Gentle and never particularly taxing, the game’s straightforward puzzles complement its charming art style and quietly melancholic story, in this unusual and attractively drawn game.

A love story told through a first person puzzle game that delights in playing with scale and recursive environments, even if its conundrums eventually feel a little undercooked.

A disappointing waste of a fun combat system and an impressive graphics engine, with ugly artwork and unremarkable storytelling that expends all its goodwill disappointingly quickly.

After 30 hours you’ll still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface, with every new encounter feeling fresh and rewarding. It’s also impressive to think that this is your world alone and that anyone else playing will have their own unique experience with happenstance adventures. You can play solo but with more territories and bosses to come you’ll soon want to convince your friends to join you, so you can adventure together. And for such a low price it will be hard for them to say no. [Early Access Review - 30 hours]

A needlessly stringent remake of the original two arcade classics that is just as frustratingly difficult as ever, although it does have a neat co-op mode.

The best Dynasty Warriors game so far is still barely competent compared to other action games but for those seeking more Persona 5 this is a fun, if trashy diversion.

One of the best coin-op collections ever produced, not just in terms of the games included but the excellent presentation and range of options.

A well designed, entertaining, and black humoured roguelite that does a great job of balancing long-term progress with the need to extend individual runs.

Ultimately, Ys 9 is largely the same game as the last one but in a fundamentally less interesting context. As bombastic as the combat is there’s not quite enough depth in it to compensate for the game’s failings, relatively minor as they may be. It’s still an enjoyable and breezy experience (you could beat the whole story in 30 hours with time to spare) but we’d still recommend Ys 8 as the preferred way to dip your toe into Falcom’s waters. Then, if you want a similar experience but just not quite as good, there’s always Ys 9 for afterwards.

There are boosters you can use to blast away multiple blocks at a time, and hundreds upon hundreds of levels, but no real sense of evolution as you progress. It’s as if it were intended to be a free to play game that was unexpectedly re-purposed, leaving visible traces of its original mechanics without any real point to them.

It has a polished interface, and the sound effects as you move board elements are first rate, but the puzzles are monotonously similar throughout, meaning you’re working with the same set of problems at level 80 as you were in the tutorial.

One of the best modern Super Mario titles is made that little bit better and accompanied by a brand-new game that bends the formula in new and exciting ways.

Barely changed from the original PS4 versions but that doesn’t change the fact that these are two of the best Dark Souls inspired action role-players of the previous generation.

A thoroughly entertaining work of video game art that improves mechanically on the original and proves thought-provoking in terms of more than just the puzzle-solving.

Playing as a powerful, rage-filled werewolf should be the perfect set-up for a great video game but Earthblood misses so many obvious opportunities it’s as if the game itself is cursed.

A fun, uncomplicated romp that’s a great way to relax for 20 minutes or so. Beyond that though it struggles to entertain, especially given the grubby approach to microtransactions.

Another excellent expansion filled with new weapons, powers, and extra levels, as Dead Cells continues to have some of the best post-game support in gaming.

The best version of Control so far, that makes good use of the PlayStation 5’s features and leaves plenty of hope and anticipation for a future sequel.

An ingenious, colourful, and gloriously framed platform puzzle game that effortlessly blends 2D puzzles with the 3D world that surrounds them.

A surprisingly deep and absorbing cyberpunk stealth-action role-player that transcends its low-tech visuals and basic presentation.

Instead of high-tech thrills and survival horror chills, this disappointingly mundane thriller struggles to impress with a muddled narrative and unengaging gameplay,

A welcome return for a beloved Amiga classic but while this compilation proves the games still have charm it lacks accessibility and features, especially given the high price.

The interface works well and the extra tasks prove a welcome addition to the time honoured bridge building mechanics, and while it never gets especially taxing it remains engaging throughout.

Its cute art style and endearing English translation belie serious depth, with the potential for powerful buffs if you concentrate your efforts and enjoy a modicum of luck. Satisfying, funny, and enormously addictive, Million Dungeon is a true App and Play Store gem.

Fun, silly, and flammable, this is the very antithesis of a simulation, and all the better for it.

It looks good, moves fast, and you can pull off satisfying drifts going once you get used to the racers’ handling, but the touchscreen controls are easy to miss in the heat of battle, and there’s never quite enough going on to make it compelling.

It’s extremely short, but this is one of those rarities that is actually free, with no advertising or microtransactions, just a hugely offbeat and entertaining few minutes’ worth of non-gaming.

Its graphics and mechanics are starting to seem a little creaky after 20 years, but the small screen is forgiving, cloud saves let you play across multiple devices, and the allure of labyrinthine tales inside the Star Wars universe remains powerful.