DeVuego

Laika: Aged Through Blood is one of the coolest Metroidvanias I have ever played, with refreshing controls and a powerful story at its heart.

There was much promise to Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection, and it does have a charming and heartfelt story, but if you really want to play something of this ilk then you are better served taking your business elsewhere with one of the titles I have mentioned earlier, as aside from the aforementioned visuals, it just doesn’t quite hit the mark across the board.

The Spirit of the Samurai is a gorgeous game to look at, and while it can be enjoyable to play, some of the movement and combat is stiff.

Among Ashes is clever horror with a unique approach to fear, never outstaying its welcome and keeping you on edge until the end.

Glitch Hero is a nice way to teach younger gamers some programming basics, but the poor combat really lets it down.

Tormenture blends a retro horror game with real world escape room elements to create a really unique (and rather spooky) experience.

Neva is a beautiful game that hits you right in the feels, with engaging combat and a soundtrack that'll sweep you off your feet.

Pureya is an original, if short lived take on the microgame genre that is a half decent way to while away a bit of time.

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.

One Last Breath has some smart puzzles that feel familiar to the genre, but the world is so inviting despite it being on the brink of collapse. There isn’t a ton of originality in its puzzles or its creatures, but the way it tells its story without a single word is admirable, choosing to let the environments do the talking. There’re a few collectibles to find which allow you to explore certain areas, and with a delightful art style and beautiful score, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

Clem is a charming and compelling adventure game that’ll delight those who are pining for the good old days of the genre. Most of the puzzles it contains are masterfully designed, and the story it tells as you explore was unexpectedly engaging. It might be a little slow moving for some, but if you’re able to get past that this magical adventure will surely put a spell on you.

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.

The Fabulous Fear Machine is a narrative-driven strategy that is immersive and intense, where uncovering new legends is always a highlight, but the real joy comes from uncovering the story piece by piece, seeing how each of the characters become too greedy for their own good. It’s part-social commentary, part-realistic horror, never resting on its laurels and offering a gripping story with an addictive gameplay loop. It can be tough trying to gather resources when rivals try to hinder your plans, but I was blown away by the writing and the exceptional art style, making it one of the surprise hits of the year.

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.

Bleak Sword DX takes simple action game mechanics and polishes them to near perfection. The combat is immensely satisfying, and the enemy and level variety keeps things interesting from start to finish. How much you get punished for dying can feel a little harsh, but as long as you become a master of the sword and board you’ll save the kingdom and feel great doing it.

After Us is gorgeous and has some important things to say about consumerism, but actually playing it isn't always fantastic.

Disney Speedstorm has plenty of potential, but at present the racing feels unbalanced and there's far too much currency to get familiar with.

Hunt the Night is difficult. There’s no sugar-coating that fact, but you’ve got a lot at your disposal, from your melee weapons like swords, daggers, and spears, and ranged weapons. Moonstones and dark magic offer further help, and the status effects certain items have can inflict further damage on the creatures around Medhram. Bosses are wonderfully designed, as is the world, and the lore is an integral part of the story and the puzzles, and everything in-between. Despite struggling with many of the fights, Hunt the Night rewards you for your patience. It doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it keeps it rolling in a beautifully crafted world.

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.

Super Mega Team has thought of everything, and despite The Knight Witch getting harder with every new area, the satisfaction of clearing a level and defeating a boss makes you feel amazing. The art style is spectacular, and despite there being no dialogue, I fell in love with Rayne and her way of looking at things, along with the colourful cast of characters that support her. Combat and movement is tight and fluid, allowing the key combat concepts to work well together, and with every victory comes a great sense of accomplishment.

Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo has some interesting themes, but ultimately the voice acting and tedious adventure game sections will lead to many putting the controller down. The hypnotherapy sessions are interesting, but unless you really get a kick out of early 2000s style voice acting it’s a difficult one to recommend.

Frogun might not break the mould, but it’s a fun platformer that anyone who loves gathering trinkets and aiming for 100% completion will enjoy. Issues with checkpoints and the dreaded race levels hold it back from being essential, but if you’re hankering for a 3D platformer you could do much worse than Frogun.

