Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a serviceable entry in the long-running JRPG series by Gust, offering an experience that's surely entertaining, but not as good as Atelier Firis. Additionally, the lack of any real innovation in both story and gameplay departments translates into a very predictable game.

Ys Memories Of Celceta is yet another excellent entry in the action role-playing game series by Falcom, taking everything that made Ys SEVEN good and elevating it to new heights. Even with its small issues, such as low difficulty level and unoriginal story, Ys Memories Of Celceta is a game that all fans of fast-paced action RPGs should experience at least once.

Dawn of Man is a competent city building game set, as the name explains, during the dawn of mankind. Moving through the ages, the slow progress early on leaves a real sense of achievement, made possible thanks to a strong resource system and the way knowledge is gained, working with the rest of gameplay to create an enthralling gameplay loop. Sadly this does falter towards the end of any game, even becoming boring at times, but for the most part Dawn of Man is one city building game that fans of the type won't want to miss, despite any flaws it has.

Would I recommend UNDYING? You know what, I would. I've got to hand it to developers Vanimals; they have a strange studio name. More than simply being a good game, UNDYING has a decent amount of replay value due to multiple endings, random events, and the time limit, meaning it'll be impossible to see everything. I'll go back to it, which is rare.

God Wars: Future Past is certainly a JRPG from another time, when the tactical genre was a mainstay on the Playstation 2 (and even has the aesthetics to match). If you've been craving another tactical title in your life, God Wars is a pretty safe choice.

While you won't find any additional features like Saturn-exclusive content, art galleries, or even a main menu with music, what you will get in Castlevania Requiem is a double pack of Konami's best vampire hunting adventures at a budget price.

Rune Factory 5's combination of features from simulation games and action role-playing games works as well as it did in previous entries in the series, but the lack of innovation, underwhelming exploration mechanics and a certain disconnect between the urgency of the main quest and living a calm farm life do damage the experience a little. The endearing cast and improved action combat, however, make for an enjoyable experience, so those who venture into Rigbarth without expecting to find a revolutionary title will find plenty to like in the game.

Spirit of Sanada is more than just a Samurai Warriors side story, bringing the series to new heights with its largest roster and longest battles to date. The new multi-stage battles will have players take a more tactical approach if they want to reap the rewards.

Star Fox Guard is a decent game, but exciting? Definitely not. It's hard to recommend because although it's not bad, it's hardly exciting when you're alone.

Anybody pining for more Metroid Prime needs to put Journey to the Savage Planet at the top of their list. The game has a few rough edges and its sense of humor might not be to all tastes, but it captures that inviting, adventuresome Metroid spirit better than anything I’ve played in a while. This Savage Planet will pull you into its orbit if you give it half a chance.

A charming Roguelite that offers more challenge and secrets than it initially lets on.

Cris Tales is a gorgeous, heartfelt, and often creative adventure that provides an interesting peek at a culture not well-represented in the world of gaming. Sadly, it falls a bit short of its grand potential due to some mechanical and balance issues and a final act that badly overstays its welcome. Cris Tales feels like a game that would have benefitted from some more time in development, but if you’re willing to forgive a few faults, your own time with the game won’t be wasted.

Amplitude won't take over your Rock Band party nights, but it might be quirky enough to give you a few evenings of trippy, challenging button mashing. If you enjoy music games, give it a try.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a treat, offering fun, approachable, and excitingly diverse gameplay as well as the most appealing (and downright cool) version of Nintendo's heroine to date. The game is fairly brief and has some performance hiccups, but its target audience of younger players, and those just wanting to see Peach ditch the damsel role, will likely be too busy applauding her latest turn in the limelight to care.

ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN is a brilliant, fever-dream rollercoaster, made by Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture at their absolute peak. By leaving behind the empty-world of No More Heroes III in favor of a tightly paced, linear, almost "Soulslike on steroids" experience, the studio has delivered its most mechanically polished and visually eclectic experience to date, and a statement against the sanitized, risk-averse nature of modern AAA gaming.

With a unique twist that gives it a puzzle-game feel, Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior is a solid title that definitely stands out in the hack-and-slash genre. The emphasis on combat, the absence of RPG-like mechanics, and reliance on trial-and-error impact the experience slightly, making the game a worthwhile purchase only for die-hard fans of the genre who are tired of the constant grind for better loot.

