While Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut is not a particularly long or complex game, it utilises everything in its arsenal incredibly well. It is packed with finely designed details which build into a wonderfully compelling game that makes excellent use of its tortuous pathways to make you feel as if your choices make a genuine impact.
Neva is a stunningly beautiful game, with jaw-dropping artwork, a heartbreaking yet hopeful narrative, and incredibly creepy enemies that are very satisfying to destroy.
Bloomtown: A Different Story follows a number of familiar beats to fans of turn-based combat, monster taming, and wholesome community RPGs. It cleverly weaves the contrasting elements together into a game that feels rich and original, with a storyline that doesn't shy away from the dark or solemn.
Loddlenauts is one of those satisfying games that balances a clear and important message with fun gameplay and a population of adorable creatures that it is all too easy to become deeply attached to.
WitchSpring R is a cute, wholesome RPG driven by a rich, revolutionary plot, packed with challenging combat and a fun fantasy world filled with secrets to uncover.
Farewell North is a beautiful game in every way, exploring a rich and emotional story that draws you deep into the lives of its characters, woven throughout a stunning recreation of some of Scotland's most incredible natural scenery.
Elrentaros Wanderings is a well-crafted, well-designed game that is cleverly paced and set in an adorable fantasy world with great animation and movement. The combat is simple and the missions not particularly challenging, but even the elements that could be more fully realized don't take away from the overall enjoyment of the game.
Reigns: Beyond is a cute, quirky adventure with excellently designed art, music, and storytelling delivered in a simple yet engaging format that works better on the Switch than most other mobile-friendly games.
Rose and Camellia Collection offers a glimpse into an intriguing yet tragically under-developed world that has moments of great humour, but teases a much better game than it is. It is brief, inconsistent, and relies on its one unique (and undeniably fun) mechanic far too much to feel complete.
One Last Breath is an ambitious game set in an artfully creepy world, with some great ideas in its foundation that unfortunately don't shine through as well as they could in its mechanics or storytelling.
As poignant and important as its predecessor, Not Tonight 2 utilises its addictive gameplay and rich storytelling to tackle some of contemporary America's most divisive issues in a way that manages to stay fun and humorous.
Tamarak Trail follows a lot of the familiar beats of a deck-building roguelike, with enough character and unique twists to make a worthy addition to the genre. Its soundtrack and art style shine, with a world that is ripe for deeper exploration.
A very worthy addition to the Demagog repertoire, Highwater builds on the gorgeous and provocative world of the studio's other games with a story-driven escape from a flooded planet. It is a sharp critique of late stage capitalism, but it populates the devastated world with a touching story, wholesome characters, and surprisingly engaging combat.
Lil Guardsman is a delightful game that draws you into the complex and nuanced story of a well-constructed fantasy world and explores its political turmoil. The characters and dialogue are wonderfully written, with a great sense of humor and clear indication that your choices, no matter how small, make an impact.
Gorgeous from start to finish, The Cub is a short but hugely entertaining 2D platformer that has been crafted with love to be not only a fun game to play, but a fantastic piece of satirical art that does not pull its punches in its critiques of contemporary reality.
A provocative and technical feat, Terra Nil stands out from games with a similar environmental setting. It requires you to think creatively and intelligently about the challenges faced by the natural world, and it leaves you with a realistic vision of what humanity needs to do to change the world for the better.
Crymachina boasts a dark, imposing world populated by monstrous machine enemies that uses classic sci-fi themes to examine deep existential questions. However, it doesn't offer you any agency through a story that is unsatisfyingly similar to the studio's last game.
Gordian Quest is an ambitious fantasy RPG that offers a vast campaign, exciting auto-generated maps, and turn-based combat that offers near endless hours of gameplay with its broad selection of battle decks.
A finely crafted game in almost every respect, Gunbrella mixes engaging puzzles with exciting action, well-rounded characters, and a dark, intriguing mystery that infects the entire dystopian world.
A stunningly well-executed game, Cocoon takes you on a physics-bending adventure that has you leaping between worlds to solve puzzles that guide an endearing little alien home. It absorbs you fully into its unique and beautiful corner of space until its orb-based mechanics make more sense than reality.