Gareth Brierley

If you’re a fan of the franchise, Murder Diaries 3 - Santa's Trail of Blood does a good job of trying something different, spinning it with a Christmas theme that works well. 

Deiland: Pocket Planet is a very family-friendly game, one that is complete with cartoony vibes and inoffensive gameplay which is full of imagination. The concept itself is an unusual one, mixing farming sim ideas with planet progression. Yet whilst the visuals and soundtrack are nice, making progression does sometimes seem to take an age.

Ever Forward is a pretty great little puzzler that just so happens to have a wonderful narrative weaved in. The originality of the stages is worth highlighting, but there is a bit of a struggle in terms of the gameplay mechanics and the movement of Maya; it feels a bit too slow and not always accurate in its response time. Aside from that, Ever Forward is a puzzler that is worth consideration. 

Timothy vs the Aliens will run for anything up to four hours or so and it’s quite nostalgic to play through it, reminding much of games from the Xbox 360 period. It has a lovely visual language, employing a black and white world to great effect. All the mechanics work very well and there are collectibles to find for the purists at heart. However, it does all feel a bit empty and fails to excite enough for you to want to look forward to your next playthrough. 

Aspire: Ina’s Tale will deliver some mixed feelings. The world-building, the scenes of identity and magic it manifests while travelling through the world are all to be loved, as is the main character of Ina and the creatures/characters she meets along the way. Some of the platforming and puzzle-solving is also decent but the movement of Ina becomes a bit frustrating at times, especially in terms of gameplay accuracy.

I’ve liked the way Night Lights manages to tell a very simple story over a few hours. That’s complemented well with the use and manipulation of light and the need for a bit of clever puzzle solving.

Transient: Extended Edition is a very ambitious game; one that isn't afraid of giving the player some high-end sci-fi mixed with Lovecraftian themes. The gameplay introduces a range of different playstyles over the fairly swift running time and that might be too much for some. Yet the visuals are a delight with some great use of lighting and level design.

Beyond a Steel Sky verges on the impressive. However, the puzzles can occasionally feel over-complicated at times and there are moments where the game does get a bit saggy narrative-wise; especially in the middle section. But the new 3D world, the great visuals, and the new hacking mechanics certainly make up for some of the negatives. 

For the hour it runs, Drizzlepath: Deja Vu is enjoyable. It does nothing to test you gameplay-wise, and fails to provoke any deep meaning in what is trying to be said. But I do believe these games are important to have - narrative adventures that blend exploration and artistic vision.

Farming Simulator as a franchise just gets better with every new release and that’s the case with Farming Simulator 22. The purists and experts might argue that this hasn't gone far enough, adding in just a few new features, but with cross-play multiplayer, the brilliant seasonal farming, and supply chains coming to console, there is certainly enough to keep those winter evenings flying by. 

Some may find Exo One to be a bit too strange, or just not interesting enough. The narrative might be too disparate and oblique to keep interest, and the gameplay may feel too similar throughout. But if you do begin to love Exo One, you’ll start to understand the draw; the great experience of travelling through wonderful magical alien worlds.

You know those cheap and cheerful games that play better than many Triple-A offerings? A Short Hike is one of those games. It’s an experience that will put a smile on your face and even though it’s not particularly lengthy, it's one that comes across as the perfect length for the asking price.

American Hero is a strange game to review because it's very much like watching a museum piece play out. I do, however, think it's important that this game has been shown the light of day, even if the subject matter and themes don't hold up at all in today's world.

Little Bug is deeply unique, especially regarding its main gameplay mechanic and some of the clever storytelling devices. It's a game where the difficulty can prove to be very taxing, but it just about keeps to the right side of enjoyment, rather than spilling over too much into frustration.

The first half of The Plane Effect is of seriously high quality, so much so that you’d be looking at a 5/5 rating. But as progression is made and the latter half begins to unfold, problems arise; whether that be bugs that stop the game, or the frustration of the platforming or underwater sections.