Great little puzzle game with Vita crossbuy for a great value package. You'll be playing well after the last trophy has unlocked.

Hoggy2 is a fun kid friendly puzzle game with the usual easy double platinum for not very much cash. The level editor is an added sweetener as is the kids mode. Recommended.

Streets of Rogue is derivative and initially uninspiring but somehow comes out addictive and rises above. Just a shame there's no Vita port as it would be a great fit.

Super Wiloo Demake is a well-meaning indie platformer that fails to be anything but derivative and a little generic. One to grab if it’s on sale. There’s better Ratalaika games to spend your money on.

As a museum piece, VASARA Collection is a really interesting release and one that is a real treat for shoot 'em up fans. However, a lot of people will find it repetitive, visually uninspiring and too hard without local co-op buddies to play with.

Another speedy yet charming double platinum trophy haul from Ratalaika. It's a phrase we're in danger of overusing, but better than a one and done.

Mekabolt is a well meaning but easy platformer you'll be done with in the space of a few hours.

Despite being made in 2019, Pacific Wings is objectively worse than some of the worst shoot 'em ups made in the early '80s. Which is the only interesting thing about this joyless but mercifully short excuse for a game.

Legend of the Skyfish is a nicely presented puzzle/adventure title with some decent level design that doesn't overstay its welcome but it may be a little too short and easy to represent good value for money, even at its cheap asking price.

There's a bright and cheery look to Roarr! Jurassic Edition but beyond the surface, it's a little flat. Your moveset doesn't provide a lot of depth and there's not much to look forward to beyond score chasing. Co-op with friends certainly does liven the mood but technical issues like inputs dropping brought more frustration. For all the good the presentation does, the action itself feels a little stale.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas tries very hard to emulate some of that Nintendo charm, however, the game is unable to reach that echelon. What results is a short Kirby clone with some merit, yet not enough to warrant anything other than passing interest.

If you look in the dictionary of terms for palette cleanser, then Newt One would likely appear in the definition. The game features no stakes, violence or compelling storylines but makes up for that with a relaxing, fun gameplay loop and attractive low poly visuals.

A nice relaxing parkour styled 2d platformer with excellent traversal mechanics. Very zen and tranquil.

Distraint belies its mobile roots by offering up a very memorable story for PS4 and Vita gamers. The gameplay may be simple and the puzzling is a tad generic but we'll remember this game for a little longer than the usual 'indie game about feelings' stuff that indie devs like to put out all the time.

Post War Dreams is a 2.5D run and gun shooter which doesn't do much but manages to do all of it badly. Aside from some okay graphics, there's nothing here for the developer to be proud of.

Habroxia is a cross-buy shoot 'em up that has a couple of good ideas but is hampered by being too easy and visually bland. There's definitely some fun to be had while it lasts but that isn't very long at all.

Inferno 2 does a good job of taking a mobile gaming favourite and making it feel like a substantial console shooter. It's fun to play and quite exciting but concerns over the lack of difficulty and variety do take the shine off a bit but for this price, we're not complaining.

Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning is a well voiced animal populated zombie apocalypse with limited gameplay beats. A promising enough intro to an ongoing story anyway. Maybe a little on the short side.

If you've not got the kind of patience to deal Jedi Outcast's dismal level design and dull first few hours, then you'd be missing out on some of the best combat to grace a Star Wars game ever. Even 17 years later, Jedi Outcast is still a lot of fun to play even if it really tries hard to not be.

A nice Sokoban-a-like from Ratalaika. Good value with the Vita version bundled in.

BDSM is an average twin-stick shooter that will find fans who get its sense of humour but lacks the excitement and flair of the best games in this genre.

Stellatum ends up being a very dynamic and surprising deep hybrid of twin-stick and vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups but it does take a while to get into gear and those early hours may put off some players before the action ramps up. Stick with it though because there's a very good game in here.

