On the Switch, both docked and handheld play sees frequent dips in framerate and a noticeable number of low-resolution textures. Loading times are also an issue between stages and after deaths. At £34.99, it’s exorbitantly overpriced compared to other, better performing, platformers. I’ve barely managed to talk about every feature Ghost Parade offers yet fails to deliver on. Sadly, a host of ideas have been thrown into the pot, none of which have come out cooked.

With an ecological message that cannot be ignored, some gorgeous interwoven narratives, innovative story design, and charming graphics, Some Distant Memory is a pleasure to play. It frames humanity as capable of integrity, love, compassion, and a thirst for knowledge – even in the darkest of times. I think we could all do with a heavy dose of that sentiment.

Spin Rhythm XD is up there with the more interesting accessory-less rhythm games of recent years, earning a spot next to the likes of Thumper and the Amplitude reboot. If you’re eager to jump in, it’s very playable now despite only just releasing into Early Access.

The Endless Mission gives older gamers the chance to feel like unbridled, unrestricted kids in an imaginary world full of possibilities. There are no adults to tell you what to do, and you can decide what kind of environment you want to create or destroy. It is anarchic and irreverent, crammed with quirky characters and flashes of brilliance. This game is the perfect teaching tool for younger generations also, doing away with stuffy “edutainment” game culture and creating something that truly rewards creativity in C#.

Ritual: Crown of Horns is pretty metal, surprisingly precise and entertaining, but it probably won’t knock your socks off.

Widget Satchel is such a nice game that it feels a little mean to criticise it, but alas, the platforming in each of its levels did leave a little to be desired. With robot encounters making me lose more widgets than I gained, I was left feeling mostly frustrated, which is a shame when there is such good writing and environment styling on offer.

I just can’t get over how gorgeous the maps, characters, and animations are in this DLC. Wargroove has truly cemented its own style with this addition, and they deserve to see some real love for that over the coming months. The movements are smooth; the gameplay is layered yet simple – I sure wish I remembered whatever the hell it is that Wargroove makes me nostalgic for, but in the meantime, I’m recruiting some friends for a lengthy campaign.

Self is a very simple concept executed with finesse – enough flare to keep you guessing but easy enough to play in one sitting. It’s unnerving, chilling, and a lot of fun.

If Deadtime Defenders adapts itself while focusing on that looter shooter goal then it’s something I’ll eagerly return to – for now, it’s simply an okay game which does nothing new.

It’s a little janky in places, but the overall tone of Dwarrows is so wonderfully whimsical that you’ll struggle not to fall in love with it. It’s also a good option for those who like the idea of Animal Crossing but are either impatient or don’t own a Nintendo Switch. It scratches a similar itch, and it does so in a very satisfying manner. The third-person perspective and little puzzles and mini-games make for an intimate and warm game, and I can honestly see myself playing it every Sunday night for the rest of the year, it’s just so damn cosy.

I ended up quite liking This Strange Realm of Mine, perhaps because of the blemishes rather than in spite of them. The imperfections were reminders that this game could very well be an emotional treatise of someone who is still learning and growing. It felt like something I would have made as I was first encountering ideas that rocked the foundations of my understanding. Like The Beginner’s Guide, the narrative framework sometimes feels like an excuse to admit Big Thoughts to whoever will listen, and if we cannot use our art to do that, what’s the point of it all?

Over The Alps is a fantastic mobile game, and a still-pretty-great PC game. Whichever platform you pick it up on, its historical, divergent story shines through.

Nick Bounty And The Dame With The Chewed Blue Shoe is a stereotypical comedy video game where it often references itself and other games or breaks the fourth wall with a wink to the camera so emphatic, it could make Borderlands blush – which may be just your thing.

Everything in Circle Empires Rivals’ combat and circle-capture loop fits perfectly, it feels like a streamlined base-building RTS, although the absence of a campaign and staggered unit unlocks means that there is definitely some learning to be done before braving online play beyond co-op. While there’s only a finite amount of biomes and CPU enemy types, the procedural generation means that maps can feel fresh after dozens of matches.

Billion Road is chaos, it’s nonsense, and it shows that you can take a simple, perfect design, staplegun 100 tiny bells and whistles onto it and it’ll make a wonderful noise when it moves.

