Unfortunately, while there seems to be a good base and some heart at the core of Go! Go! Mister Chickums, the repetitive gameplay which is fueled by tedious level design and movement hampering game mechanics, prevent it from being very fun for any prolonged amount of time.

Whilst its clunky combat and repetitive exploration rewards often betrays the overall excellence, immersion and presentation are maintained throughout its runtime, leaving Dread Delusion not just an RPG, but a vivid fever dream that fans of the genre shouldn’t dare miss.

Will Until Then be for everyone? I don’t think so. Even though it is a brilliant entry in the visual novel department, I suspect the slow pacing might become an issue for some. You spend a lot of time reading and watching, rather than actively playing. However, the way Until Then presents itself is entirely unique in terms of visual design, sound, and editing. It also boasts some fabulous mini-games that offer a nice distraction from the main events.

To call Mixtape a ride is a little one-dimensional, as there are so many feelings to be had on the way. A ‘joyride’ fits Mixtape slightly better. A joyride with a tailor-made Greatest Hits tape playing along.

My advice when you start Motorslice is to be prepared to get annoyed. You will die a lot and repeat sections again and again, but there is a lot of good in this game, even when the mechanics don’t work quite as smoothly as they should.

TerraTech Legion comes with a simple concept, but there is just so much depth lurking under the surface. That gaming X-Factor is present here, pulling you in like there is no tomorrow. For simplicity and hook, TerraTech Legion nails it.

If you’d asked me what the ideal hidden object game would contain, it would sound a lot like Find My Frogs. I want enjoyable art where you can see little stories happening. I want no minigame distractions, plenty of easter eggs, a cracking sense of humour, and a hint system that I can turn to if I want it. Find My Frogs delivers all those things with aplomb.

There are many idle games to click on the Xbox, almost all of them free (with microtransactions). That’s a challenge for DPS IDLE 2 to overcome: how to entice players to play, and do so for a lengthy period of time. DPS IDLE 2 opts for better presentation and usability - turning one of the ugliest idle games into one of the prettiest - but that’s all it really has to offer. It’s ‘number goes up’ but with a surprising lack of player-choice.

Whether alone or with friends, and regardless of existing knowledge of the IP, Scott Pilgrim EX’s expertly crafted gameplay and graphics deliver a great time.

Whether looking at the barebones gameplay, level design that repeats itself, or the lack of polish present, Magic Sheep contains all the qualities you'd associate with disappointment.

I honestly have no idea who will buy Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor. And if those people do buy it, I have no idea whether they are the ones who will enjoy it. But I can say, from an aging Thomas fan’s perspective, at least I was happy. This is a slightly distilled Train Sim World, redone for the world of Sodor, and - some usability issues aside - it reaches its destination with a degree of style.

If you’re okay with hefty dollops of reading and a lack of handholding, but also love mysteries and puzzles then - wowser - do I have the game for you in Strange Antiquities.

It's not going to be for everyone, and it will require patience, especially early on. But if you are willing to overcome those roadblocks, then Drill Core is a unique roguelike that is worth adding to your game library.

Fan of games like Portal and The Talos Principle? You’ll become at one with Causal Loop. Its story is a good one, featuring likeable characters and a narrative that reveals its mysteries in small segments.

Hunt the Night is easy to recommend. It seems to hark back to a time when you either got gud or failed miserably: there is really no middle ground.

Dosa Divas may well pull you in more than you will expect. It isn’t going to win awards for story writing, as every twist can be seen coming a mile off, but it is charming and that counts for a lot.

Shooty McSpaceFace is very much typical of the genre; you’ll likely have seen it all before. However, for the reasonable asking price, there’s an hour or two of solid platforming fun on offer here.

Bus Bound is a cosy bus experience that strips away the complex bells and whistles found in more detailed simulators. It offers a fun city to drive around, but the repetitive core loop may well make you realise you are not quite the dedicated bus driver this game wants you to be.

REPLACED is an ambitious action adventure platformer which opts for hand-crafted pixel art, but that takes nothing away from how utterly absorbing it is. However, I can’t let that blind me from its shortcomings that, whilst far from being serious, do limit the potential of an otherwise impressive game, one that can sometimes be accused of style over substance.