I can't fault No Pest Productions for trying with Driven Out. It's a very harsh and deliberate test beneath a gorgeous world. I some ways it's refined and delivers consistent combat with a varied cast of enemies. Sadly, I couldn't find a foothold. Amid the frustration, there is reward but you really, really have to work for it. A touch more guidance would've been nice and, once it's done, you realise how short the experience can be. Still, I wouldn't dissuade anyone from giving it a look. Just know what you're getting into.

Whether The Fisherman – Fishing Planet is worth your money over the free-to-play effort is something that will vary from person to person. There is a comprehensive fishing simulation on offer here but it's saddled by a confusing menu interface and isn't hugely accommodating for new players. It's rich in content with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of depth. Hopefully, with time, the price tag starts to justify itself.

Generic presentation and paper-thin gameplay mean that you'll be bored of this tired, retro run and gunner even before you nab the trivially easy platinum trophy.

With the mixture of risk vs reward gameplay, a dark setting and some inspired mechanics, Mistover has a lot going for it on paper. However, in a bid to introduce stress into a turn-based RPG Roguelike, the game feels like too much of a self-prescribed slog that fails to maintain interest shortly into the adventure.

Just Ignore Them may be trying to be a psychologically charged horror point-n-click title, but the only truly terrifying thing about this game is that it will steal two hours of your life that you will never get back. Cute pixel visuals betray the theme, haphazard puzzle solving frustrates and even clumsier dialogue makes for a bad time all-round.

Street Outlaws: The List is greater than the sum of its parts. On the face of it, this game is a throwback to TV show licences done on the cheap. Yet it's somehow fun despite its obvious flaws.

Delta Squad is an uninspiring indie twin stick shooter that outstays its welcome well before the final trophy is unlocked. Another poor Ratalaika release.

Football Game is a narrative driven game which you'lll probably finish in a single sitting. Coupled with a noir graphical style the package adds to the sense of foreboding. A fair offer with Vita included.

Yaga is a wonderfully evocative action RPG set to a Slavic mythological theme and bafflingly catchy Balkan techno beats.

Foxyland is a Ratalaika-by-numbers effort that hits a difficulty wall almost as soon as you unlock a platinum. Sloppy controls and occasionally ridiculous level design don't help matters. Crossbuy on both PS4 and Vita makes for a great value proposition despite the caveats.

Cardpocalypse is an excellent card battler suitable for all ages. Think of it as a non-sweary South Park crossed with Hearthstone and you'd be part of the way there. Very much recommended.

Strainium Immortaly is a well-crafted crawl through some truly grimy sludge. The aesthetic and writing is laid on thick and might be off-putting, but the game itself holds up. There's a compulsion to this with the challenge inviting further runs. I don't agree with the restrictive nature of your shots but it does force you to consider positioning in an interesting way. It's tough with some runs feeling done before they start but there's plenty of options to tweak your dungeon.

ArtPulse isn't really an art tool for VR like the name implies but more of an audio/visual experiment meant for short bursts. The tools don't have enough flexibility for you to get truly creative and my time with it was short lived but I'm sure some people will get some joy playing about with what is here.

Iro Hero is a very challenging shoot 'em up that uses Ikaruga's colour switching gimmick but offers very few ideas of its own and doesn't do a very good job of explaining its intricacies.

Aces of the Multiverse is a thinly spread soccer effort. The fast-paced nature of the game does deliver a great tempo but there's no challenge here. There's charm to be had from the environments and character designs but there's so little content to keep children and adults entertained for long. It works, it has ideas but it all feels like a proof of concept rather than a fully-fledged effort.

Kine is a fantastic musically themed narrative based puzzler. Very good indeed. You need to play this.

Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe+ seems like a good, honest attempt at the sandbox platforming genre. Unfortunately, with this there is a laundry list of issues, such as unresponsive controls, poorly thought out content gating and the odd yet substantial glitch brings the game-feel down to a crash landing. A bit more time in the oven and Woodle Tree 2 could have been something interesting, instead, it just ends up feeling as wooden as the lead character.

