Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is an interesting entry in a genre that is experiencing a revival of sorts on the Switch thanks to the ever-increasing number of re-releases and brand new experiences. Long-time Kunio fans will find this a rewarding and worthy experience, but newcomers – or anyone who wants to jump into this series – should opt for the far superior River City Girls instead. The time we spent with Kobayashi-san was fun, but a bit repetitive; the franchise can do much better than this, but it's a neat little side-story nonetheless.

Darts Up 3D is an extremely simple game, and a bit off the mark with its presentation, but fun gameplay, satisfying motion controls, and a bevy of multiplayer modes for single- and multi-system play nudge it much closer to the centre of the board than the edge.

At its heart, Minecraft Dungeons is the sort of release that feels like it rides on the coattails of greater games a little too much. If this game did not have the Minecraft branding, it’s not much of a leap to assume that it would scarcely garner any attention based purely on its own merits. The gear system, combat, level design, and presentation is all fine and entertaining in its own right, but there’s little here that we could point to that elevates this game alongside or above peers such as Torchlight II, Diablo III or Path of Exile. Bearing this in mind, we’d give Minecraft Dungeons a very light recommendation to those of you looking for a surface-level introduction to the ARPG genre or for something to play in co-op with the kids. If that doesn’t describe you, then we’d suggest going with either Torchlight II or Diablo III, which both offer a more substantial and fulfilling experience of this genre.

It’s a shame, because Pure Chess is otherwise a well-made title with a lot of visual sheen behind it, and one in which it is fun to learn or practice chess. If your interest only extends to the latter, then Pure Chess is potentially a worthwhile investment, although you may be able to achieve the same goals with cheaper alternatives elsewhere.

The perfect gaming analogy of Jack Sparrow. At times brilliant and able to thrill, while on other occasions accident prone and unsteady on its feet.

Armikrog feels like a game for a different era, for good and ill. While point-and-click adventures can play to the nostalgia of some, they can feel mired in traditions that just don't translate to a more mainstream audience. If the former sounds like something you'd be into Armikrog will probably push your buttons. If the latter sounds like something you fear, Armikrog's lack of clear goals and an expectation of excessive patience means it's probably not for you.

A mixed bag, then, but certainly not unenjoyable.

The games in this third Clubhouse Games Express package are all good fun and certainly executed well, but it's difficult to recommend them too highly when you can get the entire package of games for less than $20.

So, throw away the dud story, the awful presentation and the violence-and-shame-based soft porn and haven’t we got a great little shoot-em-up here? The fact is that this mechanically competent shooter in a classic style from a proven team comes with all those crummy decorations attached. It’s up to you if it’s worth overlooking all the ugliness for the sake of a good game that isn’t particularly world-changing.

A deceptively simple idea that can become laboured and bewildering as well as oddly compelling, Kingdom: New Lands is certainly a curious take on the strategy genre. Its ambiguous, incredibly minimalistic nature will initially intrigue and could easily frustrate in equal measure. Fans of roguelikes or tower defence-style games may prefer more complexity, as the simple mechanics give you control over choices rather than actions and rely on astute observation and perseverance, rather than on skill or improvisation. There is a balance to learn and a set of rules to be discovered, but even with the admittedly gorgeous aesthetic - and progressing beyond the initial stages to where the dilemma of ambition over security ramps up - it may still not be enough of a pay off to reward your time. Definitely one to consider, albeit carefully.

A beautiful game with potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay, there's still no getting away from the fact that this is a 15-year-old GBA title at its core. The dungeon crawling genre has evolved over the years to try and make things feel less repetitive, and while Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX does add some features to try to modernise the process a bit, they tend to fall flat. It's still fun in bursts, it just gets samey after a while.

Despite its strong points, though, it has that feel of a 'second-tier' Nintendo release, not helped by the limitations that 2D play places on the core concept. It's solid but a tad uninspiring, fun but unsurprising, accessible but lacking in witty design.

Just Dance 2022 is okay. It's more of the same with some cool new tracks, a slick and smooth experience overall that plays it safe and works just fine as a result. However, it also constantly pushes its subscription service and ends up feeling a little convoluted and tacky as it spends more time flogging tracks you don't own over letting you enjoy the ones included with the base game. Fans of the series — or anyone who's just danced to even a single track from the series — will know exactly what they're getting here, but newcomers should be aware that they'll need to fork out more cash after buying the game in order to enjoy the full experience.

