CrossCode is an ambitious title, has a strong style that fans of this type of RPG will appreciate, and the combat is great. Unfortunately, the lack of a compelling narrative and loads of filler made it an experience that didn’t convince me to play to the end.

Welcome to Elk is a fascinating experiment in game creation that succeeds on multiple levels, and players interested in storytelling, small-town life, or the intricacies of working with meta-elements would do well to check it out.

The empowerment and novelty of toppling gods made me look past the fact that Neon Abyss might be a bit too easy for vets familiar with this style of play. On the other hand, this makes it a great starting point for those craving a more forgiving difficulty curve, or newcomers wanting to begin their exploration of the Roguelike genre.

Sure, at its core, Battle Through Time is a retelling of the TV series with some deviations, but it absolutely nails what makes Samurai Jack a modern animated masterpiece, and it was a delightful surprise to play through.

On my list of “most pleasant and unexpected surprises” this year, Struggling is near the top. The sad, blobby heads are endearing, it offers a significant test of skills, and it has a sense of humor that I found absolutely delightful. I sometimes wanted to pull my hair out and I had to walk away from my Switch and cool off a few times, but I always came back to it and I’m glad that I did.

Given the sheer depth of the title, this Madden NFL 21 review could theoretically go on for another 1,000 words but there’s a good chance most readers already know whether or not they plan to invest in another season of tried and true NFL gameplay. Make no mistake, Madden NFL 21 is the best rendition of football this generation, and is A solid experience for anyone who takes the plunge — it just comes down to whether or not the new features warrant another purchase for regular fans.

Sometimes it’s best to let things rest, and that is definitely the case with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered. It was a game that is mostly remembered for its ties to one of Nintendo’s many hardware gimmicks, and without that, we are left with a rather mundane game that hasn’t done enough to correctly update itself. As a game to be purchased and played in 2020, it’s just not worth returning to — it needed a remake (or, better yet, a sequel), not a remaster.

When conditions are favorable, there’s so much to like about Windbound. The combat was a blast when the character had enough energy, and I had a fantastic time taking a grass canoe and transforming it into a six-hulled behemoth that sped me across the waves. It’s just unfortunate that every moment of joy has to be sifted out from a pile of annoyances and frustrations — the developers had a beautiful exploration experience within their grasp, and they diluted it with some of the harshest survival mechanics I’ve seen in ages. These are all simple balance issues that I’m sure could be patched out, but for now, Windbound just isn’t the game it deserves to be.

While I greatly enjoyed Control and The Foundation was solid, it feels like Remedy didn’t have any gas left in the tank for AWE. It’s visually boring, it’s irritating to play, and the connections to Alan Wake are laughably thin — the entirety of it could have been summed up in 90-second cinematic trailer. If this content had been available when I was going through Control the first time, I probably wouldn’t have objected. But now, a year later? It’s far too little, far too late.

Though there’s nothing in the puzzles of Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town that offends, there’s also nothing that surprises or delights. The story and visuals equally lacked anything to seize my attention. Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town is a passable few hours of adventure gaming, but its design would have been below-average in the ’90s and is well behind the curve of what’s available today.

A Short Hike is a simple, small, straightforward experience that delivers a truckload of charm via the simple pleasure of exploring a mountainside without punishment or negative consequence. It does what it does well, and the experience ends exactly the way it should, exactly when it should. Well done!

A thin plot is only a minor issue in the larger context of what the game gets right. With an innovative main mechanic and great balance of complexity within each stage, Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a nice, tight experience capable of making any puzzle player raise a triumphant fist after an intense sequence.

I can’t stress enough what a bleak experience Death end Re;Quest 2 is. There are bright moments and the gameplay is tight, but players will always have the sinking feeling that wrenching emotional agony is just around the corner.

I don’t know whether it’s a testament to the design or just my stubbornness, but while I didn’t enjoy Panzer Paladin much the first time through, I do want to go back and master it in the future… just not right away.

This Switch version was my first time playing Crysis. I think as a piece of gaming history, and it’s interesting to see what the standards for visuals and design were back in 2007. That said, it feels dated and the campaign struggled to keep my attention due to the weak storytelling, problematic controls and drawn-out firefights. Still, for those who are interested in visiting (or revisiting) this landmark title, this Switch port might be their best bet.

