Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition may very well gain a few new fans based solely on its narrative. Unfortunately, the tedious ordeal of having to traipse around the planet for half a dozen hours like a clumsy jelly baby just doesn’t make the plot strong enough to be worth the hassle. While it may not sound like it, I do appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to independently craft an environment of such scale. However, it really doesn’t excuse the fact that this is an incredibly poorly made game, regardless of how interesting its premise may be.

All in all, Jumping Joe and Friends is your typical smartphone experience – shallow, repetitive and lacking any real hook to keep you playing. Even the multiplayer wears out its welcome in a matter of minutes. The list of excellent or just fun Switch titles is already a long one and continues to grow with every passing week. Any one of those would be a better investment than Jumping Joe and Friends.

The story is a humorous one even if not every joke lands as intended and the puzzles need a little more breadth in approach, but the start of these new Adventurings are promising.

As a game that was released on PC before it was ported to consoles, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition isn’t without its quirks. There are some bizarre choices in how you select and move items around in your inventory for one, and the way that weapon comparisons are displayed isn’t particularly helpful. This won’t win any awards for the best-looking Nintendo Switch game, either. The environments are plain and predictable while the effects lack spectacle. It’s more than adequate though, just don’t expect to be spellbound by what you see.

If you enjoy a slower game with a brilliant and touching story or stories in which, to get the most out of it, you have to give it your full attention, then The Lion’s Song may very well be a game that you will love and think about for months to come. The unique art style and its attention to the smaller details only add to the intrigue. It has its problems, sure, and they do start to become a bigger issue as you progress further, but none will make you want to put the game down, as, by that point, it will already have its hooks into you.

I had a blast with the female fighters of the arcade era. It’s a great brawler and the whole Super Smash Bros. element works a treat. There’s definitely enough depth and wackiness to keep things interesting – at least for as long as you have others to play against.

Road to Ballhalla is a simple idea with enough neat additions of its own to keep you engaged throughout its twenty-plus levels. Filling that Super Monkey Ball sized gap nicely, this fiendishly difficult ball rolling experience may be a little on the short side but should please those after a challenge they can easily jump in and out of.

While it never emotionally enticed me quite as much as games like Journey or Embers of Mirrim did, I still found Planet Alpha’s Pandora-inspired world a mesmerising and interesting place to explore.

Blade Strangers does a decent enough job at building the bridge between the simplicity of Pocket Rumble and the anime flair of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. The lean towards concentrating on core fundamentals makes this all-star brawler an approachable but enjoyable throwdown for those that are keen to make their mark in the genre. While the game’s easy execution may not entertain hardened enthusiasts for long, those that don’t have the time to surgically pick apart the demanding layers of the genre should certainly get a good fix out of this one.

There’s still a decent enough fast-paced platformer to be found here, and one that fits snugly with the portable nature of the Nintendo Switch.

All-Star Fruit Racing is a decent enough kart racer that offers a few interesting ideas of its own but unfortunately suffers in a few areas whether it’s the awkward control scheme, confusing weapon system or even a general lack of online features. There’s fun to be had from this fruit-inspired title, sure, but perhaps a little ripening could have helped sweeten this uneven racer.

The Messenger is a prime example on how to study the fundamental rules of a genre that has been replicated a million times before. To then follow these rules, bend them and eventually break them into something of its own calibre of quality is something quite special indeed.

Gunhouse never lacks in spectacle, but it won’t take long before you recognise that the gameplay loop that it looks to hook you on is a shallow one. This collision of genres can still entertain, but it needed a few more ideas that remixed its own concept to keep the player’s interest from waning too quickly. It’s good in short bursts, but lacking in depth.

You don’t find many games that are this punishing, and I can certainly see why a lot of people would be put off by the trial and error style gameplay. You have no doubt played many titles over the years that were inspired and influenced by Another World. Sure, it may have lost its magic over the last 27 years but that is only to be expected. For what it did for gaming in the early 90’s, it deserves to be experienced nonetheless.

I love a good teamwork-focused party experience and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes easily ranks among one of the best examples out there. The puzzles are satisfying to solve for everyone involved even fifty or so bombs in and the use of a physical manual outside the game is an ingenious idea. Sure I might have fun blowing things up in video games but Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes has proven I can have just as much fun doing the opposite.