Behind a laundry list of complaints is an exceptional game of pinball and a loving tribute to the star-spanning story of good vs. evil, but compared to the Wii U version it’s a downgrade in almost every way.

Party Planet looks wonderful on the surface with a bright, colourful, and slick interface that suggests you have a top-quality game in your hands. Unfortunately, though, a series of mini-games that vary from being good to disappointing may well start to feel rather stale after a short time; everything is nice and interesting at first, but there’s little reason to keep playing once you’ve seen each game a couple of times.

Caveblazers doesn’t do enough wrong to be disappointing, but it doesn’t do enough right to be exceptional, meaning that it occupies that awkward space in the middle. The utterly unremarkable visual style and simplistic combat is offset by a surprisingly deep well of unlockables and well-paced progression systems; this is a roguelike that checks all the right boxes, but never becomes more than the sum of its parts. If you enjoyed Risk of Rain or Dead Cells, Caveblazers is a decent recommendation, but also understand that there are far more memorable titles to be found on the eShop.

There is nothing particularly wrong or game breaking about the whole package that often hits the hammer right on the nostalgia feelings for old 16-bit platformer fans, but we can’t fully recommend it because of the usual suspects also being also available on the system (Celeste, Slime-san, Little Triangle and, eventually, Maldita Castilla EX).

Devious Dungeon is far from a bad game. Its feedback loop of exploration, levelling up and gear acquisition makes for a fun and rewarding experience for the first few hours, but its lack of tangible depth ultimately torpedoes the endless potential of its randomly built dungeons. Still, for less than £10, there are certainly worse dungeons to explore.

Overall this is still worth consideration despite its flaws, even if they deprive this one of its full potential.

While some of the slower elements of the original games have been fixed, and The Grand Underground makes up for the comparatively weak Pokédex, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s new art style and a few other stumbles make this pair of games a somewhat disappointing retread of Generation 4. They’re also very clearly in the shadow of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the upcoming open-world-like Pokemon game that has fans hoping it can take the series in exciting new directions beyond 20-year-old mechanics. If the remit of these remakes was to remain faithful to the original Gen 4 pair, we wish they’d also stuck to the pixel-art aesthetic. Aside from The Grand Underground – and the connectivity with the current games in the series – there’s very little reason to play Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl over your original DS copies.

All in all, for cheap, no-frills fun, this is a worthy title. Just don't expect the challenge to be bigger than Brain Training.

There's certainly still some fun to be had for sure, the mixing of fantasy and sci-fi on offer here is an endearing one, and it's noteworthy for the handful of novel features it introduced to the genre back in the day but - with a story and gameplay that were pretty average at the time of its release and haven't aged particularly well in the interim - it's definitely an experience recommended specifically for fans and those of us who wish to see the superlative second game in the series get the chance of a Switch re-release.

Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory is an action-RPG with a snappy, timing-based combat system and well-written dialogue. However, it's a little messy and repetitive in both gameplay and narrative terms, and the game could do a lot more to explain itself.

Patience is a virtue, and those who have it in spades will likely find the outstanding stage design worth enduring some of the other frustrations.

While some of the slower elements of the original games have been fixed, and The Grand Underground makes up for the comparatively weak Pokédex, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s new art style and a few other stumbles make this pair of games a somewhat disappointing retread of Generation 4. They’re also very clearly in the shadow of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the upcoming open-world-like Pokemon game that has fans hoping it can take the series in exciting new directions beyond 20-year-old mechanics. If the remit of these remakes was to remain faithful to the original Gen 4 pair, we wish they’d also stuck to the pixel-art aesthetic. Aside from The Grand Underground – and the connectivity with the current games in the series – there’s very little reason to play Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl over your original DS copies.

