Quality point-and-click puzzle adventuring among impeccable artwork.

Cyber Shadow isn't the peak of the genre, but it's a shuriken's throw away.

A compelling story and speedy stealth make up for Disjunction's less even moments.

I was bowled over by the level of quality of all this one person has achieved. Olija is clearly Olsson's personal work, and its story, of Europeans lost in mysterious and frightening Eastern waters, in part reflects his own experience of moving from his birthplace in France to Japan to be with his wife. But I felt sometimes a disquieting air of orientalist fantasy, as we encounter an inscrutable culture headed by the beautiful Lady Olija, who we chase into submission. But I also loved the clash of rough and ready mariners facing a strange and terrible world of corrupted beauty. I only wish their voyage was a little longer.

An inventive Souls-meets-roguelike that frustrates and delights in equal measure.

A third-person horror game that's elevated by some of the sharpest writing and acting in the genre.

Super Meat Boy Forever remains as vibrantly revolting as you remember the original being, but the platforming design doesn't live up to the established pedigree. The studio deserves credit for trying something different. If only Meat Boy's simple joys weren't diminished in the transition.

A beautiful, deep, and endlessly replayable murder sandbox, featuring some of the best levels in the series.

Today, Scott Pilgrim vs The World feels somewhat let down by its insistence on grinding, even if teamwork lightens the load, and the action is never too deep. Still, just like Scott himself, the game makes up for this with whimsical creativity, offbeat humour, and absurd storytelling.

Omori's ending is brutal, but its characters and humour put some heart behind the horror.

A smart, hypnotic city builder that won't leave you tearing out your hair.

Perhaps an online community would provide a spark, but as it is, it’s pretty rusty.

A functional, basic board game port isn't enough to truly shine off the tabletop.

Project Wingman delivers exciting aerial combat and an interesting campaign, though it won't impress those looking for a hardcore flight sim.

A smorgasbord of spectacular WW2 action scenes, none of which are excellent, and some of which are downright unfun.

A relaxing adventure that's at its best when focusing on the romance.

A pleasant mix of gentle puzzling and body horror, PHOGS! is a very good boy.

A great example of how to craft a new game from an existing idea.

Some nice characters and stories nested in an astounding open world, undercut by jarring bugs at every turn.

Hard science, harder simulation, and narrative innovation make Per Aspera a real gem.

Ambitious but uneven, Shadowlands is an exciting evolution of World of Warcraft.

Twin Mirror begins with an intriguing set-up but, disappointingly, ends up going nowhere.

This is a fun, vibrant open world game with a great sense of humour. I just wish it felt nicer to play.

Empire of Sin's many bugs, balance issues and competing systems undermine what could have been a novel mob management game.

The flock of dizzying strategic possibilities and the brilliant plumage it's dressed in make this digital board game a must-play.

Beyond Light is a fun campaign on a beautiful and expansive new world, but Destiny 2 is still some way from being the best version of itself.

A smooth and mesmerising experience that includes nothing it doesn't need.

With a newfound litheness on the pitch and deep data analysis, FM21 gives you an easy excuse to relapse.

Incredibly tough but perfectly fair, Ghostrunner cuts the cybernetically enhanced mustard.

A pleasant, samey slasher that may bore your digits while making your GPU sweat.

Möbius Front '83 makes a difficult genre easy to understand, but it lacks thrills.

Cold War is an inessential distraction from the best Call of Duty on offer.

Fuser feels like a natural evolution for Harmonix and, scoring system aside, lets players take control of the music more than ever before.

It's got well-observed characters and some genuinely weird moments, but the actual bug hunting isn't much fun.

Bloody and captivating, Valhalla is Assassin's Creed at its best.

Despite a little turbulence, The Falconeer takes you on a memorable ride.

A fun, charming, and occasionally brilliant Yakuza game, let down by an overabundance of repetitive turn-based battles.

Arcade offroad racing of the like we’ve played four times previously.

Not quite as novel as its predecessor, but the co-op is still bewitching.

Watch Dogs Legion's play-as-anyone gamble just about pays off. Most of London's citizens are way too ordinary to be much fun, but the few I grew to care about wound up feeling more important to me than most videogame protagonists ever do. Not bad for a group of randomly generated misfits. And I even wound up loving all those drones.

A frankly terrifying exercise in pushing Doom as far as it can go.

A hardcore team game that's fun when you work together, despite some unfriendly systems.

Torchlight 3 does a great job with its class design, but the world feels barren and unfinished.

Disc Room provides hours of high-stress fun for daring adventurers, and a few mysteries to solve.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is as stressful and satisfying as searing the perfect sirloin.

A brilliant tale of terror, even if the ride is a little old and clunky.

Genshin Impact's open world and clever combat are fantastic, but its endgame tries way too hard to milk you for cash.

A modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that’s stuck in the ever-lengthening shadow of its predecessor.

FIFA 21 fixes some on-pitch issues, though it stops short of giving the series the meaningful overhaul it needs.

Noita combines classic roguelike progression with complex RPG-style spellbuilding and sets it in an incredibly dynamic environment.

Partisans combines a classic real-time tactics structure with more flexible systems for a winning formula.

Star Wars: Squadrons delivers on great dogfighting, even when its campaign doesn't live up to its full potential.

