Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will appeal to players who enjoy exploration and an experimental approach to gameplay, as well as those seeking a relaxing experience. Although I personally prefer a slightly greater challenge and more motivation to achieve 100% completion, I certainly don’t regret the dozen or so pleasant hours I spent playing the game.

This is a really great game for all Batman fans. It can be a bit rough around the edges technically, and the gameplay is a bit too basic at times, but it’s hard not to appreciate just how much the developers love the Dark Knight in all his incarnations.

I’m as captivated as I am frustrated by Forza Horizon 6. It’s still the best open-world racing game on the market and I intend to spend hundreds of hours playing it – but after a four-year wait and significant competition, I was expecting more innovation. It’s simply more of the same, just on a fresh and beautiful map.

Speaking as a fan of Returnal, Saros brought me hours and hours of fantastic fun; I couldn’t get enough of the beauty of this dark world. The game’s biggest problem is its simplified and safe approach; there isn’t enough originality or confidence in its own design vision. If you’ve played the previous game, you’ll get more of the same.

You won’t find a challenge in Mixtape, just a superbly directed adventure in which teenage fears, stunts and drama intertwine with dreamlike imagination and pure, unbridled fun, all carried by one of the best video game soundtracks of the year. And that’s quite enough for me; as someone who remembers rewinding a cassette tape with a pencil, I had a brilliant time.

The greatest strength of Venice After Dark lies in its art style, its cast of eccentric characters and its delightfully quirky atmosphere; the plot is engaging, but is unlikely to be particularly memorable. Unfortunately, devotees of old-school adventure games may be disappointed by the game's difficulty level.

Cralon is a truly clunky game, and its few merits will only be appreciated by the most die-hard fans of dungeon crawlers – those who aren’t put off by the clumsy combat, numerous glitches or the very limited variety of enemies. The debut from the new studio founded by the co-creators of Gothic is a disappointment.

At the start of its early access run, Masters of Albion shows no signs of reinventing the god simulator genre – because it doesn’t even come close to that subgenre; it merely pretends id does. It’s just a run-of-the-mill game: colourful and pretty, with an exciting building system and a story you can play through. And that’s about it, because the rest is either in its infancy or simply not very interesting.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has all the charm of the original Tomodachi Life. Thanks to the quality-of-life improvements and creative tools introduced, we have more control over our island than ever before. Unfortunately, the game also takes quite a few steps backwards, preventing it from reaching the full potential of the franchise. Although it left me slightly disappointed in places, the expansion of the core mechanics ultimately still makes it a better game than the original.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire brings us a cohesive world with a unique, mouse-themed noir aesthetic, an engaging detective story, and straightforward but satisfying combat mechanics. Although the gameplay itself lacks a bit of depth, I had a blast playing it.

The key factor in Replaced is whether you’ll be captivated by the visuals and immersed in the cyberpunk universe enough for them to push you forward despite the setbacks – and there are plenty of those, as the repetitive combat and unresponsive controls in the platforming sections can really try your patience. Ultimately, this is a game that’s better to look at than to play.

I enjoyed Pragmata very much. Its unique and satisfying combat system, solid execution of the other gameplay elements, and likeable main characters all combine to make this another hit from Capcom. It’s just a shame that the boss battles are rather disappointing.

After all these hours in Crimson Desert, it feels like the charm of this world is so powerful that, despite everything, it’s hard not to be drawn in. Poorly designed quests, a shallow storyline and various shortcomings don’t really bother you that much when weighed against the sheer ocean of possibilities the game offers. Crimson Desert is a game that is difficult to judge conclusively – it has plenty of strengths, many flaws, yet it is definitely not a game you can simply ignore.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a chaotic mishmash of varying aesthetics and styles – a decent side-scroller wrapped up in a storyline that leaves a bad taste in my mouth and feels out of place within the series’ legacy. The enjoyable soundtrack and the final (?) return of Kain and Raziel aren’t enough for me to recommend this game.

