Although Tiny Thor may seem like a pretty simple platformer when you first encounter it, is actually quite complex. You will need to become a master of Thor’s hammer and find the most effective ways to use it in order to progress throughout Asgard. The game never feels stale as each level brings some new gameplay element to continue to challenge the player and offer opportunities to use Thor’s hammer in creative ways. Whilst the level of difficulty and the lack of health is a bit frustrating, fans of fast-paced, ever-changing, cute platformers will find a lot to love in Tiny Thor.

A compelling, nuanced story told beautifully and with many diverging paths, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a stunning example of how powerful the visual novel format can be. It uses the desires, pains, and histories of its characters to paint a rich emotional landscape against the context of a changing world, with the player’s decisions shaping both the intricacies and the broad strokes of this world’s future. With striking art design, immersive writing, and massive variety of story possibilities, this is a must-play for narrative adventure fans.

With a truly unique concept that’s different from any other horror game out there, Killer Frequency mixes just the right amount of campy thrills to keep its serial killer narrative moving along swiftly. As you’re saving civilians using clues around the radio station while cracking jokes and enjoying some retro-inspired tracks, it’s hard not to get invested in the story and setting, especially as it features such strong performances from its wacky cast. The pace can be slow at times, but the twists and turns kept me eager to speak with every new caller. You can trust me as a seasoned producer and presenter: this is one radio program worth tuning in for.

The Tartarus Key is a good experimental indie horror venture. It never outstays its welcome and creates a thrilling, brooding experience that never cheapens itself with jump scares. Feeling a little existential in its atmosphere, this too is bolstered by the low poly PS1 era art style the game is going for. Though not every puzzle is the most fun to work through, they are at least all well thought out with plenty of fun quirks that work well with the escape room vibes. I enjoyed being in the heat of the moment, feeling something in my brain click when I solved a brain teaser and it resulted in rescuing another character’s life. Rounding it out is a fun cast I’m needing to see more of, with Alex as a force of nature of a horror protagonist. Rest assured, The Tartarus Key is a secret little gem that should be high on indie horror fans’ lists.

Whilst Diablo IV could have done more to advance the genre or perfect its writing and tone across the entire experience, there’s no denying just how impactful this release is, especially for those of us who grew up alongside the series. The game is demonically big and beautiful, allowing players to get lost in Sanctuary and constantly engaged by the looting and upgrading loop that continues to fire endorphins from the moment you boot it up until you finally and begrudgingly turn it off.

Street Fighter 6 provides the fast and furious action you’d expect from the refined fighting series, offering a dynamic cast of characters, new control modes to make it more accessible, and a variety of features to keep you busy. Its story mode is a campy take on the Street Fighter universe that doesn’t always land the winning blow, however; while it’s filled with distractions and civilian fighters to take on, it can be a little repetitive and shallow. Still, the technical foundations that Street Fighter stands on are as solid as ever, and with a whole world to battle online, there’s a lot of fighting on the menu in what is once again a polished, exciting fighting experience that will keep fans engaged for years.

With a changing Daily Circuit mode and a Custom Circuit mode offering players different ways to structure their workouts, Fitness Circuit is a great fit for players with different exercise needs. The personal profile’s focus on weight and BMI may not be ideal, however, it is fortunately optional. If you’re keen on a Switch game that helps you fit a quick workout into a busy day, Fitness Circuit is worth checking out.

Nightdive’s System Shock remake is a strange game, and whether it will appeal to you may largely depend on your nostalgia for the era of gaming from which it came. This remake still shows its age, despite the considerable and impressive paint job, lighting, and updated controls. If you don’t mind the sometimes murderous level of difficulty, tons of backtracking, and minimal handholding, System Shock may be a compelling piece of gaming history that is worth checking out.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a buggy mess, even disregarding the constant crashes. Not only that, but it is a game void of any personality, originality, or bravery. It attempts nothing new and falls back on tropes that started falling out of style years ago, while somehow still managing to replicate them poorly. It disappoints me not just as a fan of the Lord of the Rings, but also as a fan of video games in general.