Spelunky 2 doesn't advance the original's formula, but there's more stuff to sink your teeth into.

A decent, if unremarkable, cover shooter, elevated by artful scene-setting and memorable set-pieces.

Mowing down thousands of aliens in Vatican City is worth doing at least once.

An accessible strategy game tied to a powerful, dynamic story generator.

Surgeon Simulator 2 is a clever, funny puzzle game that renders its "surgery" mechanics almost ancillary to the final product.

BPM is a great concept somewhat fumbled, redeemed when it breaks its own rules.

Action so intense it'll leave you jittery and hopped-up on adrenaline, and characters to come back for.

A multiversal master of none, with a messy but intriguing combat system at its core.

2020 marks the third year Madden has been back on PC since the franchise's prodigal return to the platform in 2018. The novelty hasn't worn off for me yet. There is still something inherently weird and exciting about playing such a console-targeted franchise on my desktop; to type in my player's name and college with a keyboard. But that won't sustain many players for long. Madden is desperate for some new ideas, so let's hope some of 21's more exotic ventures foreshadow a more substantial rebuild in the future.

A perfect blend of authenticity mixed with modern-day quality of life enhancements. Joyous, slick, hi-score gaming that looks nice too.

A well-told campaign and story do their best to mask a rather scrawny service game beneath.

An incredible world of demons, mystery, and vaporwave, Paradise Killer sets new standards for the detective genre.

Despite the craft and heart, Tell Me Why feels like a game at odds with itself.

Crusader Kings 3 is incredible. It's an irrepressible story engine that spits out a constant stream of compelling alt-histories, delightfully infuriating characters and social puzzles that I've become obsessed with unravelling. I can't imagine being done with it. I just subsist on digital drama now. Will Alfred finally leave the torture chamber and make a friend? What's Bjorn going to do now that he knows his wife is in love with his chancellor? And who's going to be committing patricide next? I need to spend less time writing reviews and more time with my dynasties.

Iron Harvest's mech-based strategy can burn a little slow, but the payoff is undoubtedly worth it.

There's two chapters left to turn things around but Tell Me Why is going to have to pull out all the stops to make up for a bungled first act.

A wilfully strange setting explored through a predictable but enjoyable old school RPG that's been streamlined just enough.

An energy infused concoction of style, action, and music that will give you one heck of a musical hangover.

Buy Factorio. Build Factorio. Become Factorio.

An incredible exploration portal with even greater potential once its tech issues have been addressed.

A thought-provoking and bittersweet adventure that understands that death is part of living.

Enjoyably tough and esoteric, if a little uneven, Mortal Shell is a decent debut from Cold Symmetry.

Refreshing tactical changes and some of the best maps in the series make this an experiment worth checking out.

The quest for outrageous items makes Risk of Rain 2 a strong action roguelike, but its unlockable secrets give it that little something extra.

In a genre overstuffed with guns and grenades, this cute and cuddly battle royale stands out.

While Horizon’s PC port can’t quite go toe-to-toe with the likes of RDR2’s conversion, this is still a highly polished, top-tier open world adventure. Though it lifts stealth and exploration elements from other games, Aloy’s imaginative combat and captivating metallic foes ensure the time I spent with Horizon will burn bright in my memory.

Paper Beast's origami animals delight, but the resulting game is less than the sum of its parts.

Owns its bleak theming completely, even if it can get a little repetitive.

Rocket Arena is the best kind of mindless fun.

While I might disagree with the notion that Carrion is a truly great Metroidvania, a genre that has buckets of both older and modern classics, it is at very least a refreshing take on it. It controls like a dream with an analog stick, and there's a fluidity to the monster’s movements that I honestly feel like I will be searching for in other games for years. It just falls short of greatness, settling quickly into its comfort zone as a series of interconnected puzzles, and then failing to surprise me much after that.

Fae Tactics takes an enjoyable swing at streamlining a complex genre, but doesn’t reinvent it in the process.

Coffee shop philosophy with a side of comedy banter, plated attractively.

The genre-defining shooter holds up fantastically, despite an imperfect package.

Filled with what made the original game great, this second trip to Union City has been worth the 26-year hiatus.

Slow, weird, and indulgent, but a true original, and a journey that will linger in your mind long after it's over.

The deep career mode is even better when managing your own team, and the racing is superbly tactical.

A faithful recreation, but why go back when Stardew has since perfected the genre?

A fantastic return to Superhot’s slick shootouts, at the expense of the original’s deft pacing.

Ambitious in the extreme, Shadow Empire is a unique sci-fi wargame that's a little lost in its own details.

Colorful characters alone can't wake up this sleepy sailing and farming adventure.

A fine balancing act of challenge and intrigue, with stabiliser wheels courtesy of Ron Perlman's voice.

A bare-bones refit, but this remains a captivating JRPG, marrying slice-of-life drama with stylish demon battling.

Desperados 3 turns the Wild West into a brilliant tactical playground that will fill you with lead over and over again.

A calm and realistic marine-diving simulator that unfortunately never goes deeper than the surface.

Valorant transforms the best of CS:GO with agents and abilities, resulting in an exceptional FPS that everyone should try.

A deckbuilder that will have you doing hit point calculations and liking it.