One of my criteria for a good game is the desire to replay it, and the need for more – and Kukoos: Lost Pets is a really good game. The four worlds are so different and creative, and the creature’s abilities are refreshingly varied. It was an absolute delight to play and watch. I’m looking forward to replaying the levels and finding all those secret spots.
For me, Sonority hit all the right notes. The ingenious mechanics used to solve puzzles, the gradual introduction of more complex melodies and the delightful graphics and storyline were a joy to experience.
Jumbo Airport Story is great fun to play. There is something amusing about seeing little pixelated characters weave between the airport terminal buildings, sweating as they rush to get to their planes. There is a constant flow of activity, which is a very enjoyable and slightly addictive way to spend some time.
There isn’t a huge amount of gameplay in Blanc, but what you get is an incredible, emotional journey about friendship. This two-player game transports you to a wintry landscape and immerses you in a heartwarming adventure. The graphics and music work in harmony to create a truly delightful game.
Forest Golf Planner scores a hole-in-one! The familiarity of cute pixelated characters and a straightforward, well-guided structure make this Kairosoft offering a truly delightful and enjoyable game.
A Tiny Sticker Tale is one of the most adorable games I’ve played this year. The graphics are bold and colourful, removing and placing stickers is good fun, and the quests are satisfying. Designed to be a short adventure, A Tiny Sticker Tale packs a lot in and definitely a game to get stuck into!
Mail Time is definitely one to write home about. The short adventure delivers you to the whimsical world of Grumblewood Grove, with its quirky houses and fascinating residents. The imagination in both the scenery and characters makes for a truly delightful experience.
Dream Town Island is a dream come true. Watching the cute pixelated characters go about their daily lives, falling in love and starting a family is delightful. There is a great balance in progressing through the game, playing mini-games, unlocking facilities and building your dream town.
A round of ap-paws for Little Kitty, Big City. It’s the purr-fect offering of adventure, humour and collecting. There is the fun of exploring the big city and puzzling out how to get to different areas. The entertaining conversations with the various residents, coupled with the amusing actions of the adorable kitten. The plethora of quests and collectables will keep you busy for several hours.
Stardew Valley has it all: farming, crafting, cooking, mining, combat, exploration, quest fulfilment, collecting, friendship, mysteries, and so much more. It’s a game that keeps on giving, and with concerts, a board game, and a cookbook, it offers an all-encompassing experience. The different farm layouts and the ability to have different community centre bundles mean there is a lot of re-playability. Yes, you still have to grow crops and raise animals, but where to locate the fields and buildings? Which order do you complete quests in? There are so many variables. Although Stardew Valley v1.6 has a few frame rate issues, the extra content is a delight to find and I have truly been inspired with revisiting the valley.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a wonderful combination of building friendships, questing, exploring, and collecting, all set in a bright and colourful world. I wasn’t sure if the Hello Kitty cuteness and the daily nature of progress would work for me, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the game. Even though we are at the start of 2025, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a strong contender for one of my games of the year.
Escape From Mystwood Mansion is an extremely satisfying and well-rounded puzzle adventure. There is a good mix of puzzles and codes to decipher, varying in difficulty, but with the built-in hint system, nothing is frustrating. For anyone who enjoys escape room scenarios, then Escape From Mystwood Mansion will surely be a winner.
Cattle Country is a rootin’-tootin’ addition to the farming/life sim genre. There are a few issues which need taming, especially around the loading times on the Nintendo Switch. However, there is so much to do in Cattle Country! Engaging festivals and mini-games, intriguing character stories and one of the best mining experiences I’ve encountered. Cattle Country will be riding into my top games for this year!
Survival Kids is bright and colourful, with lovely graphics and great audio narration. The ability to GameShare makes playing with friends and family more accessible, more enjoyable and some of the challenges easier to complete. However, Survival Kids has been carefully designed, so that you can complete the whole game by yourself. I’ve had a blast with the bomb flowers, reached new heights with the cannons and wanted more islands to explore. Survival Kids is definitely a contender for one of my games of the year.
Boxville 2 is a delight from start to finish. The hand-drawn graphics are beautiful, and although a couple of the puzzles are frustrating, most give that satisfactory ‘yes’ when solved. Curious, but not sure? Check out the demo for Boxville 2 in the eShop.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a truly magnificent game. There are some lovely nods to the classic Donkey Kong games, and obvious vibes from other Nintendo franchises. For someone who no longer enjoys relentless platforming, Donkey Kong Bananza brings together so many of my new gaming passions: the ability to bash and smash through the terrain, collecting everything which is revealed; large areas of land to roam and explore, spotting NPCs with a quest; and puzzling arenas to test my observation skills in finding that final hidden banandium gem. I can even harvest some vegetables! For some Donkey Kong purists, the Bananza transformations might be a change too far, but for me, Donkey Kong Bananza is a ground-breaking winner.
Ritual of Raven is a quest fest and a collecting paradise. The story bobs along like the cheeky raven, moving from one place to another, all guided, but with no time pressure. Creating enchantments to control the adorable pot-like Arcana Constructs is definitely a highlight, and although I have a couple of niggles with the game, overall, it’s cast its spell and I’m totally bewitched by it.
Cozy Caravan is very cosy. Chatting with Bubba made me laugh, and it was just adorable when he patted the log next to the fire in the evening routine, so we could sit and eat together. There are some idiosyncrasies in the gameplay which need a little more work, and this is disappointing after being in early release for so long. However, I enjoyed playing Cozy Caravan too much to give it anything less than our top rating
The ebb and flow of discovering and cataloguing in Collector’s Cove is perfectly balanced. As the requirements get harder, the unlocked rewards offset the routine. It’s a simple idea, beautifully executed. There are a couple of minor niggles, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time sailing towards Collector’s Cove.
There’s a plethora of digging games out there, but DigDigDrill really impressed me. The different puzzles to create drills or enhance them added depth to the game, and I really enjoyed the strategy and planning needed to break through the barriers. A thoroughly comprehensive mining game, simple in concept, but designed to challenge.