There’s a lot to love about Potion Permit. It’s a game that, as mentioned, gives you a purpose, and does a great job of letting you experience the journey from total newcomer to heart of the community. It’s a perfect game for those seeking a relaxing, chilled-out experience - a tonic for a market filled with life sims that emphasise profit and efficiency. The only things lacking are a little difficulty to keep things interesting and some bug fixing to keep things running smoothly.

The game feels like a far more welcoming world than the Harry Potter series that can still appeal to older kids. The Academy: The First Riddle is also a title that I would recommend to parents who are looking for ways to keep their kids’ brains sharp over summer vacation, with its brain teaser-like puzzles that require extra thoughtfulness and work. And, thanks to the game being available on both PC and mobile devices, playing the game is as accessible as it can be to keep kids busy (and entertained) as they explore the mysteries of The Academy.

Summer in Mara gets a lot right in a game that can be enjoyed by narrative adventure players and farming sim players alike. It might be a bit overly ambitious in that regard, not perfecting or catering to one single genre more than the other. However, for those willing to be patient in the early game and look past its lack of directions and slight technical issues, Summer in Mara is a game that will provide plenty of charm and easy-going fun this summer.

Elsinore is a game with a specific audience in mind. Lovers of Shakespeare and point-and-clicks will enjoy unraveling mysteries and creating alternate endings to Hamlet. While the game probably won’t entice anyone outside of that core audience, it still solidifies Golden Glitch as a studio to watch. This game proves that they’re a creative team with a talent for weaving story and gameplay together into a compelling whole.

This port is an enjoyable way to experience the game, but it is much more limited than the name ‘Neo Dimension’ might imply, especially with Square Enix branding it as an enhanced release. The inventive combat and gorgeous dioramas Fantasian always excelled at are still incredible here, while its inconsistent pacing and poor character development remain untouched. It has had some bells and whistles added, including an easier difficulty mode over the at-times grueling challenge of the original game, but nothing that substantially improves the experience. Fantasian is still a mobile game, you can just play it on a bigger screen now.

Even if Rogue City had started to rust a little towards the end of its lengthy campaign, its surprisingly in-depth shooting and roleplaying mechanics, love of the source material, and keen understanding of what makes RoboCop so great in the first place has made it one of the biggest surprises of 2023 for me. In a year full of absolute bangers, make sure you spend some time in Detroit.

Audica delivers on a super satisfying shooter/music game combo that is unique even among the throngs of VR rhythm games. I definitely recommend it, provided you skip the campaign and go in knowing it's a bit feature incomplete.

Despite its combat and platforming only being serviceable and the overall package needing a bit more polish, Mutants Unleashed still managed to be a turtle surprise because of how much love and understanding it has for the source material. It may not reach the same gameplay heights of Shredder’s Revenge or Splintered Fate, but it has one of the best tales to tell of any TMNT game.

If you are looking for an interactive story-based cozy game, this is a rad choice. However, don’t expect much more from Wax Heads than a well-executed moral stand against an increasingly AI-loving, money-grabbing and overly-polished world of entertainment.

While it may not be narratively compelling, the game itself is rock solid. Corruption 2029 is a good pick for strategy and stealth fans. Just don’t expect to care about the characters behind the futuristic warfare.

The audience for Dark Nights is likely as small as the town of August where these stories take place, but I found a lot to enjoy.

Watch Dogs: Legion is a good game that could have been a great game if it had fully committed to its systems. Its recreation of London is stunning, its core concept is up there with Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system in terms of innovation, and I would love to see where it could go if Ubisoft gives the team a second crack at it. With a stronger story, a much better ending, an improved driving model, and a bit more polish, I could see Legion being a classic. I hope the series continues in this interesting direction and it’s not unceremoniously shunted into a lake.

That isn't to say Death Come True is a throwaway gag or a low-quality offering. It's not in the slightest. This is more a fun little thing to get your mind thinking for a few hours. In that regard, it succeeds really well and I wouldn't mind seeing a longer version of this in the future. There's a lot of potential here, even if the plot and characters are fun enough in their own right.

