HyperBrawl Tournament is a good little arcade game. It excels when playing with friends as solo it can get lonely, but you can still have some fun with it against the AI. The gameplay is refreshingly fast-paced, fun and enjoyable. It’s a shame then that it may fly under the radar of the crowd it needs to populate the online aspect.

Sitting between the concepts of both Tetris and Space Invaders, NeuroBloxs is a surprisingly decent game, if indeed one that proves to be overly frustrating and somewhat repetitive in the long run. There’s some baffling design choices as far as its difficulty variation is concerned, but if you can overlook that, a well rounded puzzle-action shooter awaits.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is a bit of mediocre game in very sparkly packaging. I was drawn to the trailer as the transitions to a werewolf looked stunning and I thought this would really be a good play through to test the Xbox Series X. The transitions in the game are quite cool, from human to lupus is neat and the burst into the Crinos form was great at the start. But after you clear a room of enemies with the powerful form you revert back into your human form like nothing has happened and it all feels a bit flat which is a feeling you carry throughout the game.

For those who persist with it, Headliner: NoviNews will likely draw you in and surprise you by how the characters react to every choice you make and the multiple ways their fates can be altered come the endgame. The brevity may put some off and the day-to-day repetition will get old fast, but the control you possess is very engrossing and will be the main reason for you to play through the game multiple times. You may not be plugging at it for long, but Headliner is worth a shot because it makes players feel like their actions matter. What with many mainstream games going through the motions of diminishing returns and marginalising your status, a modest indie title like Headliner will likely remind you that players should be placed at the epicentre of control – so thus, we doth our caps to Headliner as it aptly headlines the crucial component of empowerment in video games, even it comes with a side of a few irksome kinks.

Dull Grey brings an oppressive vision of the future to our screens, with an initially simple-seeming choice system having some hidden depth the more we read into things. It won’t last more than an evening, but the tale and atmosphere make this worth checking out at least once.

Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions is definitely made for a select audience. Unfortunately it’s an audience I don’t see myself being a part of for very long. But if you are passionate about jigsaw puzzles you get a fairly large assortment for the cost of $11.99. Sweet dreams.

La Mulana is a platformer puzzle metroidvania game, with no hand holding. This game is perfect for those who want to be tested to their gaming limits. I found the game frustrating with no real direction in how to tackle the tomb. Controls were very heavy and remind me of the old NES and SNES platformers.

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town isn’t just what I thought it would be as I do love little simulation games. The gameplay itself just feels super repetitive and I feel that I gain little to nothing for my efforts. The sad thing is I can’t even find myself enjoying the grind it takes to make the money to get upgrades to be involved in certain town events. The characters alone are the saving grace for me but they alone can’t force me to stay in Mineral Town for too long.

Overall I found the experience to be enjoyable but short. What good is multiplayer if nobody is playing the game? I literally sat in a multiplayer lobby for the entire time it took me to write this review waiting for somebody, anybody, to join. The controls are simple and it plays well but the developers seem to have chosen a sport that, on its own, just doesn’t garner interest.

If you enjoy arcade-style open-wheel racing, Formula Legends has something to offer you thanks to its retro presentation and its accessibility, along with some strategic nuance with regards to tires and fuel. There’s plenty of content to get stuck into, which is quite surprising for an indie title, but Formula Legends is well stocked to keep you racing on and on. The question of whether you’ll want to continue racing on and on is questionable due to the lack of a damage model and fairly non-dramatic races, but the straightforward arcade pleasures and those playful name spins of drivers, teams and tracks do give you reasons to keep your foot on the accelerator. Formula Legends is therefore competent and fine, though it is overlapped by its stern competition and some of its less-endearing archaic design choices.

If you’re a big fan of the first game then Knight Squad 2 is more of the same. There are a few new game modes that are fun and the variant options allow for some unique customization, but overall this sequel doesn’t really stand out. It’s essentially the same game, with a few new things and missing some stuff from the first game. It can be fun in short bursts or with some friends, but I don’t see the player base being anywhere near as large as the first unless it’s included in GwG or Game Pass like the first one was. In addition, the price tag of $15 seems a little steep for a few new game modes and an updated art style.

Asterigos is a solid debut with a huge world. It just stumbles when it comes to its core combat.

