A great chiptune soundtrack courtesy of Tsuyomi caps things off; it perfectly encapsulates that quiet, isolated feeling, while knowing the perfect time to ramp things up. While the game doesn’t last long (clocking in at around two hours), it uses every second wisely and never outstays its welcome, even if you are left wanting a bit more.

Despite our relative indifference toward the shmup sections and our frustration with some of the puzzles, by the time we cleared each team’s attraction and really got to know the eccentric cast before the intense final chapters, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games had thoroughly hooked us. Individually, the puzzle-solving and shooter elements aren’t anything particularly special, but they come together with some ridiculous characters to form a game greater than the sum of its parts. We’d go so far as to say we like pickles on ice cream now, and – while you might think us as crazy as Binko – we think you might, too.

Gamedec is the kind of game that calls back to a much simpler kind of RPG. You won’t find any creative combat systems or instances of killing god with the power of friendship here — this is much more akin to a point-and-click adventure game with loads of dialogue to get through. If you have a particular love of science fiction or cyberpunk in literary form, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here; if you’re into RPGs for crunching lots of numbers and fighting cool foes, you won’t find much. If you think Gamedec sounds like your kind of thing, we’d definitely suggest giving it a try. Aside from occasional graphical glitches and dialogue non sequiturs, Gamedec does a great job of achieving what it sets out to do.

Wreckfest is one of the more impressive Switch ports we've seen, taking a game that already had performance issues on more powerful hardware and delivering a relatively stable version with reasonable loading speeds and all its debris-flinging carnage fully intact. Handheld play is a little less visually acceptable, and the Switch tax rears its ugly head again, but just like the rough-and-ready roadsters in the game, we ultimately had a great time behind the wheel.

Roller Champions has potential; the core gimmick and gameplay are both lots of fun and it’s satisfying blasting your enemy across the court with a dropkick as they’re about to score three points against you. However, it lacks in pretty much every other department and there’s just not enough content in here to satisfy anyone. Add in the performance and blurry visual issues on Switch, and we can’t really recommend the game on Nintendo’s console in its current state. It is free-to-play, so it’s worth a try if anything we've mentioned sounds interesting, but unless some serious updates are made to this version, you're definitely best off playing it on a different platform if at all possible.

Sonic Origins is simply more of the same, which is both its greatest strength and weakness. On one hand, it’s a near-definitive way to experience four stone-cold classics that represent some of the highest peaks of Sonic's career. On the other, most of these games are already readily available and there aren’t many new features or additions to justify buying them yet again. If you don’t already have a reliable or convenient way of playing these games now, or this is genuinely your first time playing through them, then we’d say that Sonic Origins is the go-to way to experience Sonic’s 2D heyday. Otherwise, we’d encourage you to either wait for this to go on sale or just pass on it.

A masterful, intricate work of fantasy which weaves together themes of history, magic, power, and corruption over a four-part story, Sorcery! is a pitch-perfect adaptation of the choose-your-own-adventure books from the '80s, and one of the best narrative games on Switch. A few bugs and issues here and there dent the experience, but it's hard to mind too much when the rest is just so good.

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is one of the most interesting visual novels we’ve played through in a while. The murder mystery at its heart is brought to life by some great writing and quirky characters alongside the satisfyingly integrated, beautifully balanced Psync puzzle elements. Even with some minor control issues, there is a lot to love in this game even if you never picked up the original. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit curious.

No matter how much we like the game itself — and we like it a lot — it's very hard to recommend picking up this poor Nintendo Switch version as things stand. Without the technical issues, this one's an easy recommendation and a solid start to a fantastic RPG trilogy. However, in its launch state, it's a much harder sell. Fingers crossed we see a patch ASAP.

If it gets a patch that fixes the performance issues and most egregious bugs then you're looking at one of the most entertaining RPGs on Switch; it's that good. For now, however, we're left shaking our heads and wondering why on earth Shadowrun: Dragonfall has been re-released in this state.

For now, we'd steer clear of another disappointing port for Harebrained Schemes' stellar series.

The Shadowrun Trilogy is a superb trio of RPG classics that we were psyched to get stuck into all over again on Nintendo Switch. However, constant performance issues, including stuttering frame rates, long loading times, unresponsive and sticky controls, and a serious bug that freezes your game entirely at points, means that this is a series of ports we find it very difficult to recommend picking up as things currently stand at launch. Let's hope there's a significant patch on the way ASAP as these are games that deserve to be played by as many people as possible.

Capcom Fighting Collection does exactly what it sets out to do, and bar a few very minor presentational oversights, is a product with years of longevity. It’s a shame to lose those bonus characters present in previous console releases, and you do need to consider what appeals to you when considering a purchase. If you want the best Darkstalkers collection, look no further. If you want to experience Red Earth and take it online, the time has finally arrived. Or, for Street Fighter II diehards, Anniversary Edition’s modernised netcode really lets you be a world warrior…Bar Red Earth, however, this isn’t the first time these games have been released, and it surely won’t be the last. A purchasing decision comes down to how many times you have bought these titles before, how much time you spend on MAME (which has been a viable, albeit illegal, option for years) or whether or not you just want the most polished, accurate, easy-access fighting game experience to date, either at home on your TV or portably on the go. If you fall into the latter category, it’s a no-brainer.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a thoroughly entertaining mash-up of Musou mayhem, strategy and relationship-building aspects that should more than satisfy fans of both the franchises involved here. It improves upon its 2017 predecessor in several ways, most notably in providing a far more engaging story featuring a narrative that's ripe for several replays. With impressively solid performance on Switch and an action-packed campaign that'll see you blasting your way through tens of thousands of foes for a good 30 hours in a single playthrough, this is right up there with the very best Omega Force has served up thus far.