The focus on a younger, much more adaptable generation of survivor seems a fitting plot to kick off The Walking Dead: The Final Season. With AJ learning the ropes of how to adapt with his peers and Clementine’s life experiences set up to be put to the test, it looks to be a promising farewell for the popular corner of the franchise. We know by now from previous games that despite the choices you make, the plot generally steers towards the same direction. However, the implementation of small blurbs for each character based on your decisions is a nice spin to the stats as the credits roll.

Hello Neighbor could be fun, within the right parameters. The neighbour would hold a lot more terror if his actions carried any weight. The puzzling aspect of switches, hidden doors and traps would be more enjoyable were they staged within an inspiring world or using interesting concepts. But the game fails on all of these points, not holding attention, not really projecting any fear beyond the first few encounters, and the world feels as flat as the polygons used to build it.

If you loved Limbo then do not hesitate, just grab your Switch and buy Inside. For such a simple game, it is remarkable how much variation there is. Puzzles are expertly thought-out, the atmosphere is top-notch and its crammed full of memorable moments. It’s a stunning but desolate adventure that I urge you to try out. Even though it’s a short experience, it makes you consider what you have just gone through long after completion. It is one of the standout games in the Switch’s ever-growing library.

Long after money has exchanged hands, Penny-Punching Princess will be remembered for the pun-packed, zany adventure that it casts you out on. The game’s inherently repetitive nature will mean it’s best chipped away at over time, but, while some imbalance with the difficulty can irritate, bribing everything in sight with the magical calculator allows it to leave a lasting impression than others on the portable home console.

I would argue that Hammerwatch is best experienced with a group of like-minded adventurers. There’s far more fun to be found in the chaotic mayhem of heroically charging down a corridor together, slinging spells at your enemies, cutting them down to size and knocking back an arrow or two, compared to when having to endure the game’s repetitive design alone. There are enough successes to consider a purchase, and even more so once online support arrives.

Ultimately Mecho Tales is derivative, borrowing tried and tested ideas rather than coming up with anything that ever surprises or astounds. It fails to leave a lasting impression to result in another forgettable platformer that is unable to compete with far more memorable and groundbreaking games in the genre that are available on the Nintendo eShop.

Overcooked 2 much like its predecessor is a fun and chaotic experience that truly excels when played with a group. While you might argue this is just more of the same, there are enough tweaks and changes to the formula that help keep things fresh for returning players. A hard recommendation if you’re looking to operate your own kitchen, but gather some friends and you’ll be hard pressed finding a more exciting co-operative time on Switch.

Jupiter has delivered another satisfying slice of Picross bliss. While Picross S2 might be just more of the same, its hard to imagine a way in which the developer could shake things up without ruining what makes the puzzler so addictive in the first place. If you’re hungry for more Picross or just a new puzzler in general then Picross S2 is a safe recommendation, albeit a rather predictable one.

Bomber Crew is increasingly difficult and often frustrating, but it has bags of charm and completely suits the Switch. Playing portably is a great way to experience the game; it looks lovely and contains some wonderful nuances within the sound and features. I loved the little homing pigeon, decaling my plane with garish pictures of Yoshi and solving problems, if only there weren’t so many problems to solve at the same time.

Who could have thought a game focused on squares would be so much fun? Simple on the surface but underneath its minimalistic presentation lays the beating heart of a challenging and extremely satisfying platformer. One packed with content that can be enjoyed whether you’re playing alone or in a group. If you’re on the search for a new eShop purchase then I cannot recommend Flat Heroes enough. An absolute must for fans of the genre.

Dead Cells is a modern-day classic that absorbs the knowledge and spirit of the games that originally coined the terminologies in the first place.

If you’re an avid anime fan that likes a bit of kooky comedy-drama with your spammy beatdowns then Code of Princess EX isn’t too bad a game to carry around in your backpack. Some will undoubtedly find the story getting a bit too much in the way of the action, and the small moveset for each character really doesn’t help to hide its highly repetitive gameplay. It’s good to at least see some meat to its combat though, and the character designs are imaginative enough to land some flair to the story.

Pool Panic is wonderfully weird and so imaginative. While this probably won’t please those after something a little more traditional, its focus on physics-based puzzles is certainly an interesting take. Frustrating, lacking direction but with a world full of character and unique ideas, Pool Panic can be a really fun time albeit one that’s known to scratch every so often.