InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories offers a short but very sweet slice-of-life game that makes you value the quiet moments and fleeting conversations you have with strangers. Much like our favourite convenience store snacks, it offers plenty of flavour in a bite-sized chunk that keeps our appetite satiated until the next eye-catching game comes along. I went into InKonbini expecting something a little different, but finished my final shift pleasantly surprised with just how attached I had become to the game. It’s impressive how it takes small moments and elevates them to such heartfelt heights.

Despite the limited gameplay and slightly repetitive nature of wandering around rooms to click on objects, Mixtape is an experience I’ll remember for a long while. The sharp dialogue that feels real and stays the right side of grating, easy-going storytelling, excellent soundtrack, and supreme confidence to play around with the medium make Mixtape well worth tuning into, even if some will be put off by a perceived lack of things to do. I still haven’t really figured out if Mixtape is a video game, but I do know that I thoroughly recommend you give it a spin.

Although the story mode lets itself down a bit and the offline offerings are slim, I still had a great time with Invincible VS and expect to lose even more hours to it when the servers go up. The excellent and welcoming mechanics, well-developed roster, and tons of fan service not only make Invincible VS a stand-out tag fighter, but also the game that the series has deserving for a long time.

Vampire Crawlers is a tremendous achievement. Everything here works almost flawlessly, with a gameplay loop that is quick, sharp, and smart. Genre transitions within the same game series rarely work so wonderfully, but Luca Galante and Poncle have created an incredible experience that will make you crave more, even if it overstays its welcome a tad for completionists.

While I had a blast embarking on this journey to Persephone with Ariane and Thomas, I do wish it were on the longer side. Even at seven hours long, there seemed to be room for the narrative to venture to deeper, more interesting places. Who knows, perhaps we’ll see that in the future. For now, though, this is a sci-fi epic well worth your time.

Aside from those infrequent technical issues, this is a smooth, comforting, and narratively rich experience. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth's balance of warmth and depth is everything I want from a cozy game in the modern era. I can already anticipate that I’ll be returning to the charm of Moominvalley in a few months, when the Lady of the Cold visits me as well.

It feels like one big adventure, and you’re only privy to one piece at a time. Delving into the depths of a foreign planet would usually be off-putting to me as a cozy gamer, but the world of Carcosa drew me in. Who is the mysterious voice lingering in Arjun’s head, what happened to the colony and the crew, and how in the world am I supposed to beat the tutorial boss on my next run?

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is, crashes and caveats aside, an excellent game. Key is a triumph, the puzzles are imaginative, and the final chapter earns everything it demands of you. I’ve spent about 12 hours with it and I find myself wanting to talk about it with everyone who has ever shared even a flicker of an interest in Lovecraft with me. It’s a cosmic horror that brings classic tropes into futuristic dressing and manages to do that well. What’s not to like?

Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream is a bizarre delight with unlimited potential, but you must be willing to unearth that brilliance for yourself instead of expecting the game to guide you. It surrenders to repetition far sooner than I’d like, but the sheer amount of things you can make your Miis do, say, and the relationships they gradually develop are so wonderful that it’s easy to overlook some otherwise notable flaws. The more you put into this game, the more you’re going to get out of it. For me, it already feels like it has all the ingredients to become another cult classic masterpiece that will go down in history.

The defining strength of Replaced—besides the stunning visuals—lies in its cultural commentary. Though the main narrative focuses primarily on one aspect of the apocalypse, organ donation and the subsequent dehumanisation that comes from losing a part of oneself, there's plenty of flavour there for the world's other tragedies: extreme poverty, the frivolity of the elite, fascism, police state and especially the dangers of technology.

It’s got big ambitions, a big heart, and two big and beautiful characters leading the charge on an intergalactic adventure like no other. Cheese and cliché aside, Pragmata is a rare triumph.

Sintopia is a far better game than its title suggests. The title Sintopia sounds like someone came up with the name first and built a fabulous idea around it, but look past that, and you have a deep, charming, and constantly unpredictable experience that is well worth your time.

Even when Super Meat Boy 3D had me moments away from rage-quitting, occasionally thanks to a death that wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help but smile as I bashed my head on whatever wall I was struggling to jump off. Meat Boy’s legacy is a very particular one that won’t appeal to everyone but, even with some wobbles, 3D proves itself to be a sequel that’s worthy of standing next to the original masterpiece.

