Other than some awkward controls at times, Homebody has risen up the ranks to be one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences this year. The time loop/puzzle/survival horror combo is smartly put together, with a fantastic sense of progression constantly. Combined with the retro presentation and well written, engaging tale, Homebody is an easy recommendation to make.

Writing this conclusion brings a tear to my eye; on one hand, Layers of Fear looks beautiful, controls well and does give you a sense of horror. But then there is the gameplay loop – as I started playing I noticed more and more that Layers of Fear relies more on walking and looking than traditional horror gameplay. After about 30 minutes of picking notes up to “read” (the voice acting was excellent), I was disappointed. I wanted/thought more would happen. My interest did pick up once we got the lantern, however, that was short-lived. Some of the puzzles were good but overall I was left very short-changed and rather let down by what I got (or didn’t get) out of it.

The Valiant recovered from almost making me put my controller down to blossom into a decent entry in the RTS genre, it’s different take on the traditional RTS mechanics could well make it stand out against it competitors, but time will tell if The Valiant can turn into a franchise for THQ Nordic or be a one and done title.

Fall of Porcupine is a fantastic story with a real heart, which is in need of a little polish to make it perfect. For those willing to play through the bugs and the translation they will find a rough gem.

Twelve-years is a very long time but Ghost Trick’s return to relevancy is a very welcome one indeed. The premise is as deliciously absurd as it is effective at drawing you into the game’s puzzle-heavy gameplay, the artstyle is immaculate and indubitably expressionistic, and although it’s rather short, it leaves a thunderous impact. Ghost Trick may no longer be ghosted by merely existing on a Nintendo handheld – now you can rejoice in playing it for yourselves and bask in the remastered experience of a well-loved and superbly-made classic.

When Yukes and Kenny Omega stated they were looking to bring back the glory days of N64 wrestling titles I was on-board. As a fellow student of those times, there’s a clunky charm to AEW: Fight Forever with its meaty feeling moves and arcade-style action. However, those days were far longer ago than I care to think about, and younger players will have gotten used to a more fluid and fully featured sports entertainment game. If you can work around some of the more pressing quirks there’s fun to be had here, but this feels more like a base to build off of for the hopeful sequel down the line.

Crash Team Rumble is not the game fans of the bandicoot asked for but is the game we got, and I can say it isn’t that bad. The game in its content is a bit shallow with one main game mode but I hope that will change in the future as it is a games as a service game. I look forward to lobbies full of friends in the future versus randoms but this a fun pick-up-and-play (for a bit) game. We shall see how it’s future holds up.

Escape from the Past sticks true to what made Escape Academy brilliant, and expands it with five tough but fun new challenges. Well worth a look for those who’ve already had the joy of the previous work, but equally recommended to those even mildly curious.

Despite its flaws Miasma Chronicles is a good but not quite great game that sucks you back in for more and will be a decent pickup for anyone who enjoys tactical turn-based games.

Nocturnal is not a standout title but it is far from bad. A shorter experience, this linear platformer will end up testing your patience and reflexes in challenging but not punishing traversal and combat. Although basic in fighting and its skill selections, Nocturnal is a fine game that’s worth the attention of 2D platforming enthusiasts.

Relic have done phenomenal work porting Company of Heroes 3 over to consoles. It does a great job of onboarding newcomers to the RTS genre and provides hours of content. That said, there is still a hefty learning curve and time investment which is going to cause some to struggle.

Underwhelming ending aside, Amnesia: The Bunker is an excellently crafted survival horror, with plenty of tension, dread, near misses and clever puzzles to keep us coming back for more.

Rollercoaster management games are few and far between these days but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great games out there for the category. Luckily Park Beyond is coming out swinging as this is a really fun entry in the management genre. It offers some crazy impossibilities to the theme park rides that make the experience so much fun. Unfortunately the launch hasn’t been the best for me with crashes and technical issues with the AI, however I have the upmost confidence they will be fixed in the near future. You know if this type of game is for you and if it is, Park Beyond isn’t a bad one to take a try on.