I really liked what I saw in Hacked: The Streamer; a short but engaging FMV title. The narrative is genuinely exciting and highly relevant to 2026.

If you loved Arcadia Fallen, then I can say with no caveats whatsoever that you will love Arcadia Fallen II as well. It still plays the same trick – staying in the confines of a single building but ensuring the world is out to get you – but that building is bigger, and the stakes are magnitudes more thrilling. Sure, the choices occasionally feel like railroad tracks, but the quality of the tale is great enough that all is soon forgiven.

For the low price, it’s not quite the jackpot that it could have been, but Cloverpit: Unholy Fusion should have just enough to nudge you to a purchase.

As it stands, as with all of these collections, the results are hit and miss. If you’re curious about the whole single-button endeavour, then it’s worth picking up and giving a go. But if you’re interested in consistent value and quality, then One Button Games 5-in-1 vol. 6 struggles more than it should.

Learning is a wonderful thing, and rarely will you be fooled twice in GRIME II. It means that if you are looking for a combat heavy metroidvania to play, then you may just have found it.

Monster Crown: Sin Eater is not on the same level as the classic Pokemon titles, yet that’s not what it tries to be. Where that series focuses on catching every species, Monster Crown employs complex breeding, a mature narrative, and impactful decisions, excelling at them all. Sadly, Monster Crown: Sin Eater struggles with the space between its milestones, leaving an enjoyable yet flawed addition to the monster-taming genre with a larger-than-life personality.

Aphelion may stumble in its mechanics, but when it places focus on the storytelling, atmosphere and spectacle, it’s exactly the kind of experience DON’T NOD excels at. It’s intriguing, mysterious and clever – we just wish it was tighter in terms of save points and how the gameplay is handled.

Heavy Duty chose a different path. It’s a finicky, precise simulation game, and that wasn’t the path I would have chosen for it. There is a chance that it’s the right path for you. Just be prepared to drive down that path very… slowly… indeed.

Regardless if you are smashing your head against the same level, or blowing your way through enemies, your eyes and ears are in for a treat with ZPF.

The Legend of Zelda’s influence on the action-adventure genre is worn almost as a banner by ChildStory, with gameplay and level design alike clearly influenced by that series, in mostly positive ways.

From the Bunker does provide an hour's worth of entertainment, but once you’ve escaped there is no completion screen, and no desire to ever play it again.

Collie Call: The Future is Calling fits with many of the other games produced by Afil Games - simple graphics and a single core puzzle mechanic that is designed to appeal to younger gamers.

BEFORE I GO is an enjoyable metroidvania, where gameplay is king. The story could use some additional flushing out and the dialogue comes across as awkward at times, but the game stands strong despite its flaws. It’s certainly worth checking out if you want to get sucked into a world for a few hours.

Nullstar: Solus is a strong addition to the ever-expanding repertoire of precision-platformers, although it’s unlikely to be held amongst the genre’s greats.

You’ll have a great time with Tides of Tomorrow and its strange time-travelling mechanics. Its use of integrating other players’ journeys into your own is a genuinely inspired bit of game development. The story firmly hooked me throughout its 10-hour campaign, and there are some incredibly tough choices to make along the way.

ChainStaff is an interesting proposition. The gameplay is hard, brutal even, and trial and error is encouraged to see what you can do to use the ChainStaff to defeat foes. With multiple difficulty levels to go at, and a series of increasingly hard levels, mastering the traversal mechanic and the ChainStaff is vital. But also very good fun.

I enjoyed Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, particularly the striking visuals and high production values. The detective elements introduce some impressive new mechanics that make for a highly thoughtful gameplay experience. That being said, it does get too confusing at times, and I felt I spent far too much time wandering around trying to figure out my next move.

Little Helper Cafe: Sugar Cubes is much too similar to the first game to say anything significantly different about it as an experience.

The Empty Desk is a pretty short game, but it is just about enjoyable enough. The clean visuals, and central mystery that slowly reveals itself over the course of the game, work well, but some of the writing is a bit clunky.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic brings together the first, and best, two games in the series in one bumper package. Although not all that much has been done to update the source material, it remains one of the best theme park sim games out there.

