If you love the thrill and tension of stealth-based gameplay and going up against ever-increasing threats the longer you stay engaged, I think you’re really going to like what The Blackout Club has to offer. It took me a bit of time to warm up to the game and when it all eventually clicked, I started thinking that this might be the sleeper hit of the year.

It is an addictive game, but some people may not enjoy doing the same things over and over, and for that reason I can see it becoming too tedious for a lot of players. But as a fun, casual, couch co-op game, I think Monster Couch did a great job.

Misadventures of Laura Silver: Chapter I is a fun and stylistic – and unexpected – bullseye that really makes you want to see what’s next in store for Laura and Cooper and their new acquaintance Uri.

It is not unreasonable to assume that the software suggested in Eliza already exists, though it has not yet been exploited and marketed. Our culture certainly believes that technology is the solution to what ails us, even when what ails us is technology, and Eliza the visual novel is an interesting and engaging exploration of that thesis.

Oninaki is a flawed but overall an enjoyable experience. Instead of joylessly emulating turn-based RPGs of the old days, Tokyo RPG Factory took a step in the right direction and created a fantastic and refreshing action combat system. Apart from that, the game offers nothing special when compared to many similar RPGs. Still, Oninaki is the best game by Tokyo RPG Factory so far.

In addition to a swarm of pre-release bugs that will hopefully be patched at launch, Remnant: From the Ashes’ biggest misstep is that it sometimes mistakes unrelenting quantity of challenge for a persistent quality of fun.

On paper, there’s a lot to like in Redeemer: melee combos, counter attacks, various weapons, environmental interaction, stealth kills, fun gore, and co-op. In practice, however, there’s little to get excited about. Redeemer – enhanced or not – feels painfully uninspired. All of its mechanics work, yet they do very little to enthuse. It’s the epitome of a game with few glaring issues but similarly no high points to prop it up. If, for whatever reason, you’re starved for top-down action games, it’s worth looking into. For the rest of us, it’s very much a “been there, done that” affair.

I was captivated by the game’s charm and challenge to a degree I didn’t expect. I like how levels steadily introduce new challenges and problems to deal with that make getting the best scores a real endurance test but the difficulty does spike towards the end of the story to an almost unfair degree. If you really want to get the maximum number of stars in the game (and get a trophy for it) you’re going to need other people to tackle the complex and devious cabin designs in the late game and bonus levels. Also, having more people around to play with means more screaming and yelling while the captain cackles away in between bouts of shouting out for more plungers. How is that never not fun? This movie-based game, to my surprise, has a lot more going for it than initially expected.

It’s great, then, that DC Universe Online is completely free to jump in and try for yourself with no strings attached. There’s enough base content to help make the call of whether or not to make this your de facto console MMO experience. After all, your mileage will vary. At the end of the day, though, the fact that you can play a fully-featured MMORPG on your portable Nintendo Switch is pretty damn amazing and could well be a harbinger of similar games being available in the future.

Summer Catchers is a perfect pastime for the days when the summer is past us. During grim autumn and winter evenings, the game’s jolly escapism will no doubt be at its best.

Bitlogic: A Cyberpunk Arcade Adventure captures the feel of games from a bygone time, but it does so in a fashion that is almost entirely detrimental. The restrictions on aiming and movement makes combat unpleasant, and traversal is usually a matter of trial and error. Although the MSX version of the game, included in the package, has a fairly striking look, the updated graphics don't look nearly as inspired, and smaller details, like the lack of death animations for enemies or the protagonist, make the visual overhaul rather unconvincing. The more interesting enemy setups in the last few areas tease at undercurrents of potential that is never fully reached. There are many titles out there that utilize the archetypes of classic gaming to create challenging and rewarding gameplay loops, but Bitlogic is not one of them.

The Padre tried to incorporate various ideas that can make a good retro-style survival horror game but it ultimately failed to mesh all them into one coherent experience. The puzzles feel disjointed and directionless and the controls are clunky. Not to mention, the overall mediocre experience is ridden with glaring technical issues and glitches.

From its price to its story to its demands on the intellect and reflexes, Swords & Souls: Neverseen is modest. Likewise, it’s modestly successful and moderately fun. Training, upgrading and short and fast-paced battles are great ways to spend a few minutes but in the long haul, the game’s limitations become a little more apparent and concerning. If I knew anything about sports, I might say that a good, solid stand-up base hit is better than swinging for the fences and whiffing it. Swords & Souls: Neverseen makes a good case for itself as a fully-formed PC game.

