With an intriguing story, interesting location, and exploration that feels rewarding, Die Young is a great example of a survival sim done right. Combining so many elements we have seen before into one neat package, I was thoroughly impressed with what Die Young had to offer – do not let the cut scenes put you off!

Speed Limit drags the best of the past to the present and then spends a few hours killing you repeatedly. That might sound like hard work but it’s some of the best fun I’ve had this year. The only question now is: when’s Speed Limit 2 coming out?

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood won’t be remembered for long and that’s fine – by the time I got to writing this summary, I couldn’t really remember it, either. It’s not terrible and I can see some great ideas just begging for a bigger budget. The stealth is poor but has potential, and the combat is simple, samey Prototype-esque fun that could have been more. The story and the presentation are the real let-downs here and you’d be better served throwing on some thrash-metal and muting the game while you play.

Disjunction is a great stealth game wrapped in a highly-polished pixel-art wrapper. It’s difficult at times – and occasionally unfair – but it gets the job done and it’s generally enjoyable.

Yupitergrad for PSVR is another fine get for the platform. The gameplay is a fair challenge, mostly, and there’s lots of fun to be had finding new ways to swing down dangerous corridors of doom. The controls and tracking are remarkably good, too, meaning you won’t feel hindered by the PS Move wands.

Taxi Chaos might be a shameless knock-off, but it at least has the distinction of being a fantastic shameless knock-off. Taxi Chaos does what SEGA don’t.

Pumpkin Jack is a fantastic platformer that gets very little wrong. While it does have its flaws, mainly in the combat department, the rest of the game carries the weight superbly.

An entertaining party brawler that’s better with others and once you start mastering a character. It can be quite hectic, so it does require a bit of patience or at least a willingness to go to the dark side of button mashing.

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a weird game with a confusing story, but one I completely enjoyed. Nova and her dust-sucking vacuum may not be the heroes we wanted but they are probably the heroes we deserve. If you like retro-looking games and are tired of the big devs who are too afraid to take chances, this may be the game you’re looking for.

Destruction AllStars has the basics in place but nowhere near enough depth to sustain it long term. It’s good for an hour or two, but once the initial “wow, a free PS5 game!” wears off, you’re left with a shallow, tarted-up imitation of better games that came before.

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.