All in all then, I had a really great time with Archaica: The Path of Light. The puzzle difficulty is pitched just right, it allows us to solve puzzles at our own pace and it has a brilliantly executed hint system that still encourages thinking about a solution rather than just giving us the answer. Some minor control issues aside, I’d highly recommend picking this up, especially if you’re after something to unwind with after a long day.

Brutal Rage does share some basic common themes with other games of this genre, but seems to lack the overall appeal and replay value due to its repetitiveness and absence of variety in gameplay and development. Perhaps, with some slight alterations, it could potentially transform into something rather enjoyable and entertaining, but in its current condition it just feels like a very dull and lengthy demo. It has promise, but is missing the unique qualities that would make it distinctive, such as an expansion of the above mentioned fight-talk-walk game mechanics or any development of the original concepts. Thank goodness for the local co-op option making it much more motivating and rewarding to play as a team and share the endurance of surviving the inescapably drawn-out captions!

If you’re into tough, obtuse adventures that may or may not reward you for exploring and soldering on through multiple deaths, then there’s a good chance you’ll jive with Cryogear. If it’s more of an action type platformer you’re after though, then absolutely steer clear. The lack of direction, the unclear inventory and crafting system and combat mechanics will likely have you reaching for the off switch soon after starting.

Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe+ for me is a sound 3D platformer and is not over-complex, though it does seem to have confused its target market somewhat. With its simple story and cute graphics, you would think the game is aimed at the younger generation. But with the tricky combat and awkward jumping at times, you would need to be a slightly more accomplished gamer to be able complete some areas, as it requires a level of nerve and patience the younger generation don’t usually have.

Beholder 2 is something unique and different. It’s an easy and simple game revolving around becoming the top dog. In the beginning it’s dark humor can be pretty entertaining, but when it’s constantly forced it becomes bland. Gameplay can be the same way at times. Until you get promoted you’re pretty much doing the same thing day in and day out unless somebody has a special task for you. Until that happens though the game is pretty slow. Regardless it’s still satisfying screwing over everybody and watching as Evan gets promotion after promotion – of course, that’s only if you don’t end up with a bullet in the back of your head.

It won’t keep us playing for too long, and it can be a bit hard to keep track of, but Save Your Nuts is a fun little arcade game that is good for keeping the kids (both big and little) entertained for an hour or so while we’re all stuck at home.

La-Mulana 2 is just as fun, frustrating and tricky as its predecessor. It has improved on some of the aspects that let the first game down a little, although not completely such as the jumping aspect. However, the game relies on a Myst/Dark Souls philosophy; that those that are determined and persistent will persevere and feel rewarded upon completion. For those into retro platformers which a decent difficulty level then this could be up your street.

Hovership Havoc is exactly what its title suggests; you steer your hovership around the enemies and navigate areas of complete havoc. The game starts very tough, though that is by design as you would get bored if it was too easy. It is a competent arcade twin-stick shooter for skilled gamers, stick at it and upgrade wisely, and you will start to get a knack for things.

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?

I still really enjoyed my time with Obduction, even despite getting severely stuck at points. It looks great, there’s a compelling tale being told and for the most part the puzzles are just the right balance of difficulty, rewarding our time spent invested in exploring the world. A little more guidance – even an optional hint system – could have kept me from visiting Google, but the fact I still wanted to continue means it must be doing something right.

There really isn’t much to Stab Stab Stab!. There visuals aren’t overly interesting, there aren’t many gameplay modes, there isn’t much fun to be had and there isn’t much chance this game will live long in anyone’s memory. If you enjoyed Gang Beasts or any quick local multiplayer games which don’t take much explaining, then you may get a couple of hours out of this, but even that may be a stretch.

Clearly the best multiplayer outing for the Resident Evil series yet, it is nonetheless held back by some long lobby wait times, lack of ability to non-verbally communicate with team mates and an overpowered Mastermind suite. When things come together the gameplay is fun, though nothing revolutionary, and it even manages to carry over some of the tension found in the main games, so I really hope a solid community builds up going forward.

Random Heroes: Gold Edition is a simple platform shooter with an easy to medium difficulty. It is very easy to pick up and play with simple controls and a basic storyline. There is a nice variety of characters to play as and guns to use, but this game can be completed quite quickly and some of the levels don’t differ too much from each other. The achievements, however, can be collected quite easy for any hunters out there.