Warsaw is a tough and gritty strategy battle game. It wants to capture the hope and spirit of those struggling through the real historical events of the Second World War in Poland. But I am not sure there is enough of a detach between that theme and the fact you’re playing game. I struggled with the mood of the game and I think was down to the historical era and setting. But fundamentally it is still a tricky and challenging strategy battle game which should appease fans of that genre.

Tin & Kuna may look adorable, but they’re stress balls, and not in the relaxing sense. A joy for the eyes and ears, then, but expect pain in every other part of your body, as you fall off the same platform over and over and over.

I was very surprised by Endling – Extinction is Forever. I enjoyed it for the most part, with a lovely visual style and story, although the gameplay felt a bit repetitive at times which held it back slightly.

The story is quite original and kept me engaged just to see what happens next. State of Mind is well written and does have a lot of quality voice talent, despite some audio issues that persist throughout. The technical performance remains very smooth, though its visual details and its intriguing plot is what holds everything together. By and large, this is a game for those that relish single-player experiences.

All the creative elements of Active Neurons 2 seem to work together in harmony; the music, visuals and sound effects all blend together seamlessly making the puzzle solving a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience overall. Despite a couple of minor frustrations, overall the positive outweighs the negative, especially considering the number of puzzles for the low cost.

Exp Parasite lives up to part of its promise; it certainly is hardcore, if not wholly unique. Even though it’s tough, it’s fair at the same time, only punishing us for our own mistakes and even then there’s still far more leniency than other titles out there. Aside from some average presentation there’s a lot of fun to be had here, proving you’re up to the challenge.

Madden 22 is the next year’s instalment on the franchise and I feel it’s gone back a step. Yes, it looks graphically better, but otherwise it’s really not that much different to previous instalments. The career mode is a roll-forward from previous years, as are the achievements. EA could do so much more with the Madden franchise and it’s a shame they haven’t executed it as well as I’d hope.

Saga of Sins is an action platformer with some nostalgic tones of some of the old Disney platformers on the 16-bit consoles. The sinister vibe of the story is amplified but the interesting stained glass window graphics. The gameplay is alright but nothing too memorable apart from some tricky boss fights. The voice acting although commendable needed some work and the accents and tone used kill the game’s vibe at times.

Some great ideas are hobbled by awkward execution in Winter Ember. For every bright spark there are a handful of quirks and issues that are just too prevalent to overlook. It’s just a shame that the parts don’t form a cohesive whole, and instead we’re left with a game that is stuck in the shadows of the greats.

VALA offers up heaps of action-packed twin-stick shooting madness, with a great deal of content to work toward and unlock. However, the lack of interesting locations, repetitive enemy variations, and the tedious random weaponry system, ultimately holds it back. Better gameplay structure and less grinding would have done VALA some justice.

Immortal Redneck is a good, lengthy game. With its outdated graphics to the side, the game holds its own and deserves a place up there with Serious Sam. Its fast-paced gameplay offers fun, hilarity, and comes with some truly crazy gimmicks. The biggest downside is that it becomes overly repetitive before long.

TopSpin is challenging in many intentional and unintentional ways – the control system is tough to master but there is a great sense of reward to even getting the ball to land where you want it. The online requirements, and some of the more befuddling systems make it much harder to get to the core of the experience.

Not a belting success nor a show stopping flop, Evil Dead: The Game is buried in a misty purgatory that it can’t shake itself out of. The atmosphere is potent, the combat is visceral and strong despite its heaviness, and there’s certainly a good potential for multiplayer pleasures here. But much like the characters’ clothing, sweat-dabbled skin and blood-soaked exteriors, The Evil Dead can start to stink of the same old formulaic multiplayer games we’ve played before. However, if you want a good time with mates The Evil Dead will do in a pinch, just don’t expect this nightmare to last long.

Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising Could have been a massive step up from the first game which was in all fairness a cash grab. But rather than producing a quality product they just released a buggy mess and I can only assume this was because it couldn’t wait any longer. The Series is now on season 5 and this game was to tie in a much earlier season. Fans of the series might consider picking this up but I don’t think I could recommend it.

Phasmophobia has hit the Xbox and brings all its scrappy charm along with it. I think there are people who are going to love this multiplayer horror game, but once the scares wear off, there isn’t a lot to keep coming back.

Crimson Capes is an interesting experiment, where every fight could be a chance for meaty combat, instead it feels like too close to Prince of Persia combat – flailing and anachronistic.