Like a classic chocolate cake, Cooking Mama Sweet Shop is comfortingly familiar, dependably tasty, and not about to surprise or delight with any particular twists. It doesn't do much to innovate on the series’ successful recipe of touchscreen microgames and food-based fun, but what's here is solid, and the focus on sweets does play to the series' strengths — even if the 'Shop' side of the equation falls flat. It's also commendably accessible, and backs up its all-ages appeal with simple, easy to read gameplay that's perfect for younger and novice gamers. If you're not specifically into desserts, Cooking Mama 5 is still our pick for the better game, but if you're looking to take a baking break with life's sugarier pleasures, Mama's Sweet Shop is a pretty sweet place to be.

Resident Evil 3 is a solid remake that aptly pays homage to the original RE3 by failing to live up to its immediate predecessor. While the core gameplay remains strong, with engaging gun controls and a new dodge mechanic that very much feels at home, Raccoon City itself feels disappointingly constrained and its star performer, the Nemesis, has been relegated to scripted sequences. The cloud-related hiccups we encountered here serve as a reminder that the technology is far from perfect, but even if it were, Resident Evil 3 is far from essential. We'd recommend it for the most passionate fans of Capcom’s survival horror franchise who are after another quick fix; everyone else should start with — and probably stick with — RE2.

If the five games aren't enough, and the missing online feature is a game-breaker to you, we advise that you might be better off getting the full game which is only $15 more brand new.

The whole thing is presented well enough with a nice clean art style and some entertaining voice samples, which should have kids smiling. The scrolling is a little on the choppy side, which can be a little distracting, but we dare say eight-year-olds are less likely to notice (not that this excuses it, of course). The main issue we have with the game is that its tracks lack diversity. While there are 40 courses in total, in reality these are just four different environments with 10 different layouts each, meaning once you’ve done one four-race GP you know exactly what to expect from the other nine. It’s also very easy – experienced players will have everything unlocked within 90 minutes, but of course it isn’t aimed at experienced players.

There’s a lot to like about Bramble The Mountain King. Through its narration and fantastical environments, Dimfrost Studio does a great job at making you feel like you’re taking part in an unsettling, if a little too long, fable laden with mythological creatures. The game's puzzle-platforming segments do nothing extraordinary, yet strike a nice balance between simplicity and challenge, and though the set camera and cumbersome movement can often get in the way, frequent checkpoints alleviate much of the frustration. However, depending on how much performance issues annoy you – stuttering, pop-in, frame rate drops – this is an adventure that might be best played elsewhere.

There are reworked ideas here that are noteworthy. For fans of the original, it’s interesting to revisit Night Slashers with new characters, new combat options, and a redeveloped and friendlier level of challenge. If that’s all it was, we could probably recommend this remake as a fun arcade diversion that tinkers just enough with the template to offer a fresh experience. The modern visual styling, however, is so lazily done that it's largely unappealing, robbing the game of its aesthetic charm. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, the price tag may still be low enough to not scare you off entirely.

Labo has been labelled a gimmick by its harshest critics, and while we think that's a tad unfair, the Robot Kit does feel like something from the Wii era in terms of its throwaway appeal.

Spellspire is simple, unique, and will make you feel like your English skills are on par with a 10-year old. The fun blend of word puzzle and fantasy adventure is enough to flesh out hours of content, and the snappy interface makes it easy to jump in for a few floors of spellbinding action. Longer play sessions wear a bit thin due to the need to grind, and the inconsistent difficulty makes progression feel less satisfying than it really should. It's not out to impress with its story or visuals, but if you want something quick and easy to play in handheld mode then it's a pretty solid choice. At its current price we'd only really recommend it to players who enjoy word games in general, and maybe keep a dictionary close to hand...

On paper, Flowerworks is an intriguing 2D action-puzzler spin on the Pikmin aesthetic; the dialogue text even blooms onscreen letter by letter, the same way it does in Pikmin.

The Switch could always use another multiplayer game and Spelunker Party! is a good addition to the ever expanding library. It’s challenging, both in reasonable and unfair ways, and it’s length gives players a lot of levels to play through. It might not be something pulled out for newcomers and guests at a party, but it could be a good match for those looking to play together in something that lasts a little longer.

Kingdom of Arcadia is worth a punt if you’re a fan of side-scrolling fantasy games. It doesn’t quite do enough to earn the title of ‘Metroidvania’ in our eyes, but that’s not a bad thing in itself. We’d say it’s closer to your basic linear platformer, and although it has some clear limitations, the core gameplay is definitely strong enough to keep you engaged throughout.

