Guardian's Reviews
Most of all, this is that rarest of things: a horror game that actually has something to say. Rather than simply throwing jumpscares and black-haired ghost maidens at you until you submit, it uses rural mythology and superstition as a lens through which to examine the harms of patriarchy and the rigidly gendered expectations it thrusts on to teenagers. It also proves that the survival horror genre still has so much to give, 30 years after its inception. You must come to Ebisugaoka as soon as you can, and stay at least a week, maybe longer.
This whimsical action-adventure game sees you stomping through nature as a life-giving lighthouse – and it only gets weirder from there
In contrast to the blast-em-ups this franchise drops players into a vast and vividly realised military offensive and the latest instalment is a brilliant return to form
A teenage slice-of-life tale, an energy-management challenge and a satire of diet culture – this indie award-winner is a flavoursome treat
The follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima leans into its young protagonist's thirst for bloody vengeance
Supergiant's successor is exemplary sequel-craft – more doesn't always mean better, but here variety is the spice of afterlife
Familiar and predictable, but also well-honed and significantly less juvenile, the fourth Borderlands game is a blast
Konami's lavish remake of Hideo Kojima's PS2 masterpiece swaps in slick controls and stunning visuals, but leaves the eccentric espionage drama as gloriously unhinged as ever
This Cosa Nostra caper has few fresh ideas to revitalise the cover shooter, but benefits from a well-researched time and place
This high-fantasy life simulator is brimming with Hobbit-holes but lacks the Tolkienian depth to maintain your interest
Given that its hero can smash through any barrier – which is delightful fun in itself – Nintendo's new 3D platformer has a surreal freeform audacity
This remake is a nostalgia fest of grabs, spins, flips and skids – and a stiff, even occasionally humiliating test of skill
This is a mystifying and provocatively slow-paced game with more celebrities than you would find on a Cannes red carpet
The Nintendo Switch 2's flagship game is a winner, and often feels more like a journey with your friends than a straight competition
Fortnite meets Elden Ring in a matchup where a three-person team faces so many high-speed challenges you may feel distinctly short-handed
This 1950s-set game offers a gorgeous, fully destroyable map but makes baffling decisions on how to use it
Set during Ecuador's 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, this fascinating, semi-autobiographical game gives you control of the life of a soccer-mad eight-year-old
This prequel takes a blunt force trauma approach to problem-solving and demon-killing, with a slower pace but more spectacular weaponry
Build a card deck of landscape features; organise your territory on a Tetris-like playfield; battle enemies and bosses to progress. It might sound complicated, but this is an ingenious experiment in game design by combination
This attempt to cosy-fi an immersive sim game is full of 'zany' gags as you rescue cats from a spaceship, but it gets a bit too saccharine