Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - Owltimate Edition combines charming visuals and a good level of performance on the Switch, in the service of a virtual world that enchants with its visuals and soundtrack. Controls and physics are tight enough, but the only thing that it lacks is that little spark that hooks the player in and motivates to keep plodding through to the end. It quickly becomes too repetitive for its own good, and fails to vary things up enough, or to entice a sustainable level of commitment on the player's part beyond a few hours. It may, however, be the most stable version of the game to date in terms of frame rate, if perhaps a bit slow to load from an SD card on the hybrid console.

Polygod definitely holds some potential, but is lacklustre in its current state. The often unstable frame-rate, unwieldy gyro controls, and lack of polish in general, hurts the experience considerably. Its mechanics do feel unique enough to keep experimenting with, and there's plenty of replay value, but there's so much that brings it down. Fans of first-person shooters will likely get some enjoyment out of it, but it's otherwise hard to say that it's worth checking out.

The Council - Episode 2: Hide and Seek is a fantastic narrative continuation from the first episode. Though Louis' search for his mother, Sarah de Richet hits a bit of a speed bump due to the sudden murder of fellow guest and manor resident, Elizabeth Adams, puts him onto the path of a detective. The introduction of Lord Mortimer does little to clarify anything about the man, as he is still enshrouded in mystery, which makes waiting for the next episode even tougher. Louis has free rein to explore every nook and cranny of the manor, and the beautiful visuals combined with an explosive story has certainly set up what looks to be a terrific third episode.

Death Mark is a solid horror text adventure game. With all the hallmarks one would hope for in a survival horror, compounded with excellent writing that sparks the reader's imagination, anyone who is interested in a low-stress horror game that is actually very creepy will enjoy this. The presentation may be unimpressive and the art just adequate, yet the sound design makes up for it. If this went the extra mile with the visuals and animation it could have been a real cult classic.

Warm Lamp Games has delivered an interesting premise. The only way to progress is to dip toes into the murky grey area of the world. Fight against the State too much and Carl himself becomes a target... or he doesn't earn money - money he needs when his son gets in trouble or his daughter gets sick. It seems promising, but it quickly becomes rather dull. Once the basics are understood, they're repeated ad nauseum, and while the story has some interesting elements, the monotony of the gameplay is indefensible. Few will be able to power through enough to see the many endings hidden here.

Boasting the best script, best overworld, and best pacing the series has ever seen, Tales of Vesperia stands out as the single strongest entry in the franchise. Though later entries do feature stronger casts and gameplay mechanics, this is not lacking in either department. The members of Brave Vesperia all share an excellent amount of chemistry with one another, and the combat, while comparatively simple, actually thrives in how easy to pick up but difficult to master it can be.

Kingdom Two Crowns brings deceptively complex strategy and empire building to the Switch, in as well a presented package as you can find. While some obtuse and unclear mechanics may turn some players off, others will no doubt welcome the challenge, and embrace this new world which they ought to conquer. Punctuated by stunning visuals, and rewarding gameplay and discovery, Kingdom Two Crowns offers some of the finest strategy gameplay available on the Switch.

Solar Flux feels like a cheap mobile port that hasn't quite grasped how to perform on the hybrid handheld that is the Nintendo Switch. The puzzles themselves can be fun to play at times, but frustrating controls diminish the experience.

It's amazing how every element comes together for a thoroughly refined platforming experience. The level design is nothing short of genius, and the flawless controls make every leap more joyous than the last. Everyone who hasn't already played through the Wii U version should pick this up immediately.

After the success of the first episode of The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle, it is great to see that Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement does not let the side down, delivering more of the same point-and-click adventuring goodness, complete with sufficient doses of comic relief and some smart puzzling antics. With any luck, a third entry is currently in the works!

The concept behind Late Shift is not necessarily a bad one, but if you're going to design a game around an interactive story, it is crucial the story is actually well done. This isn't the case here, sadly, and is a mess of continuity errors, laughably bad acting, and straight up nonsensical plot points. It doesn't matter which decisions you make, because you're always going to get a bad ending by virtue of having to play the game to get to it. This is a short, entirely forgettable experience that isn't even worth the low price of admission. There is some novelty here because of it being FMV, but with how bad things are, it certainly feels more like FML than anything else.

Nippon Marathon is an atrocious game. The kind of "wacky" that is trying far too hard to be funny and failing in every way. Cringeworthy. Buggy. Dull. Between the terrible gameplay and the appalling writing, it's hard to keep playing and not just turn this off for literally anything else. Absolute shovelware, and one of the worst to come to Switch.

With a dialogue-skill tree system, there is enough reasons to replay these episodes using different approaches to generate new endings or forks in the story, though the inability to skip cut-scenes makes this a grind. However, this is a great start from Big Bad Wolf, and the wait for future episodes is made a lot harder due to how engrossing this story is.