The Star Force Legacy Collection brings back the underrated spin-off in the best way possible. It looks and plays better than ever while also featuring a number of worthwhile bonuses both hardcore fans and newcomers alike will appreciate. There are a few remaining flaws to take into account, but seldom did these truly infringe upon the experience.

It plays a treat on my system, which is far from top of the line. Kojima Productions and Nixxes are known to be masters of optimisation when it comes to porting projects like this, and it might be one of its most accomplished efforts yet. It plays and looks incredible, so much so that I’m tempted to go on this epic and emotional journey all over again.

It’s highly ambitious and one of the most intriguing triple-A games I’ve played in years, but I wish so many parts of the whole weren’t inherently flawed. Now my journey in Pywel has come to an end, I’ll be leaving this one on the shelf for a while.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando focuses on delivering a very specific pleasure. Four buddies, a towering horde of undead, and a soundtrack that sounds like it escaped from something covered in dust in your basement. It identifies that particular itch perfectly, and it leans into it with a sense of gleeful, gory enthusiasm.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection sets the new gold standard for the series. It raises the bar on every aspect that we love about the series, but also reinvents its go-to template by introducing exciting new mechanics that overhaul the core monster-battling gameplay. While the narrative could have been less obvious, it was still an enjoyable adventure and the new cast of characters are bound to become fan favourites.

Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf builds on the delightful world that the first game whisked us away to and delivers yet another beautiful and touching tale. It raises the bar when it comes to puzzles and challenges, while giving us some much-anticipated answers as to where Mui came from and the more technologically advanced society that existed in the ancient past. Lana is more grown-up here, and so the darker story feels right at home as we continue this journey with her, and I’m now left in anticipation of her next chapter.

The just fine writing and exploration that doesn't add as much as I hoped mean that Scott Pilgrim EX isn't quite a genre-defining brawler like the stand-out Shredder's Revenge and Absolum. Instead, it's closer to Cosmic Invasion, a great beat 'em up that does a lot right with plenty of style and love for the source material, especially as an unabashedly biased fan. If this is as much of a sendoff to the series as it feels, then it's a worthy last hurrah.

By the end, it felt like Resident Evil Requiem had marked the end of a new era that began almost a decade ago. It’s reached a point where anxiety-inducing horror and over the top explosive action can exist in tandem rather than cannibalising one another into tragic irrelevance. Leon Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft engage in a delicate dance where all of their complicated steps work together in relative harmony despite some minor missteps.

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse is a strong follow-up to the first title, continuing the gorgeous art style and unique gameplay system, and cementing the series as the peak when it comes to supernatural puzzle visual novels. While the puzzles could have been more balanced throughout, the narrative and characters outshine those of the previous game and make for a deliciously moreish game that kept me captivated from beginning to end.

Even when I struggled to find a Golden Gear, I didn’t really mind that much since I knew it just meant spending extra time in Demon Tides’ moreish open world. The platforming is best-in-class, the characters and world left more of a mark than I expected, and Fabraz somehow managed to make going open-world seem both effortless and obvious. If the second game in the series is this good, I’m already counting down the days until the third.

Putting those minor gripes aside, Reanimal is a breath of fresh air. It’s a roughly 7-hour experience chock-full of exciting and tense moments that will have you on the edge of your seat for most of the runtime. It’s a true evolution of the Little Nightmares formula, and while some technical issues can frustrate at times, and it loses a bit of its tension as it draws to a close, it’s still an experience that I would easily recommend to any horror fan.

Nioh 3 may stumble slightly with its narrative and a bit of bloating from the new open zone design, but it’s still far and away the best game in the series to date. Consistently excellent combat, well-designed bosses, and a new form that adds even more depth and value to already meticulously put-together mechanics make Nioh 3 more than a worthy challenger to Elden Ring.

Dragon Quest 7 has always been the series' most ambitious entry - a sprawling anthology of tragedy and hope that attempted things no other Dragon Quest has matched. It was also, frankly, too long. Reimagined solves that problem without sacrificing what made the original special. For series veterans, it's a chance to revisit a flawed classic in its best possible form. For newcomers, it's finally a reasonable entry point into one of the franchise's most rewarding narratives.

