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DuneCrawl is an interesting game that blends together giant crab combat, dungeoneering and multiplayer shenanigans. It's fun enough, but I really wish it did a little bit more with the more unusual aspects of its game design.
There are some interesting ideas in War Sails but there's a good reason why naval warfare was never a core part of the Bannerlord package. Sea battles just aren't that appealing, lacking any kind of rewarding strategic depth or enjoyability. However, for those wanting a fresh way of tackling the campaign map, War Sails introduces new tactical opportunities and a layer of ship management some Bannerlord players will find themselves engrossed in. In short, this isn't a must-buy expansion and for new players we'd recommend sticking with the base game.
Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- is an incredible non-linear roleplaying experience, and the ultimate game to lose yourself in. The lack of direction and open-ended storytelling can be overwhelming at first, but if you dive into it and take your time with it you'll end up crafting an incredible adventure that's all yours.
Big Hops is a good new 3D platformer that will draw plenty of fans with its fun abilities and locations to explore. My playthrough was affected by bugs, with patches coming to address some of these issues in the run up to launch, but there seem to be some teething issues that remain.
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is a sports drama, a JRPG, a town builder, an Ultimate Team-like, and even (occasionally) a football game. It's also brilliant, charming, and thoroughly good-natured, and a fantastic game to head into 2026 with.
If you enjoyed the base game like I did, the best bits of Pokémon Legends: Z-A are still present in Mega Dimension. The combat is still engaging, the characters you live and work with are still endearing, and the new Pokédex is fun to complete. This DLC, much like Z–A itself, feels like it will be a Marmite one.
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a thoroughly enjoyable crossover sequel that takes the dungeon crawling of Demeo and wraps it in the warm blanket of Dungeons & Dragons themes, tropes and light RPG storytelling. There's a few nagging annoyances with the controls and only minimal hero customisation, but there's a cosiness to playing with friends and "accidentally" catching them in the blast radius of an explosive barrel.
If you're a fan of old-school 2D gaming, but you hanker to see what a truly modern take on it would be, look no further than Neon Inferno.
The Last Case of John Morley is a detective game without any detecting. This walk-through of what could be a fantastic mystery story is let down by wooden voiceover performances, dated character visuals and mind-numbing mechanics.
There's a lot of promise to Sleep Awake, which makes its short runtime all the more frustrating. The fusion of visuals, music, and narrative are reminiscent of peak Remedy titles and the inevitable cliffhanger ending definitely leaves me wanting to find out more about Katja's story. I'll be listening to that Robin Finck soundtrack in the meantime and crossing my fingers.
Getting through the world of Thief VR is natural and intuitive, and there's times where it all comes together as you knock out guards and pilfer, but there's so many small details and poor AI that drag you back out of the moment. A decent thievery game, but not as good a Thief game.
A classic 90's film turned in a classic 90's side scrolling shooter, with a few lashings of modern techniques, what's not to love?
Routine is one of the best linear narrative experiences I've played this year and is well worth the lengthy wait for release. The atmosphere and aesthetics combine to create a game that oscillates between unnerving and genuinely terrifying whilst the surreal and philosophical storyline will hook you all the way to the game's conclusion. I'm looking forward to a host of video essays dissecting the narrative in the near future.
Though it doesn't totally get away from its 2011 origins, Skyrim Anniversary Edition on Switch 2 is definitely a better-looking rendition of Bethesda's classic for the handheld. Sadly it's stuck to 30fps, and you'll be hoping for an update to improve the input lag, both of which bring those 14 years much closer than they should be.
UNBEATABLE is a good rhythm action adventure game, with it highlights being its visual style and the arcade mode. The story is fine, but can feel all over the place at times with a script that isn't the best, but the music through the game is good and there are a couple of standout tracks. It has been a while since a decent rhythm game came out, so it is worth giving UNBEATABLE a shot.
Titans of Tide is another strong SpongeBob platformer from Purple Lamp and has plenty of fan service for those even slightly familiar with the cartoon. The Plankton Challenges are really fun, so it's a shame that they are locked behind either busywork or microtransactions. As a total package it doesn't quite reach the heights of Cosmic Shake or Battle for Bikini Bottom but it's still a solid game.
Skate Story is a perfect indie game, beautiful, off-kilter and unreal, with an absolutely killer soundtrack. Sam Eng can forget about eating the moon; he's achieved something incredible down here on Earth.
Death Howl has a strong central theme to it, the cards are well made, and there's a decent variety to build out decks. But it is also a game that can require a lot of repetitive grinding to make small amounts of progress, and the quests could have been better designed.
Renegades does a good job of bringing some fun back to Destiny 2 with some great campaign missions and new hub area. The Star Wars elements are close enough for you to spot the homage, but not so conspicuous as to pull you out the world of Destiny. Enjoyable while it lasts, but Bungie still need to do a lot more work to rescue the game as whole.
Octopath 0 maintains the series' gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic, while its adapted and evolved take on Champions of the Continent's gameplay ensures that it feels like a worthy console release.