Overall, Peach Ball is a strong entry in the Senran Kagura series. Not only does it provide an appealing avenue into pinball, it also made me want to finish past Senran Kagura titles that I’ve missed. With Senran Kagura creator, Kenichiro Takaki leaving Marvelous, the future of the franchise looks dire, but this latest title would be a fine sendoff for the fun series. Peach Ball is a pinball game that is well worth playing for longtime fans and newcomers alike. Regardless, it’s only worth recommending to those who are open to high degrees of fanservice.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses does a tremendous job presenting a more immersive experience in the series’ first console entry in a decade. The three paths all present unique and compelling perspectives into the rich cast, and the Persona-like school life segments are a breath of fresh air that give players a lot more to do besides constant battling. The strategy gameplay is more or less the same with a few alterations and additions, but it remains a shining example of the genre. Every element meshes together well to make Fire Emblem: Three Houses one of the best games in this long-running series.

Impatient gamers looking for immediate gratification may have a struggle with Age of Wonders: Planetfall’s leisurely, semi-opaque early game and mildly vertiginous learning curve but the pace picks up and patience pays off as the game evolves into a challenging mixture of combat and civ-building. On console, in particular, there are relatively few 4x games of note and Planetfall is a welcome addition. For PC fans of the genre and the franchise, the sci-fi/fantasy setting is well-executed and strong enough to make the series feel new again.

The multitude of troop types, various win-conditions, and resource management offer complexity, while its turn-based nature and well-explained rules lend an air of approachability. A few bad apples aside, the lengthy story mode presents an abundance of diverse missions that feel challenging but surmountable. Successfully funneling your opponent’s troops into a carefully curated ambush, or coming up with the perfect counter to a particular enemy charge is always deeply rewarding, and the diversity of mission setups keeps the experience interesting throughout. Wargroove successfully revitalizes a largely abandoned style of game with its own unique sense of charm and mechanical innovation.

Warlocks 2: God Slayers is a good and fair retro game experience. If it was presented in a more typical top-down or third-person view, it could be a bit generic but as a 2D-platformer, it manages to feel fresh. The game does its thing with a twinkle in the eye but doesn’t take you for a fool. Some features should perhaps have been better laid out but finding about finer details by yourself used to be a basic experience in games before tutorials and on-screen helpers came to make everything too self-explanatory. Warlocks 2 is a quirky time warp back to the day when games were played for fun and leisure but its mischievous nature is totally today.

Anyone expecting a Zelda-esque level of role-playing or story, or Mario-level platforming will be disappointed by The Forbidden Arts, as will gamers looking forward to a lush, 3D world to explore. In fact, The Forbidden Arts is a platformer with light RPG elements, a skeletal story and an imperfect balance between its controls and its demands. Ultimately, The Forbidden Arts lacks ambition and enough imagination to help it stand out from a crowded, accomplished field.

Keepers of the Void offers a nice change of pace to Darksiders III’s From Software-enriched action experience. If you’re playing the game for the first time or enjoying the New Game Plus mode that was added back in April, the added zone should provide a nice break from the main story (especially on harder difficulty modes). To that end, I just wish the puzzles were more exciting. If nothing else, I was pleased to see that the area of Limbo runs very well and at no point did I run into issues that plagued my experience last year.

All in all, Initial 2: New Stage is an intriguing title. Although it’s technically more than rough around the edges and the localization is a hot mess, the game is not just a knockoff of similar, bigger titles. There’s honesty in how Restory Studio has wanted to a make a cool, Japanese-like hack and slash action with a meaningful narrative to complement the gameplay. The story might be naïve when it stresses friendship that reaches over hostile boundaries but we really need something like that in our dreadful world, don’t we? To fully appreciate Initial 2, you will need a certain state of mind and shouldn’t care about finer technicalities. Don’t look too much into the overall score, either, as Initial 2 is one of best gaming experiences I have had this year.

When I first started it, I thought it would be a repetitive game that would lose my attention quickly. I’m happy to say this couldn’t be further from the truth. The fast pace meant I was able to jump in and out of the game with no problems. For being such a simplistic, the game is quite difficult to master as many of my runs fizzled out quicker than they should. The unlockable system keeps you always a step behind the curve, never giving you a chance to get too comfortable. In the end, Super Mutant Alien Assault is one enjoyable title that I definitely recommend.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an impressive game that shines especially bright on the Nintendo Switch. The game's constant sense of progression and discovery is a joy to behold, whether you're docked to a television, relaxing on the couch, or playing from somewhere else entirely. While the game's performance issues, small text, and barebones online functionality put a slight damper on the fun, the ability to play the game wherever you want more than makes up for it. Whether you're new to the Builders series or are fresh off the original game, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great addition to the franchise and a solid choice for your Switch library.