Evil Dead: The Game has an incredibly good concept, but balance issues and average Survivor gameplay really let it down in its current state. In the best moments playing as the Demons I loved tormenting my enemies, but in these moments I was painfully aware of how much less fun I’d be having if I was on the other side. With a bit of balancing though, there’s still some hope for Evil Dead fans yet.

As you leave the shrine and head towards the village, Ikai becomes an enjoyable game of cat and mouse with plenty of puzzles and exposition that tell an interesting tale. The dialogue can be repetitive, especially if you keep dying. Despite this, Ikai has some wonderful visuals that make great use of lighting to create a sense of fear and nervousness. The setting of feudal Japan adds a unique spin on the psychological horror genre, giving the sacred setting a dash of creepiness that forever lingers its head.

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.

It’s interesting that Scarf’s story hints at something more. There are clues to uncover that there’s more than meets the eye here. Because as a player, I also wanted more. By the time the credits had rolled, whilst there was nothing fundamentally wrong with what I had played. I wish it could have been longer, or maybe pursued additional traversal options or had an extra diverse world to explore. Just as it starts getting going, it seems to abruptly stop, even if you discover the “proper” ending. Scarf feels short, definitely sweet, but also safe. And me wishing it was longer is definitely a deserved compliment, but it also shows that it left me feeling, ironically, a little cold on its overall experience.

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

Metroid Dread is nearly the perfect return for Samus, and only some difficulty spikes rain on the parade. This is a tight, responsive 2D Metroid experience that constantly impresses and surprises in equal measure and is the perfect way to launch the new Switch model.

Super Magbot is a unique and challenging 2d platformer, with interesting new mechanics consistently mixing up the gameplay. Its magnet based platforming is easy to learn but hard to master, with plenty of tricky content to test your skills on. If you’re up for the challenge, you’ll find a lot to love about this little metal robot.

Alex Kidd in Monster World DX is a faithful remake of the original, but the difficulty of a bygone era rears its ugly head far too often.

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.

Colossus Down is genuinely funny, but it's gameplay just isn't good enough to compete with other Beat'em ups.

Out of the Blue’s debut game manages to pack in some complex puzzles set amongst some beautiful environments, and has a story that keeps you hooked throughout. Norah’s a likeable character, voiced by Cissy Jones. but the occasional missteps in the dialogue when portraying an English woman in the 1930s feels far too stereotypical at times. Call of the Sea is a game for puzzle aficionados, and for those who enjoy a good story flavoured with pulp undertones.

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.

Dawn of Fear is a poor attempt to recreate the magic of a survival horror classic, with too many problems to gain any sense of enjoyment. Brok3nsite has tried to create a nostalgic tribute to Resident Evil, but in the process they’ve somehow made it worse than the original. Perhaps its biggest omission and ultimate failure is its scare factor, creating predictable moments of terror that never hit as they should.

Arise: A Simple Story is a delightful mix of stunning visuals, sounds, and engaging story. But there's also a satisfying game underneath to enjoy too.

Song of Horror is an intriguing game. Its second episode isn’t as impressive as the first and the third isn’t even out yet, so it’s difficult to fully recommend the game as it is. That said, the story is interesting and there is an old school style to its gameplay and puzzles that will keep fans of classic horror games happy.

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

Etherborn is a space and gravity bending puzzle game that challenges your spatial awareness, however despite a very compelling hook and lovely visuals it runs out of ideas very quickly.

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.

Effie is a 3D puzzle platformer with a strong nod to games of yesteryear. Simple combat as well as a lack of any real challenge and samey boss fights make it a title best suited to a younger audience.

The Red Strings Club isn’t the sort of game that’s designed to frame your depression or anxieties as something you’ll be able to manage and control. But it is a story about emotions and how they can be manipulated by individuals as well as by corporations. There’s no argument for the marketplace of ideas at least, but as an anti-capitalist storyline The Red String’s Club is definitely a dive worth your patronage.

