A creative arts-and-crafts artstyle synergizes with innovative mechanics to produce the game’s impressive interactive diorama courses. There’s a little something for everyone, from a mellow mode for casual gamers as well as completionist challenges for the hardcore. It’s style over substance, however, and a harder base difficulty would have vastly improved the adventure. Also, the heavily advertised flip side mode didn’t quite meet its potential. Regardless, the uniquely designed set pieces are engaging to uncover. Yoshi’s Crafted World may not make waves, but it’s a solid choice for younger players and fans of the lovable green dinosaur.

This is a game where the grind itself is the context for enjoyment, and while that’s not a bad thing, when that grind runs its course, there’s going to be nothing left to hang your hat on. Thankfully though, the foundation is just that good, and I don’t regret the hours I have poured into The Division 2. If only other loot shooters, released earlier in the year, had learned and applied the lessons Ubisoft did.

Beat Cop meets its quota by providing a few laughs and a fun experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The appropriate attention and care was given to the most important elements, but it doesn’t offer much else. The end result is a game with few lows, but similarly few standout moments to make it truly memorable.

Although it adds nothing unique and makes some visual concessions to fit the platform, Darksiders Warmastered Edition is a great way to revisit what is now considered a minor classic of the action-RPG genre. With fluid combat and a dramatic, if skeletal story, Darksiders has retained most of the fun-factor that made the game stand out way back in 2010. Playing the game on a big screen in 4K might be optimal, but Darksiders on the Switch is a decent alternative.

In the end, if you are just looking for a no-thrills platforming game, Awesome Pea may just be for you. Granted, it’s pretty short, but the price point is right and the controls and difficulty are on par. It also doesn't hurt that there are plenty of trophies to earn along the way! If that sounds awesome to you, this Pea is worth a shot.

During my play, I encountered a few dips in frame rate here and there. Aside from that, the game runs pretty well on the Switch, both docked and in a hand-held mode. The game also has extremely rough edges with PS1-era AI and uninspired level designs, which casual players will not easily forgive. When all is said and done, Aragami is a serviceable stealth game overall. Stealth/puzzle combo has its own merit and will appeal to hardcore stealth game fans for sure.

Sekiro is From Software’s purest distillation of a game design philosophy that values skill-based combat and isn’t afraid to challenge the player at nearly every moment.

In a serious need of additional development, bug-fixes and testing, as well as ditching the misguided fixed camera, Eternity: The Last Unicorn plays like a medley of solid action-RPG mechanics and ideas without much depth or polish. The setting, characters and story are its saving grace but their charms are overshadowed by the game’s repetitive and sluggish combat and the annoying camera. Calling a game’s mechanics “classic” is no excuse for gameplay that is simply not very satisfying or fun.

As far as free-to-play games go, Hades’ Star is familiar territory, mechanically speaking. It makes little demand for your time and you’re free to spend money to speed things up if you want, no harm, no foul. Other than that, the game is solidly built, the soundtrack is a bit boring, but there’s really nothing overly offensive about it. The question is whether or not you’re willing to put in the time. I’m concerned with how little there is for you to do during those sessions where you’re doing nothing more than trying to earn money but at the end of the day, it’s a nice way to take a break from computer work and video editing like I did during the making of this review.

Trails of Cold Steel gears up as the story progresses and ends up in such a cliffhanger that you just want the next part out already. The game remains as strong as it has been and comes strongly recommended for any JRPG enthusiast looking for a cracking yarn to spend time with.

The Serpent’s Heart is the usual fare with a new ability for Lara (loot more money from felled enemies), a new weapon (yea, that will be the God’s slayer!) and a new outfit.

Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn is a well-crafted sidescroller that gamers of all ages can enjoy. The 3DS port patches in a new difficulty and a novel take on traditional Kirby power-ups. They’re not as seamlessly stitched as they could have been, but they reveal the developer’s efforts in threading an ideal experience that improves upon the source material. With utterly charming visuals, memorable levels, and lighthearted platforming, Kirby’s spin-off knits together a worthy farewell to one of Nintendo’s longest-lasting handhelds.

The five new levels are excellent additions to the game’s collection of puzzle box dioramas, although they do nothing to change the formula. The remaining 13 challenges aren’t as worthwhile, and it wasn’t very fulfilling to trek back to remixed levels just to hunt Boos and collect crown shards. The inexpensive DLC is fairly priced, at least, even if you’re only interested in the novel areas. Just don’t go looking for a substantially game-changing experience, but rather a solid expansion of what made the original so great.

Devil May Cry 5 has its best moments when it lets its new and unheard voice roar free and wild but I think that too much time is spent on treading familiar ground of the series. Of course, the game looks more amazing than anything before it, but the tried-and-tested gameplay is only elevated by its pompous overdoses. However, the ending was a saving grace as it wasn’t entirely something I had expected. It left me in high spirits, all invigorated and happy that I saw the story through, although the journey to the conciliatory climax lacked excitement when it needed it most.

