Death end re;Quest: Code Z ends up being something of an archetypical JRPG for Idea Factory in one way, while the opposite of what we expect in the other. It’s far sharper and smarter than the over-the-top fan service suggests it will be. That’s the archetypical half. Meanwhile, the JRPG mechanics are competent and enjoyable, but very standard with little experimentation. That’s categorically not what we expect from Idea Factory. It’s usually a company that experiments with combat systems to its detriment. That being said, I’m not disappointed by this at all. We haven’t had a proper “Chocobo Dungeon” style roguelike in a long time. This scratches the itch and then, thanks to the exquisite horror art and theme, leaves a bloody scar behind.

While the Nintendo Switch version of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy may not look quite as dazzling as its counterparts, there’s no denying that it’s bolstered by being available on a portable system.

Single-player isn't what Kirby Fighters 2 is about. Nor is it about the relatively serious tone of online multiplayer. Kirby Fighters 2 is a rare gem in that it's a local multiplayer-orientated game that, in 2020, was not developed by a small studio working on a micro-budget. This game, to me, is a reminder of the dozens upon dozens of hours I would play Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 with family and friends, at a time before anyone cared about a "meta-game" or the tiered rankings of dozens upon dozens of characters. Kirby Fighters 2 gets the party fighting game genre right back to the most simple of basics, and it's adorable in the process. That's a win-win.

Tempered at the edges as it might be, Onee Chanbara Origin is still crass and skimpy, and an explicit work of nostalgic grindhouse for anyone that remembers that genre. Additionally, short as it may be, it's genuinely well-made for what it wants to be: a mindless action game. It's just that the tempering at the edges means that it's not as pure as something like School Girl/Zombie Hunter, and therefore won't replace it as the best trash grindhouse this generation has given us. What it is, though is more than enough to remind us that we may well get very little of that in the next generation, and to make no bones about it, that's very disappointing to me.

These gripes aside – and I realise that I’ve griped a lot in this review – Pokémon Pearl remains an excellent game, and the remake is of a very high quality. I’ve been able to reunite with Piplup, relive a very fondly-remembered adventure, and while there have been some tweaks that I’ve been less than amused by, on balance the developers have retained the qualities that made that game such a fondly remembered one.

Fans of the original Gears of War will enjoy visiting Sera one more time to play out humanity's last hope against the Locust.

Space Hulk: Tactics is the most impressive Warhammer 40K effort I've played in recent memory.

I found Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package better put together than the original release. This time around you don't need to worry about the real conclusion being behind a paywall, and there are two new modes to enjoy. Especially for those who didn't previously own an Xbox One and thus missed out of the original, the result of this package is that you've got something genuinely good fun to play this holiday season.

Ultimately, SnipperClips is an experience to be shared. It’s a great game for introverts, for families who game apart and for friends who want to introduce others to their hobby, simply because it’s wildly successful at moving the solitary experience of completing a puzzle into a safe and welcoming social sphere. It gives you a common goal which everyone can understand, and an environment where players will genuinely need each other’s help to succeed. It also boasts a fair amount of content which will last a few solid afternoons with friends. With the only barrier of entry being that you’ll need someone (literally anyone!) to play with, SnipperClips is a game which is sure to delight any Switch owner.

As a horror aficionado, and someone who also likes the extreme ends of horror, I find Carrion to be fascinating. It's not the kind of game I generally like playing, but it's pitched at the easy edge of the Metroidvania "genre". The exploration and puzzles are fluid and in service of the game's main purpose, which is the most unapologetically visceral thing I've played in some time. Not everyone will be able to stomach Carrion's atmosphere and gleeful violence. But those that can will find an experience that is beautiful in being so grotesque.

Whispering Willows is a scary, scary game in a beautiful, beautiful world.

As a game Contrast works, but has a few flaws. As a creative narrative, Contrast succeeds on almost every front.

Norn9 is an intense, in-depth look at relationships and romance, and it's a really lovely, enjoyable expereice at that.

I'm sure Pocket Card Jockey started out as a fun side project for the people at Game Freak that wanted a break from Pokémon. But what they delivered was a slick and cute hit, and hopefully, this time around it gets the attention it deserves.

