In the end, Duck Side of the Moon is one of those experiences that thrives on its identity. It knows exactly what it wants to be, a slightly odd but thoughtful collectathon with a duck in space, and it delivers on that vision without overcomplicating things. The combination of exploration, puzzle-solving, and understated storytelling creates a cohesive experience that’s easy to get lost in. There are moments where the pacing could feel a bit uneven, and the point-of-no-return system won’t be for everyone. But these are relatively minor bumps in an otherwise smooth journey. The game balances humor and sincerity successfully. It’s a rather complicated mix, but one that Duck Side of the Moon handles with surprising ease.

Adorable Adventures is indeed very adorable, but could have been a bit more adventurous with its mechanics. It has a very clever core mechanic, but it could have used a bit more variation to really stand out. Even so, it’s still a fun little adventure, especially for younger players.

Space Control has personality, a fun sci-fi setup, and solid voice work, but it never becomes as interactive or chaotic as it promises to be. The world is fun to visit, and the humor works most of the time. That being said, the physical interactions lack variation to stay fun for longer periods of time. Overall, I think that the simple tasks and passive pacing hold the game back too much. In the end, it works better in short bursts than as a full game.

Invincible VS is more than just an arcade fighting game. It’s a tribute to the original material. The characters have been given great animation, and even feature (most of) the original voice actors. While some are missing from the roster, the replacement voice actors do a remarkable job. The combat and most modes are what you would expect from an arcade fighter, but the story mode is a great addition that puts all the characters in the spotlight. It is somewhat short, though. It’s more like an episode of a show instead of an entire campaign. A good fighting game needs a strong community to succeed, so the coming months will show if Invincible VS will be a hit. But if what I played is anything to go by, I think most players who come to this release because they love the show, will stick around because they will also fall in love with this game.

OPUS: Prism Peak is not a game that tries to win you over right from the start. It takes its time to develop, and you’ll need some patience. In return, it offers something that feels personal, sometimes uncomfortably so. It’s a game about looking back, about the things we carry with us, and the ways we choose to frame them. That doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. The lack of clear direction can occasionally break immersion rather than enhance it, leaving you momentarily disconnected from the experience. There are stretches where the pacing dips, where the balance between exploration and progression feels slightly off. But those moments don’t define the game. In a landscape where games often feel the need to constantly guide, inform, and validate (or throw you off the deep end over and over again), something is refreshing about a title that’s willing to step back and let you find your own way. Even if that means getting a little lost along the journey, because that’s what being on a journey is all about, no?

The Spell Brigade offers an interesting twist on the survivor-like genre. The more intricate map design combined with the quest system adds more strategy to runs, but the slow unlocking of these systems and the lack of enemy variety make the game sometimes feel repetitive. The safe choice to not deviate too much from genre staples also adds to this feeling. Multiplayer is fun, but the lack of synergy between players makes it feel like you are just playing next to each other instead of working together. The game can be used as a social experience when you and your friends love to play survivor-like games, but don’t expect any big changes to an already existing formula.

Pokémon Champions is surprisingly accessible without spending any money if you’re a casual VGC enthusiast. Launching with a few bugs and less content than fans of the series expected, it’s clear that we’ll have to wait for future updates to know where the series is heading in this purely online competitive Pokémon game. The fact that you can play the game without importing from Home by recruiting and tweaking stats on the fly makes this game a very competitive hub for the series. We hope future monetisation plans will not eventually wring out casual players from the game’s population. A tailored selection of Pokémon and items for this first season has both casual and competitive fans creating a brand-new meta for competitive play, and while it falls short in some areas, the game has the potential to become the ultimate generation-spanning battle arena for everyone.

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes doesn’t change the key ingredients of the Little Nightmares franchise, but puts you in the middle of the horrors. It’s very immersive, more direct, and sometimes a bit rough because of it. Not everything works perfectly, but it’s one of the most memorable VR games out there for sure.

Saros stands out as a must-play for fans of the genre and a worthy successor to Returnal, pushing roguelike shooters forward with confidence and style.

Ultimately, Shapez 2 is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be. It’s not here to tell a grand story or dazzle you with spectacle. Instead, it offers a space to think, to experiment, and to create systems that are uniquely your own. And in a landscape where bigger often tries to mean better, there’s power in not trying to do so. Because sometimes, all you really need is a few shapes, a handful of belts, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing that, for once, everything is running exactly as it should. Excel, hidden in a ga- oh, no wait, that was Europa Universalis.

Tides of Tomorrow introduces one of the most interesting gameplay mechanics in years, but it’s not without its flaws. The story lacks some depth, and the gameplay loop can become repetitive a bit too quickly. That being said, it still stands out as one of the more unique games out there and deserves credit for that. If you’re looking to try something different, this might be worth your time.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream delivers on its promises. It’s a fun way to design a world with characters you’ve envisioned. Whether you want to base your creations on existing people or make something original, the Mii creation screen is detailed enough to make your wildest dreams come true. The city builder is also intuitive and easy to use, making city management feel great in practice. While interaction between Miis is clearly the star of the show, the lack of goals or quests can sometimes make the game feel a bit repetitive. However, if you are intrinsically motivated and able to set your own goals in a sandbox world, I have no doubt that you will be able to lose yourself in Tomodachi Life for hours on end.