Right now, Payday 3 is a foundation. The heisting itself is better than it’s ever been, with quality of life changes, more confident level designs, and improved stealth mechanics that make it stand above Payday 2. But in making the jump to it, you’re also giving up the years of updates and general stuff Payday 2 offered. If you’re a newcomer to the series, or a lapsed crook coming back to it, this is a great jumping on point. If you’re already invested in the series, you might find it difficult going back to basics.

As much as the game gets wrong, there is still a lot to like. The graphics and animations are stunning, the humor is top-notch, all of the puzzles are incredibly inventive, and the minimalistic HUD does a great job of keeping you focused on the action.

I’m not generally a visual novel type of person, but Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing was a fun little adventure that reinforced my appreciation for not having to wade through the digital dating waters myself. I’m not sure the game did enough to make me want to take a crack at another playthrough for a different ending, but it did make me interested in picking up the full Half Past Fate release that is currently on sale. I’d say that makes Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing a success.

I enjoyed my time with The Colonists. It's an easy, breezy game that doesn't intend to punish you by having Gandhi constantly declare war on you. The fact that it has a decent campaign starring lovable little robo-ducklings is just the icing on top. So if you want to chop down some trees and watch a little robot fisherman provide for his village, The Colonists should make for a delightful bit of strategy fun.

For those interested in a new type of gaming experience - along with fans of 90s-style shows like Beavis & Butthead or the weird situations presented in Daria’s “Sick, Sad World” - Teenage Blob will be right up your alley.

I wish Humanity’s marketing had focused more on its puzzles than its story, because it’s fairly clear to me which is stronger and I came away a little disappointed. The game’s mechanics evolve very well with the story’s narrative, and it’s a lot of fun. I’m just not sure its story was worth telling.

Despite some teething problems with the perfect vision of how the game is meant to be played meshing with the actual execution amongst players, Mannequin is an inventively strategic game that offers positive momentum for shooters in the VR space. I expect patches to further address the balance and maybe give the game a bit of depth, but fresh out of early access, it's a solid addition to the Meta Quest library.

My Time on Frog Island is a charming little puzzle game with hidden depths. Though you end up shipwrecked there, time on the island feels like a vacation as you settle into the peaceful daily routine of the local frogs. It ticks all the boxes for me — quirky characters, a unique, adorable art style, and a fresh take on the usual puzzle genre with little touches of life-sim elements. You can easily while away your time exploring the island, solving puzzles, and discovering little secrets.

It is a little rough in places and there's room for improvement, but I'll gladly play something that's as weird and creative as this over another generic triple-A open-world game. If the idea of a mech game crossed with Fern Gully sounds like a good time to you, then I'd say Stonefly is definitely worth a try.

The adorable art style and quirky concept of Void Terrarium 2 reeled me in, but the moreish gameplay kept me hooked. Repetitive failure can sour an experience, even if that’s part and parcel of roguelites, but Void Terrarium 2 alleviates the frustration a little by offering a blend of genres and regularly evolving gameplay mechanics. After all, there’s nothing like taking a break to redecorate your terrarium and destress after 20 failed runs.

Metro Awakening is an admirable attempt at translating the post-apocalyptic shooter series into virtual reality, and at its best is a poignantly atmospheric marvel with great controls and an unrivalled sense of place. Yet it is also held back by poor checkpoints and combat, which quickly falls into a repetitive game of cat and mouse between very stupid enemies. It learns all the right lessons from masterpieces like Half-Life: Alyx without introducing enough new innovations of its own, and because of that, it suffers.