Automachef is a very pleasant game, and a lot of fun. I would highly recommend it if you're in the market for a short, easy to play game that will test your skills and brain power. Whether you're commuting, winding down after a long day in the office, or just looking for something new to play, Automachef will fit that bill.

For all the praise I will give Streets of Rogue with respect to its gameplay, I was disappointed with how the story ends. While the journey is a lot of fun, the final level is rather abrupt and anticlimactic. It isn’t a major issue, but a game of this style could really use a bombastic ending sequence to add that extra incentive to complete the game. Overall, though, Streets of Rogue is one of the best rogue-lites I’ve played in ages. It highlights the virtues of the genre very well, and while the challenge dissipates steadily over time, the game remains interesting and varied.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is definitely a game that will appeal to fans of quirky, kooky comedy. It’s a janky budget title that lacks polish in level design and game mechanics, but makes up for it in the weirdness.

Ultimately, it feels like Vane is an aesthetic concept more than a game. Certainly, it has the elements of traditional platforming games — environments to explore, puzzles to solve — but they are unrewarding and sometimes frustrating to experience. Vane’s art direction, music and suggestions of myth and mystery might be enough to carry some players through to the end, but others will be disappointed by Vane’s refusal to tell a coherent, character-driven narrative.

There’s nothing inherently wrong but Madden NFL 20 was really missing the “X-Factor” that it needs to really breath some fresh life into the long, historic franchise. I’m sure I will still be playing Madden NFL 20 by the time I sit down to review Madden NFL 21, but in the back of my mind, all I’ll be hoping is that next year is the year they really revamp Franchise mode and take some bigger risks on the field. Until then, I’ll be taking my QB1 to his third straight Super Bowl.

In the end, It Lurks Below is not a bad effort but everything it offers we’ve seen numerous times before. There is nothing about it that is objectively bad but there isn’t anything that stands out either. It’s a perfectly serviceable indie title that just ends up reminding us of better and more original games out there. In the vast sea of independent games, that’s simply not enough.

The shoehorned inclusion of microtransactions is kind of ugly because it’s limited to weapon and character skins and timed character boosts that serve no purpose other than to get you to spend money. I suppose it’s a small mercy that you don’t need premium currency for anything but at this point, why even bother? I try not to judge but anyone who buys gold bars to get skins and boosts is wasting their money. Skip this game and play The New Order and The New Colossus instead. You’ll have way more fun. Honest.

KILL la KILL The Game: IF features exciting arena fighting action and silly yet engaging yarn that together form an exclusive episode for the quirky franchise. The presentation is big, bold and in-your-face, creating a handsome package you really want to dig into. The girls never miss a chance to strike a defiant pose and don’t mind how exposed they are doing so, be it in special moves, combo finishers or psyching up before matches. However, with a limited number of playable characters and ill-founded playing after completing the story with the main girls, the sixty dollar asking price might be a bit steep.

Overall, The Black Order is easy to pick up and play and there’s nothing to keep you from enjoying the thrill of fighting alongside pop culture’s most popular fictional heroes.

Super Mario Maker 2 builds upon the original in very basic ways. The game adds an impressive array of new mechanics that allow creators more freedom to design. With the addition of the painfully tedious, gimmick-driven story mode, the developers teach players just how annoying the new features can be. Regardless, designing levels has never been more convenient and the vast sea of user-created content is bound to provide endless enjoyment. Overall, Super Mario Maker 2 is a solid release that is highly recommended and successfully manages to mostly satisfy both creators and players, despite the game’s various issues and shortcomings.

Pawarumi might not change the face of videogaming or set a new trend, it’s just a damn good shoot ‘em up, just like they made them back in the day. If you’re an avid arcade game fan, make no mistake and add it to your library!

There really should be more games like Night Call out there. It tries something unique and succeeds at it, delivering compelling short stories through a limited yet meaningful interaction and wrapped up in a classy aesthetic. The game shows humanism and wisdom that the billion-dollar titles can only dream of.

Nether: The Untold Chapter isn’t a bad game by any means, but it's also not perfect. I’m glad to find, however, that updates are constantly being made available that will hopefully entice new players to join and keep playing. Best case scenario, they add in a mechanic that means you don't have to start over each time you die, whether it's a box to save some gear, or the option to respawn. Worst case, they fix the hit box on enemies, making them fiendishly difficult to kill, make them spawn a lot closer together to overrun the player, or even add a new, never before seen Nether.

