Although nothing revolutionary, Duck Souls+ is a game that successfully manages to create a small and fun puzzle-platforming experience. From the visually appealing retro aesthetic, to the tight controls and focused gameplay, this is a title that is well worth the price of admission, and is a great jumping on point for those who may find the likes of Super Meat Boy and Celeste to be too much of a challenge. While it may not be a standout product in its genre, it's still a fun time to be had, and is a worthy predecessor to its bigger brothers.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers a fresh, naval-themed take on the well-established series template, with some enjoyable new additions and some of the series’ greatest hits when it comes to side activities. It’s a pleasure to play as Goro Majima again, even if the story here isn’t as compelling as mainline entries. It’s a must-play for those who already enjoy the series, and offers something different enough to encourage a look from those who don’t (yet).

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is, by and large, mission accomplished. The original Metal Gear Solid 3 has been ported wholesale, with as few changes made as possible in order to retain its heart and soul. The improved graphics are great and the quality of life changes are solid — just don’t expect some grand reimagining of the 2004 classic beyond a modernised camera angle. It is still brilliant to play and the story remains engaging all these years later, making this the new best way to play MGS3 despite its lack of new features and content.

Tormented Souls is a great nostalgia trip taking full advantage of updated graphics and controls to bring a tense, uncomfortable trip for all willing to risk it. Worth taking the time on by both fans of the genre and newcomers wondering what all the fuss is about. Turn those lights on full, open the curtains and prepare to have nightmares.

Persona 3 Reload is a great remake, with improved graphics and cutscenes, new gameplay mechanics and fantastic sound. It is disappointing that the game runs only at 30fps on Switch 2, and that there is a quite a bit of stuttering at certain points. However, none of these issues are game breaking, and overall, Persona 3 Reload retells a great story on a modern console. It is definitely worth picking up and playing.

What Itagaki and his team have created isn't exactly a masterpiece, but it does showcase some innovative ideas, and that's why anyone who possesses interest in it shouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

By the time A Plague Tale: Requiem concludes, it will feel like being dragged by a pick-up truck, across miles of concrete. The world depicted is a bleak and cruel one with no light at the end of the tunnel. Players will be getting their money's worth, as this is a very long game that is punctuated with lots of gimmicky sequences that add value to the package. The story does have a lot for fans to discuss, and the visuals are amazing, even if they came at the cost of a high frame rate. The gameplay is technically better than the first, but it was never amazing to begin with. The over reliance on prebaked contextual actions and the rigidness of simplistic stealth is something most could expect from a seventh gen console title, not a ninth gen console release.

Lethal Honor: Order of the Apocalypse stands out in the market in more ways than one. It has a beautiful art style that is not just a pretty artistic choice, but it is breathed throughout the entire game. It dares to be really dark, and most importantly, has some extremely solid hack and slash gameplay to go with the rogue-lite elements. However, "lite" is sadly the best way to describe the rogue elements. This, mixed with the steep difficulty increase after the tutorial, makes this a title that is difficult to recommend to the vast majority of gamers. However, for hardcore fans of the genre, there is probably nothing better to spend the money on this season, despite harsh competition!

For those wanting to scratch that 3D platform itch, and think that Super Mario Odyssey is too far off into the future, Skylanders Imaginators is the perfect remedy. Activision and Toys for Bob have once more delivered a highly entertaining adventure, filled with hidden goodies galore, and an amusing script, on top of an extremely solid platforming escapade. Newcomers may grow frustrated at the amount of content locked behind 'pay walls' ('toy' walls?) but the core story has enough meat to keep early Nintendo Switch adopters satiated; as for long-term fans with a large toy collection, this is superb.

Simple, yet satisfying. Skies of Fury DX is a mobile title that belongs on the Nintendo Switch. A quick pick-up-and-play experience that has appealing audio-visuals, can be enjoyed in short bursts, and has flexible multiplayer options. The only downside is the lack of variety in the types of stages and missions that are on offer, particularly for the current, £14.59 price tag.

Imperfect controls and other minor annoyances aside, Vaporum is a very enjoyable dungeon-crawler. Its insistence on tile-based movement results in battles that are decided by a rather peculiar dance. Sometimes it takes quite a few steps just to create an opening in the enemy's defences. To add to this, every decision, no matter how slight, carries weight. An action as simple as turning around can leave the player in a difficult position. It's almost as if one has to adopt a sixth sense, just to keep track of where enemies are going. Provided you give your best effort, then you are sure to be rewarded. Altogether, this is a very impressive effort that's well worth anyone's time.

Thanks to a mix of the accessibility of the 3DS and the small level lengths, Runbow Pocket manages to be a fun way to kill a few hours without feeling derivative of its Wii U and Steam counterparts. Unlockables don't hold much weight in the grand scheme of things, but they occur frequently enough to ensure that just about every success is a rewarding one. Stages are designed to be completed in under a minute, incentivising quick, satisfying bursts of gameplay over longer and more traditional platforming. The lack of elaborate set pieces and sophisticated design does hold back the overall experience, but the great use of colour at the core of each stage makes for a vibrant world worth jumping in and out of, even for just a few minutes at time.