While others hope for graphical and mechanical innovation in future installments, I’ll be the awkwardly shirtless gentleman suggesting that Ubisoft continues to improve and expand its narrative.

Fallout 4 still has its issues, especially around glitches. Bethesda will probably never learn there (and, given sales and hype behind the game, Bethesda knows it doesn't actually need to learn). However, the game itself works by building a closer connection between player and narrative, and a settlement system that gives players a genuine excuse simply to live within a world.

Fight The Dragon could have used multiplayer polish, but the end result is a title that provides solid action RPG mechanics that is more fun with friends than solo.

Moero Chronicle is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it shows remarkable commitment in wholeheartedly sticking to the Compile Heart brand without sacrificing the quality of its delivery.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is frustrating on one level because it’s so completely in thrall of the blockbuster system that you can feel the creative frustration on several levels through the game, from its storytelling through level design. That frustration has resulted in a blockbuster that almost breaks free of its limitations at times, and it’s certainly an enjoyable game. It’s just that it would be interesting to see what the developers could come up with if they had a more limited budget (and thus lower sales expectations, allowing them to go after a more specific audience with a more focused game).

There have been a handful of Alien games over the years, but none have delivered an experience so close to the intent of the films as Isolation. With visuals authentic enough to have been ripped right from the movies and a terrifyingly intelligent monster as the primary antagonist, Alien: Isolation makes for a memorable experience, and clear proof that Colonial Marines was the fault of the developer and not the material.

Spellforce III is, effectively, a throwback game, being both old-school RPG and old-school RTS, stuck on top of an old-school fantasy setting. The developers have done a remarkably good job of taking complex controls and making it work on a controller, and while the game isn’t particularly boundary-pushing, innovative, or stand-out, it is engrossing in the way that it combines genres so seamlessly and entertainingly.

If you’ve ever played a TMNT beat-em-up, you’ll get a lot out of Shredder’s Revenge, especially with additional players on hand. If you’ve never played a TMNT beat-em-up, Shredder’s Revenge would be an excellent place to start.

There's a consistency to the world design that is immensely pleasing, and it's easy to get lost within it for hours at a time. If the mark of a good RPG is a believable and vibrant world, in which progress to the next wonder is a reward in itself, then 7 Mages is a very, very good RPG indeed.

It’s a hugely entertaining, visually striking experience, and has instantly become my favourite multiplayer title on the PlayStation 4.

Twelve Minutes is slow-burning, despite being about such a short time loop, but it will seep into your mind and refuse to leave. I actually dreamed in a time loop last night, which has literally never happened to me before. The concept is solid enough to stand on its own among dozens of other popular time loop media (television, film, games... it is everywhere). The intrigue and deeply flawed characters are enough to keep one invested for hours, and even worth putting up with irritating console controls.

Musynx is as no-frills as rhythm games get. That's not necessarily a criticism, because the music - the most important feature of the genre - is a stand-out delight. I will play this one a lot more than I play DJ Max or Superbeat Xonic, for example. And yet, while the promise of plenty of DLC music to come is exciting, Musynx also lets itself down by being far too easy, and limited in features, to hit those high notes as one of the best examples of the genre.

Once you put aside Starlink’s somewhat confused nature and design, what you’re left with is a genuinely enjoyable open space adventure. It offers a fun little story (boosted by the presence of the Star Fox crew), enjoyably exotic worlds to scoot around, and tight, clean, and efficient combat. Remembering that ultimately Starlink is aimed at a younger audience, it’s hard to argue that the development team have in any way gone wrong in delivering both something new, and something that recalls the nostalgia from their own childhoods.

Memories of a Quintessential Summer is the more “game-like” one. The concept is simple – the protagonist and his harem decide to relax on a tropical island that the girl’s father owns (oh, yeah, he’s absolutely filthy rich, by the way – that’s a major plot hook). Unfortunately, once they get there a typhoon comes through and strands them. What was meant to be a short weekend becomes a two-week imprisonment until a rescue boat can get to them, and they just don’t have enough supplies to last that long.

