All in all, Mojang has done a wonderful job of porting the full Minecraft experience over to the Wii U.

Touhou Spell Bubble is a top-notch puzzler with a ton of content to enjoy. The wonky localisation is a little disappointing, especially from a well-established company like Taito, but ultimately it doesn’t hurt the experience to a significant degree – the mechanics are the real star here.

If you’re a fan of ’90s action platform games, there’s something mildly magical about this. Ufouria 2’s sunny world of papercraft and textile-built apparatus is endearing and fun. Its playfulness and zanier elements more recall the era of the Super Nintendo than the NES, and its laid-back approach to linear Metroid-style adventuring is plainly fun. It doesn’t ask much from you except to enjoy a little exploration, a very moderate amount of backtracking through very short zones, and an undemanding task of coin collecting as you go. But its reward cycle has an addictive quality, if little else. It’s not going to fulfil everyone’s desires, and its ease might feel underwhelming to some, but those looking for a new adventure in a very 16-bit fashion will feel well served.

There’s certainly a lot to enjoy here, but the series has moved on and improved in the year it's taken this port to arrive, so it doesn't have the shine it once did..

RUSH is a more than welcome addition to the Wii U eShop, as it delivers straight-out puzzle challenges with few needless embellishments, all at a budget price.

On paper, maths might seem like a boring idea for a game, but this installment of the Art Style series has proved the skeptics wrong – it's just as good as Skip's previous efforts. It may be a little hard to get into at first, since you'll need to get used to fast flipping and combining of numbers, but when it clicks you will be entertained for quite a while. Yet another success for the Art Style games!

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is Luigi's Mansion 2 with a fancy HD lick of paint. Surprise! It looks great, and the new models, animations, and revamped visuals make for a game that's close to the glorious Luigi's Mansion 3 in how modern and swish it all is. It also controls much nicer thanks to the second stick on the Switch. It's just a shame we haven't got any added extras, then, any new means to save mid-mission, added content, or bonuses. This is 100% the best way to play the game as of 2024, there's no doubt, but it would have been nice to get something a little extra, especially given the price point. Maybe we'll get a Deluxe edition someday.

There aren't many games that have you anxious to slide aside a curtain; Project Zero 2: Wii Edition does. It's a fine example of a survival horror game despite some awkward controls and an over-reliance on cut scenes that occasionally break the moment. Even with these problems the tension remains consistently high thanks to its bleak, intriguing plot, an atmosphere that is second to none and excellent presentation.

Flashback on Switch is the definitive edition of a truly special science fiction platform/puzzle solving/shooting video game that already more than proved itself to be a 16-bit classic. If you were too young to play this the first time, this package will give you the best possible way to experience it with current hardware. For veteran gamers, Flashback has lost nothing of what made it special all those years ago. Pass the holocube, please.

Cat Quest II is a charming little action RPG. Its simple mechanics result in a game which is hugely enjoyable for literally anybody to pick up and play, all backed up by some fantastic design work and infectious humour which never fails to bring a smile to your face. Diehard RPG fanatics might find it's a little on the easy side, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's genuinely good fun to play.

Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is everything that we hoped this remake would be. It takes a great game once shackled to handheld-only hardware and brings it forth to a new generation with a fresh coat of paint. Though some may be put off by its mission-based gameplay structure or the sometimes ridiculous writing, its excellent combat, gorgeous presentation, and heartfelt narrative combine to make this one that no RPG fan will want to miss out on, especially those who were fans of Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a fantastic addition to the Switch’s ever-growing library of great RPGs, we’d advise you to give this one a go.

Arzette does a great job of aping the look and feel of the CD-i Zelda games, but it relies on the player being familiar with them. Without that knowledge, what remains is a perfectly serviceable platformer but one that isn't revolutionary in any way. If you’re in on the joke, though, it’s just about worth sticking around.

Etrian Origins Collection may not be the 'definitive’ re-release that many hoped it would be, but these games are well-respected in the DRPG space for good reason and it's great to see them on Switch.

Pinstripe is a beautiful creation in every sense of the word, pulling on your heartstrings like only your favourite storybook can, while competently providing a good deal of fun along the way. It’s a little on the short side, both in terms of length and challenge (we only saw the 'game over' screen once thanks to reaching the final boss with very little health), but a game’s length really isn’t everything. It’s what a game does in the few hours it spends with you that really counts, and Pinstripe does some pretty great things, making it an easy title to recommend.

Blasphemous is a beautifully crafted Soulslike/Metroidvania action game set in a delightfully unhinged, deliriously gory world filled with well-designed enemies, satisfyingly meaty combat and some truly memorable and grotesque boss battles. Platforming sections are uniformly well-crafted and the whole thing comes together to create one of the most visually arresting and solidly enjoyable action titles currently available on Switch. Spanish developers The Game Kitchen have created a nightmare world in Cvstodia, one that will truly test your combat and platforming skills and leave you begging for more come that final bloody battle.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the strangest thing you’ll play from Nintendo, bringing with it laughs and creativity in abundance. But even with improvements over the 3DS game, it follows a familiar structure that isn’t always enthralling or hilarious. Tomodachi fans will certainly be living the dream with this new entry, but I’m not desperate to keep coming back to my island. A little more variety would’ve been welcome, but the customisation, and the thought of my cat being best friends with DMC’s Dante, will have me peep in every so often for a little pick-me-up.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a solid follow-up to the Danganronpa franchise that demonstrates a heap of ambition from its developers and mostly lives up to its predecessor's impressive reputation. But while the game delivers an excellent cast of characters and some truly intriguing mysteries to solve, it also stumbles in its methods, introducing mechanics and locations that outstay their welcome and become frustratingly repetitive. Still, for fans of Dangaronpa and those who enjoy a good gruesome crime or two, it's definitely worth checking out.

