This isn’t a cash-grab with Mario's face on the front; this is a well-constructed and beautifully realised Mario Party game which takes the series right back to its roots, but without being a straightforward rehash. There are a few interesting ideas that feel a little bit underdeveloped, but on the whole Super Mario Party is a true return to form.

In the end it's Paper Jam's simplicity that makes it a great starting point and an easy recommendation, but also holds it back from taking full advantage of more dimensions than ever before.

Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a crazy, over-the-top experience that gets better the more you play. The game feels incredibly polished, with a mostly satisfying battle system that gets surprisingly deep, and beautifully presented cutscenes that progress the story along nicely. The focus here is definitely on the lengthy campaign, although we can imagine top online players becoming intensely competitive with practice. It might not be able to completely blow you away, but our playthrough has left us with a pleasingly satisfying aftertaste. Make sure to give this a go if you’re intrigued.

Unfortunately, the first episode doesn’t definitively establish itself as a proper videogame as much as it is a charming adaptation of the Flash cartoon. As well as Telltale Games did at offering a tremendous service to fans of Homestar Runner, they are only occasionally able to prove that playing a cartoon is better than watching one.

Those looking for something fresh, an interesting story, or an action game to play in bite-sized pieces on the go may want to think twice.

Fantasy Strike isn’t going to blow anyone away aesthetically and its arcade mode is a little barebones. However, in terms of gameplay, it absolutely achieves what it sets out to, offering fun and accessible fighting action to newcomers whilst at the same time possessing enough technical depth in its roster of characters to keep more seasoned fighters interested. Online ranked team matches and Boss Rush modes are an absolute blast and, in stripping away many of the complex layers that have built up around fighters over the years, this is a game that’s rediscovered the simple pleasures that lie at the beating heart of the genre.

With all the small issues asides, Kirby Super Star Ultra is still a magnificent title.

In the end, Dr. Mario Express still features the same addictive gameplay the title has become so well known for over the years and it ends up being a welcome addition to a DSiWare game library that's been a bit lacking to date.

On an eShop that seems to become more rife with Metroidvanias by the day, Sundered seems to fall somewhere in the middle to front of the pack. Though the repetitiveness means it doesn’t hit the same kind of highs that Dead Cells or Hollow Knight reach, Sundered still manages to offer a delightfully creepy, challenging, and content-rich experience that genre fans are sure to enjoy. If you’re not a fan of procedural generation, stay well away from this one; otherwise, we’d encourage you to give it a shot.

Going into it, players might find the humour in SuperEpic a tad too cutting for their taste, but once a few floors have gone by, the laughs start to seep through in almost every aspect, including the way that Regnantcorp employees seem to constantly sleep at their desks and do no work. The tone of the game breaks up how grueling some of the combat can be when faced with a long corridor full of enemies that are incredibly annoying to fight, making for a much more well-balanced experience that feels more than at home on the Nintendo Switch. While it makes a point of poking fun at the state of the games industry, SuperEpic is also a lot of fun to play.

Its addictive main gameplay loop, fun combat, amazing (and truly different) sense of style, and kindhearted nature make it feel like nothing else; though it reminds us of Rune Factory 4, Animal Crossing, Tri Force Heroes, and Final Fantasy Explorers in turn, this really is its own experience, and one we’d recommend to any action-RPG aficionado.

If you’re a fan of RPGs and somehow haven’t played Final Fantasy IX yet, it’s certainly worth a download for the privilege to play this classic on the go. On the other hand, if you’re just getting into RPGs, Final Fantasy IX may be a little too obtuse and archaic to recommend when compared to more modern releases. Whichever camp you may fall in, the bottom line is that, warts and all, Final Fantasy IX remains a great RPG to this day; you likely won’t regret picking this one up.

Bombslinger is a decent game, but its brutal and unforgiving difficulty is sure to turn many potential buyers off. Building up a character with abilities, items, and weapons is engaging as you find new ways to deal with what’s put in front of you, but to have that all ripped away upon death is truly heart-breaking. If you can stomach the set-backs then Bombslinger is sure to please, but if you’d rather take your belongings to the grave, you’ll be in for a tougher and more frustrating time.

Bit.Trip RUNNER epitomises the best qualities of the Bit.Trip series in terms of being a fun game to play as well as honouring the pioneers of console gaming.

As a game, Octodad seems less interested in entertaining and is more intent on taking the player through a journey, and by its own design can be an incredibly stressful affair.

