Taking the world established within Gold Club: Nostalgia and pivoting to the platforming genre, The Cub is a continuation of a stunning visual style and a contemplative narrative that feels more topical than ever.

Paper Trail is a perfect example of a simple but engaging mechanic done well. Its difficulty is spicy enough to make you feel like a moderate origami genius, but not so difficult that you want to throw your crudely crafted swan into the fiery pits of hell. Folding reality itself may perhaps have lent itself to a bit more metastory meat, but a chill colourful aesthetic and a nice feeling of momentum should be more than enough to sate the average puzzle fan.

A playable vacuum is enough of a sell for me. Still, the goofy premise, excellent level design and entertaining gameplay ensures that Justice Sucks will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys chasing a high score.

Bokeh Game Studio's debut horror title is a game entirely out of time with its genre contemporaries and all the more wild, compelling, and beautiful for it. Satisfying combat and a generational eye for tone and design collide in the year's strangest beast.

Crysis Trilogy Remastered brings a previously ambitious line of games into the spotlight of consoles. The "Can it run Crysis?" meme will live on in our hearts forever, but these remasters show that many things can now run the infamous shooter.

Monster Hunter Rise is a big step forward for the Monster Hunter series, both in terms of its design and the quality of its PC port. The port is nothing groundbreaking, but the MH team has done themselves proud with this, and I’m just glad to be able to play this game at a high framerate.

Nioh 3 makes minor updates to the formula that was so successful in Nioh 2 but transplants it into a time-travelling open-world adventure. Asset recycling is a little egregious, but it's a tough new Nioh outing that fans of the series will eat up.

Creating a grand interplanetary civilisation is one thing, but managing the needs and supplies of the subjects is tough work. Before We Leave makes logistics an easy, streamlined process through an intuitive UI and readability across its design. The fun lays in ironing out the kinks in your immense system and achieving a sustainable economy, all to overcome impending doom. While there is some underlying mundanity, the overwhelming joy and optimism the game extrudes from the player cannot be understated. And hey, if you grow tired of the system, you can always sabotage it from the inside to try and teach your Peeps to live free and naked.

The HD-2D Remake renaissance is, gladly, here to stay. This glowed-up pair from Dragon Quest’s origins look, sounds, and feels fantastic while balancing innovations and classic frictions.

Rain On Your Parade encourages you to take something cutesy and adorable, and find your inner evil. Drink deep of the chaos a simple rain cloud can impart on the world as you ruin weddings, start fires and bring about the extinction of the dinosaurs. At the core of it all, ruining someone’s day has never been more fun.

Not at all what any Bayonetta fan might have expected, but when freed from the expectations of the franchise, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon stands on its own two feet as a charming, worthwhile, indie-inspired puzzle adventure game.

Busting a nut-based mystery such as this one involves two parts: clever thinking and intuition. NUTS is a beautiful game, in aesthetic, design and atmosphere.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute demands its pound of flesh in terms of initial difficulty, and many will find this off-putting. But persist and you'll be rewarded with a unique roguelike rhythm-based FPS with a metal soundtrack that slaps harder than the hand of God.

Those that love Mahokenshi will adore the fully realised blend of deck-building and digital board game, but will forget the threadbare mythological Southeast Asian theming.

Dandy Ace is solid roguelike that should appeal to fans of the genre. It’s a shame the story can’t be as magical as its setting and appearance, but at the very least the combat is engaging and the option to play your way is a welcome addition. If you’re willing to invest some time, there’s much to discover within.

This sequel to an already-decent entry in the Atelier franchise makes improvements in just about every area, giving fans good reason to reunite with Ryza and pals for another alchemy-filled adventure.

Smart puzzle design, stylish visuals, and a charming story make Midnight Girl a great option for those wanting an intriguing adventure experience.

