There’s potential bubbling beneath the surface here, but Super Geisha Neon never quite finds it. What’s left behind is a rather run-of-the-mill puzzler, and we were in the mood for so much more.

File Egglien under ‘quirky’. It’s a unique pitch from a fourteen year-old (fourteen!) that imagines what a game might be like if you could only fire downwards. It commits wholly to the idea, and cracks out some pretty fantastic platform-meets-shooter levels with the concept. But we couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, games should let you fire in other directions too.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened does a brilliant job of placing you in the shoes of the world renowned detective; something which should be the primary objective of any Sherlock game. There is a great sense of exploration allowed here, along with a good story.

Kart enthusiasts who want a high skill ceiling might find a home in KartRider: Drift. But casual players, or those who want immediacy in their racing will probably want to pull a u-turn and find something else.

For a first attempt at making a cornhole game, ACL Pro Cornhole has the fundamentals nailed down. Fun, solid gameplay and believable physics help make this a decent first go, but everything else needs tightening up: commentary, game modes, graphics and the price all let the overall package down. If these can be improved in a second game with a few extra additions, ACL Pro Cornhole could usher in new waves of fans to this funny sounding sport.

Eville is built on solid foundations, having a good stab at bringing the social deduction genre to the masses, but it lacks the components to achieve longevity in a crowded and competitive space.

Togges is one of the most original and stupendously generous games you will find, this year or any year. It’s Super Mario Galaxy on a roomba, with some of Nokia’s Snake thrown in for good measure. Now, if that’s not enough to tease you in, nothing ever will.

Railway Islands – Puzzle goes full steam ahead with delivering great circuit based puzzles, but issues keep slamming on the brakes.

If you’re the type to be suckered in by a deckbuilder then be warned: Pirates Outlaws is so covered in suckers that it may as well be an octopus. Be prepared to be in its grip for a few months.

While this is a retread, it’s one that doesn’t stick around, understands the original’s faults, and bribes you with 2000 Gamerscore for your troubles. It’s not exactly a poster-quote, but Ballotron Oceans isn’t a complete waste of your time.

Ballotron shows a bit of leg with 3000 Gamerscore for barely an hour’s effort. Dirty achievement hussies will already be getting out their wallet. But for anyone who’s looking for entertainment, Ballotron can feel, in two ways, hit-and-miss. When it’s good, it’s a trickshot simulator, a snooker-like puzzle to be solved. When it’s bad, it’s a meeting of slippery physics and complete chaos. Pick a level and flip the coin.

Enter the world of Shapik: The Quest, fully armed with the information that it’s extremely, stupendously short (but still worth the money), and you’re less likely to be blindsided. You can enjoy it for what it is: a hand-crafted little point-and-click adventure that gives a momentary view into a world that you will want to spend more time in.

I love an Aery. It’s as suited to Sunday afternoons as an episode of The Antiques Roadshow. But I’ve got so little love for Aery - Calm Mind 3. The series has always been a little lazy, bringing out old levels like they were prized antiques themselves. But the laziness here is off the charts.

Ultimately, there just isn’t enough here. 8-Ball Pocket is a lightweight, plainly presented little pool game, which doesn’t have the modes, options or customisation to warrant a purchase. In a world with a bewildering number of pool variants, there’s no real excuse for packaging in a bizarre solo option and a vanilla multiplayer option.

Formula Retro Racing: World Tour is an extremely enjoyable racer. The action is fast and furious, and while the AI feels a bit cheap as the levels rise, it is a solid enough racing game to keep you coming back for more.

When it comes to playing The Outer Worlds, the Spacer's Choice Edition is not the best choice - the performance is quite frankly shocking.

With the concept of being trapped in your own home by some otherworldly being, Alterity Experience comes with a bit of promise. What you get though is a game where you spend most of your time finding keys; the promised tension rarely ratcheting up.

It’s full of great, heightened moments and rhythm action sections that probably warrant the asking price alone. But there are so many missteps in the story that you can call it a full-blown stumble. Hopefully, next time, DigixArt can tell a newer, more expansive story, rather than reversing the car back to its past glories.

There is a lot packaged into the six-hour runtime for The Last Worker. With an engaging if slightly predictable story but more game elements than you can shake a stick at, it is a game that will take you through a range of emotions: laughter, sympathy, rage, compassion, disappointment, and everything in between.

Kingdom Rush Frontiers builds a gaming stronghold worthy of defending the honour of the tower defense genre, but there are a couple of weak spots. The strategic elements ensure a real challenge is to be had as you get to grips with the many enemy waves heading your way.

Super Arcade Football was the Sensible Soccer successor that we’d been waiting patiently for; now, Super Arcade Racing meets precisely the same need, but for Micro Machines. We’re eager to see what comes next with that Super Arcade prefix, as - from what we’ve seen - it means pin-sharp controls, joyful simplicity, and a boot crammed with things to do. Super Arcade Racing is a blissful nostalgia-overdose.

If constructing your own farm in Stardew Valley feels like too much work, yet you want something laid-back with a pastoral backdrop, then look no further than Island Farmer. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s the gaming equivalent of putting your feet up on a rocking chair and having a nap.

It’s clear that WWE 2K23 is faster, stronger, and goes harder than it has before, rounding off a great comeback story. The Showcase twist will see you forget John Cena’s five moves of doom, thus making sure there are five quality modes here to consume. The roster is packed with stars past and present, and the list of match types is stacked. Fortunately, it’s not held back by the paltry online offering or the few issues remaining in MyGM and Universe.

If it wasn’t for the cool 1980’s vibe, Kung Fury: Street Rage - Ultimate Edition would probably be dismissed out of hand, as at times it falls into the “so bad, it’s good” category. The included DLC does expand the horizon a little, but this is a very hard game to rate. I personally loved the whole feel of the game and so should you be at one with the 1980s, Kung Fu, and battering the hell out of some Nazi forces, then this is an easy sell.

Sensible Soccer and Kick Off fans rejoice! You’ve finally got a spiritual successor in Super Arcade Football on the Xbox.

I dream of you and ice cream is undoubtedly flawed. Its puzzles are never seamless, and they can feel like distractions from the good stuff. But when it’s good it’s great, as it carries a unique alien threat, a sense of dread that’s so thick you could pour it on your ice cream, and a concise story that lingers. Forget dreaming of you: we’re going to be having nightmares about this one, long after the review is finished.

The Guise should do enough to impress you. The visual look, the challenge, the combat, and how Ogden constantly evolves is enough to make this one a recommendation.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos has a lot of good ideas and some well worked execution - it is just that lack of a lock-on that is a glaring omission. If you are looking for a different experience though, then Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is certainly that.