Cute! Duck Detective is a delightful and tightly designed deduction game that won’t have you sweating over a scrawly notepad like Golden Idol or Obra Dinn, but I think that’s the point. There’s one case made up of charming and funny characters, everything is voiced, the art and music are terrific. If you’re into detective games, you’ll finish it in a few hours and have a great time… quacking the case.

INDIKA is very clearly a game by and for people who enjoy satirical, surreal and profound arthouse cinema. Its eclectic mix of realistic 3D and pixel art 2D is underpinned and elevated by strong writing and voice acting - I was hooked from the first scene, and it even stuck the landing. The narrative is dark and compelling, the puzzles are engaging, and more than anything its thought-provoking themes and presentation make it unforgettable. I would love more games like this.

I was hooked on Children of the Sun after about two minutes into the demo, and the full release didn’t let go. A puzzler disguised as a shooter which seems straightforward initially, but its clever and versatile puzzle design proves remarkably addictive - especially with leaderboards. Combined with the art, sound and music, the vibes here absolutely rule. Play it.

Good remake. The poignant story, as well as the varied and unique gameplay from the original are all here, and are still great. There are obviously massive visual improvements, and a few QoL things, making it a perfect entrypoint for those who’ve not played it before. Otherwise, unless you’re obsessed with the original, you’re probably good to sit it out.

Simple but creative and clever, The Exit 8 is essentially a first person spot-the-difference game elevated by excellent graphics and tense atmosphere. One can beat it in under half an hour, and 100% it in not much longer, which feels about right. Best to go in blind, and let the loop immerse you. Cool game.

Psychedelic and delightfully illustrated, Gubbins is a fresh take on the tile-based word game, straight outta Melbourne. Easy to pick up - thanks to pleasant and intuitive interactions - but hard to master once the Gubbins start coming to ruin everything. Cool game.

The seminal Half-Life turns 25 this weekend, and Valve are celebrating with a substantial update which restores launch day content, introduces fresh multiplayer maps, and provides insights into the original development team’s work. As part of the festivities, there’s also an excellent documentary produced by the Noclip production crew.

Made as a response to so-called immersive sims which provide you with precisely what you need in a lock-and-key fashion to “solve” problems in just the way the game intended. Mosa Lina goes in the complete opposite direction; giving you completely random tools each time, enabling emergent and unique solutions. It’s clever, funny and rewarding. Really good.

Somehow, two years after it was first released, a silly little watermelon game captures the streamer zeitgeist. It’s simple but addictive, and for whatever reason is just as enjoyable to watch (or at least have on in the background) as it is to play. It’s also way cheaper than an actual watermelon, so give it a go.

The latest from Jeppe Carlsen, lead gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE - COCOON is just as intriguing, creative and moreish. The puzzles are really nice, and all a good level of challenge. Everything else, from the visual and sound design to each little interaction wouldn’t be misplaced in a ‘Satisfying Aesthetic ASMR Compilation’ video. Really cool.