Game of the Month: Top 4 PlayStation Games of January 2016

It's the first Game of the Month article of 2016, which should set us up nicely for the many upcoming titles that lie ahead. In truth, January didn't boast a whole lot of blockbuster releases, but thankfully, a slew of smaller budget games were on hand to keep us entertained. Sure, you can probably guess what's gone on to win our coveted award, but just forget about line puzzles for a minute and immerse yourself in the memories of last month's top four titles.

Bronze Trophy: This War of Mine: The Little Ones

Described as a game that "throws you into a beautiful and compelling hell" by reviewer Matt Adcock, This War of Mine scavenged its way onto PlayStation 4 and slowly but surely wormed its way into our hearts with its emphasis on tough moral choices. "This is a game that will challenge anyone desensitised to the real sufferings of war – and that's a bold move," Matt concluded, handing the enthralling release a 9/10 in the process.

Silver Trophy: The Banner Saga

Finally marching onto PS4 last month, The Banner Saga turned out to be well worth the wait, bringing hefty doses of meaningful player choice to a grim but gorgeous fantasy world. We wrote that "The Banner Saga is a great role-playing ride right the way through to its conclusion" and called it "a wonderfully paced experience that's very hard to put down". Despite featuring a world with a dead sun, we really ended up warming to this one, giving it an impressive 8/10.

Gold Trophy: Resident Evil Zero

Much like the PS4 remaster of the original Resident Evil before it, we thoroughly enjoyed going back to this Capcom classic. Reviewer Marcello Apostolico wrote that it "feels fresh 14 years after its original release" and "showcases a superb remastering effort". "A methodical game which truly rewards deep thought, this survival horror classic stands tall in genre that's been streamlined a little too much in recent times," Marcello concluded, before hopping aboard the hype train with a score of 8/10.

Platinum Trophy: The Witness

You think that you're clever for guessing January's winner correctly, don't you? Well, you'll get no congratulations from us – at least not until you've guessed right 600 more times. Of course, we're not really trying to be mean – we're actually taking a leaf out of The Witness' book, as this is a puzzler that refuses to stop until it's thrown a crazy amount of conundrums at you which all happen to be based upon the same core concept.

Drawing lines over and over again may sound about as fun as etching an artistic masterpiece into the side of a boulder with a toothbrush, but trust us on this one: Jonathan Blow's latest creation really is quite special. "The Witness is an intelligent, expertly crafted puzzle game with ceaselessly satisfying gameplay," wrote reviewer Stephen Tailby. "It becomes bafflingly complex, yet the free-roaming nature of the island means that you'll never be stuck for long," he concluded, before presenting the release with a 9/10 and once again locking himself in the infamous Push Square reviews room. Some say that he's still in there, drawing lines all over the walls to this day.

Do you agree with January's winners? Did we miss off any games that you think are worthy of praise? Attempt to solve the puzzle that is opinion in the comments section below.