For fans of Max and Chloe, this is a game you can't miss – Life is Strange: Reunion features great dialogue and does a fine job of tugging at the heartstrings, providing a fitting conclusion to the protagonists' story. However, the short development cycle and limited budget have left their mark on the game, and the gameplay can feel a bit too hand-holding at times.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is a collection of new features, both big and small, that make this brilliant game even more complete. Together, they form a comprehensive package that feels, in a way, like a director’s cut of the game, bringing to life additional ideas that the developers didn’t have the chance to include in the original release.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a well-done remake of the classic JRPG. The fantastical journey through time to save magical islands may seem a bit naive, but that's not a bad thing if you ask me. The new version boasts stunning graphics, full voice acting, and numerous improvements – although players who hate grind will find plenty of it here.

Midnight is a solid but safe follow-up to the direction set by recent WoW expansions. Blizzard is not trying to revolutionise the game, but instead is developing existing ideas and focusing on greater accessibility. The result is an expansion that impresses with its setting and several systems, but at the same time feels unfinished and, in places, too cautious. If you enjoyed the last few years of WoW, you will be satisfied, although the full potential of this expansion will only be revealed with subsequent updates.

At the start of its journey, Marathon is a game whose bold artistic style sometimes overshadows its best features: excellent shooting and a satisfying progression model. It is an interesting alternative in the extraction shooter genre for well-coordinated teams of three who are not afraid of brutal combat and grind. Unfortunately, the flashy, confusing interface and lack of a useful introduction to the gameplay may be enough to put some players off.

Resident Evil Requiem continues the series' winning streak, once again bringing fans everything that is best about it – and this time in a way that satisfies both action and horror enthusiasts. Although the numerous references to previous installments mean that Requiem cannot be recommended to completely new players, I wasn't bored for a moment. This is not a requiem for the Resident Evil series – but a tribute to its thirty-year legacy.

With noticeably less content and few innovations, Disciples: Domination feels more like an expansion than a full-fledged sequel. It's a decent game, nothing more, with a lackluster plot and a generic high fantasy world; a must-have for fans of Disciples: Liberation.

Reanimal is a very cinematic experience, in which platform and co-op mechanics are simply an addition. The plot takes centre stage here, and the themes and experiences suggested by the authors are probably more mature and serious than those in Little Nightmares. Reanimal is definitely a ‘big nightmare’ and the most bizarre, atmospheric game you will be able to play this year.

Mario Tennis Fever is a decent tennis game with its biggest problems being a lack of innovation, simplified gameplay, and a very weak story mode. If you're a fan of the series and don't care about online play, stick with Tennis Aces. Newcomers may appreciate it for its more robust single-player content and still quite enjoyable core mechanics.

The leap that the NiOh series has made from game to game bodes well for the future. NiOh 3 can already compete with the best representatives of the soulslike genre. The exploration itself may not yet have that sense of wonder that was present in Elden Ring, and the recycling of enemies is a bit of a nuisance, but I consider NiOh 3 to be the best instalment in the series, and its heart, the combat system, really shines here.

Pathologic 3 is a familiar survival horror concept brought to life by artists with twenty years of experience – a mature, competent, and precisely tuned work. One of the best stories in video games, told in an extremely unique way. Is it still imperfect? Of course; Pathologic 3 still struggles with the limitations of its engine and budget, but these rarely bothered me.

First hours with Metroid Prime 4 were overshadowed by getting to know the controls, the gameplay, the puzzles (I got frustrated!). But after a while everything clicked and all that was left was enjoyment. A lengthy development cycle must have taken its toll on the final game, but if you’re a fan of unique games, Beyond is an interesting, rare genre-bender.

Routine is one of those games that made me feel relief after finishing it. And I will never play it again. But not because it’s bad – on the contrary, it is a terrifying horror with a very immersive world. The atmosphere is so bleak and heavy that it can scare off some players. And that’s good.

Dispatch is a very interesting spin on the „interactive adventure” formula, and this band of super-misfits probably will steal your hearts as efficiently as the Guardians of the Galaxy or Invincible’s allies did some years earlier. And the best part: the developers have total control and don’t have to listen to any IP owners out there. This game really is a great animated series.