Gem Wizards Tactics for me feels like a half-decent PC game that has struggled to be remade for a console. It’s quite clear that a mouse would make all the menu navigation a lot easier. It would also help explain what all the skills are if you hovered over them. But the clunky controls, impossible menu navigation and weirdly short story mode made me lose interest in this game pretty quickly.

Super Volley Blast hardly goes above and beyond, but it does indeed offer a fun, colorful, and accessible arcade experience nevertheless. I take issue with its lack of depth and its somewhat incompetent AI when playing solo. However, with that in mind, the game just about manages to meet expectations through both its local multiplayer component and its quirky, play-it-safe concept.

Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio manages to faithfully capture the feel of the NES titles of old – both good and bad. It’s easy to pick up and play and can be rewarding at times, but the retro visuals and design mean it can be equally frustrating to play. Good for short bursts here and there, just be sure to bring all the patience you can muster with you.

SYNTHETIK: Ultimate is a decent rogue-lite game but it has made a lot of choices that could compromise the experience based on the player. They have tried to combat this with difficulty modifiers and game customisations, but it’s not normal to have to tweak the game this much before you can play a game without being frustrated. Once you have got past that, the game is a decent challenge and there is some variety on offer. The weak storyline, the unclear level progression and inventory organisation might, unfortunately, might put many off.

Chess Knights: Shinobi is a short simple puzzle game that has put some effort into its graphical display. The chess pieces and the level design captures the Japanese Edo era well enough. The puzzles range from simple and ramp-up to fiendishly difficult quite quickly so don’t expect to whizz through the game with ease.

It’ll be over in an evening, but despite a poor first impression I enjoyed the challenge Kid Tripp brings to the table. The responsive controls, smooth gameplay and muscle memory flow meant it was easy to get hooked; even after my hundredth death the one-more-go feeling was still there. Well worth a look if you’re after something short and snappy to get in to.

Hello Neighbor is a confused game that doesn’t do much to entice those that are new to the experience. There’s a lack of structure in both the story and the gameplay. This alone makes much of the pace rely heavily on trial and error, and although there’s a wide variety of different puzzles to work out, the delivery of each of them can be mind boggling if you miss out on a single detail.

Wind Peaks is a short and easy adventure that can be enjoyed within an evening, it misses out on providing anything besides basic item hunting, but it doesn’t drag on too long to stop you from pushing through to the end. Whilst additional tasks in some levels such as stacking totems or photographing an animal with a camera you found are a slight break in the gameplay, you’ll mostly be doing the same thing over and over. It’s not bad if you want something simplistic, but it could certainly do more to be enticing and exciting and a little more engaging. It’s not a bad start from Actoon Studio, but it’s not quite up there with an Artifex Mundi title either.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a great idea in desperate need of more revisions – it is stealth game in which devolving into frenzied fracas is too easy to slip into.

Narcos is an OK game with few new ideas brought to the turn-based action strategy genre. But unfortunately, without difficulty tweaks or in-game saves this game starts off tough and just gets harder from there. When you can’t be too cautious or throw caution to the wind it really limits the strategy element and instead means the game relies on luck and repetition to progress.

Mable and the Wood is a pleasant adventure with a cleverly thought out combat system. Execution is not always perfect, and the game isn’t without its flaws however overall is still an enjoyable adventure. This is a nice little platformer where you are free to make your own decisions and choose the kind of hero you want to be.

As overGame put in their email to me, Gaijin Charenji 1 : Kiss or Kill is more of an experience than a traditional video game. If you are up for an hour spent questioning what you see before you, before having your mind melted by the mad antics on display, then absolutely pick it up. I fear many people won’t be willing to give it a chance however, and that’s a shame, as it is a unique experience that will stay with you for some time.

Little Big Workshop is a decent workshop simulation game and fans of this genre would enjoy it. However, I feel it could have done with a lot more hand-holding through the game for beginners. There are a lot of tools and tweaks that could be implemented to increase the efficiency of your workshop but with such a brief tutorial a lot of these will be missed and it will cause you to struggle.

Projection: First Light is a tough one to recommend then. On the one hand it has a lovely visual and audio style that draws us in, and the idea of the core mechanic is great. In practice though it’s too fiddly and unreliable to sustain a several hour+ title, and it likely won’t hold the attention though to its conclusion.

Again, I appreciated the retro visual style, and for all the weirdness of the experience I found myself wanting to see what the next ending would bring. That it is so short to run through is a blessing, but once more I’m not sure I could recommend this to anyone who isn’t really into esoteric, indie experiences.