It is very easy to get swept up by the plastic fantastic iconic imagery of the Hot Wheels franchise, with a clear dedication to true-to-life model cars, this game is a lot of fun if you don’t take it too seriously. Overall I enjoyed my time playing as multiple different vehicles, including bikes, however, my inner child may have found it repetitive outside of the custom building content. This game is sure to bring smiles to many small gamers’ faces as they zoom around the tracks, and I truly believe that is where this game will shine – with its intended audience, children.

Hell Is Us has a unique tone and setting that complements a deep combat system and exploration puzzle elements, but its complex layout and crisscrossing sidequests may have you begging for a map that the game proudly withholds.

Don't Forget Me is a highly polished short story hindered by its forgettable pixel art style, but its short length plays to its strengths. Highly recommended for fans of the cyberpunk genre, and for anybody keen to have their morality tickled.

With a heaping of exploration, a pinch of turn-based JRPG and wonderful visual novel finish, Haven takes its varied inspirations and bakes them into something sweet, layered and extremely satisfying.

Flaws and all, Ghostbusters has always been one of my favourites, but its video game history has been spotty at best. Luckily, Spirits Unleashed is easily one of the best iterations of the brand, an engaging multiplayer experience that both makes you really feel like a Ghostbuster but makes the task of being bad guy just as fun if not more so. It isn’t perfect, nothing across the history of busting ghosts has ever been, but the inclusion of bots and hopefully some future content updates means this isn’t going to die an unfortunate early death and become just another entry in Tobin’s Spirit Guide.

Pragmata is a surprisingly great homage to late-2000s survival horror and platforming classics with enough identity and sauce to shoot for the moon.

Grime packs a mean punch in both its platforming and combat, with a visual design that's worth writing home about. Its mediocre Metroidvania aspects are what keep it from being a must-play, however.

Oddworld: Soulstorm isn't without its issues, but the good far outweighs the bad. Its crafting system will prove controversial, but it is an overall boon to the game. A visual treat through and through that hits its stride after the first few levels.

I’ve already fired up a new save file just to get a taste of those first few hours where the way I ran my mascot business really mattered, and to re-experience the joy of immersing myself in Kaso-Machi and all of the strange and wonderful folks living there. There’s just something so oddly wonderful about this work, an unmistakably scrappy “indie” texture that permeates the piece. Go in expecting not to roleplay a savvy manager and talent agent, but to cosplay one in a world where a guy can be made of road signs and an asexual ex-yakuza can be hit on by a Tetris block.

Botworld Odyssey is the perfect creature-collecting game for all ages at any level of expertise, thanks to its fun and simple gameplay. Despite its repetitive nature, it has an abundance of Bots, enemies, biomes, quests, and game modes for players to experience for hours on end. Most of all, it has an interesting story that you can uncover at your leisure with no need to rush.

Focusing on having fun above all else, Riders Republic’s excellent open world, great disciplines and a huge amount of variation will keep you shredding snow and blasting through berms for a long time.

While A Fisherman’s Tale is shorter than many people’s daily commute to work, its abundance of charm and clever use of the core puzzling mechanic make it a VR title worth cozying up with on weekend afternoon.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is another excellent addition to Capcom's remastering efforts, keeping all the interesting tension and charm of the original title while allowing it space to flourish with quality of life improvements and gorgeously realised art.

Date Everything! is a fun experience where you can truly date everything – from your computer to your sink, to that teddy bear you’ve kept for years. This dating simulator is a great introduction to the genre, and it makes the time fly by when playing. Each character you come across is a new object with a unique personality, and it is such a blast discovering all 100 of them. Has this game made me question every object in my home in the real world? Absolutely. Now I can’t help but think what personality my shower has and if my bin hates me. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fans of the Syberia series and adventure games in general will find a lot to like about Syberia: The World Before. Its heartfelt narrative allows for a much rawer Kate Walker and Dana Roze, the puzzle design is simple and clever and the city of Vaghen is full of intrigue and charm. The team at Microids should be proud of the send-off they’ve helped create for Bênoit Sokal.

