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.

Defenders of Ekron is passable at best. I wont deny that the game shines at its brightest and is at its most exciting when there’s a lot of action on screen, but the moments that lead to that, despite some interesting ideas, often struggle to maintain grip. There’s also a few technical issues and poor design choices to contend with, on top of the game’s play-it-safe story. Fun indeed, but hardly compelling.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia suffers from poor optimization, dated visuals, bland audio and a lack of decent stunts. Though, it has to be said that at its generous price, there’s a plethora of content to take to across several varying modes. It’s far from perfect, that much goes without saying, but if you’re looking for something akin to Wave Race 64, this will just about do the trick, warts and all.

While I might not have been able to relate to the stories personally, I still got some enjoyment out of A Year of Springs. Between the pleasant visuals and tales I would recommend players check this out as one of the better visual novels on Xbox.

Under Leaves appealed to me in both the concept and to my childhood memories. This is not as gimmicky as other hidden object games and it’s far more functional than the Where’s Wally games on previous consoles. It is a relaxing game to play through, but it is very short and lacks that something extra which could have made the game more interesting and given it some replay value.

Hot on the heels of Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Vaporum feels quite out of place, and frankly, behind the times. Whilst the game sports an intriguing framework and houses some commendable RPG elements, the whole ordeal is greatly let down by its poor handling, its ridiculous difficulty curve, and its weakly paced story. It’s not a terrible game by any means, but alongside its vastly superior contemporaries, it’s a hard one to comfortably recommend.

Kaichu is light and silly but for dating sim enthusiasts it might be missing the depths of the genre. For those looking for short bit of fun it is worth engaging with.

Torii is an interesting little game with some good visuals and solid puzzles. The stealth elements don’t need to be here, and it will entirely depend on your frame of mind as to whether the story hits.

Whilst Metagal doesn’t stand nearly as tall as the likes of Mega Man, there’s still quite a bit of fun to be found here. The gameplay is fluid and responsive, with just the right level of challenge in place to keep you on your toes throughout. That being said, the game’s short length and its habit of frequently handing out cheap deaths are its greatest drawbacks, which is a shame, because Metagal’s otherwise sturdy framework clearly deserved better.

The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation isn’t without some charm though, the retelling of this story goes some dark and strange places, and the acting is enjoyably cheesy for the most part. There are moments where it threatens to ramp things up in the gameplay department, but it’s not long before we’re into another boring chase sequence to slowly try and figure out. It’s short enough to power through if you really want to experience the story, but there are far better titles in the genre out there to play.

Those with patience and a mind for spatial puzzles will no doubt relish the challenge on offer here. Whilst difficulty spikes can frustrate to the point of quitting entirely, this is one of those games that gets that under your skin, you cant help but return. That being said, this is likely only going to appeal to a specific crowd, and if that’s you, you might want to bring your own tunes. The audio here is truly annoying.

Fans of simpler puzzle/platformers would do well to check out Night Lights. It may lack a bit in the audio department, and some sections feel overly long thanks to padding back tracking, but overall I had a good time with the game and would definitely recommend others check it out.

The Adventures of 00 Dilly is a fun and light hearted game with an abundance of items to collect and a 15 second soundtrack which repeats infinitely and must be muted to avoid insanity. It isn’t a terrible game and definitely has the potential to evolve into something unique, but currently it is missing a few very important features which make a massive difference to the satisfaction and enjoyment of the player.

Those of you who already have an interest in Space faring expeditions will likely get the most out of Mars Horizon, as otherwise the fairly bland gameplay and presentation may well put you off digging into the experience. There’s a good amount of educational merit to it though, so hopefully it’ll inspire more people to learn! But if I’m completely honest, the most fun I had from Mars Horizon came from the controller vibrating in my lap during rocket launches. And yes, Bigger is Better. Lol.

Vesta tends to remain enjoyable throughout the entirety of play, offering up some colorful visuals and decent puzzle design. However, this is hardly a groundbreaking experience, seeing as many aspects of play have already been better achieved elsewhere, time and time again.