Attack On Titan is definitely the most interesting Omega Force developed hack and slash game, thanks to the unique movement system and combat mechanics which require more than simple button mashing. Sadly, this doesn't prevent the game from becoming repetitive due to uninspired maps and lack of mission variety. The game offers plenty of fun anyway, just don't expect a masterpiece that can still feel fresh after 20 or more hours.

Dead Rising 4 completely streamlines a lot of core gameplay elements of the franchise while still remaining a sadistically fun game to play.

In Other Waters is engrossing, beautiful and perfectly balanced both in terms of immersive gameplay and intriguing narrative. It's relaxing without being boring, and thoughtful without treading the same tired sci-fi tropes.

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey represents the biggest step forward for the series in quite a long time, striking a very good balance between the typical time management of the series and an open world experience. Some design choices may not be the best, but there's quite a lot to like in this mysterious journey.

Despite all the complaints though, I can’t help but recommend Fire Emblem Warriors to Warriors fans. If you enjoyed Hyrule Warriors, you’ll enjoy this just as much, and if you’re not really a Warriors fan, then this probably won’t convince you, even if you adore Fire Emblem.

John Wick Hex is an exceptional licensed game, and a wonderful strategic shooter even away from that. It's the kind of game that's high quality and enjoyable, even if you are clueless about the John Wick movies themselves. The perfect kind of licensed game, that works as well as an introduction to the franchise as it does as an extension of it. Absolutely worth playing.

Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade is a rock solid collection of Taito classic shooters in one package that can be listed more premium than casual fans may be willing to pay.

Cities: Skylines 2 is a very good city builder with a few marked improvements over its predecessor and is huge in scale. It is, however, let down in (arguably unfair) comparison with the original due to the countless free content (and paid DLC) that went into that, making this feel comparatively light.

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst will likely make people feel the same as the original, it'll be a divisive game. The freedom of movement is excellent, vastly improved over the original, but it's let down by a poor story, unrelatable characters and an incredibly annoying combat system, which it forces you into all too frequently. Still an exciting game to explore and look around, it's hard not to recommend Mirror's Edge if you're looking for something different, which it still is

Dead in Vinland is a Viking game in the style of Darkest Dungeon. It's fun, well paced and slightly overcomplicated, but ultimately worth it.

Fans of the survival genre will find something refreshing in The Flame in the Flood. And although it can be a little rough around the edges at times, the themes and design of the game make for an interesting and enveloping game.

Sparc combines the futuristic sport of Tron's disc battles with handball to create a unique PSVR experience that will have you moving and throwing with the greatest of ease. As a spectator V-sport, the focus on competitive online multiplayer makes up for the sparse amount of single player content.

Paladins is one of the best free to play games available, and nothing changes that on Nintendo Switch. If you're looking for an online shooter to either take seriously or just play casually, Paladins is a great option that you can take on the go. Only a few technical issues drag it down from being great.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is an old-school shooter with a twist, adding in roguelike mechanics as well as rhythm-based gameplay. Jump, dash, shoot and reload to the beat to advance through a host of monster-filled levels, collecting keys, coins, equipment, and stats to try and get through the seven stages that constitute each playthrough. The gameplay is fun, fast, and frantic, it looks good and sounds great, with a perfect heavy-metal soundtrack, though there are a few flaws. A lack of enemy variety, particularly bosses, as well as level variety starts to show quickly.

Peril on Gorgon, the first DLC released for The Outer Worlds, maintains all of the pros and cons we've already seen in the base game. The plot is intriguing while the characters remain the true highlight, but combat is a bit lackluster and optimization underwhelming.

Partisans 1941 blends differing aspects of the tactical squad genre with mixed results. While the staging of ambushes and scouting of strongholds is as satisfying as any other game, the actual combat and fireworks leave a little bit to be desired.

The steep learning curve paired with the limited tutorial, lack of any significant matchmaking options and the currently low player count make it hard to recommend Mirage: Arcane Warfare to anyone who isn't already a fan of their previous game Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. There's a lot of room to improve, though.

Oriental Empires offers more than enough to keep long time strategy fans happy. It looks great and does try one or two new things that don't turn out as well as they could, lacking the depth and variety to push it into being a great game.

A tale built on revisiting past adventures in media res, One Piece Odyssey relies so much on retelling great stories that came before it that the adventure in Waford alongside Lim and Adio feels like an afterthought.

Super Mario Maker is a great game, but this handheld version is missing a couple of features that made the Wii U version essential. Loads of fun to be had, just far too familiar.