10Tons do it again. Another ace rogue-lite that delivers fun gameplay, addictive upgrading mechanics and a strong loot game. Ignore them at your peril.

Game sequels are generally refinements of a formula. Foxyland 2 isn’t, it’s worse. It’s Alien Covenant to the first game’s Prometheus. Almost everything about it is a retrograde step. Avoid.

Football, Tactics and Glory is a genuinely interesting mix that takes the fundamentals of football and uses them to make a novel turn-based strategy game. It could be slicker, more rewarding and bit fairer at times and it can feel like a step down from the likes of FIFA but actually it's an interesting evolution for the football management genre and while we personally didn't love it, we do love what it is trying to do.

It Came From Space and Ate Our Brains is an okay twin-stick shooter with okay gameplay and okay visuals. It's okay. Okay?

Normal Ratalaika service is resumed with this puzzle game with some nice ideas. As is usual for Ratalaika, double value with the Vita port and hence two easy platinums.

Zero Zero Zero Zero is an uncomplicated game from Ratalaika that provides a solid retro-tinged challenge in a gauntlet of spikes, lazers and a hundred screens of brutal obstacles. This is one to consider if you thought games like N+ and Super Meat Boy were too easy for your liking.

There's a really fun vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up here but the game is over far too quickly and that's the only real knock against it.

Reed Remastered is an excellent port of an already good mobile game with an added layer of polish not normally seen in Ratalaika releases. At this price and with the Vita version thrown in, nothing less than essential.

Spaceland may look like an XCOM clone but it offers a more puzzle focused take on the strategy genre. The limited ammo and level challenges make each short level a problem to be solved rather than a battle to endure. The variety suffers a little for it as does the lack of base management to break up the action but it's a fun game to dip in and out of.

Knightin'+ is a simple hack and slasher that takes no chances with the genre whatsoever but may appeal to adventurers looking for a simple to understand retro-themed challenge.

Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt is a good mobile conversion that needs a couple of kinks ironed out, but an accomplished post-THQ Nordic acquisition release from HandyGames.

To be honest, Holfraine's a decent, bare-bones effort that does offer something cheerful in short bursts. It looks cheap in spots and there's not much personality or flair but, with a very cheap price tag, that can be forgiven. The characters have unique uses to them but I feel the map size and objectives cut any efforts to specialise them short. Holfraine's a little too simple for its own good but it's enjoyable.

Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet is just that, sweet. It’s a cute visual novel with absurdly easy trophies. Sure to appeal to genre fans and trophy whores alike.

Super Destronaut: Land Wars is a very basic FPS with a nice neo-retro aesthetic but is let down by a serious lack of challenge.

Red Death has moments where it is a rewarding and fun shoot 'em up but the dated visuals and chronic lack of longevity are huge issues.

Thunder Paw has some interesting ideas but most of them are actually for the worse and the basic gameplay doesn't do enough to make up for it. You'll get a PS4 and Vita platinum out of it very quickly and it's cheap as we've come to expect from Ratalaika.

Rainbows, Toilets and Unicorns offers a unique take on the vertically scrolling shoot 'em up genre but spends its very short lifespan telling just one joke and the gameplay is a bit of a one trick pony too.

Mekorama is a nice hot cup of tea and a pair of slippers in game form. Not for all, but good fun to relax with. Good value as usual with the Vita/PS4 crossbuy.

Deep Sky Derelicts is a wonderful turn based card battler with RPG mechanics you’ll go back to again and again. Hidden dice throws are still a git though.

Duck Souls+ is a cute gag and a fair Meat Boy clone but a bit frustrating with it. Better on Vita due to the superior d-pad.

Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike offers strategic, Mad Max-style car combat with difficult, choice-based gameplay. The gamepad controls aren't perfect but the tactical pause saves any issues this might cause and delivers a replayable challenge.