Don’t Stop, Girlypop will not be for everyone, but far too many games are seemingly made for everyone these days and lack a sense of personality and flavour. Don’t Stop, Girlypop certainly doesn’t lack for that, and is all the better for it. A great shooter with a lot of flair, I wish it followed its own ‘don’t stop moving!’ tagline a little more consistently, but it’s still a fantastic experience. A glitter-soaked, midnight raving, psychedelic pink fantastic experience that could be the shake up the shooter genre needs.

Code Vein 2 isn’t breaking new ground in most of its conventions nor will it become the new face of Soulslikes. But it has its own unique ideas that are fully realised, letting it stand out against its contemporaries in the genre, while surprisingly strong characters help blend the gameplay and narrative together. If you have the appetite for it, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a demanding, luminous journey through decay and empathy, one that asks a lot of its players and gives back just enough to make the struggle worthwhile.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the game I wanted it to be, but I can’t say the same for anyone else. It’s a series that has been on hiatus for so long that fans have likely built up impossible expectations inside their heads that are never going to be met, or an ignorant form this new game needs to take at all costs.

Those minor issues don’t stop Marvel Cosmic Invasion from being yet another stellar beat ‘em, but they were enough to just keep it from matching the heights Shredder’s Revenge reached, which might also be down to how much more I prefer Turtles to Marvel. Whether you’re stuck comparing every brawler to TMNT for the rest of time like me or not, Cosmic Invasion is still a great experience that proves once again that Tribute is the best there is at what it does - and what it does best is very nice.

Kirby Air Riders is one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to review. Not because it’s particularly challenging, but because it was clear from the moment I started playing that it’s going to be incredibly hit or miss. If you’re expecting Mario Kart World or Crash Team Racing but with Kirby, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But anyone who’s up for a racer that feels truly fresh, has a lot of hidden depth, and revs to the beat of its own incredibly loud engine is going to find something special here.

There is a reason this campaign is called Journey, because it feels like you’ve been on a rollercoaster ride of rhythmic emotions that change how you view games like this. Part of me thought Enhance Games couldn't repeat the sublime brilliance of Tetris Effect, but it has done just that and then some.

There are contemplative moments of compassionate beauty throughout that will stick with me for a long time to come, purely because they made me question my own relationships and how I want so badly to love and help my family in spite of their many flaws. Nice Dream has crafted a truly original narrative adventure here that will likely have a nuanced impact on everyone who plays it, and that alone makes it a triumph worth celebrating.

Anno 117 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the addition of land combat and the ability to further customize your cities with diagonal roads and decorations brings even more satisfaction to the successful formula of a strategy series with a gameplay formula like no other.

This is still a musou title, and it can only achieve so much within that framework without awkwardly bursting at the seams. With those restrictions in consideration, however, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a triumphant prequel that Zelda fans are going to adore.

While Europa Universalis 5 is not without its flaws, it is also a resounding success, particularly where its cousin, the ambitious but flawed Imperator: Rome, unfortunately floundered. It takes the best ideas of its Paradoxian peers - such as dynamic populations, a far more detailed map than we’ve ever seen, complex internal factionalism - and integrates them into a stable experience that covers a fantastically rich period of history...Even with so many hours in the review build, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface, and I have yet to see a single campaign to the end; it is a Paradox game after all. That, more than anything, is the grandest praise I can attribute to the game. It is absorbing, seemingly infinitely replayable, deeper than the Mariana Trench, and sets a new standard for what grand strategy should mean.

The Outer Worlds 2 shows that Obsidian won’t be left behind as other great RPGs launch to critical success, and that the developer needs to play to its strengths. I only hope that it learns to take itself more seriously, because the setting is brimming with potential that is yet to be realised.

PopCap has brought together the defining elements of each port for the definitive Plants vs. Zombies experience. But it's hard to look past the discredit that Replanted does to the talented devs who brought us this game nearly two decades ago, and the many cut corners.