Truberbrook effortlessly stands out on the merits of its uniquely gorgeous presentation, its stellar voice work, and its overall decent writing. Unfortunately, the whole ordeal religiously falters as far as its core functionality and its puzzle design is concerned. The end result makes for an adventure that seemingly looks like nothing else, but largely plays like a poor imitation of any given point-and-click game worth its salt.

RICO’s a very hit and miss affair overall. There’s no denying that it wears its procedurally-generated content quite well, offering some exciting and constantly unpredictable gunplay as a result. Unfortunately, it’s hard to overlook its gameplay repetition, and there’s some irritating design choices and a bunch of technical issues to contend with throughout. I’ve no doubt that it will find its following, but I cant wholly recommend it as it is.

Overall if quick and easy are search terms you’d use to find your next gaming adventure, then Bone Marrow is going to be one you’ll want puffing its chest amongst your collection. If you’re after a meaningful experience that you can invest any serious time and effort into, or gain any real enjoyment from, then there are certainly many better options out there.

Despite its short length, 39 Days to Mars is a game that certainly knows how to boggle the mind through its cleverly structured co-op puzzles. Unfortunately, these intelligently designed moments are frequently broken up by needless, senseless, and boring filler. This ultimately makes for a very hit and miss experience, one that will likely only be appreciated by puzzle enthusiasts.

The Great Perhaps tries to marry some puzzle adventuring in with a weighty story, but in the end all this does is drag it down. The gameplay mechanics are interesting and provide a good time, but the stilted delivery and un-engaging tale are unlikely to drag you though.

SYNDUALITY has plenty of solid ideas, they just aren’t particularly original, and they are asking full price for a bunch of content that is weighted down by the kind of exploitation you see in Free-to-Play.

Little Bug starts of well enough, but some awkward controls and frankly annoying difficulty spikes towards to end mean it’s only a mild recommendation for those who enjoy checking out smaller indie titles. Those looking for a decent platformer to play already have a plethora of better options to choose from.

All in all, I fell that Omen of Sorrow is too much of a niche game in an already fairly niche genre. Very few fighters get enough traction to make it big, and unless you have a handful of equally dedicated mates to play with you’re probably better off elsewhere.

Void Bastards is a serviceable first-person shooter, at best. Whilst intriguing, initially exciting, and quite deep as far as its crafting goes, the game’s lack of play depth and environmental variation makes for a very repetitive trek overall. On top of that, its unrefined combat and its lackluster AI proves to be a further hindrance throughout. Still, there’s certainly some fun to had in this loot-fueled space romp, it’s just very fleeting.

Knightin’+ is a fun dungeon scrolling adventure with some interesting challenging puzzle elements – and some infuriating warp puzzles. The game does look and feel like a retro dungeon crawler but the attack controls let the game down somewhat,and it is far too short. For those who would like a quick, fun dungeon crawler you can complete in an hour or so to bag some achievements, this might be a game to pick up, but if you’re after something more substantial then you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Teratopia is a mostly competent 3D action platformer. The combat is simple, the minion system is pretty cool, the enemies are varied (especially the bosses) but the platforming blows. Story and visual-wise there isn’t anything to wow you and I’m not sure who this is best aimed at. Monsters are more of a young kid thing but the flawed platforming and controls seem to target someone a bit more skilled. Even the humour is a bit above kids as one of the bosses flashes certain parts of their monstrous body which is covered up by a black censor bar. Regardless there is still some fun to be had here for fans of this genre if they can overlook the jumping issues.

Thunderflash is a good blast from the past and does make you feel like you are playing a game from that era. It is fun to play through in its randomness, but it is quite short and I’m sure once you complete the game and have got all of the achievements you are unlikely to revisit it. The extra modes do offer some replayability but challenging for the high score just doesn’t mean what it used to. It’s a fun, quickplay game for fans of the old-style games and achievement hunters.

Captain Cat is a passable game at best. Whilst it’s accessible and does a good job at introducing new level mechanics at a decent rate, the game somewhat neglects its puzzle framework and tends to recycle its ideas far too frequently. Still, for its cheap cost, you’re getting plenty of content in return, it’s just a shame said content isn’t quite as gripping as it could have been, ultimately paving the way for repetition.