Galaxy Warfighter is a modern take on an arcade shoot em’ up, and it’s a good imitation, it just comes with a few caveats, particularly its repetitiveness and lack of evolution towards the later levels of the game.

Sometimes you come across a game that is so bad it’s good, maybe a little entertaining, The Room style. This honestly wasn’t one of them. The lifeless Blendr models, the janky controls and ugly misplacement of bad gothic tropes render this the kind of game that should just quietly be forgotten. Maybe moving on swiftly will spare the creators any further embarrassment.

It’s all a lot of fun, but it’s also rather short. That’s not an issue if you’re happy to keep trying and constantly become better at beating the foes you’ve already dunked on, but it might be an issue for some people. It’s not very expensive though, so it’s probably worth a look if you like the sound of scoring three-pointers against an embodiment of fire.

Hypothetically there could be a lot of fun to be had here, but that’s not the case at the moment and I’d recommend waiting a while to see if things improve as Early Access continues for it. Diving in now is likely to lead to more frustration than actual game playing and that’s no good at all.

I can think of no better descriptor for the game than candy floss. There is no substance, no depth, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good or isn’t pretty to look at. However, I can’t help but feel like this game would be too hard and frustrating for most young children. Conversely, it doesn’t have much of anything to appeal to anyone over the age of six. In the end, I can’t really recommend the game, and the fact that it depicts the genocide of an entire race with the gleeful candour of the Androids from Dragon Ball Z really doesn’t help.

I enjoyed my time with Nimbatus, even though it’s been made for people far more capable in design than I am. If you’re one of those elusive professional Minecraft architects or someone with a penchant for computing, Nimbatus as a tool is a real achievement you should invest in. Meanwhile, I’ll stick to watching The Malcontent Orb as it drifts slowly through the universe and slowly drifting, soulless and accursed, into the abyssal nothingness of pixelated space.

Cranked Up has the colourful charm of Overcooked, and enough platforming challenge to keep you engaged from start to finish. Frustration is core to the experience, and that may not be for everyone, but if snappy, repeated trial and error gameplay is your thing then Cranked Up is a good shout.

A Hand With Many Fingers illustrates the quiet fervour of trying to understand something much bigger than yourself – a web of obscure moving parts and shady characters who have, to this day, never been convicted of a crime. Even if you’re not as keen on the niche thrill of chasing a conspiracy, Colestia’s work is an important dissection of power, hegemonic greed, and corruption during the Cold War, as well as its ideological impact across the world – issues that unfortunately remain all too familiar in 2020.

Overall, Warborn is a colourful and fun tactics game. It takes a little bit from a few places and does good things with them. The gameplay is good, the tactical options are varied, and the soundtrack will drill its way into your brain and never leave. It feels a lot like this will do very well if there are a lot of people keeping the multiplayer alive, but it’s a great game regardless.

It possesses a certain melancholy and longing that I admire. That mood is captured beautifully by its illustrations which in rare moments collapse and collide in colourful fractal parallaxes. Despite the flaws I’ve identified, the direction of its narrative surprised me, and its twists kept me on my toes. Like Seers Isle before it, Across the Grooves’ worldbuilding is its strength. It crafts a deep beatnik, classic rock mythology surrounding the record at its centre, and while I often felt like I didn’t belong in that world, I remained intrigued by the secrets it offered. When I finished Across the Grooves, I replayed Seers Isle. Then I began Across the Grooves again. I look forward to Nova-box’s next project as their work continues to delight.

Space Scavenger makes for an interesting debut from Red Cabin Games. It never reaches the lofty heights of fellow SHMUP titles but carves a unique identity, bringing enjoyable combat and versatile customisation. It’s a shame there isn’t more of it and comes across as rather barebones. Replayability only goes so far, but considering the low price point, this is easier to forgive. For genre fans looking for a new fix, it comes recommended.

It’s reductive to suggest Little Witch Nobeta is just you running around, busying yourself between each boss battle, but they are undoubtedly the best part of the game. Its pacing is off, and the base game combat hasn’t got that much going for it, but it’s well worth picking up to test yourself against Little Witch Nobeta’s headline offerings.

A Day Without Me offers a very simplistic adventure-horror experience that has some interesting ideas. The game’s trailer definitely showed potential glimpses of dealing with a big demonic threat in your town. However, the final product falls short in capitalizing on its concept.