Despite some spawning issues and the occasional technical hiccup, Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is a damn fine bullet-storm dungeon crawler. The game’s consistently fast pace, together with its non-stop action and its diverse content variety, collectively ensure that adrenaline is kept high, whilst repetition is kept at bay. Granted, this may not be the deepest game of its kind, functionally speaking, but it’s certainly one of the funnest.

Neverout isn’t all that challenging, which, for a puzzle game, doesn’t fare too well. Further to that, the game recycles its few tricks too often and rarely offers much clarity. That being said, the crux of its concept is certainly interesting enough to maintain traction, and its surprisingly low cost makes its drawbacks somewhat easier to bear overall. Bottom line? Neverout is a passable puzzler at best. Nothing more, and nothing less.

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.

Sumo have made some stellar efforts in the past, but Team Sonic Racing is, needless to say, their best effort by far. What’s here is a love letter to all things Sonic, not just in character variation, but stage design, audio presentation, and much more besides. Despite some online teething issues, some questionable AI behavior, and the odd poor design choice, you’ll not find a better kart racer this side of a Nintendo system.

Layers of Fear 2 is fairly hit and miss for a sequel. Whilst it manages to hold its own, it doesn’t quite meet the quality nor the ambition found in its predecessor. The gameplay may be considered to be too easy for its own good, and certain elements do feel somewhat rushed. Though, that being said, one has to commend its level of polish and its psychological approach, ultimately putting forward an experience that’s both unique, and provocative.

Warlock’s Tower isn’t half bad for a retro-fueled puzzler. The game paces itself rather well through the steady introduction of new mechanics, and although it somewhat struggles to remain interesting in the long-run, one has to commend its solid difficulty curve. You’re unlikely to be blown away by what’s on offer here, but you’ll certainly be getting your money’s worth, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

Bring to Light is about as scary as a bush baby, about as deep as a puddle, and about as interesting as watching paint dry. Whilst it is indeed very accessible in comparison to most horror games as of late, its complete lack of difficulty, together with the absence of innovation, only tends to further emphasize how boring the whole ordeal is. If you’re looking for your next horror fix, you’re most assuredly not going to find it here.

Considering its low cost, Skelly Selest offers quite a bulky serving that will no doubt entice fans of slash and dash score attacks, and whilst far from deep, and despite some glaring issues, it’s certainly somewhat entertaining across most aspects of play. That being said, it doesn’t take too long before repetition sinks in, making this more ideal to play when you’ve an hour to spare, or, when you’re waiting for something better to install.

The Last Door is, at least initially, far too easy for its own good. The solutions to many of the game’s puzzles tend to be borderline insulting for the first half, which doesn’t make for a great first impression. Bear with it though, because despite its simplicity and some issues with its pacing, the game certainly picks up traction later in. That, and its tense and atmospheric story alongside its superb visual and audio design, is truly unlike anything else.

Whilst I take issue with the game’s pacing and its hit and miss AI, there’s little else to scoff at here. American Fugitive is a love letter to fans of classic Grand Theft Auto. The game’s stunning world is full of varied activities and events, with no shortage of choice to take to throughout each and every aspect within. This is all held together by remarkably fluid gameplay, putting forward a sandbox that’s deep, robust, and constantly action-packed.

Steels Rats is the definition of a ‘meh’ game. It has some nice ideas and elements, but nothing is really pulled off particularly well. Combat is fine, if repetitive, but the awkward camera view, the unreliable collision detection, and the general lack of any real character, collectively brings the whole thing down.

Back in 1995, survival horror games were much deeper, better refined, and a lot more engaging than this. Furthermore, they were vastly interesting and, more importantly, scary. Back in 1995 is the polar opposite. The game falls flat on all fronts, from its underdeveloped mechanics, right through to its awful overall presentation. It’s the worst throwback I’ve ever played, worse than even Outbreak: The New Nightmare, and that’s saying something.

Constantly tense and surprisingly varied, Darkwood offers a new take on the tired genre, one that never relies on needless scares and cheap tactics to set its captivating, grim atmosphere. Here, you’re simply thrown to the unknown and left to fend for yourselves by any means necessary, with no hand-holding whatsoever, and no easy way out. Despite a few issues, Darkwood offers everything a great survival horror should, and more besides.

Rage 2’s main drawbacks sit with its uninteresting story and its awkward, convoluted structure of progression. If you’ve both the forgiveness and the patience to overlook all of that, a shooter that deals in explosive action and sheer depth awaits. Rage 2 is all about having a mindless blast, and between its vastly varied combat, its interesting world, and its diverse gameplay, it certainly delivers on that front, and then some.