The Outlast Trials is good because Outlast was good. This is a creepy horror experience with all the dashing about and horrific mutants I loved about the first one, and I’m going to find myself coming back to it more often than I care to admit. It feels like The Outlast Trials is riding the coattails of the series, using the same tricks and scares instead of effectively innovating on the formula. I had a good time, but I leave it unconvinced Red Barrels even knows what made the first game such a sleeper hit.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a decent platforming game that’s stuffed with charm, if a little lacking in imagination, which is a shame for a franchise built on creativity. Saying that, if you’ve got children, this is a must-buy for some family-friendly PS5 fun.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood shows us what women can be when they are free to be who they are, liberated from arbitrary restrictions on their lives. It is a feminist, progressive, intersectional game, one that celebrates women in every form. It made me feel connected to the world around me, and that’s a huge accomplishment.

WarioWare: Move It! is a complicated game to talk about, because at its heart the whole thing is so deceptively simple. You follow simple instructions presented on screen to stay alive and complete bizarre tasks, all of which are framed by adorable characters and fun stories which aren’t important, but remain stylish and lovable enough to ensure this cute package feels complete, despite its short campaign length and a reliance on local multiplayer to draw the most fun out of it. Nintendo has repeatedly said this is a full successor to Smooth Moves on the Wii, and I’d be lying if it doesn’t capture the same joy that comes from waggling WiiMotes around in my living room as a kid.

Despite its flaws, Fallen Order is a thrilling adventure with an appropriately ragtag group of misfits and familiar themes of honor, temptation, betrayal, and redemption. I just wish it came in a cleaner package with more thoughtful progression, and maybe a few less ponchos.

These issues aren’t small, and I find it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend a game that only ‘gets good after X hours’. At the same time, with over 20 hours and counting, Metal Slug Tactics makes me want to get back to it, play a quick run, and try to unlock everything that’s here to unlock. This is far from the revival I was expecting for the series — and I’d still love a classic 2D entry — but if it catches the attention of new generations, I’m here for it.

If you just want a wacky, dependable game with few issues, Yaga will quench your thirst for RPG action.

Bee Simulator is a surprisingly fun game, but makes too many odd design choices throughout the short experience. Repetitive missions, over-simplistic gameplay, and an overall lack of depth hold the game back from becoming something great.

No Place for Bravery surprised me in many ways. When I first started, I was ready for a gory festival of combat with a good story to go along with it. What I got was a beautiful, dark narrative that pushed me to reach the end credits far more than the promise of combat would have. The things I loved most are things I can’t talk about in this review for fear of spoiling the experience - No Place for Bravery feels fantastic to play, and Glitch Factory has created a story that will stick with me for years.

I’ve never seen a game put so much effort into making an actual statement on ecology and biodiversity, but Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge shows a cute game about photographing frogs can be so much more than that.

I ultimately have to give it up for Tape 2 and Lost Records as a whole, for delivering an evocative experience that manages to capture what it feels like to be a teenager, even if you weren’t born in the ‘90s. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage’s second and final episode is a mostly satisfying conclusion. I just wish it could have had space to do more than just wrap things up.

What it mostly comes down to is whether or not you need this game on-the-go. The Talos Principle is great and absolutely worth it for puzzle fans, but the Switch port doesn't present it in the best light. If you can set aside performance issues, however, this is a wonderful game to play portably.

Drag x Drive isn’t destined to be the next big Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, but it remains one hell of a compelling case for its underused mouse controls and is a truly original sports title. It’ll take some time to get used to its oddball pacing and unorthodox mechanics, but once you’ve found your wheels on the court it’s hard to pull yourself away.

I'd definitely recommend Hatsune Miku: Project Diva MegaMix to newcomers and would recommend it to fans looking for a new portable experience. But if you've got access to a PlayStation 4 and don't care about portability, you're still better off picking up Future Tone.

If you can overcome its tight combat and find beauty in its bizarre world and characters created by SWERY and SUDA51, Hotel Barcelona is a solid roguelite with some innovative additions (I love the Slasher Phantoms) and some very cool moments. If that's something that piques your interest, why don't you check into the hotel and join me?

