With a little extra attention, Before We Leave could probably turn into a much larger, more sophisticated game. The foundation is strong enough for that to happen with minimal effort, but I don't think that's what the developers had in mind, and truthfully, I don't have a problem with that.

Sanatorium - A Mental Asylum Simulator balances patient treatment with investigating a mystery. It does a good job of making you balance patient welfare with your own survival within the asylum. The gameplay aspects don't work well together and gameplay can be repetitive after some time. The game won't overstay its welcome and is worth a look if you want an easy simulator.

Blood Typers delivers a solid survival horror experience that uses typing. You improve your skills while experiencing the standard horror tropes. Typing cuts into the game's immersion and some concepts aren't properly explained. The game's unique offering works well despite its flaws, letting you have fun on your own or with friends.

World's End Club has a solid start thanks to its interesting premise and characters. However, while I thought the game had the potential to be great, it was eventually weighed down by its clunky platforming sections and overuse of twists during its final hours. I personally loved being an unofficial member of The Go-Getters Club and learning about their group dynamic. Nevertheless, it's a story worth checking out, as long as you can overlook the issues that arise while playing it.

I can highly recommend Not Another Weekend to anyone who A) enjoys retro-style Point and Click Adventures, B) has fond memories of the 1980s and C) wants to play something genuinely funny. It would be harder to recommend it to anyone who would answer ‘no’ to any of those questions.

I loved my time with the collection, getting to know Ryu and the world of Ninja Gaiden. Reviewing the games at face value is impossible knowing that the game is simply a port to modern consoles and whilst the varied ways to now play these three fantastic games should be celebrated, their age shows dramatically at times and the collection is a missed opportunity to revitalise the series, it appears as a cash-grab rather than a celebration of what made these games fantastic. Newcomers, I recommend playing these games, but if you have a PS3 lying around, I'd play these games on that and save yourself £30.

Unpacking is not a game for everyone, but the people it appeals to will fall in love with it. The game has its own unique charm, and players will find themselves breezing through the whole thing before they know it. However, that does mean the game is way shorter than it should be. With only 8 levels, they definitely could have made it to at least 13-15. The beautiful pixel art enhances the game's aesthetic, though certain items don't translate as well, leading to some confusion.

The Longest Road on Earth offers a series of micro-narratives that embrace and celebrate all that is mundane in life. Despite its straightforward mechanics and short runtime, it’s a heartfelt experience that deserves the attention of those who favour a sharper and more casual focus on emotional cohesion.

Alisa: Developer's Cut is an amazing homage to the roots of the Resident Evil franchise. Recreating the feeling to a near-perfect T. However, emulating a game from the '90s so closely means it comes with all the problems from games of the time. Big fans of the genre will definitely enjoy their time, but casual horror fans may struggle to get invested.

I loved playing Kinoko despite how short it is. I was introduced to a little world of calm beauty where each element complimented the other. It is easy to see that a lot of love and care has gone into this project, and I would love to see Kinoko as a fully-fledged game in the future.

Crash Team Rumble has the makings of a truly great, laid-back online game, however for the price players are paying, it is fair to expect more game modes and playable characters. With that said, new characters and a new arena are coming in Season 1, so the shortcomings may be resolved in the near future as more seasons come along. What we do have now is a whimsical, easy, and fun addition to the beloved Crash Bandicoot franchise.

Adventure Kitty Drill Buster Lights Out is a fun quick-fire indie game with a charming art style, story, and great core gameplay. The variety of challenges on offer here is great and honestly I have enjoyed the game from start to finish. Whilst it is on the short side it provides all the thrills and spills you'd want from a game like this. And whilst the visuals can be a tad iffy here and there they never bring the game down too far.

To forget or not to forget? That is the question. With a more personal venture to its name, Frostwood Interactive attempts to denote itself as a company that inspires people's emotional core. Forgotten Fields isn't the most riveting piece of gaming available—actually playing the game comes with its hurdles. Where its success lies is in the way it communicates and molds its characters, how it attempts to bring them to life and have them identifiable. From this, the game is a modest and simple triumph of earnest self-reflection. As it came to an end, I found myself wanting to try just a little harder in my own life.

Maiden of the Black Water is a game that I would recommend to any fan of the genre. While the awkward controls and deadpan voice acting may detract from the experience, the world building and design are second to none.

It's an inspired folk horror experience. Whilst it's a bit clunky in its mechanics surrounding combat, it’s still brimming with the surreal and the mythological and, above all, is presented with impeccable style and heart.