It's the most hardcore tactics strategy game you'll ever play. It's brutally and unapologetically unforgiving, and yes, it lacks the presentation values and atmosphere that would help people get over the learning curve. But for the patient few who will be willing to give this game the time it demands, Natural Doctrine is going to be an experience with nearly limitless depth and it is, in fact, one of the best multiplayer strategy experiences on any console at the moment.

This is a strong, strong game by Koei Tecmo, and does the Attack on Titan franchise a great service. Sadly, that's a franchise that doesn't have the pulling power that it did a few years ago, but older fans will enjoy the opportunity to get a new look at the distinctive setting and world, and who knows? The game might just find one or two new fans for the bloody, brutal, but ultimately dazzling franchise.

Despite Ni no Kuni not being enhanced on the Nintendo Switch; it is still a stunning game with a great soundtrack and enjoyable gameplay, and it holds up as well in the present day as it did originally in 2013. The story is emotionally touching and is a must-play for JRPG fans who own a Nintendo Switch.

I don’t remember the last time I was so interested in a story labelled as “romance,” but then came Clannad and everything changed. I never know a romance story could be so engaging, so multifaceted, and so emotional.

There’s almost no replay value to Card Shark, but that’s not a complaint. It’s a nice, compact and creative little experience that respects your time while also offering a complete experience. There is a cohesion between the art, setting, and period of history that it’s set that is compelling. Furthermore, the behaviour of the deeply corrupt nobility of the time that it depicts is surprisingly detailed. Backed by genuinely interesting minigames and a good – if stiff – challenge, publishing Card Shark has been another major win for Devolver Digital.

If you’re really after a taste of something different, take a walk on the wild side with Neptune and the CPUs. After all, no other MMO has all its flaws on display quite like 4 Goddesses Online; if you’re going to sit through toxic players, boss fights, and an unfathomable plot, you might as well do it with cute girls who acknowledge the genre’s flaws and enthusiastically attempt to make them entertaining.

It's energetic, exciting, fast, and also highly technical. It's everything that a fighting game needs to develop a core of competitive players, and in that regard it's the best Dragon Ball game that has been produced in quite some time. But - and it's a big but - when I first saw this game in action I had hoped that the appeal of it would be broader than just to existing Dragon Ball fans, and the developers have really struggled in that regard. The game relies too heavily on you already loving the characters, and already understanding the logic and lore of the Dragon Ball universe, before it starts to open up and allow you to love it.

Many of my complaints from the previous two collections apply here. I would have liked to have seen more effort go into the game’s history – give us scanned copies of the manuals or digital art books or something to make it feel more than a launcher for two games picked at random out of the back catalogue. Nonetheless, these are two deeply nostalgic and important artefacts from a genre, and La Pucelle, in particular, is a pioneering title that every genre fan should play.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is a shining example of everything I love about FMV murder mystery games: the intrigue, the interpersonal relationships, and the quest for the truth. I especially like that no matter how often you fail there will always be another chance to uncover the truth, and without penalty. In fact, “failing” and pointing the finger incorrectly is especially interesting because that’s when true colours really shine. I have such high expectations from Good Gate Media and Wales Interactive that I keep expecting one of the game to be a flop, but alas, this was not!

The Ice Dragon is a fitting end to the first season, but is anything but a proper conclusion. The decisions are hard, the consequences are gut-wrenching and the stakes are incredibly high. So now you get to sit back and look forward to the next season, knowing that you've been suckered right into committing to it before it has even been announced.

The underlying cause of the Disney magic is at times hard to pin down, but for my mind it's a combination of great, unique characters, nostalgia and an endless stream of wonderful, quality, animated movies.

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles may only offer up one game of utter brilliance, but it carries the package just fine on its lonesome.

King’s Bounty II is excellent, and much like The Witcher 3, having this thing on the Switch, portable, and playable wherever is very much worth dealing with the drop in visual fidelity. Hugely expansive in scope, and deeply traditional as a fantasy RPG, for fans of fantasy RPGs, King’s Bounty II is a rough gem in so many ways, and the lack of budget compared to what the big guns can achieve is evident at every step. Ultimately, however, that tactical combat system is impossible to put down.