For all it does to add value to the existing package, smooth over existing bumps and enhance presentation, FANTASIAN’s PC and console release is held back slightly by some of the fundamentals of the Apple Arcade original. But at the end of it all, Neo Dimension absolutely feels like the definitive version of an already-excellent little RPG that looks fondly back on Hironobu Sakaguchi’s gameography without using nostalgia as a crutch to skimp on innovation.

Although the formula is bordering over-familiar at this point, it’s been long enough between entries that this return to the Mario & Luigi series is incredibly welcome. It manages to feel fresh enough with interesting new wrinkles that play on this new world and story’s overall themes, and its obsession with fraternal bonds results in probably my favourite take on the Bros. to date.

Taking the best parts of a card battler and classic ‘match three’ board busters, Demon's Mirror manages to create something familiar but still fiercely unique and unquantifiably vast.

Revenge of the Savage Planet already looked to end on a pitch-perfect note, rewarding the time and effort I’d put into erecting an entire outpost – inclusive of my own customised living quarters and several small zoos – with utter abandonment. But then it managed an even greater late-game twist. One that’s inward-looking, AI-critical and ends on a credits song about shitting and pissing on company time. It’s exactly as dumb and brilliant as that sounds.

This interactive crime drama packs a unique visual style and some gripping moments dealing with mature themes. The choices you make are crucial to the fates of two families, but the impact is more keenly felt in the first act than the second.

Through a great soundtrack and entertaining story beats, SkateBIRD proves that you don’t need to always look to the skies for a game to leave a lasting impression.

Part physics-based, slapstick open world walking sim, part satire of the worst parts of modern gaming, Baby Steps is a stumblecore banger that only those with a penchant for punishment and hyper-realistic donkey dicks will manage.

A brilliant new playable character makes re-experiencing the beautiful brutality of Cuphead a worthwhile prospect. The expertly designed bosses are a delight, even if the experience ends up being a bit of snack rather than a full meal.

It’s refreshing to play a game so carefree and quirky as Miitopia that also allows you to customise the experience for whatever level of wackiness you need in your life.

Completely Stretchy is the perfect game if you are looking for a couple of hours of fun on your own, full of laughs. Its simple 3D platforming gameplay with your stretchy arm makes it easy for anyone regardless of gaming expertise to master. Despite only a couple of hours of gameplay, it’s just enough time to uncover a simple story and live amongst bizarre characters doing weird things in even weirder locations.

This world that MoonHood has crafted captures the way those darkly comic stop-motion pieces invite us to a curious and frankly frightening place beyond reckoning, and ask us to simply accept what we’re seeing with little context or history. It’s art that has negative space, and it’s in that negative space that the imagination plays. We’re invited to observe strange rituals and customs, to break bread with the grotesque and the macabre, and to live by the light out of respect for the dark.

This is a game where you play with cards – but it is not a ‘card game’. This is a narrative adventure where your outcomes and relationships manifest by way of interactions, and the cards will absolutely influence such a thing. It is divination by its very definition – seeking knowledge of the future by supernatural means. That future is yours to mold by the choices you make and the connections you shape.

Jusant is a gorgeous and relaxing puzzler with well-design climbing mechanics that evolve over the course of a very tight five-hour runtime.

Medieval Dynasty is a gorgeous survival/crafting and town management adventure game that satisfies our primal urge to create, build and form a community. After spending a year in early access, the ‘full release’ definitely has a solid foundation, but some mechanics could have used a bit more time in the oven. If you’re prepared for a long term investment, you’ll reap a fantastic reward.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero does a decent enough job in carrying on the legacy of the 3D arena fighter, with some fun if slightly tricky mechanics and a story mode that does just enough to be enjoyable in its own right. Ultimately it serves its purpose as an entertaining slice of the animated series, despite not feeling wholly unique to the franchise. I would have loved an even broader story mode, allowing a greater number of the available roster to be playable, but fans of the previous entries in the series will no doubt flock to this modern iteration solely to play online. Time will tell if there’s longevity here, but as a total package there should be more than enough to appease even the most die-hard of Dragon Ball fans.

