Ryan Taylor

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights does almost everything right, with varied level design, a multitude of enemies, a good progression system, and a beautiful soundtrack.

Developed by Nerd Monkeys and published by Hatinh Interactive, Out of Line is an adventure platformer with a heavy emphasis on puzzle-solving. With no dialogue or text boxes, the narrative of the game is told through details in the background and the actions of the characters. Which makes sense, given that the most eye-catching aspect of Out of Line is the art style - the entire game is in a hand-drawn 2D style; this includes the characters, animations, and backgrounds.

If Sun Wukong VS Robot was longer and structured a bit more like a traditional metroidvania where the upgrades were tied to progression, it could well be a great little game. As it is, it’s a good challenge and does manage to kill a couple hours, and so if you grew up playing old Game Boy or NES games, then Sun Wukong VS Robot might be a nice nostalgia trip.

It is an utter treat to revisit Metro Exodus with the new enhanced version on Xbox Series X|S. I do recommend that if you are new to the Metro Series then play the first two games before picking up Exodus, however if you’ve played those and never managed to get around to Exodus, this is the perfect time to visit it.

As a whole, Dungeon Escape is a rather mediocre platformer game. It doesn’t have much in the way of personality or unique mechanics but the game offers a few hours of challenging platform for a low price. It also offers an easy 1000G which is always a bonus.

Mighty Goose is a fun little game that is great for passing the time. Each level can be completed in around ten minutes depending on your playstyle, but that makes it the perfect game if you don’t have a lot of spare time available.

Overall and the combat and sailing mechanics of King of Seas are what work, and whilst things feel a little slow at times, that’s never too much bother. But the story and missions are sorely lacking and there never feels like there is much point in your actions; beyond the grinding

Rising Hell is a fun, challenging roguelite that is perfect for those with a full schedule. It’s not as expansive as some of the other roguelites available, but it’s still a great bit of fun and well worth a buy if you are looking for something new to try.

Resident Evil Village is worth every cent. If you loved Resident Evil 7: Biohazard then you’ll be ecstatic about being able to step back into the shoes of Ethan Winters in this new title. This is a game that is worth every penny, offering up a great blend of horror and action alongside some superb character development.

Blazing Beaks on Xbox is definitely worth picking up. It’s challenging, well put together, and just a fun way to kill some time. It's helped by the fact that the risk and reward mechanics are extremely well-done, especially since the amount of risk is tailored to what the player decides.

If you’re looking for an in-depth survival experience, where deception is the biggest obstacle, then Project Winter is a great game to pick up. Just keep in mind that you’ll want a mic and it may take a couple of games to get into the swing of things.

I have hugely enjoyed my time playing Little Nightmares II on Xbox. The mature themes and tense moments that made the first game so fun are present in full force, and like the first game there are plenty of secrets to be found and stories to uncover. If you want a good horror platformer, then Little Nightmares II doesn’t disappoint.

It’s hard to beat a good Metroidvania game, both in the sense that they are difficult and the genre just lends itself to very fun games. Many of the best games ever released are Metroidvanias with stunning artwork, beautiful soundtracks, and compelling stories, and ENDER LILIES is doing its best to be included in the list of greats. Currently on Steam as an early access game, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights has a full release planned on Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

SYNTHETIK: Ultimate on Xbox is a great rogue-lite for gamers looking for a solo challenge. There are plenty of quirks to overcome and if you’re not a fan, or are new to the genre, SYNTHETIK: Ultimate probably won’t be the right fit for you. But if you’re patient, enjoy unforgiving gameplay, and love having tons of weapon and ability variety, then this is the game for you.

60 Parsecs! on Xbox is a game that is easy to pick up and easy to come back to. The mechanics are great, comedy is woven into all of the writing, and each playthrough feels different enough where the experience doesn’t just feel like a repeat of the last. If you want a space-themed survival comedy that can easily pass the time, then do yourself a favor and get 60 Parsecs!