Deer & Boy claims its rightful place in the Olympus of 2D adventures. The title brings to the table all those elements that made games like Limbo, Neva, and Planet of Lana great, while taking them to the absolute next level. The game offers a varied gameplay experience that evolves right along with the story. Although the environmental puzzles might not pose a major challenge for more experienced players, they truly shine in terms of design and are remarkably inspired. Deer & Boy places immense focus on the story it wants to tell, doing so by making plenty of room for colors, emotions, silences, hugs, and the fears of the two protagonists. The result is a thoroughly impressive debut for Lifeline Games.

Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition is a prime example of how a port for the Nintendo Switch 2 should be handled: fluid, responsive, and visually impressive, despite a few minor compromises. Now, years later, Switch 2 owners can also dive into the frenetic action of this "Stylish Action" title, which offers a fast-paced, dynamic combat system featuring four playable characters. The Devil Hunter Edition includes all the content from the Special Edition—a comprehensive package, save for the Turbo and Dark Knight modes. That is hardly a deal-breaker, however; the epic journey alone will keep players occupied for around 20 hours (assuming they unlock all the side missions), not to mention the time spent honing combat skills and conquering the Bloody Palace. If you’ve been waiting for the chance to get your hands (or get back) on Devil May Cry 5 in a portable format, the Devil Hunter Edition is the perfect choice. The question remains, however: will the long-awaited Devil May Cry 4 ever make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2? It is the one missing entry that we really feel is needed.

The Drifter demonstrates how a great story can still make all the difference. Powerhoof has crafted a gripping interactive thriller that maintains high tension from start to finish, thanks to quality writing, well-balanced puzzles, and a consistently engaging narrative pace. The experience is further enhanced by excellent pixel-art visuals and audio, surprisingly cinematic direction, and superb Italian localization that makes it even more enjoyable. It stands out as one of the most successful and memorable narrative adventures released this year on Nintendo Switch.

Don't Let It Starve is one of those titles that hits without making noise: minimal in form, but extremely sharp in the feelings it evokes. It's not a game for everyone, because it demands patience and attention, but it's precisely in this harshness that it finds its most authentic identity, offering a rare kind of engagement — slow and persistent.

Rise of the Tomb Raider on Nintendo Switch 2 proves to be a good port that entertains in the right way, even if not always perfectly. There's room for improvement, especially regarding moments where some input lag is noticeable and a mouse mode that isn't always flawless. For everything else, what you'll have in your hands is a truly fantastic game that every action/adventure-loving gamer should try at least once. Moreover, if you've never played it before and want to enjoy its portability, then this Switch 2 version could really be the right fit for you. Rise of the Tomb Raider takes everything Crystal Dynamics did well with the first reboot and elevates it to the next level. The edition in question also includes new stories, additional costumes, and modes that will put players' skills to the test. With a few small compromises, Lara is reborn (once again) on Nintendo's flagship console, perhaps awaiting Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the concluding chapter of the Survivor trilogy.

Nothing new under the sun, but anyone craving their yearly dose of virtual Formula 1 is unlikely to be disappointed. The absence of a couple of features is hard to ignore, and the pricing remains open to debate: it's certainly more appealing than a full-priced annual release, though perhaps a little steep for what is essentially an extensive season update. Still, if you enjoyed F1 25 and prefer tackling Career Mode solo, the 2026 Season Pack is well worth considering.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an adventure that wins players over with its old-school gameplay, but above all with the strength of its story, which becomes increasingly engaging before bursting into a twist-filled second half and culminating in a truly epic finale. The stunning HD-2D presentation, an intelligent combat system, the highly successful Ages mechanic, and several memorable boss battles all contribute to making the journey consistently rewarding. It's a shame, however, that the game suffers from a lack of enemy variety, an approach that at times feels a little too derivative of the great classics of the past, and side quests and optional dungeons that fall noticeably short of the quality of the main adventure. That said, there's no denying that this is one of the most fascinating and surprising adventures that Square Enix has delivered in recent years.

Replaying Xenoblade Chronicles in 2026 serves as a reminder of why this title is frequently cited as one of the greatest JRPGs of all time. The story remains moving, the cast unforgettable, and the combat system retains all its depth; meanwhile, the game world still manages to convey that sense of discovery that many modern titles have lost. The new features introduced in this Nintendo Switch 2 Edition do not revolutionize the original structure, but they tangibly enhance the experience in every respect. For those who have never played Xenoblade Chronicles, this is quite simply the best possible version. For those already familiar with it, it offers the perfect opportunity to revisit one of the finest journeys ever told in a video game.

Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent works best as a digital board game session: tactical, readable, focused, and easy to approach. Its combat system is clever and party synergies are satisfying, but narrative depth, character progression, and online co-op stability hold it back. A solid adaptation of Descent, though not a definitive one.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth also proves on Nintendo Switch 2 to be a huge, emotional, and spectacular JRPG, capable of magnificently expanding everything that made Remake great. Just as with the previous installment, Rebirth is a genuine technical and visual marvel on Nintendo hardware, managing to preserve much of the original experience’s spectacular presentation even in handheld mode. Square Enix has delivered a surprising port, once again demonstrating how this trilogy is able to shine on any platform on which it is released.

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies often feels like it's shouting "Look, we've still got it". A sentiment that applies as much to its protagonist as it does to the development team, which has crafted an intricate and compelling adventure populated by a colorful and eccentric cast. The gameplay is excellent and remains engaging from start to finish, but the story never fully lives up to its ambitions. While the characters are certainly memorable, the game's excessive self-indulgence weighs down the narrative with an overwhelming amount of unnecessary detail. Fans of Disco Elysium will likely find plenty to enjoy in ZA/UM's latest effort, but they shouldn't expect the same brilliance.

Stonemachia is a brutal and visceral dark fantasy that bravely strips away RPG bloat to focus entirely on a masterfully crafted, Sekiro-inspired parry system. Despite some structural missteps - such as the baffling lack of fast travel - its unsettling Italian folklore setting, shape-shifting combat mechanics, and relentless rhythmic swordplay make it an uncompromising and deeply rewarding experience.

It is undeniable that 007 First Light is a more than successful video game, one that blends the brilliance of this young Bond (magnificently portrayed by Patrick Gibson) with gameplay that works remarkably well, in a mix of explosive action, stealth, and swagger (in the best sense of the word). In our view, IO Interactive has won its bet: to create a cinematic, compelling video game capable of telling a solid spy story, packed with references that the most devoted fans will catch in their entirety. From a gameplay standpoint, 007 First Light adapts to the player's skill level and never feels like a prohibitively difficult experience, all the more so thanks to the difficulty selector. The time we spent in the company of James Bond was truly brilliant, despite a few minor technical imperfections that do not undermine the overall enjoyment of the game. IO Interactive's new take also opens the door to likely future installments — after all, with 007, there are plenty of stories left to tell. 007 First Light is a must-play for all fans of the franchise, but also for those who enjoy spy stories with intense action and who want to step into the shoes of a secret agent — charming and just a little reckless.

RUNE DICE is one of those games that arrives quietly and without much fanfare, yet still manages to win you over thanks to a simple but cleverly executed idea.It's the classic title that's perfect for a quick session, but one that easily turns into a long night of "just one more run and I'll stop."The game manages to transform a straightforward dice-based system into something genuinely strategic and engaging. Every run tells a slightly different story, built on luck, risk, and split-second decisions. It's not flawless — some structural limitations and a degree of repetitiveness do surface over time — but the fun it delivers easily outweighs these minor shortcomings.For fans of roguelikes and strategy games, RUNE DICE is undoubtedly a hidden gem worth keeping an eye on.

Mechanicus II delivers where it matters most: a deterministic tactical system that replaces dice rolls with genuine planning, and two campaigns asymmetric enough to feel like separate games sharing a story. The Necron late-game balance collapses under a single exploitable unit combination, and two hundred missions cannot hide that the textual events cycle through the same four options from start to finish. For a genre that too often mistakes complexity for depth, this is still one of the more honest tactical designs in recent years — just not a consistent one.

Vultures - Scavengers of Death pulls off an incredibly ambitious gamble, successfully blending the claustrophobic resource management of 90s survival horror with the deep, punishing mechanics of a turn-based tactical game. While the narrative is intentionally kept barebones and the code suffers from a few minor technical hiccups, the core gameplay loop is captivating. The brilliant implementation of noise management, anatomical targeting, and the strategic synergy between the two protagonists create a tense and highly rewarding experience. A clever, nostalgic, yet refreshing take on the zombie apocalypse that strategy fans shouldn't miss.

