I expected so much from the story with it being a Warhammer game. Usually, you are drowning in lore and story but with 40,000: Space Wolf, you barely get your feet wet. Every menu in the game feels so slow and sticky. I know it originated from a mobile game but the menu and story needed way more work for a console version. The gameplay is actually alright, the card mechanic mixed with X-COM style combat is quite interesting. But with dumb NPC’s, respawning enemies and losing a turn just to turn your guy around there are just a few too many bad decisions for me.

Gamers looking for a puzzle-heavy platformer like Braid won’t find what they’re looking for here; alternatively, players searching for a platforming adventure like Limbo will also be let down. However, if you’re looking for a relaxing, story-driven adventure with light platforming and a few simple puzzles all wrapped in a sublimely vivid art style then this just might be for you. The story touches on topics that many games avoid, and most players will find some way to relate to the protagonist Mo, but the islands and their depictions are the real stars of Minute of Islands – it’s what kept me hooked. I remained intrigued throughout the experience, always wondering how the next area would be presented. The gameplay feels a bit monotonous, but that gives you more time to marvel at the artistic detail of the world.

Despite these complaints, I have tremendously enjoyed my first 40 hours and feel a sense of accomplishment when I finally get my wash station running and walk away with a pocket full of gold. This game demands your patience and attention, so it will not be for everybody, but for a select few, this game will provide hours of entertainment.

Real-time Worms action is something all previous fans of the series have probably thought about at one point, and it’s nice to not only see it happen but have it modernised in the popular battle royale style. It’s simple enough to pick up and play and the cross platforming means you can squad up with your friends using other platforms too. I found it fun to play and a decent addition to the Worms series. My only gripe is that sometimes there are too many explosions on-screen to keep track of your worm at times.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a title that more or less has impacted me as a gamer and shown me to not be afraid to try something new. As off-putting as visual novels are to some people I highly recommend giving DDLC Plus a try as you can tell that the hearts and souls of everyone on the team went into this project. Maybe it’ll become a part of your reality as I let it become a part of mine.

Hired Gun is a game that punches above its weight in that it tries to take on too many things at once and struggles under the sheer weight of the number of ideas it introduces. In many ways it is better than its AAA peers because of its audacity, in other ways it is an example of a game that needed a few features cut.

If you’re after a blast of tough nostalgia, then Alex Kidd in Miracle World has got you covered. If anything, it’s a bit too faithful in terms of the mechanics despite offering up some modern concessions such as checkpoints and save states. But then that’s the point, isn’t it. Older players will still get some enjoyment out of revisiting this, while younger players can see what we used to deem cutting edge back in our day. It’s not going to challenge the best platformers out there, but it’s still decent enough – and really bloody hard.

I came into Heliborne full of hope, but left completely disappointed. Unless you’re a die-hard helicopter fan there’s not much at all here to make it worth your while checking out, and even if you are a fan…well… caution is still advised.

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!

Donuts‘n’Justice is a retro game with a decent retro look and feel. Local co-op is a nice touch. There’s limited replay value due to only a few stages in the game. I think it is good for achievement hunters as you will be able to knock this title out in less than an hour but it’s one you will probably play and forget quickly.

A tightly written, well thought out card building game makes Griftlands one of the best in its genre. However, the starting hours need to be pushed through to grasp its complexity.

Song of Horror is a wonderful psychological horror title with an even better story, the fixed camera and unique gameplay will keep players on the edge of their seats to avoid the perma-death feature.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection brings age but also wisdom to the table. Most gamers have heard of Ninja Gaiden either by reference or by playing one of the original games. This collection brings the games to players who have not experienced it before and with the addition of the Hero easy mode there is no reason to fear the gruesome challenge these games used to be if you just wanted to experience it. For fans of the series, while it has not been remastered it has been spruced up with the new framerate and plays very smoothly on a Series S and X. If you need to get your ninja on and enjoy a fast combat action game, then this collection could be for you.

All in all Astro Aquakitty is great take on the arcade 2D shooter genre with plenty of customisable options, enemy variety and sheer scale of the environments. Each death leaving you saying “just one more go”. I had an amazing time playing this game and urge those who want to scratch that itch to pick it up and give it a go.

Discolored is exactly what we like to see from indie games: inventive puzzle mechanics, lovely audio/visual presentation and a run time that doesn’t overstay its welcome. If anything Godbey Games could have gotten away with another hour or so, but what’s here is perfectly enjoyable puzzling that is well worth an evening’s entertainment.

