Root Film, like Root Letter before it, is a high quality visual novel with an intriguing mystery at its core. There's not much gameplay here but the writing moves at a good pace with great artwork and strong, likeable characters.

Sumatra: Fate of Yandi is a decently-written tale that paces itself rather well. I rarely felt bogged down and my objectives were always clear. Adventure games can sometimes feel the need to overcomplicate but Cloak and Dagger Games have managed to show restraint and care. There are minor irritations like the sparse use of sound. Whilst primitive, the visuals do take time to show some colour and atmosphere. There's a good package here which fans will enjoy.

Stubbs The Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse is a fine remaster, warts and all. It’s the best way to play this fun game without the expense of an original Xbox and an increasingly rare disc copy. Yes, there’s the technical issue and the occasional crash, but it’s none the worse for it.

A hardly noticeable PS5 facelift does little to elevate one of the least fun tennis games we've ever played.

Chess Knights: Viking Lands is a chess-themed puzzle game that has an okay core concept but the lengthy, complex puzzles stop being fun after a while and the controls are abysmal.

Kaze and the Wild Masks is a cleverly executed effort that leans perhaps a little too heavily on time-pressured challenges. The controls are responsive and precise which leads to a very tricky game across some diverse stages. With a colourful aesthetic and some charming character designs, it's a shame the ramp up in difficulty comes so soon but it is satisfying to overcome.

Disjunction is a great forced perspective brawler/shooter/stealth-em-up in a not-too-distant future setting. It's difficult at times, but rewarding when you progress.

Star Renegades is a very tactical, turn based Rogue-lite that offers a decent challenge on Normal but with far more options beyond that. The runs themselves are very long for this type of game and the unlocks, beyond the characters, don't seem very exciting but if the combat flow intrigues you then you'll find plenty to enjoy.

Explosionade DX is a solid run and gunner that benefits from having single screen levels. We like it but would have liked to see a bit more invention from the developer, especially given what they've managed previously.

Bite the Bullet gets the basics right when it comes to run and gun gameplay but despite being an interesting idea the eating mechanic feels unnecessary, the levels are overly complicated and long and there are far too many bugs and other issues.

Hardcore platformer fans may want something a bit more taxing but this pacey-but-gentle game is a joy to play through.

We really didn’t like Hunting Simulator 2 on PS4. This re-release on PS5 adds 4k visuals and takes advantage of the SSD well. We liked the look of new addition Ranger Mode, at least we would’ve if it was released. We didn’t like the day one premium DLC and trophies are intermittently glitchy, but somehow we found ourselves not outright hating it.

Neoverse is a very fun, deck building rogue-lite with a few interesting mechanics to differentiate it from the pack. It's a little more forgiving too, but with enough content to keep veterans busy between Slay the Spire runs.

Collapsed is a solid mix of run and gunning and rogue-lite looting which has a good level of polish to it. There's definitely too much grinding to do but it's a good game to drop in and out of.

Can't Drive This mixes up driving and track building in a clever way but is a bit too thin a package and is spoiled by some bad camera positioning at times.

Into a Dream is a thoughtful and well-observed effort that manages to get the broad strokes right. I was compelled by John and Luke's relationship although the cast don't seem to hold much in reserve. The voice acting and writing does suffer a touch from some stilted delivery but it largely manages to hold together. The gameplay offers to move things along with some simple puzzles and, despite some technical hitches, it's a recommendable effort.

Dreaming Sarah's one of those games I find difficult to really review. It's a very short experience that has some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, there is no real narrative pull and repeated playthroughs didn't add anything insightful. It feels different but disposable. The musical score is fantastic and the art lends itself brilliantly to a bizarre world, but once the credits rolled, I wasn't left with any mysteries to ponder.

Bishoujo Battle Cyber Panic is basically a Qix clone but that's fine with us. It's pretty short but packs in a reasonable challenge and plays well, even if maybe at the end there is less scope for tactics and big scoring.

Even for a sport like monster truck racing, Monster Truck Championship feels like the sensible older brother to the Monster Jam series but it delivers some enjoyable racing action mixed in with some fun freestyle stuff. The PS5 upgrade really only comes down to a frame rate boost which is a shame because we'd love to see the developers really push the system further and add some haptics, some more modes and a bit more craziness to what is actually a solid but staid title.

The Five Covens is a student project that would be too expensive if it was priced at a fiver rather than the frankly laughable £10 it’s actually up on the PSN store for. Bad controls, bad camera, bad mechanics. Bad. We played it so you don’t have to. Spend your money on something else.

An improved version of Rock n' Roll Racing would have been more than enough so adding two more games, and a lot of extra content, means that we are very happy with this compilation. We're just not sure why the modernised versions of the game lack some of the quality of life features that the original ports have been given.

Spooky Chase manages to execute on a fairly clever premise. The unpredictable nature of the game helps deliver something easy to grasp but potentially tricky to accomplish. The bonus items give you reason to persevere and return. There's not much on the periphery but it is mechanically intriguing and worth a look.

Kill It With Fire is a very silly, very fun depiction of an escalating arms race against a bunch of tiny spiders. It’s a bit short, yes, but you’ll have a ton of fun playing it.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 does provide a decent adventure but it's let down by a real lack of new events. The career mode is very quick-fire but it does highlight how little has changed since the first game. The handling feels sound and refined but I couldn't get to grips with the great outdoors and I found the AI to be hit and miss. The trucks are well presented and the arenas feel varied but, those wanting something new, might feel underwhelmed.

Knight's Retreat offers a good chunk of Chess-themed puzzle action and is based on a clever concept. The execution and presentation are a little weak though which stops the game from being a must-have but puzzle fans should still get some enjoyment from it.

Lllamasoft's latest trippy lightshow Moose Life is an '80s style shooter with magnificent moose, deer, giraffes and Jarvis pixels a-plenty. Maybe not for everyone, but we loved it.

Whether you have nostalgia for Sega’s Crazy Taxi franchise or not, Taxi Chaos by Lion Castle Entertainment is a hard sell. The game is a poor attempt at mimicking a classic IP in the hopes of bringing the formula to a new audience and fails to capitalise on any of the elements that made the original experience so fun to play in the first place. Taxi Chaos lacks any flair in the gameplay, visuals or audio department, while turning the once entertaining concept into an exercise in boredom.

The Sinking City is a good Lovecraftian detective game with uprated PS5 visuals and massively reduced loading times from the PS4 version. Well worth picking up if you fancy something a bit different. Just a shame that haptics are underutilised outside the usual rumble.