A cosy and whimsical game that reminds us to take a break and take care of ourselves once in a while, Wanderstop is an utter joy to play. While its tasks occasionally feel like busywork, its excellently-written and consistently funny dialogue makes it hard to mind too much.

Destiny 2 is… broad. It is a showcase of improvement and compromise. It is a time vacuum. It’s hard to not enjoy playing Destiny 2, yet still possible to dislike a fair portion of it.

If you give Sublevel Zero Redux the time it deserves, you won’t be able to help falling in love with its approach to upgrades and consistent unrelenting challenge.

While not good enough to overtake the games that inspired it, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a remarkable action platformer that does plenty to make a name for itself.

FIFA 21 doesn’t have any ground-breaking new modes or revolutionary gameplay innovations, but it doesn’t need them to impress. The plentiful tweaks to gameplay and AI, along with worthwhile new features spread across all primary modes, accumulate to make FIFA 21 a must-have for football fans. And if they’re planning on picking up a next-gen console in the near-future, there’s possibly even more for them to look forward to.

Despite its age and its retro style that may not be to everyone’s taste, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate has a charm that’s hard to deny. Its simple gameplay loop is endlessly rewarding, luring players back again and again, even after multiple deaths. The constant promise of loot helps, as does the speed in which Shiren levels up. Success is always just around the corner; you just need to survive long enough to get there.

Does Park Beyond capture the magic of Theme Park World from the early 2000s? Not quite, but damn, it tries. It feels like a nice, happy medium between the complexity of Planet Coaster and the simplicity of Theme Park: stick to flat rides and prefab coasters if you want, but if you’re the more creative type, you’ll get a huge kick out of the freedom Park Beyond’s coaster building and design tools give you. Packed with personality, plenty of gameplay and some truly wonderful ride designs, Park Beyond is a must for theme park sim fans.

Devoid of any conflict or action, Mythic Ocean is a tranquil, laid-back experience. It’s the perfect remedy for a busy day; traversing the ocean depths is serene and relaxing, and encountering the game’s myriad of weird and wonderful creatures is continually delightful. If you’ve enjoyed games in the past such as Abzu or Dear Esther, you’ll find something to love here. And the fact that Mythic Ocean has been created by such a small team makes it even more impressive.

While its gameplay can feel a little basic at times, we’re really glad that GYLT is now free of Stadia. This is a small but powerful horror title that tackles an important issue while also providing hours of engaging gameplay. And though there’s nothing truly original here, Tequila Works has obviously put this together with care. If nothing else, it deserves praise for simply being a horror game accessible to younger audiences while still being unsettling for all.

Speaking as a fan of a more relaxed paced games, as an owner and backer of both Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen and as a wannabe Minecraft survival-mode architect, I find it incredibly easy to look past No Man’s Sky’s admittedly rough exterior and see the brightly shining diamond beneath and I think I’m going to playing it for a long time.

You can expect well made puzzles, gorgeous graphics, as well as a really interesting story line that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Hilarious and unabashedly silly, Earth Must Die is undoubtedly the best game yet from Size Five Games. Brilliantly written, beautifully animated and with an enviable voice cast, there's so much to love here if you're a fan of point-and-click adventure games.

Complex, challenging, but never boring, The Sexy Brutale blends a compelling narrative, appealing aesthetics and innovative gameplay into one stylish package.

If you played Strange Horticulture, you'll know exactly what to expect from Strange Antiquities, and you're in for quite the treat. Revisiting the macabre town of Undermere is a joy, and puzzling through as you help its residents find weird and wonderful antiques imbued with mysterious powers is almost (almost!) as fun as it was with plants.

If you’re a music lover, there’s a lot to love here. FUSER looks great, its track list has something for everyone, and its gameplay is a hell of a lot of fun. I guarantee you will not be able to keep your feet still as you drop your mixes together. Even if your crowd isn’t digging it, I guarantee that you will be.