Mafia: The Old Country aims squarely at being a narrative experience, and largely succeeds in that while also providing solid gameplay. It is a bit of a shame that we don't get to truly explore Sicily in this game, but if you're into Mafia narratives, this is among the best you can find in games, and the entry price isn't that high either.

It's fair to say that Far Cry New Dawn is 'more of the same', by and large. But when it's more of the same of the good kind, it's hard to find any serious complaint. The game is a ton of fun to play, looks great and runs even better than that. Just don't expect to find much of a post-apocalypse in this version of Hope County.

Ubisoft Montreal's attempt at a cooperative alien survival shooter takes the operators and abilities that players love from Rainbow Six Siege and brings them into a familiar style that longtime fans of Left 4 Dead or GTFO will appreciate with a squad of friends.

Reverie is a bite-sized adventure in the same vein as Link's GameBoy adventures and half as filling. There are some charming ideas and brain-teasing puzzles but not much else that truly sets it apart.

Lego 2K Drive is a nicely-polished ride, offering up unexpectedly-intense kart-racing action and a handful of diverting sandbox stages to explore. Unfortunately, the game is also a bit light on content and its aggressive microtransactions may make parents looking for something light to play with their kids pump the brakes. Lego 2K Drive is still worth considering, particularly once it goes on sale, but it feels like it’s a few bricks short of what it could have been.

Black Desert Online is the most refreshingly unique MMO around. Introducing many new game mechanics and ways to play in a world that's so exquisitely designed, with characters, building, monsters and even the weather all working together to make the best looking MMO to have ever been released, BDO is only really let down by the game's unwillingness and/or inability to properly explain its mechanics.

If you've played a Just Dance game before, any Just Dance game, you'll know whether or not you like Just Dance 2017. It doesn't add much to the series but is another bombastic, deeply enjoyable game to play as you accidentally break your living room furniture.

Skybolt Zack is an action-packed, engaging but all-together a little too unforgiving action-platformer-rhythm-thing. Despite its unforgiving nature, It is a game that even the most useless of people (me) will have fun with and will offer a huge amount of replayability for those looking for a challenge due to the unique difficulty system. Looks, sounds and plays great, the first outing from Devs Must Die is one well worth giving a go.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a worthy successor of the original in every regard, good and bad. The vision is the same: an uncompromising game that will often frustrate you, but also offers a unique experience that can hardly be found anywhere else. It's the classic example where the total is more than the mere sum of its parts. Bugs and balance issues are still very much an issue, but they shouldn't stand in your way of playing, especially if you're willing to wait a while for developers and modders to fix them. If you enjoy open world games and shooters and don't mind a challenge, there's no reason for you to pass up on this game.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries tries to be inclusive, but unfortunately makes the mainstream issues with the genre all the more apparent without doing anything truly new or exciting to really draw the player in.

Orcs Must Die 3 is a captivating, funny, and varied tower defense/action game hybrid best suited to those that don't want to just be armchair generals. But with a massive difficulty spike halfway through the campaign, it doesn't quite find the perfect balance.

As one of the best looking FPS on the market, nothing else can compete with the destruction and visual assault of Battlefield V. However, this great war stands incomplete with many features not yet available at launch.

Phantom Doctrine is the closest we ever got so far to a true spy simulator. With both tactical and strategic missions, deep and complex mechanics, and investigation features, playing the game will make players truly feel in control of a secret organization out to save the world from the mostly deadly world conspiracy ever. The game gets a bit too complex at times, however, so it is definitely not a game for everyone.

With a new engaging story nicely integrated with the main campaign, excellent writing, and new combat mechanics, Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown is a more than worthy purchase for all those who have loved the game. The new campaign's high challenge level and relatively short length of the main quest may put some off, but, everything considered, The Battle of Steeltown is the perfect continuation of an already excellent experience.

Perhaps the softest launch in Activision Blizzard's historic FPS series, Call of Duty Vanguard shows that there's much potential for this year's entry to grow. However with the weakest Zombies mode in series history, a shortage of cosmetics and upgrades for anything save your primary loadout, and a Campaign that could've offered so much more, Vanguard is a tough sell if you're looking for anything than your next TDM fix at the moment.

Life is Strange 2 Episode 2 shows exactly how interactive narrative games can be so powerful. By focusing on your responsibility for two characters and their actions, players can enjoy the heartbreaking story they accidentally unfold.

