Cosmonious High is a candy-coloured treat for players of all ages. Developer Owlchemy Labs has applied its low pressure sandbox experience to a madcap school full of things to see and do, and there's some great VR design on display. The powers at your disposal are fun to use, while classes offer up some varied tasks that make the most of Sony's new hardware. While some more comfort options would've been nice and playing sat down isn't really an option, the game's relaxed tone and variety of gameplay makes it worth enrolling.

While they share plenty of the same DNA, Othercide is much more than simply XCOM in eyeliner. Sacrificing warriors to boost the stats of other units proves a compelling and flexible mechanic, while the combat encounters ramp up in difficulty at mostly the right pace. A stunning aesthetic and perfectly complementary soundtrack are the icing on the cake, only occasionally marred by unfortunate technical difficulties.

Viewed as a traditional 32 game retro collection, there's value in journeying through PS4 Capcom Arcade Stadium's history from 1984 to 2001. It's a pleasure to revel in the origins of CP System, as it evolved from CPS-1 to CPS-2. There's a celebratory feel in the balance between Pack 1 and 2's popular hits, alongside Pack 3's cult favourites, plus targeting leaderboards to achieve Timed and Score Challenges is addictive when earning CASPO to reach a higher Class. As Zac Zinger's infectious song, A Brand New Day, plays over Capcom Arcade Stadium's title screen, there's a party vibe to dancing between game selections, especially when discovering Pack 3's superb, less widely available shmups like CAVE's Progear.

Shu is a decent 2D platformer that puts gameplay first, and in stripping away needless distractions provides a refreshing and pleasant few hours of fun. The art style and soundtrack are pretty good, giving way to some lovely sights and sounds on your journey, while the ever-changing set of abilities ensures the game is able to provide new challenges throughout.

Cyber Shadow isn't afraid to just be what it is: an unapologetic, retro-inspired action game. Steady upgrades mean you'll be introduced to new mechanics for most of the adventure, keeping things interesting all the way. An old-school challenge awaits, and while it's mostly a fair fight, checkpoints can be a little far apart, and some bosses might stop you in your tracks. Still, if you're looking for a rock solid side-scroller, this is absolutely worth your time.

An absolutely incredible soundtrack and great environmental art fail to lift the game from a bog of issues. There are some severe technical issues here, but real criticism should be pointed in the direction of the oftentimes incomprehensible narrative, which needed to be much stronger given the general lack of interactivity elsewhere.

Pillars of Eternity II is a 9/10 RPG tragically trapped inside a 7/10 game. The quality of the writing and the world-building is second to none, and the tried and tested combat mechanics are meticulously tuned, but the outrageous loading times and other technical issues are too upsetting to ignore. It's like sitting in a fine Italian restaurant, sipping a glass of wine and nibbling on breadsticks, enjoying your date, and then the waiter comes over and drops a dead dog on the table. Wrong table, mate. I ordered the carbonara. Now get that dead dog out of my sight.

In the evenings you can spend time with your new human family to chat and eat a meal using the food that you’ve gathered and grown yourself. Watching Sakuna slowly mature and start to care about more than just herself is a truly heart-warming journey. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is an absolutely wonderful blend of farming simulator and action RPG. Whether you’re fighting off hordes of demons or trying to find the best way to manage your crop, there is constantly something new to learn and discover in this charmingly unique adventure.

Another Crab's Treasure is a refreshingly different take on the soulslike action RPG. Its more lighthearted presentation, stronger emphasis on story, and sense of humour don't take away from the genre's core, however — this is equally a stern, challenging adventure with fun combat to master and lots of secrets to discover. Unfortunately, it's let down by some frustrating technical troubles and occasionally janky moments. Despite its flaws, though, we came away having quite enjoyed the adventure; we can already feel the carcinisation setting in.

Wild Bastards is good, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as we’d hoped. That said, the studio's fantastic art direction and writing continue to shine through, enough to make this a title worth looking at.

Even if you're not a fan of Warriors-style gameplay, we'd still heartily recommend Dragon Quest Heroes to anyone on the lookout for a joyous jaunt in a lovingly made fantasy world.

Overall, this is a fast-paced, colourful, and nostalgic experience. It’s challenging while staying on the right side of frustrating, with a lot of fun to be had. Though you might not get much out of the story, you’ll still have fun clearing levels and beating time trials.

