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Virtue and a Sledgehammer is an experience that makes you question what it is to human, and at what stage that stops. That message and the way it is conveyed through the robots actions is well executed, though the sledgehammering gameplay can come across as a bit too simplistic.
Phantom Blade Zero is spectacular, occasionally gloriously ridiculous and packed with reasons to keep exploring. But more than anything, Phantom Blade Zero is a challenging friend that I am gagging to spend more time with.
As a true spiritual successor to Patapon, Ratatan is largely successful, giving us a modern, vibrant take on a stone-cold classic.
Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy is a solid stalker horror game that effectively ties up the narrative from across the trilogy. The story is intended to be open for new players too but I think it works best for those who have played the earlier titles. I still think that the first game is the best in the series but I enjoyed my time with Susan and found the eventual conclusion highly satisfying.
ONE PIECE: Grand Gourmet is a charming management sim that, despite some clunky quirks, will put a smile on any One Piece fan's face.
Stupid Never Dies isn't perfect, but it's an incredible charming debut release from GPTRACK50 Inc. that is absolutely packed full of personality.
Tenebris Somnia is a real labour of love, showing the developer's affection for both classic survival horror and cinema in equal measures. The slow drip of story and tension through the excellently produced live-action cutscenes contrasts with the pixel graphics, while the ways the world opens up to explore Ivan and Julia's relationship create a compelling story. In a golden period for horror gaming, Tenebris Somnia is yet another excellent entry, showcasing a different aspect of the genre.
If you're left cold by the modern Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy Resonance returns you to a simpler time, offering old-school action and a decent narrative, while wrapping it in a delightful visual wrapper.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a lot of fun, but it's also a game that's entirely removed from standard gaming. This isn't going to appeal to everyone, but I think it's a slam-dunk for those that have kids who want to get involved, or people who want a convenient way to get themselves moving just a little bit more, even if you're unlikely to be working up a sweat. It's a lot of fun, but it's also a game that's largely more of the same, so knowing that you'll like a few of the sports is a must.
Enshrouded is my favourite of the recent raft of survival games. It's distinctly unique, what with the Shroud occupying parts huge parts of the map, and the insane building potential is excellent, arguably making it the best survival game of the year.
Infection Free Zone is a slightly flawed realisation of a genuinely brilliant idea. It can take far too long to research things initially, but if you can get past that there's a deep and difficult survival strategy game here. But it's one that allows you survive in your own neighbourhood, or in the aquarium from The Last of Us Part 2, or Westminster Abbey. There isn't really anything else quite like it.
The Runner series is amongst my favourite driving games of all time, and over the hill is a unique take in the same spirit as those games. Its cosy, calming outlook and laidback vibes could have felt out of place, but this is an adventure game, in the truest sense of the word.
Jackbox Party Pack 12 is a really good party game bundle, and if you've been hoping for some new and genuinely fresh games to drag your mates into, it's definitely going to get the job done. The fact that both Hyperface and Megapals feel actually new is also an accomplishment when we're so many years into the series.
Another Eden Begins is an odd game. On the surface it seems to have everything you'd want from a modern JRPG but there is so little happening beneath the surface that it never really leaves its disposable gatcha origins behind. The core mechanics are functional enough that I played it through to the end (on Steam Deck whilst commuting and/or watching TV) but it's hard to recommend at the full price – even less so with the extra content locked behind a further purchase.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is an incredibly entertaining game and a wonderful return to form for a series I've loved since forever. While it isn't an echo of the entries I love the most, it's still a fantastic game. The game is pure Castlevania in the best way, and the story and voice acting are sublime as well. If you like any Castlevania games at all, you'll adore this.
One More Level came into Valor Mortis with a bucketload of ideas, spilling them onto the drawing board and seeing what happened. Surprisingly, many of these disparate ideas seamlessly snap together like magnets while others show a bit more resistance, requiring some clever design work to form a unison. The end result is an inventive take on the soulslike genre that offers a satisfying, challenging gameplay loop without the laborious RPG trappings.
Silver Pines is yet another excellent indie horror game and would not be out of place as part of the Silent Hill franchise. The combination of survival horror and more involved platforming exploration works fantastically well, while the town is chock-full of hidden secrets with enigmatic mysteries to solve.
Hellraiser: Revival is everything I wanted from a game based on Barker's series. The extremity of its depiction of the slippage between pain and pleasure, the visualisation of both the Cenobites and the Labyrinth, even the sheer visceral nature of the combat and environment. I might be a little biased as I am such a fan of the source material, but this stands out to me as one of the best horror tie-in games I can remember and is essential for anyone with even a slight fondness for the Cenobites and their dark delights.
Neon Abyss 2 masterfully weaves in modifiers, meta-progression, and monstrous weapons for an extraordinarily enjoyable experience. On top of all of that, you've also got co-op, and a mass of mechanics that get added as you keep fighting through as well. This is a rogueliie for the ages, so don't miss out.
Gears of War: E-Day is a reminder of just how bloody good this series can be. After twenty years, perhaps Gears didn't need another revolution, it just needed another Emergence Day.