A chilling fever dream of dystopian hope, After Us takes the mechanics of an atmospheric puzzle-platformer and uses them to create a beautifully unsettling experience that feels a little too real. Its satisfying traversal challenges through gorgeously rendered wastelands provide plenty of engaging gameplay moments for platforming fans, though its relentlessly oppressive environments may prove too harsh for some. Haunting and immersive, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Seemingly made by a single person, Protodroid DeLTA is a riveting action platformer clearly inspired by the Mega Man franchise, but easily able to stand as its own title. Brilliant level design and mechanics pair with impressive writing to deliver a title that’s difficult without being frustrating. At roughly 6 hours, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and raises hopes for future titles from the developer.

LEGO 2K Drive is an exciting, colourful romp through the endearing world of BrickLandia where everything is breakable, colourful and the good vibes are turned up to 11. The game shows how LEGO is for everyone no matter your age as I was “oohing” and “ahhing” throughout my playthrough at the care that was put into developing a world not made from LEGO but also interesting to explore and race around in. Though the game does have some issues, such as the not-so-enticing Garage vehicle building mechanics, I had a pretty fun time cruising round’ an open world where everything is awesome.

Bread & Fred is a delightfully enraging cooperative physics puzzle that combines charming pixel art, adorable animations, and a challenging platformer experience. The game’s world, filled with cute penguins and vibrant environments, will bring smiles to faces. The chaotic gameplay and repeating failure might bring frustration but will be followed by big laughs and lots of fun with your penguin partner. Still, for solo players without someone to play with local co-op, this game won’t be for you.

Miasma Chronicles takes the turn-based strategy formula and throws on additional layers of stealth to enforce guerilla-warfare strategies. It largely succeeds in this goal, ensuring players take in their surroundings while taking out as many enemies as they can. When combat starts, you use various abilities and character strengths to survive. This gameplay immerses you well, making you want to plan out your next strategy as soon as possible. There are some flaws in the gameplay, such as abilities and environmental objects not working as intended. It’s also too easy to accidentally commit to a mistake while looking over the battlefield. But there are more strengths than weaknesses that allow Miasma Chronicles to deliver a fun strategic experience.

Planet of Lana is a vibrant and vivid dreamscape. From luscious greens to bright blues, it’s very clear how important art is in a game like this. Some issues hold the title back, such as a lack of checkpoints leading to frustration in puzzles. Though the environmental storytelling is strong, the puzzle elements largely work with the use of “companion-based gameplay”, and the stealth sections, while basic, make for a fun time. All in all, Planet of Lana is an engaging and unique game, and a world worth experiencing.

Humanity greatly succeeds across audio, visuals, puzzle design and more. It’s an unusual game at heart but one that uses its abnormalities to its benefit. Practically unforgettable, this experience will test you as much as it inspires awe through delightful sensory stimulation. This beautifully complete and polished game may lose a touch of its precision in its later stages, though it still captivates through a wild ride of absurdist depictions and satisfying design.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox takes a unique concept but doesn’t quite manage to assemble something memorable out of the sum of its parts. A combination of unsatisfying combat and clunky controls makes for a poor metroidvania, and its narrative and puzzle elements are not enough to make up for it. There is some fun to be had here though, and its graphical style certainly makes it easy on the eyes.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finds a way to improve upon its predecessor in almost every way, remixing the format and forcing you to rewire your brain in genius ways to solve devilish puzzles, take on challenging bosses, and explore a dense, captivating open world absolutely chock-full of distractions and secrets. Like Breath of the Wild before it, Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible accomplishment in video games that is set to stay in our collective conscience for the next several years and beyond, and it's completely deserving of that honour.

Darkest Dungeon II is a gruelling experience where you constantly fail and luck isn’t on your side. But as you learn from your mistakes and unlock more resources, the challenges can be conquered, and it feels mighty good to do so. Veterans of the previous game will be surprised by the reworked mechanics, and it will take some time to adapt. Though that doesn’t away from the huge amount of enjoyment the game is able to instil and the exhilaration you get when exploring Darkest Dungeon II with an open mind. For a roguelite experience that pushes your creativity and tolerance to the limit, you’ll struggle to find much better than Darkest Dungeon II.