Shift DX takes a simple concept and creates plenty of fun levels out of it. Anyone who enjoys this genre or has a small interest in it should definitely pick this one up.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst improves on the original Mighty Gunvolt in just about every conceivable way, and stands as a worthy successor to the classic Mega Man series. If ever a modern game were worthy of being called Mega Man 11, this would be it; it’s perfectly transplanted that classic run ‘n’ gun gameplay while adding a wealth of new additions and elements to keep you engaged for a long time.

While it's not perfect - there really shouldn't be slowdown in a game with 8-bit pixel art, and it can be frustrating to try to figure out where to go next - anyone looking for a challenging, satisfying action adventure will likely get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Fury Unleashed takes the central gameplay loops of the likes of Dead Cells and Enter the Gungeon and infuses them with pulpy '90s action platforming resulting in one of the best roguelites currently available on Nintendo Switch. Awesome Games' effort has benefited massively from five years in development and an extended period of early access on PC that's seen its gameplay polished to near perfection with slick and responsive controls, a huge and satisfyingly meaty armoury of weapons, zippy traversal mechanics and procedurally generated levels crammed full of secrets, challenges and hard-hitting enemies waiting to stop you in your tracks time and time again. There are unfortunately some niggling framerate issues that need addressing with this Switch port but, overall, this is a superbly addictive and hugely satisfying addition to the roguelike genre.

A title overflowing with charm and verve, with a style that can entertain children and adults alike. It has a couple of missteps, the biggest of which is the occasional use of gyroscope controls, while simple puzzles and missing object searches don't quite match the title's overall quality.

With top-class character customization, a delightfully different combat system and a slick nature-futuristic style, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD is a fantastic addition to the 3DS' JRPG library.

War Tech Fighters does exhibit a few rough spots here and there, but it is undeniable that it ticks all the right boxes for any self-respecting mecha fan. As of right now, it's a toss-up between this and Project Nimbus Complete Edition for the title of top mecha game on Switch, but if you're after a fast and exciting robot-based space shooter and don't mind long loading times and the odd awkward menu system, then this is worth a look.

The Sega Ages version of Puyo Puyo does the best it can with the source material it has, but that offered fairly slim pickings in the first place. A few optional tweaks to the controls make it a little less frustrating to play, but the reality is that compared to other Sega Ages offerings this has probably had the least work put into it. Puyo Puyo devotees will want it because it’s where the series all began, but everyone else should look into alternatives if they want to keep coming back for another one of those blob-dropping feats.

Double Dragon Neon is an old game for sure, but fortunately, it's far from being an outdated one. Under the watchful consultation of series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto, WayForward managed to successfully reboot the franchise back in 2012 for a whole new audience by adding a healthy dose of craziness to the more classic tropes of the genre, and that inventiveness still holds merit in 2021. What other game allows you to stop, pop’n’lock, break dance and beatbox mid-level? The Lee brothers have just become the perfect way to spend your time until Mr. Scott Pilgrim drops onto the eShop early next year.

Before I Forget is a short, beautiful experience that nevertheless approaches a challenging and rather sombre subject. It takes creative bravery to share a game that represents the impact of dementia, and to do so sensitively and as accurately as possible; it achieves this goal. We not only suffer the disease with Sunita, but engage with the successes and joys of her life. Before I Forget finds a careful balance that is to be commended.

Slight niggles aside, Below Zero absolutely delivers in providing more of the excellent deep sea survival antics that we know and love from the original Subnautica. This is a super solid port too, a joy to sink time into in both docked and portable modes, with only a little stuttering here and there as you enter new biomes - and the series' ever-present scenery pop-in - to mention in terms of technical shortcomings. Unknown Worlds has served up another superb slice of survival shenanigans here, one that we highly recommend diving right into.

Astroneer is a wonderfully scrappy game that's been polished up since initial release in 2016 to become the best version of itself yet on the Nintendo Switch. It will, at times, frustrate you with its genial jank, and wrestling with its unpredictable physics and easily-distracted camera might suck some of the joy out of it, but if you love Minecraft, Terraria, No Man's Sky, and Subnautica, you'll surely love this, too.

We won’t mince words here: do not buy A Plague Tale: Requiem for the Switch, unless you have no other hardware to buy it on and are absolutely dead-set on playing it. This otherwise excellent narrative-driven stealth action game is torpedoed by cloud tech-related issues that blunt its best moments and offers an experience that is distinctly beneath what this game deserves. Technically, it’s better than not playing the game at all, but not by much. Do yourself a favor by either playing this excellent game elsewhere or by spending your money on something that’s tailor-made for the Switch.