Though Wicked Monsters Blast captures the feel of titles such as Point Blank well, unfortunately the lack of content blows it apart. What's there is of good quality and presented in appealing fashion but, unless you have a regular stream of people ever-ready show off their multiplayer skills, there simply isn't enough of it.

LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins is an enjoyable game that features many of the hallmarks of a quality LEGO title – there's tons of content, a decently crafted campaign and some fun uses of the 3DS hardware. However, it's burdened by several technical issues that sap away at some of its appeal and prevent it from being the handheld blockbuster it could have, and should have, been.

The platforming elements of Love Eternal are delightfully frustrating fun with a limited set of mechanics put to creative and clean use. Multiple levels had me holding my breath, gritting my teeth, and cursing the wayward god who founded the whole endeavour. The hand-drawn levels are as beautiful as their challenges are frustrating. Unfortunately, an overly ambitious narrative coupled with a strange mid-game shift mars the game's myriad charms.

Mahjong CUB3D doesn't revolutionise the game, but it does add an interesting twist.

The Thing: Remastered is another splendid remaster from Nightdive. There's absolutely no issue with the enhancements, control tweaks, and other work that's been done here; it's the game itself, unfortunately, that for well over half of its running time leaves much to be desired. A good start, one that digs into the paranoia and fear of the classic movie with a handful of unique mechanics, is all too soon wasted as tension gives way to sloppy gunfights that aren't fun, no matter how smooth they now play or nice they look. It's certainly still a curiosity, and fans of the movie or returning players will enjoy the nostalgia. But beyond that, it doesn't warrant a hearty recommendation.

Overflow has the ideas, the charm, and the aspiration; what it lacks is the functionality to bring it all together in a meaningful way.

Overall this is a good digital representation of the core card game, but players looking for anything more than that won’t find it here.

RiME on Switch is a disappointing experience, despite the obvious quality of the game itself. As a puzzle-led adventure RiME is enjoyable, atmospheric and at times deeply moving; all of these qualities are undone by spotty performance, low resolution visuals and a frame rate which sputters along like a battered car engine. When played docked things are just about passable, but in handheld mode the game's technical problems sap away the satisfaction of playing it. If you have any other means of accessing the game on other systems then you should pick those over this port; while enough of RiME's magic remains on show, the Switch version of the game is almost crippled by technical problems which unfortunately rob this captivating quest of its lustre.

It's a neat alternative to other DSiWare word games and worth checking out if you want something different, just don't expect to stick around for very long.

If you're one of the people who don't own a DS system (all four of you), this might be worth a play for you, but unless you're just a die-hard Phoenix Wright fan that has to have everything related to the series, you might want to pass on this half-hearted WiiWare attempt.

Hands On! Tangrams isn't very original or exciting, but the puzzles are fun to solve — if a little easy — and could easily give younger gamers a bit of a challenge

It’s such a shame Mable & The Wood can’t back up its interesting premise and impressive visuals with engaging gameplay. It’s a unique take on the shapeshifting concept, to be sure, but navigating the environment is more frustrating than it is fun. There’s a nice variety of boss encounters that keep the experience feeling relatively fresh, but overall, this is one Metroidvania that fails to live up to the hype.

Heroland is very much style over substance. The graphics, while initially a bit off-putting, are actually quite charming in their own way, with the characters and environments bursting with personality. But the writing and dialogue are the true stars of the show. Make no mistake, this is a very funny game, and you’ll soon be agonising over which of the delightful main characters is your favourite. Unfortunately, it’s not quite enough to hold up the entire game – some folks will automatically gravitate to what is admittedly a unique approach to the RPG genre, but a lot more will likely desire something a bit more hands-on.

There’s a lot of potential within Space Pioneer that is unfortunately largely squandered by its repetitive nature. Once you’re done with one chapter, it really feels like you’ve seen it all, despite another eleven lying ahead of you. Its core gameplay really is a lot of fun, and our hope would be that if a sequel is developed, this is backed up by an engaging story and meaningful objectives.

Small level size and some unfortunate difficulty spikes keep the experience from becoming as good as it ought to, however, but this is nevertheless one worth checking out.

