With the majority of sports on offer in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game proving to be fun and easily accessible, it makes this latest Olympic Games game an easy recommendation for those looking for a party game to be enjoyed with friends. It might not quite have the charm of the Mario and Sonic Olympic Games variants, but it still manages to borrow a lot of what makes those games fun by toning down a bit of the emphasis on sports simulation.

Gold Rush: The Game has all of the tools – literally – to make for a deep gold mining simulator, yet fails to succeed in any way. The controls are awful to get to grips with on console, the sheer volume of aspects to learn is overwhelming, and the lengthy tutorial still leaves you with unanswered questions that the in-game help guides simply do not explain well.

If Sun Wukong VS Robot was longer and structured a bit more like a traditional metroidvania where the upgrades were tied to progression, it could well be a great little game. As it is, it’s a good challenge and does manage to kill a couple hours, and so if you grew up playing old Game Boy or NES games, then Sun Wukong VS Robot might be a nice nostalgia trip.

With a little more care put into the tutorial and explanation side of Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf, the card based gameplay could well have been a lot of fun, but that fun is nipped in the bud sadly.

Infinitrap: Rehamstered is a frantic little adventure game that almost makes dying fun. However, the Xbox release is a fairly meagre offering which falls short of its potential.

Loopindex may not win any awards, or get Phil Spencer to pull out his chequebook and buy up the studio, but it might also be what you need right now. It’s a concise, perfectly able puzzler, and it gets even better in two-player. For the low, low price, that’s an absolute steal.

TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD may not hold a candle to a Ratchet, Crash or Spyro, but this is a little ripper that’s worth a Captain Cook.

With a short Challenge Mode, a very brief Arcade offering, and less than an hour of gametime required for everything to be done and dusted, there’s little that Super Destronaut DX-2 is able to muster up. If you enjoyed the swiftness of the original game, and fancy picking up some cheap and easy Xbox Gamerscore, you’ll want to get shooting here. But otherwise, this is a Ratalaika Games title that will fast be forgotten.

If you're a fan of Monty Python and the type of animation and humour that has come from it, you are going to love The Procession to Calvary. It's a game which is great fun with a bonkers mad story, weird multiple endings, and some brilliant use of art and animation.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance doesn't ever feel like it is doing anything particularly new and the whole setting, concept, and world just seems a bit tired at times. But that said you’ll have some decent fun here, particularly with the story, the hack and slash gameplay, and solid mechanics. If you find yourself playing alone, it might get a bit stale, but with friends behind you, you’ll have a great time.

Unfortunately, despite an intriguing proposition, The Strange Story of Brian Fisher: Chapter 1 fails to meet its ambitions at almost every turn. What results is a lacklustre experience for which I cannot recommend saving your pennies for.

Griftlands is the turducken of card games. It’s a deck-builder stuffed with a second deck-builder, inside a faction-management game, inside a single-player narrative game. It’s ridiculously overstuffed and impenetrable, but you’ve got to admire the craft on display. Taken as individual games, there’s some fantastic ideas in Griftlands, but as a single offering, they don’t quite work.

An uninspired wave-survival shooter with bland enemy and level design, significant balancing issues and a real lack of replayability - you’ll only need to play through it about four times and you’ll have seen just about everything Bitmaster really has to offer. It’s a shame because Bitmaster actually controls really well and the RNG gameplay could have been the foundation for something fun and replayable.

If you are a gamer of a certain age then you’ll discover that Galaxy Champions TV is very much the spiritual successor to the classic Smash TV. It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s damn hard, yet it’s perfect for a quick blast when you have a few minutes to spare. Perhaps it could provide a little more in terms of game length, but then there’s the Nightmare difficulty to complete for those looking for it.

Let's Cook Together borrows heavily from Overcooked! and overall it offers a less complex, more simplistic experience that’s suitable for gamers of all ages. It’s still a lot of fun to play though, because put simply, what it does, it does well.

If you enjoy an ARPG, spending time with Scarlet Nexus is a no-brainer - the story and action is strong enough to suck you in and keep you playing. With time travel, psychic powers and huge monsters to kick in the teeth, it’s one hell of a roller coaster ride from start to finish. The slight let-downs of the side quests aside, this is a more than assured entry into the genre, that wholeheartedly deserves a whirl.

The Elder Scrolls Online - Blackwood is an excellent inclusion. The new companion system is an awesome gameplay enhancement, and despite their lacking in combat it's incredibly cool to have a partner to explore these worlds with. The new region is dense and gorgeous, offering a great selection of content to work through.

