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.