Kim Snaith
The challenges on offer are difficult but fun, and they'll keep you going back until you master them. You can't really expect any more than that.
Figment isn't very long – it took me perhaps three or four hours to reach the end – but for every moment, it kept me fixated and enchanted.
Even as it is, The Lost Child is worth picking up. Whether its age-old tale of angels and demons does it for you is your call, but gameplay alone is enough to make this a worthwhile timesink. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more demons to go and capture
Die For Valhalla's unique gameplay elements accompanied by some glorious 2D artwork help make this one more palatable in the long run than most. The ability to level up and acquire new skills gives you reason to keep playing, as seeing your Valkyrie – and the warriors she possesses – get stronger is great reward.
It's just a shame that my enthusiasm and interest was eventually fully deflated by obtuse puzzles that offer no guidance and ultimately feel superfluous to the game. Get rid of them altogether and you've got a gripping interactive story that's dying to be told. But with the puzzles as they are, STAY is reduced to feeling more like a badly-designed old-school adventure game.
It's rare a game is as endlessly joyous as Yoku's Island Express.
Episode two, Hide and Seek, has me deeply involved in its dark and foreboding world, and just like last time, I'm eagerly awaiting the next episode.
Throughline Games really ought to be applauded; Forgotton Anne is something rather special. If this is the calibre of the studio's first game, I really can't wait to see what else it comes up with.
My enjoyment of The Swords of Ditto may have been strongly impacted, but I did still enjoy it. It's hard not to – it's such a pleasure to look at, with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style that instantly draws you in.
Ultimately, Bombslinger takes the Bomberman concept and runs with it. It's a whimsical, engaging and hugely entertaining bomb 'em up that will keep you coming back, even when the Bombslinger's thirst for vengeance is slaked.
It may only take a couple of hours at most to experience everything that The Invisible Hours has to offer, but it's a couple of hours well worth investing.
Without convoluted gameplay systems and a myriad of menus to get your head around, Impact Winter's streamlined approach to the genre is faultlessly welcoming and instantly engaging. It means it's perfectly at home on console, too, and considering the budget-price release, you probably ought to at least give it a try.
The ramped-up difficulty towards the end of the game may be off-putting for some, considering its very much kid-friendly exterior, but if you don't mind a bit of a challenge, The Adventure Pals is very much a worthwhile romp.
It's always great to see a videogame try and do something different, and Minit does so with gusto: it takes a tried-and-tested formula and turns it on its head with one very simple mechanic. It makes a standard adventure game into a test of memory, of patience, of skill, and even though it'll frustrate you, it'll have you coming back for "just one minute" time and time again.
As far as party games go, however, Scribblenauts Showdown might just be one of my new favourites. It's certainly going to be the new go-to videogame whenever friends come over. And I've been honing my skills, so they better watch out.
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is a wholesome, delightful adventure that any fan of traditional JRPGs would be wise to jump into.
Every level offers a new challenge, and just when you think you've got the hang of everything, QUBE 2 will throw something new at you.
The Mad Ones raises a lot of questions and leaves us on a heck of a cliffhanger, but even without that, it sets up an exciting enough premise to leave me on tenterhooks for the next episode. I can't wait to see what else Big Bad Wolf has up its sleeve.
Roughly a four-hour experience, Legendary Gary is a strange game to sum up, but one that's totally worth your time. Unlike anything I've ever played before, its unique mixture of fantasy and reality makes for a thought-provoking, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes funny journey that often touches too close to home.
Sure, it's beautiful — and after the end credits have rolled and you're free to explore the world, bereft of annoying puzzles, there's beauty and secrets to be found at every corner — but as an overall experience the unnecessarily obtuse world design and repetitiveness makes Fe stand out only for its frustrations, not its successes.