Whilst its mechanical depth leaves a lot to be desired, and whilst it’s far from the most innovative of its kind, The Tower of Beatrice goes on to provide a neat escape room-like puzzler that doesn’t at all outstay its welcome. Those looking for an interesting take on the hidden object concept will pull the most from this, but even so, I would caution against setting expectations too high. It’s fun and unique, but somewhat let down in the long run.

Strong multiplayer props up an otherwise poor showing from Call of Duty this year. The combat and movement is a good as ever, but a woefully dire co-op campaign drags the experience to one of the lowest points in years, and is only mildly mitigated by the End Game extraction mode that has some good to it, albeit marred by not being the main focus of the release of Black Ops 7.

At first glance One Escape appears to be yet another simple platformer. The use of three distinct characters and some fun level design however mean that anyone looking for a short, fun experience should definitely check One Escape out.

Transformers: EarthSpark – Expedition has come and gone and it’s largely an unforgettable experience for me. Transformers are cool and I always enjoying taking control of one and this iteration started out no different. But as the game went along it was too much of the same button mashing patterns with a navigation system that was making me mad having to constantly check. All of the experiences the first time were fine but it didn’t leave me craving more.

Protocol is an alright puzzle game, it’s an alright shooter game, it’s just simply alright. It’s very busy jumping from genre to genre and focusing on atmospheric building and keeping the player entertained using some crude and brash humor at times that becomes stale on replays.

Cosmic Top Secret is a 3D platformer with a unique pulled-from-a-scrapbook look. It is clearly a personal story that I am glad exists, even if I didn’t find it captivating.

While including the Lüscher color test is a neat idea and actually quite well implemented (in our eyes at least), there’s no getting over that aside from this USP, Finis is a pretty basic and simple puzzle game, where the main challenge comes from the controls rather than some cleverly designed challenges. Worth a punt if you’re looking for something to give an evening’s puzzle action, but keep expectations low.

When it comes to episodic games, first impressions are everything. Sadly, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle’s opening episode is a mixed bag of pros and cons. Whilst the art direction is outstanding and the story remains humorously dark, there’s very little complexity on show as far as the game’s puzzles are concerned. Further to that, it’s a relatively short experience that lasts little over an hour. Subsequent episodes certainly need to pick up the slack.

At Sundown sports a tense and interesting hide and seek-like style of play through the use of its cleverly implemented light and shadow stealth system. However, despite its fairly healthy variation across its weaponry, its modes, and its maps, it all falls victim to repetition a lot sooner than expected. It doesn’t help matters that, even on launch day, its online component seems painfully devoid of popularity.

Rush Rover manages to hit that sweet spot in roguelikes of being a good challenge, but also not feeling like it’s wasting the players time every time they have to restart. Some generic visuals and awful music aside, there’s a lot of fun to be had with it – and a few extra easy cheevos never goes amiss eh?

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is obviously a game aimed directly at children. To be fair though that shouldn’t be taken into account when deciding my verdict on the title. At times the game can seem fairly simple, but at others be a frustrating mess considering all the items and abilities that can screw you over in a race. It just doesn’t have that racing vibe that I’m used to seeing in racing games. It feels more hectic and chaotic more than anything. Without a doubt in my mind, my younger self would probably love this game and everything it has to offer. Taking off my nostalgia goggles Kart Racers 2 just isn’t the game for me and that’s OK. I know that the target audience would get a kick out of it and play it for hours on end. I’ll stick to Mario Kart 8 for now.

I have just finished Episode 3 of The Expanse and am unsure how I feel. In this episode, we have just landed at the mining station and you are with Maya throughout – however, at just 50 minutes long, I felt a bit short-changed that it was all over so soon. To be fair, there is a good amount of drama and a big set-piece to cap it off, but at the same time a newly introduced puzzle mechanic is pretty naff and only seems to pad out the already short runtime.

I came into The Survivalists with high hopes, being such a fan of The Escapists. Sadly I came away from my time with it underwhelmed. There’s certainly fun to be had, and the feel of Escapists is here is parts, but some of the elements, such as the lack of storage space when out exploring, kept bringing my experience further down the longer I played. Here’s hoping Team 17 can bring me back in with the eventual (please) Escapists 3.

Jumanji: Wild Adventures takes us back into the world of Jumanji as the follow up game from Outright Games. When it came to actually playing it, I found myself uninterested after just a short while unfortunately. The levels seemed to drag on and any kind of upgrades were boring for the most part. I wanted to like it more than I did but sadly that wasn’t the case. Fans of the first game have all of the same reasons to enjoy this iteration but otherwise I’d say it’s a pass.

