Pocket Tactics

Though it treads familiar ground in terms of gameplay, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is a fantastic farewell to the saga and its cast of characters

A brilliant Apple Arcade exclusive with a killer battle system, let down by hit-and-miss visuals and a slightly naff plot.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is an outstanding life sim with in-depth farming aspects, adorable romance options, and gorgeous ferrets. However, the fiddly controls and backtracking can be tedious.

If you like gacha games, you'll love Star Trek: Legends, which dispenses with the free-to-play nonsense for a pure RPG experience.

Rise nails the theme, introduces smart improvements to combat, and is a thoroughly fun experience from start to finish. If you don’t mind the dip in performance compared to the previous game, it’s the best Monster Hunter on the market

Balan Wonderworld is an otherworldly disaster: tedious to play, visually repellent, and – at least on Switch – stomach-churning to control

Overall, I’m cautiously optimistic about On the Run. It gets the basics right, and provides enough to keep you coming back daily, but it’s definitely missing a few ingredients. Add these in and it’s the mobile Crash game we’ve always wanted.

While Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins isn’t all that mysterious for a found phone game, it does act as an enjoyable, well-produced epilogue to one of Who’s greatest episodes

Project Cars Go isn't the car sim that some people might have wished it was, but despite lacking the breathless thrill of the best racing games, it still manages to be compulsive enough to keep your fingers engaged

Cozy Grove will definitely scratch the itch for anyone looking for a new life-sim. Although the gameplay can feel slightly limiting, it will keep you coming back each day for more.

There's nothing wrong or broken about Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning on Switch, it's just an uninspired experience that pales in comparison to the genre greats.

Ultimately, the Switch offers a unique way of playing Apex Legends on the go, but one of the best battle royale experiences is seriously hampered by the limitations of the hardware.

A charming neoclassical JRPG that, while somewhat flawed technically, will appeal to theorycrafters and those looking for gaming comfort food

Sea of Solitude is a game with a lot to say, though it struggles to impart its familiar lessons in an engaging way.

Though its puzzles can be quick to complete, Inked is an amazing story of love and loss that questions what people are willing to do for the ones they care about.

I still don’t think Tasos is especially engrossing as a single-player game, beyond simply a bit of dungeon-crawling fun. But as a co-op experience I absolutely recommend it if you’re looking to form a party with your friends and engage in some dungeon-delving tomfoolery.

At its best, Thomas Was Alone overcomes its gameplay troubles by the sheer force of its character. Its abundant charm is plain to see, and when you’re chilling with your new pals, lovingly rolling your eyes at another cute joke, or fretting over what might happen to your favourite triangle, any such gripes quickly become mere background noise.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury provides a compelling, if inconsistent, blend of the past and a potential vision of the portly plumber's future.

Azur Lane: Crosswave boasts some gorgeous artwork, but the combat system and dialogue need work. Unfortunately, using sexy battleships in combat just isn’t for everyone.

Still, the game is a fun historical exploration that doesn’t take itself too seriously, deriving a good deal of its humour and absurdity from how it deals with the central concept of using stars to diagnose all worldly ills.

Getting the Phantom Thieves back together for some fast-paced Musou-style combat is incredibly fun. And while it doesn’t quite scratch the turn-based itch, Strikers excels in other aspects.

The most original platformer I've played in years: clever, creepy, and distinctive. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play the first.

The Captain is Dead is an overwhelming, exhilarating, and yet occasionally tedious digital board game that simply takes no prisoners.

But despite that, I’m struggling to think of a reason why I would pick Skyforge over Diablo III or Warframe. Both are a million miles away in terms of their ports and have much more compelling combat, loot, and progression loops. Warframe is also free, features the ability to swap between unlocked frames, and has much more reasonable pricing if you do intend to spend.

A heartwarming story of love against all odds. Traversal can be tedious, but Haven makes up for it with some charming characters and an adorable lizard companion.