Overall, I would say that the Nintendo Switch is the perfect way to experience Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered, whether you have played the game before or not. The game runs seemingly at a solid 30fps with minimal drops, and sometimes even seems to be smoother than most other games I have experienced on the system. It might not be as beautiful as the PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, but looks amazing nonetheless. The pick-up-and-play hybrid console, blended with the chaotic and extremely fun gameplay of Guerrilla, is a perfect match, topped off with motion controls. It's certainly a well-done remaster of a brilliant game and is definitely one that most people should pick up.

Marina Hova, the developer behind Fragile Fighter, built the game using her personal experiences in helping people deal with certain physical and mental illnesses and abuses and while I get that the game is meant to highlight problems surrounding alcoholism and anorexia, those messages are so easily lost because of the unnecessary difficulty. In this case, how can I develop any sort of attachment to the characters and their struggles when I’m forced into restarting a level for the umpteenth time because of something I could do nothing about? I feel bad tearing apart a game that so clearly wants to impart a message, but when it actively pushes against you at any turn, how is one supposed to care?

The Final Battle is a very divided experience. On one hand, the Territory Recovery mode features the same blisteringly fast and thrilling action which made Attack on Titan 2 so great. On the other hand, though, the top billing of the expansion is a big disappointment. Season three content is made with a shamelessly little effort, botching up the upheaval and drama it could have had if it were handled properly. Asking a whopping 50 bucks for the expansion alone is a daylight robbery. However, as a bundle with Attack on Titan 2 and the expansion together, it’s a worthwhile choice for those who haven’t experienced the superb action of the game before.

When all is said and done, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night delivers on its promise of bringing Castlevania back. Though I had various issues with the game, it still manages to provide that distinct Metroidvania experience. From the forgettable and dull story to the unbalanced gameplay, Ritual of the Night can’t compete with the best of the series. However, based on its own merits, it still provides a journey worth playing at least once or twice. Without a doubt, the game’s release is worth celebrating for, though it’s missing that creative spark Castlevania series has had in spades.

Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is a pleasant example of a point-and-click game. It emulates some classic experiences from the past like Monkey Island, but it does little to stand out or offer genuine excitement. Regardless, a great witty protagonist, fun characters, logical puzzles, and an overall fun journey are enough to recommend this to anyone who loves a good old graphic adventure.

Although Blazing Chrome sticks fairly closely to the formula of games like Metal Slug and Contra, its great boss encounters, responsive gameplay, and 16-bit pixel art make it a faithful homage to an underrepresented subgenre.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is the definitive edition of Square Enix’s crafting RPG. Not only does it fix issues from the original, but it also expands upon its predecessor with a larger scale and more content. On the other end of the spectrum, the sequel doesn’t drastically change the formula. Quality-of-life improvements make it easier to customize your structures and engage with the campaign, but it’s more of the same. If the original offering was enough for you or you didn’t like it in the first place, this game won’t change your mind. But if your goal is to enjoy the best version of an immersive and charming crafting RPG experience, then Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great place to start building.

Sea of Solitude might be flawed but that makes it more human than any perfect game would ever be. There’s a little bit of classic Ico in the game, especially in the way the journey is concluded, and more than a passing resemblance to Hellblade as an imaginary pilgrimage through a retrospective hardship. When Sea of Solitude states it’s a personal journey, it really is so. It could be about anyone’s passage to understand better not only themselves but also the people around them and that’s the game’s biggest strength.

Senran Kagura Peach Ball is one of those “You got chocolate in my peanut butter/You got peanut butter in my chocolate” moments you don’t see often in video games. It combines the unapologetic lewd and silly nature of the franchise with the thrill and unpredictable excitement that I love about pinball.

F1 2019 is a great game with solid presentation, smooth technical performance and tons of things to tinker with and drive through. However, it’s severely hurt by its moronic AI. Marrying more traditional video games sentiments to a simulation is always problematic. The thing is, Codemasters has no competition in the genre so there’s no outside pressure to improve on what they have been doing in the past. Emulating clean driving, especially from the AI’s side, isn’t impossible as Gran Turismo Sport did it in a very classy way. Maybe that’s something Codemasters should look into before rolling out F1 2020.

With its surprising level of complexity and depth, Mini-Mech Mayhem is a game that could have a wider appeal were it not crippled by its PSVR exclusivity.

For younger players, 198X may not open up in the same way as to us old farts. However, it’s like a museum of a bygone era when the budding digital entertainment was honest and ripe, rendered in a beautiful pixel art and channeled through a marvelous soundscape. Oh, and the ending pays a nice homage to Golden Axe – without the chasing part.