Enemies and locations are varied enough to keep things from getting stale, a selection of upgrades add a sense of progression and customisation, and though this isn’t a game that could work just as well without VR, it’s implemented well. Really, the gameplay is there to service the story, which is where Archangel shines brightest, and I’m just fine with that.

That aside, Planet Coaster is indeed the best theme park creator we've ever had. In Australia, there aren't many theme parks left at all (can you believe that Sydney - a major global city - only has one theme park, and it's a tiny space that can be walked across in a few minutes), but there was a big one when I was growing up, and this game takes me back to looking forward to going to that theme park every so often. There are some UI issues, and one or two clunky moments within the management side of the game, but nothing that detracts from the sheer creative joy of playing around with those coasters and creating the park of your dreams. I can almost smell the churros.

Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 2 - Atlas Mugged was a lot of fun to play. I just wish the wait between episodes was shorter and that the segments themselves had a little more meat to them.

I really wish there was more to 140 because while it is a short and engaging experience, I was left wanting more.

Gearbox has done a great job with the overall package and deserves a new look for fans. While it may not be the most complete version, that all-new chapter is good enough in itself to get fans interested again. Hopefully, at some stage, we can enjoy new Duke game that does the original King justice, baby.

Capcom’s Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion is a prime example of what an expansion should be. Containing its own new story, weapons, gear and monsters, it doesn’t forget the previous content and it blends seamlessly with it and by blending with it, it’s entirely possible that going forward there may not be a Monster Hunter 5. Further expansions could simply be added on for a more unified experience in a title that could simply keep on giving instead of having to restart every time.

Devil May Cry 5 is exactly what we’ve come to expect of the series. In fact, if anything it feels like the developers were that terrified of repeating the response to Ninja Theory’s DMC, that they’ve gone overboard on being traditional. But then, with such a slick, enjoyable combat system, and all the witty banter that you could ever want in a game, DMC 5 is a fine way to bring the series roaring back after a decade in limbo.

I never stopped finding Passpartout enjoyable, thanks to its lighthearted presentation and biting, and yet amusing, sense of humour.

It'd be easy to write off New Style Boutique 3: Styling Star if you're not interested in fashion or fashion games, but I'd recommend at least trying out the demo. If even someone as void of style as me found it as enjoyable as I did, you might just find your perfect fit.

I can go on infinitely about how much I am enjoying Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy. The game present little truly new to the series' gameplay, but since it already shone in past titles that's a great thing. The characters are lovable, often with dry wit and secret pasts (or presents). Whimsy combines with reality, creating a fantastic believable world. The game promises at least dozens of hours of gameplay with limitless expansion potential, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Cozy means something different to everyone. For me, a cozy game is about a welcoming atmosphere, no death, and a slow pace. That description fits Botany Manor to a tee. The world is so lovingly crafted, the grounds so abundant and colourful, that I’d like to stay there forever. I have screenshots of every room I’ve been in because they are perfectly decorated from every angle. The logical puzzles require careful observation (and sometimes backtracking once or twice) yet are somehow simultaneously quite straightforward. Botany Manor is exactly the kind of cozy puzzle/gardening sim that I’ve always wanted, save for a couple small bothers. I’m already eagerly anticipating my return to the manor.

And the inclusion of Pac-Man Vs. is an absolute masterstroke of brilliance. That is a rare retro game, and finally having it readily available on a modern console is something that anyone who enjoys local multiplayer should get excited about.

Tsunako’s art is, as always, gorgeous. The game’s a joy to play and hard to put down. It introduces some new (great) characters to the fiction while also giving me more time with Tohka. None of this is something to complain about. And the fact that it has finally been localised now suggests that perhaps, just perhaps, Idea Factory isn’t done with the series yet.

With infinite ammo guns that need no reloading, Tower of Guns is an immensely satisfying (albeit brief) gaming experience that is as engaging to play, as it is stunning to look at.