But fundamentally, Gris is a game, and I get the distinct impression it forgets that at times. It is clearly beautiful to look at, and a wonder to listen to, but I always felt Gris was well aware of these strengths, to the point where I believe it thinks it’s better than it is because of how it looks and sounds, and forgets that within that world needs to lie a game that is enjoyable to play in between those joyful moments. Walking for the best part of an hour isn’t engaging, neither is being locked out of collectables, nor is not being sure if you understand what is going on. Whilst there’s a lot to be said for nailing a strong look and feel, that doesn’t give it a free pass to be average in other key areas. And that’s a shame because the main idea and premise are sound, and the puzzle and platforming elements really improve in the second half. If the experience of playing the game had been thought about as much as seeing and hearing it, we could really have had something special on our hands. Unfortunately, it smacks of a missed opportunity to be the complete package that could have made it a sleeper hit at year’s end.

And so with Stay, what you ultimately have is a flawed, missed opportunity. Its premise does a great job of hooking you in and engaging you from the off. You care for Quinn, you want to help him and learn about his past. And then you’ll come up against a ridiculous puzzle and you might want to throw in the towel. Or if not then you’ll probably die repeatedly, and have to re-read the same text multiple times until you pick the correct response. Had there been a way to skip text you’d already read before, and just gotten rid of the puzzles altogether, this would have been a much more complete experience. And had you been given more guidance at the beginning, and more of a story reveal at the end, it would have book-ended an experience that would be truly memorable. As it is there are too many sticking points to make this a solid recommendation, even though this title made me feel things few games have for a long time.

Candle: The Power of the Flame is as much a failure as it is a success. There is something wonderful and lovely in it, but it is repeatedly let down by the things that paradoxically make it great. A good puzzle game communicates its solutions to the player through a variety of means, often audio and mostly visual and Candle does do this sometimes, but more often than not it simply doesn’t. The complexity of some of the solutions hidden within incredibly detailed scenes are bound together by the exceptional work of the voice actor as the narrator that does make the frustrations more bearable. However, if you have patience and a keen eye for detail there is much to enjoy with Candle, if you don’t, or you have trouble holding lots of seemingly disconnected bits of information together then you may struggle to enjoy what Teku’s adventure has to offer.

All in all, take the F2P mechanics out of the equation and considering this is free you’ll find a lot to enjoy here because there’s a load of content to take part in when you come up against a wall. Roadhouse Games’ Legacy of the Beast was uninteresting outside of its Iron Maiden soundtrack, at least here there’s so much to do, and it’s so much nicer to look at; as a result this is certainly worth a look, you have nothing to lose at all, and considering it’s a decent RPG-lite you might just like it…just like I do.

Other than that, there’s very little to complain about. The dialogue is well written and feels appropriate for the gang. The puzzles are fun, the combat is enjoyable, and it feels the right length. This is a game that doesn’t use its retro inspired nature as a selling point, it just feels right, and with nods to so many things we love (a few boss battles are straight up homages to Ghostbusters), it’s hard not to love Crossing Souls.

Oh My Godheads is a 1-4 player, fast paced brawler based around massive heads of mythological deities which are out to get you. While it’s a lot of fun with friends, a lack of depth and poor AI mean it’s not so much fun without any.

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.

It really is good to be back in a 2D Metroid game, and while the aesthetic isn’t really attractive the core gameplay is as good as it has ever been. There will be many who aren’t happy about this, as this game’s existence brought about the end of AM2R, but MercurySteam’s effort deserves an audience built of Metroid fans and newcomers, after all, if you’re looking to get into a series then you can’t do much better than jumping in at the (near) beginning and this is an excellent way to spend your time while you wait for Metroid Prime 4.

RiME is a powerful game. As the credits rolled, I sat with my daughter on my lap, sobbing. She was silent – reflective like me, and moved by what we’d been through together. She loved the game because of a cute little fox that appears throughout, but from that she ended up falling in love with not just the fox, but the story as well. Without ruining anything, I won’t talk about what it all meant to me, maybe in a feature later down the line, but what I will say is RiME is a coping mechanism – a special way to help you fight through the darkness and the pain.