PowerWash Simulator 2 proves itself a worthy successor, following a strong first game and a wide range of DLC, and offers a whole host of relaxing and enjoyable gameplay. With a few new quirks thrown in to make it more exciting, and a couple of much-needed changes, it’s easy to say that - even with a couple of niggles, some of which are returning frustrations - if you loved the first one, you’ll love the sequel as well.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 doesn’t reinvent the park-building formula, nor does it step leaps and bounds beyond the prior games, but it refines it in meaningful ways. It’s smarter, more visually polished, and management systems are both deep and flexible. Small rough edges, repetitive moments, and occasional AI frustrations keep it from perfection, but there’s a lot here to love, especially for management fans who enjoy tinkering with every system at their disposal.

Even if Ryu doesn’t quite get the attention he deserves after so long, that was nowhere near enough to stop me from falling head over heels with Ninja Gaiden 4 and jumping straight into another playthrough. Platinum clearly understands what makes the series so special and has done an incredible job building on the razor-sharp formula that we’ve all been missing for nearly a decade. It’s good to have you back, Ninja Gaiden, and I pray that this is just the start.

All of my little issues aside, this is the most excited I’ve been for a blockbuster shooter in a long, long time. I’ve had such a good time learning the maps, mastering weapons, and discovering quirks of Battlefield 6, and I can’t wait to see how the live-service model rolls out over the next few months.

Absolum’s effort to push its tried and true genre further is an absolute win, my new favourite of the bunch, and the biggest thing for beat ‘em ups since Streets of Rage 4 single-handedly brought them back.

Nintendo was never going to remake Super Mario Galaxy 1+2, nor do I think it ever should unless it wants to risk diluting two undeniable classics. Despite that, this sadly doesn’t feel like the remastered effort you’d expect for such a steep asking price, with myriad flaws from a bygone era holding it back from true greatness. This is now the definitive means to experience two of the best platformers ever made, it’s just unfortunate that the package is prohibitively expensive and borderline insulting to those who want to enjoy it most.

Though I have issues with certain aspects of Borderlands 4’s pace and progression, it does so much right that those problems aren’t dealbreakers. Far from it. Sixteen years in, this is Gearbox’s cel-shaded shooter series at its best. From a well-calibrated tone, still-satisfying guns, best-in-class traversal, and an inviting open world, Borderlands 4 answers the question I asked when it was announced. How much can the Borderlands series possibly change? Turns out the answer is both not much… and a whole lot.

This is an experience that walks, talks, and carries a customisable sword like every other triple-A game, but it looks damn good doing it, and is a lot of fun. Surely with a game like Ghost of Yotei, that's all you're looking for, and Sucker Punch is only too happy to deliver. It's not the best triple-A game of all time, but it might be the most triple-A game of all time.

While you are experiencing a grand journey across an uncompromising depiction of Greek mythology, it is the small moments in Hades 2 that shine brightest. Intimate conversations between old friends or bittersweet reunions with long-lost family members as the moon of Selene hangs daintily overhead. Putting aside slaughtering demons and becoming a witch so powerful that not even titans can stop you, these are what make Hades 2 so special. If Supergiant is now destined to leave this universe behind, it goes out on the highest note possible.

For new players, this is the perfect entry point. For veterans, it's a nostalgic and thrilling homecoming. This release stands as a testament to the enduring power of both the tactical RPG genre and the unique storytelling of Ivalice, and it has me more hopeful than ever for its future.

Everything Baby Steps does, it executes with excellence, and I can’t think of anything else like it.

While Bloober Team’s remake of the legendary second entry was a positive step in the right direction, Silent Hill f feels like Konami finally cementing the survival horror icon’s return. It is an emotional, unpredictable, and unsettlingly beautiful glimpse into the worst parts of human nature. Hinako Shimizu’s journey is one designed to make the player ask uncomfortable yet necessary questions with no guarantees that you’ll enjoy the answers. But it’s through that bravery that Silent Hill f is able to achieve greatness.

Dying Light: The Beast might repeat some of the mistakes of previous games, but it also brings back everything that worked and focuses on them while delivering a more interesting story set in the series’ most unique location yet. The Beast might have started as DLC for the more ambitious Dying Light 2, but its contained success ends up being closer to the sequel we all asked for than that game ever was.

While I may have been left a little wanting when it comes to what CrossWorlds doesn’t do, everything itdoesdo is tweaked to perfection. This latest generation proves that the Blue Blur is back in the big leagues, finally giving him the fantastic racing game he’s always deserved. With Sonic’s resurgence going strong, CrossWorlds is a well-earned victory lap.

