These niggles aside, Bear With Me still managed to keep me hooked right through. While the obtuse nature of traditional point and click puzzles still rears its head here, they are the exception rather than the rule. The characters are well written, and I found myself really growing attached to Amber, Flint and Ted as well as most of the supporting cast. There’s a surprisingly touching narrative to uncover too, with extra little side stories tucked in along the way that flesh the world out nicely.

CrossCode is a fun medley of gaming styles which some can link to the older style Zelda games with its combat and puzzle elements. The RPG side of things does provide a lot of the content of the game, but it does sometimes seem the main focus is all the different puzzling elements, with the combat feeling a little filler to pad out the game until the next puzzling section. The variety of side quests will keep you busy, although some of the fetch quests can be a bit tedious. But the story is interesting, and it is very fun to play through, so I strongly recommend it.

Crown Trick warrants a play from all Roguelike or turn based games, a worthy challenge with a change in pace from a typical one life only game. A truly joyful movement-based game with amazing art and combat depth, try it out if you’re a part of Game Pass day one.

The combination of gunplay, fast movement, upgrades, weapons, and some frankly kick ass dynamic music that reacts to our gameplay has won me over these past few nights. The classic ‘easy to play, hard to master’ mantra is very true of Go Mecha Ball, but importantly it’s never less than a blast to play.

Aesthetically, Neon Abyss is beautiful – the neon 16-bit retro look takes me to the warm fuzzy feeling of playing SNES as a young boy. The controls very good, though I’m not a big fan of having jump on LT. I can see why this is the case, but it’s a shame that I couldn’t remap this as I could with most other buttons. I enjoyed some of the great features like passive abilities, different guns including a cat gun, unlockable characters and eggs, which follow you and have the chance to hatch into buddies that help you.

Even with these foibles, I still really dug the majority of Genesis Noir. The fantastic presentation made it easier to forgive some of the repetition and bugs, and for all the grandiose nature of the story, it was still interesting to follow and piece together. It could probably be completed in one or two sittings, so if you’re up for something a little different, I’d definitely recommend checking out Genesis Noir.

If you’re after a strategy game that’s not as stressful as others in the genre, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a great choice. Its beautiful art, story and characters are the icing on a well balanced game that rewards the time and effort you put into it. Keeping on top of some of the nitty gritty can be a bit much at times, but thankfully this doesn’t entirely negatively impact the overall experience.

Green Hell is an absolutely fantastic survival game. The way the jungle pulls you in with its beauty at the same time as punishing you for even the smallest of mistakes. Creepy Jar have done a great job making you both feel consumed by the jungle as well as adding the psychological strain of being stranded alone. The game makes no excuses for its learning curve, but it doesn’t need to because of how great the overall experience is. In the famous words of Axl Rose……… Welcome to the Jungle!

I have spent nigh-on 20 hours with the game, and my goodness, I cant wait to get back into it. There are a few small niggles, but the mix of difficulty with easy replayability and easy access makes this game worth trying out for anyone that enjoys some fun and a challenge.

Ys Origin is a remarkable JRPG that offers up a plethora of content for its generous price tag. There’s a great deal of variation within, from well designed environments to the wide selection of diverse enemies and interesting boss encounters. It helps that the game remains fluid throughout the entirety of play, despite some framerate issues later in. Simply put, fans of the genre shouldn’t overlook this nostalgic gem.

Aragami: Shadow Edition builds upon the initial release with its inclusion of the Nightfall expansion. There’s no shortage of content to enjoy, all of which is served up as a wonderful open-stealth adventure that supports online co-op play. The game’s visuals are gorgeous and well detailed and its mechanics remain fluid and well rounded throughout. Despite some minor issues, this is one hell of a good game.

PHOGS! was a unique experience that I recommend to any gamer. From its one-of-kind control scheme to the brightly colored and whimsical world that is the phoggyverse, the puzzles will challenge you just enough to feel satisfying but not elementary. Single player and co-op modes are a plus as well, I challenge any duo to step up to the task of playing with one controller!

Immortals Fenyx Rising is an enjoyable family-friendly alternative to Assassin’s Creed. The story is enjoyable and if you know a bit about Greek mythology it’s pleasant to see they took the flaws and cruel sides of the Gods rather than glorifying them. The narrative between Zeus and Prometheus is amusing and is a great accompaniment as you progress through the story. There are plenty of different puzzles outside of the main story to keep you busy and makes traversing the open land more enjoyable. The game could have done with more variety in enemies and puzzles to keep the feeling of monotony at bay though.

What a ride that was! Viewfinder was pretty much exactly what I expected going into it and fortunately stayed that way the whole time. No matter how hard or easy a puzzle or chapter was, I always felt great completing a level. There aren’t a lot of negatives to say about the game, just an easy recommendation for those who enjoy puzzles and particularly ones that make you think outside the box.

