The historical and literary figures, married with the silver-age comic book visuals make for an engaging world which begs for you to be a part of it. The downside is that the tactical gameplay simply isn’t in the same league as the developer’s other work, rewarding drawn-out, cautious play above any more meaningful tactics.

Immortals of Aveum is the epitome of a good game. The characters are well-acted and the world design is fantastic. The story though feels too safe and there’s no real wow moment. While the combat is fun too, you'll have seen the majority of enemy types quite early on, and combat does become repetitive.

The way fire spreads is pretty good, but the rest of the game falls a little short with the real killer being repetition. It’s just not random enough to maintain interest for too long, and that’s a fatal flaw in a roguelike with permadeath.

There's a lot of things to like about Blair Witch, from the way it invokes the imagery of the original film, to some inventive camcorder puzzles and intriguing depictions of trauma, but most of these aspects aren't given the time to really develop. There's the skeleton of a really good horror-based walking sim here, and while it's still worth checking out for horror fans, it feels more like a first episode of a series rather than a standalone game. A missed opportunity; all Woody and no real Buzz.

TRON: Catalyst is a safe spin-off of the iconic TRON: Legacy world - it presents big ideas but only ever dips it's toes into those waters, wrapping things up as a mostly okay game that existing fans will likely find a lot of joy in nonetheless.

Half Past Fate's laid-back storyline and cute artwork leave you feeling relaxed and fulfilled. If you’re looking for a challenge though, you aren’t going to find it here. If you're new to the genre, it’s a nice way to get a feel for the style without getting overwhelmed by dozens of buttons, options and paths to follow.

Affogato manages to create a rich and flavorful blend of visual novel, tower defense, and social RPG. It may be lacking in side-activities, but what's there is special, and definitely worth digging into if you're looking for something new.

Madden 21 has the components to be a solid, if utterly by-the-numbers entry in the franchise. However, a raft of bugs and glitches serve to undo the game’s atmosphere at every turn.

Final Fantasy Explorers certainly has the potential to grow into worthy Monster Hunter alternative, but its first attempt is a little way off.

Mad of Medan looks and sounds gorgeous, but it's spoiled by some technical issues and, depending on your choices, characters doing stupid things just so the plot can continue, both of which break the flow of what could have been a decent horror story. It's an excellent night or two's entertainment with a bunch of mates in a dark room and plenty of beer, though playing by yourself or online with a chum is an altogether more muted experience. This is a fair start to The Dark Pictures Anthology.

Archangel is a game that shows a lot of promise from Skydance Interactive. There’s flaws with checkpoints and lip syncing, but the game’s presentation on the whole is great and none of that matters when you’re piloting the mech. You feel incredibly powerful as you easily brush aside smaller tanks and drones, while battling with larger enemies feel like a proper fight.

The Red Lantern is a fantastic narrative-focused roguelite survival game with some of the most adorable animated dogs I’ve seen in a video game. Its unique blend of multiple genres feels unique and where survival elements in most games grow tiresome quickly, they sit perfectly within this Alaskan journey of new beginnings. This is one of the most enjoyable indie titles of 2020.

West of Dead shakes up the roguelite formula with its fantastic cover system, but it's more than that. With the addition of Ron Pearlman voicing William Mason, a stylistic cel-shaded art style and a captivating story to uncover, West of Dead is a winning combination that will have you as happy as a pup with two tails.

Happy Ray Games succeeded in what they were aiming for with Ikenfell, I just wish they aimed a bit higher. The story doesn’t pick up for a long portion at the beginning of the game, and the battle system is interesting but nothing groundbreaking. There is still some enjoyment to be had with Ikenfell, but it feels like it’s missing some magic.

Eternal Strands weaves its myriad influences into something memorable, beautiful and utterly enthralling.

Despite the addition of NPCs and a load of new content, Fallout 76: Wastelanders is still just a painfully average Fallout game. That's not to say that things aren't better for the update, because the game at least feels like it's moving in the right direction, but it's building on top of the still rickety foundations of the original release. Ironically, things might be simpler if they simply nuked the game and started again, but you've got to respect the hussle.

There’s clearly been plenty of love and attention given to the remastering of Age of Empires Definitive Edition, even if some of the less enjoyable elements of the original have also made it through the process unscathed. Twenty years later it still remains a hugely enjoyable RTS, and particularly thanks to its iconic soundtrack remains a joy to play, with hours disappearing as the eras pass you by.

In the competitive world of online multiplayer, a game must be special to stand out from the crowd. Disco Dodgeball Remix stands out for all the wrong reasons. It proves itself to be a nice idea stretched to breaking point and beyond. I played it, so you don’t have to.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a blast with friends, but returning fans may find that not enough has changed to warrant a return visit.

The only real problem that Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization has is that it’s a little too steady and a little too laid-back. The premise is that this is Sword Art but without the death, and really without those stakes, and with its tepid narrative, you may begin to question why you’re grinding through so much of the game. That being said, this is the best digital rendition of Sword Art Online thus far, and goes a long way to capturing the essence of the show – warts and all.

Absolver is superb yet flawed. Sloclap have some really fun and innovative ideas though, for some reason, they’ve built a gorge between players and their game. Like digging for gold, if you want to get anything of value from Absolver then you’ll need to work hard and put in the time. Needless to say, those with a casual curiosity will likely find themselves completely turned off.

Simply a great game, and it’s a shame that it’s taken this long for it to make it to the West. As a PS4 release, its simplistic graphics are unlikely to wow anybody, but the fast-paced combat, enjoyable characters and compelling crafting make for an experience you’ll want to come back to time and time again.

For content starved fans of the classic point and click adventure, it's hard not to get excited about a new entry in the genre, particularly one whose visuals inspire a feel good nostalgic hit for all things LucasArts. Dig a little deeper though and you'll find this is an underwhelming imitator of the legends of yesteryear. Too many obscure puzzles and too many unfunny jokes prevent Darkestville Castle from being the Secret of Monkey Island successor it so obsessively wants to be.

While The Shattering doesn’t have the scale or range of some genre entries, it's a fantastic example of a focused game that takes a vital and challenging issue and delivers a truly immersive experience. I’d really recommend adding it to the list of great gaming takes on mental health. I, for one, found the too-bright representation of mental illness hugely effective and couldn’t drag myself away from the keyboard until John’s story was told. I would repeat the health warning that the treatment of suicide is potentially triggering but, as long as that isn’t a potential risk for you, then The Shattering is a real indie gem.

As things stand, Kingdom of the Dead is a great proof of concept that is still an enjoyable retro FPS but doesn’t quite live up to the aesthetics. I’m keen to see what the developer produces next though as they clearly have a real flair for design and a love of old school FPS games.

Overall Murasaki Baby is a bit of originality sprinkled with easy to medium puzzles, a short story you have to put together and enough content for a few hours of play.

it’s a competent action game that has made a beautiful transition from its original PC roots and one that will no doubt garner a new console-based coven.

There are definitely some much-needed additions that come with the Isle of Armor, but it still feels as though it's the least amount of content possible. I love Pokémon, but this expansion has left me feeling a little bit cold on the whole thing. There's fun to be had, but unless you're committed to catching 'em all or grinding every Pokémon up to a competitive standard, it won't last very long.