Big Space Invader fans or those looking for quick shots of pick-up-and-play may very well enjoy this, and at its initial budget price tag it wouldn't hurt too much to try.

Lifespeed has the basics down, but more could've perhaps been done.

It's sad to see such a potentially great game be held back by a few poor design choices and a wonky camera, but it's worth a gamble at only 500 Points.

The floundering voice acting and clunky script, coupled with a cringe-worthy story that’s more embarrassing than your drunk uncle dancing at a wedding, grates quickly. The title certainly won’t hold your hand when it comes to defeating the only enemy in the game, which could prove to be tedious for some. Masters Of Anima is no Pikmin, but if you’re looking for a fantasy land filled with tough enemy encounters and a game that's relatively straightforward, then this one is for you.

Though it has its issues, The Last Faith feels like an overall welcome addition to the Switch’s overstuffed Metroidvania and Soulslike libraries. Its tough combat, gothic aesthetic, and labyrinthine world all feel engaging, even if some of the upgrades feel underwhelming and performance can be rough. We’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed either of the Blasphemous games or fans who can’t get enough of the Soulsike formula—The Last Faith isn’t the best example of this kind of gameplay, but it’s an overall solid effort. However, we’d recommend investigating other platforms that can deliver better performance than Switch, if that’s an option for you. Performance drops can really hurt the experience, so we've got our fingers crossed for further updates.

Jeopardy! for Wii U is a faithful adaptation of the incredibly popular TV quiz show, but that’s about as far as it goes. There's nothing too new or exciting is present to entice strangers to the game, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable and family-friendly game. While this may not appeal to all gamers out there, anyone who is a fan of the show and wants to try their hand at answering a few questions themselves will definitely get a kick out of this version.

Skully isn’t an entirely lost cause. There’s an entertaining enough puzzle platformer hidden underneath its myriad visual flaws. It may be uglier than sin and you may be accompanied by an irritating voiceover throughout, but you’ll still have some fun playing through it and the plot does resolve itself in a nice way by the end. You'll just need to be able to roll with a lot of annoyances to get there.

Despite its flaws and repetitive nature, Grinsia effectively nestles itself into the void that it aims to fill, but it’s up to the player to decide whether or not another throwback is what they’re after.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast has an opening five chapters that will test your patience to its absolute limit. In some ways, this is down to its age and in others it's just bad design coupled with the odd decision to hold back the game’s best aspects for such a long stretch. This poor pacing is the one thing standing in the way of us giving this a hearty recommendation. However, If you think you’ve got the fortitude to push on through to the good stuff – a trial worthy of Yoda himself – you’ll be handsomely rewarded with some top-notch Star Wars action. It’s a shame the multiplayer fun has been excised here and we did run into that save file bug but, all in all, if you can persist with the dark you’ll be rewarded with the light and – for at least half of its duration – this old classic is still just about as good as Star Wars games ever got.

Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam starts out slowly but soon evolves into a decently enjoyable test of co-ordination, as long as you don’t mind a difficulty spike in your lunch.

ZPF is an interesting new Mega Drive shoot 'em up that, with its key-collecting secrets, hidden bosses, stage variety and fantasy theme, feels unique. It’s been put together with a lot of love, and while its clear the development team aren’t expert shoot-'em-up designers, they’ve still done incredibly well with the hardware. It’s frustrating at times, and many will be put off by not having continues or any method of practice, but those who persevere will find an enjoyable route to high scores and one credit clears. The issue primarily is the bare-bones Switch port that has zero additions or quality-of-life features, and suffers from a juddering issue that really damages the experience. If you’re buying on Mega Drive — and it’s recommended you do so — add a point to the scoreline.

This is a good game that has been ported sloppily, but is a tempting option for those that absolutely must have a new kart racing fix and can't wait for Mario Kart 8 to arrive on the grid.

Destroy All Humans returns in a remake that refreshes the original's visuals, modernises its controls and adds a few new weapon and traversal upgrades to proceedings, all whilst failing to make any meaningful changes to the game's rather outdated core gameplay. What's here is still silly fun, for sure — decimating dullard humans with Crypto's high tech alien gadgets and unstoppable flying saucer can still provide some chaotic catharsis — but there's no denying this one's showing its age mechanically and newcomers to the series may well be left feeling a little underwhelmed.