It is an utter treat to revisit Metro Exodus with the new enhanced version on Xbox Series X|S. I do recommend that if you are new to the Metro Series then play the first two games before picking up Exodus, however if you’ve played those and never managed to get around to Exodus, this is the perfect time to visit it.

Perhaps one of the more challenging titles from Lightwood Games, Mixups by POWGI will test players far more than previous titles. It’s a shame then that sometimes there isn’t a unique pun to reward you for completing the puzzle, but after spoiling players with hundreds of them in five previous games, we shouldn’t complain too much.

Eagle Island Twist nails most of its manoeuvres: it has a simple and unique mechanic, but does so much with it. Then it offers a huge playground with two games, dozens of levels, and lots of weirdo riffs on its own formula. In content terms, it’s the Orange Box of platforming (Bird Box?), and - aside from some gameplay quibbles - isn’t too far off the quality either.

Discolored is a game that has been designed to be played in one sitting, taking a couple of hours to work your way through. It’s very abstract in regards to its story and puzzles solutions at times, but in the same breath it's extremely stylish, beautifully unique and thoroughly enjoyable.

Cross the Moon’s a stylish and enthralling vampire tale, and there are very few visual novels that have its confidence. It has a sure hand in its photography, soundtrack and plotting, and - as long as you can stomach the lack of any interaction at all - you’ll take great glee in unwrapping its mysteries. You won’t ever come back to play Cross the Moon, but one of its unexpected moments or lilting songs will sink its fangs into you.

Should you be coming to Tour de France 2021 looking for a proper bike racer which will let you replicate the real-world grand tour, this isn't the game for you. And unfortunately unless those behind it take a season out to prepare themselves for future years, it’s hard to see how this franchise can ever begin to appeal going forward.

Destruction Derby has not been this good in video games for years. It’s just such a shame the publisher is charging for an update that affects Xbox Series S players in such a way. If you’re playing on an Xbox Series X, then Wreckfest is a fast, aggressive and chaotically fun racing game. I would definitely recommend it. Otherwise, wait for an update on the Series S side, for the time being.

It’s fair to say that there are mobile game vibes going on in Farm Frenzy: Refreshed, but before you view that as a negative, it’s that element of proceedings which lends itself to providing something addictive; something easy to pick up and play for short spells. The cursor issues are the biggest bugbear of all though, causing a hindrance to your chances of sweeping up all the stars.

So many puzzle games which use blocks and feature literal copies of the famous Tetrominoes often feel cheap or unoriginal. However, Trenga has plenty to offer. There are oodles of levels, a myriad of objectives for the truly hardcore to accomplish, and a nice, primary gameplay loop that makes the game hard to put down.

Alphadia Genesis 2 is an improvement over the first game. It seems to run more smoothly, and the story is a good one. It is still riddled with RPG cliches and as such really can’t be classed as in any way, original. However, if you are looking for an inoffensive way to kill a few hours, you could do worse than to spend a little time with Dion and his squad in Alphadia Genesis 2.

Deep down, under all the skimpy clothes and comedy nudity, there is a solid game trying to get out of Empire of Angels IV. The story is good, the actual battles themselves are fun, and seeing your ragtag band of ladies become badass through constant fighting is quite rewarding. However, this has to be balanced against the frankly juvenile way that women are portrayed.

Promesa is a game that many may not 'get' or be interested in, mostly due to the lack of gameplay and action. For others though it’s a brilliant way of being able to take in something unique. For the entry price of an art gallery, Promesa allows you the chance to take in an exhibition from the luxury of your own home; a beautiful, thoughtful experience that takes you through the memories of someone's past and present.

Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe just about makes it through the group stages, but gets unceremoniously dumped out in the first of the knockout matches.

Visually it looks bad, the controls are shonky, and rarely can any fun be had. A lack of tutorials, confusing menus, and errors popping up all over the place sees Heliborne spiralling to earth, totally out of control. If you are a fan of helicopter games, after playing this, you won’t be.

It’s a shell of the version that is available in The Four Kings Casino and Slots – that I hasten to add is free-to-play – and doesn’t offer anything substantial over that version. There is easy Gamerscore to be had, and that’s about it. You would be better off spending the £4.19 it costs to buy Four Kings: Video Poker and put it towards microtransactions for the larger casino instead.

