As a whole, Until Then is a memorable experience, and one that will stay with you long after its end. The narrative will speak to just about anyone who has ever had to face challenges alone when there should have been someone beside them, but it’s also a gentle acknowledgement that, despite how things may sometimes feel, you don’t always have to go through everything on your own. The story also builds in a quiet reminder that the sun will keep on rising no matter what you’re facing or what you’ve lost, and while this can sometimes be an uncomfortable reminder of one’s ultimate insignificance in the universe, there’s also a strange comfort in knowing that, despite everything, life will always go on.

The Drifter has everything you want from a modern point-and-click adventure – a banging story, excellent characters that are unabashedly Australian, and expertly designed puzzles. It’s one of the best adventure games you’ll ever play and it feels like an evolution for the genre, and Powerhoof deserves all the acclaim about to come its way.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a game so committed to its premise you can’t help but revel in the gorgeous, destructive genius of it all. Constantly building to a spectacular finish and incorporating the most comprehensive post-game experience I have seen in a Nintendo game to date, this is a proper benchmark of brilliance for what a first-party Switch 2 title should be. The world is your oyster – so why not punch it into pieces.

An unassuming but essential bit of art preservation, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is an excellent way to experience one of the best RPGs of the 21st century. Team Asano’s love letter to the genre remains a fresh and engaging medley of systems and theme, even if the new Switch 2 minigames add little to the already wonderful experience.

Ruffy and the Riverside is an impressive debut title and a top-notch 3D collectathon adventure. The texture-swapping gimmick adds a rich layer to the canvas that more than makes up for some spotty platforming, and Riverside itself is a wonderfully weird and gaudy locale well worth exploring.

Yakuza 0 doesn’t do enough to justify its director’s cut title, but the main story arc remains a benchmark for a franchise that has only grown in popularity, so what better time to give it a run on a console that can do it justice.

Raidou Remastered is an enjoyable MegaTen curio that needs a few more ideas to give its real-time combat any lasting appeal.

Immensely self-assured in the quality of its foundation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach masterfully iterates and refines, while introducing considered additions that complement the experience, not complicate it.

Siren’s Rest is an enjoyable, if a little short, dive beneath Still Wakes the Deep’s waves that doesn’t capitalise on its strong narrative, leaving players a little unsatisfied. The premise and setting do manage to build some solid tension, but it never elevates to a genuine scare factor that would take the experience to the next level.

TRON: Catalyst is a solid game for TRON fans to experience. Despite the back-and-forth, the game features a detailed story that is satisfying to uncover as you explore the Grid and factions. The looping glitch is a great addition to the story, and the abilities you unlock throughout the game make the fast combat and gameplay more interesting. And of course, the Light Cycle is fun to use. Ultimately, TRON: Catalyst gives you more insight into the Grid life and what it’s like to be a program.

Near-Mage is an intriguing story in a stunning Transylvanian setting that doesn’t quite live up to its potential due to its underutilised magick mechanics and lack of difficulty. Some adventure fans may appreciate Near-Mage’s simplicity, while others will wish it had more of a challenge.

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.

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.

Mario Kart World stands in stark contrast to the original Switch’s franchise re-evaluation, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Where Link’s first foray into true open world design made for a generation-defining experience, Mario Kart World’s shift is uneven and chaotic, often producing frustrations alongside innovation and fun. A massive leap in fidelity and a lengthy development cycle have shaped a gorgeously realised world and roster of racers to barrel down impressive tracks with a small bag of new tricks. But the time spent between these breathless bouts is unrefined and clumsy, a world built for a console’s lifetime worth of updates that, for now, offers you little more than a freshly paved highway to nowhere. Mind the toll.

Look, maybe I don’t know anymore! It didn’t feel like I was actively having a blast while playing To a T, but now, looking back, I do feel a warmness for it. Some kid might play it and feel less shameful about their own unique shape or way of being in the world. Or it might inspire them to attempt a feat of heroism to win over their bullies. Maybe some fully grown person will become slightly less sad whenever the dog licks their face or dresses them in school uniform. All I can say is that when Giraffe sings ♪ I wake up at 3 every morning to bake the bread for sandwiches ♫ this cute stupidity feels close to perfection.

