Ultimately, Rip It! Card Collector is a game about enjoying a simple gameplay loop. There’s not a huge amount of challenge involved, and much of the satisfaction comes from the process of collecting rather than the goal of completion. At its relatively low price, there’s a decent amount of collecting here for anyone who enjoys incremental games or simply likes the satisfaction of completing a collection. It’s a simple, relaxing and surprisingly enjoyable little game that scratches that collecting itch. Just be warned: you might find yourself saying “one more pack” rather more often than you intended!
Dog Man: Bark in Action is a fairly uncomplicated collectathon platformer. It doesn’t push the genre forward, offer particularly challenging gameplay or introduce many ideas that haven’t been explored elsewhere. However, I don’t think every platformer needs to do those things. Sometimes a simple, colourful adventure is exactly what you’re after. Fans of the Dog Man comics will likely get an extra kick out of seeing their favourite characters brought to life, while younger players and casual platforming fans should find plenty to enjoy. Those looking for a more demanding platforming experience might want to look elsewhere, though.
FLIP takes a familiar concept, adds a few clever mechanics and wraps everything around 50 bite-sized levels that are easy to dip into whenever you have some spare time. The difficulty can jump up quite quickly in places, but the short levels make it easy to have another go. Between the main campaign, Endless Mode and the more relaxed Cosy Mode, there’s enough variety to keep things interesting. At its low price point, there’s very little to complain about. FLIP might not do anything particularly revolutionary, but I had a good time playing it, and sometimes that’s all a puzzle game needs to achieve. If you’re after a straightforward little brain teaser to enjoy in short bursts, this one is worth a look.
Deep Dish Dungeon is a pleasant surprise. It takes an old-school approach to exploration, giving you the freedom to wander, experiment and figure things out without constantly pointing you towards the next objective. The puzzles and environmental interactions are the real stars here, and the satisfaction of solving something through your own efforts is what kept me interested. The survival mechanics and limited inventory can sometimes interrupt that flow, particularly when playing solo, but they don’t completely overshadow the experience. This isn’t a game for everyone. If you want clear objectives, regular guidance and a fast-paced adventure, you might find its deliberate pace frustrating. But if you enjoy exploring mysterious places, getting a little lost and slowly piecing together the answers, there’s something worthwhile waiting here. I enjoyed my time with Deep Dish Dungeon, and I’d be interested in trying it in co-op to see how much more enjoyable those discoveries become with a friend along for the ride.
On The Trail: Deep Water is a nice little addition to Cairn. Three new locations give experienced climbers fresh challenges to tackle. It’s not a massive expansion, and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise. However, it’s free, offers more of what makes the original game enjoyable and gives fans another excuse to head back onto the rock face. If you enjoyed the main game, this is an easy recommendation. Just remember to pack your patience alongside your climbing gear!
What impressed me most about Pardon My French Toast is that it manages to be more than just a joke about playing as a piece of breakfast. The premise is certainly silly, but the developers have built a genuinely enjoyable platformer around it. There are still a few frustrating platforming moments, and anyone looking for a particularly challenging or mechanically complex adventure might want something meatier. But that’s not really what this game is trying to be. It offers a pleasant, accessible platforming experience with enough collectables, abilities and optional challenges to keep things interesting. I started out unsure whether the concept would wear thin, but I ended up genuinely enjoying my time with it. The movement feels good, the levels are thoughtfully put together, and the whole thing has a positive, welcoming vibe that’s easy to appreciate. If you love collectable platformers, or you’re looking for something cheerful to play yourself or share with the family, Pardon My French Toast is well worth a look. It certainly delivers a satisfying slice of fun. There’s also a free demo to try on Steam.
Despite its shortcomings, I still had a good time with Joe & Mac Retro Collection. These are perfectly serviceable examples of their era, and there’s something appealing about their simple, pick-up-and-play approach. However, I’d struggle to recommend it to everyone. If you have fond memories of the series or simply enjoy exploring older platformers, there’s enough here to make it worthwhile. Newcomers may find the games interesting as a snapshot of gaming history, but the relatively limited extras don’t give the collection much additional appeal. Overall, this is a decent but unambitious retro package. I’m glad these games are available on modern systems, and I enjoyed revisiting this little slice of prehistoric gaming. I just wish the collection had dug up a few more fossils along the way.