Fall Guys’ brand of chaotic fun is still great all of these years later, and the free-to-play Switch release is no different, assuming you can ignore your opponents' choppy frame rate. While there are some disappointing elements linked to cross-progression, those ultimately won't matter if this is your first time entering the Blunderdome. Some moments of lag and frame rate quirks aside, the Switch version offers a solid way to play if you're looking for some barmy 60-bean battling and the barrier to entry has never been lower.

Final Vendetta does an able job of using and enhancing tried and tested formulas of the past, and is great fun for either one or two players. Its brevity is ameliorated by its single-credit format; a bold but welcome move that makes learning to clear it rewarding for all the right reasons – but it’s a setup some may struggle with. There’s still room for experimentation in this genre with regard to original systems, and sadly Final Vendetta doesn’t really attempt any of that, instead opting for more traditional '90s arcade fare – albeit with lots of variation in how you smack people around. If that’s enough to tickle your fancy, you’ll feel well-served by Bitmap Bureau’s stab, but others might feel like they’ve walked this street before.

The Hand of Merlin may not bring anything new to the table, but fans of tough strategy games like XCOM will still find plenty to love here. The unforgiving roguelite structure and decision-driven gameplay offer up a lot of engaging content, even if these elements are held back a bit by the boring graphics and an interface that’s not very controller friendly. If you can overlook those faults and you’re a strategy game enthusiast looking for your next fix, we’d suggest you grab hold of The Hand of Merlin.

From its excellent writing, music, and presentation to its intense and satisfying core gameplay, Neon White is one of the most exciting things we’ve played all year, and it’s a game we can't see ourselves putting down for a long time as we try to best our previous times. It successfully brings together elements from apparently disparate genres in new and exciting ways and seems poised to become the next great speedrunning title. It's one that action game fans and Switch owners in general won't want to miss.

Two years in the making, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome multiplayer the experience evolves again and again. Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that’s more a fault of the concept than the game. Our only regret is that we didn’t use anywhere near enough puns in this review, so let’s close by saying Shredder’s Revenge is an unprecedented shell-ebration.

Cloud Gardens is a gentle-looking, gentle-sounding toy in the “chill” genre. It has a pretty good game hung on top, participation in which is largely optional. Noio’s stated aim “to fill you with satisfaction without the frustration” is a motto that’s been observed. Your mileage will vary based on what you find satisfying and what you find frustrating, but the gameplay, the themes, the music, the sound, and the graphics are all of a piece, admirably on-message, and contribute to a unique, bittersweet atmosphere.

Demon Slayer: -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles is a very solid action game, presenting a gripping story and thrilling action combat alongside an art style that almost perfectly matches the popular anime. Though combat can sometimes feel a bit shallow and the performance isn’t always perfect, we’d still give this one a strong recommendation, even to those who don’t have any background with the anime or manga.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II does a solid job of building on the foundation of its predecessor, capitalizing on engaging combat, player-driven storytelling, and deep character-building systems to make for a satisfying and very replayable RPG. The downsides of this Switch port are that it’s rather buggy in its launch state and the game is often content to simply repeat the ideas that made its predecessor successful without adding to them in any notable way. We've got hopes that post-launch improvements will come alongside the upcoming (and free) Sith Lord Restored Content DLC — a very welcome addition that will really complete this package. Despite its faults, we’d still give KOTOR II a strong recommendation, though we’d suggest you play the original game first and then move on to this one if you still want more.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a masterclass in competitive game design. What it lacks in options is more than made up for by just how much fun the game is, and it’s absolutely gorgeous to boot. As it stands it already feels like a complete product, but the promise of future updates down the line gives us even more to get excited about. If arcade sport action isn’t your bag, it’ll likely do nothing to sway your opinion, but if you have even a passing interest in this kind of caper, Mario Strikers: Battle League is the best sports game on Switch right now.

Between multiple endings that can be unlocked depending on what quests you complete and more difficult game modes for those who like a punishing challenge, there is a lot to each playthrough of Lost Ruins that will keep players coming back. Though the overall combat can be a little repetitive, there is enough exploration and weapon variety to ensure that there will be a combat style to suit you. If you're a fan of Metroidvania or survival titles, or very attractive pixel art, there is a lot to enjoy here, but the challenge can be unbalanced at times.

Behind the Frame’s mobile roots show, and the Switch’s touchscreen comes into its own. The story didn’t exactly keep us guessing, but went to an interesting place. The graphical art and music are the stars, and the sub-2-hour playtime means they stay fresh to the last. Putting the length and price on one side so you can factor them in for yourself, we really rate the experience here as a piece of art worth getting into.

Biomotor Unitron seems like an awesome mecha-building RPG that draws inspiration from some of our favourite classic games, but in reality it’s a shallow curiosity with a fair share of charm to sink an afternoon or two into and not much more. The pieces are here – in fact, we’d love to see a Biomotor Unitron-like game made with modern sensibilities – but the motivation to motor on through the monotonous random battles to rank up in the arena depends wholly on how much you’ll enjoy some vivid sprites and catchy retro tunes.

Souldiers is one of those games that’s disappointing simply because a small number of critical issues hold it back from the greatness it comes so close to achieving. A large world to explore, tough combat system, and an outstanding art style are weighed down by ridiculous load times and poor difficulty balancing. It’s a real testament to the game’s strengths that we’d still give it a recommendation, though perhaps with the caveat that you may want to try it on another platform than Switch, if possible — we really hope that further patches can iron out the issues. At any rate, we’d say Souldiers is certainly worth your time, but maybe this isn’t one to rush out and buy right away.

