drlowdon

Much of what Pragamata does has been seen before in numerous other video games, but it does it all very well and the hybrid hacking/combat system at the heart of the game is both original and good fun.

Cobalt Core doesn't have the depth or longevity of the very best deck builders, but its well worth sinking a few hours into if you're a fan of the genre.

Aside from a few minor irritations, such as it not always being obvious where to go next or bosses with a too many stages, Minishoot' Adventures mix of bullet hell gameplay and Zelda like exploration is both unique and enjoyable.

A pretty blatant copy of the classic top down Zelda titles, Blossom Tales is decent enough, but a few frustrating design decisions ultimately prevent it from reaching must play status.

AER is aiming for the same sort of vibe as games like Journey and Sword of the Sea, but the lack of guidance that results in getting lost over and over as well as some repetitive puzzles just make it a frustrating experience.

AER is aiming for the same sort of vibe as games like Journey and Sword of the Sea, but the lack of guidance that results in getting lost over and over as well as some repetitive puzzles just make it a frustrating experience.

Not the worst game you'll ever play and a decent way to kill 15-20 minutes, but it all feels too chaotic and random to offer a truly satisfying puzzle experience.

The Gardens Between is very cleverly designed and makes imaginative use of the players ability to move time forwards and backwards, but as with so many of these puzzle games I found it quite often become an exercise in frustration when you can’t figure out the exact series of events the developer wants you to follow.

The idea of a traditional RPG built around music is one that is full of potential, unfortunately with its shallow gameplay and less than engaging story, it largely squanders that potential.

Mini-Metro does start to feel a little repetitive fairly quickly so it's not a game you'll sink hours after hour into, but if you're looking for something to kill twenty minutes every now and then you could do a lot worse.

Good fun for messing around with mates and always provides a few laughs, it just ultimately lacks the depth to keep players engaged for the long term.

Dungeon Encounters strips down the traditional turned based RPG to it's bare bones but that unfortunately results in a pretty dull experience in which both the exploration and combat just simply aren't any fun.

The gameplay lacks any real depth and you’re essentially just clicking on dots on a map over and over again, I don’t want to use the term ‘phone game’ negatively, but that’s exactly what these feels like and 30 minutes was just about all I got out of it.

The main campaign could be a little more interesting but if you want to have a bit of fun whilst improving your fitness, Ring Fit Adventure fits the bill perfectly.

The unusual bike based mix of platforming and combat has potential, but the difficulty, complex controls and Metroidvania structure which necessitates repeating some sections multiple times in order to succeed is ultimately more frustrating than fun.

If you've played Undertale you'll pretty much know what to expect here, namely some great world building and fun sense of humour mixed with gameplay that focuses on turn-based combat that pretty quickly becomes repetitive and dull.

The gameplay is pretty solid and the course editor (for those willing to invest the time) is great, it’s just a shame 2K have to constantly harass players with menus and pop ups trying to get us to spend money.

These crafting based games are so commonplace these days that they have to do something very different to stand out, Grounded doesn’t do that...

Treads similar ground to the original but the core gameplay loop is improved by quality of life additions and the story is as bonkers and fun as ever.

A relatively novel mix of puzzler and roguelike that that's relatively enjoyable played in short bursts but the high level of luck required to succeed is a little too frustrating.

The mature storytelling and interesting persona based combat system can’t quite make up for the often glacial pacing, dated graphics or overly long play time.

Although it never really feels like a truly satisfying deck-builder, Thronebreaker is solid attempt to expand upon the card game Gwent made popular by The Witcher 3.

Turning the Elden Ring formula into a multiplayer roguelike seemed an odd choice, but the combat and exploration that made the original a success translates very well.

The difficulty and backtracking will certainly be off putting for some, but for those willing to invest the time, Death Howl offers a deep and challenging mix of deck building and grid based strategy.

Those willing to invest the time will discover that Caves of Qud doesn’t lack in depth or options to investigate, but the frustratingly obscure controls and systems will deter many gamers and the moment to moment gameplay is far from exciting.

The Forest offers plenty of depth in terms of its survival mechanics but the lack of any sort of guidance, difficulty of actually finding anything that moves the plot forward and lacklustre controls ultimately become pretty frustrating.

An incredibly generic JRPG that not even the well implemented online co-op can make particularly interesting.

A serviceable enough online co-op horror experience, but it doesn't have the gameplay quality or variety to provide more than a few hours of fun.

It all seems pretty low budget and it’s certainly rough around the edges, but teaming up with a few mates for some online action is good fun.

The seemingly endless number of mini-games and side-quests (some of which can thankfully ignored by switching to easy difficulty) completely destroy the pacing, and it’s only the enduring characters and storyline that kept me playing.

A perfectly serviceable game that plays like a cross between Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, but the mission based structure robs the game of the exploration that is so vital in making From Softwares titles what they are.

There are just so many of these crafting focused survival games that it’s hard to muster any enthusiasm when another one comes along that doesn’t do anything new.

Learning and using the various methods of ‘cheating’ at cards is an interesting one, but it becomes a little repetitive after just a few hours and the concept struggles to support a full game all by itself.

The story isn’t totally uninteresting but the gameplay, which largely consists of walking around very slowly and interacting with items until the story you trigger a cut scene, becomes incredibly tedious even during the games relatively short runtime.

Even with the multiple characters offering different challenges, Ball X Pit doesn't have the gameplay depth of the best roguelikes, but the core gameplay loop is still pretty addictive and will provide a fair few hours of entertainment before it starts to feel too repetitive.

Even with the multiple characters offering different challenges, Ball X Pit doesn't have the gameplay depth of the best roguelikes, but the core gameplay loop is still pretty addictive and will provide a fair few hours of entertainment before it starts to feel too repetitive.

Islanders: New Shores will likely appeal to gamers that enjoy a relaxing experience, but the gameplay is just too simplistic to offer a long term appeal and there are similar games, such as Dorfromantik, that do the same thing better.

A few frustrating difficultly spikes aside, From Software have done a great job updating the Armored Core franchise with a game full of great combat and plenty of mission variety.

A pretty poor simulation that looks and plays worse than many of the snooker games from a decade or more ago, it’s not even worth bothering either for free.

A well made city builder that doesn’t lack depth but it doesn’t quite have the variety to match the best of the genre.

Dispatch sets a new standard for video game writing and animation to the point where you feel as though your essentially playing an interactive cartoon, and this more than compensates for the relatively little ‘traditional’ gameplay.

The moment to moment gameplay is decent enough when played co-op with friends, but the lack of any sort of narrative or progression from run to run means it can start to feel pretty repetitive after just a few hours.

The mix of old school side-scrolling beat ‘em up and roguelike elements works well making Absolum a fun co-op experience.

Aesthetically pleasing with a great soundtrack, but the core skating mechanic never feels particularly satisfying and it’s all too easy to hit an obstacle you didn’t even see coming.

11-bit Studios, the developers behind This War of Mine and Frostpunk, have created yet another excellent survival game full of interesting choices.

In striving so heavily for realism and attempting to ensure the player feels as downtrodden as the protagonist, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II all too often feels like a tedious chore to play.

The missions are largely uninteresting fetch quests and the controls are incredibly awkward.

Shogun Showdown doesn’t quite offer the same level of variety and longevity as the absolute top tier roguelikes, but it’s simple yet deep strategic gameplay still offers a fair few hours of entertainment.

Doom Eternal largely succeeds in what it sets out to do, but it doesn’t move the FPS genre forward in any way and after just a few levels I felt like I’d already played this game dozens of times over the last two decades.

A competent enough Zelda clone but it doesn’t offer anything particularly new or exciting.