The Last Cat in the Universe is a relatively short experience, designed to be completed in around two to three hours rather than keeping you trapped in an endless cycle of grinding. That suits it well. There’s a clear sense of progression, a story to uncover and a little cat who needs your help, all wrapped around a satisfying mining loop. It won’t be for everyone. If you want complex management systems, demanding challenges or lots of different gameplay mechanics, you may find it a little too repetitive. But if you’re after something uncomplicated that lets you unwind at your own pace, there’s plenty to like here. Ultimately, The Last Cat in the Universe passes my cosy-game test. I enjoyed its simple, satisfying gameplay, the steady stream of upgrades and the relaxed pace. It might not set the universe alight, but it gave me a pleasant little place to spend a few hours. If you can make looking after a cat and blasting space debris this relaxing, I’d say that’s a job well done.
Hungry Horrors was one of my favourite Early Access games, and the full release has done nothing to change that opinion. It takes a familiar genre and gives it a distinctive identity through British and Irish folklore, traditional food and a wonderfully daft central idea. There’s real depth beneath the humour, with satisfying card combinations, monsters to discover and plenty of reasons to try another run. The additional content and Banquet mode give players more to enjoy, while the ability to save anywhere makes it easy to fit into a busy day. Considering how many deckbuilding roguelites are available, it’s refreshing to find one that does something genuinely different. Hungry Horrors is clever, funny, strategic and consistently enjoyable. I’m delighted to see it reach full release, and I can happily recommend giving it a try. A free demo is also available.
Spy Drops Gaiden is a short but enjoyable stealth adventure that captures much of what makes retro gaming appealing. Learning enemy patterns, discovering the best routes and improving your mission rankings kept me engaged, while the Game Boy-inspired presentation gives it plenty of personality. It won’t suit everyone, particularly if you prefer modern stealth games with smoother controls and more elaborate mechanics. But for the price, there’s a lot to like here. I came away genuinely impressed and even found myself interested in checking out the original Spy Drops. If you have a soft spot for retro games and enjoy a bit of sneaking around, this little mission is well worth accepting.
And that’s ultimately where I landed with Fallen Tear: The Ascension. I don’t dislike what the developers have created. In fact, I can completely understand why someone who loves exploration-heavy adventures would get an enormous amount out of this. But for me, the combination of a huge world, frequent backtracking and combat that increasingly demanded specific responses turned something I initially enjoyed into something I had to push myself to continue playing. I think that’s also why my experience feels so different from my Early Access impressions. At the time, the novelty of the world and combat pulled me along. With the full game, the sheer scale of the adventure became more apparent, and I found myself struggling to keep up with it. If you have plenty of time, enjoy getting lost, love searching every corner of a map and don’t mind a combat system that asks you to learn enemy patterns, there’s plenty here to enjoy. For me, though, my gaming time is precious, and I increasingly found myself wishing the game would simply point me in the right direction and let me get on with the adventure. Fallen Tear: The Ascension has plenty of heart, some gorgeous presentation and a lot of interesting ideas. It just wasn’t the adventure I needed right now.
Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis TD feels like a nice reminder of when mobile games could simply be good games without constantly trying to sell you something. The Steam version also avoids the sort of monetisation that has made me increasingly wary of the mobile gaming space. If you already love Kingdom Rush, there is plenty here to enjoy. If you’re new to the series, this is a perfectly accessible introduction to the formula. I did find the grinding a little heavy at times, and the hero behaviour occasionally got on my nerves, but underneath that is a solid, enjoyable tower-defence game with plenty of content. It doesn’t push the genre forward. But sometimes a good tower-defence game is all you need.
I came into Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered slightly unsure about how well this old favourite would hold up. After playing Origins, the comparatively simple combat and presentation can certainly feel like a step backwards. But I ultimately came away really happy with it. This is a remaster that largely understands what people loved about the original and doesn’t try to turn it into something else. The quality-of-life improvements are useful, the complete package is packed with content, and the option to switch some of the newer additions off is a particularly nice touch. If you’re completely new to Dynasty Warriors, this is still a great introduction to the series’ roots. If you’re coming directly from Origins, it may feel considerably more basic. But if, like me, you have fond memories of the original, there’s something rather special about seeing it return to modern hardware. For me, this was the nostalgia trip I needed. A free demo is also available on eShop
Kalanoro is weird and quirky in a good way. The Switch presentation certainly holds it back a little. Some of the bus management elements also feel more like padding than something I genuinely needed. But underneath those issues is a genuinely likeable game with plenty of personality. I enjoyed exploring Lemuria, hunting down collectables, throwing ridiculous weapons at enemies and, yes, using my hair as a weapon. The game’s casual difficulty also makes it an easy game to pick up for a bit in the evening without needing to prepare yourself for an epic battle of wills. If you have access to the PC version, I’d probably lean towards that for the cleaner presentation. But regardless of platform, there is something quite enjoyable about Kalanoro’s strange combination of platforming, exploration, music and silly humour. It’s a little rough around the edges, but sometimes those odd little games are the ones that stick with you.
