BALL x PIT sidesteps any potential roguelite fatigue by folding in new systems and surprising, satisfying fusions. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it drops another major game-changer. Addictive, stylish and most importantly, super fun - very impressive.

Ghost of Yōtei is big, bloody, and beautiful - refining Tsushima’s formula rather than reinventing it. Exploration is richer, stealth more precise, the world obviously gorgeous. It’s polished and fun enough to keep me hooked through to the end - indeed, there’s a lot to love - but the familiar openworld rhythms are definitely feeling a little weary. It’s a strong execution, but tinged with a melancholy sense that the formula is wearing thin.

Pocket Boss is a brisk, clever satire dressed up as data-fixing ‘puzzles’ (or probably more accurately WarioWare minigames). It’s short, funny, and sharply designed - over before it wears out its welcome at about 30-40min, but memorable in how it skewers corpo culture. Probably best played on phone.

Heart Machine has cut staff as Hyper Light Breaker wraps, citing funding shifts and industry uncertainty. A January update is still coming, while Possessor(s) still launches 11 Nov. The studio thanks its team and community as it continues with a smaller crew. No good.

CloverPit is unabashedly satanic slot-machine Balatro inside Buckshot Roulette - moody, stylish, and addictive. The spins, synergies and vibes hit hard - it’s intriguingly thrilling. Once you’ve cracked a few builds, the depth might run a bit thinner than its counterparts, but absolutely worth a play. It speaks to how strong the core is that I just want more.

Equal parts zen hike and slapstick disaster. The Foddian leg-by-leg controls click into a weirdly soothing flow, then betray you in spectacular fashion. Big, silly, oddly tender - more Death Stranding for clowns than rage game. Not really for me, but I laughed, swore, kept walking.

Megabonk is dangerously moreish. Risk of Rain meets Vampire Survivors in chaotic 3D. When a run clicks, it’s glorious, sending you bunnyhopping through swarms in a storm of bonks. Not as well balanced as its inspirations, and it’s qUirKy ChUnGus writing can be a bit on the nose, but still a riot worth sinking hours into.

skate leaves me torn, but mostly sad. The skating feels brilliant, every flick and flow just right, but it’s wrapped in such a soulless corporate gloss, unfathomably out-of-touch cringe writing, and a shop-first design. It’s tough, because there is fun to be found, but it’s buried under a product that replaces culture with monetisation.

Borderlands 4 is a blast when you lock into the core loop - snappy gunplay, meaningful loot, big playgrounds. But the bombastic, quippy aesthetic and tone now read like a bit of a relic. You almost have to meet it halfway - tune out the dated swagger, focus on the systems - then you can find the fun. In any case, if you’re looking for a shooter to turn your brain off in, there’s a lot to like.

Hell Is Us is haunting, pretty clever, and not what I expected. Combat is simple, sometimes clunky, but that’s not the point - it’s about mystery, puzzles, and piecing together scraps of story in a war-torn world. The no-map, no-hand-holding design is immersive, and rewards patience. At its best, it’s unsettling and atmospheric. At its worst, it’s repetitive and meandering. Not for everyone, but if you crave exploration over combat, give it a look.