Boxed In is a deceptively simple game about matching colours and breaking blocks. It really doesn’t look like much, but trust me, once you’ve played an hour of Boxed In, the next dozen or so will fly as you promise yourself “just one more go."

King of Seas takes grinding too far in this simple but enjoyable sea-faring RPG. If you don’t mind spending hours chipping away at mundane tasks to make progress, more power to you. The naval gameplay is good but not enough to warrant the dozens of hours the game demands, and the story is, sadly, locked behind these painful barriers.

Drowning isn’t a fun game by any stretch – it’s actually quite dark and depressing – but it delivers a powerful message and by the end of this teenager’s tragic tale, you’ll be moved in one way or another.

Rust: Console Edition will see its player base split into two. You’ll either spend your time dying repeatedly, or you’ll get good enough to become the villain of the server.

Capcom Stadium Arcade is yet another retro gaming collection with its share of classics and rarities. If you loved the early Capcom shooters and bullet-hell titles then this is a collection for you. The iconic Capcom fighting titles feel a little light with only four fighting games, including three versions of Street Fighter II. Otherwise, this collection feels almost complete and would make a nice addition to any retro gaming fan’s library.

Old age isn’t a battle, it’s a massacre! Just Die Already embraces this to the extreme with a ridiculous odyssey of carnage, bloodshed, and mayhem – and that’s just in the retirement home. With an outrageous sandbox world to explore, ragdoll mechanics to exploit and a wide variety of novelty items to misuse, the bucket list is well on its way to being conquered.

Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl is an awful game riding on the Jay and Silent Bob name. There are no redeeming qualities and it’s another dark mark on the otherwise fantastic View Askewniverse.

Aerial Knight’s Never Yield is a good game with a great soundtrack and loads of style. It’s short, sweet, but a bit too simple to sustain itself for more than a few short hours unless you crank up the difficulty.

Potion Party is a bubbling concoction of feverish potion-making action. You may not be brewing any Butterbeer’s for wizards, but you will be spending a lot of time synthesising ingredients into potions for sale. With the resource management mechanics, you’ll find yourself attempting to use your time wisely and strategise several steps ahead. This experience is definitely best played in couch co-op for its fun teamwork elements.

Eldrador Creatures is a simple but fun turn-based game that was clearly made with younger players in mind, and with that being considered, it’s a good jumping-off point for new players to the genre.

Resident Evil Village is as good a place to start as any if you're a newcomer to the series. The game takes pains to open itself up to new players with its action-orientated gameplay, supernatural story, and a cast of great villains to sell the package. I'm sold and Resident Evil now has a new fan.

Housemarque has managed to do the impossible by crafting a solid story that fits within the tight confines of a roguelite. Mixing the studio’s signature fast-paced arcade action with an atmospheric environment, Returnal gets its claws into you early on and refuses to let go, instantly putting it up among the first true next-gen experiences of this generation.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends has moments of brilliance but they are few and far between, and totally dependant on who you’re playing with. The game also suffers in the content department. Unless unlocking digital trinkets and garments is your idea of a good time, there’s not much else aside from the one game mode and four playable characters, meaning you’ll have seen most of what Hood has within a few hours of play.

Luckslinger is retro and it makes no bones about it. It’s a fun shooter/platformer that anybody over the age of 40 will feel instantly comfortable with, while young guns may need a bit of time to see the appeal. The luck mechanic doesn’t have that much impact and the game could have gotten by without it.

Wreckfest on PS5 is a clear improvement over its last-gen origins. The core game stays intact and offers some ridiculously fun gameplay throughout its extensive single-player campaign. The DualSense is under-used and the graphics could have been clearer in some areas, but it’s still a great game and it’s the perfect introduction to Wreckfest if you missed it on last-gen consoles.

Escape From Life Inc is a wacky little platformer that suffers from some dodgy controls and familiar puzzles. The charming characters and interesting story do their part to redeem the game and make it an adventure worth seeing if you’ve got a tenner burning a hole in your pocket.

The Colonists is a good strategy and management game that’s let down by being a bit too complicated for its own good, and for committing the sin of putting combat where it really isn’t needed. The cutesy robots and the colourful graphics belie a very deep experience that requires meticulous planning and the patience of a saint to appreciate.

Skate City isn’t the next great skating game, unfortunately. It falls over itself far too often with its awkward controls. There’s also a serious lack of content with just three maps to play in. While the challenges are rewarding and feed into the progression, some are overly difficult to pull off or too vague to understand. There’s a good game within Skate City and I’m sure some will find it.

ScourgeBringer is exactly what you would expect from a game that sells itself as a “fast-paced, free-moving roguelite”. It does exactly what it says on the tin while providing an arcade-style experience that surprised me in how satisfying it felt. If you like roguelites then ScourgeBringer will definitely scratch that itch – but be warned, you will die a lot. Obviously.

Pinball in VR is a great alternative to the real thing, and in many ways, it can be even better. When you’ve got 3 balls going at once, and an X-wing flying around you or baby Yoda is cooing and drooling in the corner, you realize this isn’t the arcade in your old hometown. It’s pretty great unless you don’t like Star Wars. Then it’s just weird. But for the rest of us, Star Wars Pinball VR has some excellent fan service, some interesting Star Wars-based minigames, and some insane pinball action to go with it.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness And The Secret Hideout refines some of the series’ classic gameplay pillars without abandoning the core experience that fans love. Although a little more mature than past games, it’s a great adventure that manages to stay upbeat and challenging. It has earned a sequel, and I’m excited to play that one as well.

Space Invaders Forever is a three-game deal that only really has one worthwhile entry, and that’s a port of a smartphone game. There are only so many ways you can rehash the ancient space shooter, and even pairing it up with another dead franchise hasn’t given the series any kind of rejuvenation.

Override 2: Super Mech League skirts the lines between good and bad without ever settling on either side. The online play is a nice touch to make the Leagues actually feel like there’s something at stake if you can actually find anybody to play with.

It’s understandable that 34BigThings would want to trade on the name that made them, Redout, but I’m not sure this spin-off prequel is the right way about it. Fans of the original Redout game will no doubt be disappointed in the flip away from futuristic racer to mundane arcade shooter. There’s some simple fun to be had but don’t go jumping into this one expecting any depth unless you want broken ankles.

Tohu is a unique and satisfying puzzle game, with an art style that is sure to draw lots of praise. Some great puzzles and a brilliant soundtrack all create a good game, but some clunky controls and a frustrating hint system prevent it from becoming a great one.

Windfolk has some nice ideas, and some of those ideas even play out quite nicely. Flying around the bright and blooming world is fun, but everything else is a bit of a bore. Combat is far too simple and the repetition kicks in early on. It’s a skinny offering, even with two different game modes. It all boils down to fly here and shoot your gun until everybody is dead. We’ve come further than that, I’m afraid, and players expect a little more.

Olija delivers a simple and easy hack and slash platforming experience. There is a severe lack of context at relevant times which serves only to take away from the immersion. All in all, Olija works well as a filler title between bigger games and when in need of “video-game junk food” and is easy to jump in and play.

Colossus Down is the latest instalment in the Psychotics Universe. It lures you in with its charming and cartoonish visuals. Whereas, in reality, the game is bursting from the brim with dark humour and has many witty pop culture references throughout.