With the right crowd and the right mood, you’ll have a lot of laughs and a great time. Use Your Words follows the format of the genre, but is just unique enough to be memorable.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap sets the bar incredibly high for future recreations of classic games. Not only does it pay reverence to the source material in nearly every conceivable way, it also manages to modernise the original game through an astounding level of quality in presentation.

In many ways, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris feels like the Assassin’s Creed of old. A smaller affair with a story that actually feels like it has stakes, its characters are interesting and a little more fleshed out in some cases, making the twists it sends your way more impactful. Throw in the engaging assassination missions, and you have a brilliant piece of DLC that’s not to be missed. If you own a copy of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you owe it to yourself to play The Siege of Paris.

Whether you love dinosaurs or management sims, Jurassic World Evolution 3 has something to offer. And if you love both it's truly the game for you. With more dinosaurs to exhibit and an expanded range of customisation options, this is the biggest and best entry in the Jurassic World Evolution series yet, though those who have played previous entries might find it a bit too familiar.

There are times when Death of the Outsider feels a little too familiar but, despite the game’s reuse of art assets, these moments are far and few between. An engrossing, well-paced send-off for a series that already tops the stealth genre, Dishonored doesn’t get any better than Death of the Outsider.

Ultimately, the gameplay tweaks found in Judgment manage to successfully differentiate it from the Yakuza series while still retaining the elements that have made it such a hit with fans. You have the hard-hitting combat, which is more more energetic than ever thanks to Yagami’s agility, an engaging story full of twists and turns, and a varied range of activities to preoccupy you in between meeting the story objectives. The investigative elements simply add to the variety that’s on offer, and make you feel more involved in the goings-on in and around Kamurocho. If you’ve already played the game on PS4 then there’s little here to warrant a replay. But if not, you should definitely consider picking Judgment up now that it’s available on more formats whether you’re a Yakuza fan or not.

Deviating from the series' formula and taking the adventure above ground was a bold move for 4A Games, but it's paid off. Metro Exodus can be unforgiving at times but it's a rollicking, radioactive road-trip that's sure to scratch that post-apocalyptic itch.

It’s this huge variation in skills and abilities that makes Warm Snow so easy to jump back into, time and time again. When you die – which you will, regularly – you’ll want to start all over again, this time vying to do that bit better, get that bit further. And that’s the key to any good roguelike: one that hooks you with the desire to just keep on trying. We’re happy to say that Warm Snow has nailed it.

Going into it, I didn’t expect much from Letter Quest: Grimm’s Journey Remastered, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoy a good word game now and then, and the unique twist that Letter Quest offers with brawler and RPG elements makes this a truly engaging and addictive title.

It’s one hell of a good time.

Having been away from our consoles for some 14 years, we’re glad that Prince of Persia has made a return. And while we’d welcome another 3D action adventure entry with open arms, Ubisoft’s choice to adopt a 2.5D Metroidvania format for this foray is a shrewd one. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has everything you’d expect of a Prince of Persia game, from tense, thoughtful combat to challenging platforming. Yet thanks to its youthful flair and genre-shift, it feels fresh and unlike anything else currently in the Ubisoft library. For Prince of Persia fans and those who enjoy Metroidvanias in general, this is very much worthy of a recommendation.

This duck-flavoured detective mystery may be short, but it's a great deal of fun. Wonderfully animated and excellently written, figuring out the case of Duck Detective: The Secret Salami might only take a couple of hours, but it's a jolly good way to spend an evening.

If you’re picking up a PSVR 2 headset and want a game to show off what it’s capable of, Horizon Call of the Mountain is it. The visuals are astounding, and the gameplay – while a little slow to start – soon becomes captivating. Climbing is tiring but rewarding, while doing battle with mechanical monstrosities has never felt more involving. Add in loads of neat interactions and activities to be enjoyed along the way, and you have a game that not only expands the world of Horizon, but also makes us excited for what’s to come thanks to PSVR 2.