The Day I Became a Bird is a wonderful adaptation of a delightful children’s graphic novel. The gameplay isn’t challenging, but it perfectly supports the concept of putting the story front and centre. The additional story elements that extend the gameplay also deepen the player’s connection with the story; they don’t feel like filler. I didn’t expect that a book could be adapted into a game with so much care for the original text while still creating something new. This is even true when the art style is changed to something more befitting of a game.

Despite a minor hiccup with a save issue, the overall polish and responsiveness from the developers leave a strong impression. For players who enjoy narrative- driven investigations with psychological depth, this is a journey well worth taking.

Gecko Gods by Inresin might not be perfect because of some camera and control issues, but it is a great showcase of great world and level design, taking some well-thought-out lessons from other games in the genre. Choosing a Gecko as the main character might be ambitious because of the wall and ceiling climbing that comes with it, but when it clicks, Gecko Gods lets the neurons in your lizard brain fire at full speed. With some great puzzles sprinkled in to keep the inner ape awake.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is one of those rare games that feels fully formed, not just in its individual parts, but in how those parts come together. It’s a shooter, yes, but it’s also a character study, a stylistic experiment, and a love letter to a form of animation that rarely gets this kind of attention in games. It feels tailored for me, as a person, and it’s well worth the wait. By combining a strong narrative structure with expressive gameplay and a truly unique visual identity, it stands out in an increasingly crowded genre.

Replaced is a seamless experience that grabs your attention from the outset and doesn’t let go. The seamless platforming and combat make you feel like an action star in one of your favorite blockbusters, a sensation enhanced by the excellent 2.5D visual style, which sometimes uses camera angles inspired by movies to heighten the action. There’s no doubt that REPLACED will become a go-to reference for anyone wanting to show that pixel graphics can be just as beautiful as realistic 3D. This modern-day classic has already made its way to the top of my Game of the Year list, and it will be hard to dethrone.

Pragmata dares to be different and commits to it from start to finish. Its blend of action and hacking creates something that feels fresh and surprisingly natural once it clicks. Combine that with memorable characters and plenty of hidden secrets, and you’re in for a wild ride. It’s not flawless, but it’s one of the most original and engaging games I’ve played in a long time.

In the end, the game succeeds in expanding the Greedfall universe with meaningful ideas and player agency, but it falls slightly short of its full potential due to a lack of polish and consistency in key areas.

Modulus: Factory Automation is one of those rare games that feels completely confident in what it wants to be. It doesn’t chase scale, nor does it rely on pressure. It’s not here to overwhelm you with unnecessary systems. Instead, it focuses on intentional design, creative freedom, spatial problem-solving, and, in doing so, executes on all three with remarkable precision. For players who love factory games, puzzle design, or just the satisfaction of building something that works, this is an easy recommendation.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection gives these games the second chance they deserved. The core gameplay still stands, and the added quality-of-life features make it easier to get into. It’s not perfect though, and some rough edges are still hard to ignore. A great collection for fans, but definitely not for everyone.

Out of all the Forza Horizon games, this easily feels like the most iconic and diverse map so far, and I enjoyed every minute of it. [Hands-On Impressions]

Darwin’s Paradox! doesn’t always get the basics right, but it makes up for it with creativity and character. It’s rough in places, yet hard to put down once it gets going. A flawed but enjoyable game.

A more complete version of an already strong game, with enough changes to make it worth coming back to. A no-brainer for survival horror fans.

GRIDBeat! is a well-designed hybrid that understands both halves of its identity, rhythm, and dungeon crawling, and manages to fuse them into something genuinely engaging. It refines the genre in a way that feels fresh. The gameplay is tight, the music is integral, and the overall experience hits that sweet spot between challenge and satisfaction. Most importantly, it finds that elusive rhythm game magic, that moment where everything clicks, and you stop thinking and play. And when a game gets you there? That’s when you know it’s doing something right.

Screamer is a unique racing game that makes bold promises about its gameplay and storyline. The twin-stick approach to drifting and driving makes the cars feel like no other, and you can sometimes feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins during races. However, the story has a slow build-up, and while it is unique to have every character speak in their native language, it can also be tiring. A smaller selection of languages would have been a better choice. It’s also strange to include offensive driving and leave it out of most of the story mode. This wouldn’t matter much if it weren’t for the difficulty spikes in the opponent AI, which made me want to see them crash and burn in a fiery explosion. But when it’s just me and my car on the asphalt, the high-octane action even manages to bring a smile to my sometimes frustrated face.

Life is Strange: Reunion wraps up the story of Max and Chloe in roughly 9 hours. It’s best experienced in one or two sittings to maintain its emotional momentum. While it never quite reaches the high standard set by the original game, it remains an enjoyable and worthwhile conclusion. Just don’t expect particularly challenging choices or complex time-bending puzzles.

The Division Resurgence had every reason to be a compromise. A lighter version. A stripped-down experiment. Instead, it’s something far more ambitious; we got a mobile game that genuinely understands what makes The Division work, and manages to translate that into a portable format without losing its identity. No, it’s not perfect, and yes, the monetization lingers. But, we got touch controls, while solid, they can’t fully replace a controller. And performance will vary depending on your device. But the core experience? It’s shockingly intact. Ubisoft successfully brought The Division to mobile devices. There’s just one problem. My phone battery didn’t sign up for this (so keep that in mind when playing games like these). If you look past that small hiccup, you get a bold, content-rich mobile adaptation that captures the essence of The Division remarkably well, even if your battery life may never forgive you.