Bezier Second Edition is a great twin-stick shooter, that should be an essential purchase for fans of arcade high score chasing. It is a bit light on content though, so I'd perhaps recommend holding out for a sale before picking it up.

Encodya has some lovely elements – the soundtrack, a few interesting plays on dystopian fiction and the heart at the core of its story – but uninteresting puzzles, lack of environmental variety, and unremarkable storytelling mean I can’t recommend it over its contemporaries.

When the Past was Around isn’t a long title by any means, but what it does with its run time is definitely worth the look. The puzzles throughout are challenging, but not to the point of frustration (mostly). The beautiful visuals and music tell a wordless tale of love and loss with such deftness and care that the game’s emotional moments feel earned. If you’re looking for a great indie title to while away a sombre afternoon, look no further.

Your adoration for Bonkies will really depend on what you're looking for. If you're after an easy to pick up party game for all the family, then Bonkies is not the chimp 'em up for you. However, if you're after a demanding co-op experience that requires both solid teamwork and communication to achieve your goals then Bonkies is absolutely top banana.

Olija subverts the expectations of an unforgiving old-school adventure for something more fun and breezing, verging on slapstick combat, yet still dripping with atmosphere thanks to its impressionistic pixel art and excellent audio. Being a castaway makes for a good escape.

How best to sum up Drunken Fist? This is a game that you'll have a laugh with for ten minutes before never, ever playing again. Once the physics-based slapstick humour has stopped being funny, Drunken Fist has nothing else going for it. We might still be at the start of 2021, but I reckon I've already played the worst game I'll play all year.

The Medium is a really good horror adventure with some stand out ideas and excellent presentation. It makes the most of its influences to create an atmospheric and involving narrative, but its wider context as a next-gen exclusive may lead many to expect it to be a grander step forward than it is. Taken on its own merits, and particularly for genre fans, this is a genuinely great game and I look forward to replaying it to take in all the amazing details and touches that I may have missed first time through. With some questions left unanswered, I hope it does well and develops into a franchise.

If you’re a fan of on-rails shooters, Redout: Space Assault is an enjoyable, if limited, addition to the genre.

So, praise all around then, and I guess that means you should purchase it immediately, right? Well, maybe not. It took me a fair few restarts to actually make any progress, during which time I suffered a broken camera, broken progression, treasure chests not opening properly, and a few more bushels of assorted Early Access jank. When things did get going, it was generally smooth, but I can’t fully recommend jumping in until the first round of big patches get rolled out. I also had some save issues, and I’m not sure how much this was down to intentional roguelike restrictions, and how much was just bugs and glitches. So, proceed with caution. [Early Access impressions]

Despite being just a chess game, there are no real selling points to recommend this over any of the others out there. There’s no extra modes, no tutorial and the game is marketed as being something it’s not. This is a gambit you should not bother taking.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a significant shift for the series, being the first-ever direct sequel with a returning protagonist in all of Atelier. While this isn't a perfect entry point for newcomers, Atelier Ryza 2 builds on every aspect of the previous game flawlessly. Even with some minor hiccups, the immersive exploration systems and addictive combat are top-notch. The gorgeous visuals and comfy music are just as much of a delight, but the best piece of the puzzle is the relatable narrative about growth and friendship that I won't soon forget. A highlight of the Atelier series, and an absolute must-play.

Carto is a unique experience that perhaps doesn’t make the most of its central puzzling mechanic. The puzzle-solving itself is fun, but the story ends up quite forgettable. If you’re after a short experience to keep you busy for an afternoon, then Carto is for you - just don’t expect to be blown away.

Nostalgic, lovingly crafted, moving, and surprising, Omori is a remarkable achievement. Earthbound and Undertale are easy comparisons, but Omori stands out as it's own, highly personal piece of storytelling.

Body of Evidence has a quirky premise for a game, but it doesn't live up to it. It gets repetitive very quickly and new mechanics just make the game more fiddly and in turn more of a chore, murdering your spare time.