Despite the fact that the game is quite unrefined and poorly paced, and overlooking the AI’s rubber band functionality, Meow Motors isn’t half bad. This is one kart racer that certainly caters for the younger audience, and even with its problems in mind, it just about manages to get more right than it gets wrong. It’s colorful, it’s cutesy, and it’s fun when it works as intended, but with more time in the proverbial oven, it could have been much better.

Battle Alliance seems like it will be a love letter to fans of the series with so much content to unlock and so many battles to experience. For those that don’t care for the franchise, the offering is very slim.

Through the Darkest of Times attempts to bring life in the Third Reich into focus, and is absorbingly successful. It’s a shame that its limp presentation will put people off, as there’s a wonderful and strategic board game here, and an even better evocation of what it was to be a member of the resistance.

Out of the Box’s story is oddly compelling, with its characters just interesting enough to keep you going. Its gameplay loop leaves something to be desired, but if you can work through it, there is an enjoyable time to be had here.

While Sonic Superstars demonstrates creativity and innovation in the Classic Sonic formula, it falls short of reaching the heights set by its predecessors. Some levels are just frustrating and not enjoyable. What we really need is simply Sonic Mania 2.

Phantom Fury is an incredibly fun throwback shooter, with awesome weaponry and brilliant encounters throughout that are undermined by a plethora of bug and issues that hampered my time with it far more often than it should have. In terms of my enjoyment in the moment, this has entered the top end of my games of the year so far, but those issues mean I can’t recommend it without heavy caveats.

Real-time strategy games have always struggled on console due to being restricted by the limited input method, such as the controller. Persevere here, however, and you’ll find a deep and engaging RTS with plenty of challenging content to keep you busy for hours on end. Sudden Strike 4 is far from perfect, but it is indeed competent enough to justify a recommendation.

Listen, I am usually the first to play “weird” games or at least give them a go. This one was no different. It wasn’t quite what I expected and that’s okay. And the story has heart so I would encourage players to try it and see for yourself just what others can come up with in the creative space like videogames. If it had more gameplay elements, I’d probably be more keen on it but you may find a hidden gem in this one for yourself. You never know.

Overall and If you want a challenge, then Loopindex may prove a little too easy. If you’re after that satisfying Gamerscore increase, then you’ll likely be in your element, as an hour is no gargantuan task for any player. As for general quality, Loopindex isn’t a standout performer. It gets the basics completed but you shouldn’t hope for anything more.

Spartan Fist is a simple pleasure, what you see is what you get, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll have fun as long as you manage your expectations; it will get repetitious while you grind enough upgrades to make it to the end of the game. As far as mono-mechanic games go, Spartan Fist is enjoyable and recommended.

The Story Goes On is a decent hack’n’slash experience that blends together some interesting ideas and ties them to a steady progression system. The boss encounters remain fun throughout, and there’s no shortage of secrets to uncover. However, the game is somewhat let down by bland visuals, overly repetitive gameplay, and a lack of enemy variety.

Atomic Heist is a good game, but it would have benefited from some extra care and attention to its design. The lack of interesting and detailed environments pulls this game shy of greatness, especially considering the implementation of random generation. Still, the game manages to hold its own ground through its tense gameplay, heavy replay value and diverse pool of pick-ups and power-ups.

Overall, Overpass 2 is a game that looks to bring the world of off-roading to players by offering what developer Neopica believes to be an authentic experience, but it does so without offering anything that truly simulates that experience. At best Overpass 2 is an arcade racer in an off-road setting, with events that slow the pace from the typical racing game, but with controls that don’t allow for a reactive play through, you’re instead left frustrated and bored by the midseason races whilst the visuals take us back to the days of Baja: Edge of Control, and as much as that wasn’t a hit when it arrived again in 2017, Overpass 2 won’t be either for 2023.

Duck Souls+ is an enjoyable game which tests your platforming skills. The difficulty is a bit all over the place – some levels had me stuck for ages, then the next set I breezed through – but I always kept coming back for one more go. Definitely a good choice if you’re a fan of platformers.

Awkward is exactly that, awkward. This is a game that’s hellbent on testing your relationship with those playing by your side. On that front, it can be a blessing and curse depending on how well you can take a joke. Despite becoming repetitive before long, it’s very easy to play, which makes it quite an accessible experience. Though, by design, it’s likely only going to appeal to a specific crowd.