Civilization VII is an excellent turn-based strategy game. As a Civ game, it looks and feels the same as its predecessors but with enough changes to leave long-time fans with something new to learn and hopefully cherish. At times I felt at odds with the decisions, but I always come back to the fact that I still enjoyed my time and will absolutely keep playing this game long into the future.

There’s nothing abhorrently wrong with Soul Hackers 2, it’s a solid JRPG with plenty to like, but nothing here feels as unique or creative as it could be given the source material. Fans will no doubt still enjoy it, but it’s a missed opportunity to push the boundaries further.

Although the enhancements may be minor, The Sinking City for PS5 is the slickest and most enjoyable version of Frogwares Lovecraftian detective adventure to date.

Redeeming a fantasy metropolitan police department is a strangely pedestrian setup for a JRPG. Forgettable plot aside, Zero features some of the best writing and character narratives in the genre.

Behind the Frame is a subtle and evocative tale that explores the lives of two artists, their relationship and what inspires them to create. The short experience is made memorable by the high-quality animations and the mood setting melodies. Puzzles may be easy, but it’s clear they are intended to be vectors to experience the story, rather than hindrances. A perfect game to unwind with your drink of choice and get lost in.

Despite it feeling really late in the game to drop this HD re-release, the simple fact is that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a masterclass in tough-yet-exhilarating platforming, and the Switch is now the best place to play it all over again – or for the first time.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar offers steady and reliable gameplay with an excellent balance between consistency and novelty that keeps you engaged through its many hours of content. There are plenty of small details and design choices which help to elevate the experience, and while, equally, some of the game’s systems could use a few tweaks, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

The original PowerWash Simulator was my go-to chill out game for the longest time, and I’ve no doubt PowerWash Simulator 2 will fill that some role for quite a while. But this go around I’m also much more drawn to playing it like, well, a video game. There’s just enough new depth here to tease out a bit of strategy and self-imposed challenge, and I’ve enjoyed rising to it – especially when there’s a scissor lift handy.

11 Bit Studios strikes again with a fresh take and setting that borrows from the brilliant mechanics of This War of Mine and sends them into space.

As the lyrics from the song Reunion asks, was it worth it all? I can happily say, yes. Despite its problems, Goodbye Volcano High is every bit worth it, and I’d happily spend more time with Worm Drama if I could.

Halo Infinite's campaign closes a few doors and opens some others, and even if the open-world stylings could be better integrated into the overarching gameplay design, it's a title that pays homage to the past while looking to the future. The refined and addictive multiplayer is a certifiable breath of fresh air, even if the menacing wind of microtransactions blows simultaneously.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles' one-two punch of newly-translated ports is a fantastic package for both newcomers and long time fans, even if it falls prey to longstanding pitfalls. A compelling narrative stacked with an eclectic cast and top-notch writing drives a satisfying, if simple, gameplay loop that's like little else in the genre.

With a narrative that offers more hits than misses, New Tales From The Borderlands is a modern, gorgeous glimpse into what the nobodies of the Borderlands universe get up to on their shittiest days.

I didn't think it was possible, but Ready or Not’s unique thrills and overwhelming controls have adapted well to the PlayStation 5.

It’s nice to play a Pokémon game that feels like it was made with love. Pokémon Legends: Arceus sure is not perfect, but it’s a loving attempt to take the series in a different direction, and it mostly nails it.

Lords of The Fallen delivers on the macabre, challenge, and exploration hallmarks of the Souls-like genre. It thrives in the eerie shadows of its obvious inspirations and shines a light on its best features by reimplementing most of them with the benefit of the sexy set dressing brought to life in Unreal 5. While the combat often frustrates when foes begin to crowd, Hexworks seems aware of this with its placement of enemies and world layout. Venturing between the living and the dead with the lamp transcends novelty. Surviving with a partner in tow is also exhilarating. If you can make it past the dense player onboarding that assumes you’ve beaten Dark Souls, then you’re likely to experience the best imagining of a Souls sequel this side of FromSoft.

