One of the best action games of recent years and an irresistibly entertaining celebration of everything that is joyous and imaginative about video games.

An uninspired retread of Resident Evil Village’s best moments, which squanders the opportunity to experiment or provide a hint about the franchise’s future.

Simultaneously better and worse than you’d expect, with some fun co-op and detective elements but weak combat and muddled storytelling.

The basics of gameplay work tremendously well, but the game is bogged down by too many niggling faults and the sense that it’ll take until at least next year to fulfil its potential.

An action-packed journey through medieval France that alternates between visceral violence and rural beauty, although its puzzles and action sequences occasionally feeling undercooked compared to its well-drawn and believable characters.

One of the best strategy games to ever appear on a console, with some genuine gameplay innovation and authentic Nintendo magic.

A fascinating glimpse into the twilight era of the stealth genre but the outdated gameplay and awkward controls make it difficult to be all that nostalgic about it.

A deep space shipbreaking simulator with a mellow feel and a satirical edge, that’s only let down by a gameplay loop that eventually gets a little too repetitive.

A superbly focused first person shooter that instantly gets to the heart of the genre, while providing plenty of unique twists – especially in terms of its psychedelic visuals.

For a paid game there’s a lot of microtransactions on offer, even if none of it proves essential. It also doesn’t feel all that tactical. With enemies emerging from multiple angles, there’s rarely time to engage in anything but furious spamming of special moves and a silent hope that you’ve upgraded enough to survive an encounter.

Its challenge and ingenuity never falter in a game that channels the essence of Shovel Knight into a fresh format.

The Below Decks characters look great and the humour, as expressed through quick chats amongst crew members, is solid enough, but the game just isn’t quite as compelling as other incremental games; Egg, Inc. and Cell to Singularity, for example, prove rather more gripping.

A breath of fresh air for the Overwatch franchise, with the new game modes, characters, and mechanics all working together superbly well, for a genuinely exciting sequel.

An occasionally inspired attempt to reinvent the Valkyrie Profile series, but a weak narrative and a dispiritingly empty game world drain the enjoyment from what could’ve been a fun action role-player.

A disappointing final whistle from EA as the new mechanics and fine-tuning create little in the way of major change, for a series that has long been in need of a major revamp.

The semi-real-time battles are fun but a lack of depth soon dulls your enthusiasm for this limp Fire Emblem wannabe, as the rest of the game is taken up by tedious, choice-free conversations and lengthy cut scenes.

An innovative combination of voice-controlled mechanics, combined with simple puzzles and an engaging story, that is short enough to not outstay its welcome.

A cosy game of potion manufacture, healing, and friendship set in a delightful isometric world, that’s let down by its grinding repetition and some serious bugs.

A hugely successful reboot for the beloved point ‘n’ click adventure, that achieves its comeback without sacrificing either its sense of humour or some enjoyably tricky puzzles.

An atmospheric and compelling text-only role-playing game, with a realistic approach to survival and building relationships – where every action and failure comes with lasting consequences.

The most approachable and the most realistic train simulator ever made, and it does a good job of making that more appealing than it sounds to non-fans.

More than just a Doom clone and despite faltering during what should be the game’s highlights this is an enjoyable romp for both metal and shooter fans alike.

The problem, beyond its intense ordinariness, is that many questions are America-centric, so unless you spell ‘mesmerise’ with a Z, know who the 25th president was, and can name various baseball and basketball players, frustration awaits.

The action can feel repetitive and the usual gacha caveats apply, but the flanking manoeuvres and judicious use of special abilities make for a game where tactics do at least play a part.

While it shares some of its playful approach to perspective with Gorogoa, this is no puzzle game and involves no player choice, but it does have a pleasing emotional resonance, even if the relentless melancholy eventually makes you want to go back to Poinpy.

Escalating rapidly from simple to mind-bindingly complex, its later eureka moments are definitely hard-earned, but the supreme cleverness of its puzzles is a continual source of joy and mild amazement.

The combination of its mechanical perfection and gradual upgrade path is magical, in a game that’s cute, colourful, and savagely addictive.

Much in the style of Samorost, Love You to Bits+ is a graphically beautiful, darkly witty puzzle adventure.