Knight Crawlers offers several ways to customise your rogue-lite experience. You can change your character’s outfit, decide on your combat approach, and how you approach a dungeon run. Rather than throwing large numbers of enemies at you and seeing what happens, the gameplay allows you to choose what you want to do. Unfortunately, Knight Crawlers is still held back by several issues. Melee combat isn’t effective compared to ranged combat, and the wobbly character’s movement can work against you. There are also a good number of bugs that can interfere with your experience, forcing you to restart otherwise-successful runs. The potential of Knight Crawlers is there, but some areas haven’t received the refinement that could have helped demonstrate said potential.

Desta: The Memories Between provides a difficult narrative filled with grief and regret. However, through its meditative, albeit unintuitive gameplay, it provides a safe and reflective journey into Desta’s heart. An experience that may have the player remembering back on their own life and relationships. With this relatable and emotionally driven narrative, the game provides a safe space for the player to examine themselves and all it asks is to throw a ball. This all makes Desta: The Memories Between stand out as a great game and an incredible exploration of healing.

Redfall is an interesting concept with some valid ideas, some cool lore, and some great moments driven by solid visual design and a knack for leaning into the supernatural. But with a vapid and dull open world, excruciating mission design, constant backtracking, and a plethora of performance issues—this release ends up sucking the life out of you one dumb glitch at a time.

Stray Blade has some redeeming qualities, though these will largely be subjective. It is easy to tell that Point Blank Games set out to create a title with passion in an attempt to offer something more unique. The visuals and art design are gorgeous, the world is interesting if a bit generic, and the general gameplay loop can be addicting if you can put up with the clunky combat. Though with that said, Stray Blade does little to warrant your attention in the landscape of today’s video game offerings. If you want a souls-like RPG that you can turn on, take in the vibrant scenery, and play through whilst turning your mind off, you could do far worse. For those looking for a refined combat experience, tight controls, and rewarding gameplay, you would do best to look elsewhere.

Ravenlok is not a bad game, but judged on its gameplay, it feels somewhat insubstantial. Those going into the game looking for an engaging and challenging action experience will likely be turned off by its simple and toothless combat and overreliance on fetch quests. That said, for younger gamers or those seeking a more straightforward adventure through a surreal world filled with memorable and strange characters, it’s a decent time, and is worth checking out on those merits.

Showgunners creates a bombastic, colourful, chaotic world that incorporates elements of reality TV, turn-based combat, dystopian energy and characters that grow alongside a strong narrative. All of these elements combined could have made the game a messy experience, but the story kept me engaged, and I felt intrinsically motivated to conquer Homicidal All-Stars so that Scarlett can finally find peace. Showgunners is a successful mash-up, and Artificer’s inclusion of various intertwining gameplay features make the game an ever changing, fun ride that made me excited along each step of the way.

While there is a lot to keep track of in Age of Wonders 4, persistence pays off when it comes to the main gameplay experience. While it may take time to get used to the different gameplay concepts and menu screens, the level of variety when it comes to customisation, hero units, underground passages, and ancient wonders makes Age of Wonders 4 a paradise sandbox for strategy fans at all levels. No matter whether you’re a turn-based combat buff or more of a city management fan, you’ll be sure to find something to like in this whopper of a game.

It’s disappointing to come away from Mail Time feeling more frustrated than relaxed. All of the elements for an adorable, wholesome experience are there: its cast of animal characters are incredibly well-written, its art direction is delightful, and the entire premise is utterly charming. Unfortunately, a litany of glitches and janky platforming controls really disrupt its vibe. While I’m hopeful that its incredibly ambitious solo developer is able to support the game with patches down the track, it’s sadly difficult to recommend Mail Time in its current state.

Varney Lake tries to be a compelling thriller that obviously wants to keep its players guessing. The narrative lacked in its ability to keep me entertained and wanting to know what actually happened during that summer. What kept me interested was the way it looked, sounded and made me feel. It pulls off the “pixel” elements but very much fails to live up to the exciting, suspenseful narrative of the pulp fiction genre. If you’re into game and audio design, or love the pixel artstyle , you may be able to forgive this, but if you’re looking for a narrative that will have you clicking your mouse for more, best look elsewhere.