It’s perhaps understandable that Payday 3 is a step back from Payday 2 in terms of content, given the years of support its predecessor has had, but it’s a shame that it doesn’t have a little more. Still, we can’t help but feel that Payday 3 is an excellent base to work from, with improved moment-to-moment gameplay. With a bit more polish and a steady stream of post-launch content, Payday 3 could ultimately prove to be an essential co-op heisting experience. Right now, however, players are likely to have some frustrations, and may quickly grow tired of playing the same missions on repeat.

As a LEGO fan, I appreciate LEGO Builder’s Journey for trying something different. You don’t need to be a fan of LEGO to enjoy it though; it’s a rewarding puzzler in its own right, with just a few frustrations marring its admittedly short running time. Its challenging puzzles and fiddly controls make it something more suited to older players, but those of all ages will find delight in its colourful and downright charming visuals. If nothing else, it makes me keen to see what Light Brick Studio develops in the future. Like being presented with a bag of actual LEGO bricks, there are many opportunities to be explored by a bunch of open-minded creatives.

More than just a case of survival, Sheltered pushes you to grow and eventually thrive, and the moment your little unit starts to become somewhat self-sufficient, you’ll feel a real swell of pride.

Still, there’s a lot to love in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, whether you’re a hardcore SpongeBob fan or a sucker for a good old-fashioned 3D platformer. The colourful worlds and silly humour will appeal to kids, sure, but it also calls out to the inner child in all of us. It’s the sort of game you can simply switch off with: forget about the rest of the world, and get lost in a zany world of rainbows, pineapple houses and balloon starfish for a while. What more could you want, really?

Tetris never had a story and that has kept us coming back for decades. If a game like this is to be judged on its puzzles alone, then SOLAS 128 is a superb entry into the puzzler genre. Though it is best played on PC, where the controls feel more at home.

Rage 2 isn’t the biggest game in the world. Nor is it the prettiest, or the most polished. Once you’ve explored its tame open world enough to open up your combat options however, it doesn’t really matter. In the heat of battle, the only thing you’ll be experiencing while playing Rage 2 is sheer joy. And it’s good enough to make all the boring bits in between feel worthwhile. It’s not perfect, but it shows that id’s brilliant brand of combat can be enhanced and implanted into an open world.

It isn’t perfect, but it oozes British charm, packs in some enjoyable puzzles, and manages to tell an interesting story at the same time. If you can forgive its few missteps, then its corridors are definitely worth exploring.

Thankfully, the better titles alone are enough to warrant Jackbox Party Pack 6 being a worthwhile game to play with friends, but don’t expect it to be impressive on every front.

While you’ll probably want to mute Pilot Sports’ annoying soundtrack, there’s plenty of fun to be had with this surprisingly challenging and varied retro flying game.

The lack of customisation options, terrible voice acting and casual sexism do mar the experience, but there’s still fun to be found in starting with nothing and working hard to build your farming empire.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered gives a classic game a solid makeover in terms of visuals and performance, and also offers fans the chance to indulge themselves in some lost levels and more. The gameplay at the heart of the experience hasn't stood the test of time very well, though.

Yes, having to replay the same section time and again until you get your jump, timing and execution just right can be infuriating, but when you do nail a section, it comes with a great sense of achievement. No matter how difficult its challenges become, Glyph is a game that begs you to keep going. And thanks to its charming design and beautiful environments, it’s likely that you will.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection bundles up a whole series of action-RPGs and adds some valuable extras and enhancements. But while exisiting fans and those who love the Battle Network series will likely lap it up, newcomers might find it all a little too dated.

It may not be original, and with only 25 levels you’ll likely be done with it in a few hours, but that doesn’t stop Manic Mechanics being jolly good fun to play. Tackle it by yourself if you want, but this zany repair ’em up shines when you’re playing with a friend or three. It’s colourful, it’s humorous, and it’s easy to pick up and play – basically, it ticks all the boxes of a solid co-operative party game.

Fortunately for Monster Truck Championship, it’s still the best monster truck based game available. The lack of meaningful upgrades in this next-gen version, and the lack of a free upgrade path, however, means that it’s impossible to recommend to those who have already bought it on PS4 or Xbox One – they’re better off making use of backwards compatibility unless they have money to burn. There’s just not enough here to warrant the double-dip.

Ultra Despair Girls’ loop of exploring dungeon-like areas, mowing down waves of Monokuma bots, and switching between the ranged combat of Komaru and melee barrages of Genocide Jack… means you’ve got a third person shooter unlike any other.

Jump into Dogfight – A Sausage Bomber Story and while you’ll never likely be wowed, you will be entertained by its humorous brand of shoot ’em up action. This is a lovely-looking title with solid mechanics, enjoyable alone or with others. But there’s little that’s unique about its gameplay, and once its campaign has been completed many players may struggle to find a reason to return other than to collect more weapons.

Puppet House isn't going to blow your socks off, but if you like horror-themed escape room-like experiences, you could do much worse. Your main issue will probably be that it's just so short.

It's too short to pack a real emotional punch, but The Day I Became a Bird is a cute, whimsical story about a schoolboy and his crush. Varied gameplay and fun little activities keep you playing, and the gorgeous art style makes it a worthwhile experience, but you'll likely be left wanting more.

The next-gen version of Hunting Simulator 2 is only worth considering if you’re buying it for the first time – especially the Xbox Series X/S version. It’s perhaps not the best hunting game ever made, but those into the activity will find that the hours will fly by as they attempt to bag themselves some epic trophies. And thanks to the power of next-gen, everything looks better than ever. The picturesque scenery makes even just taking a stroll through the wilderness enjoyable – if you don’t like hunting, consider it a dog-walking simulator instead.

The game still functions well and the tactical gameplay is still solid as ever but retains the annoyances of the old systems.

Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is a fun shooter, for the most part. It doesn’t gain much from mining Lovecraft lore; you could swap out the foes for any other number of pixellated nightmares. But slaughtering your way through the hordes is a satisfying and challenging experience, and there’s enough replayability here to keep you diving back into the abyss.

Somerville isn't always the most enjoyable game to play, then. Its puzzles aren't anything special, and they're hampered by clunky controls. But what is special is Somerville's narrative and art design. The score, too, is excellent: we just wish there was more of it - too many scenes are simply too quiet. Even if we weren't enamoured with the ending, Somerville's story is worth experiencing. It's just a shame the gameplay is a little disappointing in comparison.

There's a lot to like about Remnant: From the Ashes. Its character and world design is mostly excellent, and it's really atmospheric when played alone. Its core mechanics work well, too. But additional polish and tweaks are needed to really make it great.

In terms of the survival genre, The Last Stand: Aftermath doesn’t do anything groundbreaking; its presentation is rough around the edges, and its gameplay sits comfortably in a territory filled by countless other zombie-filled survival games. But throw in the roguelike elements and the continual draw to find better gear or unlock better upgrades, and you’ve got a deeply satisfying gameplay loop that will keep you coming back time and time again.

If Trine 3 left you disappointed and you’re aching for yet another 2.5D Trine experience, you’ll undoubtedly love Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince. You won’t be surprised by it in any way, but you’ll lap it up from beginning to end. If you were hoping that there’d be something new introduced to the formula to shake things up a little and keep it interesting, however, you might be disappointed. Trine 4 returns to the safety of its roots, and feels unimaginative and unadventurous because of it.

It has pretty big setbacks, but its many small redeeming factors – the art style, the voice acting, the setting, and of course the boys – are sure to inspire a cult following.

Overall, The Purring Quest is an enjoyable 2D side-scroller made for a good cause.