Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is an absolute gem that shines whether you're a returning fan or a newcomer. It takes a while for the very many mechanics of the game to make sense and click, but once they do, you're in for an unforgettable experience.

Hyper Light Breaker is still rather moreish. A sick fascination with dying might be required for entry right now, but the world is incredible, the action sharp and varied, and it really comes alive in co-op. I hope that Heart Machine have the time and commitment to pour into it, as a few tweaks to the formula could utterly change the way it feels, and remove some of the current frustrations it seems so ready to dole out. [Early Access Review]

IDUN – Frontline Survival is an RTS/Tower Defence hybrid that sells the concept incredibly well. While there’s a few rough edges, if you’re a fan of either genre, it’s an edge-of-the-seat blast.

Freedom Wars Remastered offers one of the more intriguing visions of the future, but where its setting is thoroughly futuristic, its gameplay remains firmly in the past.

Tales of Graces f Remastered represents the absolute best of what the Tales series has to offer - and this version is easily the best way to experience such a charming and fun JRPG.

Unique and ever so smart, Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop is fiendish and fun in equal measure.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine remaster of the Wii platformer, bringing along all the tweaks from its Nintendo 3DS port. It's not much more than that, but it’s still a great platformer.

Avoid Liberté like a one-way ticket to the Guillotine. Instead, if you want to experience the French Revolution, read a book instead. It will be more interactive, the loading times will be much improved, and the graphics will probably be better too.

Threefold Recital is part-game, part-philosophy lesson and it's been made with a lot of heart. The three main characters all stand out well, and the story is generally good, even if it becomes a little too twisty in the middle. That aside, Threefold Recital marks a strong start for the 2025 indie scene.

As someone who has zealously played every entry in the series since its inception more than two decades ago, I’d say Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the best Musou game ever. After years of unsurprising reiteration and plenty of misfires, Omega Force has delivered a smart and super polished reinvention of the Musou franchise that corrects so many of its past shortcomings.

Songs of Silence is a beautiful and engaging 4X auto-battler blend, whose unique approach will sweep you up for hours on end.

The Edge of Allegoria is a decent RPG that stands out for its retro Game Boy visual style. The combat is decent enough, and while the crudeness can get a bit much, it works well in the setting. Some frustrating dungeon designs and waypointing issues, plus a story that isn’t too memorable do hold it back, though.

Ultimately Behemoth is a good VR combat game that's a bit too easy, and with its impressively huge boss battles too few in number. Whilst the combat and exploration is enjoyable enough, the puzzling is too simple and, in a game about killing giants, you'd expect there to be a few more giants.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is like a finely aged bottle of wine opened at just the right time for just the right celebration. It's exactly what I wanted and needed right now, and the shamelessly simple yet satisfying old-school combat and adventures had me hooked instantly.

Snow Bros. Wonderland is a delightful wintry adventure, with bags of old-school charm that will spark joy in your arcade-going inner child.

I really wanted Alien: Rogue Incursion to be good and it starts so well, but then things just fall apart. There are many bad design decisions in the game so that you feel like you are fighting them rather than the Xenomorphs.

The Thaumaturge is an interesting and dark game in a relatively unique setting, 1906 Warsaw during a revolution combined with monsters is a fascinating setting. Whilst it occasionally fumbles how it delivers some details and you spend a lot of time running around, the strength of the setting and the writing makes these easy to forgive, not to mention the presence of the man who I have heard on good authority was Russia's greatest love machine.

TankHead is, overall, an enjoyable and interesting take on tank gameplay and on roguelike ideas. It looks fantastic, the story is compelling, and the world it's set in is very cool. I like it, but I don't love it. A bit more variety would have been nice, but in the end, it's going to be exactly what some players are looking for, and that's gonna be great for them.

With more development time, copious patches, and some decent tutorials, the good game hidden deep inside Flint: Treasure of Oblivion could be dug up and unearthed. But for now, that treasure remains hidden, with only a map inscribed on the back of a wooden peg leg to try and find it.

Although I genuinely applaud its attempts to try something new, Farmagia doesn't quite stick the landing for me. In fact, beyond the initial novelty of the mechanics, both the farming and the combat components end up feeling intensely repetitive with little to keep interest outside of further monotony. Once you add to these points uninspired visual design choices and predictable story elements, the game becomes very difficult to recommend to anyone but die-hard farming sim fans. Even then, it isn’t bringing any fresh produce to the table.

Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice is the kind of stealth game that makes me reconsider my opinions on stealth games. Finely crafted and gloriously conceived, if you’ve missed out on Shadow Tactics before, don’t let Aiko’s Choice sneak on by... but you should play or replay the original first.

Among Ashes is a great addition to this already stellar year of indie horror. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of titles like Hollowbody, but is an enjoyable dose of horror nostalgia that pulls together a range of approaches to create an identity that feels fresh and unique.

Soul Reaver and its sequel benefit from modern controls and minor visual upgrades yet there are niggling issues these remasters fail to address. Sparsely placed checkpoints and the lack of a quick save feature do little to help accommodate the sensibilities of modern gamers and will no doubt lead to prospective new fans and nostalgia seekers to bounce off pretty hard, especially if they encounter the same crashes we ran into.

I was so excited by the prospect of Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, it looked like a vivid nostalgia infused dream-game for 9-year-old me. Don’t be fooled though, this is not the game your inner child has been looking for. Repetitive and lacking in imagination and finesse, Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind should be rewound and begun again.

I really enjoyed my time with Nikoderiko: The Magical World. It's a blast in singleplayer, and after a good few evenings playing in coop with my kids I and can absolutely recommend it as a local multiplayer experience too. If you're a platforming fan, then this is one you won't want to miss.

3D Don’t Die Mr Robot brings the classic arcade-style high score chase to a new dimension. It's simple to understand and accessible to all ages, but the challenges will be tough for even the most seasoned of arcade game fans.

Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island offers a heartfelt and companionable experience that puts the focus on friendship, memory and community. It’s a charming adventure, and a perfect island-based break from the cold winter and its charmless blockbusters.

The most disappointing thing with Infinity Nikki? That all of my review period progress will be reset. This is a genuinely enthralling free-to-play RPG that will delight those looking for a magical fantasy world to be swept up in.