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.

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

With nothing more than a thumbstick and a face button, Cocoon demonstrates an elite level of game design and mechanical proficiency that few others in the genre could ever hope to achieve.

A relatively quaint expansion that doesn’t really strive to do much beyond adding some Pokémon and telling a small, nice story. Still, it is victim to the horrendous technical woes that plague the Generation 9 games, as well as some strange balance choices that make the early periods of the expansion feel quite weird.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a gorgeously crafted love letter to the memory of the franchise, establishing a vibrant new world but coming up a little short on ideas to match it.

Turn 10 has displayed its technical proficiency and understanding of the sim-racing genre once more with this stellar entry into the Forza Motorsport series. It is a shame that an always-online requirement casts a shadow that looms over what is an otherwise genre-defining game.

A pixel art treasure-hunting adventure title with a pirate theme and boatload of charm, Bilkins’ Folly gets lost and digs holes in the wrong spots, but ultimately finds the booty.

A solid strategy experience isn’t quite enough to elevate Days of Doom past its more varied competition on the indie market, but there’s just enough meat on the zombie bones.

The Crew Motorfest crafts a stunning playground for its refined array of vehicles but never fully realises the potential of its new toys.

CD Projekt Red completes its redemption arc with an essential, meaty, and ultra-fine-tuned DLC expansion that elevates every aspect of Cyberpunk 2077.

NetherRealm Studios has scooped up all of its favourite toys and re-distributed them across the playroom in a way that has revivified the Mortal Kombat experience, birthing perhaps the most solid and enjoyable fighting game I have ever encountered.

Despite its undeniable use of core FromSoftware mainstays in building its foundations, Lies of P emerges as so much more than a simple imitation. The game’s origin points, both expected and strange, belie the clarity of vision that is found throughout almost every aspect, whether borrowed, adapted, improved upon, or wholly original. Round8 proves itself more than capable of pulling the strings, which makes the game’s absolutely fucking wild post-credits tease all the more exciting and hilarious. A delightfully mean world inhabited by equally spiteful creatures and a bevy of sharpened tools with which to go hunting, Lies of P is a tremendously fun surprise.

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.

If you’ve been waiting for another lifestyle game to sink countless hours into, Fae Farm should be on your list. It’s fun for all, allows for plenty of customisation and sprinkles plenty of magic over the top for good measure.

Enchanted Portals copies almost everything about Cuphead, except for the precision of its mechanics, the tightness of its design and the enjoyment gleaned by mastering it. All the good bits really…

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.

If you’re someone who enjoys third-person survival horror action titles such as Resident Evil and are looking for something to play over a weekend, then Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle’s 10ish-hour campaign may scratch that itch. There are some good ideas here, such as the Frost Grip, but the lack of execution and polish, and some poor core mechanics, means that this is best saved for a bargain price and a rainy day.

Verne: The Shape of Fantasy isn’t a bad game by any stretch. There are some neat moments and ideas, and the pixel art style is a delight, but the overall experience does little to stand out among the crowd in a genre teeming with creativity.

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.

Firewall Ultra sticks to what works and is very satisfying, but missed opportunities hold it back from truly being the ultra tactical VR shooter.

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.

Starfield is a magical, if a little clumsy, first journey to the stars for Bethesda, the RPG maker reminding us of the power of player freedom, engaging writing, and just a little jank.

Sea of Stars is a breathtaking ride through familiarity and originality, engaging in its mechanics and colourful in its story, culminating in some of the best twists and turns of any RPG I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

While the fear factor may not go all that far, the gameplay experience in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is smooth as butter and flows like claret from a freshly opened artery.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon emerges ablaze with FromSoftware’s best impulses. Demanding and rewarding combat is bolstered by series signature customisation and player-driven storytelling to form a masterclass in design philosophy and raw fun.

Through this occult management simulator l was challenged like never before, navigating magic, zany challenges and the offbeat humour that aims to thrill and vex it’s players. Call me a masochist, but I had fun.

Putting wrestling and turn-based RPGs in a can they co-exist tag team style was an excitingly bold move that unfortunately ends in a heel turn and a crowd leaving early to beat the traffic.

Immortals of Aveum is an enchanting battlemage adventure and a satisfying spell-shooter in a breathtaking world filled with annoying personalities.