Brad Lang
Concrete Genie is a short, deeply moving expression of creativity and life. Despite embracing some generic mechanics towards the end, Concrete Genie is a bold, passionate game that bears one of the most stunning aesthetics I've seen all year
Occasionally obtuse and slow, Disco Elysium excels at delivering one of the best role-playing game experiences in a very long time with exceptional writing, world building and mechanical immersion
Not Tonight is a bold puzzle game that's unafraid to shy away from very serious issues while delivering a strong narrative, cathartic gameplay loop and consistently pretty presentation
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that manages to be wholeheartedly cathartic, relaxing and adorable for every second you play despite some legacy flaws and clunky menus that may vex just a little too much
A staggering amount of content, variety and tactical depth makes Monster Train a must-play for fans of the deck-building genre, despite it struggling to explain its dense collection of mechanics and often lacklustre presentation.
Despite some annoyingly prevalent fan-service and clunky fetch quests, Shantae and The Seven Sirens won me over with it’s beautiful realised world, charming characters and thoroughly polished metroidvania design
Necrobarista is a touching, emotional journey that features an excellently written and easily lovable cast of characters. While the "memories" within the game are frustrating to unlock, it wasn't enough to detract from an otherwise excellent experience.
Subnautica: Below Zero presents the player not only with a harsh tundra to live in but the icy depths underneath it all. It’s tense, challenging, and always engaging, pushed on by a surprisingly in-depth narrative and characters that make eventually leaving behind all those magnificent alien animals all the more challenging when you eventually roll credits.
Move or Die is a fast-paced and frenetic party game committed to delivering you and your friends the most enjoyable and fun experience possible and at that it truly succeeds
Timespinner is a wonderfully accessible and inclusive Metroidvania that does justice to the genre despite some missed opportunities and brief run time.
Lethal League Blaze offers up an exhilarating multiplayer game that can be tons of fun both with friends and solo but does feel a touch light on meaningful content
Forager is a quirky, relaxing game that is dripping with charm. A simple premise expanded on in meaningful and tangible ways creates a title that is not only delicious fun but also thoroughly addictive.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a worthy follow up to the Castlevania games that many grew up with in terms of its exploration, but lacks some much-needed polish in the combat and animation department to truly shine as a modern gem
A clever, well-written appreciation of classic Point-and-Click Adventure games that should definitely be checked out by fans of the genre or anyone looking to recapture that Lucasfilm nostalgia
Vectronom is a gorgeous and accessible rhythm-puzzle game that still manages to both challenge and entertain with tricky courses and a banging soundtrack
A great port of a fantastic game, Torchlight 2 still holds up as a great example of an ARPG dungeon-crawler that is unfortunately plagued by some annoying bugs and control scheme limitations
The Surge 2 does enough to tweak the formula of the original to iron out some of the creases that plagued the original game, these improvements overshadowing the game's hit-or-miss writing and occasionally recycled content.
While maybe straying a bit too close to older games in the series, Doraemon Story of Seasons still delivers a charming role-playing farm experience with a gorgeous aesthetic and satisfying gameplay loop
The Witcher 3 for Switch is a marvellous port that makes some smart sacrifices to graphics and performance to translate a fantastic game in a downgraded but highly playable action-RPG
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an ambitious exploration of the Star Wars universe that succeeds in delivering both compelling combat and characters, even if it suffers from tedious exploration mechanics and a lack of polish.