Koral is part science display, part puzzle game, and all design compromise. It feels like a roadmap on what not to do when designing an environmentally conscious game. Without a doubt, the visuals are initially captivating, but their flair quickly wears off and you’re left with the game’s dismal content. The game provides a clunky experience that doesn’t satisfy in any meaningful manner. Too shallow in both its educational content and puzzle-solving gameplay, Koral finds the perfect middle ground to embody an especially painful kind of mediocrity.

If you have to play a game from the Hyperneptunia franchise, I suppose that Super Neptunia RPG is as good a place as any to start. Thanks to the “hero with amnesia” plot device it introduces, newcomers will be acquainted with a cast of characters that players of the series will probably be familiar with and maybe even look forward to seeing again. But brace yourself for almost immediate disappointment. The platforming, combat and quests have all been done much better by many other games and while the game references are cute and marginally unexpected, they aren’t enough to balance the scales in Super Neptunia RPG’s favor.

Around the time The Martian film came out, there was a free-to-play, text-only game that had a much more engaging and well-written story than Mars Alive. There are so many excellent examples of survival crafting games that simply substituting a nearly featureless desert for a forest or undersea world isn’t enough to hold our attention, and the absolutely glacial pace of exploring and crafting doesn’t help. The game’s trailers suggest a much more action-packed, epic and graphically complex product but the reality is entirely different. The biggest survival challenge in Mars Alive is its hours of repetitious and slow gameplay.

The design of the monsters and the Innsmouthers are fantastic and the world building is creepy and fun. However, The Sinking City gets hamstrung by an overall chunkiness it doesn’t quite recover from. It’s hard to stay invested when combat is terrible and glitches and crashes ruin pacing and progression. This is a game demands a lot of patience and tolerance.

Cadence of Hyrule is a miracle project, birthed from an indie developer given the keys to Hyrule Castle and surpassing everyone’s expectations. Brace Yourself Games has managed to compose its own worthy Zelda adventure, incorporating its own rhythmic roguelike gameplay with fantastic remixes. The end result is a unique musical experience that’s hard to put down. Needless to say, the game may not be as inviting to those unversed with The Legend of Zelda. But for big fans seeking a new tempo, Cadence of Hyrule hits all the right beats, and I look forward to an encore.

In bringing the series back from the dead to today’s competitive scene, Samurai Shodown not only chooses to honor the series legacy but dares to be old-school. Instead of flashing extra frosting to attract attention, the game trusts that its basic gameplay is enough to keep the players coming back to it. There’s no trendy character customization and all the collectibles are just gallery items, such as sounds, artwork and movies, you unlock by playing, not paying. Samurai Shodown is like a Chinese checkers to more showy and easygoing fighting games out there but not any less engaging. It’s not how fast you can hit but when you hit that matters. Uncompromised and dignified, Samurai Shodown might be a niche title in its genre but it does its own thing and succeeds in it.

Much of Riverbond is a lot of fun: the combat, destruction and environments are simple but addictive and satisfying and the levels are varied. I wish that there was a little more story and character to become invested in, and that there was less reliance on similar structures for each level. Combat isn’t always fun for reasons that have nothing to do with skill or weapons but baked in mechanics and design choices. Overall, the voxel aesthetic works well with the game’s gentle sense of humor and lack of real menace. Riverbond isn’t the most complex action-RPG, but a good example of form and function in harmony.

Although Gato Roboto does not provide the type of sprawling world design that Metroidvania titles are known for, it still does a decent job at reducing this type of experience into a condensed form. The abbreviated process of upgrading Kiki’s mech suit is a satisfying sprint that takes you from helplessness to empowerment at a rapid pace. It may not offer an exciting new take on Metroidvanias, and the limited scope of the world is disappointing, but Gato Roboto works as a solid microcosm of its genre for those who are strapped for time.

My Friend Pedro is an action movie compressed into a 2D-sidescroller, complete with an oddball premise, unlikely heroes, and bullet-time cinematics. It manages to be both a fast run-and-gun à la Contra as well as a slow, thoughtful platformer like Metroid. The game isn’t pushing any visual limits, but on the plus side, it performs fine on the Nintendo Switch’s tablet mode. My Friend Pedro may be short, but it’s an explosive, wild ride that is rarely boring and always bananas.

Judgment is an absolute roller coaster of an experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend. It’s an intense investigative adventure full of drama, action, and heart. If this is the direction where the Yakuza series is headed to, I have high hopes for the future. The developers have effectively used the established formula to tell a brand new story. Without a doubt, Judgment is worth playing for both fans and newcomers alike.