Card Shark is the kind of game that at first blush seems like it just won’t work. Lots of dialogue bookended by brief, simplistic minigame sequences seems like it would make for an experience that would lose its luster quickly, yet we couldn’t put it down. Witty writing, high-stakes gameplay, and a gorgeous art style all come together here to make for a game that’s well-executed and unique in its appeal. If you’re looking to try something awesome that notably bucks most modern gaming trends, Card Shark is absolutely something we’d recommend, well worth your time and money.

For fans of Pac-Man and his historical pedigree, this is the best round-up yet, spanning decades and featuring his most notable titles. It’s the kind of collection the current Wonder Boy release should have been. The arcade overworld is a nice touch, although the frame rate is a big letdown and really should have been ironed out. And, while you might spend a while tinkering and designing your arcade space, the attraction of the gimmick is ultimately short-lived. Presentation deficiencies aside, though, one can’t really fault the comprehensiveness of the collection, nor the quality of the titles themselves (well, except Pac in Time). It’s a Pac-festival, and while it certainly has limited appeal, it offers countless hours of gaming fun and an interesting historical insight into the yellow orb’s evolution.

Scoring the Wonder Boy Collection is only partly related to the quality of the games on offer. They’re all excellent for what they are, and were they appraised independently, would do very well. But this is more about the package as a whole. Yes, there’s plenty here to keep you occupied, but at the same time, what could have been is a sticking point. Wonder Boy is a great little series, with games spanning everything from the Master System to the PC Engine, in various guises. It’s not difficult to offer a more extensive library for the broader gaming populace, rather than restrict certain titles to a group profiled for their magpie eyes.

Despite some rough edges, this is a charming platforming experience.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a lovely game, an emotional adventure that represents the apex of the series to date and easily one of the best story-driven games on Switch. It's also excellent value for money, offering around ten hours of game for its low price, more if you really take your time and soak the whole thing up the way you really should do. While the character designs are a little too familiar, the characters themselves are complex, interesting, and likeable, and the story told with them is a complete, satisfying tale. Oh, and when the opening suggests playing with headphones? That's a hard agree from us, both to help with the music-based puzzles and simply to enjoy the excellent score.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is more like watching a campy murder-mystery drama than playing a video game, and what gameplay there is often kills the story’s pace. While we enjoyed our time with it all the same, you’ll have to ask yourself how interested you are in watching what amounts to a decent Japanese TV series with mediocre interactivity. For us, we won’t let another FMV murder-mystery developed by Square Enix escape our notice again, though we certainly hope they rework how we uncover the culprits.

Look, there's no way to sugarcoat it — Snow Bros. wasn't worth bringing back. It's pretty much a D-grade arcade game with no interesting hook, and no amount of gussying it up can disguise that. The Monster Challenge mode sounds interesting, but it's DLC. All that was really needed was 'Arcade Archives: Snow Bros,' so that fans could get what they want at a decent price, the game was preserved on a modern console, and we could all just move on with our lives. It's gonna be a snow from us.

Soundfall is interesting and original, but stumbles in its execution. The marriage of rhythm gameplay with a twin-stick shooter is a rocky one, and it’s hard not to think this would be a stronger game overall if it were focused solely on either the shooting or the rhythm elements. It can work harmoniously, but also causes frustration when its two halves pull you in different directions. Yet despite its clumsy moments, we’d still give Soundfall a solid recommendation, as its diverse and catchy soundtrack, RPG-esque character progression, and high replayability make this one easy to love. It maybe could’ve used more practice, but Soundfall overall delivers a strong performance.

While it might seem like our gripes outnumber the improvements in Xeno Reborn, this is still a weird, unique, and overall enjoyable entry point into the Metal Max world. Squad-based, single-player tank-centric games (set in a post apocalyptic world) are few and far between, to put it mildly, so this is still worth your time. And to their credit, instead of simply moving on to a sequel (which they’re doing as well in Metal Max: Wild West), Cattle Call and 24Frame took the time to improve on the foundation laid by Metal Max Xeno, to ambitious if flawed results in Xeno Reborn. You can’t fault the teams for the effort made, and whether they were totally successful or not, the whole of Metal Max Xeno Reborn is still greater than the sum of its parts.

In its launch state on Switch, much of As Far As The Eye is unplayable. For us, neither Quick Game or Custom Matches would last long before we got booted to the Switch’s dashboard. We waited several days for some kind of update to fix both the UI and the egregious crashes and get a better idea of a game that is not without promise, but a patch still hasn't arrived at the time of writing. If or when one does come, As Far As The Eye has the potential to become an intriguing little strategy game with that Civilization-style ‘just one more turn’ effect. But for now, do not get sucked in by its soothing mood and the cute little Pupils.

Seven Pirates H is not a title that wishes to be taken seriously. While there is a decent story and fun characters behind the fan service, the shallow combat can become tiresome after a few hours. It is fun and a lot of the humour lands, but the actual gameplay can be a bit threadbare. While the headline Booby Training mechanic is an interesting way to customise your party, it doesn’t break up the monotony of the gameplay. This is a title that won't keep to occupied too long and is best enjoyed in in fits and starts, and very much within the privacy and comfort of one’s own home.

Do you enjoy waiting for public transit in the rain? Could you bear sitting next to a screaming toddler on a transatlantic flight? Do you think you’d derive pleasure from chopping down trees in the Great Forest over and over again until you had enough light lumber to fulfil three or four requests? If so, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has a delightful little adventure hidden beneath a lot of tedium just for you. If not, we wouldn’t begrudge you for staying clear and hoping Hundred Heroes doesn’t follow too closely in its predecessor’s footsteps. This game certainly has charm, but it makes you work too hard for it.