Nowhere Prophet is a single player, deckbuilding roguelike that manages to balance each of its systems to create interesting, engaging and unique stories. While it isn't without faults, its complexity and intrigue make it something you'll keep coming back to.

Cricket 19 has enhanced beyond Ashes Cricket, Big Ant Studios previous outing and then the best cricket video game around. Enhancements to AI have further improved this, though doesn't completely perfect the game with a few issues here and there. Altogether though, this is still a very strong and polished game and one that any fan of cricket should be interested in.

Regalia: Of Men And Monarchs does quite well what it sets out to do, tributing classic JRPGs by mixing a variety of features and mechanics. While not overly original, the game developed by Pixelated Milk manages to be quite entertaining thanks to the charming characters, lighthearted tone, and challenging battles. If you loved JRPGs back in the 90s, early 2000s, you will find plenty to like in Regalia: Of Men And Monarchs.

This is a fantastic return to form for the well-established series after the mess that was Dead Zone. It brings back familiar elements from the first entries in the series while using its newly implemented roguelike aspect to put players in very tense situations where the next decision may very well end in death.

All in all, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is an affordable and fun experience for Nintendo Switch owners. Not quite up to the standard of a full Resident Evil experience, but not far off either - great to play with gyro controls, too.

GRID is, by and far, one of the best times I've had with a racing game. Thanks to a great mixture of arcade and simulation, with a wide variety of options to let you cater the game to you, it's suitable for everybody. Not only that, thanks to the nemesis system and AI race-master, as well as the 400 unique AI personalities within the game, each and every race genuinely feels different. Simply put, GRID looks, sounds and plays great and is arguably the best all-around game from Codemasters.

Some Kirby fans will undoubtedly have hours of fun with Kirby Star Allies, while many others will be put off by what they might perceive as fairly bland gameplay. With friends and kids, this is a great game to play, but if you’re looking for a hardcore platformer or something that will challenge you, this frankly is not it.

Martha is Dead meets every expectation and exceeds most of them. It is a true ghost story, perfectly designed to demand you keep playing while making you want to stop. Its near-flawless design sets a new benchmark in the quietly, weirdly, horrible.

Some will be disappointed by The Ashes of Ariandel, for obvious reasons, but I relished jumping back in to a game I adore, with one of the greatest bosses of the series.

Oxenfree 2 feels like it relies on its dialogue system a bit too much as its more exciting elements take a backseat. While the dialogue is still incredible, the appearance of these more unique sequences left me often asking where I would be able to find more of the unique time-altering puzzles and surreal visuals that also made it stand out over other games. The character writing is still as good as the first game, but it feels like more could have been done to make it stand above the first game.

The Lamplighters League is an interesting and ambitious, albeit flawed, tactical adventure which invokes the fantastical elements of Indiana Jones (plus you're fighting Nazi's). The blow by blow gameplay is well developed and features interesting and varied characters, in both gameplay and narrative, but is let down by a large amount of repetition. A few technical flaws also let the game down in a market where stronger competition has already done the game thing. It's a decent game, and you could have a good time with it, but one to pick up on discount.

With its interesting fairy tale feel and engaging mix old and modern gameplay mechanics, Stories: The Path Of Destinies is a love letter to action role playing games of years past. The unique narrative style, the choices system and smooth battle system are quite engaging during the first playthroughs, but the limited amount of content eventually makes the game feel a little repetitive. Even with its issues, however, Stories: The Path Of Destinies is a game that's very well worth the time of action role playing game fans

Outriders: Worldslayer provides an exceedingly brief albeit intense story campaign, though its meat is clearly in the vastly improved endgame experience. The Trial of Tarya Gratar, the Apocalypse gear, and Ascension and PAX systems all contribute to a better, deeper endgame. Ultimately, though, the game plays exactly the same as the original Outriders and is unlikely to win over any new fans.

They say an artist's work is never truly done, but with Layers of Fear, Bloober Team and Anshar Studios have completed the Master Opus started back in 2016. With superb UE5 powered visuals, improved writing and some new gameplay mechanics, these journeys into the darkest recesses of the human mind have never been so immersive, although some issues prevent Layers of Fear from being an absolute masterpiece.

Should you buy Strange Brigade? If you have some friends looking to invest some time in this game playing with you (and some money too, since they’ll have to buy their own copies) then yes, absolutely. With pals, this is a great ride. Looking to go solo? Um, it’s a bit more of a hard sell. You can jump in with people online of course, but it’s not the same as your friends being along for the ride.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep pulled me back in after two years away from my guardian with the promise of ever-evolving seasons and new content to play once more. The initial offering was very light on story and loot but I can only hope to see more content come in subsequent Shadowkeep seasons.

