Dave Ozzy

The Secret Order: Return to the Buried Kingdom on Xbox One acts like a strong trailer for hidden object gaming: it’s easy to pick up, the puzzles are a pleasure to interact with, and Artifex Mundi have mastered the systems that surround it. But it’s only a trailer: too short, too unsatisfying and narratively incoherent to get your teeth into.

Who would have thought that cooking and house removals would make killer party games? Team17 clearly did, as they made hits in the form of Overcooked! and Moving Out. Now their sights are set on what it’s like to take on an internship with Going Under.

Man, did I wish this was a Jet Set Radio spin-off. Alas it is not, and instead we get the retro platforming joys of Jet Set Knights, a Ratalaika and FobTi Interactive joint project launching today on Xbox One, with a staggered launch on PS4 and Switch.

Calling the main character’s company ‘Fizzle’ is appropriate. Going Under on Xbox One burns brightly at first, witty and wonderful in its design, and with a lot of joy in its dungeon crawling. But then the fizzle comes, with the lack of depth and vacuum of progression soon burning your interest out.

Time to come clean: I find space sims a bit clinical and boring. But Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is a game that looks like it knows how to have fracking fun.

If you’re a fan of walking simulators, then the name probably sticks in the throat, but let’s ‘own it’ and chuck the best and mightiest of the genre into a bear pit and let them have at it! Hoo-rah! As with most genre lists, there’s some controversy about what does or doesn’t constitute a walking simulator. Dialogue and navigation is preferred over puzzles and more intensive interaction like combat or QTEs. Jumping/crouching is positively frowned upon. Strap on your hiking boots and let’s ramble!

You may not be aware that there are eight (go on, count ‘em) Secret Order games, with this - The Secret Order: Return to the Buried Kingdom - the eighth, launching on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch today.

You just know that Tamiku’s developer Josyan has a crate of NES and Commodore 64 games tucked under his CRT. Tamiku doesn’t just look like a game from that era: it’s got to be a lost NES cartridge that’s only just been restored.

If you’ve fallen out with your partner during lockdown, why not bring them back on side with a co-op game of Biped? It’s collaborative, it’s family friendly, it’s got funny walks. It’s everything you need in two colourful, robotic packages.

Not to be mistaken as a puzzle expansion for the 2017 slasher game (although, that would be fabulous), Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle is it’s own standalone killer. Fusing sliding puzzle shenanigans with the mother-loving movie monster, it’s probably not the mix of games you were expecting this Halloween. Disappointingly NOT dropping on a Friday the 13th, Killer Puzzle instead launches on Xbox One and Switch, with a PS4 release down the line.

No, Mad Dash doesn’t count: Harvest Moon, the mainline series, finally makes its debut on Xbox One today, after taking its merry old time on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle on Xbox One is a step up from Slayaway Camp, but only a single, shambling step. If you’ve not had the chance to play the original then this is the superior entry point, filled to bursting with sliding puzzles from a developer that’s mastered the craft. You’ll be leaving behind a body count that would make Jason (and his mum) proud.

There aren’t too many biographical adventure games out there, but Triple Topping Games are looking to change that with the release of Welcome to Elk on Xbox One and PC via Steam.

If you’re like us, you have an old-school RPG itch that has to be scratched every so often. Baldur’s Gate III is some way off, so it falls to Vampire’s Fall: Origins to bring some 2d12 satisfaction.

Soldiers! Are you gunning for another tour of duty in a real-time tactics game? Then volunteer for Dog Duty, available now on Microsoft Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.