Sublime writing, beautiful artwork, and a haunting soundtrack combine to undertake one most nuanced and thoughtful explorations of all the best and worst of the human condition—disturbing and intense, but ultimately hopeful, and with a level of care and humanity that’s rare to see in a game that goes to the dark places this one does. Perhaps most of all, it’s a perfect example of how much visual novels can push the boundaries of videogames as a medium and as an art form, both because and in spite of their “gameplay” constraints. The House in Fata Morgana is, quite simply, a masterpiece on every level.

Despite its numerous towering accomplishments, chief amongst them an atmospheric, multilayered open world with staggering environment variety and expertly calculated level design that encourages its many thrills, Tears of the Kingdom’s real strength lies not in what it achieves but in what it reveals itself to be: a reflection of the player’s intuition and creative spirit. As a result, the experience shines not on its lonesome but with the player in tow, their shared Legend destined to be remembered as one of gaming’s very best.

Like I said at the start, I can’t tell you how well (or not) the Resident Evil 4 remake compares to the iconic original—plenty of people far more qualified than me have already done that. But as someone getting their first taste of Leon’s encounter with Los Illuminados in this latest release, Resident Evil 4 hits every mark: a finely-tuned balance between action and survival horror, both tense and exciting, with an intriguing story and a degree of craftsmanship that few other third-person shooters can match.

There really isn’t anything bad to say about Unavowed. It’s one of the most confident adventure games released in a long while. It shows that developer Wadjet Eye have a keen understanding of not only narrative structure, but of the adventure genre as a whole. If you’re looking for an earnest, fully-realised adventure game that harkens back to the genre’s roots, while also putting deftly-written, three-dimensional characters at its forefront, then look no further.

Fans of the original can now rest easy, knowing that the sequel they wanted, for the best part of two decades, has finally come to fruition, and it’s everything they could have wanted, and more. Psychonauts 2‘s story is deeper, more heartfelt, and wonderfully compelling. The mechanics and concepts in the original have greatly improved (although not without its minor issues), and the characters and their personalities exude bucketloads of charm. Without a doubt, this game will be on a number of game of the year nominations. Better sixteen years late than never.

Bringing one of the best games of the whole Mario franchise to Switch, with a few little tweaks here and there, would have been enough to make a Super Mario 3D World repackage an essential part of anyone’s Switch library. But Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury goes a whole lot further, with the addition of what could just as well have been a whole new standalone game, and a brilliant one at that.

Packed with technical improvements and a superb single player expansion, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade further cements its spot as one of the greatest remakes in gaming history.

At a glance, Rolling Gunner may not look like much, but there’s a recent it’s earned a reputation as one of the better bullet hells of recent memory. It’s a finely-crafted danmaku with a unique hook in its multi-directional rolling gun, and doesn’t shy away from pushing that idea to its limits. In the process, it winds up picking apart the whole “vert vs hori” discussion, showcasing—and subverting—the abstract little nuances that distinguish the two.

As the first entirely new Ratchet & Clank in almost eight years, and the latest entry in one of the defining franchises of the PS2, Rift Apart had a big legacy to live up to. But boy, does it manage to step into those magneboots, delivering a decidedly modern game that creatively pushes technical boundaries, while also being grounded firmly in the joyful, playful design philosophy of that golden age of 3D platformers. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart feels like something from an alternate dimension where that early 2000s style of platformer design never went out of vogue.

In a lot of ways, Metroid Dread is exactly the game that people who’ve been waiting 20-odd years for a new 2D Metroid could want: authentic and mostly true to its roots, but with enough new ideas thrown into the fold that it doesn’t just feel like a retread. Given the pedestal that Metroid gets put on, that’s an impressive achievement in itself. But it’s also uneven in that aim, sometimes clinging too closely to the past, and other times losing sight of what made the older games the classics that they are. Ultimately, what you get out of Metroid Dread will depend on what you expect from Metroid in the first place, but if you want an accomplished exploration platformer and can put up with a bit of frustration and narrative bloat along the way, you’re in good hands here.

Monster Hunter has gone from strength to strength over the years, and Monster Hunter World in particular felt like a high point for the series. But Monster Hunter Rise manages to one-up even that ambitious game. A renewed focus on vertical level design and mobility take everything that makes Monster Hunter work to new heights (pun absolutely intended), and the Japanese inspiration gives this latest outing a very different, very impressive new sense of style, but without forgetting the series’ roots. Truly, Rise is Monster Hunter at its absolute best.

Even if it’s not loaded with extra stuff, Nioh Collection still has what’s important: the best versions of two of the best games of recent years, with the improved performance and extra graphical polish to really let Nioh and Nioh 2 shine their brightest. The obvious appeal here is for people who haven’t played a Nioh game before, but even if you have, Nioh Collection‘s improvements make it a great way to revisit them. And maybe, if you’re anything like me, it might even just let you find some new appreciation for what makes Nioh brilliant.

Ever since its announcement, there have been concerns about Guilty Gear Strive and the new direction it’s going: concerns that it would try too hard to make the game approachable at the cost of depth, that it would oversimplify things, that it’d lose what makes Guilty Gear Guilty Gear. And sure, Strive is a different beast, with a different tempo and a different focus, but it’s still got all the quintessential pieces of Guilty Gear in place: the tactical depth, the interplay between systems that creates fascinating strategic opportunities, the rich characters, the hype, the big juicy combos. It’s a little lacking in bells and whistles and the lobby system leaves a lot to be desired, but the core of the game is rock solid—and, really, that’s what’s most important.