Despite the game’s issues, many of which I haven’t the space to detail, I could not help but keep playing. Although it feels like Guardians of Azuma would have benefited from a bit more development time, there was enough satisfaction and enjoyment in the steady cadence of explore-build-socialise-rinse-repeat that I simply didn’t want it to end. In good news for anyone sharing these sentiments, to a certain extent it doesn’t end; you can continue to explore, expand your villages, and develop your relationships in the post-game. The main gameplay components fit together like jigsaw pieces, and, if you can look past the issues, on the whole it’s a bit of an unpolished gem – multifaceted, perhaps a little scratched up, but ultimately with some value under those surface imperfections.

A fascinating precursor to FromSoftware’s multiplayer pivot, Elden Ring: Nightreign offers us a glimpse at the thrills, and pitfalls, of adapting the studio’s signature style to meet contemporary standards. Propulsively fun gameplay loops and a killer art direction gently usher in one of the least considered efforts from the studio to date.

You can’t argue against the value of free DLC that expands on an already classic RPG. With more inventive, enjoyable combat and a compelling additional story, Throes of the Watchmaker is tougher, perhaps a tad short, but just as entertaining as the main campaign.

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.

I love to see projects like this in the games space, ideas that are hyper-specific and borne of a deep passion for something, and then given some genuine backing in production. Lushfoil winds up a wonderful game of Show and Tell, where the Show is Matt Newell saying “Look at all these great trees I made!,” and the Tell is a set of handy instructions on how to take a really good photo of them.

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.

I really wanted to love Forever Skies and I’d hoped that it would recapture the magic I felt when playing Subnautica for the first time. The foibles that I’d been prepared to overlook during Early Access became disappointing features in the final release and to be honest, I walked away wishing that the developer had taken more time to polish the experience. It’s been working hard to squash bugs since release and has promised a content roadmap going forward, so by the time you read this some of the issues I’ve outlined may be addressed. All in all, I did actually enjoy my time with Forever Skies and I recommend checking it out if you like these kinds of games, just don’t do what I did – and temper your expectations going in.

Racing after an armed robber, crashing through road signs and dodging civilians, only to jump out of your patrol car, take cover behind your vehicle and engage in a firefight with the crazed assailant is as fun in The Precinct as it sounds. Unfortunately, once they’re in cuffs, the monotony of processing the soon-to-be prisoner drags the experience down. Combined with a shallow story told in an uneven way, the repetitive gameplay loop tarnishes the badge and gives the boys in blue a bad wrap.

It’s an abundance of well written humour that bridges the gap between Skin Deep’s surprisingly deep gameplay and storytelling, despite a few hiccups along the way. I chuckled consistently as each new interaction played out in violent, amusing bursts, popping a few heads and scrambling around the outer hull to surprise an unexpected pirate or two. Sure, it’s not a Sam Fisher scenario, but if you’ve been hankering for a stealth experience with a twist, I can’t recommend this enough.

Game Over is a game bursting with music, colour, and movement which can make for an overwhelming gameplay experience. As players scratch their heads at the impossible rhythm challenges and get to know their instrument-people communities and their humour, they will also battle frogs, use special platforming powers, and all the while try to figure out why their world is glitching. Some will love the zaniness of their situation while others may feel exhausted by the central mechanical and story elements.

An amazing new array of systems reinvents DOOM once again, delivering a bombastic and brutal new way to smash demons. With awesome new cosmic threats dying to meet the serrated edge of your shield, The Dark Ages may well be the best age for any aspiring Doom Slayer.

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.

I enjoyed my time watching the little Tempopo buds flapping about to my unintentionally silly commands, perhaps more so than solving the puzzles themselves. I don’t know what that makes me, but it’s a sign that Witch Beam has crafted more than just another puzzle game to wile away a few hours. There’s a lot of love and care in each element of its design, making it desirable to every level of skill or age.