Gruta is saved by some effective art, an impressionistic story, and controls that are so tight that they manage to make the unremarkable levels somewhat remarkable.

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.

Dead Island 2: Haus is definitely on the short side, completable in less than three hours. There are a few secrets to uncover but even those will not push the length of it up by anything meaningful. But, as with the main game, if smashing thousands of zombies into bloody pulps is your thing, then Haus has it in spades.

I probably shouldn’t be bringing up Devious Dungeon, but it’s hard not to, as my sentiments for both that and Metagal on Xbox One are similar. This sees it all come across as a functional, well designed sidescroller that will distract you for a few hours with some solid action and fun level design, before likely seeing you never going back to it.

I can’t be too critical of Metropolis: Lux Obscura as the price point is only just over a fiver, but I’d rather pay more and get a better developed story, more of the enjoyable gameplay and an extended experience. Give it a go if you like match-3, not if you’re only interested in the story.

We expected Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova to arrive in a red shirt, virtually dead on arrival. Instead, we’ve got a game with substance and style, and there’s nothing more Star Trek than that.

For fans of the recent DOOM games, BPM: Bullets Per Minute and Metal: Hellsinger, Warstride Challenges is very much in the same vein: Heavy weaponry against aliens that are wanting to be blown to pieces all whilst some tasty metal rings through your eardrums.

If you’re a fan of Lovecraft and want to take in some old fashioned arcade action then this could well be the story for you.

Sure, Warp Drive hits the barrier a few times, mainly in the way it executes on its ambitious ideas, but we can’t help imagining a sequel that overtakes everything here. Warp Drive is a strong first entry on the highscore table. We hope it sells enough so that its developers have a shot at a sequel to beat it.

For fans of the genre, WRC 9 is a very good facsimile of what it must be like to run a WRC team, but for those of you who want their rally driving to be more enjoyable and less like being mugged, then DiRT Rally 2.0 is where the smart money goes.

It’s just the lack of challenge or complexity to the gameplay loop that makes Super Mining Mechs start to feel redundant shortly into its runtime. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a game that doesn’t require much thought, allowing for you to zone out while playing, then Super Mining Mechs may be worth checking out.

Planet Rix-13 is a strange, trippy diversion onto a surreal world that’s ultimately worth taking. It doesn’t cost much and it won’t last long, but there’s worse options out there if you want to distract yourself for a couple of hours.

There may not be much new in terms of mechanics from the original game to this one, but Horror Tale 2: Samantha knows what it wants, delivers its goals brilliantly and provides some great escape room vibes.

Extinction is a well polished title set in a universe that has an interesting story. It always feels brilliant taking down a huge green beast, but it does get a bit tiring after a while; there really does need to be something else to the game’s bag of tricks to keep the interest high. It doesn’t help that Extinction comes in as a full priced game, and if it had some in around the £20-£30 price range, it would have felt much more at home.

You will love the chance to explore the world of Kona II: Brume. The story feels more beefed up, and I love how it tells a good tale with a heady mixture of different genres, moving from thriller to horror.

If you’re a fan of the sim survival genre, then you should lap up and relish Medieval Dynasty. There are nothing short of hundreds of hours of things to do here, and that will appeal to those who love enduring - and flourishing - in these worlds. The quests are good, the world is interesting and the opportunities are tremendous, but I do worry that there is little to keep anyone but the most hardened interested.

Gundam Evolution is an FPS worthy of attention from anyone interested in mech battles, let alone fans of the franchise.

If you feel like you’ve seen most of what puzzles in games have to offer, you might want to try Teslagrad Remastered.

Think of Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story 2 as a perfect companion piece to the upcoming Baldur’s Gate III. Where that game promises to be an all-absorbing relationship, Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story 2 is a shallow bit on the side. You might be thankful for it.

SpiderHeck is an eye-catching oddity that is best played with others. As arcade brawlers go, there isn’t anything else quite like it.

There are some great puzzles on offer in Lunar Axe. It also has a good story whilst the opportunity to explore a new city in Brazil, as well as its folklore, is appreciated. Don't expect a huge story with big characterisations, because this is all about solving puzzles and finding objects; whether or not that gets a bit weary will be to personal tests.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake on Xbox is very much a product of its time, but give it a chance and it will grow on you. The challenge of keeping your dragon alive and kicking to the end of the level is a tricky one, and the desire is always there to go back and do better on the level than you have before, especially on hard mode.

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.

What a strange experience playing Cat Souls was. Our interest curve would look a little like a ski slope. We loved the pitch of using the titular ‘souls’ as platforms, yet Cat Souls does next to nothing with it, leaving us deflated. But over the levels, we realised what had happened. The designers had been distracted by other ideas, as if a sudden laser pointer dot had appeared.

SkyKeepers is a very solid, well put together 2D platform adventure title. The gameplay is nothing short of good and it can be great fun to play. That said, the constant battles and the increase in the difficulty arc became a real problem and dulled my interest quite considerably. But fans of this type of game will love the skill level required, and for them, death will only make them stronger.

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.

Fans of golf games are unlikely to be blown away by the golf side of Golf Club: Wasteland on Xbox but they should enjoy the story on offer. Likewise, narrative fans will hugely enjoy the tale that unfolds, but won’t necessarily find anything to tempt them to try other golf games. How the story unfolds and how it is told requires you to piece it together, but the mature themes and ideas will make a lasting impression on anyone that completes it.

I like the story and strange dream world of Withering Rooms, as well as the Souls-like RPG elements and location. It's a bold move, but it works, pulled off well.