Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials wears it's influences proudly and, at times, it pays an effective homage whilst building a blueprint of its own. The visuals look deliciously detailed and animated with plenty of life. It's accompanied with a wonderful soundtrack but I just don't quite enjoy playing it. There some clever puzzle-platforming involved but the large map is packed with screens of tricky jumps. It leads to a game lacking in momentum and frustrates me. It'll appeal to those wanting more of a challenge but it's not clicking for me.

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories presents and interesting plot that is accompanied by some smart and clever visuals. Whilst it does pay homages to old RPGs of the past, the strictly narrative experience helps keep focus on the charming characters and themes. It's a lovely, well-paced effort that manages to feel cohesive and complete. The writing can be pun-heavy and the aesthetic might be tough to adjust to but I warmed to the tale.

Tethered is a fresh and welcome idea for PSVR that provides a worthy and challenging RTS experience. It capably proves that the genre is not only functional but also an incredibly good fit for VR hardware. If you were ever a fan of god sims then Tethered is worth your time.

As a bit of a super fan of the original, Chime is overly familiar while being ever so slightly worse thanks to visual improvements that slightly mar the gameplay at the highest level. The additional modes, and number of levels, offer a fleshed out package though and Chime is still the uncrowned king of the genre as far as we are concerned.

Tropico 6 is an incredibly enjoyable management sim with a lot of charm and a great sense of humour. It's not too different from the rest of the series but you'll still find yourself playing it for hours on end.

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is a tasteful but ambitious remix of a SNES favourite that should appeal to shoot 'em up fans and retro gamers generally. It might be a bit too tough for casual players though.

We're not surprised to see the classic Spy Hunter concept updated for modern audiences but we are very surprised to see it done as well as this. Agent Intercept is a game created with heart and imagination and a strange fearlessness that has allowed them to create something quite special here.

As someone who really likes the original, this new take on System Shock doesn't stray too far from the source. Nightdive have updated the visuals and made things just a little more friendly for new players. Visually, it's very atmospheric and polished. The interface can initially be tricky to read but combat feels punchy and can be tactical. The conveniences are welcome but it still has one foot in the clunky possibility space of 90's PC gaming. Rather than entirely sand off the things that appeal to me about System Shock, it refines them in a way I really admire.

Cake Bash is a delightful party game with a good variety of minigames and unlockables. Couch based as well PSN multiplayer is a given, this deserves to be played by many.

Trigger Witch is a great mechanically sound dungeon crawler with lots and lots of guns. It's really quite good, even if the story is all sorts of nonsense.

Golf Club: Wasteland has a nicely executed narrative that is let down a little by withholding too much. The background radio calls do a lot to flesh out a barren, broken Earth and it helps that the golf on offer is decent, if a little simple. When the holes get more complex, frustration can creep in but I feel the penalty for failure is minor enough for people to persevere.

Blazing Chrome does a really good impression of a Contra game but 32 years later, Contra is still king and that probably says as much about the granddaddy of run and gun games as it does about this very capable, but not quite as good, upstart. It will definitely have its fans though.

Mutazione is an intriguing adventure with a soap opera plot and may well end up being your game of the year but if you need your games to offer more than a bit of wandering around and a lot of pressing X to advance conversations then this might not be for you.

NeuroVoider isn’t going to stand out in a sea of retro-flavoured roguelikes but it’s one of the better ones. While the shooting mechanics aren’t perfected, the upgrade system is pretty addictive and makes a fairly ordinary game hard to put down.

Fans of the visual novel genre should definitely check out Chaos;Child. There are some pacing issues but the dark tale will eventually take hold of you, helped by its strong presentation and unexpected concepts.

I came out of Wulverblade feeling broadly positive. The historical aspects add a lot of context. Combat can be simple but frustrating as you charge through Caledonia's woodland. Some curious design choices undermine battle but it does provide something different. It's worth a look if you want a little more substance to your beat 'em ups.

Candleman's got plenty of big ideas and they're executed well. The simple platforming coupled with some interesting mechanics do result in a tight experience. The inclusion of the DLC does offer you more bang for your buck but it does undercut the pacing of the original story. Still, there's a beautifully crafted game here with a lot of charm.

Minoria is a good Castlevania game with some difficulty spikes that may trouble some. It's generally a great experience. Burn the witch!

NBA 2K22's basketball feels more refined than last season. The revamped stamina meter leads to a more tactical team game and shooting is consistent and reliable. It looks as sharp and well-presented as ever and those wanting some quality time on the court will be well served. Unfortunately, the familiar encroachment of microtransactions dominate the MyCareer and MyTeam modes. The old problems with judging your performance also still persist.

Windjammers is a solid port of the original disc-throwing arcade game and while an update to the modes and visuals would have been welcome, this is still a great way to revisit a true Neo Geo classic.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight ticks all the boxes. It is a game with bags and bags of charm and the animation is wonderful to look at. With excellent weighty combat and some particularly memorable bosses, every aspect of the game feels crafted and tailored to near perfection. Whilst the short running time and 2D graphics will put some people off this is a game which I can easily recommend.

The Golf Club 2 builds on the original's interesting blueprint and adds more social integration whilst delivering an impressive engine. The improved feedback ensures more precision and a steeper learning curve. The technical issues and server problems undermine the excellent golf on show. It's not perfect but it does improve on its predecessor and provides a sound golf simulator.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human takes a while to hit its stride but once it does you'll be running across the rooftops with speed and grace. If packed open world games aren't for you then stay away, otherwise this has incredibly fun mechanics after a slow start.

Expand is a decent game and one with a bold, vivid style. Some of the mazes are wonderful to experience and the way the moving pieces just always work together at the right time is very satisfying. I enjoyed my time with it even if it was short lived. It's hard to peg a genre to Expand or even to be totally convinced that it isn't some kind of art installation, but whatever it is doing, it does it well.

Pumpkin Jack is a well done throwback to 3D platformers of yesteryear. Unfortunately it also has some of their bad habits such as on-rails minecart sections and a final boss you'll hate more than our burning disdain for the music of Simply Red.

Risk System is a well-presented shoot 'em up with a lot of potential but the boss battles ruin the flow of the game, instantly switching the gameplay from a satisfying mix of intuitive action and risk vs. reward mechanics to tedious and difficult encounters that rely on memorisation. There's something here but the difficulty is just too uneven.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a great stealth tactics game with a wonderful setting. The high difficulty may put some off but it's an experience worth having.

A Tale of Paper: Refolded combines the 2020 PS4 original with the Unfolded Melody bonus content, but still remains a slight package. Plus the final boss perfect trophy can get in the sea.