Dicefolk gets a lot right, and the developers clearly thought hard about how to take a fundamentally dice-based game, and make something that players could enjoy as a tactical roguelike, where randomness does not result in frustrating failures. However, Dicefolk is, ultimately, a pastiche with very little of its own creative identity, and I do think this is going to limit its audience to only the most hardcore Slay the Spire fans. But, then again, it’s not my job to worry about the commercial viability of a game. For those who simply cannot get enough of roguelikes, Dicefolk is yet another one for you to play.

Cladun is limited, in the sense that it’s a game with an incredibly basic gameplay loop, and little beyond that to keep the attention of players. With that being said, it’s a game that stuck a big ol’ smile on my face, and that wasn’t just because I had Hatsune Miku shooting off hearts in all directions. Cladun is, at core, a lot of fun, and manages to take the most basic of gameplay loops that you could imagine in a video game, and make something eminently worthy out of it.

It may not be for everyone, but if you’re thinking you might like it, you’re probably right, so long as you don’t mind the learning curve. Even with its slow pace, its charming presentation and looming challenge will pull you back for more.

It is a very clever little puzzle game that tries to add something through commentary that lifts it well beyond standard puzzle platformer fare.

The only real problem with Oink Games is that the single-player experience is a bit too no-frills for its own good. Why can't I organise a five-round game of Startups against the AI, developers? You've implemented a great scoring system that demands play over five (if not ten) rounds, but when you're playing solo you're restricted to one game at a time. Thankfully the AI is a challenge without it ever feeling like they cheat, but still, between the limitations of solo play and the fact that two of the four games don't really work as single-player experiences, you'll need to go into this being aware that you're only getting a quarter of the experience unless you can get a Friday evening group together. Thankfully, that should be pretty easy since, once you do play Oink Games, you'll want to play it a whole lot).

You’re not going to find better ball porn anywhere, and so, even though this is a port of a six-year-old game with very little added to it, it’s great that it’s now portable and on the Switch.

I would buy a new version of Advent Calendar every year without fail, as long as the publishers keep producing them. Advent Calendar distils the essence and appeal of the Christmas tradition and while the minigames that you unlock each day are budget in scope, they are the entertaining and enjoyable form of budget. For someone that has an advent calendar as a core Christmas tradition, this has been a genuine and heart-warming delight.

Fan service aside, it's a beautiful little story, heartfelt and generally well told. It's supported by particularly good production values and a crash course in train terminology that will help you come away with all the more respect for how trains work and are managed. It's such a lovely game for the most part. But then there's a scene where the protagonist is groping at the "doll's" body. Or another scene where the "doll" is groping a clearly phallic symbol, and when those scenes kick in, Maitetsu undermines all the great work it otherwise does. If you are part of the niche that can handle that side of things though... there really so much merit to the rest of the story that this visual novel tells.

Mystic Vale is not without its flaws, but for fans of open and complex card games, it also offers a tantalising amount of depth.

I doubt any digital poker game will be able to completely replace the real, physical game, but Pure Hold'em is nevertheless a truly special experience, and as premium poker games go, we won't see a better one than this for some time to come.

The experience also naturally fits with the Nintendo Switch and handheld gaming.

Ultimately, what makes Earthlock so essential is just how earnest it is in its love for classic JRPGs. It’s worth sitting through its more cumbersome features in order to appreciate the hard work that a team of people who clearly love the genre have sweated over to refine the game to the point where it’s not only a homage to the greats of old, but it adds just a little to what makes the genre so wonderful.

Despite the dull combat system and the infuriating card collecting mechanic, it manages to tell a fascinating and surprisingly relatable story that should be experienced at least once.

The new game plays like a dream and is the same excellent, balanced, and replayable game and the horde mode shows that at least Nintendo is thinking, but calling the rest of the game a “sequel,” might be a bit of a push.

Thistlemire is a weird, strange, and beautiful little thing. It serves a niche within a niche within a niche, but if you are curious to see how an RPG combat system could be alchemised into an unforgiving yet rewarding puzzle game, then this is going to intrigue and fascinate, and you may even fall totally in love with it.

Namco Bandai was very smart to entrust their classic character and brand to this tiny team of Aussie mobile developers.