Lego Bricktales could be up your street depending on what you’re looking for. If you want a simple action adventure like so many other Lego titles then this isn’t for you. However, if you want a unique puzzle game that uses Lego elements well then you’ll find more here to enjoy. The main thing that lets it down is the clunky control system and the variable difficulty means younger players hoping for a building game will likely end up frustrated. The environmental puzzles you’ll need to solve to collect everything can also get very repetitive. Overall though it’s a fairly average game that offers a decent-length story mode, some interesting puzzles, and a few extras for those who want them. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a pirate ship ride to build.

Best Served Cold doesn’t revolutionise the genre, but it does tell an incredibly compelling story about class, power, and people desperately trying to find their way in a world that’s not that different from our own. It’s not perfect, but it’s valuable nonetheless.

Cronos: The New Dawn is easily the most confident original game that Bloober Team has ever produced, but this unfettered ambition also brings with it teething issues that are awfully difficult to overlook. Combat is punchy yet clunky, exploration is atmospheric but predictable, while the central narrative is often held back by lacklustre performances and clumsy writing. There is a great survival horror game at the centre of Cronos, but it would have been much stronger if it had broken new ground rather than wondering tentatively on what came before.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed my time with Forspoken. While the narrative is janky at times, the premise is compelling and the world of Athia is exceedingly well-built. The movement is where the game shines, making exploration a joy instead of a chore. The postgame is also surprisingly competent when it comes to dealing with the implications of the main story’s twists and turns, a rarity for open-world games. I didn’t know what to expect when I started playing Forspoken but I came out feeling satisfied.

This would be an easy recommendation if not for a lack of directions, some technical foibles, and several cases of unintentional, rage-inducing frustration. But if you can look past those problems, 7th Sector is a solid puzzle-platformer that will draw you into its horrifying, yet mesmerizing futuristic dystopia.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail starts with a slow burn that builds into an emotional, captivating inferno that tackles some deep themes and effectively balances new elements with old beats in more ways than one. Overall, it’s a brilliant first chapter to the new story arc that has left me eager to learn more about what the future holds in new patches and later expansions. I’ve fallen in love with Tural and its characters, and more importantly, Dawntrail has me obsessed on a new level with FF14 in a way the game has never achieved before.

Pac-Man World may not be Pac-Man World 2 like I’d hoped, but it’s still a solid classic platformer with enough unique elements to help it stand out. Those who have played the original will no doubt appreciate the nostalgia, but those like me who missed it originally will still have a good time.

While much of Visions of Mana’s bloated side content misses the mark, its gripping storyline, likable cast, ample mechanical tweaking, and engaging combat combine to forge a very good game, if not quite a great one.I wasn’t at all confident that we would ever get another big swing at the series, so for all my caveats, I’m damn glad this game exists.

There are moments of beauty in Highwater, most of it instigated by environmental design – I loved coming across surprises and marvelling at how even after catastrophe, human beings continue to do their thing. But unfortunately, as much as I love the game’s aesthetics and very competent turn-based combat, it doesn’t have all that much to say about its complex themes, and finishing it felt like a relief.

For the handful of shortcomings it has, Knights In Tight Spaces is still a worthy successor to Fights In Tight Spaces, and the first deckbuilder to really catch my attention in 2025. Hopefully, this franchise will do what all the best action movies do, and continue to spawn sequel after sequel; after all, everyone loves a good fight scene.

Lords of the Fallen’s Umbral world is unlike anything we’ve seen, providing a unique spin on the Souls genre. Copycats have started to stagnate in recent years, rarely offering anything new, and the genre as a whole risks growing tired. FromSoft itself tried to break out of that habit by exploring what it would look like in an open-world setting with Elden Ring. To see a Soulslike that iterates in its own way rather than chasing new trends is a breath of fresh air, and offers hope for a genre that has never escaped FromSoftware’s shadow.

There’s a lot to love in Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed, whether you’re a veteran or newcomer to the series. It looks and plays much like the games of yesteryear, but that’s what gives it much of its charm. You can definitely add Akihabara to my list of spots to visit when I finally make my way back to Japan. I’m no vampire demon, but perhaps I’ll wear an extra layer or two. You know, just in case.

While Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a commendable platformer and one I am glad to have on the Nintendo Switch as an exclusive swansong, when Tropical Freeze already lives on the console, it’s hard not to view its predecessor as inferior. It’s a challenging retro platformer that is a delight to play for the most part, but with each new set of levels, I wanted to see what a new Donkey Kong excursion might look like, instead of love letters like this that are defined by their attachment to the past.

Star Wars Outlaws is a frustrating experience to critique because its high points are numerous, from spending an entire hour infiltrating a deceptively vast imperial outpost to upgrading Kay’s skills by engaging with the open world in ways that feel natural and rewarding. There are times when I didn’t want to put this game down, which only made its glaring omissions all the more noticeable. A lacklustre story, a bizarre lack of polish for a production of this scale, and a main character that isn’t the step forward she should have been all hold the game back from excellence.

Although its stealth systems can feel a little too forgiving and easy to work around, Serial Cleaners’ grungey story is still one well-worth going through thanks to its likeable cast, sense of style, varied levels, and satisfying core mechanics that manage to stay fresh throughout the adventure.

It was fun developing my character as a newcomer to the franchise, but, goodness, it's been a lot of work. I’ll probably play Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town for a few more seasons just to see what develops. After that though, I’ll likely be saying, “So long,” to Olive Town for at least a little while.

Despite its bugs, Deceive Inc. is fun enough that I immediately started asking my friends to play with me. Nobody has taken the bait yet so I haven’t tried the multiplayer mode, but solo mode is fun enough that it’s tiding me over. Here’s hoping that the game fixes its many bugs quickly, because there’s plenty else to love about this game as long as they build on the base they’ve started with.

There’s little that’s particularly groundbreaking in Serious Sam’s brand of predictability, but there’s also comfort to be found. As Sam said, the fights are their own rewards, after all.

While Under The Waves has good intentions and well-thought-out ideas, it’s a disappointment. There are moments when it's beautiful and charming, striking you with its own visual style and excellent music and asking you to swim more miles to see what you can find. But this effect can’t stand on its own for long, and the result is an experience filled with the dumps and vices that it tries to fight against.

Sonic Superstars isn’t holding back the series after the positive reception to Frontiers. It’s more than enough to keep it trucking along. Sega is sensible to be cautious about shedding too much of Sonic’s retro identity, but it needs to realise that none of us have hung around this long for Knuckles’ terrible recovery speed, or the strange instances where a single hit reduces our ring count to zero. Sonic Superstars brings us so agonisingly close to the definitive 2D Sonic game, but for now, it’s a good foundation to build on.

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus​​​​​​​ tries its hardest​​​​​​​ to break out of the staples of genre contemporaries, such as with its folklore backdrop and a handful of new abilities, but it sometimes results in being more convoluted than necessary. Still, it’s set in a beautiful world that’s a joy to explore, with tough bosses and platforming that provide a rewarding challenge.

While I find it hard to recommend Rising to most people at full price, I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone even vaguely interested check out the free version. There is a lot to love about Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and without risk of buyers remorse, players should jump into the free version to see if they are a good fit for Gran’s merry band of adventurers.

To be invited into such an exclusive circle in Swansong is a frankly riveting proposition—I can’t deny that there’s a thrill, verging on tabloid-level curiosity, in mingling with the distastefully powerful, uncovering their dirtiest secrets, and conniving with the Prince of Boston. But still the most intriguing bit about Swansong is to have all these politicking depicted as layers of conversations and sleuthing, which are exploits that are far more human than the game’s supernatural brethren would believe.

If you focus solely on the main story I think you’ll get a lot out of the experience. It’s a fun story with some decent gameplay variety that’s authentically Indy. You won’t miss much by strictly sticking to the main quest, and in fact, your experience will be better for it. It’s a shame the rest of it falls so flat.