Total War: Three Kingdoms provides a solid look at the spectacle, history, and romance of the Three Kingdoms period, as well as being entertaining enough to hold the attention of those who just might not care about that stuff. I don’t know who they are, but I’m sure they’re out there.

In the end, Warhammer: Chaosbane is more about its satisfying gameplay than being an accurate and respectful representation of its franchise. Here, Warhammer is actually a mere coating to a competent Diablo clone rather than being an essence of it. In many ways, the game has budget title sentiments to it when it resorts to simple narration and recycling assets but still it’s sold for a full price. That’s a fact, in addition to the lackluster performance of the online game, that drops Warhammer: Chaosbane from an essential purchase it would definitely have been as a mid-price title. Wait for a sale and you’re probably happier with what you get.

Blazing Beaks was a nice little surprise and I thoroughly recommend it for fans of the genre. It loses a few points in my eyes for a rather bland soundtrack and a complete lack of narrative. Overall, though, it’s a fun little game and worthy to sit among the others.

Overall, if you've played and enjoyed the first game in the series, getting Trails of Cold Steel II is a no-brainer. You're going to love it. If you've never played the series, however, this sequel might not be the right place to start. It's pretty easy to say that the PS4 port is the definitive version with enhanced graphics, sounds, and all DLC included with it.

The games might be as old school as they come and the lack of Metal Slug and other top tier SNK titles are missed but the SNK 40th Anniversary collection is more than a compilation of the company’s early hits. The clean interface, breadth of games, added console ports and new playback options represents a new beginning for legal retro game emulation.

Selma and the Wisp has an interesting premise, having you control a character who, in turn, leads another character. Unfortunately, the indirect playstyle leads to frustration in hazardous areas as you are forced to escort a girl and hope she doesn’t die by accident. At least it’s a short adventure, with ten levels that only run about two or three hours, for those curious to try it out. The idea of this “guiding light simulator” remains intriguing, but the experience is hard to fully recommend.

I thought Outer Wilds was going to be more of an RPG, and I sort of wish it was. The more engaging gameplay elements — the story and its mysteries, the fascinating and beautiful planets, the thrill of exploration and discovery — always took a backseat to the puzzles and physics, which were intriguing but sometimes felt like an arbitrary impediment that drained some of the delight out of Outer Wild’s often genuinely unique experience.

All things considered, Duck Game is a thoroughly enjoyable and silly party game. Its simple but fast-paced gameplay, varied map design, and penchant towards bedlam make for unpredictable fun. While I would only wholeheartedly recommend the game for local play, it makes for a great addition to anyone's rotation of couch multiplayer titles.

If Effie’s combat and camera were a little more tightly refined and its open world a little more full of interesting content, the game would be a real winner. As it stands, Effie is fun and charming, and its flaws and frustrations don’t entirely ruin the experience. There is no shortage of 3D puzzle platform games in the world, but Effie stands out as a colorful and vibrantly realized translation of a fairly tale come to life.

Conan Unconquered’s slow-moving economy that always seems to lag behind the relentless waves of enemies is frustrating and the fact that there are only two playable heroes — a third is available behind a paywall at launch — and no story or campaign make the game feel like it’s incomplete or at the very least a meager package for the price. Coupled with the repetitious nature of the environments and matches, the uninspired voice work and shallow gameplay, Conan Unconquered is a disappointing hybrid of RTS and tower defense that squanders the Conan brand once again.

Although it would benefit from being either a bit shorter and/or having a bit more variety, Void Bastards is easy to recommend. It looks unique and has enough fun baked in that failure rarely feels frustrating or punishing. Fans of action games as diverse as Bioshock or FTL will enjoy it and anyone who chuckles at games like The Stanley Parable will feel at home with Void Bastards’ sense of absurd humor.

Pathologic 2 looks unlike anything on the market, and its genuinely surreal and emotionally twisted tale and graphics are at least unique, if not actually appealing. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but neither was Carmac McCarthy’s The Road. Miasma of poorly explained and confusing systems and unforgiving survival mechanics are more clearly a problem and they make Pathologic 2 nearly impossible to enjoy on any level, and certainly not fun.

American Fugitive is an enjoyable homage to GTA of the distant past, with a good deal of content and a story that does a good — if rarely memorable — job of moving game through its paces. Some regrettable mechanics and repetition in mission design steal some of the game’s good will but American Fugitive is engaging simply for competently exploring an under-represented genre and style.

Even at its most complex, Cities: Skylines underplays the economic sim/drudgery of operating and expanding a metropolis in favor of bigger picture stats. Most of all, there’s the pleasure and relaxing creativity that come from puttering around and watching one’s city functioning well and imagining its tiny citizens happy with their little lives. And now, with Campus, those people can better themselves through education. The expansion isn’t mind-blowing but it does toss a substantial amount of new content on an already impressive pile.