Its boss fights are exhilarating and challenging, its world is a gorgeous marvel to explore, its unpredictable art design is impeccable, and everything else about it looks and sounds stunning. There’s not much more you can ask for from the genre, and Silksong cements itself as a high watermark others will be trying to meet for years to come.

In a year already filled with sleeper hits, I truly believe The Knightling can be another one on this growing list. Not only does it pack everything you’d want from an RPG into a condensed package, but it borrows from other genres to make a game that will appeal to a massive audience if they’re willing to give it a chance. Action adventure, 3D platforming, puzzles, there’s something for everyone without the looming threat of setting aside 80 hours to play it.

If you haven’t played Kirby and the Forgotten Land before, the Nintendo Switch 2 edition is the best way to play an already excellent 3D platformer that finally gives the pink protagonist the level of respect he deserves in the genre. If you’re a returning player, there is enough fresh content here to justify the asking price and then some. I can see Nintendo making these lush revivals a common occurrence on its new platform, and after Forgotten Land, that would be no bad thing.

If you want a charming, easy-to-follow game about managing a supermarket, and don’t mind if the story isn’t the most engaging, then this is a fantastic pick and I definitely recommend this. If you want super complex storefront mechanics or need a deep, well-developed plot, then you might find this one underwhelming.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar takes an older title that is far from being a series favourite and refines it into something that fans are sure to enjoy. Unrestrained from the restrictions of the Nintendo DS and with a new lease of life thanks to new features, refinements, and an overhauled presentation, Grand Bazaar finally manages to live up to its full potential.

It’s one of the most gorgeous, creative, and satisfying games of 2025 and has effortlessly clawed its way to becoming my frontrunner for Game of the Year.

Sword of the Sea brought me to tears at one point. It’s not something I can spoil, because I would implore anyone who will ever play this to experience this particular moment without any foreknowledge. It’s a short journey that took me a smidge over three hours to complete, but heck, what a stupidly enjoyable three hours those were.

By having a healthier roster, slightly tweaked combat, and two of the best arcs in the whole series, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 still stands as a worthy sequel, and one that I hope is surpassed even more by the inevitable third game that has a hell of a lot of heavy lifting to do by finishing off the whole series.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is so damn good that I would have been sad when it ended, no matter how long that took. The Game Kitchen has done an incredible job mixing the best elements of both generations of Ninja Gaiden, while adding enough new to make it stand out as its own take on the series. It’s easily one of the best games in the series, and Ninja Gaiden 4 (as well as Shinobi: Art of Vengeance) is going to have a hell of a challenge surpassing it.

As someone who’s really enjoyed the AI series and loved each entry in Zero Escape, No Sleep for Kaname Date felt like the perfect hybrid for those who love weird mysteries and puzzle games. Despite the pervasive perversion from Kaname Date himself, the puzzles were fun and the story was wild enough to get me to forgive and forget in the name of a killer visual novel.

I’m old enough to have grown up with unforgiving games, and so I can appreciate a project that goes against the grain at the risk of alienating modern audiences. Even coming in as a genre appreciator, I felt alienated by Shadow Labyrinth. It’s an example of bold game design in a market that becomes more and more risk-averse by the second, and though I hated it at times, I love what Shadow Labyrinth is, and all the respect and admiration for Namco’s video game history that went into it.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a fantastic platformer with a lot of ideas hidden inside of its barrels, but falls short of the perfection it aims for by playing a little safe. Though still a great experience for Nintendo fans, I don't think its shadow will loom as large over the Switch 2 as Super Mario Odyssey did for the original console. It's just a good honest video game, and sometimes that's enough.

Mecha Break is kind of like a beautiful 8oz filet mignon from the fanciest restaurant in town, with a thick layer of Heinz ketchup splattered on top. Sure, you can scrape off the ketchup and still enjoy the steak, but it would be a lot better if the ketchup just wasn’t there at all.

All in all, Nightdive has done right by System Shock 2, and with this remaster, the next generation of players can enjoy this classic with all of the bells and whistles of a modern release: It's a net good for gaming, and, as a result, something worth doing.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a hard game to quantify, with Kojima Productions eager to question our expectations and hurl curveballs at every turn. At its heart, it’s an experience about delivering packages and forging connections across a post-apocalyptic world, but play it for just a few hours, and you’ll see it’s so much more than that.

