Less a case of reinvention for reinventions' sake, it's the mix of familiar genre staples with a widened focus on smaller details that ends up with Gunbrella proving to be a brief, yet highly-satisfying entrant for action-platformer fans.
A constantly-rewarding, brilliantly-structured and simply mind-blowing series of rug-pulls, Void Stranger isn't just special, it's a phenomenal showcase of what might be some of the best design in a puzzle game for some time.
Less a case of biting off more than it can chew, Immortals of Aveum instead serves up a mixed bag of notable creativity, dragged down by issues both narrative and technical alike.
A platforming-puzzler with a keen eye for intricacy and trickery alike, UFO: Unidentified Falling Objects' addictive nature is somewhat dragged down by its occasional lack of appreciation for a players' own time.
Surprisingly effective it may be at crafting a simple-but-enticing loop of gameplay, Exoprimal's shallow variety and unclear methods of progression land Capcom's latest in a middle-ground of being both entertaining and heavily flawed.
Building on everything that was great about the original - from enemy variety to boss design to the means by which one can customize their play-style - Remnant II just about scrapes by with a follow-up that befits the mantle of "bigger, better, bolder" in numerous ways.
Some occasional frustration with mechanics and personal expectations not met aren't enough to prevent Viewfinder from winding up an all-round terrific debut from Sad Owl Studios. Crafting a game that is confident not only in the ideas it wants to explore, but in the execution that underpins it all.
A feature-rich (at times astonishingly so) package of content - major, minor and entirely optional alike - Nihon Falcom have proven once again with Trails into Reverie why they remain one of the best and most renowned RPG developers still going.
Blending an absorbing tale across worlds, with a novel but mechanically-engaging interpretation of player-choice, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie sets a new standard for Don't Nod with what might be their best, most rewarding work to date.
Far from the most inventive or unique take on the puzzle-platformer formula, Planet of Lana mitigates its relatively-safe gameplay with a striking visual style and a surprisingly compelling use of music alongside.
From a studio having delivered far better and should in all likelihood have done so once more, Redfall is an uncharacteristically poor and cobbled-together brand of tedium.
Nearly a decade on, Teslagrad 2 strides into view where the original left off, with a modest but still entertaining palette of magnetism-based gameplay and precision-platforming alike.
For those more than happy with a brief game with a singular-though-solid concept at its heart, Storyteller serves up a pleasant, though far from extraordinary, take on the art of narration.
What could've been a comical, perhaps novel, approach to tackling themes of corporatism, consumerism, activism and comfort in the familiar alike, The Last Worker instead can only muster up a mediocre clutter of half-baked ideas that rarely feel properly fleshed out.
Occasionally let down by a PS4 release that unlike its Switch and PC equivalents lacks the visual sharpness and touch ups to its evident age, The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure caps off the two-part Crossbell arc in satisfying fashion.
Exactly what fans of the series have come to expect, whilst still providing one or two interesting deviations in gameplay along the way, Like A Dragon: Ishin! fuses familiar traits with a delightfully-versatile combat system to great effect.
Already a masterstroke of design and execution on original release, Metroid Prime Remastered goes one better in cementing Retro's debut Metroid outing as one of gaming's greatest evolutions of a series.
Though the short run-time, on top of its overused hit-and-miss humor, may work against it, what Rhythm Sprout lacks in unique aesthetic or visual identity, it more than makes up for with a soundtrack as much a gameplay loop that's both enjoyable and easy to make repeat trips back to.
Where Forspoken should've been a striking and appealing fresh start for Luminous Productions, the end result sadly is a game not only bland and unpolished, but deprived of a reason to care for its unfolding mystery.
Sequels that don't quite match the lightning-in-a-bottle status of its originator are nothing new.