The result is a game that is genuinely unique. Classy in tone and hugely interesting in design, this is a game that is worth supporting simply on that basis; there's some elements that don't work as well as they should, but then that's the consequence of experimentation. What is important is that the game is deeply playable, very creative, and hugely entertaining as a result.

For all my quibbles regarding Tales of Xillia 2 from a general design standpoint, it still manages to shake up the series’ formula in the right ways.

SeaBed is a beautiful game. Some pacing issues aside, it's a poignant exploration of love and heartbreak that manages to feel both grounded and ethereal. One thing's for sure: this isn't a game I'll forget in a hurry.

Between the various modes, the online options, the huge cast of unlockable and upgradeable characters, you will not lack for things to do.

Bright Memory: Infinite doesn’t waste time. It goes in, gives you a hell of a time, and then ducks out before it has the chance to overstay its welcome. I hope the developer isn’t done from here, as I’d love to see more of Bright Memory (and Shelia!) in the future. In the meantime, this big action, relentless energy and visually spectacular experience is a true rollercoaster thrill-ride, and is worth every cent on the admission ticket.

Mushroom Wars 2 is the ideal casual strategy game. It has the potential to be much more than it is – the lack of a story to go with the gorgeous characters and art design is unforgivable – but nonetheless this is the perfect example of how to make something simple and elegant, while leaving just enough in there for people to feel like their strategic brain muscles are being flexed. As I said at the outset, Mushroom Wars 2 is a delight.

The Room is an expertly crafted puzzle box game that does a whole lot of things right and I doubt anyone would have regrets picking this one up.

The Devil’s Whisper is so niche that as far as I can tell I’m the first one that’s reviewed it, anywhere. Including user reviews on Steam. It’s a pity that it’s going to fly under the radar like that, because it’s a fun blend of a homage to B-horror movies with its own unique identity. It is also clearly a work that the developers cared about a lot, given the effort that went into designing the narrative and the voice acting. I do think the art has let it down and made it difficult to convert people on the Steam page into buyers, but I recommend looking past that, because this is a decent VN worth your time.

While it’s a slightly limited experience, Vietnam ’65 impresses with its novel mechanics, interesting setting and entertaining gameplay. True innovation is rare in the wargaming world, but this title has it by the Huey-load. And, with its super-budget price, this is one game that all strategy fans can afford to try.

ArmaGallant is a budget production, and that means that it will likely not sustain the community that a game of its nature needs. I’m already finding myself queuing for ten minutes at time to get a match going, and that’s really disappointing, because this is one I could see myself playing for quite a while yet, given half the chance. It also helps that I am, to date, actually undefeated. Bring on a world championships and those eSports sponsorships, please, I want to turn pro at ArmaGallant.

I would say Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is a release for the more hardcore side of the Taiko fanbase, but that would be overlooking the sheer joy and accessibility of the main game. Perhaps I’m merely bitter at the lack of supplementary features, shallow party modes, and a somewhat cynical subscription service that makes Rhythm Festival lag behind Drum ‘n’ Fun. But ultimately, this is more Taiko, and more Taiko is good. It’s not my favourite of Bandai Namco’s outings on the Nintendo console, but it’s not without its charm either.

Stick it to the Man! is a game anyone can enjoy. With an accessible framework and fantastic writing throughout the whole experience, it is certainly a unique title that most people should not miss.

These two games are straight ports that have been thrown on the Switch to introduce newer players to the No More Heroes series, but they are worth revisiting because it's truly impressive how little they seem to age. Do we have faster-paced and more complex brawlers now thanks to the likes of Devil May Cry V? Sure. However No More Heroes is its own beast because it blends its punkish attitude and humour in with a surrealistic bent and some of the most memorable boss battles you'll ever play in video games. For these reasons, Suda's classics are every bit as entertaining and brash as ever, and it's great that they continue to be available to players on current consoles.

Despite the obtuseness of its gameplay, Reigns is a game full of interesting design choices that intermingle narrative and gameplay to create something you’ll be thinking about for weeks on end. This is a deceptively deep game you’d be happy to keep coming back to. It is novel, with high production values, and there’s bound to be some aspect of this game that will have you hooked.