HyperParasite has a really nice aesthetic style, with bright, chunky visuals complimented by a decent synth soundtrack. There are some nice ideas here too, being able to posses bodies to fight back offers up some fun gameplay and scenarios. But it takes for too long to unlock more bodies, and the combat and difficulty is too uneven to really get the desire to have ‘one more go’.

Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike, although simple in its graphics and audio, is very accomplished in its tactical gameplay. The story isn’t too thorough, but it’s enough so you know what to focus on. The random encounters make things fun and exciting, and the tactical combat has the right balance of difficulty. The game also seems to rely on the philosophy that if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.

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.

I am already a fan of the Koei Bandai Namco Warrior games and this style paired with the One Piece anime works great. The wildly random characters and story line are very interesting and gripping and if you enjoy smashing slews of enemies with quirky comedic moves then you will enjoy yourselves here. The format can become quite repetitive after a while, but I feel there is enough variety in characters, moves and enemies along with the fun story line to make this a good game.

To me, Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a cute rag doll game which in my opinion is meant to be played with friends. As I have stated before the single-player experience turns somewhat lacking and you’ll find yourself getting tired and bored easier after a couple of dozen deliveries. Playing online or with friends is what you need to do to gain the full experience and richness of the game. If you do that I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 is well put together and offers a variety of slick game modes. For a fan of the anime it’s sure to be a hit, but if you’re not you may not follow the story or find much to get excited about. The combat is fun, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly when you find yourself spamming the same moves.

Moons of Madness is a solid, well made horror cinematic experience which all horror fans should check out. The way Moons of Madness looks and feels is exactly like a sci-fi movie, featuring a great story and plenty of horrific action to keep you running.

Resident Evil 3 is another solid Capcom reinvention. There’s a wonderfully tense atmosphere punctuated with an action slant that means it’s never really as scary as it could be, but it still manages to get a good few moments in. Nemesis is initially terrifying, though his best moments come when it’s a one on one fight, the encounters in the world with him tend to be brief and easily overcome. Even at it’s worst though it’s still better than the majority of titles out so far this year and well worth a look.

Overall Curious Expedition is a nice little time killer that can be played casually, in small increments. I’d advise against binging on it because it has potential to become boring really quick for some people. It’s nice that every play through will be different but there isn’t really a whole lot of action – but simply surviving will be a hard enough time as it is. For some reason it kept making me think of that old game Oregon Trail. It’s rare that I rank a games replay value higher than it’s overall experience but it is enjoyable in small doses. If the developers could manage to patch in some sort of multiplayer it would definitely entice me to go back and try some more.

Thunder Paw is a simple platformer, and that’s about it. You shouldn’t go into it expecting something more. It’s your basic run and gun that doesn’t bring much to the table. The one boss fight after each of the stages changes things up but it doesn’t fully redeem itself with its weird gun mechanics and stale gameplay. Visually the game was enjoyable and it speaks to me but when it came down to the gameplay the game decided to roll over and play dead permanently.

Not what many people expect from an RPG Maker game, Ara Fell is a charming and engrossing game filled with story, exploration, fighting, secrets, and puzzles to spare. Anticipation about discovering what’s next makes it a hard game to put down at the end of the night. You can’t go wrong with Ara Fell.

The Complex is, quite simply, fantastic. Some dodgy CGI and a few plot holes aside, the story being told here is gripping, the characters well acted and brought to life and there’s a ton of variety on offer through the many choices we make along the way. A brilliant example of an interactive movie, and one that you’d be well off to play.

Baron: Fur Is Gonna Fly is a reasonably fun party game for friends and family to play. The planes steering dynamics take a little bit of time to get used to, but the controls are simple enough for most to pick up and play. I feel there is only a limited amount of variation here though, meaning you’re unlikely to get much longevity out of things. Online play would’ve helped, but really the point is to get some friends crowded round on the sofa.

BCD?! Is clearly a budget title from a small team, something evidenced by the credits appearing on the walls of the hub area. For what it’s worth, I quite like the art style, and the music recalls the classic Diddy Kong Racing at times; all chirpy, bouncy race tunes. But even so, it simply isn’t any fun to play. The terrible camera angle is the biggest bugbear – just raising it up a tad would improve things no end. Even then, the erratic handling, lack of feedback or information and general blandness to proceedings would still be in place. A shame, but when there’s so many other great racers out there, I can’t find any reason to recommend checking this out.

Snakeybus is fun, for sure. Seeing our bus stretching out behind us, ever increasing as we drop passengers off and weaving in and out buildings is oddly satisfying. If only there had been a little something extra to alleviate the fact that it’s hook gets old far too quickly.