Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX on Xbox is a fun and charming reintroduction to one of gaming’s oft-forgotten but still influential platforming icons. The game is tough to be sure, and is very old school and dated in some of its design conventions, but the quality-of-life improvements and the visual facelift help modernise this classic platformer.

We had a whale of a time with Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch. The combo of deckbuilder and hex-based strategy game was delicious, and the lack of any real balancing meant we became a god on the battlefield. Which felt quite nice, if we were being honest.

At times, it will be blindingly obvious that Yakuza Kiwami is now a ten-year-old remake of a 20-year-old game. It isn’t the best-looking game in the series by a long way, and suffers badly from some early pacing issues. Get through those moments though and once Kamurocho opens up fully, there is a very good Yakuza game within.

True Fear: Forsaken Souls Part 1 is a solid example of a hidden object game. It’s substantial, has plenty to keep your mental cogs whirring, and introduces some ideas that will prick up Artifex Mundi’s ears. And if you were wondering, it’s about as scary as reading the back of a DVD of The Grudge. It’s up to you whether that’s a good thing.

Dreamcore is the type of game I find particularly compelling. I appreciate its unconventional approach, the focus on atmosphere and exploration, and its willingness to embrace the strange and unsettling. However, the lack of clear objectives and traditional gameplay mechanics might not appeal to all players.

Whilst The Fall Part 2: Unbound has been put together with super high production values, a stunning story and some great visuals, it is the overall length and drawn out nature of the tale that ultimately holds it back.

Depth of Extinction on Xbox One is a straight up, old-school turn-based RPG that is squarely aimed at fans of the genre. There's nothing else to be tempted by here, but what is on offer is a solid dose of strategy action for those with enough patience to stick it out.

Don’t Touch This Button! is a game of two halves. The first is a delight, a test-chamber game with a sense of humour to rival Portal’s, as it hangs on the cute and contrary hook of doing the opposite of what the game tells you to do. It might not look attractive in the slightest, but it shouldn’t put you off. But the second half falls off a cliff. It abandons its lovely premise for first-person platforming sections that could have been ripped from any other game.

The Suicide of Rachel Foster on Xbox One is a bit of an odd one because the story is decent enough and certainly very intriguing. But I’ve never really been sure what the team behind it have been trying to accomplish or whether it quite hits the points it needs to make. The themes feel a bit rushed at times too, and it needs a bit more work after the main twist.

Aery - Sky Castle on the Xbox One is - mostly - a chilled experience, well-suited to casuals and younger players, or just for a moment of calm. Kick back, put the slippers on the table, and soar around some appealing levels. Aery is at its best when it’s in this simulation mode, tossing away traditional objectives and letting you fly. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite last, and the collect-a-thons that come afterwards have real feedback issues.

Wunderling on Xbox is a fun little puzzle platformer, and even if you’re not too blown away by its bite-sized casual platforming action, then the rest of the presentation will be something that genre fans will appreciate and enjoy.

I was in pain in the latter levels of Hexa Chippy, but that pain was self-inflicted. Hexa Chippy gave me all the tools to solve its path-finding puzzles, I just chose not to use them. I also needed to squirrel-up and get good at solving this kind of hex puzzle. But as much as the fault is my own, there’s still the matter of an over-eager hint system and mostly useless reset and shuffle features.

There’s no way this is going to challenge the hardcore gamers out there, but for everyone else, Samurai Academy: Paws of Fury is a good way to spend a couple of hours.

Gimmick! Special Edition will appeal both to fans of the genre who are looking for a genuinely enjoyable new platformer to blast through and those collectors on the hunt for games thought lost in the realms of time.

With a good few hours of play found in the main quests, you'll not go too wrong by joining the adventures of Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara.

When all the aspects of Call of the Wild: The Angler come together, the resulting mix is actually a pleasant place to spend a few hours. Driving to a new lake, having a few casts and seeing what you can find is remarkably zen; a very calming experience.

It’s hard to criticise Beyond Blue too much, for it comes to market with the express intention of highlighting the ocean’s magic, hammering home a different type of message to most other gaming experiences. As a game it could do better, but as a journey into what is the unknown for many, then it most certainly works.

Gas Station Simulator is most definitely one for the genre fans; those who love to toll and juggle the many different tasks presented to them. But if you are new to the sim world and fancy something a bit different this might be a good one to ease yourself in with. It has a fun vibe and doesn't take itself too seriously, with a good tutorial helping ease the pain.

Death Park is jank horror, but it’s a decent experience; a fun little experience that has arrived just in time for spooky season. For the price of a pumpkin to carve, Death Park is a great way to spend a Halloween evening with the lights off, and one that can be enjoyed further down the line again too.

Tin & Kuna on the Xbox One is cute enough that the little ones will love the colours on screen, but devilish enough that you probably shouldn’t play it when they are within earshot. It is also deceptive in its length; there is plenty to still go for after completing the levels the first time. And whilst it might be lacking a bit of polish in some areas, it won’t take away from your overall enjoyment for more than a couple of seconds.

Jet Set Knights’ heavy reliance on inspiration makes it feel altogether too familiar, with some aspects being replicated like-for-like. It’s not quite as entertaining as those games that inspired it, however if you’re not too hung up on originality you’ll find that Jet Set Knights on Xbox One is plenty of fun to play.

Beyond a Steel Sky verges on the impressive. However, the puzzles can occasionally feel over-complicated at times and there are moments where the game does get a bit saggy narrative-wise; especially in the middle section. But the new 3D world, the great visuals, and the new hacking mechanics certainly make up for some of the negatives.

Did I have fun with Towaga: Among Shadows on Xbox? Yes. Do I wish that there was more to it? Even bigger yes. The alternate game modes and unlockable spells all feel pointless, and the story is lacking in many ways. Yet, despite these flaws, I couldn’t put the game down. Though it doesn’t feel like it lives up to its true potential, Towaga: Among Shadows is a unique shooter that I hope to see more of in the future.

I, AI on Xbox is a decently accomplished shooter that will happily whisk away a few hours of your life. It’s well-priced, it delivers a decent little challenge, and even though the grind is real, for the most part that is okay. If you are looking for something to fill a Sky Force gap, this could well be the vertical scrolling shooter for you.

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

The Snow Fable: Mystery of the Flame has the generosity of spirit to create a waterfall of matches, when all you’ve done is matched three yellow gems in a line. And that’s its secret: it keeps rewarding you for doing very little indeed, and that was precisely what we were in the mood for.

We have no illusions about which of the two Teslagrads we prefer. The first game, recently remastered, is just that little bit more considered, clever and rewarding. Teslagrad 2 ups the cool factor by handing you a breakneck slide, letting you glide about like Sonic, but the result lacks the first game’s finesse.

Timberman: The Big Adventure may be short enough to confuse you on first playthrough, but what little is here is sweet. It feels like a no-expense-spared remaster of a 16-bit platformer that never existed: by which we mean that it’s full of charm and some timeless level design.