We’d give Citizen Sleeper a strong recommendation to anybody who liked Disco Elysium or any general role playing games with a heavy emphasis on the role. A synthwave soundtrack, strong writing, and high-pressure gameplay make this a game that’ll be tough to put down once you get into it.

Both of the games that make up Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 benefit from having a light-hearted approach to their story. With gameplay that doesn’t feature too many surprises, the humorous writing and charming characters sand over the rough edges of these older RPGs. While we had a preference for the over-the-top antics and writing of Z.H.P. over Makai Kingdom, both games have plenty to offer both new and existing fans and showcase the humour that has made these and other NIS titles so enduring over the years.

Is Fragrant Story worth picking up? Sure, as a curiosity and conversation piece perhaps. Four bucks isn’t much of an asking price, and the content on offer here is enjoyable and engaging for what it is. For the afternoon it’ll take you to play Fragrant Story, you’ll probably be satisfied with it — then you’ll have seen everything it has to offer, move onto something else, and never boot it up again. If you decide to pass on this one, there’s really not a whole lot that you’re missing out on. Given its low price and goofy nature, though, it may be worth picking up just so you can say you grabbed the last game on the North American eShop before Nintendo locked the doors for good.

Layer Section will always be a high-roller, and if you’ve never played it, you’re in a ride like few others. As a Switch port, on the other hand, the relatively bare-bones production is the only real negative. Notable historical works deserve the gold standard: a bigger, bolder package that offers the best possible representation. To that end, City Connection has failed to do this game the justice it deserves, which makes it very lucky that Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute is still so damn good.

Waifu Impact makes the mistake of assuming that the promise of fan service is enough to carry a game through its runtime, however short. This game takes the Fortnite formula, dips the character controls in digital treacle, strips it of the multiplayer aspect that makes that game fun, and doesn’t add anything worthwhile. It feels more like a proof of concept, with no story or characterisation to speak of. Most importantly, it just isn’t fun to play. Even for the low price from the eShop, the joke here wears thin within half an hour.

Arise: A Simple Story sets out to tell a story as a video game but, smartly, doesn’t overestimate the role of gameplay. Inventive level design drives things forward, but faced with the awkward task of demanding platform-jumping in the aftermath an emotional bombshell, it simply lets the musical and visual storytelling seize their moment. It is only a simple story, but well told.

Bugsnax is a game that is brimming with potential, but struggles in actual execution. Capturing hundreds of adorable snack-themed creatures sounds like such a great idea, but the lack of memorable characters, a frustrating control scheme, repetitive gameplay and numerous technical and design problems, particularly on Switch, makes for a somewhat lukewarm experience. There is certainly fun to be had here, but once you’ve played for a few hours, the magic fades and you’re left with a disappointing game that doesn’t live up to expectations.

“NINE OUT OF TEN,” Alex bellowed as he wrote. “A thoroughly enjoyable expansion of an already classic game treated with love, care, and most importantly a meta awareness that pays tribute to everything that made The Stanley Parable so beloved. It may leave a small few questioning more than they’d like, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.” Alex wondered if this small sound bite could be considered a complete review, but he was certain that if he needed to, he could find a way to pad things out.

We’re hoping that as soon as the online functionality is live Nintendo Switch Sports will make a lot more sense, but as a purely local game there’s a lot to be desired to make this a worthwhile purchase. If you’re keen on simply playing some motion-controlled Wii Sports-like games on your Switch then Nintendo Switch Sports might bring you a good bit of enjoyment, but if you’re looking for something a little deeper and with a bit more variety than the game you first played on Wii, you’ll probably be left somewhat disappointed. [Review in Progress]

Dungeons of Dreadrock is a well-designed puzzle game that cleverly builds on its formula throughout its brief run. Those of you looking for a good game to wind down with before bed may want to give this a look, though we would encourage investigating the smart device version if you're happy to play on mobile.

Despite us making numerous comparisons to the Super Nintendo game, Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined is, for the vast majority, a completely new entry in the series. And that’s worth celebrating for several reasons. Tengo Project, well aware of the original’s pedigree, was smart enough to only use it as inspiration, rather than attempt to follow its lead beat-for-beat. Within this modern framework, the developer has constructed a thrilling tapestry of light, colour, and action-packed junctures for hardcore gamers to get their teeth into. Is it better than Natsume’s venerable 1992 outing? No, but it’s about on par, albeit for slightly different reasons. Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined is a blessing, a gorgeous-looking, delightfully artful new interpretation of a much-loved classic, and a noteworthy example of what can be achieved, creatively, with the 2D medium. If you’re even mildly into the application of old-school gaming disciplines, it should be snapped up without a second thought.

Blast Brigade is a difficult game to review. It's a lot of fun and we enjoyed our 20 or so hours with it, mopping up secrets and collectables. We can't recommend it enough if you've still got a hankering for Metroidvanias, but those exhausted with the formula aren't going to find any major deviations here. Perhaps we would feel differently had the game come out a couple of years ago, but now? Blast Brigade is still a terrific Metroidvania, and one of the best we've played outside of the very tippy-top tier (Symphony of the Night, et al). Get it straight away if you even slightly think you will enjoy it, because you almost certainly will. It has the same affection packed into it as the likes of Kaze and the Wild Masks, a real love letter to Metroidvanias. Truly exceptional it isn't, but Blast Brigade remains a great time if you're not suffering from genre fatigue.

Similarly to the many doggos it stars, it’s tough to find much to dislike about The Last Friend. Fast-paced tower defense action, a gorgeous art style, satisfying progression, and a goofy story make this one an easy recommendation. Plus, you can pet all the dogs! What more could you want?