Tadpole Treble is a charming, lively rhythm game with a simple premise and a lot of challenge for those looking for it. As great for younger gamers as it is for gnarled-thumbed veterans, this charming concerto deserves whatever the tadpole's version of a standing ovation is.

Golden Force is an excellent side-scrolling action platformer with some of the best boss fights I’ve seen for quite some time. With brilliant combat and combo mechanics and four varied islands to explore, Golden Force will surprise just as much as it entertains.

In the great pantheon of top-down 2D Zelda-alikes, Ocean's Heart is right up there with the lovely Blossom Tales. The world is well designed, the items and abilities are perfectly judged and it is aware enough of its influences to feel like a loving tribute rather than a cynical clone. Combine this with some nicely written dialogue and you have a winning formula. A great remedy for the January blues and a nostalgic trip back in time.

A fairly well-rounded and solid entry in Milestone’s franchise, Ride 4 makes a similarly well-rounded and solid jump to the new generation. There’s no need to compromise on resolution or performance anymore, with the PS5 able to power the game to look its very best, but it’s really the smart take on how to use the DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers that will enhance how the experience feels.

Darq initially intrigued me with its Tim Burton inspired dream world and brain bending puzzles. Sadly, things moved sharply in decline after those positive first impressions. Tedious stealth sections often killed the pace, as did all the trudging back and forth to collect items, and the dizzying nausea-inducing puzzle section? That's just mean. Darq is less the compelling brilliance of Nightmare Before Christmas and more the baffling misfire that was Alice in Wonderland.

Sam and Max Save the World Remastered is pretty much what you’d expect — a modern update to a much-loved classic. As much as I love stepping back into the chaotic shoes of Sam and Max, I’m left a little disappointed by the fuzziness in handheld mode and the slightly confused script revisions. That said, the game is still one of the funniest point-and-click adventures I’ve had the pleasure of playing.

Charting the series’ progress since that 2016 Paris debut has been a fascinating journey. IO have learned a lot over the past five years and that really shows in Hitman 3. It’s a flashier, more fluid evolution of IO’s original template - a rewarding conclusion to one of the most unique video game franchises around, and one we’ll continue playing for many weeks and months to come.

If all you're looking for is some bridge construction with a zombie theme, then Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead comes with enough new mechanics to keep you interested for a while. If you're just here because you love the Walking Dead, however, then I'm afraid this probably isn't for you, as it offers little value from that standpoint.

There’s a lot of depth to the combat and managing your party in Tears of Avia, whilst still remaining user friendly. However, while the effort put into the game's design can't be denied, it has a large amount of problems and rough edges. If you can get past the initial lacklustre visuals and pacing issues, Tears of Avia is a solid turn-based strategy world to explore.

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story has a great atmosphere with an interesting storyline and subplots. The range of influences shown helps make what could have been just another horror game feel truly unique. My only issues were the simplicity of the puzzles and the crashes I encountered. If you can get past that, I truly think you’ll enjoy playing this game.

Football Manager 2021 combines the best elements of previous games and undergoes a dramatic improvement that cuts deeper than the superficial. It’s heavy, detailed, and been given a new texture by a more personal take on management.

Realm of Champions has a lot of good ideas, but it's currently light on content. There's the potential to tell a superb tale set within the Marvel universe, but it's doing nothing with the story at the moment. Hopefully, this can change in time as right now, it’s mostly grinding with no real endgame.

Space Invaders Forever is pretty great for anyone who's a fan of Space Invaders. It offers three games that are very different in approach, one of them with a fresh lick of paint and one focused on local multiplayer for some part cooperative, part competitive Earth defending. It's hard to argue against the variety you get with these three classics.

Stealth games and me really don’t usually go well together, but I loved Wildfire. This is an addictive, immaculately designed stealth platformer puzzler hybrid, one whose inclusion of local co-op makes it near essential.