If you’ve played it before, it’s a relatively brief experience that most certainly bears repeating. For those who haven’t, the first time is a joy we’d recommend to just about anyone.

There are regular moments in dungeons when the 3D viewpoint gets in the way, and you’ll need to grind a fair bit, but these are relatively minor niggles when set against compelling battles, great art style, and an inspiringly large world to explore. It even has a New Game+ for those who just can’t let go.

It’s fun to play and early progression is swift and reasonably satisfying. The problem is that it’s nowhere near as good as Clash Royale, with less identifiable units, a clunkier interface, and a slower pace of play.

Because your party doesn’t auto-heal, anyone with that skill swiftly becomes indispensable, although you can mix and match team members depending on the enemies you face. The real problem is that without new ideas, this no-frills dungeon crawler is possibly a little too generic for its own good.

The result is a self-propelled investigation that gives you the feeling of making connections and discoveries entirely on your own. It’s hypnotic, and while it has little replay value, other than to marvel at the fact that videos watched early in the game can mean something completely different once you’ve uncovered protagonists’ back stories and true motivations, it’s utterly gripping while it lasts.

The combat is a lot of fun and the visuals are dynamic and exciting, but repetitive missions and dire storytelling ruin what is otherwise a mechanically superior giant robot game.

Yet another triumph on the pitch but the lack of attention to new features within myClub means it feels a bit repetitive.

One of the most interesting video game settings of the year and while the game has numerous issues the strong combat and inventive quest design make it well worth persevering with.

An accomplished attempt to create a mix of Dark Souls and traditional Metroidvania, but its bizarre visual style ultimately overshadows its other virtues.

Still one of the few video games to deal with love and relationships in anything like a realistic manner, but the attempts to shoehorn in an extra new character fall flat.

A fantastic scrolling beat ‘em-ups that shows exactly how the genre can be evolved and modernised, while also indulging in some gloriously retro presentation and throwbacks.

It’s no longer the Diablo killer it used to be, but this remains a superior dungeon crawler, with great action and loot that still puts it amongst the genre’s best.

An essential addition for any Monster World fan that offers a mountain of genuinely new content that includes some of the game’s best monsters.

The attempts to innovate in terms of storytelling and structure feel superficial and ineffective, leaving Gears 5 to survive purely on its increasingly overfamiliar action.

One of the best story-based games of the year, that manages to capture the joys and pains of childhood (and riding bikes) in a very relatable and compelling way.

An uneven mix of tense psychological drama and buggy, half-broken gameplay mechanics but the end result is still one of the better movie tie-ins of recent years.

Episode 4 is a definite step forward though and the hints about what will happen in the fifth and final episode suggests it may be the most politically charged of all.

A fantastic blast from the past that remasters a long-forgotten classic that should now be recognised as one of the best scrolling beat ‘em-ups ever.

A tiresome and unforgiving survival game that purposefully makes things as difficult and repetitive as possible, while offering very little in the way of entertainment.

Combining Until Dawn’s style of mild horror with online multiplayer works great, but the actual story and characters fail to engage.

Not only one of the best racing games of the generation but for once one that feels genuinely different to any of its major rivals – unless you count spiritual predecessor FlatOut.

Another classic action game from Platinum that’s so full of ideas it seems fit to burst and yet everything not only works perfectly but is filled with an infectious sense of goofy fun.

The flawed storytelling squanders its full potential but even with a few missteps this is still one of the most enjoyable action games of the year.

Hotline Miami remains one of the best indie games of the last decade but its deeply disappointingly sequel drags down this otherwise welcome compilation.

Like everything to do with No Man’s Sky, the VR and multiplayer additions aren’t without their problems, but this is still a clear step forward for the constantly evolving sci-fi epic.

One of the best roguelikes for a long time, whose randomised abilities work perfectly to add variety and unpredictability to its tale of an 80s style post-apocalypse.

For better and worse, a near perfect replication of mid-90s first person shooters, that makes you wistful for the old days… and secretly glad things have moved on in the meantime.

The original version had the potential to be a classic multiplayer horror game, but this updated edition still feels as hokey and unrefined as the movies it’s based on.