If you’ve ever fantasised about blasting spiders to kingdom come, Kill It With Fire has your back, and for the most part, this FPS-come-spider-slaying-sim is a fun experience, even if it is a little on the short side.

The Five Covens has got to be given marks for trying. Developed over five months as part of a University project, The Five Covens is an impressive achievement, but it’s just not up to standard against other games at a similar price point.

Mortal Shell Enhanced Edition might be a little light on next-gen upgrades, but the ones that matter are there and they are game-changing. 60FPS is the main attraction but a nice 4K is welcome, too. For returning fans, it’s a nice free update. For newcomers looking to get punished, it’s a cheap and, well, not cheerful game, but it is its own brand of fun – if you can call it that.

Gensou: Skydrift is an awful game. There are 101 far more capable kart racers out there offering better value for money and far more fun.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 clearly wasn’t made for me. I’ve never had a Monster Energy drink and I haven’t played a motocross game in over 15 years, but the game is a blast. The tutorial sucks and leaves out (or brushes over) absolutely crucial information, but the bike physics and racing action make a difficult to master game so exciting to play. I can’t speak to how much better this version is over last years, but I can say the current version is a ton of fun for newcomers if they don’t mind putting in the work.

Journey of the Broken Circle is a sweet, thought-provoking adventure that’s well worth the journey. Despite a few missteps with some contradictory controls and a short run time, Circle has grown on me and I’ll be rolling back into this one until the final trophy pops. It’s just a shame that there’s not much more to enjoy.

Monster Truck Championship offers a fresh way to smash some big-wheeled trucks around – and it’s good fun. It’s also a big upgrade over the last-gen versions; 60FPS and up to 4K resolution really puts the last-gen edition to shame. There’s a lengthy career mode to work through with some nice options to tweak the game to your liking, as well as multiplayer if you want to test out your trucking skills online.

In Rays of The Light is a masterclass in building tension and horror, all without slipping into the familiar tropes.

The small three-person team at developer Wayward Distractions has delivered one of the cutest games of the year, but it’s not just for kids. It’s not a punishing precision platformer by any stretch, but it isn’t easy either and it managed to be fun even in the more difficult sections.

Video games are the ultimate form of escapism, but in Postal there is something that just feels a little dirty. It further fuels the nonsensical view non-gamers have about violence in video games and how it creates violent perverted monsters. Of course, it doesn’t – but if more games released were like Postal, it would be easy to see where that stereotype comes from.

Bite the Bullet’s mix of arcade side scroller and RPG mechanics combine to create an enjoyable pick up and play experience, even if the story does leave a lot to be desired.

El Hijo is a simple but fun stealth game set in the Old West. The fact that it managed this without letting me shoot a single six-shooter or ride a horse is a testament to Honig Studios. The controls could be tighter and it isn’t overly difficult made even easier by the numerous checkpoints, but there were a ton of fun puzzles to solve and it was damn beautiful to look at.

DARQ: Complete Edition is a fairly priced package that offers up around 6-7 hours of puzzles and thrills, though the thrills aren’t all that thrilling. The horror is definitely missing but the cleverly constructed puzzles and the dark world of Lloyd’s subconscious carry the weight well.

Spacebase Startopia provides a decent challenge with its cosmic twist on the city-builder/resort management genre, and it hits more than it misses. The combat feels a bit misplaced and difficult to care about, but it’s not a big feature of the game and encounters are few and far between. The real fun is getting into the nitty-gritty of keeping your guests happy and keeping that sweet energy money flowing so that you can finally finish your doughnut-shaped galactic getaway.

Mail Mole provides a fun 3D platforming experience. The game is easy to pick up and play, but plenty of time can be spent with in-game endeavours such as time trials and gaining new outfits.

Die With Glory is witting, charming, and gorgeous to look at – it’s also good fun to play, too. The only real letdown is the controls which can be a bit of a headache. Mostly, though, this is a fun point-and-click adventure that’s over just a little too soon. Apparently, Sigurd’s story continues, but when?

Mixing platforming and simple, effective spellcasting, Lost Words is the Harry Potter game you didn’t know you wanted – with an impactful story to boot. Younger gamers will be drawn to the platforming, but don’t be fooled by the family-friendly art style as beyond that lies a game with a powerfully emotional story that is likely to crack even the hardest among you.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is still worth a play in 2021, no matter where you choose to play. The gameplay holds up even if the presentation doesn’t, but it’s the price you pay to play a true first-person shooter in the Star Wars universe with nary a lootbox in sight.

Sir Lovelot doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. And what it is is the story of one man’s search for the perfect girl in a beautiful but dangerous pixelated world. The platforming can be difficult, but the super tight controls keep the game and the fun going. If you like platformers or pixel art, you should check this little Romeo out.

What The Dub?! is the best party game I’ve ever played – simple as that. Its core concept is super simple and the execution is easy. The hard part? Being funny enough to make it worth playing, but that’s on you.

A quick and easy physics puzzler, Freddy Spaghetti is an enjoyable and at times challenging game. With a great variety of puzzling scenarios on offer, it would be hard not to recommend this one if you are a fan of simple physics puzzlers, and with it currently sitting at the same price for a pint on PSN right now, it’s going for a steal too.

The game explores interesting concepts but never really felt like it achieved its true potential. Instead, you are left with awkward gameplay and an unsatisfying narrative.

Pocoyo Party is not the good time it should have been. The mini-games are too few and too shallow, and the motion controls are an absolute misfire, especially considering the target audience for the game – young kids who can’t be trusted to hold their heads up straight, never mind a controller.

If you’re not a fan of visual novels games, you probably won’t be converted by ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos. However, if you’re looking for the next engrossing visual novel to get your teeth into, this will provide a captivating sci-fi story with a surprising amount of replay value.

Mixing platforming and puzzle solving with a clever multi-dimension mechanic that allows you to instantly jump from one world to another, World Splitter is a decent puzzle game that I enjoyed spending time with.

Buildings Have Feelings Too! is a quirky game for sure and if you’re after a number-crunching puzzle game – and make no mistake, this is a puzzle game – it’s good fun for a while. It can get frustrating when the solution to a simple task forces you to move your entire town around, and at times the game doesn’t make it clear enough what you need to be doing.

MotoGP 21 is a fine racer that’s realistic to a fault at times. It’s not beginner friendly and you’ll certainly need to be a part of the two-wheeled racing community to appreciate this niche, but it’s good fun all the same. A bit of practice and patience will do newcomers well, while veteran speedsters will feel at home with the familiar tracks, riders, and machines.

Hellbreachers is overly simple and without any real challenge, even with its boss fights. This is not the adventure that you’re looking for.

Papa’s Quiz is a standard quiz game with a few modest twists and a couple of weird hosts to set it apart from the rest.