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Viewfinder is a simple puzzle game that wows thanks to a tremendous underpinning mechanic that makes getting around feel like genuine sorcery. Both the story and the storytelling are a little hit and miss, but there’s enough there to keep you engaged (but not enthralled) until the credits roll. It doesn’t showcase the kind of multiplicity that some other puzzle titles do, and rarely gets your brain out of second gear as a result, but none of that dampens the enjoyment of the experience one bit. Why? Because making photos real and moving through them is really bloody cool.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a perfect follow up to the excellent debut episode, and offers more of the same hilarious crime fighting antics. Rightly or wrongly, the folks at Happy Broccoli Games haven’t taken any risks with this sequel, choosing to use the same tried and tested format to tell a brand new story for Eugene McQuacklin. The story may not be told quite as well this time around, but toting a host of new quirky characters, more witty dialogue, and the same playful visuals and voice-acting, returning fans are sure to love this tale of the otherworldly in the outdoors.
Despite the graphical shortcomings and the game ultimately becoming as predictable as a regular 9-5, The Mortuary Assistant offers a lot of fun. The story does plunge into a typical horror trope, but it is executed brilliantly. The randomly generated spooks are where the game shines, as you never know where the next scare is coming from. But like any job, the longer you spend inside the mortuary, the more the novelty wears off. In the space of 10 hours, I went from someone scared to pick up the controller to a jaded employee swearing at the various spirits as they’d moved my embalming stuff around the room for the 100th time.
We Were Here Together might be the third instalment in the series, but it’s the first of the lot to really flex its muscles. Armed with a bold new look, a clearer sense of style, and some great puzzle design, Together accentuates all the positives from the previous instalments whilst growing a whole new sense of character. There are some UI gripes and small graphical hiccups on the Switch, but as a game that leans much more on brains than on brawn, We Were Here Together fits perfectly in the Nintendo-sphere. While it lacks the final spit and polish of the later episodes, it’s fantastic to see the series opened up to a whole new raft of explorers on the Switch.
OVIVO is an interesting platform experience that succeeds thanks to its mechanical simplicity and its artistic nature working completely in tandem. Simple one button controls allow you to instinctively wobble your way through beautiful monochrome environments, as a thoughtful synth music score pulses on in the background. There’s an intriguing mysticism dripping from the otherworldly images that make up the levels, if only you’re inclined to look, making OVIVO a game best enjoyed by players who value a contemplative artistic expression over tough, technical gameplay.
Donkey Kong Bananza is an absolute blast. Barreling through vibrant non-linear worlds and pulverising everything in your path is incredible fun from the moment you pick up the controls. Donkey Kong feels more like a main character than ever before, and Pauline might be the most lovable sidekick Nintendo have ever produced – I’m genuinely excited to see her become a staple of the franchise for years to come. It’s a collectathon that’s driven by addictive playability and avoids the banana skin of becoming a grind like Donkey Kong 64 before it. The smaller, multi-part levels feel less daunting than the huge expanses in Super Mario Odyssey, but are just as varied and just as fun.
Koloro is a simple little puzzle platformer that can help you while away a few hours – especially if you’re in one of those moods where absolutely nothing looks appealing. But despite some cleverly designed levels, pleasant hand drawn backgrounds and chill lo-fi inspired soundtrack, I found that things got stale long before I reached the end. Whether it was the sheer volume of levels to get through, the slow pace of the autorun mechanics or just the general lack of variation, Koloro is best enjoyed a few levels at a time before moving onto something with a little more substance.
Mudborne is a niche, fun puzzle adventure that succeeds in so many areas. It boasts a deep and well thought out core mechanic that makes breeding and rearing frogs genuinely enjoyable, and offers a cozy sense of exploration that coalesces into a very enjoyable game. The mechanics demand a reliance on a lot of menus and submenus which can get a little fiddly, but the chill soundtrack will easily soothe any of those stresses out of you as you play. Mudborne is a thoroughly unique premise that’s just patiently waiting for more players to hop into.
Fitness Boxing with Hatsune Miku will only appeal to a small section of gamers; those who love boxing/fitness games with a slice of anime-trance music. If you fall into that category, then I wholeheartedly recommend this game. If Miku’s upbeat J-Pop vibe isn’t your thing, you’ll probably lose interest fast. But if you want some pumping beats and a good workout, then look no further.
Warriors: Abyss surprised me in the best way. It took all the elements that made Dynasty Warriors great and combined them effortlessly into a fun roguelite experience. While each run is short and compact, the screen can get muddled with flashy effects, and there’s next to no story, Koei Tecmo has released a video game dripping with addictive gameplay and oodles of replayability. Even though I managed to tear myself away from Warriors: Abyss, I know I’ll be jumping back in for the customary “just one more go”.