Overall, Darkwood does a good job of presenting a very tense and often horrific story with just the right amount of survival elements mixed in. While I’m not sure it is strictly fun, surviving a monster-filled night certainly is a relief and feels satisfying. Difficult enough at its normal setting, there are ample opportunities for true masochists to enjoy Darkwood’s singular approach to the genre.

Layers of Fear 2 is impressive to look at and listen to but like so many games in its genre, it feels sterile. Dream logic environments and an actor’s unraveling personality are interesting hooks but the game does little to make us care much about the star of the show to begin with. Real fear comes from attachment and the prospect of losing something or someone close to us. By the time Layers of Fear 2 has really defined its leading man, we’ve long grown impatient for the voyage to be over with.

Team Sonic Racing isn’t the fastest thing alive, but it moves at a decent pace. It won’t convert those who hate the kart racing genre, but it offers a decent twist on the formula for existing fans. That in itself is enough to justify its existence at a budget price, and it thankfully isn’t an embarrassing mess like Sonic Forces.

Redout delivers fast-paced anti-gravity thrills on a variety of futuristic, winding tracks. Presentation in the Switch version isn’t ideal, and races aren’t always easy to follow. Career mode is the reason to pick this up, and it will consume most of your playtime, partly because there is disappointingly no local multiplayer and online is already a ghost town. With competition like the Switch launch game Fast RMX out, Redout may not hit first place despite its potential. But if you’re just looking to scratch that F-Zero or Wipeout itch, then it’s worth strapping in for the single-player.

After tediously fiddling through all the menial puzzles, the ending just made me shrug my shoulders instead of giving me shivers that I was supposed to have felt. It’s too bad that the promising premise fizzled as soon as the gameplay showed its true colors, watering down the prevailing mystery in the process.

Hats off to Artifex Mundi for having guts to make a diversion into point-and-click adventures. Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love could easily have been a leftover turkey that wasn’t tasty even the first time it was roasted, but it sticks its landing right through to the very last scene. Despite being an indie title, the game is crafted deceivingly professionally. That’s especially highlighted in the script that has been properly edited to sharpen its impact with only minimum slack. In these days of mostly grim entertainment, it was so liberating to laugh with the game and be constantly amused by its many wonderful twists and turns.

Draugen didn’t make me a fan of walking simulators overall, as its excellent insight is more exceptional than a norm. However, it made me a fan of Edward and Lissie and the particular brand of storytelling designed around them. I was happy and most curious when the ending credits promised that the dynamic duo will return.

Too much in the game depends on random checks on everything with not enough variables or interactions on the player’s side, giving you always a bad hand. It feels like you’re preparing for an arm-wrestling contest but someone breaks your wrist before that. With luck - and only with luck, mind you - you can make progress but all the trouble (read: multiple retries) you go through will no doubt make your head hurt. It’s as if there has been no play testing at all to see whether playing Vambrace is any way meaningful. If the developers themselves would realize what’s wrong with the game, it still wouldn’t help.

I actually liked playing Trover Saves The Universe despite the cheap laughs and sometime annoying cast of characters.

When treated like a harmless action movie, it’s hard not to have a rip-roaring time with Blood & Truth. The game knows what it is and has a good sense of humor about itself.

The outside looks good, but the moment you get close enough to interact with anything, it never ceases to reveal just how shallow it is. The missions, the few that actually exist, end the same way and are quite frequently unimpressive, the wasteland looks great but is boring to traverse and explore, and the few things that are good, like the combat, are mired with systems that are either a hassle to get access to or a hassle to deal with. It’s been a while since I have been genuinely disappointed with a game in almost every way. I don’t like this feeling. And neither will you.

Played cooperatively, For the King is an entertaining and engaging stand-in for a tabletop RPG game and its pleasant art and gentle humor balance nicely its difficulty and mechanical complexity. It’s less fun as a single-player experience, simply because coordinating character movement and exploration with quests and combat challenges and random encounters is a lot to track. Including the DLC, the console version of For the King is a substantial amount of reasonably priced content.

At a mere tenner, Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders is a no-brainer to pick up for anyone looking for a cerebral and emotional murder mystery. Also, anyone interested in the historic era the game presents will find a real winner here.