This is more than just Ooo in PowerWash Simulator 2: this is PowerWash Simulator 2 warped and re-painted to feel true to Adventure Time.

Initially, I didn’t see much of a connection between Vampire Crawlers and Vampire Survivors. But the similarity is what they both did to me. Both of them gripped me tightly for 20 hours or so. Both made me feel like I was a gaming god, being showered with rewards as I cut through enemies. And both gave me permission to leave once I mastered them. I ended both games feeling like nothing in its world could touch me.

Whilst you may well be drawn in to MOUSE: P.I. For Hire by the visuals and soundtrack, once in, you’ll discover a game that is so much more than just that - an investigative, story-focused, secret-hunting, first person shooting platformer that is an absolute joy to play.

Dragon Snack: From Ice to Ember isn’t anything substantial. Breaking it down, the core mechanic is exactly the same as you would find in any other game that has you fixing wires or rerouting plumbing. Whether that is your bag or not will depend on your gaming needs.

I think I would change very little about Hades II. It’s a game that’s so easy to love that I can’t imagine someone disliking it. People who are allergic to roguelikes, perhaps? That’s understandable. But I find it so slick, well-constructed, beautiful and rewarding that I cannot fathom another criticism. To me, it’s as perilously close to perfect as video gaming can get.

I loved my time with PRAGMATA. Playing it genuinely feels like a breath of fresh air and fondly reminds of games from the 2000s. It is always great to see a new IP launch successfully, and hopefully, we will get to see this world expanded with more stories.

While it doesn't completely innovate or elevate the genre, Dragonkin: the Banished tries enough new things, while executing the basics at a high enough level, to stand amongst the best of the genre.

Claim the Forest: Shape of Wolves doesn’t have any technical issues and everything functions as intended. But realistically, older gamers will be picking this up for the easy Gamerscore and not because they plan on being blown away by the gameplay.

As a puzzle fan, Solid Void – Topsy Turvy World will more than scratch an itch, even if you aren’t particularly familiar with nonograms.

Anyone expecting a whole new, full-length game in the Neva universe should temper their expectations with what is on offer in Neva: Prologue. It acts more like a little extra chapter added to the main game, which isn’t a bad thing at all, especially since the low price reflects this.

Pathologic 3 is a complex, highly original game that will appeal to a specific audience, but I fear it will leave many others behind. It feels like one of those games you only truly start to ‘get’ when you are about halfway through, and I can completely understand people dropping off after the first few hours.

With no thread tying the puzzles together, no charm or character in the puzzles, and some localisation errors, we don’t feel the inclination to say that Lots of Things: Collector’s Edition is the hidden object game that you should buy.

You should enjoy The Occultist. There are some incredibly clever ideas here in terms of game mechanics and environmental design. The story is a bit hit-and-miss though.

For every swing-and-miss, there’s a home run. The songs, the kaleidoscopic world, the Materia-like songstones: they all want to make me pump the air. Sure, there’s the occasional duff note, but People of Note is a crowd-pleaser that should pique the interest of music and RPG lovers alike.

If you care even slightly about Kain, Raziel and the world that they inhabit, then you owe it to yourself to play Legacy of Kain: Ascendance. It really fills in gaps in the back story that I, for one, hadn’t noticed before.

If PvP is your bag, then you’ll be right at home with what Marathon brings to the table, but for the rest of us, the bar for entry is set too high.

Mortanis Prisoners delivers a short adventure through a World War Two purgatory death camp. It successfully channels old-school survival horror, focusing more on the journey, exploration, and puzzle-solving than on first-person action.

NubiaPhobia certainly moves in a different direction to other Tonguç Bodur games, but the storytelling is fun, and the mechanics work fine, which perfectly reflects its budget-friendly price.

Incantation does a good job of drawing inspiration from its cinematic source material, and you certainly don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the game.

In an age where games are getting more and more ambitious, games like Minishoot’ Adventures are fantastic reminders that less can be more. It is a joy to explore, and the satisfying pop of defeating an enemy is a sound that never gets boring.

Be prepared to be nicked on some sharp edges as you destroy houses in Messy Up. If you can manage that, then you might have just found your next favourite party game.