Kings Bounty 2 have tried to add a compelling story and RPG element to this game and it hasn’t been executed very well. The slow-moving character is morale-sapping at times and it is only the strategy battle element that saves it. But considering I got to a point where the enemy is so much stronger than me and there is no way to grind or lower the difficulty, I suspect others may also find themselves giving up in frustration well before the end.

For fans of South Park what we have here can be considered a filler experience. For those itching for a new South Park title this will suffice but just don’t expect this installment to be a worthy replacement for Stick of Truth 2. South Park: Snow Day! is a short and enjoyable experience to be played with another South Park fan. The shift in genre still allows the show to keep its trademark humor while welcoming chaotic multiplayer fun but it’s also that shift that provided repetitive combat and short replayability. At only $30 some might find it a worthwhile pick-up, but it’s more likely you’ll be looking forward to the sun shining elsewhere.

It pains me to write such negative things about this game because now I am even more interested in the Legacy of Kain series after all the research that was required for this review. It’s not that this is a bad game, it’s just that this is a 2003 game in a 2026 wrapper and my score is intended for those who are new to the series. While I think that I’ll complete this game (with the help of a walkthrough), I’m afraid that today’s gamers won’t have the patience or nostalgic memories to allow them to power through the early levels and experience the story. I hope that this and the Soul Reaver remasters did well enough with purchases from super-fans to warrant a full remake of one or more of these games for newer players to enjoy.

All-Star Fruit Racing is a decently structured kart racing game that offers up quite a chunk of content in return for its fairly generous asking price. The main issue here is that despite being fun, much of the content lacks originality, refinement and depth. All-Star Fruit Racing may stand out, but it doesn’t quite manage to stand tall. Those that seek simplicity may enjoy this, but for those seeking more, hold out for Team Sonic Racing.

If you’re on the market for a simple rogue-lite that doesn’t demand too much focus and perseverance, Devious Dungeon will serve you well. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the intricacies that this type of game is usually known to adopt, you’re likely going to feel somewhat disappointed. Devious Dungeon is a passable game at best, but one that’s admittedly fun nonetheless.

Access Denied’s varied and intelligently designed puzzles are bound to excite fans of the genre, and although it’s a very short game, it does well with the few tools that it encompasses. It’s a shame then, that its handling can be all over the place, which simply isn’t forgivable for a game that strongly encourages perseverance and precision. That being said, and for its fairly generous price, you could do worse.

Compared to Inside, Liquid Sunshine does suffer from a few issues; pushing platforms to cross gaps sometimes takes perfect timing, and climbing higher ledges needs to have the correct combination of characters which can be frustrating as their is cue from the game. Audio does get very repetitive as you progress through the game also. I also wanted to give a shout out to the cut scenes, which are presented in a beautiful comic book style that I really enjoyed, and compliment the great humour God As A Cucumber have written.

This is the Police 2’s constant flurry of management objectives helps to keep players on their toes, but there’s no denying that this loop becomes fairly tired before too long. The addition of its strategic battle sequences helps to alleviate this to some degree, but when all is said and done, it’s hard to overlook its repetition. Still, for those that enjoyed the first game, the sequel offers a more refined and better structured experience.

As a debut DLC, The Problem Child does pack in a good bunch of fighters and attires, but foregoes gameplay refinements or bigger new additions in order to satisfy roster cravings. If the assortment of fighters in this DLC impress you, then that’s a promising sign for the game’s future downloadable content, but otherwise you don’t need to pay a third of the game’s RRP to experience it, unless you can’t resist Jake Paul and his alluring social media musk.

The Station looks great, plays well, and builds suspense through its well designed atmosphere. I was quite disappointed with its short length, and whether or not this will be built upon in due course remains to be seen. This is an easy ride for completionists, but will certainly leave those that enjoy a meaty sci-fi serving, wanting for more, much more.

Technical issues aside, Absolver’s deep and innovative combat system, together with its seamlessly integrated social elements, easily stand as the game’s greatest achievements. Unfortunately, the game’s gorgeously ruined world is merely superficial beauty, being that outside of necessary acquisition, there’s little else to enjoy. This lack of overall depth is surely going to have a negative impact on its player count before too long.