Sengoku would go on to establish a franchise which improved drastically over time, but this debut title is one that should perhaps remain in the past, despite some neat ideas. It's not that you won't gain any enjoyment from it - in fact, with two players, Sengoku is a perfectly pleasant way to spend an evening - it's just that there are so many other superior examples of this kind of game available. Unless you have a strong nostalgic bond with the game from your arcade-going youth or you're a huge fan of side-scrolling brawlers then we'd recommend you save your eShop credit for one of the other ACA Neo Geo titles, or wait for the far superior sequels to arrive.

Witcheye is a quirky platformer with an innovative movement system, and it's well worth playing if you're after a fresh, bite-size handheld-focused experience. Removed from its mobile context, however, it doesn't quite have the necessary tactile appeal to overcome the game's relative lack of depth. Fun as it is, this is one mobile port that doesn't feel perfectly at home on Switch.

The abundance of ‘no win’ scenarios like this leads to plenty of jump scares, but more than anything, they tend to wear out the horror element that much quicker. Having to juggle multiple defensive options at once removes a lot of the breathing room and tense anticipation, making the jump scares more of an expected consequence than a genuine shock. It’s still stressful, sure, but not necessarily in the same wonderfully dreadful way that you’d expect.

Table Top Racing: World Tour is an adequate enough racer that doesn’t ever shoot high enough to delight, stumble low enough to frustrate or simply do anything that leaves a lasting impression on us, be that positive or negative. It runs fine, looks fine, plays fine. It’s fine. And that includes the ‘fine’ Switch owners seemingly have to pay for a game that now costs ten bucks more than it did when it launched three years ago. When the only thing that stands out about a game is its price, that probably says it all.

Mulaka offers a truly intriguing insight into the culture and mythology of the Tarahumara people, but is let down by some frustrating gameplay issues. Exploring and puzzle solving is a simple but enjoyable affair, and there are elements of the combat system that show real promise, but some oversights surrounding the game’s pacing and controls leave quite a lot to be desired. If you’re interested enough in learning about the topic it wouldn’t be unwise to give the game a go despite its flaws, but players looking purely for great gameplay might want to ponder over it a little longer.

We Sing Pop does exactly what you'd expect from a karaoke game, fleshing out the experience with a variety of modes that make minor adjustments to the basic act of singing along to a song. It's fun for a party, with modes that allow non-competitive sing-alongs or deadly face-offs, but those playing solo may wish for a basic career mode beyond pointless achievements.

The Lost Town - The Jungle, while not a bad game, falls neatly under the category of "lazy sequel." Though the inclusion of optional quests does add a little more focus to gameplay, this title does little else to deviate from its predecessor. On top of the unchanged style of play, the trite story and absurd translation issues make The Jungle feel sloppy and rushed. Unless you truly enjoyed the first game and are just itching for a new setting, you might want to think twice before adding this one to your collection.

Undoubtedly, the game's younger target audience, particularly those who are a fan of the Hello Kitty franchise, will get some enjoyment here – the characters, the easy to pick up gameplay and the soundtrack (whilst very likely to annoy their parents) will leave a smile on their face. As for everyone else – there are other titles available that offer the same idea but with so much more content, making this one a solid option for franchise fans alone.

What we have here is essentially game-length DLC, with almost none of the original faults addressed, and that leaves us feeling relatively disappointed.

It may get dull after a while, but while it lasts Let's Roll! is a decent diversion for younger players.

Don’t be fooled, Super Ping Pong Trick Shot is entirely and unabashedly all about trying to get a ball to land in a cup. What it sets out to do, it does right. It’s not particularly exceptional in any way, however the basic concept is addictive enough to overlook the bland visuals and clustered user interface. The range of levels to play across multiple modes and the inclusion of both touch-screen and gyro control options are an added bonus. If you want a game that you can enjoy in short bursts in between time consuming titles, Super Ping Pong Trick Shot will do the job. Don’t expect it to work wonders, just enjoy its simplicity for what it is.

