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?

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.

It's not at all that Henry Halfhead is bad. It's good enough fun for the two hour runtime it offers. But it feels like the sort of game you'd play for 15 minutes, say 'wow, this will never get old!' and then 45 minutes later you're kind of thinking maybe you were wrong. If it committed more to being silly than to reminding you how fun silliness is by taking it away, then it would get old a lot slower, and would likely sustain itself for said two hours. Unfortunately, like Henry himself, it gets old a bit too fast to leave much of an impression.

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.

Lost Soul Aside is not good, but it does serve as a vehicle for exciting, fast-paced boss fights and an entertaining, in-depth combat system. If you can stomach some truly abysmal writing, unlikable characters, and a painfully generic sci-fi/fantasy setting, then you could get something out of it, but for the most part, Lost Soul Aside is nowhere near the savior of the hack ‘n’ slash genre that I was really hoping it would be.

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.

Hell Is Us has loads going for it, and its political messaging has more weight than its comparatively shallow tagline gives it credit for. But I was initially enticed by its promise of exploratory restrictions, and they just aren’t strict enough to sell that idea for a full 30 hours. While Hell Is Us confidently executes upon its story, quests and puzzles, so much of it feels hampered by the fear that players would give up too quickly if it kept on taking risks. I really, really wish it did, though.

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.

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.

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.

From building your base to fighting off an endless horde of ladybird larvae, Grounded 2 is very much more Grounded, and some will likely question why this is a sequel and not an expansion to the original. But if you look beyond the superficial similarities, you’ll see a sequel that’s far more confident in itself. This isn’t an experiment for Obsidian anymore, it’s a full-blown project that’s getting the care and attention it deserves, with a bigger story, bigger enemies, and a bigger world to explore. We may be small, but I have very big expectations for Grounded 2. [Early Access Review]

The separate districts feel distinct and while they’re not interesting to explore per se, they do provide a pleasant backdrop as you go from race to race. In the end, I was just hunting for more ridiculous bike upgrades, including a frame that replaced my sleek bike with a massive hotdog. Wheel World isn’t everything I’ve ever wanted in a cycling game, but I appreciate all its polish - the sort of chill game you stick on for a couple of hours in the evening, do some races, and call it a day.

There’s plenty to enjoy about Wuchang, but it is not a game for the casual soulslike enjoyer. It’s a game for the soulslike sickos. I’m usually right there alongside them, but frustrations upon frustrations sour the whole experience.

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.

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.

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.