The return of Kao The Kangaroo after a prolonged hibernation is both a blessing and a curse. Blooming with colour, bolstered by simple pick up and play stylings, and presented as a glittering throwback to the golden age of platformers, all help Kao to blossom beautifully. Yet Kao’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness, as it fails to bring anything new to a grounded genre formula, nor is it long enough to stay ingrained in the memory as it’s over all too soon. You might think it impolite to ask why of all classic platformers did Kao have to come back after all these years, and even though you might still ponder this upon completion, you may just find that this return was well worth investing time into.

Buildings Have Feelings Too! is an early summer comfort – a relaxing puzzle game, with a little bit of city sim, that is worth playing when approached on its own terms.

Bladed Fury is what I would call a sleeper game. Its art style and fast paced 2D action is what help it stand out the most. Beneath that layer however is a game that is missing a more developed story and upgrading and fighting system to keep things fresh. For a game that can be finished in under 2 hours, if you're looking for something quick and easy to play then Bladed Fury is your game.

Compared to similar games within this genre, Kine has far more levels and side quests to play so it is not really a disadvantage that it somewhat lacks the incentive to replay. For a puzzle game it is excellent but the music unfortunately detracts from the theme rather than enhancing it. It isn’t too challenging and the characters and story line are carefully integrated into each level which motivates the player to continue through to the end and makes it more enjoyable to play.

I’m a big fan of competitive shooters and this definitely scratches that itch. This is the first time I’ve played search and destroy only matches. I see a lot of potential in Warface: Breakout, but if My.Games want this title to do well they need to get the Season 1 out soon and fix some of the issues that are currently in the game – feeling like you’re walking in the mud while running, foot steps sounds being hit and miss and time to kill at times feeling unfair.

Aeterna Noctis provides challenging platforming to the metroidvania genre. With a grueling souls like gameplay loop you will have to have to maintain a close eye on your health and be mindful of of where your soul is if you want your skills to progress. I think fans of Hollow Knight will find interest in this game.

All in all Forgone has been super fun for me. Sure, I could nit-pick at some very minor changes but what Big Blue Bubble has made is something awesome and that all platforming fans should give it a look. I think it provides the right amount of challenge for all gamers approaching it.

West of Dead is a beautiful looking cel-shaded game which made me feel like a bad ass cowboy, with a sprinkling of Ghost Rider. I felt some of the hit boxes were off slightly on occasion – I’m don’t think I’m that much of a bad shot… The clever mechanics of cover and using light and dark to “hide” your enemies is a good addition. Rogue-lites can be fun if balanced well and this is a wonderfully put together example.

Nibb Games & Guimaraf Studio have created a superb puzzle platformer in Kinduo. It’s easy enough to blast through a few levels in just a few minutes but that doesn’t stop there being some clever level arrangements or at least some challenge. Exactly the type of indie title I like to see, and well worth checking out.

Double Kick Heroes is a decent rhythm game with plenty of challenge and is considerably tricky to master. It has a fun zombie story line with a nod to Romero’s classics. The metal tracks are decent to listen to if you are a fan of the genre, and it is fun to play along to at the correct difficulty level. It probably would have been easier to play with a makeshift instrument device, but the experience isn’t lessened by playing with a controller.

While Mosaic is on the short side, what’s there is done really rather well. It get’s the message across well, not overstaying it’s welcome or labouring on a point. If you’re in the mood for a one and done experience of an evening, Mosaic will fit the bill nicely.

All in all, Super Destronauts DX -2 is a fun, retro style shooter that will offer those looking for a classic high score challenge plenty to enjoy. Some easy achievements are the icing on the cake, naturally, but this is one game that makes getting that 1000g enjoyable at the same time.

Avowed gets better the more you commit to it, but when there are many RPGs that fly out of the gate with memorable opening gambits, it’s comparatively a bad indictment for Avowed to drone along in an uninteresting way until you plough a handful of hours into it. Don’t allow these negatives to diminish the positives though, Avowed is a strong RPG that will please anybody looking for a good and tasty role-playing steak to tuck into, it just deserved to shine as bright as its beautiful setting, instead of wallowing in middle-tier purgatory.

Saints Row is a new take on the franchise, one that focuses heavily on the RPG aspect of the game. It’s a fun underdog story set in the beautiful Saint Elos about this new version of the Saints. The customization options to make your boss truly your own delivers in such a remarkable fashion. However, it is the number of glitches and bugs that hurt the game’s reputation.

Monster Energy Supercross isn’t the best game that we’ve seen from Milestone, but it’s certainly well worth a visit. Despite some problems with the framerate, and issues with the difficulty of play, there’s hours of fun to be had here. That being said, this is a game that demands perseverance. Lesser patient players may find this more frustrating than it’s worth.