Sun Wukong VS Robot gives us a bite-size game at a bite-size price. Nothing here will blow you away but if you are looking for a quick game and like classic platforming game mechanics, you can do much worse. If you are on the hunt for a quick 1,000 gamerscore, then look no further than Sun Wukong VS Robot.

Mighty Goose is solid run-and-gun fun, borrowing from the classics of the past and adding a modern spin. The campaign is on the short side, but there’s a new game plus option offering some extra challenge. The over-the-top, hectic action gives the game a carefree feeling, but I never felt like I was mastering the gameplay since a lot of the enemy attacks are hard to see and avoid. It’s by no means a golden egg; however, if you’re a fan of the genre or looking for some careless action then it might be worth giving Mighty Goose a try.

Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2 is a very attractive game with exciting gameplay and a lot of interesting mechanisms. Each area is large and fun to explore, and if you enjoy stealthy commando action combined with realistic sniping then this game is a must. Even for FPS fans, there is a lot to enjoy here with plenty of gadgets and challenges to add some replay value.

In conclusion, Stonefly is an above average indie title that might be best played on a more portable device encouraging smaller play sessions for grinding minerals. I played on Xbox Series S and had no issues with glitches apart from finding my way out of the intended map a few times. The game would have greatly benefited from an additional polish phase since it feels vastly empty at times and can be annoying to navigate. The lack of a usable map and the finicky fast travel mechanics discourage players from investing the time required to obtain all upgrades in a playthrough. However, not all is loss with this title. It is fairly priced for what it offers with a brief story and the time it takes to finish the game. The standout features that I enjoyed the most were the controls for the combat, the original soundtrack, and the unique art style that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

A Little Lily Princess is a visual novel that at least attempts to buck expectations by offering some semblance of gameplay to give us agency through the story. It’s very stuck in the genres tropes, and the language might be a bit too over the top ol’ English, but the tale overall is entertainingly written, with the added bonus of featuring several endings to encourage repeat plays.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages, and teaches its players the simple yet valuable lesson that cleaning up is good for the environment and its inhabitants. It has a wonderful art style and sound design that make visiting the island with Alba a joy. The wildlife is bird heavy so bird lovers will definitely be interested in this, and they do an excellent job bringing all the creatures to life. Although brief I enjoyed my time on the island but I couldn’t help but wish there was a little more content.

Chess Knights: Shinobi is a short simple puzzle game that has put some effort into its graphical display. The chess pieces and the level design captures the Japanese Edo era well enough. The puzzles range from simple and ramp-up to fiendishly difficult quite quickly so don’t expect to whizz through the game with ease.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt doesn’t have the budget to be a competitive sim hunting game and doesn’t have the humour to be a goofy game. The few moments of enjoyment in there require an archaeologist’s focus to unearth.

Just Die Already with its launch on consoles is a great open-world game within the first couple of hours. Within time its fun factor begins to deteriorate, and there just isn’t much to laugh at anymore. The humor has just gone stale. The difficulty in its controls and lack of features doesn’t help its cause.

Fans of Super Meat Boy would do well to check out Dungeon Escape. It’s not quite up there in terms of design or feel as that classic, but it’s still a solid title that offers up a good challenge to keep you coming back even after your hundredth death.

Despite how overwhelming and confusing it can be, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries certainly has something to offer players who want to get stuck into the fine details of setting up their own interstellar mercenary outfit. The combat can be fun, if deliberately slow, and once set up right having a powerful mech wrecking shop is entertaining. It’s just the bits in between that can drag, with confusing menus and systems that aren’t fully explained.

Overall, Train Station Renovation hits all the marks that it aims for, but sadly those marks weren’t set very high. It is a lonely, solitary experience that just isn’t very fun. As with all reviews this is just one man’s opinion. Personally it does nothing for me. I don’t dislike it but the whole premise of Train Station Renovation I find to be uninteresting. Achievement hunters can easily pad their Gamerscore. Other than that I just don’t see repeated playthroughs of this game.

Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a retro-fueled adventure that combines satisfying combat with extensive exploration to create an exquisitely crafted, nearly flawless experience. Matt Kap and his team at Labworks have studied the classics well while interweaving new ideas and mechanics into the formula.