I had a lot of fun with You Suck at Parking, something I could stick on for the night and play while passing the controller back and forth with a friend to try and one-up each other when we kept inevitably failing. It has that communal feel, especially with its leaderboards, that will no doubt push people to try and perfect its Deathrun-like level design. I can’t wait to see what community pops up around it, but, unfortunately, I don’t think You Suck at Parking built enough of an identity to leave a lasting impression.

Jackbox Party Pack 8 is a great entry in the Jackbox series, propped up by Job Job and Drawful Animate. The Wheel of Enormous Proportions is one of the better trivia games when it’s not trying to be funny, and less punishing than Trivia Murder Mystery Party. The Poll Mine and Weapons Drawn are both new ideas for the series, but only Weapons Drawn really lands, and even then if you have the collective works of Jackbox, I don't think it'll come up in the rotation much. It's a solid Jackbox Pack with two great-if-not-quite-legendary games, one good trivia game, and two more experimental titles that your mileage may vary on. It's not Jackbox 3, but hey, it's also not Jackbox 6.

It feels weird to call Endling - Extinction is Forever’s brutal tale enjoyable, but it was. The unique survival gameplay from the perspective of a family of foxes combined with the dark themes and storyline is a captivating mix. Though the gameplay can sometimes get repetitive, and it would have been nice to have a broader range of random events to experience, it’s still one of the more interesting games I’ve played recently. Keep a box of tissues nearby, though, as it’ll punch you right in the heart.

If you can forgive a terrible ending, then perhaps The Suicide of Rachel Foster is for you. Otherwise, better take a rain check on your reservation at the Timberline Hotel.

If you're not sick of long open-world games or stories about zombies, then you should be able to squeeze some enjoyment out of this. Days Gone might be a ride that goes on for too long, but it's a mostly worthwhile journey with a few good stops along the way.

The Dark Crystal wrapping on this robust tactics game leaves a lot to be desired, but those itching to get deep into a turn-based strategy game will find an absolute gem.

It’s a really competent rhythm game with great music, tons of content, and another strong concept from Brace Yourself Games. You’ll no doubt face frustrations with some of the story mode’s decisions and the game’s overall difficulty spikes, but if you just want to rock out and chase some high scores, you’ll have a blast. I’m already looking forward to seeing the players who pull their dance mats from deep within their closets to tackle hordes of skeletons and beat the game’s most challenging songs with ease.

Rematch has good bones. It’s full of energy, raw and unbridled. But it’s a rough diamond, and rougher than most. The game has serious issues that border on rendering the game completely unfun. But if players stick around for long enough for developer Sloclap to polish those defects, to improve the servers and make goalkeeping feel responsive, then we might just have something here. At the moment, it’s a bit of a mess. But it’s a mess that keeps you coming back, that forces you to play ‘one more match’ in case it’s the one where you finally net a hat trick of bicycle kicks. And it’s a game I’d prefer to play over EA FC any day.

Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact might not be a looker and would be laughed out the door for more lore-focused anime games, but it manages to just about come around as soon as you sit down to play it. Eighting’s incredible fighting prowess is doing all of the heavy lifting here and, while it’s a shame the low-budget hampers Nen x Impact from being a top-tier game, it’s still a good time. Just don’t expect to learn anything about the series if you’re a newcomer.

Hooked on You is a fun spin-off for Dead by Daylight fans, but if you’re a dating sim fan, you’ll probably find it a little lacklustre. It’s often simplistic and repetitive, but it brings the ‘90s meta edge to horror games in a way that hasn’t really been done before, with characters I fell for and a world I didn’t want to leave. It might be a breezy 70-minute game, but I’ll be going back for all the achievements and digging into every single romance all the same.

Regardless of what you specifically look for in a cosy game, there’s a little something for everyone here. Even with my nitpicks, I’m unlikely to forget the stories I pieced together to tell Tabitha’s life story anytime soon.

