While its battles can be surprisingly punishing and occasionally uneven, there's a lot of heart in this gorgeous turn-based tactics anthology, and the scale of its ambition just about sings through.
Stuffed with great ideas and visual pizazz, Pepper Grinder is a sparky little platformer that's over all too soon.
Its foundations are sound, but Bulwark: Falonceer Chronicles is ultimately quite an aimless and exhausting kind of citybuilder, too fussy to be truly relaxing, and lacking the depth to compete with more ambitious management builders.
A poor (and bored) man's Avatar, Outcast: A New Beginning is a tedious open world shooter that simply doesn't have anything new to say.
There are a few rough edges here and there, but The Thaumaturge is a compelling and meaty detective RPG with a rich and reactive plot, and whose branching storylines really let you walk the line between vice and virtue.
A handsome remaster of an already modern-feeling Star Wars FPS, but even Nightdive's welcome updates can't disguise some of its older, more obtuse edges.
An endearing fantasy adventure driven by a more puzzle-led variation of Papers, Please's border checks. It may lack the moral greyness of its source material, but this is still a winsome tale about the rippling effect of everyday decisions.
There are a few lingering bugs here, but for the most part, Solium Infernum is a devilishly tricky backstab simulator that's rich with strategic possibility. Its handful of solo scenarios are meaty and challenging, but the long tail here is definitely in its multiplayer.
A clever roguelike card game about cheating your way to victory, Balatro is a generous and mesmeric take on poker with endless strategic possibilities.
Late-game fiddliness spoils what is otherwise a vibrant and always interesting Metroidvania, whose emphasis on growth, connection and (tripping out on mad monsters) make it one of the most sumptuous games of 2024 so far.
There are simple pleasures to be found in Palworld's enormous list of crafting tasks, but look beyond its base building and its world, monster taming and combat all feel quite stale and undercooked.
Definitely the lesser trilogy in Capcom's long-standing lawyer 'em up series, but among the gimmicks and gadgetry there are still plenty of highlights to be found here, and Spirit Of Justice is up there with Ace Attorney's best.
Fearless but intensely friendly, Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is a deep and challenging Metroid-like with some of the best platforming this side of Moon's Ori games.
A decent plot mired in game-breaking bugs and a tedious, repetitive time-loop, In Stars And Time is more frustrating than it is fun.
Its focus on balancing your economy's scales rather than turning a profit means the stakes are never that high in SteamWorld Build, but this is still a strong and distinctive twist on the upstairs/downstairs loop that made SteamWorld Dig so enticing a decade ago.
A short and sweet turn-based RPG that has a lot of bite to its story and whose music will have you harking back to the Final Fantasy glory days, but its battles are too much of a cakewalk to leave much an impression.
It won't challenge you in any shape or form, but Loddlenaut is a feel-good, low-stakes ocean clean-up adventure that scratches that PowerWash itch with charm and characterful precision.
The next great roguelike deckbuilder has arrived. Cobalt Core takes everything you love about FTL, Into The Breach and Slay The Spire and blends it all into a moreish, tactical puzzle loop that just keeps on giving. It's wonderful.
Reprising its engrossing mix of chewy puzzles and deep philosophising about the nature of human experience, The Talos Principle 2 raises the bar yet again with its playful approach to problem-solving, and asks how we fit into the wider machinations of the world at large.
Alan Wake 2 is a stylistic tour de force and one of the most unique and confident horror games in recent years. It might not hit every beat perfectly, but Remedy's daft and over the top sense of humour help bring much-needed levity to its genuine thrills and jump scares.