I understand that much of WWI was fought in the mud and it probably didn’t look like a Hollywood blockbuster, but I can best describe my time with Tannenberg by saying that it never felt like I was in the middle of a war — instead, I was more often wandering through an empty battlefield trying desperately to not quit in the middle of a round. But at least I learned some history!

Overall, Fast & Furious: Crossroads is a fabulous celebration of the sloppy, sometimes-inexplicable dumbness, sometimes-inspired madness of the films it shares a name with, and I loved every minute of it.

Never Breakup is a good idea wrapped in a bright, colorful package that is ultimately let down almost completely by the controls and the device it’s on.

Having beat Neko Navy: Daydream Edition, I’m still coming back for more, Yes, I’m still not exactly sure what is going on – who’s attacking and why are these cats called in for defense? But honestly, there’s no need for a coherent story when everything else is done so well.

As a way to quickly level up a new character’s combat abilities while working towards weapons to help them with the main campaign, Hellraid is successful enough. Unfortunately, there’s no real depth to it, and after a few times through I felt like I’d seen everything it had to offer. There are worse ways to spend a few hours, but this content is probably best enjoyed by die-hards looking for an excuse to boot up Dying Light one more time before the sequel drops.

In the end, my gripes are small and Necrobarista is a fascinating experience that I was both sad (and glad!) to see through to its end. It might seem strange to be happy when something great is done with, but many philosophies, from Zen Buddhism to the aboriginal beliefs held in Necrobarista‘s native Australia, acknowledge that transience and eventual passing is a key part of life itself. Everything moves on, most especially our physical selves. The insistence of staying past one’s time, be it as a spirit living on borrowed time or a game trying to become a part of an overstuffed daily routine, can feel toxic. It’s refreshing to play something that doesn’t want me to stay with it forever, and that’s the kind of passing I raise a nice cuppa to.

I was drawn to Othercide not only because I’m a fan of turn-based tactical combat and compelling aesthetics, but because of its mysterious premise. That said, the repetitive gameplay and lack of variety made me eventually lose interest. The themes of death, struggle, and rebirth are interesting, but they weren’t enough to override the repetition and and unconventional design choices.

The writing is strong, the choices all feel important, engagement in both the short and long term is strong, and the overall design is brilliant – it’s a masterclass in elegance since it does exactly what it needs to do and lasts exactly as long as it needs to last, and there isn’t an ounce of fat on its bones. I can’t wait to see what Brave At Night comes up with next.

What we can learn from Into A Dream is that ideas alone are not enough to carry a game to greatness. I can truly feel the passion put into the narrative and I do acknowledge that the story, in isolation, hits its mark. Sadly, everything about how the game is built fails to meet the same standard and severely undercuts the power of the script.

Röki’s castle segment isn’t catastrophic, but it delivered far less in narrative impact and far more in adventure-game twitchiness than the forest, which was almost perfect. In the woods, Röki is a delight, blending whimsy and sorrow into a splendid modern adventure. In the castle, it is simply ordinary, and as a result of these two unbalanced halves, Röki never quite delivers on its early promise.

It’s an excellent racing experience held together with numerous player-friendly gameplay options and superb controls, but anyone who played NASCAR Heat 4 will likely get a feeling of déjà vu.

Volta-X can’t be played without an active online connection. Forget about taking it on the bus or anywhere that the Switch can’t stay connected. Even putting it in rest mode for a minute or two will drop the connection, and along with this comes increased battery usage — my playtime between charges was notably reduced. This laundry list of issues breaks my heart, because Volta-X has a great concept and could have easily been a killer eight-to-ten-hour adventure filled with lasers, rocket-powered fists and awesome explosions. Instead, the experience is brought down by stretching it into the sort of neverending online game-as-service that it isn’t suited for. Time to take this ‘bot offline and reboot.

Rogue Summoner advertises itself as a roguelike strategy title, but it feels more like a puzzle game that I had to brute-force until I found the one correct solution to each challenge. It’s currently still in development with regular updates coming, but I can’t help but feel that it’s misrepresenting the kind of experience that it is, and I’m not sure that patches are going to change that.