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.
I came away from Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia more impressed than I expected to be. At first glance, it’s easy to look at it and think, “Oh, this is a bit of Donkey Kong Country,” and there are certainly similarities. But once you get into the game, the three Marsupilamis and their different abilities give the platforming its own little twist. I particularly liked the feeling of gradually learning how to use each character and then applying those abilities to the levels. There’s a nice sense of mastery as you start spotting shortcuts, hidden areas and better ways through sections you’ve already completed. It’s not without its problems. The boss difficulty can be uneven, and the character abilities take a little time to get used to. But these are relatively small complaints in what I found to be a very enjoyable platformer. Considering I hadn’t played the first game and didn’t really know much about the series going in, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my time with it. It’s colourful, playful and has enough ideas of its own to avoid feeling like a straight copy of the games that inspired it.
Sludgineers is frankly a lovely cosy game. The simple cleaning mechanics work, the upgrade system gives you a reason to keep returning to previous areas, and the gradual introduction of new tools and resources provides enough progression to keep things moving. Most importantly, I found it relaxing. There is something quite comforting about a game that gives you a straightforward task, lets you get on with it and rewards you for making a little bit of progress. Sludgineers is very much a dip-in-and-out experience, and I can see myself returning to it when I want something uncomplicated to play in the evening. It won’t be for everyone, particularly if repetition isn’t your thing, but if you’re after a cosy little simulation game where cleaning up pollution is somehow rather enjoyable, Sludgineers is well worth a look.
I came away from Aggelos 2 considerably happier than I did from the original. That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give it. It takes the foundation of the first game, expands the world, adds the light and dark forms, improves the exploration and gives you more abilities to play around with, which I feel is fine. Most importantly, it feels like a proper sequel rather than simply another game wearing the same clothes. If you enjoy old-school action-platformers, Metroidvania-style exploration or, like me, have a particular weakness for the old Wonder Boy games, there’s plenty here to enjoy. Is it better than Wonder Boy in Monster World? I’m still not prepared to commit that particular act of heresy. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. But I do think Aggelos 2 is better than its predecessor, and that’s enough for me. It’s colourful, straightforward, occasionally challenging and packed with that old-school sense of exploration that I enjoy. It has a few rough edges, but nothing that stopped me from wanting to keep playing. For me, Aggelos 2 is a recommendation and perhaps the sequel that Aggelos needed to really find its feet.
Ultimately, I had a good time with Funguys Swarm. It’s easy to pick up, easy to understand and provides exactly the sort of short gaming sessions I often enjoy. There’s enough progression to keep you coming back, plenty of silly characters and weapons to experiment with, and the plant-based presentation gives it a personality of its own. Is it revolutionary? No. Does it need to be? Probably not. We’ve reached the point where there are so many survivor-like games that I’m less interested in whether a game completely reinvents the formula and more interested in whether it can make me want to play “just one more run”. Funguys Swarm managed that for me. I still think its biggest obstacle is simply the enormous number of games competing in this particular genre. If you’ve already played dozens of them, there’s a good chance you’ll look at this and think, “Yep, another one.” But if you haven’t had your fill of watching increasingly ridiculous numbers appear on screen while your character becomes completely overpowered, there’s plenty of fun to be had here. It’s silly, colourful and pleasantly uncomplicated. And sometimes that’s all I really want from a game.
MineGeon: Renegades isn’t quite the finished article I think it could be. There are balancing issues, technical problems and a few mechanics that don’t feel quite impactful enough yet. The combat in particular could use some extra punch, because when I’m playing a top-down shooter, I want my weapons to make me feel like I’m actually causing problems for the things I’m shooting. But there’s something here. The combination of shooting, mining, exploration and roguelite progression works. The constant stream of upgrades kept me interested, and the decision of how much to collect before returning to safety gives the runs a nice little risk-versus-reward element. Most importantly, I enjoyed myself. MineGeon: Renegades feels like a game made by a small team with plenty of enthusiasm and some good ideas. With continued updates, better balancing and some technical polishing, I could see this becoming considerably stronger than the version I played. For now, I’d happily recommend keeping an eye on it, especially if you’re looking for a co-op-friendly roguelite with a slightly different flavour. There are a few rocks that still need chiselling away, but there’s definitely something valuable underneath.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Definitive Edition is an enormous, colourful and occasionally bewildering RPG that takes a little while to reveal why people have become so attached to it. I still think it has a fairly high barrier to entry. If you’re completely new to Xenoblade, I wouldn’t necessarily point you towards this as the easiest introduction to the series. The first Xenoblade Chronicles remains, in my view, a more straightforward place to start. But if you can get through those many early hours and allow the various systems to gradually settle into your brain, there’s a lot to enjoy here. The combat becomes more satisfying. The world opens up. The Blade system starts to make sense. Builds become more interesting. The story gathers momentum. And eventually you stop thinking about all the terminology and simply start playing the game. Torna – The Golden Country was a particularly pleasant surprise for me, too. Its more focused story and refined combat made it easier to appreciate, and I think it complements the main game extremely well. Ultimately, I still don’t love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 quite as much as some of the other Xenoblade adventures I’ve played. But my second journey through Alrest has certainly been a much happier one. It turns out I hadn’t completely fallen out with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 after all. I just needed a few more years, a better understanding of the series, and apparently a Nintendo Switch 2.