ASTRO AQUA KITTY is a delight. It's a well-thought out space-themed Metroidvania that will appeal to a range of players; especially those who revel in the micro-management of weapons, items and the percentage points they bring. If you liked what the kitties brought with AQUA KITTY UDX, this is going to please you on an altogether grander scale.

Chivalry 2 is easy to pick up and play, with much of the draw coming from the fact you don’t have to worry about learning a crazy amount of moves. There is nothing better than meeting a worthy opponent on the battlefield and going 1-on-1, block for block, slash for slash, countering each other carefully. Some may need more in terms of game modes and further incentives to keep them there for the long term, but for now, you can't go wrong with a bit of medieval PvP mayhem with Chivalry 2.

Wingspan is an elegant, exceptional board game and it’s been delivered with real care to the Xbox. Console is a good look for it, as it automates things that are more unwieldy on a table-top, making it - dare we say it - the superior way to play. When Wingpsan was so rewarding to play in the first place, that’s an extraordinary achievement.

The Last Kids on Earth and The Staff of Doom does enough to warrant interest from those who enjoy the universe via other mediums. The gameplay is straightforward and the arsenal of moves will be exciting from a child’s point-of-view, while the boss encounters are a real highlight.

As a whole, Dungeon Escape is a rather mediocre platformer game. It doesn’t have much in the way of personality or unique mechanics but the game offers a few hours of challenging platform for a low price. It also offers an easy 1000G which is always a bonus.

As a free-to-play title, Super Bomberman R Online doesn’t have a lot to offer in all honesty. Quick Matches provide short, sharp bursts of fun but beyond that there’s nothing else to see really. If you and your friends are willing to invest a little in the game, you can breathe some more life into it, but overall it’s a very similar experience throughout.

Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition is a really unique and interesting experience, and there are not many other titles that can pull of this kind of genre mix. It works out in a great way too - it’s deep, intricate, complex, and deeply engaging. Further to that, the story is investing and written gorgeously.

On the whole Violett Remastered is a pretty good game and certainly a very challenging point and clicker that will put your brain into overdrive. The control system doesn't feel great at times and the lack of hand-holding or any kind of instruction make the first moments tricky. But as things progress and you get into the swing of things, this is a very enjoyable and very unique experience.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 provides one hell of a sniping experience. With so many different ways to approach your targets, multiple challenges to take on and some excellent gadgets to make use of, you’re not going to get bored easily. On the higher levels, the psychic enemies can be a bit wearisome, but this does encourage careful planning.

If you’re a fan of Resident Evil or any of the other horror games that are available in the gaming space, Song of Horror is well worth a look. The permadeath of characters won’t be for everyone and the random element of when attacks occur might also frustrate. But for others the tension and thrills will be what make the journey.

Green Hell is a hugely challenging, massively immersive game that will transplant you in the Amazonian jungles in both a good and a bad way.

After an uphill battle, we can now enjoy Talisman: Digital Edition. Initially, it didn’t want us to play, with its ‘will this do?’ tutorial, terrible controls and interminable slowness. But, after hours of persistence, we’ve found our workarounds. Like the heroes of the game, we’ve overcome multiple trials, and opened the chest to reveal a modest treasure: an esoteric, old-school little board game, half Snakes & Ladders, half Dungeons & Dragons. We might even chuck some cash down for an expansion.

Xbox owners certainly have viable means to experience these titles in other forms, but when it comes to convenience and accessibility, Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is a solid value proposition all the same.

Making a licensed game remotely must have been quite the challenge - locked into a release date, sellotaping a game together from the scrappy materials that you’ve been given. We would have loved to say that DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure was a plucky underdog, overcoming those issues to create something that fans and young players would love. But no. It’s a soggy cardboard box of a game, empty of things to do and barely holding itself together. And as cardboard boxes go, £34.99 is quite the asking price.

Quantum Replica tries to keep things fresh even though it borrows from those which inspired it. Despite some rough edges, what results is a surprisingly comprehensive adventure.

Hopefully Off And On Again won’t have you reaching for the power button, because despite costing perhaps more than it should, there’s a decent little adventure on offer here.

If Stonefly was an insect, it would be a stinkbug: beautiful to look at, but lets off an unpleasant odour when you start grappling with it.