Despite running into one too many difficulty spikes, Indivisible successfully blends the RPG and Metroidvania genres into one stunning experience. Its plot may be simple and some characters bothersome, but the 2D platforming that bridges the gap between those narrative beats is a dream. Indivisible is a little bit too forgettable in a couple of aspects, but it makes up for that when the tough gets going.

By truly dividing the gameplay between two very distinct presets, EA Sports FC 26 is trying to appeal to everybody. The more methodical Authentic toggle will attract offline Career mode tinkerers, who want to work hard for those scrappy 1-0 wins. Meanwhile, the snappier Competitive option is built for online sweats, who want to force their opponents into submission by burying them in goals. Both feel good in their own ways, and when paired with several new features and refinements, you get a flexible game of football that should please everyone – well, aside from those who simply can’t jive with the franchise’s over-reliance on monetisation.

Tales of Symphonia deserves your attention. If you can stomach JRPGs at all, you owe it to yourself to check it out. The biggest disappointment in this compilation is the sequel, so we recommend picking up the first game cheaper from the PlayStation Store.

Mechanically, Synapse is incredible, but the breadth of content is another story. This feels like a proof of concept for a full experience, once the amount of content can match the level of gameplay.

Little Red Lie is a difficult game to recommend without qualification. It’s uncomfortable, confronting, and just about the furthest thing away from a rollicking good time imaginable. And yet, if you’re willing to go on its journey, sharp writing and a laser thematic focus will force you to re-examine some of the reasons you lie, and some of the things you lie about.

Observer: System Redux is a legitimately impressive overhaul. At long last, the PS5 has allowed Bloober Team’s ambitions with this title to be properly realized. New quests slot into the experience wonderfully, Rutger Hauer’s performance remains impeccable, and the game just generally has a lot more to offer this time out. While an overreliance on jump scares and a plot desperately in need of some trimming hold the experience back from true greatness, Observer’s fancy new PS5 incarnation at long last feels like the title it was originally intended to be.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a poignant and powerful reminder of the significant human toll borne of the wars that we so often act out in our favourite video games.

Pacific Drive is an ambitious and rewarding debut from Ironwood Studios. It's an unusual combination of factors that all coalesce; roguelike exploration, deep and challenging survival mechanics, an interesting narrative to follow, and a central vehicle that brings everything together. Fiddly controls and complex UI mean it's not free from annoyances, but the pleasure found in incrementally upgrading the car and throwing it into the unknown trumps the setbacks. It might be an arduous journey at times, but it's definitely worth the trip.

Overall, you have a game that doubles down on what fans loved about Tails of Iron while expanding in smart ways. There are some rough edges, but it's ultimately a superior sequel and a fun, challenging adventure.

Although it's nowhere near the mess that Duke Nukem Forever was, this massive heap of fan service will fail to resonate with those unaccustomed to the breed of shooter found back in the 90s.

As a standalone outing, King's Quest - Chaper I: A Knight to Remember isn't bad at all, even if does fall at some disappointingly low hurdles.

World of Final Fantasy offers a polished and pretty adventure through a lovingly made world, and even though its story is let down by some poor writing, the addictive process of capturing and training monsters is enough to keep you playing. All in all, this is a great little spin-off.

Ultimately, the biggest obstacle for the game might be its price. $19.99 for this experience feels like a lot, even if everything being offered is perfectly pleasant. The story mode is nice, but not necessarily worth a replay. Creative mode is fun to tinker around with once or twice, but there’s just no hook to draw you back in to play it again and again.

The Lake House is a brilliant serving of Remedy horror goodness, acting as a cocktail of two franchise identities, to deliver something that is narratively intriguing and visually distinct. It’s a tight-knit experience packed with expanding lore and clever scares, and a keen reminder of Remedy’s pedigree. It’s an interesting link in the wider world of Remedy games too that leaves us sad to see this chapter end, but ever curious to how it will all continue.

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire offers incredible art and animation, as well as enjoyable first-person shootouts. For that, it certainly succeeds — just don't expect it to do much of anything else.

With an incredibly dense lore and labyrinthine level design, Hell Is Us is a captivating experience. The game takes its solid (but tough) combat and chin-scratching puzzles and elevates them with a century spanning mystery that goes deeper and deeper. Its hands off approach means there is a huge emphasis on the world, and thankfully Rogue Factor does not disappoint. It’s not going to be for everyone, but for those that love a good lore-filled mystery, this is a PS5 must-play.