Earth Defense Force 6 is everything I expected it to be, which is both a blessing and a curse. Sandlot has no intention of shaking up its B-movie arcade shoot ‘em-up formula, and I’m not complaining, but when there is obvious room for ambitious expansion that wouldn’t harm the moment-to-moment joy of mowing down giant insects and evil aliens, I struggle to figure out why the developer is so stuck in its ways. I’ll always love this series, but maybe it’s time for a change?

Sometimes, you don't need to be the hero of the epic adventure. Sometimes, it can be more fulfilling to enable others to maximise their potential in your stead. Sometimes, the safety and security of your own four walls are the escape from your traumatic past that you needed. Buy another round, and I'll tell you that tale, too.

At its core, it's little more than a standard hack 'n slash title. While the environments look good, the game's lack of obstacle-filled platforming is a missed opportunity. While there are far better action games to play, none have the iconic laughter of Aku.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code delivers masterful craftsmanship of mysteries that players will delight in unravelling. Though the more hands-on gameplay mechanics aren’t groundbreaking and can feel a bit too easy, the strength of the narrative alone and cleverly created whodunnits make this a must-play for Danganronpa fans and anyone who loves channeling their inner detective.

It has some issues, like its slowed-down movement and some annoying encounters in the arcade and campaign mode, but the massive facelift, improved combat mechanics, and reworked fighters make for a much stronger second round.

Fans of The Expanse will enjoy this story. I’m curious about what happens in the next couple of episodes, and that’s exactly the sort of narrative pull that I was looking for. But you might also get frustrated with the game at times - it’s not a flawless experience by any means, and I really wanted more from it.

Kana Quest is only going to work as effectively as you want it to, but it isn't the end-all, be-all of language tools. It is a pretty fun puzzle game that is absolutely a good gateway for learning Japanese.

Loretta’s story is one of a woman trapped in her circumstances, desperate to escape. It’s also a story about fate, where as hard as you may try to guide Loretta away from the bad thing, events keep unfolding that force you to take more and more dramatic actions and suffer her decline with her. The game was harrowing, but your actions can’t change the narrative that much – she is doomed from the first bad decision she makes. All you can do is stop her from going too far, or let her freefall.

While their restoration itself leaves a lot to be desired, The Gate Rune And Dunan Unification Wars is still the easiest way to access the first two games in the Suikoden franchise, and despite my many quibbles, the quality of the original titles bears out. That is more than enough to justify this collection’s existence, even if it does feel like a bit of a squandered opportunity.

Frustration aside, if you're a fan of old-school horror in both film and games, Mundaun may be a place that's worth visiting. Just watch out for headless goats.

It feels like nobody in Rise of the Ronin is connected to the world or its events, much in the same way most mechanics of the game don’t feel connected to each other. The game is inconsistent and unpolished. Annoying stat-crunching, a poorly handled story, and some really awful boss fights make it feel like a bad Soulslike was bolted on to something that could’ve been so much better. But its traversal mechanics, top-notch side missions, sublime open world, and the varied and likeable characters you can build relationships with all help prop up its weaker elements.

I didn't get my socks blown off by Beyond Light. But it did have its moments, and it did convince me that there will be plenty more of those moments yet to come.

The Rising Tide is ultimately a mixed bag. Mysidia is beautiful, but you can feel the DLC’s budgetary constraints sometimes when some of the more important cutscenes are undercut by less involved animations than they’d have gotten in the main game. The boss fights are absurdly good, Shula’s a hoot, and there’s plenty else in there that’s worth your time. But the side quests are (mostly) still kind of whatever, and you’ll have seen everything there is to see in the setting’s village in, like, four minutes. Jill’s chance to shine is a partly-cloudy endeavor. That epilogue quest is merely serviceable. But the worldbuilding is rich, some of the new powers in Clive’s flashy array of murder tools are sublime, and Kairos Gate is a blast.