Ultimately, the lack of replayability doesn’t take too much away from the main experience. Donuts'n'Justice is still a great game. It’s wacky, it’s simplistic, and it’s good fun. It also pulls off the 1980s setting brilliantly. It’s certainly a very short game, but I don’t think that hinders it too much. If anything, it ensures that Donuts'n'Justice remains enjoyable from start to finish and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

We’d hesitate to call Peepaw’s Farm a bad game, because - when seen as a prototype or demo - it’s Untitled Goose Game-lite, and we like a bit of honking. It’s got some fun jokes to share, and we genuinely laughed at a couple of them. But then we remembered that Peepaw took four quid out of our pocket as we were chuckling, and it felt a bit like a grift. Achievement hunters might like them apples, but we’d have liked them to be bigger and a hell of a lot more satisfying.

We could complain about the flimsy gameplay, but we’d rather focus on what Minute of Islands does so well. It’s in those moments where you stumble on a whale graveyard, or colossal moray eels swaying in the currents. It’s how the climactic moments hit you like a tidal wave. It’s in the delicately constructed backdrops, which often look like a Where’s Wally re-sketched by David Cronenberg.

Despite the short length, Gutwhale doesn’t feel too simple. There is a simplicity to it, but also a challenge with a sense of satisfaction when you finally hit the bottom. And there is a lot of replayability to it, even after you have illuminated the five blocks and achieved the ‘true’ ending.

Ghosts n’ Goblins Resurrection is a triumph, and I have no hesitation in awarding it the highest score I can. There are not many games that will immediately beckon you forth to try and beat them once success has been found, but Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is one of those games. If you are a fan of the franchise, you’ll love how true to the source material it is, and if you are new, well, you are in for a treat.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure feels like taking a vacation on your Xbox. Even while players explore a blissful island paradise, there is still an important environmental message to learn, and plenty of tasks to engage in as players interact with the vibrant setting and its various colourful characters. Although the experience is largely designed for younger players, there is plenty of incentive for any player to kick back and soak in a video game that genuinely feels like a holiday escape.

I've never played a game like Later Daters, and the whole concept of an elderly dating sim is something I wouldn't have thought anyone would be thinking about creating or playing. But the development team have managed to make something that isn't a dating sim, but a narrative adventure that focuses on being old; ridding the stereotypes that affect it. The game isn't afraid to deal with some hard subjects - and some taboo ones - and it’ll certainly make you open your eyes and think about matters a little more.

Mighty Goose is a fun little game that is great for passing the time. Each level can be completed in around ten minutes depending on your playstyle, but that makes it the perfect game if you don’t have a lot of spare time available.

Train Station Renovation is a strange one, however if you fit into the niche market it is trying to appeal to, there’s a chance you will love the game. It's well-designed, works absolutely fine and the mixture of cleaning and subsequent designing of old abandoned train stations will satisfy many. It’s pretty unique though, and slightly weird, but there is plenty of potential for what it can provide in the right hands.

On reaching the end multiple times, and seeing Sara yo-yo from wealth to pauperdom and back again, we can say - with some confidence - that A Little Lily Princess is a capable, well-put-together visual novel. It sits above the par, although not too far above, and anyone with a taste for period adaptations will forgive an annoying main character, some mawkish writing, and a very, very predictable plot.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is a good game with some issues. The new unlockable units, the story line, and the whole setup of the universe happily draws you in. Yet some strange design decisions only come together to push you away again. With a little tweaking, this could be a great game, but the way things are set up does it no favours.

If you’re a fan of the age-old game of chess but don’t have the skills to play on a Grandmaster level, Chess Knights: Shinobi is worth a look. The stages are well-designed and the tactical nous required to find success in the Japanese lands is high. Issues with the camera and control scheme aside, this chess game - without any chess - may be of appeal to some, especially when you consider the low asking price.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is very much a game of two halves. The basic idea of hunting dinosaurs is pretty appealing, and doing it in a calm, considered, non-Turok way is quite interesting. On the other side of the scale is the grind required to make progress, the dodgy visuals, the difficulty in finding something the size of a house, and the generally unpolished feel of the experience as a whole.

We’re blessed with high quality platformers on the Xbox with a new one tending to arrive every few weeks. When that’s the case, there’s no chance that we’d give Crossbow Crusade anything but two thumbs down. Just wait a few more weeks and something more worthy of your time and patience will come along.

The story and narrative that My Child Lebensborn tells is a sad, astonishing one, but it is one that needs to be told.

Knockout City is basic on the surface but its core mechanics are able to provide so much fun that you may well struggle to put it down. It’s got all the fundamentals right and with just a bit more content added in, this could be something really special. If you’re looking for a unique spin on the competitive multiplayer angle, it’s absolutely worth a look.