Switch's catalogue of top-tier Metroidvania titles just added yet another to its repertoire. Insanely addictive and a hell of a great time. The combat is fast, fluid and frantic, often requiring the better part of valour to overcome and survive the horrors. The local multiplayer and the multiple endings give it considerable replayability, too. Sundered: Eldritch Edition is one of the very best.

The lack of voice acting in this day and age is regrettable in and of itself, but not necessarily bad, considering this was a one-man project on a tight budget. The main issue is with lack of quality writing stemming from the translation, which is always the main attraction of this type of game, and the comic book art style, which is just average. Players starving for this type of game on Switch could do better on the same platform with the breadth of other games in the same vein already available, yet this may still be worth checking out at some point, with expectations kept in check, because it does everything else right.

Beneath the promising concept, Home Sweet Home is as generic and bare bones as it gets for horror titles on PlayStation 4. Playing it with PSVR might be a game-changer, but without it, expect a mediocre and pedestrian first-person adventure. With only a few cheap jump-scares and some clever space twisting, this is only for people who are desperate for some scares.

For anyone out there who is a fan of Harry Potter, LEGO, and videogames, LEGO Harry Potter Collection just might be the safest bet imaginable. Both titles within are overflowing with Traveller's Tales' affection for charming production values and easily-accessible gameplay, and Xbox One's enhanced frame-rate and resolution breathes new life into what was already a lovingly-crafted world. The formula does wear itself thin at times, and players might even feel like they're just going through the motions, yet it's doubtful that they'll ever regret their days spent at LEGO Hogwarts.

Short and sweet, I am the Hero is another example of why you don't need a big budget or a 50-hour campaign to make a good videogame. Smooth, deep combat and sharp, well-crafted levels and enemies ensure that this bite-size experience is an enjoyable one even despite its repetitive soundtrack and poor English translation.

With initial excitement having died down a few months after the game's release, FIFA 19 stands exposed for what it is: another recycled iteration of a franchise that sorely needs refreshing. Both off the pitch and on it, FIFA 19 is a hollow experience, yet another broken promise and a slap in the face of what we have come to expect from good game development. To truly compete in the gaming arena, FIFA must lace its boots and pull up its socks if it is to achieve what it too lazily sets out to each year.

Most Lovecraft fans, or those who are just on the lookout for a good occult mystery thriller, will enjoy Call of Cthulhu, but that doesn't mean that they won't be disappointed as well. Cyanide Studio has wrapped an interesting, and engrossing storyline, with a fittingly oppressive feel, but the actual gameplay part tastes like a half-fried, unsalted octopus *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*

Mega Man X Legacy Collection offers four of the finest platformers ever made. They can only be described as timeless classics, especially the first entry which is one of the best platformers period. Newcomers will find this collection a great place to start thanks to the new Rookie Hunter mode, while veterans will appreciate the new challenges and bonus material on offer. If you're someone who gets even the slightest amount of enjoyment from platformers, buy this collection.

'90s-inspired card-building hack 'n' slasher Book of Demons is far from a perfect game. That's not the sad thing about it, though. The sad thing is that it could certainly be perfect if the developer used the full potential of this fine take on action-RPGs. Having said that, fans of the genre should definitely give it a look, if only to taste what is a labour of love that just so happens to also be technically sound.

Simplistic, arcade high-scorer, GAUGE, can definitely be fun for 30 or so minutes, and for those into the leaderboard-ascending business, addicting even - but it will soon get insanely boring, and, due to the LSD-like visual effects, extremely tiring, especially for those who have photosensitivity issues.

Apart from the wonderful 16-bit audio-visuals, Viviette turns out to be nothing more than a repetitive search for key-item after key-item, with a little bit of puzzle-solving thrown in, next to a simple horror tale that won't really creep you out that much.

Amongst Deadfire's three DLCs, The Forgotten Sanctum is probably the best, as it understands the strengths of the core game much better, with a greater balance between battles, storytelling, and role-playing.

Anyone with an appreciation for tight game-design and superb aesthetics is liable to fall in love with it. Courses are complex and challenging, but there's enough restraint to keep players from feeling bogged down. The conditions for unlocking most of the content are actually really light. Nobody will ever get the feeling that they have to repeat the same mission constantly, just to make any progress.

The Switch's catalogue of quality indie games adds yet another one to its remarkable line-up. Even better, it's something original - something to stand out against its peers. The combat and exploration elements are smooth and entertaining, the rogue-like elements dig addictive hooks deep, the presentation is surprisingly sharp, and the story is a pleasant surprise. Everspace deserves to be on more players' radars. Another hidden gem, and this one shines more than most.

There always seems to be areas that Nintendo doesn't quite expand on - and with the removal of descriptive Trophies whilst using copy-pasted official art for Spirits, and the absolutely pitiful online mode setup and features contained within, it's difficult to say that this really is the ultimate Smash game. Regardless, it is a fantastic celebration of not just Nintendo, but video games in general, and it will provide months, if not years, of both solo and multiplayer mayhem.