With excellent sailing and naval combat mechanics, it's a shame that Skull and Bones is so hampered by its lack of diversity, odd developmental decisions, and minimal capacity to offer a true pirate fantasy.
SteamWorld Build is proof that the SteamWorld formula can be applied to almost any genre with its mix of city building and dungeon mining combining for quite the treat.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an excellent 2D Mario game with easily the most impressive world-building we've seen in this style. The trilogy of new power-ups are brilliant fun, and regularly humorous, with Nintendo's finishing touches adding extra personality at every turn.
Ubisoft Bordeaux has delivered exactly what it promised. Assassin's Creed Mirage is a compact, stealth-focused adventure that punishes anyone trying to go in loud, and it does so in a world that's always a delight to explore (and be chased through).
Between the 2.0 Update and Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 is a different game now. It not only looks more beautiful than ever, but it's also vast. The Phantom Liberty expansion adds 13 core missions, 17 new side quests and gigs, and a brand new ending for the base game. That's a lot of content without even thinking about what's been added in the three years between now and launch.
Pikmin 4 isn't just another Pikmin game. Nintendo has taken the formula and twisted it by adding new challenges, ways to play, and a whole new character. It's cute and packs a great RTS punch despite multiple ways to make it more approachable overall.
Forever Skies' take on the post-apocalyptic survival genre is a refreshing one, balancing its airship-building mechanics with exploration and narrative trappings with ease.
Redfall is ultimately not up to Arkane's usual standards. It feels rushed, unfinished, and unsatisfying to play.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is a touch of magic, bringing the Horizon world to life in first person on PSVR 2. It's stunning, captivating, and never loses sight of what made Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West so special.
Season's ability to tell small human stories is admirable amidst its calming gameplay, even if it doesn't fully explore its big talking points.
Floodland is a city builder that triumphs because it focuses on its citizens as much as the city. A strong narrative both in its story and in your interactions with the clans means constant decision-making that'll always make you think in a way that city builders rarely do.
Jumpship's debut is a fantastic sci-fi tale with an intense atmosphere and wonderfully touching narrative, even if there are a few puzzle and movement frustrations.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope captures everything that made the original so special, all while delivering a more complex and complete experience. It offers a new level of strategic depth, with world-building that makes it more of a Super Mario game than you might expect.
Slime Rancher 2 may play largely the same as its predecessor but, between the beautiful new world and some key quality-of-life improvements, the future looks promising for Monomi Park's sequel.
Even at this Early Access stage, Gameloft has created an awesome game here. There's enough content here already to give a good sense of what's to come, and a foundation to build something rather special.
Sam Barlow has somehow done it again, raising the bar for the FMV / interactive movie genre once more. Immortality is yet another masterpiece of storytelling.
Once you get a handle on the unique rhythms of this university simulator, Two Point Campus can be incredibly rewarding, particularly when it gives you the space to appreciate just how fine-tuned the needs of each of your campuses really can be.
Stray is a phenomenal, if compact, feline adventure that captures cats perfectly - even if they do find themselves in a bizarrely beautiful robotic world.
A well-thought-out online mode lifts Nintendo Switch Sports from being a sheer nostalgia trip, to an experience well worth the investment.
Everything that made GT Sport so good, plus everything that made early Gran Turismo games so good. A simply stunning driving game and a superb showcase for PS5.