I am self-aware enough to know that mindless cozy game players are a niche within a niche. Very few players will enjoy Trash Goblin in the same manner as I did. Because it is too repetitious for its own good. It doesn’t reward the player for their time with glittery new mechanics. But if you have lost hours to Stardew Valley in the past then maybe, just maybe, you will get something from Trash Goblin.

Tiny Bookshop is inordinately clever. Even the smallest systems have knotty, interesting bits to them, from the stat-boosting furniture to the newspaper classifieds. It’s not a cozy game that coasts on you being relaxed and low-maintenance. It is generous, full of things to do, badges to earn and books to sell.

The classic Meat Boy mechanics are still present in Super Meat Boy 3D and it feels great to sprint through a level while narrowly dodging whatever the game throws at you. It can be frustrating at times, but to a certain extent, that’s kind of the point. For the most part, this is a great challenge that hits the mark much more than it misses.

Towerborne is an easy sell. The combat is fast, the multiplayer is a lot of fun, and even solo there is something about the game that keeps you coming back for one more go. With the constant quest for better gear to challenge the later levels, you’ll be fighting, grinding, upgrading and doing it all again willingly.

Sands of Aura feels like a game of unfulfilled potential. Some of the ideas scattered throughout are interesting and travelling across the desert creates eye-catching imagery, but a game's first and most important job is to be fun. In that regard, Sands of Aura is unsuccessful.

Devil Jam is a worthy entry into the survivor genre. It isn’t god tier (and frankly, only one game is), but it is a very playable effort, with a real hook that will drag you back for just one more run.

All in all though, for as weird and strange No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is, this is a decently fun game, complete with a lot of content to go at. It does get frustrating at times, as I’m not entirely sure what those behind the creation of some of the puzzles were on, but largely it is enjoyable enough.

Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown is a thoughtful and ambitious take on the franchise. Its strengths lie in its narrative, its management systems and its willingness to let players shape their own story. However, uneven combat, technical issues and a reliance on RNG prevent it from fully realising its potential.

Overthrown is easy to recommend with some caveats. If you’re looking for a traditional city builder, this probably isn’t it. But if you want something more playful, more chaotic and more hands-on, it’s well worth your time.

Much of Around the World in 80 Days: Hidden Objects is so bad, it’s plain bad. The colour-graded scenes make it hard to spot, well, anything, and reasonably frequent bugs mean that certain levels became guessing games. Even with a perverse affection for all of its oddnesses, I have to acknowledge that Around the World in 80 Days: Hidden Objects isn’t particularly polished, nor is it rewarding.

Crimson Desert will require a massive time investment - we are talking hundreds of hours. Even now, many hours in, I am still discovering new things, and new ways to play keep being introduced. And be in no doubt that this is a mad old game, and yes, there are plenty of things wrong with it. Thankfully, the good absolutely outweighs the bad in Crimson Desert.

Aerial_Knight’s DropShot is built around a strong concept which is fun to play for a time, but it doesn't quite get its hooks deep enough to qualify as addictive.

If you love the genre but are feeling signs of fatigue from the same rules, over and over, then Zoo Orbs is crafted just for you. Its merge physics might be a little off, and the mission structure does undermine the merging on occasion, but Zoo Orbs is unusual and new.

Darwin’s Paradox! is a delightful little caper that feels wonderfully original, and fans of old-school platformers will have an absolute blast with it.

For simulation fans, there is a lot to love about The Bus. The recreation of Berlin and its routes is a massive technical achievement, and the Economy mode is a highlight that gives you a compelling reason to keep playing. The controls and UI are lacking at times though

Beyond Words is the Scrabble-like Balatro-inspired word-puzzler you should be playing. It’s a near-infinitely replayable playground of letters and logic that comes together in a way that ensures it is right up there as one of the very best of the genre.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying low-budget merge game than Bun Buns. It’s definitely not big and it’s certainly not clever, but it’s cheap and delivers a lot of flavour in one mouthful. If it was a bakery item it would be a macaron: exquisitely presented, finished in a single gulp, but flavoursome.