From the masterful writing depicting earnest and meaningful character stories, to the organic design and dating mechanics, and a legendary voice cast to top it all off, Date Everything succeeds in creating a delightful experience that showcases an immense amount of love for video games and the stories and characters they are capable of giving us.

Lies of P: Overture is just an extension of an already terrific game, and that’s great. It’s almost nostalgic, reminding me of a decade ago when DLC was the norm, and not every game was bombarded with monthly updates or roadmaps. It’s a great expansion that attempts to give Lies of P its own identity, and while it doesn’t really improve or build upon the features that you’ve grown used to over the course of dozens of hours trawling the streets of Krat, it didn’t need to. I’m more than happy with a second helping of Lies of P.

This is the story of a singular man I cannot recommend enough. And who knows, perhaps along the way you might even learn something about yourself.

World is more playful, more unpredictable, and more willing to give players all the toys they need to have fun and put the pedal to the metal. Even days after launch as the only proper exclusive title for Nintendo Switch 2, there is a foundation here I cannot wait to see iterated upon.

This is an excellent showcase of what makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so beloved, and as a fan, I’m so happy to see the turtles finally get the kinds of games they deserve.

Level-5 has come back swinging with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, improving on the original in every way and offering a smorgasbord of gameplay ideas without ever feeling like it’s trying too much at once. It balances this level of depth with a laid-back, cosy approach that makes it all too easy to enjoy for hours on end.

It’s a gorgeous pixel-art game that liberally borrows from Diablo in all the right ways, and as a big fan of both ARPGs and roguelikes, Dragon is Dead was a refreshing mash-up of both that ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. It doesn't quite hold up into the end game, but by that point I’d had so much fun cosplaying as a certain Norse deity that I found it hard to complain.

Diving into game after game, experiencing that Soulslike loop in a microcosm, was unbelievably satisfying, and those moments of victory have never felt better. There are some minor quirks, like the lack of cross-platform play and spongy bosses, but on the whole, Nightreign is one of the most inventive things to come out of FromSoftware since it coined the Soulslike genre.

To a T is a delightful adventure, and the most accomplished we’ve ever seen Keita Takahashi as a fully-fledged storyteller. He is far more than absurd scenarios and strange mechanics, proving here that he can combine both of these with excellent storytelling that is simple yet effective in its characters, themes, and how it makes us sympathise with different ways of looking at the mundanity of life we might have never considered before. Few games this year have so much heart.

In a year that’s absolutely packed with banger releases every other week, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo stands out to me as one of the biggest surprises so far. It can be a tad too tricky for its own good, but the charming presentation, quick-witted writing, and creative use of its standout feature make it more than worth the occasional swear. To put it simply - yoyo need to play this.

Considering how long Onimusha fans have been waiting for Samurai’s Destiny to make a return on modern platforms, the lack of significant bonuses doesn’t feel like a big sticking point. More than anything, it let me finally experience a brilliantly unique series that for years I’ve been missing out on.

Obviously, it would have been better if the collection had included the first Star Gladiator and Rival Schools games, and it would be nice if Capcom had provided us with characters and features locked to the console ports of these titles. However, you can always ask for more and the point stands that what’s here is already one of the best retro fighting game collections on the market.

The Midnight Walk is a story of redemption, of how one fiery spark can reignite old passions or heal a broken heart. Founding members of Moonhood once told me they thought about quitting game development altogether, before eventually founding the studio and finding a reason to keep going with this project. I can't help but feel The Midnight Walk is an allegory for that rekindled passion; sometimes a great game only needs a spark.

Ronaldo aside, the roster is fantastic, the game has a graphical style that pops, and the ability to edit color pallets allows for an excellent level of customization. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves puts its best paw forward and proves that SNK still has what it takes to compete with the big dogs in the fighting game arena.

Forza Horizon 5 is beautifully executed on Sony’s console. If you’ve already played the game elsewhere, then you’ll know what to expect, but if you’re a new player, then you’re in for a great time.

Sandfall Interactive’s debut is a triumph. Everything about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is either a fresh reboot to soothe the traditionalist’s soul or an exciting, bold leap into new territory, and the result is a piece of art that pulled me in and refused to let go.