Forza Horizon 6 is the pinnacle of the series in every respect. Technically, it builds on the already impressive performance of its predecessor (and goes even further on PC), leveraging its core formula and expanding it with explicitly tourism-focused activities. The car roster is very extensive, as is tradition, and the customization options further expand the range of driving styles, from pure arcade to semi-simulation. Forza Horizon 6 is the full realization of a gaming philosophy whose influence on racing games will endure for a long time.

Tales of Arise - Beyond The Dawn Edition remains the great game it already was upon its 2021 release, carrying over the many strengths and few flaws of the original edition. One of the most interesting entries in the Tales Of series arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 complete with its expansion, and it manages to do so competently, even though there are some technical limitations that are understandable, though not entirely painless. Bandai Namco Entertainment enriches the console’s catalog by showing that it took the adaptation process seriously, even if the gameplay conversion is simply identical to what we have already seen, without taking advantage of the specific features that make Switch 2 a unique gaming machine. Tales of Arise - Beyond the Dawn allows those who never played the original to experience the adventures of Alphen and Shionne on Nintendo’s hybrid console, but it does not offer many reasons to start a new playthrough if you have already thoroughly experienced it on other platforms. An excellent action JRPG with solid gameplay and a story that holds up almost all the time, presented here in its least performant version, yet still enjoyable.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is yet another demonstration of how Nintendo continues to be uniquely capable of transforming seemingly simple ideas into memorable experiences. Behind its vibrant colors and accessibility lies a surprisingly deep adventure, one that blends platforming, exploration, puzzles, and environmental interaction with disarming naturalness. But it is above all the extraordinary art direction that leaves a lasting impression: every scenario, animation, and detail feels as though it stepped straight out of an interactive fairy tale, giving the game an unmistakable personality and an enduring charm from start to finish. This is a game that aims not merely at immediate fun, but at that sense of continuous wonder that has always been the true strength of Nintendo's philosophy. Once again, the house of Kyoto has hit the mark, delivering a magical, creative, and personality-driven title destined to resonate far beyond its apparent simplicity.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the Batman game the medium has been waiting eleven years for. TT Games delivers it without betraying either the franchise or those coming from the Arkham series: the narrative holds through the credits, the mechanical system grows with the player, and every hour spent in Gotham returns something tangible. Stealth remains the package's structural weak point, and the PC port carries a technical debt that a studio with these ambitions shouldn't allow itself. Everything else is Batman done right: with respect for the source, without paralyzing reverence.

Call of the Elder Gods proves to be a convincing sequel to that Call of the Sea, which delighted players a few years ago. The strength of this adventure lies in its fantastic Lovecraftian narrative, which proves engaging and up to expectations. Adding variety to the dynamics is a puzzle gameplay system that is decidedly satisfying and intuitive, even though it may cause serious difficulty on more than one occasion (fortunately, the difficulty is scalable, in a sense). Building on excellent foundations, the second chapter of this saga (which we recommend you experience in full) presents us with a new fork in the road that leaves a door open (but we won't say anything more) and puts two endings in front of us to discover, even though they will essentially head in the same direction. Even though Call of the Elder Gods was designed as an experience aimed at everyone, we are sure that those who have already played Call of the Sea will be able to delve more deeply into this worthy little piece of the Lovecraft universe.

Black Jacket is a roguelite that manages to find its own voice within a saturated landscape, thanks to a brilliant core concept and a surprisingly deep gameplay system. It may not quite reach the structural perfection of *Slay the Spire* or the narrative impact of *Hades*, but it nonetheless succeeds in carving out a niche for itself through a unique sense of tension—one built around risk and the manipulation of rules. Among card games, its basic rules might arguably make it seem less intriguing; however, its gameplay additions are both enjoyable and stimulating.

MIXTAPE is one of those games that is difficult to describe simply by discussing its graphics, gameplay, or content, because the work’s true value lies in the feelings it leaves you with once the adventure is over. It is a sincere, delicate, and incredibly human emotional journey—a title that manages to transform seemingly simple moments into something special, leveraging music, direction, and writing to craft an experience that lingers in your memory far longer than many games filled with spectacular effects. MIXTAPE perfectly captures that very sensation: the sweet melancholy of a time that no longer exists, yet continues to live on in the memories of those who truly lived through it. Of course, those seeking a purely action-oriented experience or particularly deep mechanics might be taken aback by the production’s heavily narrative-driven approach. But those willing to immerse themselves in its atmosphere will discover a work capable of truly moving them.