Lone Ruin nails the brief on what makes an appreciable roguelike – combining a slick and sexy aesthetic with a core gameplay loop that can be rapidly picked up, but is deep enough to beg for mastery.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl take me back to a simpler time in Pokémon where Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing didn’t exist. It’s a wonderful reminder of how far Pokémon has come and it feels like a love letter to arguably the most formative generation of Pokémon.

Scarlet Nexus surprises with its ecstatic, colourful combat and cast of characters. However, experiencing the story is a test of endurance due to its dull presentation.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl take me back to a simpler time in Pokémon where Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing didn’t exist. It’s a wonderful reminder of how far Pokémon has come and it feels like a love letter to arguably the most formative generation of Pokémon.

After a slow start to the series, The Devil in Me is a satisfying end to The Dark Pictures’ first season with its fascinating setting and improved gameplay leaving me excited for the second season.

Despite some minor design flaws, Golf Club Wasteland is a solid, if depressing, round of golf on post-apocalyptic Earth.

The gameplay loop is the (black) heart of this game. While the narrative undoubtedly wraps a beautiful black bow around the whole, the core fighting and ability mechanics unite everything in a cohesive and affecting experience. The level of quality is surprising for a small team of four working in New Zealand, representing an impressively solid introduction to Hyporeal’s work and I’m actually scared of what they may accomplish in future. A final word for players and game publishers out there: pick up Blackheart before the world does.

Trigger Witch’s twin-stick action and RPG elements scream for a more defined identity, but that’s more than made up for by the game’s incredible aesthetic discipline. A lesser development studio would have tried to run with the idea of G-rated fantasy with [REFUSED CLASSIFICATION], but Trigger Witch is clever enough to let it all happen naturally. It’s a loud, proud, blood cloud of an action game that anybody with an interest in the genre needs to check out.

If one were to look at Darktide as a foundation for Fatshark’s newest co-op shooter legacy, you’d be impressed at the sheer girth of it all. This is a title that comes with a fat promise of more great things to come, while already awash in a sea of great things to see and do. Short of some critical failure on Fatshark’s part, I really can’t imagine a future where Darktide doesn’t establish itself as another fantastic team shooter experience for fans to enjoy for years to come. It is a great many things – gorgeous, fun, rewarding – but one thing it is not, is lacking ambition.

A unique, thoughtful narrative puzzler with a mind-bending recursive twist that succeeds by focusing more on evoking its themes than unpacking them. Some minor lapses in polish aside it's a short, sharp hit of emotion and wonder that should be on every indie puzzler fan's list.

A fast and fun action platformer that effectively utilises its core gimmick in inventive ways, Gunbrella is the noir punk indie that you should be looking to play when the weather calls for a coat and a brolly.

Almost like an alternate universe cosplay, Ghost Song is a game that aims to appeal to your nostalgia for the old school Metroid series, while mixing in some additions from recent iterations of the genre they spawned. A few minor missteps don’t detract from an otherwise sensational package, which has a giant, charming and weirdly adorable heart.

Regardless of how synonymous the characters now are with their big-screen depictions, this version of the Guardians of the Galaxy is far and away my favourite. The exceptionally well-written story is backed by a cast of unique and complex characters whose interactions with each other are equally hilarious and heartfelt. The fun and frantic combat may take some warming to, but the reliance on team synergy is thematically rewarding and visually impressive. Looking past the few technical issues and outdated exploration, this is an action game that will appeal to comic fans and gamers alike.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a story-rich, isometric stealth game that features heavily realistic close-up cutscenes, simple controls, layered depth and detail that creates an immersive experience. As you traverse through various locations, plan your strategies, sneak, and knock out many enemies, you’ll uncover just how far siblings will go for each other.

If what you want is to re-experience Horizon Zero Dawn – or experience it for the first time – with some of the prettiest visuals you’ll see in modern gaming, this will get you there. But more than that, if you’re interested in game design and production, especially on the artistic side of the process, it’s a fascinating look at what is arguably a “best-case” remastering effort where ambition and capital were clearly in abundance.