Paperbound Brawlers is a fun, frantic local multiplayer game that just misses the mark due to one of it’s core mechanics difficulty preventing a quick pick up and play approach. More dedicated groups will no doubt find much to enjoy about it though, and the short single player campaign does a good job of preparing you. The visuals are charmingly drawn, and stage design is great – though some make the already difficulty gravitational aspect that much more challenging.

All in all, there’s a lot to like about Greak: Memories of Azur. Combat is fun, traversal is engaging and the tale is told well, with the plight of the characters really sucking you in. There’s a little too much fetch questing going on for my liking, and those respawning enemies can do one, but on the whole this is something worth checking out.

As a newcomer, I didn’t particularly enjoy my time in the realm of Monster Energy Supercross 4. However, this is the same way I felt about all racing games in general. In particular, I would’ve loved it if Supercross 4 held onto newcomers’ hands more throughout the racing process and terminologies instead of having us come in last place every time. Still, I find myself determined to learn how to play and plan to have myself invested in the compound mode in order to learn the right and proper way to race. For long-time players, you may find this to be an enjoyable experience overall as you hop back into a fresh and overall amazing-looking game, but for the newbies out there you’re gonna be in for a rough couple dozen races.

Mayhem Brawler on looks only seems like a standard clone of a side-scrolling beat-em-up. But there is more than meets the eye and that is not just because of the supernatural setting. The story variation with the choice system and the comic strip storyline does make it interesting. It really could have done with online co-op mind, as playing this alone is very tough. Even having a block to use didn’t make things much easier, and it’s something you’ll need to get to grips with quickly if you’ve much hope of completing it.

Tesla VS Lovecraft is a game that doesn’t make you wait to get into the action, constantly giving you more and more powerful weapons to deal with the hordes before you. As a power fantasy, it is great, just don’t expect there to be much more than that, going in.

SIMULACRA is a great horror experience. It might not look it off the bat but I thoroughly enjoyed the jump-scares that this game provided. When the story pulls you in you’ll be surprised at how far down the rabbit hole you go. Shock value and great story line await in this title and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

Knights of Pen & Paper 2 feels more like an extension to Knights of Pen & Paper than that of a true sequel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when we take into account that the first game is a lot of fun, but, poor design choices from the first game do indeed creep into its follow up. By and large, this is a very safely constructed sequel. That is to say that if you enjoyed the first game, you’ll enjoy this. If not, this is highly unlikely to sway you.

In conclusion, Stonefly is an above average indie title that might be best played on a more portable device encouraging smaller play sessions for grinding minerals. I played on Xbox Series S and had no issues with glitches apart from finding my way out of the intended map a few times. The game would have greatly benefited from an additional polish phase since it feels vastly empty at times and can be annoying to navigate. The lack of a usable map and the finicky fast travel mechanics discourage players from investing the time required to obtain all upgrades in a playthrough. However, not all is loss with this title. It is fairly priced for what it offers with a brief story and the time it takes to finish the game. The standout features that I enjoyed the most were the controls for the combat, the original soundtrack, and the unique art style that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Overall, if you like dark, dystopian and gritty gameplay experiences, platforming that comes with a difficulty curve that takes some learning, and controls that are simple enough for even gaming casuals to pick up and want something short enough that you can sit through in an evening or two, then White Shadows may be the next game to add to your list. It’s not revolutionary, and there may be better out there, but it’s a good first effort from Monkel.

The Jackbox games have always been a great accompaniment to a party with friends. It is an icebreaker and way for all your friends to get involved and have a laugh. However, some of the games really do only work with people of a specific personality, and its rare everyone is that similar at the party. While I’m not overly keen on Talking Points and The Devils and The Details, I think Quiplash, Champ’d up and Blathers are going to be the main winners here to encourage fans to buy the new pack, making the price of entry worth it – especially if you’ve got a gathering (virtual or otherwise) coming up soon.

I am pleasantly surprised coming out of G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout after playing through the 17 story missions multiple times. Once you gather the controls it’s a simple game with decent visuals and audio that can entertain you for hours. I wish the game offered more than local co-op only but those with friends should be able to enjoy it together cooperatively and competitively.

A solid little platformer made in the image of games almost as old as the Mayan Ruins themselves, but with modernised controls that make it feel refined.

From the number of different elements in battle, the amount of choices in paths and story, the maintenance of your party and making sure you keep a supply of Strixes for survival, Ash of Gods: Redemption is designed for those with a tactical mind. The story is well written and makes you try hard to keep your characters alive to survive the Reaping. But it is quite unforgiving and can be too difficult, which could be quite frustrating for some.