As cheap and cheerful as it is, Random Heroes: Gold Edition can feel a little slight and mindless at times. The level design takes a while to change up and, whilst enemies and weaponry can vary, you can settle on a favourite hero pretty quickly. Money gives you reasons to explore each nook but there does come a point where it doesn't matter so much. The pixel art is detailed but the geography of each level becomes familiar and a little stale as you move on. I did have fun but it felt fairly short-lived.

Dogurai is inspired by Game Boy action platformers in every way and does a good job of recreating both the presentation and the gameplay. It's short but very replayable and at a low price.

Null Drifter is a fun twin-stick shooter but is let down by very basic visuals and a short lifespan.

Rush Rover is a classy, well-considered twin-stick shooter with some good upgrading elements. It's short-lived and lacks clarity at times but is a cheap and fun way to fill an evening, if nothing more.

Blind Men is a short, easy platinum (or two) in the form of a boys' love visual novel. Being short it's not too deep or engrossing but for the price it'll probably satisfy those interested in the content or the trophies.

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo is a surprisingly fun shoot 'em up with more depth than you'd expect for a game at this low price.

Gun Crazy is a short, side scrolling, run and gun shooter. Being from Ratalaika it's an easy platinum but the game itself doesn't last much longer unless you set yourself the challenge of beating it in 1CC mode. There is some depth to the controls but the short run time stops the game from really getting going.

A nice bit of DLC for an already great game, just a shame it’s a bit short. Just wait until you're done with the main campaign.

Guard Duty is a faithful recreation of a golden-era point and click adventure on Vita and PS4. Yes, it’s brief but it’s definitely worth playing.

There's a fun shoot 'em up here but it's very short and incredibly basic.

Thy Sword is a platform/hack and slasher that offers up some classic arcade style action with good game mechanics and a well-pitched level of challenge.

More a bunch of extra levels rather than a true sequel to Reed Remastered, Reed 2 is still worth checking out.

Many Faces' simple, short-lived gameplay and even simpler visuals mean that you'll likely forget this basic platforming shooter as fast as it'll take you to finish it.

Castle Pals is an average platformer with absurdly easy trophies. We’ve not marked it down to due to no Vita port, but some might feel that’s an issue.

Trailmakers is a great open world build-em-up with a fantastic campaign mode. The camera in the build screen can be a bit of a pain in the chuff. Just don't call it a Lego game.

Swamps of Corsus is a good DLC for the price. The random nature of the base game means you might struggle to see all the content it offers but the Survival mode is an excellent addition.

At times, Strawberry Vinegar handles friendship between two children well. There's moments of humour and some good character building on offer. The aesthetics are sickly sweet, twee and a little too much for me. Unfortunately, the good work is undone by some rather awkward, awkward implications. This game takes a rather inevitable turn which I really wish it had the nerve to avoid.

Demon's Tier+ is a cleverly designed twin-stick shooting rogue-like that isn't perfect but is compelling and addictive once you understand its clever upgrade system.

Super Soccer Blast is the best budget football game on the system and one that offers some old-school footballing fun for those of us who remember the pre-FIFA days fondly but a lack of finish, and some technical issues, spoil the party a little.

As a concept, there is some merit to be found in Pong Quest. The marriage of RPG mechanics with simple retro tennis is fun enough in the early stages, but fatigue soon sets in with the predictable repetition that comes from playing Pong for more than a few minutes. Your mileage will vary on this game, but if you don’t think Pong will entertain you for more than an hour, then chances are this is not the one for you.

Radio Squid has some admirable ideas that are somewhat at odds with some claustrophobic level design. Friendly fire does frustrate but at least it's offset by plenty of money to allow for extra lives. If nothing else, you're kept in the fight, despite how clumsy it can feel. Unfortunately, I struggled to truly enjoy this, although the look and soundtrack is charming and nostalgic.

