I’m generally not a massive competitive shooter fan, but I really like THE FINALS. Embark’s use of UE5, the visual design and aesthetic drew me in - the addictive, easy to pick up, hard to master movement and combat kept me going. The environmental destruction stuff is nuts. Classes are interesting and interplay well, but this coupled with being objective-based also means playing with randos can be… rough.

Extremely addictive deckbuilding bullet-heaven roguelite tower defense. Cool styling and very much a one-more-run type of experience - especially with friend leaderboards! Interesting cards, abilities and characters, but I feel like tower upgrades could afford to be more than just stat bumps. That said, really good 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.

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.

Terrific art direction, ghostly music and atmosphere underpinned by a gripping story (by ’60s Polish sci-fi author Stanisław Lem) make for a tantalising but ultimately underwhelming experience. The characters are likeable and acted well, but they can only do so much to make up for what is so bound by its story that it leaves so little room for compelling gameplay… I’m up for walking simulators, but the walking has to be enjoyable. All that said, the story is the hero, which is enough to drive home an admirable adaptation.

Fun little game where your mouse cursor is your character and your weapon - swipe around, kill stuff, choose upgrades. Not heaps of metaprogression, and visibility can become a bit of an issue, but the loop is fun, art well-made and it’s fairly priced. I think if it got a few content updates it’d be a cool game to hop back into every now and then.

Deckbuilding autobattler roguelite with some realtime combat elements - it’s such a genre-mash that it can be a bit hard to get your head around at first, and ultimately hard to decide if it works. Cool concept, art and atmosphere, but the core combat mechanic won’t be for everyone. The mix of autobattle with realtime interactivity sometimes means you spend more time waiting than calculating your next move. Interesting game though, and decently priced.

Journey Death Stranding, but Ueda. A wonderful, melancholic little adventure reflecting on nature and hardship. Striking visuals and pleasant audio encourage an ascent through towering landscapes and mysteries. I really like this pared back, focused DON’T NOD - cool game.

Everything from the first one has been energised and elevated to the next level. Fluid, engaging combat combined with smooth and expressive movement make for a challenging-but-rewarding loop through which you’ll happily die and reset… a lot. Some new mechanics are a little janky, and the story isn’t particularly gripping, but overall an exhilarating time that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Alan Wake - and even less so of horror games in general - but this sequel is something else. Remedy have taken the entirety of their back catalogue and combined it all into a captivating and masterful nightmare. Probably the most graphically impressive game I’ve ever played, but its technical achievement would be hollow without the sublime art direction and sound design. The story is kooky but cool, even if the writing is a little overbearing at times. Absolutely love Remedy’s vision and ambition here - it won’t be for everyone, but IMO it’s a triumph.