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a surprisingly solid Switch port of one of our favourite Rebellion titles thus far. There's a ton of zombie Nazi-slaying sweetness to get stuck into here and, although the graphics have taken a hit and the frame rate has been halved in comparison to other platforms, what's here is eminently playable in both docked and handheld modes. Whether you're taking on Hitler's undead hordes alone or with a few friends in tow, this one's a ton of schlocky B-movie fun that gets a great big thumbs up from us.

Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro gives us one of the most mystifying pieces of software to hit the public domain in recent times. If it could muster even a stable 30 FPS, it would likely be a commendable arcade action adventure, featuring nice mechanics, stage variety, large bosses and pleasing graphics. Possibly, even, a highlight in its genre. As it stands, it’s so confusing a technical train wreck that we can barely make sense of why it's been released in this condition. Should a patch materialise that resolves these issues entirely you can add at least three points to our current score, but at present technical problems gravely undermine the positives.

Is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed worth picking up? Eh… potentially. What we have here is a shallow, short, and rather mediocre action game that’s relying awfully hard on nostalgia and the popularity of the Star Wars IP to draw in players. Based solely on its own merits, there’s little here that’s really worth your time. Simplistic level designs, weak combat, frequent quick time events, and low replay value make this one hard to recommend. It’s got a decent story and soundtrack, but neither of these things are good enough to outweigh the negatives. If you’re just looking for another Star Wars game to add to your collection, this certainly fits the bill; if you’re looking for a high-quality hack ‘n’ slash, it doesn’t. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is simply a passable game; not one we’d actively avoid, but you’re not missing much if you choose to skip it.

Formula Retro Racing is far from a bad racing game. It’s perfectly fine, it handles well enough and it does a good job of replicating the art style of the early '90s arcade era. But its performance issues on Switch and the frustrating AI behaviour means that it should only really be considered if you’ve absolutely rinsed everything to do in Sega Ages Virtua Racing and are looking for something else to scratch a similar itch.

Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a solid, fun hack-and-slash that doesn’t take too long to finish and looks gorgeous while you’re playing it, but it never reaches the heights of some of the classics from either franchise. What's here feels polished, but a lack of extra modes and features will be disappointing to fans of both series. Still, the game's charm lies in the Neptunia and Senran Kagura characters and their interactions, with writing that delivers great, unexpected punchlines that help give the game some focus. If you are a fan of either series, this is definitely worth playing despite its lack of depth. It just might be one to wait for a sale before picking up.

Toodee and Topdee is fantastically imaginative puzzle game with exceptional variety wrung out of its core conceit. It struggles most when it asks for dynamic execution of puzzle solutions, but even then it’s pretty decent. This side-on / top-down puzzler is one that other games should look up to.

Ultimately, Demon Turf: Neon Splash is a much better game than its predecessor thanks to the complete removal of the underwhelming combat. Not only that, but the experience feels more focused and streamlined without the requirement of a hub world or mandatory collectibles. This is Demon Turf at its best, and we sincerely hope to see more of the same in a true sequel later down the line.

Nobody Saves the World is a thrillingly well-paced and enjoyable action adventure that Switch owners won’t want to miss. An addictive quest system, surprisingly deep class system, attractive art style, and punchy combat all come together to make for a varied and engaging experience that oozes quality at every turn. If you’re a fan of RPGs with a lot of customization, old-school Zelda games, or classic arcade beat ‘em ups, Nobody Saves the World is absolutely a title you need to add to your library.

The blend of all-out action, deep strategy, and Ancient's irreverent humour is as enjoyable as ever here, and smashing a huge castle-tank into evil things never stops being fun. Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness plays its story for laughs but the game itself is an expertly crafted challenge with lots to do and plenty more to keep coming back for.

Although Tormented Souls is a commendable homage to classic survival horror games, its focus on the past is unfortunately its biggest downfall.

When it all works like it should, The House of the Dead: Remake is a fun update of a Sega arcade classic. The performance can be janky and the controls clunky on its default settings, but if you’re willing to put the time in to tweak them you should get something you’re happier with. You shouldn’t have to do that with a light gun shooter, though, and the fact you do has to go down as a failing on the game’s part.

Slipstream’s retro design feels a little by-the-numbers to us (its cool 2D/3D visual effect aside), but that’s not to say it doesn’t pull off the mechanics well. It shouldn’t be the first game in your retro racing collection with the likes of Sega Ages Out Run and Horizon Chase Turbo already available, but if you’ve played through those and are itching for more then you could do a lot worse than this, especially given its modest price.

The ultimate question is whether you should play MLB The Show 22 on Switch. Well, it depends. If it's your main or only platform and you're happy playing CPU and offline games, then yes, it's not bad and holds things together just enough for gameplay to be enjoyable. If you want an 'on-the-go' version to accompany a more powerful home console version, perhaps on Game Pass, then it's another yes. If you want to mainly play online in Diamond Dynasty? No, this isn't the way to go. MLB The Show 22 is admirably packed with content and features, but it's not entirely comfortably packed into the diminutive Switch. It lacks the fluidity and crispness found elsewhere, which is perhaps expected but doesn't change the fact. If you're happy with the compromises, though, then step up to the plate.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a wonderful achievement for dynamic storytelling, as it puts forth a compelling and multifaceted narrative that’ll keep you guessing right up until the very end. This excellent story, combined with enjoyable combat portions, a striking art style, and some top-notch voice acting make for an experience that you won’t want to miss out on. It’s the kind of game that’ll have you wishing that you could play it again for the first time, just so all its best elements could be new again. We’d give 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim a strong recommendation, then, to anyone who has even a passing interest in visual novels. Even if that doesn’t describe you, we’d still say to give it a shot; you might just be surprised at how well it grabs you.

