DeVuego

007 First Light is a superb adventure game that does so much more than simply coast on the popularity of its franchise.

American Arcadia may not have a particularly original premise, but it does present recycled ideas in unique packaging.

Blades of Fire has some elements that feel original and compelling, but it ultimately falls short of the bar set by other AA adventure games of recent years.

Eden Genesis is a game for the hardcore gamer, and requires a total mastery of its systems and mechanics to get the most out of it.

Creatures of Ava comes highly recommended for anyone who wants a low-stress game filled with hope and colour and loads of belly rubs.

The stealth mechanics are decent though, and there’s a certain satisfaction to clearing out an enemy patrol, even if it’s too easy to be seen by a SYM way off-screen sometimes. If you’re looking for a non-violent stealth game, though, Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a straightforward, mostly uncluttered challenge.

Despite some pretty visuals and endearing character interactions like snowball fights and the little high-five-belly-bounce you do after solving a big puzzle, Song of Nunu ultimately feels quite flat throughout. Compared to the other League of Legends Stories we’ve had recently, it definitely feels much more generic and a little too by-the-numbers. Younger gamers and die-hard fans will find a lot here that appeals, but for anyone else there’s little to get excited about.

Lords of the Fallen is an enjoyable, challenging game, and the aesthetics are out of this world, but it suffers at times from a lack of focus.

Summum Aeterna is a decent roguelike adventure with a great aesthetic and superb music, but its gameplay loop and protagonist left me a little cold. It’s certainly a game that demands you “git gud”, and rewards you for doing so, but it’s a bit of a slog to get to that point.

And it mostly succeeds. The combat is smoother and far, far more varied. Many enemy types return but there are a host of new ones, too, and the bosses are mostly terrifying, disturbing, or both. It’s a bold step in a new direction for The Game Kitchen, and a title that manages to navigate the almost impossible path between feeling familiar and feeling brand new.

Like Ruined King, The Mageseeker gives League of Legends new legs. Those who don’t fancy playing the main game might find something much more enjoyable here, with a completely new genre. Fans of the main game will get to see some of their favourite Champions in new situations, or even learn new lore about them. The Mageseeker is another reason for both fans and newcomers alike to be excited about where Riot are going to take League of Legends in the future, and despite it’s relatively short runtime it’s a solid action adventure in its own right.

The Waylanders is a difficult game to recommend. It may appeal to those who seek a hardcore challenge, and those who can look past the iffy writing and uneven pacing may find an adventure worth undertaking. But the combat in particular needed more time in the oven, and the rest of the game doesn’t do enough to make up for it.

After two years of early access, Killsquad is launching in a strong position to build on a solid, playable, and enjoyable foundation.

Narita Boy's difficulty is balanced well enough to offer challenge without frustration, and the combat is sublime. Not to mention it's visually incredible.

Designed entirely for younger gamers, Outright have created something genuinely pleasant and likeable in Gigantosaurus: The Game. It’s neither too twee nor insultingly easy, but rather presents a decent challenge for youngsters at a level that allows other children in the family to help out, and manages to not be irritating to mum and dad at the same time.

Like Father, Like Son is an interesting VR experience that mostly succeeds despite lacking the charm of the source material

They Are Billions is a unique and relentlessly tense take on the Civ-Sim and one that will reward any failure with swift and sudden destruction.

How successful Raiders of the Broken Planet will be depends largely on three things: how often the DLC drops, how much it relies on micro-(and not so micro-)transactions in the future, and how compelled the player base is. As it stands, it’s a slick shooter with solid mechanics, an interesting premise and a beautifully ugly world, but whether that’s enough to keep people Raiding remains to be seen.