A few hours in, you'll likely find yourself scratching your head as seemingly impossible puzzles best you. This can naturally be frustrating, especially as you move so slowly, but you'll feel like a genius once everything clicks. Many stages have optional bonus challenges once you solve them, earning you collectable scrolls complete with philosophical mumbo-jumbo. The main story is more interesting, told wordlessly through a series of dioramas, but it's the puzzles themselves that will keep you playing. It's not exactly original, but The Sojourn is a solid puzzler with well designed levels and some nice ideas.

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through a haunted world. What the game lacks in plot originality, it makes up for with its interesting and unique game mechanics, as well as its wonderfully designed cast. It can be accursed with repetition, but there's ultimately a lot to wrap your head around, and the many tactical nuances do a lot to keep boredom at bay.

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is an entertaining title with a few disappointing aspects, including linear puzzles and awkward animations, which makes for a lukewarm revival.

Ties That Bind (Part Two) maintains the opening episode's great pace with a more action-heavy instalment. The new characters continue to compel, even if you'll see the closing twist coming a mile away. Telltale's definitely getting better at directing these narrative-centric experiences, and while the creaky engine still sticks out at times, the production values in this particular instalment are above and beyond anything that the developer's done before.

DOOM 3 VR is also able to breathe new life into one of the game’s more divisive facets: the horror. While jump scares are constant, and as annoying as ever, the VR succeeds in placing you on Mars in a way DOOM 3 has never previously been able to accomplish. This means all of the ambient audio, the lighting, the abrupt discomfiting silence – everything contributes to the creepiness of the experience to an unprecedented level. It provides an opportunity to appreciate all of the things that DOOM 3 did well all those years ago, without having to carry the baggage of defining the series moving forward. And it’s better for it. Just don’t expect much of a visual upgrade, as thanks to the headset’s limitations, things more or less look the same as when the game first launched.

A bit more visual and auditory polish might have elevated the experience, but as it stands, the title is a worthy addition to the ubiquitous genre.

Not quite RPG, not quite brawler, Battle Princess of Arcadias manages to inhabit its own little space between the two. The positives of the combination more than outweigh the negatives of not focusing on a specific genre, and like any good royal, the game will leave you smiling after each and every visit.

Push Me Pull You is an outstanding party game. Its bizarre concept, hilarious gameplay, and hyper polished presentation mean that it is an absolute riot to play with friends. If you're willing to overlook the lack of mechanical depth – and are on-board with its peculiar premise – you're in for a genuinely funny and dizzyingly enjoyable multiplayer.

There's lots of enjoyment to be had here, but it's also cruel reminder that the LEGO franchise needs something new to break out of its now conveyer-belt approach.

Transference is an experience fit for VR, and from that perspective, the game does a phenomenal job of providing tension, scares, and narrative beats. Those looking for value may feel a little short-changed, especially so without the implementation of virtual reality, but the overall package should leave you satisfied if horror and terror is your forte.

The game features wild European-influenced locales, mixing cabaret with traces of expressionism in a way that makes the illogic of the world logical. Plus, thanks largely to the rise of 4K TVs — and especially HDR — the game looks better than it ever has. The staccato outbursts of colour when you illuminate the dark or enter select regions help to sell the oppressive nature of the environment. The title was from an era where drab colour schemes and chromatic aberration were the all rage, so there’s not as much use of colour to see with fresh eyes as we would have hoped.

While it lacks the endearing appeal of some of its older siblings, The LEGO Movie Videogame is still a strong cinematic tie-in that serves as a perfect accompaniment to the big screen blockbuster – even if you should ensure that you visit the theatre first.

Despite a sputtering start, As Dusk Falls eventually finds its footing with a character-driven story that rewards replays with insight into the backstories, motivations, and psyches of its troubled cast that’s been battered down by their everyday existences. It’s a tale that grows increasingly engrossing, provided a tolerance for some sensationalised theatrics and protracted payoffs.