It should be tempting to anybody who's interested in reading a great horror story in a more hands-on, interactive fashion. It doesn't get much better than Corpse Party in that respect - this is a well-crafted, creepy tale you won't want to miss.

The XCOM 2 Collection on Switch is the full-fat XCOM 2 and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen experience. Virtuous has had to knock the graphics right down to the lowest setting, there's plenty of framerate issues and bugs that we've already encountered on other platforms and the not-insignificant – but hopefully very shortly patched – problem with the game's character creation pool, but this is still a highly playable version of the game. If you can make peace with some stuttering and long loading times and aren't too offended by pretty ugly textures here and there, you'll be rewarded with one of the very best turn-based tactical titles currently available. XCOM 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece and now you can play it on the go, which we reckon is well worth any sacrifices made here.

Fading Afternoon is a very ambitious game that improves on Technos’ decades-old Kunio-kun formula in almost every way. It’s certainly the most accomplished of Yeo’s works to date, and impressive in its polish. What really shines, though, is the way it expands on its life-simulator elements and those all-important details. It keeps things fresh, interesting, and compelling. Although regularly punctuated by satisfying gangland violence, it’s not a fast game by any means. With its downbeat plotline and melancholic motifs, it’s more an experience to become absorbed in, to be explored and tapped for all its little surprises and diverging paths on subsequent playthroughs. For everything it strives to achieve, beyond anything else, Fading Afternoon is incredibly charming.

Volgarr the Viking II is, quite simply, one of the best 2D action platformers on Switch, or any other platform for that matter. It improves upon the original in just about every conceivable way, introducing neat ways to ease newcomers into its relentless brutality, vastly improving the visuals, and adding a soundtrack that is destined to go down as one of the all-time greats. Minor quibbles with the UI aside, Volgarr the Viking II is an absolute must-play if you can stomach the intense difficulty.

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 is far from a groundbreaking game, but it certainly is an enjoyable one. The tightly designed levels and snappy controls make for a thoroughly enjoyable action side-scrolling experience, though this comes with the major caveat that the whole experience is really only a few hours long and it's very much more of the same. At any rate, we’d give this one a strong recommendation to any fans of the Gunvolt series or run-and-gun games in general; there may not be much of it, but Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 absolutely nails what it sets out to do.

Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster is a worthwhile release, though it feels like a bit of a mixed bag. Despite some cool ideas here, both games epitomize the ‘flawed masterpiece’ while the changes and updates made for this remaster are minimal at best (though obviously welcome). This package is easy to recommend to any fans who want to venture further into Monolith’s back catalog and are looking for something a little unconventional to scratch that RPG itch. Just recognize that this isn’t something that you need to rush and play immediately and that both games are very much products of their time, with design elements that feel outdated in a modern context.

There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about Bomb Chicken, it’s enjoyable predominantly because of its classic approach and how refined each aspect of the game is including the core bomb-laying mechanic. Each level is intelligently designed and has a great sense of flow. The puzzles and enemies are fair but challenging and the controls are precise and responsive. Unlike fast food, this isn't a cheap, quick and nasty solution that will leave you regretting your purchase - this is a blast.

Ittle Dew 2+ is a fantastic game. On a console with a library full of wonderful indies like Shovel Knight and FAST Racing NEO, Ittle Dew 2+ stands among the best of them. The Switch version commands a $10 premium over the PC version but it also adds five new dungeons, a worthy addition in our opinion. Ittle and Tippsie's adventure is charming and funny, and embraces the spirit of exploration from the series to which it pays homage. If you're looking for the next great indie title for your Switch library, look no further.

The platforming is tight and precise, yet relatively relaxed and easy-going on the whole, and the game’s perfect cast of bonkers characters provides humour, wit, and a genuinely loveable world to explore. A couple of little niggles stop the game from hitting the true heights that it deserves to reach, but we’d urge you to look past these and dive into the fun. If you’re a fan of platformers and cute things, you need to play this game.

Even our minor frustrations with Lunark can’t overshadow the joy we felt as we played this unashamedly retro platformer. It is a competently put-together and lovingly crafted homage to an often-overlooked genre of gaming. Even the imprecise controls and Leo’s sluggish movements feel like a feature and not a bug in the game’s design. If you can wrap your head around them, there is a solid platformer to enjoy.

Though many doubted how well Borderlands 3 would work on the Switch, we’re pleased to report that this is a well-built port that effectively squeezes down almost the entirety of Borderlands 3 onto Nintendo’s handheld. The deep loot system, stable performance, goofy tone, snappy gunplay, and enormous amount of content all come together to make this one an easy recommendation, though those who prefer multiplayer may be disappointed at the diminished options here. Gearbox rightly deserves praise for the work the team put in here to make this happen; Borderlands 3 on the Switch is well worth your time.