Tomb Raider Remastered VI-V-VI is an extension of the excellent work Aspyr has done in adding some modern shine to the games of yesteryear. Once an absolute powerhouse, Tomb Raider belongs in the pantheon of all-time video game franchises, and these faithful remasters only add to its legacy. The games themselves play rather like dusty relics that Lara might uncover in some dank old tomb. The lack of direction, excruciatingly slow pacing and frustrating gameplay loops are truly products of their time and feel entirely foreign when viewed strictly through a modern lens. But these games, and the Tomb Raider franchise overall, makes up an important part of gaming’s history, and these remasters now undoubtedly offer the best way to experience Lara’s adventures.
Unboxing the Cryptic Killer is an enjoyable little co-op puzzler that’ll let you wile away a couple of hours with a partner, should you want a short break from yet another true crime documentary on Netflix. While the art style might not be for everyone, the puzzle design is solid, and the game doesn’t hold your hand until you ask it to, which makes for a moderate and fun challenge. But, despite no major knocks to report, there’s nothing especially noteworthy either. All told, Unboxing the Cryptic Killer is the gaming equivalent of a ‘straight-to-DVD’ movie (remember those?) – it’s inoffensive and entertaining enough, but it isn’t especially memorable one way or the other.
Overall, despite my misgivings about the additions made to the basic formula, I’ve still got a lot of affection for Whiskers of Winter. I’m a sucker for this art style and world design; woodland critters cosplaying Game of Thrones will never not be a superb aesthetic, a perfect mixture of grimdark and adorable. Expanding it beyond the rats was a great choice, and I love the places that decision takes us. The basics of the gameplay and the combat are still really solid, and while I think the extra complexity of the elemental damage system muddies that somewhat and weakens the world-building, if you’re a mechanics-and-systems kind of player, you’ll likely enjoy it far more than I did.
Jack Axe has the opportunity to be a fun little platformer, but it suffers from horribly unreliable mechanics that make it more frustrating than it is enjoyable. Between the endless unrecognised button presses, janky hit boxes and your abilities routinely failing to launch, there’s enough to discourage some folks from going very far at all. But for those who show a little faith and push on -fear not- you too might be rewarded by a terminal crash and a deleted save file at the crescendo of the game. Sadly, it’ll take a lot more than the delightfully sweet visuals to keep this one off the chopping block.
Teslagrad spins an interesting tale off the back of an interesting gameplay mechanic, coalescing into a game that’s fun to play from start to finish. Flinging yourself around using electromagnetism makes for some excellent platforming and puzzle solving, and the tale of dystopian revolution is magnificently told, at least for those who seek out the necessary pieces. Perhaps only lacking in a little bit of reliability in the mechanics and a bigger visual budget, Teslagrad does a great job flying the flag for alternative Metroidvanias and deserves an incredible amount of praise.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a tight hack and slash, full of fluidity that sees blood, guts and dismembered limbs fly all over the shop. The story is very wobbly, but among the over the top violence is a challenging game designed to test your skills as a ninja, and while the game is tough, even on its easiest setting, it never feels unfair. Team Ninja encourages you to try different approaches to boss fights so that when you do ultimately prevail, there is a great sense of achievement.
Devil May Cry harkens back to simpler times, offering fun hack and slash action that you don’t need to take too seriously. Capcom treats us to some very cool environments as we wander across the spooky Mallet Island, smashing through some excellently designed enemies along the way, and what gets in the way can mostly be put down to inexperience on the developers’ part. The fixed camera angles that served them so well in the past are a real pain this time around, and the slow and deliberate menu system detracts from the fluid pace they were going for. This debut entry offers a fun peek back at the origins of a popular franchise; it might be fun for fans of the modern entries or videogame historians, but the average man in the street probably isn’t missing out by not revisiting it in 2025.
Syberia is absolutely of its time, offering a point-and-click adventure that now seems outdated in almost every aspect. With aging character models, an archaic and ugly UI and whole townships blatantly designed to facilitate a few oddball puzzles, it’s unlikely to win over many new fans in 2025. That said, it’s not all bad – the pre-rendered environments still look pretty decent, and there’s a few moments so ridiculous that you’ll likely get a laugh or two. Perhaps like the clockwork automatons in the Voralberg factory, Syberia is a product of a bygone era, but not without significance to those curious about days gone by.
We Were Here Too is a regression from the original in almost every way, setting it up as the low point of the franchise so far. While the visuals continue to evolve into the characterful style we’d come to love in future entries, the sound design takes a nosedive, as does the puzzle design, which feels bland, flat and somewhat repetitive. Lacking the sense of atmosphere and immersion that makes other entries such fun, there’s the feel of a workplace teambuilding in We Were Here Too – sure, you’re working together, but it’s because you have to, not because you especially enjoy it. Thankfully, I know that future titles soar to significant heights, and I’m thrilled that the team at Total Mayhem Games found their groove with time.