Under all the dinosaurs, the bug hunting, and the match-3 boards, it is at its core a love letter to game development and an indictment of the industry as it exists now. It seems impossible for one short game to juggle all this, to feel so unique in a gameplay sense and so prescient in a thematic one, and yet, it does. If only I wasn’t fighting against all these real-life bugs in an attempt to find the fictional ones.

I have fallen head over heels, or rather bumper over wheels, for the world of Promise Mascot Agency. Though some elements might get a little repetitive, the narrative, gameplay, and unique charm have made it one of my favourite games so far this year. I have been left wanting more, but not because it didn’t deliver enough. The whole adventure was so moreishly enjoyable and the world so intriguing that I just want even more of such a good thing.

Blue Prince defies genre, and it defies the gamer instinct to min-max. It is contemplative, a journey that can’t be rushed, though you might be tempted to try. It will delight you, thrill you, and probably make you run crying to the internet for answers you can’t seem to tease out on your own. I’ve never played anything like it, but I won’t be surprised if we see more takes on the roguelike puzzler in the future because of it.

Competitive players already use Pinball FX to practice, and now they have an even better tool to do so. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy playing this, including the pinball-averse. At the end of the day that may be my favorite thing about Pinball FX VR and why I’ll end up getting more mileage out of it than any other pinball game. Now when I introduce someone to VR I’ll be able to put them in a familiar setting with very little movement and let them play a game they already know how to play. This offers the best intro to VR ever, and the fact that it’s such a high-quality and meticulously designed game just makes it that much better.

Grit & Valor is, in many ways, exactly what I look for in a roguelike - individual runs aren’t too long, so it’s easy to squeeze in a game or two when time is tight, but there’s plenty of incentive for multi-run marathons as well. Between the compelling combat and the excellent visuals, I can see this being a mainstay of my late-night gaming sessions for the foreseeable future.

I suspect that most fans of the Soulslike genre will have a great time with The First Berserker: Khazan - especially if their primary focus is on the gameplay. It has some thoughtful approaches to easing frustration while maintaining that rewarding, Soulsian challenge. The First Berserker: Khazan may not be on the level of a Bloodborne or a Sekiro, but in the midst of combat, it can feel shockingly close.

As someone who spent countless childhood holidays roaming these same Cumbrian hills before returning to a static caravan or family tent, Atomfall perfectly captures the British countryside. Combine that with a brilliant quest system and the tension of survival combat, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Despite some repetition and bloat that makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ final stretch drag more than the rest of the game excites, its brave approach to exploration in a gorgeous world, heartfelt personal stories, and satisfying tweaks to the formula still make it stand as one of my favourite entries yet.

Atelier Yumia is lush. It’s vibrant. It’s a feast for the eyes. I expect that some will compare it to Xenoblade Chronicles’ own spectacular designs, and while I’m not quite sure I would go that far, I ultimately came away far more impressed than I had anticipated by the diverse biomes on display. Suffice it to say, this makes everything in the previous paragraph that much more engaging.

Wanderstop balances the discomfort brought on by seeing a game strike so true at the heart of burnout with being an absolute pleasure to play, full of delightful secrets and a healthy helping of whimsy. I’m awed at how well it’s all balanced and how, despite some occasionally schlocky dialogue, it so effectively gets its point across.

Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a fantastic game for those who appreciate short story collections that encompass all things weird and creepy. I played it on my Steam Deck, curled up in bed with it much like I would with one of my folklore books. Just don’t forget to check under your bed before you get into it.

Split Fiction is Hazelight at the pinnacle of couch co-op. It tells a story all about the power of human imagination while throwing us into levels that keep you guessing right until the very end. There is still nothing like Split Fiction in the modern gaming landscape.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of running a museum, there’s so much to keep you coming back to in Two Point Museum. Even after playing for a few weeks now, I still have more fish to breed, ghosts to accommodate, Places of Interest to explore, and cavemen to stop from messing up my donation stands. My work is far from over. Now that I’m old enough to appreciate this Interactive Display on how to curate a museum that’ll keep them coming back for more, I don’t foresee myself hanging up my name badge anytime soon.

A lot of people will enjoy this kind of streamlining, but when everything is this streamlined, the overall effect is a slightly more mindless Monster Hunter. But when something incredible is happening every seven seconds, what’s a little mindlessness anyway?