My time within this universe was enjoyable, eventually. It was gratifying to see that there was more of the game to experience beyond the initial limitations I had to work through, but the general lack of a tutorial and plodding pacing at the beginning almost turned me off for good. But if you get past that and into the meat of the title, you’ll sink your teeth into something truly satisfying.

More than a lot of games I’ve played, this one is not for everyone. It is very important to stress that if you are hoping for exciting, varied content, then this is absolutely not the title for you; you’ll end up bored within the first hour. However, if you’re interested in a little creativity and experimentation, or perhaps just have a genuine flair for city planning, then a lot of work has gone into making Urbek City Builder something really special. The constant shifting of the buildings never stopped being exciting for me in hours of play. The staggering variety of possible buildings and city structures promise near endless content if you’re the type of person who enjoys that laid-back, Sunday morning project atmosphere. If you are, then you’ll have a lot of fun with this game.

Twelve Minutes has great potential as a high concept thriller with its stellar technical design, critically acclaimed cast and initially organic gameplay, but ultimately its narrative direction and pacing leaves a lot to be desired.

DeadWire encourages creativity by creating connections between various objects to defeat enemies. There's always a solution and you can't lock yourself out of a level. The solution can be obscure and there's no actual reward for being fast. It's a good top-down shooter but doesn't push many boundaries.

Wanted: Dead is a game not for everyone. A lot of modern players will hate their time with this title, but if you have a fondness for that old-school challenge and love cutting people into Shish Kabob, you'll really like this game. However, even if you're in that camp, you should wait for a sale, as the game's not worth the $60 price tag with only five stages. Plus, other elements, like no additional melee weapons and poor performance at times, do drag the game down a bit.

Hellbreach: Vegas refines its PvE experience to be more exciting and thrilling the first time around. Slot machine randomness and better weapons makes each experience different. But there isn't enough variety to keep you entertained for long, even with friends. Customisation adds nothing significant and is the only goal you can work towards. Unless you play for short bursts, you might stop playing entirely.

After beating Little Witch Nobeta, my main thought was that I wanted more. More spells, more environments, more characters, more opportunities to customize Nobeta. It's always a good sign when a game leaves you wanting more. I feel like this could be the foundation for an awesome sequel if Pupaya Games sees fit to make one. There is definitely room for a sequel, especially with everything revealed in the lore entries. But as is, Nobeta is a cute and charming good time that is sure to delight.

With weak exploration which tends towards being more tedious, and even exhausting, combat which trips over itself to constantly interrupt the player, and an overall feeling of awkwardness in the presentation, getting through The Thaumaturge's low moments can be a real struggle. However, on the other side is a compelling and interesting political slow burn which weaves the role of magic and Thaumaturgy into real historical scheming, even if that means the more interesting aspects of the world take a backseat. This is alongside an engaging core combat loop and some excellent creature designs. If you can stomach the slow start and are willing to play into the game's more obtuse aspects, particularly the walls of emotive text, The Thaumaturge is sure to be another exciting CRPG for you.

Escape From The Red Planet is a tower defence game incorporating aspects of lite resource management and rail shooters. That sounds like many things, but Escape From The Red Planet manages to simplify this concept to its bone. This simplification helps the game flow well but also leads to aspects where the game is sometimes way too simplified. All this leads to a pleasant game which is short and fun.

Armored Head is a highly enjoyable romp of non-stop robo-violence that will make for a fun and memorable afternoon or two. It doesn't set the world on fire, but it knows exactly what it wants to be and achieves that goal perfectly.

KILLBUG is a simple FPS arcade game where the only goal is to get the highest score by killing bugs with one gun and one melee attack while moving fluidly with double jumps and wall running. The game offers no story or progression system, but the enemy variety keeps the gameplay interesting. Scoring is the only reason to keep playing, and the retro blocky graphics and pounding music are competent. Overall, the game offers around 2 to 3 hours of fun, with no other goals or variation.

All-in-all, Home Chef Hustle Stuff marks a triumphant return for Stuff Packs in The Sims 4. I used the words "slightly undercooked" in the title for a reason, and that's because I felt that there could have been a few extra CAS items and objects. There are also a few minor bugs I encountered. On the whole though, this is a good Stuff Pack. If you like cooking and want to profit from it without having to buy a restaurant, plus have the advantage of working from home, then Home Chef Hustle is the ideal Stuff Pack.

Floodland gives you a great survival challenge where you have limited resources to rebuild society. You are taught what to do from the beginning, and will slowly learn how to take care of your people. The difficulty can be punishing and some game concepts aren’t properly explained, forcing you to learn by experience. But if you stick with the learning process, you will find a nice survival gem that teaches you about the challenges of rebuilding civilization.