MIO has a lot of features that other games in the genre introduced and found a way to incorporate and make them shine. The modifier system is similar to Hollow Knight or Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The accessibility option that makes each boss a tiny bit weaker after each failed attempt is similar to Hades. The extended platforming sections of the Ori games and Guacamelee are also present. MIO does a fantastic job of taking all these systems and making them their own while wrapping them up in a huge world to explore. This is Douze Dixièmes’ second game which follows their stunning debut, Shady Part of Me, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a solid action-RPG with an intriguing world full of worthwhile stories and characters to meet. Combat is a weak point (though upgrades help somewhat) and for as well written as the Haunting cases are, they all follow a very similar template. However, it’s a testament to DONTNOD’s skill that even despite these foibles, we had nothing less than a great time with Red and Antea. It’s not as flashy or as deep as some other titles out there, but for our money Banishers is more than worthy of your time and money.

When you emulate some of the greatest games ever made it can be hard to stack up. Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is a decent game, its gruesome theme and vast lore that really bring the world to life. There’s a large variety of enemies but the combat is somewhat shallow. Exploring new environments is enjoyable, but trying to traverse them quickly can get tiresome due to the slow walking speed. If you enjoy the Soulsborne games, are a Lovecraft fan, or take pleasure in beating up on strange grotesque pixel art monsters, then Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is worth a look.

Lumines Remastered is an excellent puzzle game that offers hours and hours worth of content. The several varying modes ensures that there’s always something new to try out, and despite all of them leaning on the same concept, they’re equally as fun and addictive as one another. Issues with the difficulty’s fluctuation to the side, this is easily one of the best games of its kind in recent memory. Don’t pass this by.

Wargroove certainly packs an impressive portion of diverse content, but its harsh difficulty, together with its complexity, has a tendency of muddying the water. Nevertheless, if you can overlook Wargroove’s taxing challenge and bear with it long enough to understand its varied functionality, there’s a lot to like about it, especially if you’re a fan of strategy games.

It’s been a longer time coming than we’d hoped, but Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II manages to live up to expectations rather nicely. Vastly improved (and brutally presented) combat, a captivating story and incredible technical work mean that even the few slower moments can’t bring down what will surely be a jewel in Xbox’s crown for some time to come.

Unpacking has found a unique voice in how it has chosen to tell a story and for that deserves to be on everyone’s play list.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is an incredible amalgamation of everything the series has done so far, and produces not only the best Trine game yet, but also one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year. The freedom we’re granted with the tools on offer is excellent, and combined with stunning presentation, this make Trine 5 utterly essential playing in my eyes.

Despite the occasional flaw, the game does a remarkable job of keeping things simple and easy to understand, at the same time as embedding depth through its fluid, interconnected gameplay elements. Whether you’re here for the satisfying combat, the deep and engaging story, or the vast and diverse quests within, Tales of Vesperia will certainly deliver. That, together with its additional extras, makes this edition a must have.

If you’ve never tried your hand at Phoenix Wright, the Ace Attorney trilogy is an absolute must. Everything from its memorable cast of characters and its wonderfully charismatic dialogue, right the way through to its vibrant presentation and its utterly stylish gameplay, is quite simply outstanding. Despite some moments within that are fairly linear by design alone, overlooking this compilation would be a sheer injustice.

Overall and if you can look past that glaring miss of possible greed, WRC 10 is a fantastic game. The cars feel the part, handling is much more in-depth this year than in previous entries, and should you have the capacity to race with a wheel then you’ll find the whole experience incredibly engaging. Even with a controller though there is certainly plenty to be excited by and whilst we only have a few years left of Kylotonn holding the WRC license, we are surely seeing the best we’ve ever seen from the franchise yet.

This title is a true example of a game being considered art. The use of loops, light vs darkness themes, the music and score, all whilst building a lovable cast of characters makes it a memorable game. I would consider this remaster a general success with the exception for PC, consoles seem to be running the game with only one serious known issue that should be fixed soon.

As much a victim of greater survival horror games as it is an oasis in a desert of unique survival horror experiences, Cronos: The New Dawn tries its best to evoke the atmosphere and dread that put the genre on the map. However, what lingers is the stench of a lack of effort, as there are various instances where you’ll be reminded of the greatness of the survival horror classics that came before, while you discover the myriad of ways Cronos falters in its attempts to shock and scare you. There are decent boss fights, excellent presentation, and decent weapons, but its workmanlike protagonist and weak conventional enemies keep this promising double A horror on a leash, when it really should’ve broken the chains and unleashed itself impressively upon every genre fan. Cronos is good enough, but it really should’ve been so much more.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page to me is a heavily story-based game that uses platforming as a means to tell it. If you’re after something with deep gameplay to get into, this may not be the right title for you. If the story alone is something that piques your interest then it’s definitely worth a shot as it is an enjoyable tale.