BALL x PIT is a mash-up of Vampire Survivors and Breakout, and it is just as addictive. Runs are short and explosive, and you can feel the improvements in between them, all lending itself to giving it one last try, again and again.
On paper, this is a mash-up that shouldn’t work. But testament to Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition, and with this being the second remaster of the original game, it proves that it does indeed work. Be prepared to play an awful lot of tile matching gameplay with very little variation in between. But if you want a game to dip in and out of, a game that is deep enough to be called an RPG too, you could do a lot worse than Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition.
For a relaxing, chilled out game you can probably stick a podcast on to play, Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition is worth a look. And if you want a modern take on a spot the difference puzzle, this will just about sort you out. Just don’t expect too many frills or anything special.
If you played the first Electronics Puzzle Lab, then there is absolutely nothing new here in Electronics Puzzle Lab 2. It feels like a majorly missed opportunity to add something, anything, new. Instead, there are fewer levels, fewer components, and the same frustrations. To many, this will exist purely for achievement fodder, which, if you can believe it, is exactly how the first game felt too.
As a collection and a retrospective anthology of Bubsy games, Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection ticks all the boxes. The issue here though, and it is a fairly major one, is that the games weren’t ever very good in the first place. Even with the modern additions to make them palatable, these are bad platformers. And unfortunately, nice inclusions can only get you so far when the gameplay is sub-par.
KARMA: The Dark World is the kind of game that will stick with you long after you complete it. Far from perfect, with a disappointing third act and some major performance issues, thankfully the pros outweigh the cons.
Hot Stakes Casino – American Roulette does absolutely nothing that other roulette games in bigger titles already do. The only additions are the minigames, that are very luck-based, and the character artwork, that just aren’t very good.
TRIANGLE STRATEGY is a deep and rewarding tactical RPG that rewards patience and curiosity. To see everything will require at least three playthroughs, but there is a New Game Plus to assist with that. And on those repeat playthroughs, at least you can skip those cutscenes; they are plentiful, and perhaps too many.
Madden NFL 26 has a clear shot at the playoffs and a chance to be a Super Bowl contender.
When CORE.SYS is firing on all cylinders, you are dodging Firewalls left, right and centre, praying that the next checkpoint hurries itself up. At that point, it just about becomes good enough to warrant a purchase. But until you get that far…
Call it cosy, call it chill, but Dorfromantik is something truly special. It’s a game that is able to be both challenging and relaxing. It does the latter through beautiful visuals and a sublime soundtrack, but builds the challenge with a bit of depth and strategy. And also to resist the temptation to just keep playing until the real-life birdsong starts outside your window…
Herdling is not the game to convert those averse to walking simulators: It can drag, and has a confusing control setup. But it is also beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures, and that’s all done without a single word spoken.
It isn’t so much the story or the crafting elements that will keep you playing Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, but simply uncovering every corner of this beautifully realised world.
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition for the Xbox Series X|S is a bit of a strange beast. The narrative is engaging as it meanders to an end goal, but the journey from A to B is pretty abstract.
Figuratively and literally, Starfield is the next evolution for a Bethesda game; taking that framework and that sandbox before applying it 1000 times over.
It is tough to recommend Hyposphere: Rebirth on Xbox to anyone other than achievement hunters, and even then it is probably best to still avoid it.
For a few short hours The Pillar: Puzzle Escape on Xbox will completely transport you away. It is easy to get sucked in thanks to the serene environment combined with the first-person perspective. A lack of story does not matter: this is a place begging to be explored.
You should go into PBA Pro Bowling 2021 on Xbox not expecting too much, but even then you will probably find yourself disappointed by what is on offer, alongside becoming pretty bored during events.
It may have released on PC back in 2016 but Planet Coaster: Console Edition is quietly one of the best launch titles for the Xbox Series X|S, and made all the better by being available through Game Pass. For a park sim, it is incredibly easy to pick up and play as everything is explained and designed as this version was built up for consoles, as opposed to a simple port.
Sadly, Monstrum on the Xbox One is a poor attempt at an interesting concept. The abandoned ship isn’t the most unique setting for a horror game but being pursued by a bloodthirsty monster should provide at least some tension. Instead it is a laborious plod through samey corridors where sometimes being caught by the monster is preferable than having to perform the same objectives over and over again just to escape.