Yaga has bags of personality and benefits greatly from being steeped in superbly atmospheric Slavic folklore. It's well-written, features lots of excellently-delivered dialogue and has a fantastically kooky sense of humour, all of which helps to carry it along in spite of its bland level design and run-of-the-mill combat. The choices you make as you play through Ivan's adventure do actually affect proceedings enough that the whole thing warrants more than one playthrough and, if you can make peace with that pretty nonsensical bad luck mechanic and uninspiring gameplay, you'll find a fun little adventure here featuring a cast of characters who are well worth spending some time with.

Spirit Mancer has its issues, but it also its charms. It's the kind of game that's tailor-made to the tastes of a specific and narrow group of players - if you happen to be the kind of person for whom it ‘works’, you’ll be thrilled at the experience here and probably won’t be able to put it down. If you’re not a part of that group, its uneven execution and repetition may be too hard to overlook. Interesting combat, gorgeous visuals, and a wealth of gameplay systems all work in its favour, but it doesn’t quite put all these things together in a worthwhile way.

Warriors Orochi 4 was a solid, if uninspired, Musou game and this 'Ultimate' edition fleshes things out with some new characters and modes, significantly beefs up the story and tweaks the central gameplay here and there. However, the additions that have been made sometimes feel like the least amount of effort that was possible. The new playable characters, although fun, are pretty much slapped in without any fanfare, new weapons don't even have unique skins and Infinity Mode feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is definitely an improvement over the vanilla version of the game – and absolutely the way to go if you're keen but have yet to pick it up – but it's also a rather disappointingly small one that comes at a pretty steep price for loyal fans who are forking out to upgrade from the base version.

Adventure on Lost Island: Hidden Object Game may be a simple affair of clicking objects, but it adds enough variety to the mix to keep the game from becoming too repetitive.

Sine Mora is an intriguing, stylish shooter that's well worth a punt at a budget price. Sine Mora EX, however, is a trickier sell; the underlying quality is still there and it can be a memorable experience, but the additions are sloppy and add little, making it tough to justify at its full price. On Switch it has portability going for it, with the game looking handsome on the handheld or TV - it's understandably sharper and easier to play than in the previous Vita version, for portable fans. It's a fascinating game, and may draw you back for plenty of repeat plays or even score-chasing runs to climb online leaderboards. Its flaws, however, mean it's not currently among the best of its genre.

If you’ve played the previous instalments and the series and you appreciate updated rider rosters, the introduction of female riders and the improved physics (for those that play on more realistic settings) then Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 3 will definitely appeal, but with a completely absent online community, this port is a tougher sell over those on PC and other console platforms. Still, despite its shortcomings, this is a solid two-wheeled racer that retains all the usual modes and extras and runs like a treat in handheld mode. Just don't expect it to feel massively different from the previous instalment.

The Switch is fast becoming the perfect home for roguelikes, and Kunai is in esteemed company. The game holds itself well and is great fun, even if it lacks any real innovation. The unique weapon combinations can make each run different and interesting, but the repetitive nature of each level means that Kunai's replayability could be in doubt.

Bloody Zombies brings a fresh visual style and a couple of interesting touches to the classic scrolling beat-'em-up. Unfortunately it doesn't flourish where it matters most - the quality and scope of its combat. There's still a fair amount of mindless fun to be had in local multiplayer, even if Bloody Zombies lacks the fluidity and variety to become a true regular on your co-op Switch game roster.

While not by any means the best Story of Seasons game on the market, Pioneers of Olive Town is promising and disappointing in equal measure. Perhaps future patches will iron out some of the issues with framerate and boring character dialogue, but for now, potential buyers should be aware that this game isn't quite in a state we can recommend.

The problem solving aspect of the game isn’t a bad thing; if anything, it’s the only reason to keep coming back. We just wish the game offered more of a reason to encourage repeat play than high difficulty level.

Pandemic: The Board Game is a perfectly functional version of the popular board game, now available for you to play on-the-go in solo mode or with some friends in local co-op. If this version had included an online component - bringing the co-operative strength of the game to the fore - and perhaps some more engaging means of getting to grips with its rules it would be a much more worthwhile and easy to recommend package. As it stands just now however it feels like a very basic edition with little in the way of options that coasts on the strength of its central component just a little too much.