As a standalone experience, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Cure – Episode 2 does struggle with many of the same pitfalls as Episode 1, with its interface still a particular problem. However, it’s a more focused adventure, and lessens the emphasis on the conversation heavy sequences that proved so dire in the previous outing.

Octopath Traveler 0 is a perfectly solid instalment in the Square Enix franchise, though its overwhelming familiarity will make large parts of it feel like a retread. Its town-building mechanic and expanded party system are smart expansions, and the move towards a single, centralised story is a benefit. However, Octopath Traveler 0 will still feel largely the same in an experience below that of its predecessors.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood may be a few years old now, but though its visuals don't always hold up, its gameplay certainly does. The ingenuity of the physics and puzzles in the game allow for some truly mind-boggling moments at times, while the exhilarating chase set-pieces will set your heart racing. Its price tag is a little steep, but de-pen-ding on your passion for puzzle platformers, it's a good buy.

Poor voice acting and obnoxious back tracking let it down – but this is still on the right side of the law as far as we’re concerned.

Super Bomberman R 2 is a step in the right direction for the series with the addition of a lengthy campaign, a level editor, and a whole new game mode. With more puzzles to mix up the repetitive gameplay and a little more polish to iron out the visual clutter, frame rate drops, and long load times, Bomberman could be super yet again.

The game is stunning to behold, but frame hitches are common – especially on the 4K option. The combat is exhilarating, but the jumping and sliding puzzles leave a lot to be desired. The end result is an experience that is decent at just about everything, and easy to recommend. But as good as Fallen Order may be, if you look backwards in time, it’s not difficult to find superior Star Wars experiences.

If you can work through the mind numbing first couple of hours, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky blooms into an addictive JRPG. Much like an alchemical formula, the individual pieces of this concoction are less impressive than its whole – just don’t jump into the release expecting to make something out of nothing.

Fortunately, for all of the game's faults, its futuristic setting is rich and compelling, meaning that while the game won't linger in your memory forever, you definitely won't be forgetting it in a hurry.

Below the Bedrock is a rock solid penultimate episode for what’s been a very under-par Season Two so far for Telltale’s Minecraft Story Mode. With a well-balanced structure and a steadily paced plot progression that is intriguing throughout, Episode 4 has pulled off what the first three episodes failed to do: setting up firm foundations for future episodes. It’s a real shame that Below the Bedrock didn’t come earlier on in the season.

The budget price may still be a teensy steep for the rather slender running time, but the focused campaign and enjoyable action mean that this is certainly worth a punt if you’ve got the bolts to spare.

SpongeBob Rehydrated is a vibrant remake of a much loved PS2 platformer. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's a solid effort that brings back a type of game that's all too rare on modern machines. The simple fun of collecting, bashing enemies, and exploring a beloved location is very much here, and fans young and old will get a kick out of this underwater excursion.

If nothing else, Night Trap is a historic document. A nostalgia trip for some and an insight into a rare gaming niche for others. Presented here with insightful extras and a modern lick of paint, it still stands up as a genre curio. There isn’t much content here and continued enjoyment will rely on how much you are willing to replay the main story. But, if you succumb to its corny charms, this is a game as entertaining to play as it is to watch.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider shines in exploration, offering stunning scenic views that enrich the pursuit to walk among the greater open world. It's filled with rewarding puzzle platforming tombs that emphasize the return of new and old gameplay mechanics. However, the same can't be said for the story, as Lara's journey is concluded with a tired and tried formula that never reaches the potential it displays in certain cutscenes, despite its promising beginning.

Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed is far from a perfect package, but it’s certainly a charming one. It never takes itself too seriously, which makes its wacky subject matter all the more entertaining.

Terror, exhilaration and nausea. It's a testament to the power of VR that such a simple, straight-forward game as Windlands has the ability to makes its players feel so much. The biggest problem of course is trying to work out just what it's going to make you feel. Fortunately, if you can master your stomach – with help from the numerous VR comfort options – and throw yourself in head first, you just might find a frequently thrilling experience that despite its frustrations is worth falling for.