Just like with…pretty much every instalment so far, Just Dance 2026 Edition can be described as more of the same - but it’s the good kind of same. It doesn’t reinvent the franchise (and doesn’t really have to) but it keeps the dance floor alive and booming, with the unpredictability of the new Party Mode being this year’s highlight.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is the definitive version of the Monster Hunter 3 collection, blending together elements from more recent instalments into a cross-platform package.

Although Puzzle & Dragons veterans will likely find little to keep their interest over the mobile game, it's a superb standalone puzzle title for the wider audience, and will likely be the gateway to the mobile version for many.

From its story, to its aesthetic, to its gameplay, War Tech Fighters feels like a traditional mecha anime brought to life. It's by no means perfect, often falling into the tedium of repetitive as far as its combat is concerned, but its presentation and novelty are more than enough to keep it a memorable experience all throughout. It perhaps also could have benefited from a story that felt more appropriate and in sync with the genre it's paying tribute to, but, as is, War Tech Fighters is a charming take on the giant robot niche with plenty of love to give around.

Fun, witty, and mad. This is how a Back to the Future game should be. The return of the cast make this game instantly memorable and further exploration into the universe is always welcome.

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms is potentially the best otomate game made thus far and is in its finest possible form here. The extra bachelors give fans a new perspective on a now old story. With the Vita on the way out and a new Sony handheld seemingly unlikely, visual novel fans should rejoice in these stories while they have a chance. That being said, the format of the game makes little sense, splitting the story in half like this and punishing fans.

When it comes to dungeon crawlers, this is one very strange yet intriguing beast. Hints to quests and other necessary information are freely available to the player, but coming to grips with everything else can be troublesome. For the crowd that loves building legendary heroes from nothing, this game is ceaselessly entertaining. Not everyone will have the patience for the grind, especially when their hard-earned level-ups turn out to be massively disappointing. In the long run, this is a small price to pay. There is so much to see and slaughter that time is liable to lose all meaning. Minutes, hours, and days alike will pass as if they never actually occurred. Perhaps this is less a recommendation and more a warning. Elminage Original is dangerously addictive.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 Plus is a great remake of a remake that gets everything right and knows exactly what knobs to turn to make the perfect experience for newcomers and veterans alike, letting players do the same thanks to the remake system. While the comedy is spot on and the gameplay loop feels amazing and addictive, some random glitches cause game crashes, and the lack of an auto-save system as its accomplice prevents Re;Birth1 Plus from reaching its full potential as the perfect entry point for newcomers to the franchise. If able to see past these issues, though, this is where to start if looking to get into the vast Neptuniaverse.

Whether alone or with friends, Explorers is a worthy investment for those looking to scratch that RPG itch.

Summing up, Brunch Panic does what it sets out to do very well. It offers a few hours of fun tap and swipe gameplay that's easy to pick up, albeit one that should be enjoyed in short bursts due to the repetitive nature of the gameplay.

All in all Michael Jackson: The Experience is a decent package and a fitting tribute to the King of Pop, though we would expect a larger amount of content to sweeten the deal.

Anyone who enjoyed Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth: Book One is going to enjoy Book Two. Outside of continuing the drama, the unusual gameplay mix of open-ended questing and mini-games make this series stand out from typical modern adventure titles. Book Two has a very old-school approach to this genre and isn't afraid to experiment and not hand-hold all the time.

Worms Armageddon may not be as compelling on the content front as sequel Worms WMD, and it is a missed opportunity to not make use of the touch screen for map creation, but this is still classic Worms at its finest. The range of customisation options and trademark humour go hand in hand to ensure this is always going to be a game to come back to when pining for wriggly multiplayer warfare.

Puzzle games for handheld devices have been a staple since Tetris on the original Game Boy, and while Nintendo Switch is hardly lacking in them, especially with Lumines Remastered hitting recently, it's always good to have more, especially when they do anything to stand out against their competition, like Azkend 2: The World Beneath does. The story mode and equippable tiles give something unique, while the extra modes give the same type of replayability that makes these types of puzzle titles so popular.

Despite making the most sense out of all Warriors crossovers so far, Fire Emblem Warriors hasn't quite lived up to its potential after the content-heavy Hyrule Warriors. Some questionable character omissions and a lack of modes, as well as an extremely subpar core narrative, is offset by relying on past scenarios in the History Mode. Fans of both sets of franchises will surely get good enjoyment out of this, though, as the strategic elements of Nintendo's long-running series meshes perfectly with the real-time combat of Koei Tecmo's property, creating one of the best Warriors entries, whereas it falls short of expectations as a spinoff of the RPG series.

The variety in gameplay that helped prevent Samantha Swift from being a total disappointment is definitely back in full force for Midnight Mysteries, tweaked to make the adventure far more enjoyable and supported by enough extra content and challenge to actually help it last more than two hours.