Horse Club Adventures has its eyes on a younger audience, and our little ones loved it. They will stomach its repetition and focus on making friends with a bunch of affable ladies, all while enjoying some intuitive horse riding. It’s just a big, colourful sandbox to gallop around in, and the yawnsome makework won’t stop them from enjoying their vacation here.

Unfortunately, there are some glaring issues in Crossroads Inn on Xbox that prevent it from being recommended in its current guise; notably that it’s not suited to a controller and is badly optimised. There is a roadmap planned for the rest of this year with new expansions and patches that hopefully fix the issues such as console optimisation and even the missing scenarios. But as it stands, it is best to avoid this one.

Astalon: Tears of the Earth is one of those rare cases where several influences and moving parts come together to create an experience which feels unique as a whole. Every nook and cranny of the gameplay and level design feels thought-out and deliberate, and as a whole the journey is both memorable and challenging, with a gameplay hook that makes it hard to put it down.

Capcom Arcade Stadium at its best brings the spirit of arcade gaming to a global online setting, providing the atmosphere of walking into a bustling amusement centre, with plenty of incentive to dive into the various titles and pursue a high score worth bragging about. The titles featured here are iconic Capcom classics and cover a range of genres and gameplay styles, and they all benefit from modern quality of life features.

There are few reasons not to give The Wild at Heart a go. It plays like Pikmin but corrects a lot of its faults, giving you more of a leash to explore and puzzle by yourself. When the world is as beautiful and rewarding as it is here, you will feel that tug to keep going, chucking Spritelings at treasure chests and giant wasps with abandon.

The latest in the MotoGP series of games is probably the greatest too. MotoGP 21 looks great, sounds right, and when the gameplay and tactics click and you finally start to make progress through the ranks, it’s a great feeling.

As wonderfully ridiculous as Just Die Already is, after a few hours you may struggle to find enough to keep your attention. This isn't down to a lack of direction, but instead the shallow gameplay depth. It's a wild ride while it lasts though.

You’ll have a great time with REKT!... for about an hour or so. After that, it quickly becomes obvious that you would have seen everything the game has to offer. It’s clear that this is a brilliant casual experience, with its strong fundamentals, easy-to-pick-up gameplay and truckload of customisation. It’s simply that with nothing added on top of it, REKT! ends up rather stale.

Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale takes a simple enough puzzle mechanic that anyone can grasp and snowballs it into a proper tough challenge by adding fresh mechanics in regularly. Sure, the storytelling leaves a little to be desired and the environments don’t have the wow factor, but if you’re after a puzzler then this is one adventure to consider wholeheartedly.

It’s taken a couple of years for this acclaimed talking-simulator to arrive on the Xbox, but time has not worn it down. Initially pitched as a farming game, Mutazione is far more interesting as a mutant soap opera. This is one of the warmest, most likable cast of characters you will come across in a video game, and you’ll want to relish every moment with them. Key into its languid pace, ignore the lack of traditional gameplay, and you will find a chilled vibe that is hard to beat.

Tune into the B-movie stylings of Family Mysteries 3: Criminal Mindset, and you have a hidden object game that dares to be fun. It pushes back on the Artifex Mundi template, and while it doesn’t do anything you’d classify as unexpected, it at least makes you snort and chuckle as it goes through those motions. There’s a flow to the puzzles, but not at the expense of challenge, and you’ll arrive at its multiple endings with something approaching satisfaction.

Sure Footing is a fun little game which hits the ground running. Despite lacking some variety most will find enough here to keep them going for a good while, especially given the reasonable price tag.

The Buccaneers DLC doesn’t alter the base game of Port Royale 4 too much, so if you’re not a fan of this rather complex game, you will likely not find enough here to make this worth picking up now. But for veteran fans looking for a new challenge, this is a low-priced DLC that is well worth a look.

Overall and the combat and sailing mechanics of King of Seas are what work, and whilst things feel a little slow at times, that’s never too much bother. But the story and missions are sorely lacking and there never feels like there is much point in your actions; beyond the grinding.

The real horror here is the fact that as the sixth instalment of a so called “series”, Outbreak: Endless Nightmares has absolutely no semblance of a functioning video game. This feels like an incomplete gamma build of a hobby project, and I shudder to think what the five prequels would be like.

Rust Console Edition is shonky, feels unfinished and looks like an Xbox 360 title. It is stuffed with the most hostile player base ever, and even surviving for five minutes feels like a win. However, there is fun to be had, particularly if you enjoy grinding for materials and living on your wits.

