As a big fan of the first two games - and even the mobile spin-off Very Little Nightmares - I can’t help but feel disappointed by Little Nightmares 3. It falls short on the creepy vibes the series is known for, and the story lacks impact. After introducing a partner in the second game, full co-op was the logical next step, but the gameplay remains shallow, and the absence of local co-op is a missed opportunity.

Shadow Labyrinth shows that it understands what it takes to be a solid Metroidvania, thanks to its varied environments and gameplay, but it lacks finesse and polish in its execution.

The first few hours of Hell is Us are fantastic. You find yourself in an unfamiliar world torn apart by war, with shrieking, humanoid demons and ancient mysteries hinting at something earth-shattering, but once you pierce that bubble, the shaky foundation becomes clear.

For a game that started out as a passion project, it’s impressive how far it has come. But as a finished product, it feels like a rough diamond that was never truly polished.

Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League has become a game that fortunately gets better along the way. There are definitely positive aspects such as the good animations, fun dialogues and colorful world. It is just a pity that the game does not offer much variety in terms of gameplay. In addition, it is obvious that the game is constantly working towards the endgame content and that the drudgery due to monotonous missions can hit hard. Unfortunately, it did not become the top title I had hoped for, but with three friends, the game could be enjoyable in short sessions.

South of Midnight is in many ways a small masterpiece—at least visually. The unique art style is truly stunning and could easily win awards for its art direction. Compulsion Games brings to life a world rarely seen in games, full of atmosphere and folklore. Unfortunately, the game falls short in terms of gameplay. The combat is too basic and repetitive, the level structure is predictable, and traversal lacks challenge. It’s never truly bad, but rarely engaging. If you have Game Pass, it’s definitely worth checking out to experience its unique vibe. But if you decide to skip it, you’re not missing all that much either. Hopefully, Compulsion will deliver a sequel in the future that pairs its visual magic with gameplay that matches that same level.

With a poorly thought-out combat system, an uneven story, and an open world that is largely empty, developer Twirlbound falls into familiar pitfalls as they did before.

With high hopes, I embarked on Haroona’s adventure, longing for a nostalgic single-player experience like the ones we used to have. However, in my experience, that "back in the day" feeling felt more like a memory. In many ways, the game has that distinct last-gen bargain-bin vibe. The influences of titles like Uncharted and Tomb Raider are unmistakable, but the repetitive combat and uninspired platforming leave much to be desired. The game is somewhat saved by its set pieces, story, and the strong performance of Anya Chalotra.

Blurb: Hirogami has a cool visual style and simple, old-school design principles, though they don’t always shine through equally well.

Cronos: The New Dawn is a game with a ton of potential, with an amazing atmosphere and interesting story, but the horror is undermined by poor balance, broken combat and technical issues.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a game full of good ideas that rarely come into their own. The emotional story about dealing with loss is compelling in itself, but its execution is more at odds with the game than it contributes to it. At the same time, the game, with its poorly executed Metroidvania elements and bugs, also gets in its own way.

Somewhere inside Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact there’s a fantastic game waiting to shine. Unfortunately, a sparse character roster, minimal single-player content, and a lackluster online experience so far keep it from truly standing out. I sincerely hope the post-launch content can polish things up a bit — even if it’s just for the few hardcore players who’ll stick around that long. As it stands, the game doesn’t offer enough single-player content to convert Hunter x Hunter fans into fighting game players, nor is it polished enough to satisfy those who already are.

South Park: Snow Day is just not well put together. Clunky controls, the same under-snowed design and disappointingly little story and dialogue make you want to skip this game.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers offers little to no original ideas and fails to successfully mimic its biggest sources of inspiration.

The fact that the bosses in Eternal Strands already feel like a chore to get through says it all. The game has grand ideas and even grander sources of inspiration. For a team of around 70 people, it’s quite impressive what they’ve accomplished. But when you choose to take cues from Monster Hunter, Shadow of the Colossus, and Breath of the Wild, you inevitably invite the associated expectations. Those games then become not just your inspirations but also your competition. And Eternal Strands doesn’t come close to these games.

All in all, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a decent little game that you can finish in an afternoon. The tech demos are fun to try out, and the minigames are fairly amusing as well. However, when it comes to the quizzes and the hidden object sections, the game really misses the mark for me. I definitely wouldn’t spend money on it—especially since it's essentially just an interactive manual and tech demo. In that regard, Nintendo could learn a lot from Sony, which bundled a far better game disguised as a tech demo for free with the PlayStation 5.