Skate Story is a moody, tightly-controlled skating experience that leans hard on atmosphere and flow. The skating feels weighty but precise, the premise and art is inspired, and the soundtrack does a huge amount of emotional lifting. Not a deep trick sandbox like Tony Hawk - more a short, vibey art piece that peaks in its linear flow sequences, and when everything clicks, it’s genuinely special.

Some may ask why the absurd incremental/clicker Tingus Goose exists at all - what is this? Who made this, and why? And yet, in its honking chaos and wilful grotesquery, the answer becomes self-evident. It rejects polish and restraint, favouring curiosity and excess instead. Creation becomes ritual, repetition becomes comfort, and the absurd reveals itself as essential. It’s fun. Honk.

A moody, folklore-soaked strategy deckbuilder where battles play out on grid, so positioning matters as much as your draw. You explore distinct regions, craft loads of cards from enemy materials, and swap archetypes as each biome pushes different mechanics. It’s tough-but-fair with low death penalty, and the pixel art and soundscape absolutely rule. Really cool.

[Early Access] Moonlighter 2 has a ripper loop: roguelite runs, clever backpack loot puzzles, then price-discovery shopkeeping that funds a forest of upgrades. Combat can feel chunky and rewarding, and the 3D worlds this time around really pop, but balance and QoL could do with some love. Definitely worth a look though, and if you liked the first one, it’s a no-brainer.

I’ve wanted to get into an extraction shooter for ages, but nothing has landed in my sweet spot of complexity: they’re either exhausting in how convoluted they are, or so watered down they feel pointless. ARC Raiders finally hits the middle ground. Its world is genuinely absorbing, with visual and sound design that’s freakishly immersive, and a sandbox allowing for endless emergent moments that make it hard to put down. I’m too old for competitive shooters, but the balance, pacing, economy, and community (so far) here give this one a feel I can actually settle into - and it’s turning out to be something pretty special.

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.

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.