have you hooked no matter your skill level.

Free of challenge and peril, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth is a cosy hug of a game; the type of thing you play when you need to destress and escape into a new world. Whether or not you're an existing Moomin fan, you can enjoy this wonderful adventure, filled with quests, exploration and collecting. A truly beautiful game no matter your age.

Despite all of Wild Hearts‘ faults, it’s hard not to be be taken in by its charms. Omega Force has really tried to create a solid Monster Hunter contender with this one, and it mostly succeeds. There are some genuinely neat ideas here, and its monster designs are a welcome breath of fresh air. Overall, it’s a great game in its own right, but it’s more exciting when you consider it a base to be improved upon with further iterations.

Battle for Azeroth makes some great improvements in the levelling experience, but faults in its class design and the less rewarding Azerite system mean that overall, it takes too many steps back from Legion.

Mechstermination Force is enjoyably challenging, reasonably cheap, and mildly humorous. That makes it a success in my book.

It’s up there with the likes of Hotline Miami and Mr Shifty when it comes to providing exhilarating top-down action, and it has also got a great soundtrack. Coming straight out of nowhere, it’s undoubtedly one of the best games released this year, and is an absolute must for anyone who loves local co-op.

Even with its faults, Mafia: Definitive Edition is a fantastic remake of the original game. Its story is as engrossing as ever, tempting you to play just one more chapter before hitting that quit button. And while the gameplay isn’t perfect, it’s solid enough to keep you entertained. However, it’s a shame that more hasn’t been made of the game’s open world, as so much care has obviously been put into making it. Still if you’re after a story-driven single-player game to sink a decent amount of time into, you can’t go wrong with Mafia: Definitive Edition, especially considering its somewhat budget price. It’s simply an offer you can’t refuse.

As Rogue-likes go, Curse of the Dead Gods is up there with the best of them. It’s got brilliant combat, dastardly traps to overcome if you want their riches, and numerous unique systems layered on top that add considerable depth. With the prospect of death (or at least grave misfortune) around every corner, it keeps you on your toes, uncertain of what the future holds. But you’ll find yourself going back time and time again, ever hopeful that soon, the temple that’s been holding you back will be conquered. It’s not for the faint of heart, but Rogue-like fans would be mad to give this the cold shoulder.

One of the most tense games we’ve played that isn’t strictly horror, we’ve loved every moment spent in the atmospheric world of Kona II: Brume. With satisfying puzzles and engaging exploration, this is a stylish mystery that has truly kept us on the edge of our seats. Beautiful visuals, excellent voice acting and a twisty narrative are simply additional cherries on the cake.

With its intriguing narrative that keeps you on your toes and some genuinely creative puzzles, Luto is a first-person psychological horror game like no other. It has an important message, but its dark subject matter means that it perhaps isn't suitable for those sensitive to themes of depression and suicide.

The ability to dash around each enemy individually and slice them to pieces using the wonderfully hilarious procedural gore system is endlessly satisfying.

While you probably won’t play it on your own for very long due to the lack of matchmaking and career mode challenges, Obliteracers makes for a fairly entertaining experience when played in local multiplayer.

Xanadu Next is a charming RPG title that seems to have sprung out of the past for new life. It reminds us of the old-school principles of gaming, with labyrinthine levels, a vast array of enemies… and an off-beat lore centred around an epic English poem.

The only way you could be a little disappointed with Ray’Z Arcade Chronology is if you were expecting some kind of museum-like content, as there’s none of that here. Otherwise, this is a brilliant collection for shoot ’em up fans. All three games presented here are classics and they’ve never looked or played better. Add in all the new options and features, and you’re onto a winner.

It's hard as nails and has some balance issues that perhaps need to be addressed, but on the whole The First Berserker: Khazan is an impressive Soulslike that's very easy to recommend whether you're familiar with the Dungeon Fighter Online series or not.

Aside from occasionally getting lost, every moment spent with this short adventure game is a joy. You’ll see the credits roll in less than six hours, but you’ll likely be itching to jump back in and continue exploring after that. The harpoon makes for a unique and useful weapon; whether you’re using it to destroy your foes or to transport yourself across the screen, it’s a fluid and rewarding experience. One of the first games of 2021 I’ve sank my teeth into, Olija certainly has set the bar high.

Thanks to its absolutely sublime art style, excellent voice acting and its dark, fairytale-like narrative, Lost in Random is a wonderful adventure that will have you gripped. It’s a shame there’s no lip syncing to really finish off the visuals, and combat can be a little frustrating at times, but in the grand scheme of things these are miniscule issues. There’s so much originality and charm here that it’s hard not to fall in love with the world of Random.

If you want some cheap action RPG goodness, by all means pick it up. But you’re not going to be shouting about it from the hilltops.

If you’ve got the patience for it, Relicta is undoubtedly a neat puzzle game. It’s quite lengthy for a game of its type, which is perhaps why it eventually begins to feel overly repetitive, but you are spurred on when you encounter an a-ha! moment and go on to solve a puzzle that’s been perplexing you for the last 15 minutes or so. If you’ve made your way through the likes of the The Talos Principle and QUBE 2 and are eager to get stuck into yet another brain-teasing adventure, you’ll get a lot out of Relicta, even if it won’t have quite the same impact on you.

There's definitely some joy to be had from Detroit, particularly if themes of artificial intelligence and sentience intrigue you. But there are other games and movies that do more with them (Soma, for example). For a game that relies so heavily on its narrative to carry it, Detroit: Become Human fails to excel.

Questionable humour aside however, the icing on the murder cake is the way that AI: The Somnium Files has you revisit scenes, following different plot branches to produce a different outcome (sometimes radically different) without needing to start all over again. Date may not be a great detective, but there’s no doubting that AI: The Somnium Files is a great detective game. It blends humour and human horror to deliver an engaging, mind-bending experience that’s a cut above most visual novels.

A Way Out is a triumph for co-op games. From the way it's uniquely presented to the way it demands that you work together to overcome problems you can't solve independently, it grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the credits roll. And then you'll probably go back to make different choices during pivotal key scenes to see what you've missed.

Despite the introduction of multiple difficulty levels, then, some might find themselves becoming frustrated with Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. But fans of the series and those who don’t mind a challenge will still get lots of fun out of it. It’s a meaningful update of a classic, and while it might not hit the same notes as one of the most recent entries in the series, spending more time with the red-haired Adol remains a treat.

Death Road to Canada is still as brilliant as ever. It's a fun, challenging, quirky road trip simulator full of more zombies than you can shake a spiky stick at. Despite a few minor niggles, Death Road to Canada has me hooked; I'm going back for more at least once a day for a few hours at a time.

Unreasonable expectation of perfection aside, Stellaris is a expertly blended mosaic of 4X, grand strategy and self-created narrative. For the relatively small niche that this game occupies, it is the undisputed master and commander.

Expertly designed with a brilliant and unique concept, Super Rude Bear Resurrection kept me hooked even in its latter stages, where the game’s flaws started to become more irritating.