If you’re a steampunk aficionado then Vaporum will doubtless hold some appeal for you; it’s smartly presented and tells a tantalisingly haunting tale of man’s folly. But for those who aren’t as taken with steam power, Vaporum is a rather average dungeon crawler.
Minecraft Story Mode Season 2, Episode 3: Jailhouse Block isn't awful, it's just so disappointingly middling.
Ultimately, ICY: Frostbite Edition could have been so much more, but as it is, it's a distinctly lukewarm experience.
Stripped of the need to generate moolah, or injected with a heavier dose of strategy, Vostok Inc could be a stellar venture. But the bottom line is that this game's pockets of excellence are stifled by an awkward mechanic that turns your interstellar journey into an unappealing, pan-galactic grind.
Portal Knights deserves credit for attempting to blend two distinct genres… it just does so little to distinguish itself, resulting in an unrewarding title that doesn't draw you in.
Appealing as Tales of Cosmos may initially be, it remains disappointly flawed and is best left to drift through the aether.
Ultimately, We Are The Dwarves is jack of all trades, master of none. The game includes strategy, stealth and action elements but none of these mechanics are particularly well implemented.
Is Backbone worth a look? Yes, particularly if the idea of playing as an anthropomorphic animal appeals to you. There are times when it’ll have you on tenterhooks and there are several characters that are strong enough to stand out. It’s admirable that this was achieved on a small budget, but ultimately the developers have tried to cram too much in for Backbone to be truly successful.
Rain of Reflections: Episode 1 isn’t perfect, but kicks off what seems like a strong story, offering a tantalising taste of things to come with a mood-setting soundtrack that I’d happily listen to on its own.
Battlewake can be a blast in small doses and is a good way show off the PSVR’s potential (unless the person you’re showing it is prone to seasickness).
Ion Fury is flawed, but there’s plenty of gruesome fun to be had here, more so if you’ve got fond memories of 90s shooters. If Voidpoint/3D Realms can tighten up the game for an expansion pack or a sequel, I’d definitely be up for more Bombshell. Just don’t expect this outing to blow you away all the time.
Underneath it all, Pathologic 2 is an engaging and disquieting game, one that has the potential to be something really quite special. But its survival mechanics are unnecessarily suffocating and take much of the joy out of it. Until Pathologic 2 is cured of that particular problem, be prepared for an uneven slog.
If you’ve already played Two Point Hospital to death and desperately want more content – you’ll need to have unlocked at least seven hospitals in order to to play this – then Pebberley Island is worth a look.
It won’t scare your socks off, but if you can avoid getting bogged down by The Sinking City’s clunkier elements, there’s enough to enjoy here.
Step through Vivette’s doors, by all means, but be prepared for an uneven stay.
Even if the game’s visuals don’t appeal to you and you’ve never tackled any other games in the series, it still warrants investigating. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows’ frequently disconcerting and often bloody payoffs, as well as periodical dollops of psychological horror, make it worth tolerating the game’s less engaging moments.
Taken in small doses, the game can be a fun, challenging experience – as long as you step away before frustration sets in. And if those issues could be fixed in time for a sequel, I'd be up for a second visit to The Spectrum Retreat.
Rogue Aces can be an entertaining blast and is sufficiently different from the competition to be worth a look. But its repetitive nature does it no favours and means it's best taken in small doses.
If you've got the patience, Chaos on Deponia's charming world is worth a visit, it's just a shame about the company.
The game is so wilfully and bafflingly intent on blocking off said fun that you'll need all the persistence of a bin-raiding fox to reap Super Lucky's Tale's rewards.