Bunny Factory is a pleasant surprise as it is a real step up in quality compared to the developer’s previous offerings. The puzzles are logical and fun to solve, there are a ton of them to get stuck into, and the variations on the core mechanic bring enough freshness to keep proceedings moving along smoothly.

I'm a massive fan of Assassin’s Creed and have found myself loving the latest games more than any which went before them. That is equally true of Valhalla yet, whilst the Wrath of the Druids is a strong addition to the library, it does at times feel more like a side quest rather than something capable of pushing forward the overall Valhalla narrative.

If you haven’t played Mass Effect before, the Legendary Edition provides the perfect opportunity. If you are a veteran, you owe it to yourself to play through them at least one more time in this collection.

Whether or not we actually needed Super Arcade Soccer 2021 on the Xbox Store is another matter. It commits the cardinal sin of a B-list football game: it’s just not fun. There’s nothing that would warrant the ‘Arcade’ moniker, and certainly nothing approaching ‘Super’. Alongside the host of glitches, it barely holds together as a game, and you’re left wondering more about Xbox’s quality standards than where the next goal is coming from.

All in all, Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice is a decent second (or is that 9th?) round with ole Larry Laffer. The game is not going to be for everyone, but what is here is ultimately enough for a more polished, if less inspired, experience.

There may be someone, somewhere, who can master the counter-intuitive controls of Rift Racoon and have a good time. But we are not that person. It’s a puzzle-platformer that demands precision with its taut levels, but then hands you teleporting abilities that are chaotic at best, cruel at worst.

If you want a game that focuses fully on exploring, chatting to animals and becoming absorbed in another reality then come on in, drink the Kool-Aid and wander around An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs.

Arrest of a Stone Buddha is a superficial and empty video game. Despite having some novelty in its setting and ideas, there is simply no semblance of coherent game structure or practical gameplay mechanics. It almost feels like a concept to what could have potentially been a very cool 2D action game, but as it stands Arrest of a Stone Buddha is a pretty meaningless one; one that has been poorly ported and presented on Xbox.

Once Biomutant gets going, you really get to feel it. The combat is the outstanding element, the chance to dictate your own route through the world is another, and even though visually things occasionally come across as hit or miss, on the whole the Biomutant adventure is one that is utterly engrossing. Give it time and this is one post-apocalyptic kung-fu RPG you won’t be able to tear yourself away from.

If you’re a fan of the series and want a new challenge or have a real interest in Japan, then you’ll find the natural challenges of the new map a fun brain-teaser along with four different campaigns. If you’re new to the series, then you may wish to start with the vanilla Railway Empire, unless your Japanese geography is pretty good.

At the moment, it seems like the roguelikes just keep coming. The best part, however, is that we continue to see roguelikes throw in new ideas to mix everything up. Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition is no different. Even if some of its experimentation does not land quite right, it does enough to not only justify its existence but to provide an entertaining time as well.

Rabisco+ feels like a tracing of other games, but without any of their colour. By trying to keep the controls to the absolute basics, it never feels challenging, varied or interesting enough. It’s neither enjoyable or unenjoyable - but we would have happily taken either, just so it could have stuck in the memory for more than five minutes.

0 Degrees’s two big guns, the creation and freezing of ice blocks, are loaded with blanks. By applying physics to its ice blocks, and not tightening up the ways in which you create them, it feels like you’re climbing a mountain with all the wrong tools. Somewhere in all that snow and ice, there’s a fun puzzler with precision controls. We chipped away as much as we could, but couldn’t find it. Then we went back to playing Celeste.

As turn-based battlers go, Guards is minimalist to a fault. You will wonder how it can possibly hold your attention for more than a few minutes. But let its few strong ideas sing, and persist past the stingy first few runs, and you’ll start to feel rewarded. Enjoyment might even creep in. Just pull the eject cord before the grind hits.

Infestor is a puzzle-platform snack that won’t leave a bad taste, but won’t fill you up either. Sure, popping humans never gets old, but it’s the bits between the popping that feel familiar and not particularly challenging. On balance, you might be better infesting your money elsewhere.

As a retro-throwback, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl does its job extremely well. Heck, in some ways it does it too well. If you were the type who grew up on these games, I can say with all due respect that you will probably have a good time with this if you want to connect with your inner child.

The combat system and its associated mechanics are woefully under-developed, and the game’s tendency to use those very same mechanics in the platforming sections only emphasise the problems. Look for your high fantasy elsewhere. Mystic Fate is far too frustrating to be truly enjoyable.