Football, Tatics and Glory is a novel football manager game and sets itself apart from the larger franchises by being more compact and allowing you to be more involved in the game with the turn-based action on the pitch. But with a save facility that needs a red card and the action showing more reliance on luck than strategy, this game may struggle lasting the full 90 minutes.

Fade to Silence offers quite an accessible survival adventure that knows exactly when to push your buttons. The game’s seemingly interesting world is full of possibilities and dangers of equal measure, ensuring that there’s always some event to take on throughout. The drawback, however, is that of its lack of polish and mechanical depth, together with its awkward combat. Shame really, with more time in the oven, this could have been a big hit.

Children of Morta has a very compelling story and the way they use death in the game to help progress the story is refreshing. However, there is so much that you need to unlock in the game to try and balance the difficulty in your favour to even complete the first dungeon. This, in turn, ruins the experience by having to play the same dungeon over and over. It is a shame that the same level of effort that was put into the story line was not put into the gameplay, things becomes repetitive quite quickly.

Is it very memorable? Not really.

There’s clearly a lot of time and effort that has been put in to Citadel: Forged with Fire. An impressive amount of detail has gone into the systems and world and for those who get into the swing of things, this will likely hold their attention for quite some time. Unfortunately, the gathering and combat is tedious, the UI and control scheme is maddeningly unhelpful and to achieve anything noteworthy takes far, far too long.

JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party is an auto-runner platforming game where you will be running, ducking, and bashing your way through obstacles to eventually make it to the big concert. The game doesn’t provide enough variety in my opinion and the limited gameplay they do have can be improved (re: timing). Granted, I doubt I’m the target audience so I asked my young daughters and they were more impressed than I so check out the video and decide for yourself!

Apple Slash is one of those simple games where it feels like the developers have put a lot of effort and love into making it and you’ll feel it when you play. I actually wish there was more to play and do. I’m hoping that Agelvik will take what they’ve learned here and bring it to an Apple Slash 2.

Inner Ashes is a game that tries very hard to deliver facts about a terrible real world disease mixed with an emotional story in a videogame and it misses the mark for me. As a walking simulator at it’s core the gameplay is expected to be a little slow, however they can hold their own ground when they come with great stories. Unfortunately Inner Ashes is mediocre for me. I appreciate all of the interesting facts I learned about Alzheimer’s Disease because of this game but the mechanism they used, a videogame, doesn’t quite align with this presentation as something interesting enough to hold my attention.

Royal Roads is a Gnomes Garden game in a different skin, and as such, the same issues found in those titles are present here. I’ll credit the game for its improved handling, for being visually superior in comparison to its related peers, and for its depth of content, but it still falls rather flat overall. If you’re in the market for a deep resource management game, look elsewhere. If you’re just here for more of the same, Royal Roads will serve you well.

In short bursts there is fun to be had with Rightfully, Beary Arms, and once we nab a few permanent upgrades some of the issues are less pronounced. But we simply didn’t find it all that engaging enough to want to repeatedly play and progress, with one-note combat and occasionally cheap deaths.

Wheelspin Frenzy offers a passable racer that functions and performs quite well throughout the entirety of play. The biggest drawback here is that the game is just far too basic to stand anywhere near as tall as its peers. The lack of meaningful progression and the bog-standard visuals certainly doesn’t help in this regard. Though with that said, if you’re simply looking for a quick and simplistic arcade racer, Wheelspin Frenzy should do the trick.

All in all, Once Alive is a promising first outing for solo dev Cem Boray Yıldırim, at least in the potential they show at being able to craft a world that is intriguing and somewhat unique in the crowded genre of the post-apocalypse. Unfortunately, the finished product here leaves too much of that promise on the table, with mechanics introduced and forgotten immediately in favour of slow walking and linear progression, and technical aspects that punch above their weight in not being optimised effectively.

There is some fun to be found in Moons of Darsalon at times, and some of the more balanced levels offer a decent challenge. But too often I found myself cursing at the game for yet again killing me or making me fail more due to the fiddly mechanics than actual game design.

For its asking price Loot Hero DX to me is a game you can play if you don’t have anything to play and you’re just bored. Even so, I got bored playing after an hour after finishing almost everything. It’s a mindless game to play but for someone like me, it can’t keep my attention for long.

There’s a lot to get your teeth sunk into in Tiebreak, but with matches on medium difficulty lasting over an hour, this certainly won’t be a pickup and play game, and with the mentioned issues with gameplay, Tiebreak won’t be something I return to on a regular basis.