A Summer with the Shiba Inu has a narrative that shows some early promise. Sadly the main mystery is sidelined for some more focused character work. It's welcome but it makes the ending feel presented without much effort to earn a conclusion. It's written well enough although I found the dog puns insufferable and Syd's accomplices are all very accommodating. It does feature some strong art and the portraits convey a great degree of charm and character. Sadly, the genre does struggle to show action and this game takes ample opportunity to imply dog on dog violence. It's clumsy but there's things to enjoy from this.

Ultra Hat Dimension is a ultimately harmless diversion that you’ll likely enjoy. Bonus in that it’s cheap.

Aircraft Evolution is a fun, arcadey shoot 'em up with a nice gimmick and some decent playability but it's also quite short and maybe a bit too easy. The cheap price means it is a fairly safe bet for shoot 'em fans looking for something a little different to play for an evening or two.

Considering the low price and the fact that this is a solo effort, #Funtime is a surprisingly polished and gameplay-packed experience. We've got minor niggles when we compare it to the best games of the genre but this is still a very good twin-stick shooter that is easy to recommend.

Lost Wing is a decent into-the-screen avoid 'em up that looks slick and cultivates a real 'just one more go' addictiveness. Minor niggles around performance and variety spoil the party a little but at this price it is easy to forgive any small failings it has.

Within the realm of visual novels, Jisei: The First Case HD does deliver a refreshing change of pace. The singular focus leads to a tighter narrative with very little in the way of excess writing. The characters are well-written with plenty of intrigue although the story runs its course far too quickly. The art is well done and the voice acting does help make the cast convincing but, once the curtain falls, there's little reason to return to it.

Spitlings is a great puzzle game you need to play. So addictive and with four player co-op, both local and via PSN, fantastic to play together.

Whilst there's a surprising amount of endings to uncover in Nicole, the act of getting there feels tiresome and monotonous. There's a decently sized cast to interactive with but it's all handled at a slow pace. The stat building strangles the immediacy and the requirements needed for endings lead to a serious grind. There's some decent characterisations here but this game struggled to hold my attention.

Prehistoric Dude is a short Metroidvania-style title with an easy platinum trophy thanks to Ratalaika. You'll have forgotten all about it after a good night's sleep but it's enjoyable enough whilst it lasts.

Zero Strain offers up a unique take on the top-down shoot 'em up genre and has a few good ideas. There are some niggles but they don't detract too much from this likeable and addictive shooter.

Jesse Makkonen does it again. Distraint 2 continues where the original game left off and keeps the moody presentation and excellent storytelling going. The gameplay doesn't quite live up to the story but when the story is this good, we're happy to let that slide and just enjoy it.

Octonaut does an okay job. It's a shoot 'em up with a bit of charm but not much in the way of innovation.

RogueCube is a better than average Ratalaika release with fun gameplay and four player local multiplayer. There's a few flaws, but when an indie dev can turn out something with this longevity with a small team, it's a good thing. Recommended.

Don't let the pixel graphics fool you, Depth of Extinction is a very good addition to the turn-based strategy genre. There are strong FTL and XCOM vibes but it has a few ideas of its own and excels where it counts.

Through the Darkest of Times is a deftly handled depiction of life under the Nazis and how those few brave or bloody minded enough to defy the regime did so at great risk to their own and their loved ones wellbeing. The parallels to current events make this all the more essential. More a historical dramatisation with game elements than a game in the conventional sense, but you owe it to yourself to play this.

Pawarumi's shoot 'em up gameplay gets a lot right and its presentation is top notch but its colour-switching gimmick is less than intuitive at times and detracts a little from what has the potential to be a really great game. Thankfully though that's not enough to spoil the game and this is a game we're happy to recommend to shoot 'em up fans.

Banner of the Maid is an enjoyable strategy RPG for a low price. The levels feel like they require learning at times rather than simply strategising your way through but completing a mission and its challenge is very rewarding. The 2D artwork and music is also very pleasant. Worth checking out.