It’s a shame that, with the release of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, we likely won’t see a comprehensive remaster or even a full remake of this underrated gem for a long while, leaving us with a somewhat underwhelming version on Switch that isn’t much beyond a port. Regardless, the portability of the Nintendo's console and the inclusion of Radical Dreamers still makes this the best and most convenient way for fans and newcomers alike to play the 22-year-old classic and its pseudo-prequel. It's a good game and having easy access to it is a boon — just don't go in with more than modest expectations when it comes to the remaster effort.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a fantastic experience on Switch, a great big celebration of everything Star Wars that's made the jump to Nintendo's console in surprisingly fine form. The upgrades to the series' core gameplay here — the combo-focused combat, flashy space battles, boss encounters, over-the-shoulder shooting action and cover system — all combine to make this the best LEGO Star Wars has ever felt to play. Throw in a humongous open world setting that's bursting at the seams with secrets and collectibles and you've got an absolute smorgasbord of all things Star Wars to dig into. Turns out we were fools to think we could ever get tired of Jedis and lightsabers and the pew-pew-pew of flashy space guns.

This will probably be held up as anti-intellectual in some way, or part of the crowd who scream every time they see a "walking simulator" (a grossly reductive label), but really, this just isn't good art. Of course that's subjective and sure, maybe you'll be profoundly moved in a way that we didn't experience, but we'd wager it's unlikely. It's a game that seems to coast along and then just... fizzle out with no major revelation or real hook. What's a generous word for that? Meditative. It's meditative. Really meditative. Sort of like... sleeping.

Touken Ranbu Warriors is a game best suited for players with little experience with the Dynasty Warriors series in general. If this is meant to appeal primarily to fans of the free-to-play games – with far lower expectations when it comes to action games – as a great big slice of Touken Danshi fan service, this will be a great addition to their collection. For players less versed in the world of Touken Ranbu, this is a much harder sell, offering a rote, repetitive game loop that does little to slake your thirst for a more meaningful, evolving game experience. This criticism could arguably apply to all of the Warriors games, but where the bigger license-based games add to the formula, Touken Ranbu Warriors feels like a distillation. In a lot of ways and for certain audiences this is perfectly fine. By this point in time, the Dynasty Warriors machine is a well-oiled, refined and polite product; the video game equivalent of a Honda Civic. But even with a well-loved product as reliable as that, there comes a point when it's just time to get with the times.

The central loop of battling, chatting and levelling up is as compelling as you could ever want it to be, with an interesting story told well and a meaty 20 hours or so of no-frills tactics. Dark Deity lacks the romance options of Fire Emblem, as well as the first-party flair you expect from a Nintendo title, but the latter is hardly surprising and would be an unreasonable standard to hold almost any indie game to. Dark Deity delivers a convincing and essentially satisfying facsimile of GBA Fire Emblem, but perhaps fails to stand on its own two feet. Then again, we're not sure that was ever really the point.

Imp Of The Sun stands alongside the likes of Smelter, MindSeize and Cobra Kai as a flawed game that nonetheless has an enormous amount to offer and is likely to be criminally ignored. If you're after something off the beaten track, we urge you to consider the sixes and sevens of this world and give them a chance. We don't think Imp Of The Sun will be anyone's favourite game, but we do think that anyone who picks it up will remember it later on and go "oh yeah, Imp Of The Sun. That was a good time!"

.hack//G.U. Last Recode isn’t a bad game, it’s just aggressively mediocre. These three games weren’t fantastic when they were new and, surprise surprise, they still aren’t great now. Repetitive dungeon design, extremely easy combat, and an often nonsensical narrative prove to be this release’s greatest weaknesses, holding it back from fulfilling the interesting concept of its premise. Still, if you want the nostalgia trip or for some reason aren’t satisfied with the near-bottomless list of more interesting RPGs on the Switch, it may be worth the punt. We’d give this one a light recommendation, then, but would say you’re better off picking up the remasters of Final Fantasy XII or Shin Megami Tensei III if you’re looking for a worthwhile sixth-generation RPG. If it’s specifically the concept of a single player MMO that interests you, then either CrossCode or one of the Xenoblade releases will scratch that itch far better.

Andro Dunos II is a resounding success. That a small indie developer can bat alongside the likes of M2 and Platinum and, honestly, with greater overall success, is always uplifting. Further inspiring, is how — superficial IP notwithstanding — it manages to be so utterly exacting to arcade standards of the '90s, and at the same time feel breathtakingly original. Its craftsmanship, from weapon negotiations and experimentation, to the way each stage is cleverly built to aid a variety of approaches and play styles, is top notch. Andro Dunos II looks good, sounds great, and plays wonderfully.

For its relatively low price, The Ramp does control reasonably well, and although the range of tricks on offer is undoubtedly quite limited, there's plenty of fun to be had here if you're not bothered about gaining scores or doing tasks like collecting S-K-A-T-E tokens. If you're after something a bit meatier, then you'll be better off going for something like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, or OlliOlli World, but The Ramp does have a certain minimal charm which we enjoyed.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a great big colourful joyride of an adventure for our little pink pal. This first fully three dimensional mainline entry in the franchise is bursting at the seams with fun and inventiveness, managing to transpose everything we know and love about past Kirby games to this all-new arena whilst adding plenty of delightful new aspects as it goes. Mouthful Mode is just as daftly entertaining as it looked in the trailers, each and every level is packed full of secrets and dripping in wonderful detail, and there are enough side activities, collectibles and co-op fun here to keep you entertained and coming back for more for a good long while. What a grand way to celebrate 30 years of Planet Popstar's finest.