Boardwalk Builders is a nice little change of pace from Flynns Arcade, and while it might not have the immediate arcade thrills I normally associate with the publisher, I enjoyed its more relaxed approach. The combination of building, upgrading and gradually expanding your boardwalk gives you enough to keep coming back to, while the seaside setting adds a lovely nostalgic touch for me personally. It’s not a big innovation in the genre. However, sometimes you just want to build some shops, watch people wander around your boardwalk and switch your brain off for a while. And for that purpose, Boardwalk Builders does the job rather nicely.
I think MegaBattle is a good example of why I don’t mind seeing more roguelike deckbuilders. Yes, there are a lot of them around now. Yes, the basic formula is familiar. But I like what this game does with its robot combat. The idea of targeting individual parts of an enemy robot, watching what they’re planning to attack and then deciding whether to defend, counter or go for your own attack gives the battles a nice tactical edge. It isn’t a fast game. In fact, I think that’s one of its strengths. It gives you time to actually think about what you’re doing rather than relying on twitch reactions. The early difficulty and grinding did hold it back for me, and I would have appreciated a slightly gentler introduction. But once I started getting better upgrades and understanding how the different systems worked, I found myself getting increasingly invested in each run. And that’s the thing I enjoyed most about MegaBattle: it makes you feel like you’re actually making clever decisions. Whether those decisions actually are clever is another question entirely, but I certainly felt clever while making them. This is for players who enjoy games that are easy to pick up but still give you something to think about, plus it helps if you like giant robots.
I really, really liked Orbitals. There’s something slightly strange about how few games we get that are built around this sort of co-op experience. When it works, there’s nothing quite like sitting with someone and solving problems together, laughing when you get something completely wrong and celebrating when everything finally clicks. The puzzles are varied, the characters are lovely, the anime-inspired presentation is beautiful and, most importantly, it consistently gives both players something meaningful to do. Whether you play locally with a partner, with a friend or online with someone on the other side of the world, I can easily see Orbitals creating some lovely gaming memories. For me, this is a reminder of why co-op games can be so special. An absolute essential Switch 2 purchase if you have someone to play with.
Monowave is exactly the sort of indie game I don’t want people to let fly under the radar. It’s creative, colourful, clever and, most importantly, it has heart. The puzzles continually introduce new ideas without becoming needlessly frustrating, while the presentation and soundtrack do a wonderful job of bringing its emotional themes to life. For me, this turned out to be a genuinely touching experience and one I was very glad I had the opportunity to play.
Box Knight has a fun setting, likeable art style, straightforward combat and enough progression to keep you coming back. It’s easy to pick up, easy to understand and doesn’t demand that you spend hours learning complicated systems before you can actually enjoy yourself. It does become repetitive, and I would have liked some of the more interesting abilities to arrive a little earlier. The humour also occasionally misses the mark for me. But I came away from Box Knight feeling positive. There’s something quite appealing about its combination of office misery and silly fantasy nonsense. If you’re looking for a relatively simple roguelike brawler that you can dip into for a few runs in the evening, Box Knight is worth a look. And if you have someone to play the local co-op with, I suspect the cardboard capers could be even better.
I think Brigandine Abyss is probably a game where my own circumstances affected my experience quite a lot. I simply struggled to understand the ins and outs of the perceived complicated strategy system before I felt comfortable playing and enjoying it. Brigandine Abyss demands an investment, and I wasn’t able to give it that. It just didn’t click with me compared to other strategy games. That doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad game. Quite the opposite, actually. I can see the appeal. The tactical battles are enjoyable, the army management has plenty of depth, and there is a huge amount here for dedicated strategy fans to get stuck into. It’s just not particularly welcoming to someone looking for a quick introduction to the genre. So if you’re a complete strategy newcomer, I wouldn’t necessarily point you towards Brigandine Abyss as your starting point. But if you’ve got the patience, enjoy grand strategy and don’t mind spending some time learning how everything works, there’s clearly a substantial game underneath that intimidating first layer. For me, it was more a case of “I like what you’re doing, Brigandine Abyss, but I’m not sure I have the time to become friends with you.” There is a free demo, which I highly recommend trying.