Dordogne’s strengths lie within its storytelling, making it very easy to empathise and resonate with the protagonist’s journey. I definitely recommend this to any gamer out there wanting a relaxing but intriguing game experience.

On the pitch, EA Sports FC 24 provides a promising foundation for EA to build on thanks to some strong gameplay improvements, but off the pitch it still needs a bit more love.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but there's no denying that on the track GRID Legends is a fun time.

With writing this outstanding and characters this endearing, Zero fans get a satisfying conclusion to the Crossbell saga minus the sense of déjà vu.

Sand Land manages the tough task of translating an enjoyable story without overdoing the open-world mechanics in the process. It’s rough in places but is a respectful adaptation of Toriyama’s work and a pleasant experience throughout.

An unapologetically cinematic descent into the darkest parts of the human mind, Indika is a unique and crunchy little experiment that comes alive in its ideas and tone if not always its gameplay.

Hymer 2000 eschews traditional storytelling, instead offering players the opportunity to piece together a fragmented narrative using the very computer terminal that you have been sent to decommission. A starkly haunting exploration of what it means to be human, the experience will stay with you long after its end.

Despite some troubled animations and controls, Copycat plays its emotional journey excellently. As a cat owner and someone who has lived somewhat similar events in recent times, its tale of love and loss hit hard, but was a journey worth taking.

Constantly forcing you to balance risk with reward, Extraction is a difficult and tense co-op experience that scratches the tactical itch but lacks any long-term staying power.

Cronos: The New Dawn is easily Bloober Team’s best original work, delivering a challenging sci-fi survival horror experience with brutal combat in an immersive and tense setting. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t quite nail the resource management that would elevate it to greatness.

Bramble: The Mountain King is a beautiful, charming and disturbing interactive dark fairy tale that is undone slightly by some dated gameplay moments.

With a striking hand-drawn art style and challenging puzzles, Children of Silentown is a decent romp for those adventure game fans seeking a dark journey.

Outer Terror is a daring and defiant ode to the beauty of retro horror, delivering an arcade experience that is familiar but unique enough to keep you digging further.

Penny’s Big Breakaway manages to create an enjoyable platforming experience, despite some glaring flaws. As a package there’s still plenty of entertainment to be had, a handful of cutscenes do a solid job of telling the tale and a banging soundtrack nicely backs the colour on screen. It does lose some of its magic towards the end, when all the creative ideas run low its the boss battles that carry it through, but despite my worst frustrations I still had a fun time here. It’s an experience I wish had a bigger backing, maybe some voice overs or a bolder overarching story to Penny’s adventure. Ultimately, Evening Star’s debut doesn’t hit my lofty expectations, but if colourful worlds and a bit of old-school shenanigans are your thing, you’d do well to give Penny and her sentient yo-yo a crack.

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante hits all the right notes of a choose-your-own-adventure game, with just enough of its own spin to stand out from the crowd. A dark fantasy world rife with pseudo-historical politics and tensions are just the icing on the cake.

Despite a slightly tangled narrative and some very uncomfortable sexualisation of female characters, Majogami offers an engaging action adventure that drips imagination and flair. Once you’ve gotten the hang of combat, prepare for some impressive boss fights.

Mario Party Superstars offers a great package of classic boards and minigames that looks and plays great, but it's also a little too safe and comes with some annoying structural decisions.

Standing out among the Metroidvania crowd is tough, but with satisfying combat, great platforming and a cleverly designed and well thought out world, F.I.S.T. more than manages to stand on its own lucky feet.

Taking inspiration from the Tower of Babel mythology, Chants of Sennaar provides an intriguing puzzling experience with a striking visual style that stumbles slightly with unnecessary stealth sections and oversized environments.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is a reasonable continuation of the franchise, its sniping highs remain as amusing as ever thanks to some neat environmental gameplay, but much of its content rehashes what came before instead of evolving the series concept for a true next-gen sequel.