Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an ambitious game. It’s beautiful, deep, and compelling but suffers from a lack of clear direction on how to navigate and appreciate everything that it contains. There hasn’t been a game quite like it before, which unfortunately doesn’t work in Ancestors favor because more time is spent figuring out it’s mechanics than actually enjoying it.

Tools Up! is off to a decent start here with simple, fun gameplay. Lack of online multiplayer really puts a limit on how much fun can be had however. But grab some mates and a you’re in for a fun – though rowdy – evening of construction together.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has a few fresh ideas, but it takes several steps sideways steps as it looks to make a claim in the sniper game sub-genre. An experience that is often good, but never great.

With mixing ingredients, laying down machines and belts and money management Big Pharma certainly keeps you busy. However, when you get to a point where you are short some cash, you will be left to wait until you earn more money – and this means a lot of waiting. This isn’t helped by already slow gameplay and the meticulous amount of attention to detail needed, leading to easily made but hard to rectify mistakes. In the end, the time invested rarely feels worth the reward.

Qubit’s Quest is a charming take on the light gun shooter that has some neat ideas to help it stand out. The simple platforming adds an extra dynamic that doesn’t overwhelm, whilst the more forgiving pace and difficulty makes it a great entry point for younger players. A lack of visual polish hinders things slightly, though the added in mini games make up for this.

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.

While it won’t go down in history alongside some of the classics, Voyage of the Dead is a fun arcade light gun shooter that shows of what the MARS can do. It’s a shame that technically the title holds the hardware back, with slowdown and hitches that make aiming much harder than it needs to be. Beyond that though, Voyage shows the promise that the hardware holds, and I can only hope we get further, more optimised titles going forward.

What we have here is a game that manages to capture its theme beautifully but then crashes under the weight of its own monotonous gameplay.

A few of Yaga’s game mechanics cripple what would otherwise be an enjoyable pre-modern Slavic tale of witches, kings, magic and a one-armed blacksmith hero. Some core aspects of play aren’t explained fully or not at all, and ironically it’s these fundamentals which help drag the experience down. That element, coupled with seemingly arbitrary and crippling punishments tied to character death, robs the overall experience of much of why gamers game – for enjoyment. Yaga will frustrate you, and not in a good way.

Tracks is simple pick up and play game and if you have kids who love trains this is something they may enjoy. I still prefer playing with the real thing with my son but if you want to get your creative juices flowing and love trains this is a no-brainer for you.

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.

Despite these misgivings though, I had a fairly enjoyable time with Terminator: Resistance. Sure, its mechanics, looks and technical aspects all feel as though the last 10 years of progression in gaming didn’t happen, but as a straight shooting FPS it does a passable job of entertaining. The campaign over stays it’s welcome, but along the way there are some quite likeable characters that make the journey more bearable. It would have been nice to have the death bringing army of machines feel more of a genuine threat rather than a pop up gallery; if the tension in that early scene could’ve been maintained we might have had something quite special on our hands here. As it is, we have a pretty bog standard shooter that feels a decade too late to the party.

I have done a few Kemco games now and they have all basically blended into one. If you enjoy these simpler RPG titles then may get on with Wizards of Brandel better, but the fact you can buy cheats for the game just puts a sour taste in my mouth. Seeing as the game is not very long in the first place, this just adds insult to injury.

Need For Speed Heat has done a fantastic job going back to its routes... with loads of cars, tons of customisation and the feel of two games in one with the day and night cycle. It has a couple of flaws with the police chases but you still find yourself having a fun, intense experience.

The truth is that to truly appreciate Fractured Minds and leave the game having been rewarded and touched by its content, it is imperative that you approach it in the knowledge that the actual gameplay and puzzling is entirely secondary to the experience and the message. Not that the puzzling is completely pointless, it’s just heavily weighted to the simplistic...If you can do that, what awaits is wholly unnerving and uncomfortable. Fractured Minds is an insight intended to open eyes wide to the daily turmoil mental health can raise. From the half-light of paranoia to the all too bright light of anxiety, this is a game that makes its mark, and in my opinion, makes those who play it all the richer for having done so.

Virtually perfect in its storytelling, performances, presentation, authenticity, fun factor, and respect for its unfathomably important and historic entertainment licence, Jedi: Fallen Order stands not only as the greatest Star Wars game of all time, but as one of the greatest games ever made. This is the Star Wars game we were looking for.

Alwa’s Awakening is very true to the original style 8-bit platformer. They have some adventure and puzzle elements as well and is not as linear as many of the other 8 bit platformers. The story line is quite light in details but the game itself is more concentrated on the gameplay which shows as it is a fun and interesting challenge. Although it feels a bit slow-paced it is still a good game to pick up for old-style platformer fans.

The core loop to Sparklite certainly holds some appeal, the loop sucking you into just one more go – time and time again. Fans of procedurally generated rogue-likes will find ample here to keep the interest and perhaps even new players may be drawn into the loop too.

Valfaris isn’t so much full of surprises as much as full of bad guys. No matter which way you face you will have some enemies coming at you – though you’l also have piles of enemies at your feet before too long! I did however find it really tough, it’s punishing difficulty almost too much at times. If you like a challenge then you’ll be right at home here, but those after a more serene experience will do good to look elsewhere.

Police Chase is a straight up driving simulation with not much catering towards the title. With a bit more depth and realism this could have been a fun title but unfortunately seems to lack on story, development, gameplay and leaves the player lost in a world that seems unrealistic and unfinished.

Mad Games Tycoon is, quite simply, a poor attempt at the sim genre. Boring, cluttered UI makes it’s hard to see what’s going on, there’s no real sense of achievement or progression and my nightmares will be scored by that abysmal soundtrack for the rest of time.

What’s most apparent about Woven is that it is clearly a labor of love and the game’s environment is very refined in its structure. It’s clear that the developers spent a lot of effort in play testing, in object placement, mood and setting. It’s a beautiful game with a difficulty that may be in the upper strata for some but an enjoyable challenge for others. If that sings to you then this is your game.

It’s hard to write about, and recommend, a game that has so little content and so little going on. It’s probably one of the more poorly made titles Ratalika have published, but by the same token it wasn’t the worst hour of my life either. The silver lining is – as always – at least it’s an easy 1000G.

There are so many games that are lost to the past and have sadly expired with their outdated consoles, hence the many modern 2D platformers that are currently being created to try to fill this void. Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King might just be the perfect example of what is truly needed in order to effectively relive those past experiences, back in the days when it took extreme perseverance and commitment to complete these games. For those who just can’t wait to be king… be prepared, for your wishes have just been granted.

Bee Simulator attempts to educate through play, doing so in a charming, entertaining way. The solo campaign is short but sweet but it effectively highlights the role bee’s play in our ecosystem. Great for younger players due to not only the low difficulty but also the informative nature, I have a feeling even the adults will find more enjoyment here than you may expect.

Worbital is a fun strategy title that utilises gravity, physics and over the top weaponry to great effect. While the battles can drag on a little too long at times, there’s something to the spectacle of the space battles. It’s a shame that the online side of things seems so barren as it would definitely make for a decent chill out title in between other games.

I try to see the good in all things, but Delta Squad puts that ethos to the test. It is at least 4 player co-op, so you can share the tedium with others and even poorly done, a top down shooter still has trace elements of fun – though ‘trace’ here is being extremely generous.

If you’re a lover of story games this is one for you! Unlike many story games Afterparty has many twists – and just as many types of drinks to consume. The gameplay is simple but because the focus is on the story this actually is to the titles benefit. You can play it multiple times with a different experience every time! The characters are brilliant and it’s probably one of the best story driven games I’ve come across this year.