Is Rune Factory 5 for you? Well, that depends. Do you like RPGs or farm sims? If you answered yes to either or both, then you’re sure to find something you’ll love in this release. Even so, it might be worth waiting for a modest sale before you take the plunge. The relaxing pace, RPG elements, and charming aesthetic make this a compelling experience, but issues with poor performance, disappointing visuals, and sometimes clunky gameplay hold Rune Factory 5 back from greatness. If 3D visuals aren’t a dealbreaker for you, we’d recommend you pick up Rune Factory 4 Special first, as it’s cheaper and oddly feels more modern in some respects. Despite flawed execution, we’d still give Rune Factory 5 a recommendation — if its precise and unique genre blend really clicks with you, you'll forgive many a flaw. Just know that it doesn’t truly excel in any area.

It's a tentative "yes", then, to this fascinating and flawed stealth game with an impressive sense of place; some will bounce off it harder than our Switch bounced off the wall when we got caught by yet another guard, but many will find it atmospheric, challenging and compelling. Definitely worth your attention, even if it's just to find out you don't like it.

WRC 10 contains significantly more content than its already packed predecessor, and can provide extremely satisfying rally gameplay once you get used to its (accurately) unforgiving handling. This is let down, however, by the game's visuals, which are tolerable while docked but look awful when playing in handheld. As long as you can put up with how it looks, there should be enough here to keep you busy for months.

Dawn of the Monsters stumbles into some of the more common pitfalls of belt-scrolling fighters, but it has enough flair, polish and excitement to be a more than worthy offering, particularly played in couch co-op with a friend. We wish there were a few more playable creatures, but the ones on offer here are all very distinct and enormous fun to get to grips with. It's a richly rewarding game, with higher ranks unlocking new skins and upgrades from the in-game shop (don't worry, no microtransactions here) which offer an incentive to keep playing — though the real reason you'll stick with Dawn of the Monsters is that it is, quite simply, very good indeed. While it has a few problems, they're nothing that will stop you having a blast with this Brobdingnagian beat-'em-up.

Overall, Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is enjoyable and gives a modern classic a thrilling new spark of life. After blasting through the race classes, it's likely the itch will be back and we'll be back in the online lobbies once again, eagerly awaiting the five further waves to come between now and the end of 2023. That's the key takeaway we took early on while sampling the Booster Course Pass — you can't go far wrong with 'more Mario Kart'.

Gal Gun: Double Peace knows its audience, almost too well. Its entertainment factor is centred around crass perversion dressed up like a Saturday morning kid’s cartoon; and, if anyone attempts to tell you it’s a play on satire addressing the difficulties Japanese women face in a largely sexist society, feel free to laugh loudly in their face. That said, this is admittedly more of a game — and an altogether better game — than most that fall into the ecchi category. While simplistic, there’s nothing particularly broken about it, and its Expert Mode does offer a playable enough game to be mildly involving. But, if you don’t have a particular affection for its window-dressing, there’s not a great deal here to keep rail-shooting fans engaged.

It took us around 10 hours to complete our first playthrough of Wife Quest, which is not a bad run considering the low entry price. There is a lot of personality and style on display here, and players who want to go for all the trophies in the game will have plenty to come back to. Save for a few small visual hiccups and the fact that the game's humour is often an acquired taste, there isn’t really a lot to pick fault with here; it's fun, short, and well-balanced enough to keep it from ever becoming overwhelmingly difficult. While it's not quite in the same league as the likes of Hollow Knight and Axiom Verge, if you're a fan of Metroidvania titles, then Wife Quest is yet another title worth checking out on Switch.

In its mission to make you listen to its music, A Musical Story practically hands you a blindfold. The story asks you to relax into its acid-trip jam-session cool, but somewhat harshes the mellow with its insistence on repeating long phrases until they’re perfect. However, it looks and sounds fabulous, and will reward perseverance and repeated plays.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax may not be the Persona game everyone’s been clamoring for on the Switch, but we’re certainly not complaining. P4AU offers up an approachable, yet incredibly deep 2D fighting combat system, a neat RPG-lite mode that guarantees solo players will have lots to do, and all this is presented in Arc System Works’ signature and striking hand-drawn art style. While the story mode is a complete bore and there’s no rollback netcode in this version, we think P4AU on Switch is still absolutely worth your time, although if you're going to be playing online, you'll likely want to investigate the game on other platforms first. For portable fans, however, we’d give it a recommendation whether you’re a fighting game enthusiast or you’re just looking to give the genre a shot; this is definitely one of the better fighting games on the Switch.

Those of you who were big fans of Castle Crashers or Streets of Rage 4 will find plenty to love here. Young Souls smartly mixes RPG-lite elements with a compelling story, non-linear structure, and some impressively satisfying beat ‘em up combat to make for an experience that you won’t want to miss. Despite some rare performance hiccups which tarnish the Switch version slightly compared to the more powerful platforms, Young Souls still proves itself to be one of the best beat ‘em up titles on the system, and we’d give this one a high recommendation to anyone who enjoys a good brawler, co-op or solo.

Aztech Forgotten Gods had a lot of potential that is unfortunately wasted. On the plus side, the game is artistically pleasing, with well-designed enemies and a city that at least provides a nice bit of visual variety. In terms of gameplay, however, the whole thing is a bit of a mess, with poor combat mechanics and a daft camera causing way too much hassle than it’s worth. Minor distractions in the form of cosmetic customisation proves a nice little touch, but sadly Aztech: Forgotten Gods’ core gameplay is simply far below par, making this an action game you'll probably want to sit out.