>observer_ offers a glimpse in a terrifying cyberpunk future that is far more frightening than any pursuing monsters of unreasonable size. The stealth action moments of the game failed to make an impact and I usually greeted them with a “let’s get this over with” attitude. No, the game is at its best when you’re exploring the claustrophobic corridors of an old world building appropriated by corporate interests, lazily retrofitted with invasive technology that is much more of a hindrance than any sort of benefit to mankind.

Golf Peaks is a great use of the idea of golf, with rule modifications that make it less a score-conscious sports simulation and instead an amazing puzzle game. I had a great time with it for the few hours that it took to get through all the puzzles, enjoying the challenge and calming ambience of it all. It’s an excellent idea, executed well, and it was a joy to play it on the go while sitting at a bar or something. You don’t have to be a golf fan to enjoy Golf Peaks, and the puzzles are engaging up through the end.

I really liked the way Trüberbrook looks, and although that isn’t enough to carry even a short game, Trüberbrook had enough interesting story beats and characters to keep me engaged. Mechanical issues and slow pace would have killed a longer or more complex adventure but the game’s imperfections were a tolerable price to pay, given the rewards of experiencing its hand-crafted world.

The Wizards sounds awesome on paper and is a great idea but the unpredictable controls were more distracting and frustrating than I liked.

Queen’s Quest 2 is a perfect game for adventure games newbies. It’s colorful to look at and there are lots of neat details in its numerous pretty screens that effectively depict the game’s derivative fantasy kingdom. After completing the main adventure, a bonus chapter is unlocked that offers a brief run of same leisurely gaming. Amidst all demon hunting, zombie fending, bloody revenges, averting terrorist threats or whatever most games these days like to present, Artifex Mundi casual adventures always have a place as a welcome diversion for any gamer out there. Queen’s Quest 2 fills that bill nicely enough.

The unique blend of genres works pretty well both in single player and multiplayer modes, and Hell Warders offers a decent campaign and a deeper strategy experience than some generic tower defense games. Some of the controls are awkward and placement of units have some restrictions (like degrees of facing), but there aren’t a lot of tower defense games rooted in that dark fantasy aesthetic, and the addition of action-RPG elements deepens the gameplay.

I will say that the Console Edition of Stellaris is bound to come out to some consternation. Merely because it’s based on a PC game released in 2016, you’re bound to have some complaints from computer players. The control scheme is an obvious one, but the lack of mods on consoles is another one. Still, I had a blast with the game and can easily see fans of the genre racking up hundreds of hours into it on their consoles, regardless. If 4X games are your thing and you’re looking for one to play on your console, Stellaris should be right up your alley!

Despite its duller moments and shaky controls, The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is a unique game that provides a solid challenge for those open to the idea of a type ‘em-up bullet hell experience.

Japanese video games are often equal to anime and manga, it doesn’t matter in what format you’re enjoying the stories. The Caligula Effect: Overdose, too, makes you forget you’re playing a game but rather, experiencing a piece of Japanese popular culture.

Attack of the Earthlings checks off a few boxes that don’t often get checked. It’s a stealthy turn-based game with a sense of humor and flipping the role of humans to enemy is a welcome change. It’s a bit slow and the highs it hits aren’t stratospheric but fans of the genre who need a strategy fix should check it out.

If you don’t mind a rather extreme challenge, I can’t recommend Ape Out enough, a perfect marriage of style and execution that’s difficult as hell while also managing to be an exciting power fantasy. Every step of the way is exciting and fun, and even when you’re running up against a wall, it has that “one more run!” power that gets you to keep trying, and then whoops, hours are gone. Ape Out is definitely worth checking out and returning to for a quick and excellent experience.

RPGs so rarely explore gameplay approaches that don’t feature two-handed greatswords, grinding for better armor, and violence-filled encounters. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but happily there are games like Eastshade that provide satisfying and intriguing hours of exploration and story where the conclusion is not a battlefield littered with the dead. At the same time, Eastshade is not a one-note, feel-good game and there is emotional range in its story and characters. Some visual glitches and minor bugs aside, Eastshade is a worthy follow-up to the brief, proof-of-concept Leaving Lyndow.

Mystic Vale desperately needs a step-by-step, Hearthstone-level tutorial that assumes no prior knowledge of either the game or the genre, because a very attractive and interesting game is hidden behind a pretty steep wall. Additional modes and cards are coming but for now, Mystic Vale will be most attractive to fans of the physical game, who will find it faithful to the original and a lot of fun, especially with human opponents.

Dead or Alive 6 has its place in the today’s gaming. It’s a fast, flashy and content-rich fighting game. I’m happy that Dead or Alive is back and is relevant again, and it’s always a pleasure to play as the game’s pretty cast. I also love NiCO, she’s such a bad-ass intellectual and the best new character in fighting games in ages (she wins over Tekken 7’s Lucky Chloe for being smart instead of a fluffy teen idol).