Deemo - Reborn - is still up there with the best rhythm games on the PlayStation 4, and while the Nintendo Switch Deemo very much felt like a port of a mobile title, -Reborn- has that premium presentation and design that give us a sense of where the series might yet go into the future. There aren't enough rhythm games that make the piano the central instrument, and Deemo is an elegant example of how to take an elegant, classical instrument and spin it into an interesting rhythm game.

Is Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection for everyone? No, it most definitely is not. It’s a very deliberate game that demands to be played on its own terms. That means accepting Arthur’s slower, more deliberate movements, the realities of a single jump, fixed arc system for platforming, and a brutal difficulty curve that rewards patient play, all the while gently mocking you when you cross one threshold only to be ground into a fine paste by the very next trap.

A clever, well balanced and highly cerebral game which will be sure to delight fighting and strategy fans.

It’s true that Bullet Soul Infinite Burst doesn’t offer the obvious new stages, characters, or difficulty options that would have guaranteed a double dip for fans of the original. Despite this, Infinite Burst warrants existing because of a single new mode that is so endlessly captivating. If nothing else, Bullet Soul is a game worth owning for fans of 2D shooters and this is the definitive way to do so.

There’s still plenty of fanservice in Nekopara; the girls have good taste in underwear, that’s for sure, and there’s plenty of flirtatious dialogue and risqué implications, but it all comes across as playful, and reinforces the rest of the game’s silly tone. And for that, it's absolutely delightful.

These two games are straight ports that have been thrown on the Switch to introduce newer players to the No More Heroes series, but they are worth revisiting because it's truly impressive how little they seem to age. Do we have faster-paced and more complex brawlers now thanks to the likes of Devil May Cry V? Sure. However No More Heroes is its own beast because it blends its punkish attitude and humour in with a surrealistic bent and some of the most memorable boss battles you'll ever play in video games. For these reasons, Suda's classics are every bit as entertaining and brash as ever, and it's great that they continue to be available to players on current consoles.

Hot off the heels of the recent Kromaia Omega, which defied genre conventions at every turn, DariusBurst is there to remind players that traditional 2D shooters can still put up a fight. The arcade mode alone provides dozens of well-spent hours to genre fans and is enough to cover up for the gratuitous padding elsewhere.

I was disappointed that The Lost Child failed so completely to do something meaningful with the Lovecraftian concept. In fact, the game has so completely missed the mark on that that it’s almost insulting that the developers used names like “Hastor” and “Cthulhu” to describe your foes, rather than replace them with more original monster names. Once I settled past that disappointment, though, I discovered that The Lost Child is also a game that so cleanly represents everything good about the dungeon crawler genre that I found it hard to put down. The fact that it’s the perfect introduction to the dungeon crawler genre also makes it the perfect first example on the new hardware.

Tachyon Project does not reinvent the wheel for twin stick shooters, but it does add some creative new tread that allows it to feel familiar yet fresh at the same time. There are plenty of modes, challenges and customisations to try out, so fans of the genre should have plenty to keep them busy throughout their time with it.

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash was a blast. Quick paced arena combat supported by a well designed card based system and multiple storylines to follow, this has to have been my favorite entry yet and with the quality online competition modes online modes there’s more than enough replayability to keep going for quite some time.

This latest one is the most accessible and easy to follow yet, but it is still a spreadsheet simulator, and it services a very niche audience.

The Vita has, much like the PSP before it, become a great home to offbeat JRPG experiences. Oreshika expertly blends a simulation experience with JRPG elements to create an entertaining experience with a few rough edges around the exploration and storyline. It has a unique flavour worth investing time into.

Idol Manager really needs a console release - the scope and design of the game makes it perfect for the Nintendo Switch in particular - but in the meantime, I can see myself spending a lot of time playing this on the PC. I'm not the world's biggest fan of idols (at least, idols that aren't digital and with aquamarine twintail hair), but I do find the culture behind them fascinating to study. Idol Manager is a far more thoughtful take on all of this than I was expecting, and consequently, I've found the whole thing to be fascinating.