Lost in Random is an okay 15-hour game, front-loaded with seven fantastic hours. It’s worth playing even if you don’t make it to the end, simply because there’s never been another game like it. Disney goths will delight in its charming blend of cute and macabre, and there are some legitimate thrills to be had with the combat system for strategy-brained players like myself. If it had continued to innovate with new battle mechanics and more cards to collect throughout the entire game, it would be an easy contender for game of the year for me. Unfortunately, it rests on its laurels too early, and the game as a whole suffers for it. I would be eager to return to Random were there ever a sequel, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting Lost in Random again anytime soon.

Kandagawa Jet Girls won’t appeal to the masses, but those who enjoy lighthearted anime (and of course, SENRAN KAGURA) will find a lot to love. The visual novel elements outweigh the flaws found within the racing mechanics just enough to make Kandagawa Jet Girls a splash.

In the end, though, Vampire Therapist is every bit as compelling as the name would lead you to expect. Sam is a wonderful protagonist, the writing is well-balanced between humour and pathos, and it does a great job telling disparate stories that have full arcs. The commitment to depicting CBT faithfully could go further, but it remains an impressive effort. Overall, this is bloody good stuff.

By the time I had located and freed Moomintroll, though, I had fallen in love with this version of Moominvalley, and only wished for a little more to explore, especially now that Moomintroll was free and by Snufkin’s side. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a short but sweet glimpse into the world of the Moomins, and it plays out just like one of its classic stories or TV episodes.

A small roster of games aside, the Marvel Maximum Collection is everything someone who wants to play these games in 2026 could want. Classic Marvel titles from three decades ago dusted off so they can join the growing list of old games being rescued from the past and made playable today. Throw in all the quality of life features that let you either play these games as they were intended, or with mod cons so that you can actually finish them, and this collection is a fantastic celebration.

At the moment, Everything Is Crab is in a great state, but I think it’s missing a lot of content for more replayability and variation from run-to-run. I can see a ‘meta’ developing quickly, too, which will reduce choice even more. That being said, even in its current evolutionary form, I’d say this is one of the better roguelikes so far this year.

At its core, Returnal is one of the most satisfying third-person shooters I’ve played - it’s Hades via Vanquish. It forces you to meet it at its tempo and doesn’t relent. It makes Doom Eternal seem like Baby’s First Shooter. It’s gorgeous, frenetic, and endlessly replayable. I just wish success wasn’t so tied to fortune and misfortune, which only exacerbates any frustrations you have when repeatedly trekking through areas you’ve already beaten. Even after the credits rolled, I felt satisfied, but that satisfaction was also mixed with relief - the ordeal was finally over and the chiropractor's elbow has been removed from the small of my back.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a great sports game but only a decent Olympics game. Nearly all of the 20 (or is it 16?) events offer an enjoyable enough time and only a few are bogged down by mechanics, but once you’ve played them all a couple of times, you’re done. If you dabble in the two player mode regularly or find a game online, it could be a deeper experience, but it just feels like the trimmings aren’t quite there. I won the boxing gold medal as a bunny rabbit maid with blue hair though, so there’s that.

I didn’t know how much I would gel with Megaton Musashi W: Wired as I don’t consider myself much of a mech fan, but I was surprised by how invested in the narrative and gameplay I became. Though the story’s pacing could have been polished better and combat can get a bit repetitive, it’s an enjoyable experience that I fear many will miss out on this year as it has snuck in under the radar. If you love anime, mechs, or even just like beating down aliens (and other players online) in your own customised exoskeleton, give Wired a shot.

If nostalgia is what you're looking for, then this remaster will definitely do the trick. It's a time warp back to a time where RPGs were tough as nails and devoted to making you suffer. It's not quite on the same level as anything in the Diablo series, but Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance might be worth a glance if you can look past its ancient flaws.

Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind’s simplicity and short pace sadly mean that it doesn’t come close to trading blows with the bar-setting Shredder’s Revenge like I hoped. Still, by lovingly capturing the series’ trademark energy, providing simple but satisfying brawling goodness, and setting itself apart with unique Zord sections, it manages to be a good time and a treat for hardcore fans. I just wish there was a little more to it and a lot more of it.