Triangle Strategy is an absolute triumph for Artdink and Square Enix, a fantastic mix of satisfyingly strategic battles, an excellent choice-driven campaign narrative and top-notch world-building, all of which come together to form one of the finest tactical RPGs we've played in a very long time. There's an absolute ton of content here, with a huge story featuring multiple paths to take depending on the choices you make and several properly impactful endings to enjoy on return visits. Serenoa Wollfort's epic journey is a joy from start to finish, a grand and ambitious adventure that stands proud as one of the very finest examples of its genre on Switch.

Chocobo GP is a delightful surprise from Square Enix, a slick and addictive effort that serves up chaotic kart racing action featuring a generous roster of Final Fantasy characters battling it out on well-designed tracks inspired by locations from across the franchise's history. Yes, the story mode may be a bit of a misfire, but with plenty of other single player content to dig into and the promise of 64-player carnage via the online Chocobo GP mode, this is one of the most polished and entertaining kart racers currently available on Switch and, with a free Lite version dropping at launch, you've got nothing to lose by checking it out for yourself before committing to a purchase.

There may not be many games in here, but they do cover a broad range of genres and most of them are still great fun to play today. It's just a shame Switch owners have already had access to the majority of them, with the exact same features, for years already. The glaring lack of any extra features make it hard to appreciate the significance of the more obscure or basic titles unless you're prepared to go off and do some homework, and there are some very obvious milestones missing for no reason other than it allows Taito to make more money by splitting the games across multiple collections.

Atelier Sophie 2 stands as a wonderful achievement for Gust and the Atelier series. What we have here is an entry that feels like the perfect fusion of the old and the new. Sophie’s new adventure may not have much to offer up in the story department, but it more than makes up for this with its streamlined design, thrilling combat, expansive world, and addictive alchemy system. This is a title we’d recommend to both longtime fans and newcomers—it's one of the best Atelier releases yet. If you’re at all curious about this one, we’d strongly encourage you to give it a shot.

Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection is a great compilation of some of the series’ most highly-regarded entries. Aside from some combat that lacks depth and a convoluted story, each of the three games included here are absolutely worthy of your time. There’s still plenty of fun to be had if this is your first set of Assassin’s Creed games, with the cities still managing to impress with their sense of scale and historical detail, but some of the dated gameplay elements and glitches may make other entries a better jumping off point. The Rebel Collection is a very fine alternative if you want slightly more modern interpretations of the series, with a seafaring bent. However, if you’re already a fan and are able to tolerate its foibles — old and new — Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection is an enjoyable trip into (video game) history and an easy recommendation.

Once again, Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re:Mind on Switch is impossible to recommend without caveats as long as Cloud gaming relies on an erratic, unreliable provision of service. When it does work, it’s a joy; every bit as good as any given title in the series, a dream to explore and thrilling in its spectacle. But then it falters, the input lag kicks in, and the illusion is taken away in a matter of moments. Buy this game and you are effectively renting an imperfect version for the duration of the Cloud service’s lifespan. Want to play Kingdom Hearts on handheld? Well, there's always the Steam Deck, we suppose.

Ultimately, there are a ton of potential issues you may or may not run into, and seemingly no real advantages to running Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece on Switch — unless you simply have no other choice but to play these games on this console. As a fan, and as a player who just wants a consistent gameplay experience, it's incredibly disappointing. If you can buy this package for another system we'd earnestly implore you to do so — it may not be handheld, but at least it would be yours to keep and it would run reliably and consistently. As it stands, Kingdom Hearts on Nintendo Switch is defined by compromise.

A wonderful experience from the moment you set sail, FAR: Changing Tides builds out the world and gameplay ideas of its predecessor with scale, detail and awesome moments of discovery. Okomotive has started with its original neat mechanic about a left-to-right juggernaut, then taken it in every other direction it could go.

From start to finish, Ocean’s Heart is an enjoyable, albeit short, adventure following the familiar 2D Zelda formula. Having a brand new world to explore, filled with various side quests, should be enough to get any fan of that classic top-down template excited. While the writing and dialogue feels subpar at times, the familiar, yet still-solid gameplay makes up for it. Ocean’s Heart is undeniably a 2D Zelda game in all but name, but Tilia’s adventure shows that a game doesn’t always need to be groundbreaking to be a good time.

While both Dream Drop Distance and Fragmentary Passage are good stuff, this is a much more niche product than the previous compilation, and far more difficult to recommend. It's essential if you're a fan, but... let's face it, if you're a fan, you've already played these games. And on a system on which they run natively, rather than this (again!) erratic, temperamental Cloud Version. We feel like it's our destiny to repeat ourselves on the matter, but if you can buy this package for another system we'd earnestly implore you to do so — it may not be handheld, but at least it would be yours to keep and it would run reliably and consistently. As it stands, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue on Nintendo Switch is yet another compromise. If your internet connection is consistent and strong, it runs great... when it's running great. But, you know, stuff happens. Using Ethernet while docked helps, but it's still putting a sticking plaster on a glaring wound. So, once again, another good package but presented in the worst way. And slightly less good than the last one.

Arriving mere months after its predecessor, we’re happy to report that Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden proves itself to be a satisfying and endearing sequel. It’s mechanically almost an exact copy of the first Voice of Cards, but things like the new setting and Mark Atherlay’s narration help to make it feel like a distinctive entry that stands well on its own. We’d give Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden a high recommendation for anyone looking for another ‘cozy’ game to add to their collection or for players who want to try an engaging, but not overly demanding JRPG. For all its brevity and minimalism, Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is an unforgettable experience.