The result is a derivative, barely functional copycat that doesn’t deign to tutorialise itself. When every tenth game is inspired by Balatro, JokerJack needed to be so, so much more than whatever this is.

I’m tempted to say that you should vote with your wallet: Fennec Fox is Hungry shouldn’t be encouraged, with its litany of bugs and control issues. But if you’re determined and you have a Fennec Fox fan in the family, then we won’t hold it against you. The problems may be many but they’re all minor, and it’s easy enough to scamper over them.

Deckline may be a competent take on Durak, but it had potential and squandered it. It’s not a mortal wound for anyone hoping to play Deckline, but it’s quite the flesh wound.

Backrooms Level X is reasonably priced for its length, I enjoyed its simple mechanics, and it is capable of delivering some very good surprises.

The storytelling, music, and the majority of the mechanics in Project Songbird are brilliant, however I didn’t get on with the stealth, crafting, and combat elements.

Meow Moments: Celebrating Myth & Machine wiled away a couple of hours. I alternated between slightly bored and slightly engaged, which is hardly the most enthusiastic of recommendations. But for the low price, that might be just enough to dip your paws into your pockets.

If you love your survival horror and enjoy a good fright in the dark, then Unsealed: The Mare might just be your favourite new nightmare.

I have a theory. Anyone with eyes and opposable thumbs would have told EpiXR Games that Wolf Pack – Howling Spirits wasn’t ready for release. It’s a miracle that it even passed certification.

Playing PULMO is like stumbling across a strange interactive art show in a gallery; you pay a small entry fee on a whim and are treated to a lovely surprise.

With a little less grind, a little more control over the random whims of the deck, and a little more respect for my time, I think Death Howl would have been a masterpiece.

It’s the more-ishness where Grind Survivors stumbles. While it gives you plenty of ways to build your avatar, it doesn’t give you enough to do in terms of levels, objectives or enemies. And the meagre unlocks are spread too thinly over what little is there. That ‘Grind’ in the title begins to feel less a selling point, and more a warning.

Hidden Cats in Spooky Village is as good as all the other Hidden Cats in… games, which is to say that it’s very good indeed. Finding cats is as seamless, characterful and cozy as it has always been. Just with added Cthulhu.

Soulslinger: Envoy of Death works very well, with some fast paced, pretty great shooting action on offer. The story helps with immersion, but the main element is that of the roguelite structure, and how that adds to the longevity.

Should you be one of those who truly loves a survival game, then you are going to get a lot out of ICARUS: Console Edition. It can be extremely challenging early on, offering little context and not much of a tutorial, but battle through and it comes together nicely.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a very good game, as long as you go into it knowing what to expect. It isn’t a modern gaming experience, despite the new look, and there is no doubt that gaming has moved on a lot in the last couple of decades. Luckily, there is a charm to things that keeps dragging you forward, desperate to see what is going to happen to two characters next, and this is the big draw.

In Laysara: Summit Kingdom there are modes, difficulties, and enough options to cover all bases, ensuring this is a game that will appeal to any player that enjoys the concept of creating, maintaining, and improving supply lines, all as they expand a beautiful mountaintop settlement.

The concept alone sells Don’t Mess With Bober, with it being strong enough to ensure the idea is worthy of praise. However, the other elements of the game, the core survival horror mechanics, don’t quite live up to that brilliant main premise.

I look at the breadth of stuff in Defending Camelot – Tower Defense Action and kind of marvel. There’s an unholy amount of content here. But I also wonder what it would be like if the emphasis was less on ‘more’ and instead shifted toward ‘polish’.

First Time in Rome Collector’s Edition averages out as promising but faulty. It’s got too many rough edges to recommend to newbies, but there’s plenty to satisfy a fan of the genre. Treat it as ‘Further Reading’, rather than an essential to pack for holiday.

You will be pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable moving containers around a port can be. A big part of that enjoyment stems from the story of Docked, closely followed by the precision of the gameplay.

Pinball FX - Bethesda Pinball is the latest set in a long line of enjoyable tables added to the expanding library. Some may feel it is a little pricey, but if you’ve enjoyed Pinball FX previously, or looking for a place to start, this is as good a place as any to get stuck in.