Fade to Silence is a true survival game that I want to like a lot more than I do. A passionate team has cooked up some tasty scraps in this frozen hell, but I’m forced to share the meal with irritating company. The ideas are great in theory, but too many elements end up in the realm of mediocrity. Nothing ruins the game, though, yet it is also prevented from being something more. The end result is a survival experience that’s simply enjoyable, but I can’t commend it beyond that.

Although it conflates and confuses a lot of historical reality to conform to its alternative universe, Close to the Sun really impresses in a few key areas. It looks incredible and is founded on a solid story concept. Some of its puzzles, mechanics and pacing issues get it in the way and remind the player that moving through the world needs to be just as satisfying as looking at the world. Fans of “walking simulators” and BioShock will feel at home but Close to the Sun does a good job of creating its own identity despite the obvious influences.

With different gameplay options designed to suit quick or extended play, cosmetic goodies to earn, and multiple courses, Everybody’s Golf VR offers good value for its thirty dollar price tag. I was concerned about using the Move wand at first, knowing that certain VR games I’ve played before suffered tracking issues, but I had absolutely no problems here. And it’s way, way better than using the Dualshock. Sadly, the Move couldn’t help me with my own physical failings, meaning that many, let’s be real, all missed and failed swings were my fault. Everybody’s Golf VR is challenging and more physically demanding but is just as fun and spirited as any other game in the series.

Gorgeous hand-drawn art fits perfectly the game. The colors are vibrant and the sprites are extremely expressive and detailed. However, the animation and battle effects look really stiff and rough. The worst are the spells effects, as they look more like animated stickers playing over the target than real devastating magical effects. But this is just a small nitpick and doesn’t affect the overall experience. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark may lack polish and grace but it remarkably pulled off a rewarding gameplay loop that will keep you coming back to it for hours. Pick it up if you’d like to experience a well-made tactical RPG reminiscent of the golden age of the genre.

Colorful explosions and a variety of guns aren’t quite enough to carry Zombotron to the finish line. This all-grown-up Flash game is weighed down by repetitive design, frustrating controls and bland storytelling. Zombotron isn’t a terrible game but neither does it generate much excitement. It’s a reasonably competent side-scroller in a marketplace full of similar titles. Fans of the Flash game will appreciate that Zombotron has evolved, but those unfamiliar with its humble roots might be less impressed.

Whispers of a Machine doesn’t seek out to revolutionize adventure games as its ambitions are elsewhere. Mundane wisdom and a Nordic cool ambience raise the game above the average crop that nowadays litters the once-flourished genre. It successfully does its bidding in showing why point-and-click adventures are so rewarding. You don’t need lightning-fast reflexes or to read enemy movements to make headway in them. Instead you need to be observant, thoughtful, and smart enough to interpret clues. Whispers of a Machine is a perfect game for everyone looking for a cracking whodunnit backed up by some contemplative thinking.

Wastelands is great because it marks a real turning point in the story and offers an ending that promises to seriously test the Diaz brother’s resolve.

It could have been a really well-made puzzle-platformer but somehow, the developer decided to settle with less, even though the console version is a second take on the game. There are obvious improvements over the PC original but the core issues of inaccurate controls and shifty physics still remain. Sad, really, as I so wanted to love this game.

Faeria is a solid card game that has enough depth, and unique features to make it standout in a overcrowded genre. Despite a low total number of cards, the vast singleplayer options, coupled with a generous economy and very interesting mechanics, makes this one of the better games in the genre.

The way the narrative and gameplay fit together to make Amicia and Hugo’s journey both compelling and emotional is an impressive accomplishment that put A Plague Tale up there with the best of them. If you are in the market for a somber, story-driven game, I cannot recommend A Plague Tale enough.

The gameplay is decent and death is typically a result of taking risks that don’t pay off (or being screwed over by some last minute negative affliction). Learning how enemy’s behave, following their tells and knowing how to respond is the best way to conquer the game. Just know that it’s going to take a lot of practice and a whole lot of deaths to reach that point. What really sells the game, though, is an exquisite visual design that demands a coffee table art book. Dark Devotion is for those who swatted Quelaag, scoffed at Father Gascoigne, snickered at the Nameless King, and yawned at the entirety of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Sniper Elite V2 felt dated in 2012 and V2 Remastered definitely feels dated in 2019. The game is not terrible by any means, but it’s not particularly good either.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the game is in no obvious way improved upon compared to the standard version, but is also no worse for wear. As I mentioned, however, there is the occasional slowdown in certain situations, but nothing that causes too much of a hassle, and could even possibly be patched out in the future. With all of that in mind, I absolutely recommend Saints Row The Third to anyone who is interested. Whether you have played it in the past, or if this will be your first time, it’s a solid experience that is a pleasure to have on the Switch.