After several rounds of impressions and now finally getting to spend time with the finished Cozy Marbles, my opinion has remained remarkably consistent. Cozy Marbles is a creative outlet rather than a traditional game, and for the right player that can be more than enough. It’s interested in tracks, loops, ramps, cannons and tiny balls with silly faces. And that’s absolutely fine. There is something genuinely satisfying about creating an absurd contraption, pressing play and watching your little marbles attempt to navigate it. I still think the game’s appeal will ultimately depend on how much you enjoy creating things for the sake of creating them. If you need a strong sense of progression or a clearly defined objective, you may find Cozy Marbles a little directionless. But if the idea of sitting down with a huge digital box of marble-run pieces and seeing what your imagination can come up with sounds appealing, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
I came away from Grim Trials feeling mostly positive about it. It’s not going to suddenly make every other action roguelite obsolete, and I don’t think it quite reaches the heights of the genre’s biggest names. But what is here is enjoyable and satisfying. The combat feels good, the crafting adds some welcome depth and the Academy gives the game a little more personality than simply throwing you from one dungeon into another. I particularly enjoyed the way the various systems gradually start working together. Early on, things can feel a little slow and perhaps slightly more difficult than they need to be, but once you’ve unlocked more equipment, abilities and crafting options, the runs become considerably more interesting. If you’re already completely exhausted by action roguelites, I suspect Grim Trials won’t magically cure that particular condition. There’s simply too much familiar territory here. But if you’ve still got room in your gaming schedule for another trip into the underworld, there’s plenty to enjoy. There’s also a free demo available, which I think is well worth trying if you’re unsure whether this particular Grim Reaper has enough swing in her scythe for you. For me, Grim Trials is a solid, enjoyable addition to an increasingly crowded genre. Sometimes you just need a big scythe, some questionable life choices and a willingness to die repeatedly in pursuit of slightly better equipment. If only life was that simple.
Lootbound takes a familiar structure and adds an inventory system that gives the whole thing another layer of strategy. Battles are quick, equipment is fun to organise, the dice rolls add a little uncertainty and assembling your party gradually gives each run its own identity. Most importantly, it feels good to play. There’s a satisfying rhythm to completing a battle, grabbing some new loot, stopping to work out where everything should go, choosing your next route and then heading into the next encounter. It’s also a game that respects your time. You can jump in, play a couple of runs and get out without feeling like you’ve committed your entire evening to it. As a relatively accessible tactical roguelike with a clever loot-management system, I think it does a very good job. I had a lot of fun with it, and it’s exactly the sort of game I can see myself dipping into regularly for a few runs.
Sephiria is a lovely little surprise. It takes the familiar action roguelite structure and gives it a clever inventory system that genuinely affects how you approach each run. The combat is simple but satisfying, the weapon variety gives you room to experiment, and the progression keeps giving you reasons to return to Bunnyville and have another go. The boss fights are my biggest complaint, mainly because some of them feel unnecessarily padded, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the overall experience. There’s also something wonderfully ridiculous about watching a tiny bunny battle its way through a dungeon with a gigantic sword. It’s cute without being completely fluffy, strategic without becoming overwhelming, and straightforward enough to dip into whenever you fancy another run. If you’re looking for a new roguelite to disappear into for a while, Sephiria is well worth hopping into.
Culdcept The First is much more than an interesting piece of gaming history. Its combination of board game strategy, collectable cards and tactical battles still feels fresh today, and the new English localisation finally allows many players to experience a series classic that was previously out of reach. If you’ve recently enjoyed Culdcept Begi, this is a fascinating look at where everything started. Equally, newcomers shouldn’t feel intimidated; while the mechanics are deep, the game introduces them at a comfortable pace and rewards experimentation. It may not completely replace the newer entries for me, but that’s hardly the point. This is about preserving a genuinely unique strategy game and making it available for a new audience. I’m very glad it made the journey.
Splatoon Raiders feels like a natural evolution for the series. Rather than simply delivering another multiplayer-focused package with a short campaign attached, Nintendo has fully embraced what made those previous single-player modes enjoyable and expanded them into a complete adventure. The exploration is rewarding, the progression keeps you constantly unlocking exciting new toys, and the familiar ink-based gameplay remains every bit as entertaining as ever. Will it convert players who have never enjoyed Splatoon? Probably not. If the core shooting mechanics have never appealed to you, Raiders is unlikely to change your mind. Likewise, players who only ever cared about competitive multiplayer may still prefer the mainline entries. But if, like me, you’ve always found yourself wishing Nintendo would make a proper single-player Splatoon adventure… Well, this is exactly that. It’s colourful, funny, packed with personality and incredibly easy to lose yourself in for both quick sessions and longer evenings. Add in flexible difficulty options, satisfying progression and Nintendo’s usual level of polish, and you’ve got a fantastic new direction for the franchise. I genuinely loved my time with Splatoon Raiders, and I sincerely hope this isn’t the last time Nintendo lets the series venture into dedicated single-player territory. For me, this is an easy recommendation.
Truxton Extreme doesn’t reinvent the vertical shooter genre. Instead, it modernises a beloved arcade classic while preserving everything that made it memorable in the first place. The gameplay is fast, satisfying and wonderfully intense, the soundtrack is excellent, and the new visual style successfully updates the series without losing its identity. The biggest hurdle will undoubtedly be the difficulty. This is still a game built around persistence, practice and improving your skills over multiple attempts. Players looking for generous accessibility options or a more relaxed experience may bounce off fairly quickly. But if you’re someone who misses the golden age of arcade shooters, or you’re simply looking for a challenging action game that rewards mastery, Truxton Extreme delivers. It’s exciting, unapologetically retro, and proof that sometimes the old formulas still work brilliantly.