Nine Sols is an enthralling combat gauntlet with death-defying moves and sleek systems for a rapturous experience, let down only slightly by its somewhat lacklustre pacing and focus, and tired fat-shaming quips.
A truly excellent combat system and neat character-centric episodes complement a compelling tale, but weak side activities and some turgid grinding hold it back.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a sublime RPG with a fantastic combat system, absorbing stories, and at-times fascinating story, if it wasn't let down by its drip-fed narrative nature and heavy nostalgic leanings
"The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is nothing short of superb, the sort of game that demands to be experienced as soon as possible"
"Venba perfectly melds together a story of generational anxieties and dreams"
"There's simply not enough variation here to keep Exoprimal feeling fresh after a dozen or so hours"
Aliens: Dark Descent is a fresh and fun take on the series, with great tactical action supplemented with unique concepts like stress management. The writing and characters sadly don't amount to anything memorable, and boss battles can feel incredibly jarring to the pacing and tension.
Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new direction for the series, and it chiefly pays off with brilliant scares and disempowerment of the player. The bottlenecked level design can be frustrating though, as can the nature of do-overs with the beast hot on your heels.
Bayonetta Origins shows a great new side of the Umbral Witch, in a tale that's heartwarming as it is enjoyable. Combat and puzzles are a great one-two punch, but Cereza's restricted role and Cheshire's unfaltering nature undermine a little of the former.
"You'll need to stop and familiarize yourself with a monster and its attacks if you want to succeed"
A brilliant combination of rhythmic motions and a deep action-packed battle system make for a compelling adventure. Hi-Fi Rush is only let down by its writing and character development, or lack thereof.
Fire Emblem Engage is sadly a missed opportunity to tie together a new cast of characters with the heroes of old.
Some elements of Crisis Core shine, while others are left in the past
Vile Monarch's post-apocalyptic city-builder puts its people first to great success but walks a fine line between providing too much or too little to do.
There's excellence in Splatoon 3 – it just doesn't quite hold for the campaign.
Gwent: Rogue Mage is a great evolution of an already-satisfying foundation. The roguelike trappings of travelling across an ever-changing board full of shifting events and encounters meld wonderfully into the action of Gwent battles. Some redundant events and bothersome bugs aside, this is a real treat.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes rides a great hybrid battle system while barely slowing down for its beloved characters
Floppy Knights, with its caring protagonist and welcoming style, is a really enjoyable tactical card game that offers more the longer you spend with it. It's a joy to experience.
Salt and Sacrifice is a riff on what came before, but not an entirely successful one. A tense, fraught combat system with gallons of customisation options carries Ska Studios’ sequel, and boss fights are entertaining if overly tough at times, but the storytelling and narrative designs of Salt and Sanctuary can’t hold up their end of the bargain.
While its leading pair and open world design stumble at times, Ghostwire’s wonderfully weird side stories and engrossing combat, more than pick up any slack and work in harmony with the game's more zany and offbeat elements to create a world that hasn't just got looks, but one hell of a spirit, too.