Epic Chef is heaped with charm and humour that will undoubtedly put a smile on your face as you start your life as Ambrosia’s hottest chef. Unfortunately, while the cooking and farming mechanics are simple enough to grasp, the bloated nature of the game makes every task feel more arduous than it needs to be. Add to this the needlessly lengthy dialogue and bizarre limitations around the save function, and Epic Chef feels like a game that can’t quite match up with the other life sims available on the Switch. It's not unenjoyable, just more Little Chef than MasterChef.

Fans of the classic 8-bit era shoot-'em-ups will like find Cosmos X2 a nice reminder of days gone by, but gamers who've become accustomed to the manic screen-filling sprays of enemy fire found in many of today's bullet hell shooters will likely find the slower pace of the game a bit too lacking in the intensity department.

An unfortunately tough release to recommend. Though Digital Eclipse did a fantastic job of emulating these releases and throwing all manner of extra features in to sweeten the deal, the hard truth is that the two games that lie at the core of this package just haven't stood the test of time all that well. Aside from the excellent presentation quality, the years have not been at all kind to these releases, and given the wealth of similar retro content available on the Switch eShop now, it’s tough to recommend that a newcomer pick them up. If you played these games as a kid and want a nice walk down memory lane, this is by far and away the best way you could possibly experience them – and that’s not something to be dismissed out of hand. Bearing that in mind, we’d give this release a light recommendation to those who are willing to shell out some cash for pure nostalgia. If you don’t fall into that camp, you should probably steer clear.

Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine doesn’t meet the standard that Super Meat Boy set, but it’s a serviceable puzzler that does bring something new to the genre. Appealing visuals and tight controls are positives here, though these are balanced out by the often excessively punishing difficulty and the lack of multiplayer or other modes. We’d give this one a light recommendation if you’re tired of falling block puzzlers treading the same ground and want to try something that stands out from the pack. Otherwise, we’d suggest sticking with games like Mixolumia and Lumines Remastered.

Each playthrough starts off very slowly, but the fast-moving nature of later stages of the game is what will keep you coming back for more.

Rise of the Slime has some accessibility issues, mostly because of its occasionally iffy controls and the ridiculously small text, but if you can look past those, then you'll find a pleasantly bitesized little roguelite deckbuilder. It's no Slay the Spire, but it doesn't need to be; it keeps to its small scope well enough.

Super Skelemania is a passable – if mostly superfluous – effort in a sea of similar games. The satisfying movement mechanics you uncover ensure that the hour you spend playing won’t feel wasted, but whether you’ll feel compelled to pick it up again – or if you soon struggle to recall ever having played it in the first place – is another matter. Nonetheless, there are certainly less competent, and more cynical releases to filter through on the eShop.

John Wick Hex is a clever turn-based strategy offering with some cool mechanics that, when everything comes together, can absolutely make you feel like you're Keanu Reeves' unstoppable assassin, kicking, punching and shooting your way through an endless procession of hapless goons. However, there's an unpolished element to proceedings, with a lot of repetition across the seven levels on offer, janky animations, shoddy replays and some unreliable AI behaviour that begins to grate after a time. With some more variety and a touch of polish, this could have been a really nice little movie tie-in, however, as it stands it's just alright; a brilliant idea that needed more time in the oven.

R-Type Final 2 makes an authentic if flawed contribution to an iconic shooting game series. Many of the problems seem technical, so hopefully an update could do plenty — especially if it lets you lock that camera pitch. All we can hope for, then, is that we are still in the beginning of R-Type’s final phase, and that what Final 2 gets right is allowed to rise to the top.

Even though this zombie may be lacking a few limbs, that doesn’t mean it’s not capable of feasting on many hours of your life.

Considering how quickly Five Dates was conceptualised and developed, the overall execution of the story is commendable. Having said that, it’s a shame there’s no option here to flip things around and have a woman protagonist join the app to date five men in addition to Vinny. We appreciate this would effectively double the amount of work required, but we have to wonder who exactly Five Dates is aimed at. As it is, the entire premise feels like a throwaway side-story shoved into a Richard Curtis rom-com to simply appease the men in the audience. It’s a fun little distraction, but ultimately not an experience that’s going to stick with you for long.

The lack of any difficulty options and the lacklustre multiplayer mode does not do the game any favours, but for many it could provide a nice little diversion at a low price.