Dave Ozzy

Memory Link sticks in the memory for the wrong reasons.

Dragon Blaze is not pushing at the boundaries of what shoot ’em-ups can do. Even for Psikyo, who are well known for sticking to a formula, this is one of their most formulaic games. But like ordering the same tikka masala over and over again, simply because you know it’s going to be good, Dragon Blaze delivers a return on the trust you put into it.

Wonderland Nights: White Rabbit’s Diary is fantastic - a modest stroke of genius.

Be prepared for Puzzle By Nikoli W Slitherlink: you will need to be firing on all mental cylinders to get the most out of its Boxes-based puzzling.

That title was always going to be a challenge to shake. With so many good Metroidvanias out there, spilling out of Game Pass on a weekly basis, Clunky Hero can’t help but feel slow and cumbersome in comparison. It’s large, dense, and at its best when you’re exploring but, in every other way, Clunky Hero succumbs to its name. 

Drop It: Block Paradise is too finicky, too capricious in its reliance on a physics engine, to be a satisfying puzzler. 

Mrs.Cat Between Worlds is a case of good cat, bad cat, and for a blizzard of Xbox achievements, that might well be enough to cough up £4.99 like a furball. 

If you have found the Puzzle by Nikoli W series already, then Heyawake is a satisfying more-of-the-same.

If you want to understand the B-movie charms of this strange little subgenre, then Demon Hunter: New Chapter is a surprisingly good place to start.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, turn-based battling, supposed Sony exclusives wending their way to Xbox, or school children fighting in alternate dimensions then - boy - do we have a Game Pass announcement for you.

A Space for the Unbound is a rich yarn with a fantastic ending, so find some space for it if you can. 

Kamikaze Veggies is Metal Gear Solid but with the ability to strap yourself to a firework and fire yourself at an enemy, exploding in a fountain of vegetable chunks.

Remember Gauntlet? Maze Blaze is a distant cousin, twice-removed.

The bookworms have been at The Darkest Tales, and there’s a risk, and not necessarily a small one, that you will come a cropper on the bugs they’ve introduced. Read with care. 

We Are the Caretakers deserves heaps of praise. You can point to the world design, story, depth of gameplay and themes of conservation and find something to fall in love with. But it needed longer in Early Access.