Rise and Shine is yet another game published by Adult Swim that hits the spot, both in entertainment value and replayability. I had a few issues with the game freezing, to which I had to restart from the beginning of a section. I adored Headlander, and I’m equally in love with Rise and Shine. It’s not the longest of games, but its gorgeous style, great control scheme and constant gaming references offer plenty of reasons to keep playing and come back to. Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team have done a fantastic job here, and I’m really glad I got a chance to play it.

The story, however, compelled me enough to overlook those problems and storm on through. Maybe I’m just a sucker for pseudo-history, but I enjoyed my time with Yesterday Origin and would really like an opportunity to delve into that world again.

Aragami is a super stylish stealth ninja game that blends a lot of familiar ideas into an exciting action game. The levels are constructed in such a way as to encourage multiple playthroughs, while the placement of the upgrade scrolls ensures that every inch of the beautifully-rendered environments is examined. With no real weapons other than a close quarters blade, you are forced to think strategically about each move, whether to utilise one of your precious finite powers or attempt to sneak past the enemies to your objective. Each level is consistently exciting, gradually adding more complexity and challenge as you progress. The story, told through limited dialogue and minimal cut-scenes, is enough to keep you invested until the end, but it is the gameplay itself that demands your attention. The liquidity and grace of Aragami’s move-set combined with the clever level design really make this a superb stealth game.

Day of Doofenshmirtz is a combination of a platformer and dual stick shooter which is unfortunately let down on both fronts by an immensely frustrating camera. The game is better when it places you outside of those moments, but that just doesn’t happen frequently enough.

Even the fights against the big golems, which are built as grand boss battles, don’t satisfy. The golems move with the vigour of a man being dragged around the underwear section in Marks and Spencer’s, and you merely have to roll away before they smash their fists down, then punch wherever the purple thing is sticking out. Although it’s commendable that Yanim have fixed the frame-rate issues with a patch, the game sadly remains an uninspiring one, that’s hard to recommend.

While Randal’s Monday might not bring anything new to the table, it is a tribute to the golden age of point and click adventures. For fans of comic books and cult films, it’s jam-packed with in-jokes and references to look out for, and both the audio and visuals are very pleasing. This is all sadly let down by the nonsensical puzzles, where the solutions are far too obscure, meaning that even seasoned adventurers are likely to resort to the hint system. While you want to feel challenged by a game, it still needs to be fun and rewarding – not just one frustrating challenge after another.

Muppets Movie Adventures is light on content, light on ideas and doesn’t truly respect the Muppets who star in it. It’s a £2.99 iOS game packaged into a full priced Vita release. There are PS1 games available on the Vita that would be a much better use of your money and more enjoyable for your kids to play.

 Ice Cream Surfer tells the story of a maniacal vegetable hell bent on destroying the sugary world of the flying gelato-influenced heroes, but just as fast food and candy treats are light on essential nutrients and likely to do you more harm than good, this is a game that is probably best left on the shelf, with other far more healthy options available to the discerning shooter fan.

Overall, Circuits is an outstanding puzzle game that is sure to immerse any player who chooses to experience its sheer brilliance, with its only major problem being the length. Combining colourful and radiant visuals with an exceptional, contemporary soundtrack that both impresses and excites players, this is one of the finest puzzle games that you will play – not because its difficult (which depends on the player’s knowledge of music theory), but because it is an immersing, profound experience that is equally as rewarding as it is exhilarating.

Originally a PC release, the Wii U is a fine platform for Unepic, and it’s another worthwhile addition to the eShop library. It can be quite frustratingly difficult at times, and the constant geeky references to everything from Star Wars to the worlds of Gary Gygax may not sit well with everyone – one particular misfiring side quest involving bureaucrats may be enough to turn off some gamers – but for those who enjoy old school platform action, this generously sized Spanish-crafted effort will be manna from heaven.

Young Justice: Legacy manages to do the narrative and character side of things well, but those things were accomplished in the franchise’s other media already. Young Justice: Legacy exists as a video game accompaniment to the TV series, and in this regard it’s a repetitive, unsatisfying, and unimpressive failure. There are better scrolling beat-em up’s out there, and there’s more than enough Superhero media around to help you avoid playing this. Oh Warner Bros, how could you let something like this shamble to life?