One of the best campaigns of the series, and one hell of a solid multiplayer. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare could be the boldest entry we’ve ever seen, though fans of Black Ops III might find Multiplayer and Zombies modes to be too familiar and frankly old-hat.

Keeping to what makes the series so fun and losing some of the unnecessary filler, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is yet another great Lego game by TT Games offering exactly what you've come to expect from these developers.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a dream come true for any Marvel fan thanks to the huge character roster and the serviceable story involving the Infinity Stones. Sadly, the game may not be all that appealing to those who are not particularly invested in the Marvel universe, as the combat and RPG mechanics, while solid, lack depth. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order gets quite repetitive after a while and the lack of content variety also means that even co-op will eventually feel old. A solid effort, for sure, but far from one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives.

Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn feels like a missed opportunity. While the story held some potential, it doesn't go beyond passable at best, its uneven pacing and the lack of meaningful gameplay additions making the whole experience feel dull at times. As such, only die hard fans of the base game will find some value in what is, essentially, an extended prologue with limited appeal.

Iron Danger is a compelling real-time tactics game that's held together by its core feature and a few interesting characters. Sadly, the story is bland other than a few interesting characters and while the core gameplay elements result in a strong tactical game, the controls frequently frustrate and impede the fun you can have.

Steel Division 2 is a game with some excellent ideas, such as the Army General campaigns, the attention to detail and the sheer size of battles in multiplayer and, to a lesser extent, skirmish. Also, it looks great and, despite the sheer size, can be really engrossing to play. At least for the most part, with the game being let down by an incredibly high barrier for entry, offering no help because the tutorial is a sheer Berlin-wall of text and an AI that seemingly decides it's only fair for it to cheat, all of which can take you out of the game.

My Time at Portia is a beautiful, relaxing experience. With the charming art style and plenty of activities to go through, players will easily lose themselves in the game's pleasant setting for hours and hours.

Overwatch on Switch is a fun experience that, while technically having everything from the other platforms, misses the very competitive edge that so many fans want from the game.

You can certainly have fun with SpellForce, particularly the fast paced strategy side of things, but it can feel like a slog at times.

Another Code: Recollection may seem a bit quaint compared to some of the visual novels and narrative adventures that have come along since Cing’s games helped reinvigorate those genres, but there’s an undeniable easygoing charm to these stories, characters, and world. This collection also completely revamps the original games’ puzzles, usually for the better, meaning even Cing veterans are in for a fresh experience. Another Code: Recollection may not break much new ground, but it satisfyingly evokes memories of a simpler time.

Outriders is a fun looter-shooter game where both the action and RPG parts of the formula are exceedingly well done. It does falter at the endgame, though, and it comes with a myriad of technical issues, not to mention an antiquated world structure; bear all of that in mind if you're looking to purchase at full price.

With an engaging story mixing together thriller and comedy elements with occult themes and plenty of dark humor, as well as some interesting characters, Yesterday Origins is a point and click adventure game that fans of the genre will surely appreciate. With the gameplay formula not straying too far from familiar ground, however, the game developed by Pendulo Studios will hardly appeal to those who don't enjoy this classic genre.

Calling First Departure R a full remaster is a bit of a disservice. Though the new character artwork and Japanese voice track are nice additions, this is still very much the same Star Ocean game that fans played a decade ago.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a mixed bag. If you're a Dragon Ball fan, this game will offer so many nice moments and make you occasionally beam from ear to ear. But then during exploration and combat, things quickly become tedious. At full price, it's hard to recommend this game, but when it becomes affordable in a sale, it'll be hard for fans to resist.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG is a worthy purchase for all fans of classic Fallout games, thanks to a well-crafted post-apocalyptic setting, great worldbuilding, reactive world, and solid overall gameplay. The clunky interface, basic combat, verbose writing, and overwhelming amount of status conditions to keep track of damage the experience a bit, however, making Encased a game that only the most die-hard RPG fans will enjoy right from the start.

Draugen is an enthralling series of mysteries wrapped in a beautiful, haunting landscape. Although some of the game might leave you stumbling around or questioning its direction, it's hard not to play it to the end to find out what happened.