With the new handling model, Braking Point 2 and F1 World, F1 2023 has the fresh coat of paint the series has needed for some time. For the first time in a while, I can see myself dusting my wheel off and racing rather than settling for just commentating.

Itorah is a wonderful world, with great level design and characters, hindered by one small mechanic that blemishes what should be a great game. Instead, it is just a good one.

With its vibrant visuals, addictive gameplay, and familiar Lego theme, Lego 2K Drive is a must-play for Lego enthusiasts and racing aficionados. There are a few missteps and they might have borrowed heavily from other arcade racers, but overall, I highly recommend this game for anyone looking for a fun and engaging open-world racing experience.

Demon Skin has done an immense job of bringing a lot of complexity to the 2D hack’n’slash genre. The story may not be too detailed but the focus of this game is on the atmospheric level and character design and the hellish combat mastery. If you want a short but challenging 2D game which looks great and puts your reflexes to the test, then this is a solid game to pick up.

Blizzard has proven that AAA games CAN launch in a ready state and be a game of the year contender straight off the bat. It’s going to have to be something special that beats Diablo IV to the top of my list.

Teslagrad 2 is a step up in every respect to its previous installment, a fantastic platformer with a wonderful set of auxiliary gameplay elements anyone that loves 2D platformers should play this.

I had a bloody excellent time with The Tartarus Key. It hit me hard with the nostalgic presentation, and hooked me in with clever, well-crafted, and almost perfectly pitched puzzles throughout.

Zombie Derby 2 brings together Trials HD physics and the enjoyment of running over zombies in cars! I had a blast playing Zombie Derby 2; the controls were smooth, and the graphics were good and the music was perfectly matched. I’d have preferred not to have to need to repeat the same levels multiple times to progress, but other than that this was a fun evening of gaming.

Evil Wizard was a pleasant surprise to me. Taking the role of a villain, this game’s unique blend of dark humor and fourth wall-breaking antics is an absolute masterpiece. The witty dialogue and clever references had me smiling ear to ear while navigating me through this game ‘after the game’ (which will make more sense if you play it). The game seamlessly blends intense boss battles with moments of comedic relief, creating an unforgettable gaming experience. With its not-overly-complex gameplay mechanics and fun story beats, this game is a must-play for any fan of action adventure games, particularly those with a fondness of Deadpool style humor.

Camera control aside, Tin Hearts has been an utter joy to play. It’s charming, clever, looks and sounds lovely, and has just the right puzzle difficulty to have us looking forward to coming back for an hour or so each night.

No One Lives Under the Lighthouse is an enjoyably dark, surprising adventure that is well worth a look for those in the market for something a little obtuse, yet different.

Overall, we came away pretty underwhelmed with The Last Case of Benedict Fox. While there are seeds of good ideas here, the package as a whole just throws up too many hurdles for us to look past in order to seek them out.

Artistic expression is what will strike the biggest chord in Strayed Lights. There are lovely moments of beauty to unearth, and you will no doubt find a game ignited with a love for tranquillity and colour. However, empty spaces make Strayed Lights world feel uncomfortably abandoned at times, and the combat is based too heavily on precision and colour matching to engross. Thankfully, Strayed Lights is short, but it runs out of momentum too soon despite some impressive boss encounters and some gorgeous skies. Give it a whirl then, but you won’t feel like Strayed Lights is anything but a shallowly gentle gust that will blow by without the force it needed to stick in the mind.

With this many clumsy design decisions it is a miracle this game made it past pre-production. I will never look down on anyone that endorses playtesting again.

Mia and the Dragon Princess is another solid effort from the teams at Wales Interactive and Good Gate Media. The cast all put in some excellent performances, the story is brief but also full of interesting twists and turns, and it had us laughing far more than expected to with some classic British humour. For our money, this is one of the best live action adventures out there.