Whatever it is that draws you to Gran Turismo—the rags-to-riches solo campaign, online competition, collecting cars, automotive photography, technical accomplishment—Gran Turismo 7 goes above and beyond. It is, as it set out to be, the ultimate celebration of car culture, and I can think of no better way to commemorate the series' 25th anniversary.

Mini Motorways is a surprisingly ambitious game for its scope. It executes a simple yet remarkably thoughtful premise and largely achieves great results. In everything from its visual style to its gameplay, Mini Motorways is broadly accessible, and smartly introduces the player to increasingly complex scenarios. Even though it doesn’t quite match the design perfection of something like Tetris, that’s still a pretty remarkable comparison to inspire.

Deathloop is a rewarding and ambitious experience that smartly combines Arkane’s immersive sim bedrock with a fluid nonlinear structure. Its smooth gameplay and naturalistic narrative stylings are interrupted by lacklustre PC performance, though it fulfils a puzzle-box Groundhog Day fantasy few other games have been ambitious enough to touch.

At the heart of all this, though, OlliOlli World is classic OlliOlli. It’s part combo-centric skating game, part momentum-driven platformer, part arcade-style score chaser that rewards mastery and experimentation. All these pieces come together wonderfully, and those moments when you’re grinding along a tree branch or the spine of some monstrous skeleton in the desert, clinging to your perfect combo and praying you nail the landing, are pure adrenaline. New tricks, new gimmicks, and an intriguing new setting add a lot to an already strong core, and there’s more room for expression and a lower skill floor, but OlliOlli World is still the absolute rush OlliOlli has always been.

Tales of Arise is a phenomenal game: an engrossing story, the best combat the Tales series has seen to date, and art direction that's nigh unmatched in its sheer beauty. But, impressive as those things are, what really sets this game apart—what really marks this as a bold new vision for the series—is how cleverly it twists JRPG conventions to unpack that well-worn "evil empire" trope. Tales of Arise is more than just a brilliant game; it's a nuanced, insightful thesis on the mechanisms of oppression and liberation.

Monster Hunter is a series about systems—Capcom can’t escape that, no matter how much marketing and PR they throw at it. But it isn’t a series about getting it either, as much as its staunchest adherents would have you believe. It’s about feeling it. And Monster Hunter Rise feels good—simple as that.

Much like its iconic protagonist, Bayonetta 3 is remarkably agile. By deftly managing its glorious combat, incredible set pieces and surprisingly meaningful story beats, PlatinumGames has delivered a truly spectacular experience and one of the finest action games in years.

I'm torn. On the one hand, Returnal is one of the best third-person shooters you'll find, full of the kind of frantic, precise action that's so satisfying to master, but on a scale and with a sense of atmosphere that's far beyond anything Housemarque has done before. On the other, the ill-conceived idea to make it a roguelike sits at odds with everything the game does best, undermining its greatest strengths and turning an exciting game into a tedious and frustrating one. If you've got the patience for it, this is an adventure that's absolutely worth taking, but I can't help but wonder how incredible Returnal could be if it didn't keep getting in its own way.

Sumire isn’t quite like anything else out there, because that’s the nature of grief—it’s deeply personal stuff, despite being such a universal thing to deal with. It’s heartbreaking, in the way that losing a loved one can only be, but it’s also a bittersweet story of hope: of keeping the memory of loved ones alive in our actions, about living each day to the fullest, and cherishing all the little moments that we’re blessed with. It’s beautiful.

As enjoyable as the dungeon crawling in Undernauts is, it’s the story that it tells that’ll most grab the attention of crawler fans and newcomers alike. An incisive deconstruction of capitalism that’s thoughtful, pointed, yet deliberately blunt in its commentary, unfolding through one of the most unique and intriguing settings you’ll find in a videogame, makes Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi one of Experience’s best—and one that deserves attention far beyond the usual DRPG niche.

Revisiting the franchise; the characters, the story-telling, the puzzles, and the humour, filled me with child-like glee upon returning to one of my favourite video game franchises of all time. However, the unexpected turn in the final hour, reflecting on nostalgia and appreciating the journey, not the destination, allowed me to really appreciate Return to Monkey Island growing up with me. In this sense, it allowed me to retroactively appreciate the precursor games more, and the third instalment elevated the franchise to quite possibly my all-time favourite franchise. For first time fans, enjoy the swash-buckling adventure for what it is: a game filled with puzzles, humour, and most of all, fun. For longtime fans, I really hope you will enjoy the walk down memory lane, but find the game growing up as we all have.

All this in service of a tale that effortlessly juggles lighthearted humour with careful traversal of serious, difficult themes like domestic violence, while building to an especially emotional conclusion. A Space for the Unbound is an enchanting, sometimes confronting dive into a slice of Indonesian history, and a journey will worth taking.

At heart, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is classic Kirby, with the playful attitude and neat abilities that have long defined the series and a handful of new ideas thrown into the mix, with the transition to 3D adding a whole new world of possibilities that the level designers never fail to capture and explore to the fullest. It may have been a long time coming, but Kirby’s first real foray into three dimensions is an absolute delight.

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is a solid remaster with smart upgrades that build upon the original release without taking away from what made it a unique experience. The game itself has a lot to say and some of it is genuinely compelling, however, the pacing is abhorrent and the core gameplay is a deadly pill made out of tedium and boredom, that I really wish I hadn’t swallowed. Let’s hope I’m a Repatriate.

Voiced dialogue aside, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is easily the definitive version of a classic game that’s been through a few very different iterations. Instead of stopping at a graphical overhaul and some quality-of-life features, it reimagines a lot of the game’s core systems in a way that strikes a fine balance between the thematically-fitting brutality of the original and the depth and tactical freedom of the PSP remake. There’s no better way to revisit the legacy of Tactics Ogre than this.