With its humorous writing, nice level design, smooth gameplay and multiple references to classic games, Rad Rodgers: World One is a title that fans of the genre will surely enjoy, despite its lack of true innovation, short length and some performance issues on less powerful system configurations.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a huge game. The depths of its mechanics seem to have no limit while the time spent playing it is equally eternal. With complex rules and stripped back tutorials, though, it is not an easy game to jump into to say the least.

Last Year: The Nightmare is a fun, albeit shallow experience that could use more content and reasons to keep playing. In the increasingly crowded market of asymmetrical online horror games, Last Year manages to streamline a lot of what usually makes these types of games so frustrating to play.

Mario Strikers: Battle League delivers the frantic fun the franchise is known for, but it feels like it’s only fielding half a team. It’s hard to overlook the missing characters, stadiums, modes, and mechanics from previous entries in the series, and new online modes and character customization options aren’t fleshed out enough to make up for what’s been left behind. Battle League will likely be worth it for hardcore fans with a good collection of friends to play with online or locally, but those hoping for more may find the game drifts just wide of the goalposts.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope takes the Supermassive Games formula and improves on the previous outing, Man of Medan, in so many ways. With a more interesting story, a strong set of characters, the masterful building of atmosphere and more, you're going to be left on the edge of your seat while playing through this story. The excellent branching narrative, as well as multiplayer options also increase the gameplay value exponentially. This still isn't perfect, the sloth-like movements of characters can be annoying later on and some QTE's are annoyingly cheap, but this is still a brilliant game, one I would recommend to anybody.

Overall, my experience with Wayfinder was pretty average. Unfortunately, nothing about the game stuck out, and there wasn't much that felt unique or groundbreaking. While the dungeons were a lot of fun, and the combat was the main thing that drew me in, it wasn't enough to keep me playing. Hopefully, as the game continues to get updated, new content and features will be added to improve the game.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is one of the best games in the world for doing sniping right, that's something I firmly believe. However, CI Games almost seem afraid of letting the game shine, all too often moving you away from sniping, an action the game is named after. In addition, the game is showing a few issues, such as downright stupid AI and a few bugs here and there. It's a shame because there are good open areas to move around in, the contracts allow you to use your brain and plan the perfect hit and it all looks great while you're on your path to becoming the world's best blood-spatter creator.

Sakura Wars isn’t for everyone, but fans of quirky Japanese imports, or those simply looking for something a bit outside their comfort zone, ought to give it a shot. The game’s action is run-of-the-mill, but its heartfelt character-driven story and polished anime-infused presentation largely make up for that. Sakura Wars may not win every battle, but it stands tall in the end.

With a flow of combat that rivals that of the Doom Slayer, Evil West hits its mark when taking on vampires, werewolves, and everything in between, despite finding the rest of the experience a bit lacking.

A confusing product. It’s too complex and longwinded for kids, but too easy, repetitive, and derivative for most adults. The game was made with fans of the original Cyber Sleuth in mind, but will frustrate those same fans with its rampant rehashing. Hardcore Digimon devotes may find something to enjoy here, but most will want to forget Hacker's Memory.

A solid, yet not perfect, beginning of the new saga, sporting enjoyable characters, that sadly don't get the development they deserved, outside Sophie and Plachta, and interesting mechanics, such as the new alchemy system. Some of the new mechanics, such as the removal of the time limit, do create some pacing issues, but the development of the main characters' relationship is so good that it's easy to look past this issue. Just don't expect to play the best Atelier game ever released.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is easily the best of the series so far. There are clear improvements in gameplay, such as difficulty options and complete control over the camera, which help push this forward. The writing also takes strides forward, with an excellent cast of characters, more realistic writing, and a satisfying narrative throughout. Add the already exceptional abilities of Supermassive Games at building atmosphere, and you have a recipe for a great game - something that I firmly believe House of Ashes is.

Meet Your Maker may grab you for a while with its tricky die-and-retry raids and reasonably approachable building tools, but some frustrating quirks and a lack of depth means the game’s not a lock to become Behaviour Interactive’s next live-service success. Meet Your Maker is certainly worth trying for “free” on PS Plus (and other subscription services it's likely to show up on in the future) but don’t count on constructing a long-term relationship with the game.

By no means a perfect game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is still an improvement on the first. As the series continues to progress we can hope to see some better storytelling, world building and crisper graphics and sound, but for now at least we have an enjoyable experience with some interesting ideas to experiment with.