Indiana Jones isn't one to compromise, yet to embark on his quest for the Ancient Circle on Switch 2, he's settled for a now-retro resolution (1080p or 720p in handheld mode) locked at 30 FPS. In exchange, he's gained mouse and motion controls (though the latter aren’t exactly precise). After all, there are plenty of better ways to play Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, including on a handheld, but the technical effort to adapt it to Switch 2 is commendable, and it must be acknowledged that the core of the game remains intact.

Directive 8020 marks the return of The Dark Pictures Anthology, showcasing Supermassive Games' drive to evolve both structurally and mechanically. Set aboard the starship Cassiopeia, the narrative premise delivers a space adventure with a distinct horror twist, deliberately drawing inspiration from cult classics like The Thing and Alien to plunge the player into a nightmare of paranoia and moral ambiguity. The game departs from the studio’s typical productions to embrace a survival horror approach over the standard interactive movie formula, offering the most evolved gameplay system in the developer's history. The classic branching choices and Butterfly Effect are now bolstered by stealth sections, environmental puzzles, and third-person exploration that maintain constant tension, making it significantly harder to keep every crew member alive. Technically, this is the team’s most accomplished work to date: the use of Unreal Engine 5 combined with fantastic lighting elevates the ship’s claustrophobic atmosphere, while the non-linear, fragmented direction keeps the player’s attention firmly gripped. Ultimately, Directive 8020 is the most ambitious and complete title ever developed by Supermassive; a cinematic cosmic horror that feels both fresh and familiar, marking the anthology's return in the best possible way.

In Their Shoes is a narrative adventure that succeeds in achieving the primary goal of video games: putting the player in someone else’s shoes. Except this time, the “someone else” isn’t a pirate, an astronaut, or a space marine, but an ordinary person (actually seven of them), living in a big city like Milan and facing everyday problems like the high cost of living, rent, job insecurity, or discrimination against minorities. Its strength is undoubtedly its credible, sincere, and relatable writing: the same language that the average person speaks on the subway car taking them to the office in the morning.

Elementallis is a title that manages to impress above all for its heart, rather than its technical execution. The developers' love for the great classics is evident, and it shines through in every aspect of the game. The influences are clear and, in some cases, quite pronounced. The echoes of the older entries in The Legend of Zelda saga are apparent both in the world's structure and in the dungeon design and skill-based progression. Yet rather than feeling derivative, the game manages to use these inspirations as a foundation for building something personal. It is not a flawless experience — there are a few technical rough edges and controls that could be improved. The lack of Italian localisation is also a missed opportunity, as it would certainly have drawn in more players. And yet, it is hard not to be drawn in by its atmosphere, its eagerness to invite exploration, and the satisfaction that comes from mastering its mechanics. In an increasingly crowded market, Elementallis still manages to stand out. It is a journey that does not aim to dazzle with special effects, but to win you over slowly, step by step, element by element.

Invincible VS is the first fighting game inspired by the comic book (and animated series) of the same name, throwing us into a brutal, adrenaline-fueled world where we can unleash incredible powers. The roster, made up of 18 characters at launch, is varied and allows for genuinely interesting three-character teams that can pull off some solid, choreographic combos. The game is fluid, accessible, and caters to a wide range of skill levels: after a few matches, even those who don't live and breathe fighting games will find real satisfaction in the battles, despite some minor balance issues and character switching that isn't always seamless. We didn't find Invincible VS in great shape when it comes to single-player content — there's very little of it, and what stands out is a story that didn't quite win us over, on top of being far too short. Then again, the Quarter Up and Skybound Entertainment fighter is squarely aimed at multiplayer and the competitive scene, where players will go at each other tooth and nail to reach the top. It remains to be seen what impact it will have on the competitive landscape and how it will be received by those who treat fighting games as their religion. It doesn't always shine, but it does show us that something fun and genuinely competitive can be built from this IP. If Invincible VS manages to hold players' attention and listens to community feedback, we'll be hearing about it for months to come.