Undead Horde is a surprisingly deep hack ‘n’ slash RPG that not only succeeds at being interestingly unique, but excels as far as strategic variation is concerned. The amount of content on offer, despite its tendency of becoming slightly repetitive from time to time, is quite simply commendable. Bottom Line? Whilst far from Diablo’s standards, this adventure is bound to keep you hooked and entertained for hours on end.

Despite that these games have aged about as well as leather in a desert, and overlooking a few omissions, Konami’s Castlevania Anniversary Collection is well worth the investment if you’re a fan of the series, or, are curious about the franchise’s roots. Throw in the fact that this compilation will soon see the addition of the Japanese versions for each title included, picking this up truly is a no brainer.

For the King is undoubtedly one of the most distinct, intriguing, and fun RPG roguelikes in recent memory, and what’s more, the content value is through the roof. Despite the odd technical hiccup, the game succeeds in blending so many mechanics together without making a mess, and yet respectably manages to remain accessible and exciting throughout. If you’ve even a smidgen of interest in this game, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

Much like its predecessor, Devious Dungeon 2 provides a simple yet entertaining rogue-lite adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sadly, a few poor design choices from the first game have carried over, but in the face of its improvements, these niggling flaws are fairly easy to overlook. In summary, if you enjoyed what came before, you’re bound to find some value here.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is grim, dark, and constantly provocative, and yet, it effortlessly manages to remain emotionally radiant throughout. This isn’t just another survival game, it’s a tale that consistently and articulately interlaces beauty with brutality to excellent effect. Whilst the gameplay could have benefited from a bit more depth, the overall journey is mechanically well balanced, and to its credit, unlike anything else. This, is a must have.

Despite its interesting introduction, My Big Sister falls flat on all fronts. The game seems to be too confused with what it wants to be, and who it wants to appeal to. Whilst the game’s story is mature and tackles some very sensitive subjects, it gets too caught up in its own web of convoluted concepts. On top of that, the gameplay completely lacks mechanical depth, comes with no real difficulty, and is further hamstrung by several irritating bugs.

Even with its technical drawbacks and its disgraceful design choices to the side, Party Arcade just isn’t fun. Most of the party games included are either too tedious, too repetitive, or too frustrating. Furthermore, the game demands far too much of a grind from its players in order to access more content, likely put in place to encourage the purchase of its needless microtransactions. This is little more than a greedy and desperate cash-grab.

Sometimes, things are better left in the past, and Dragon’s Lair Trilogy is a prime example of that. The whole ordeal is far too dated, and comes with frustrations that are born through a few poor design choices and shoddy transitions. Whilst the animation on show is commendable even today, there’s no shaking the fact that this compilation comes across as totally unnecessary and utterly boring.

Overlooking the occasional technical fault, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is well worth your time and attention, especially if you’re a fan of the series. The game bundles together the core experience and all its pre-existing DLC, complete with additional extras and wonderfully remastered visuals. Comparing it to its original version is truly night and day, and it remains every bit as deep, as action-packed, and as brutally delicious as it ever was.

Ascendance’s short and seemingly peaceful journey is often hamstrung by its poor handling, and for a game that focuses its play on platforming alone, this doesn’t at all fare well. Furthermore, there’s a lot of framerate fluctuation to contend with alongside bad lighting, making it very difficult to appreciate the splendor that each world desperately attempts to relay. The whole affair just comes across like a cheap, shallow imitation of Refunct.

When it comes to episodic games, first impressions are everything. Sadly, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle’s opening episode is a mixed bag of pros and cons. Whilst the art direction is outstanding and the story remains humorously dark, there’s very little complexity on show as far as the game’s puzzles are concerned. Further to that, it’s a relatively short experience that lasts little over an hour. Subsequent episodes certainly need to pick up the slack.

This, at very best, is a decent take on the arcade days of old. It’s a game in which you’re merely dropped into progressively difficult bouts of twin-stick shooting mayhem. Nothing more, and nothing less. Whilst appealing more to the hardcore player than the casual player, and despite a very straightforward structure, some poor design choices, and a few localisation issues, Super Space Serpent SE really isn’t half bad.

Wacky, accessible, and for the most part, innovative, Brief Battles succeeds in bringing fun that’s appropriate for the entire family. The only real drawback is that it all runs dry a lot sooner than it should, but even then, you’ll be hard-pressed finding a brand new party game that’s as likable, as outlandish, and as distinct as this.

Woodle Tree Adventures draws inspiration from the likes of Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64, but well and truly fails at meeting the same level of quality on even a surface level. The game’s utter lack of refinement sees issues such as poor camera behavior and inconsistent handling continuously hindering play. Though, even if you’ve the patience to overlook such blatant faults, you’re left with a dull platformer that’s far more frustrating than it’s worth.