This is a punishingly difficult game by most metrics, but those of you who like a worthy challenge will find plenty to love here. Blink-and-you-miss-it gameplay and some light replayability elements make for a title that at least proves itself to be worth the price of admission. That being said, rough performance and some occasionally unbalanced difficulty can make for an experience that’s often more frustrating than it is fun. If you have another console which can run Ghostrunner, we’d recommend you pick it up there unless you really want to play this one on the go. Otherwise, this game is worth your time – but perhaps wait for a sale before you rush out to pick it up.

The search for an intuitive control system on the Switch continues, as Football Manager 2021 remains clunky and fiddly to play. Stick with its admittedly awkward controls, however, and you'll end up with the best handheld football management game ever, thanks to its enhanced matchday options and its improved stats. It's the Robert Pires of football games: it eventually becomes sensational, you just have to give it a season or so before it properly settles.

The concept of Super Animal Royale is very now – it draws on all the familiarities of modern mainstream gaming. In a way, then, you could say it’s cutting-edge. In another way, though, it’s all just very familiar, to the point that it’s strangely unremarkable. No individual aspect of it stands out, but it does form an endearing whole. It feels cool to play (when there’s no grievous lag), the map is compelling and the battle royale formula is as much of a buzz as ever. The monetisation model is not in-your-face and the player base is certainly there. It’s free, it’s under a gigabyte, it’s fast, and it’s a good laugh. Why not download it?

Metallic Child delivers a compelling, dialogue-packed and seemingly fully-voiced quasi-roguelite anime adventure with quite some aplomb, and is certainly an impressive achievement from apparent solo dev Studio HG. The price is right and it's only some issues with repetitive gameplay that bring the title down a little. There's plenty to see and do and a meaty adventure to get stuck into, with "achievements" to unlock and permanent incremental upgrades to purchase with dropped currency as you smash your enemies to pieces. An impressive debut that's very clearly made by someone who understands how important feedback is to a game like this; it's a slick, exciting robot-smashing fest for your Switch.

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.

Astronite is a throwback game in a modern Metroidvania mould, and, owing to sharp design, map layouts, currency systems and ability upgrades, is an enjoyable experience. Its simple emphasis on platforming pitfalls and cavern negotiations feel more Metroid than 'Vania, and refreshing in a genre that usually follows the Japanese route of grinding for levels and magic. With a little effort, it reveals itself as a well-thought-out and competently-executed action adventure, with a few magic moments in its boss battles and NPC characters. Its black-and-white styling may not appeal to everyone, but it’s easily recommended to those intrigued and is a nice companion for Gato Roboto fans looking for a steeper challenge.

A large amount of content, regular new gameplay additions that ensure the game doesn't get stale, a full second set of levels with completely different gameplay, and high replayability have all come together to create the newest must-have eShop title. The occasional framerate hiccups are a downer, but don't detract from the overall experience.

While the exercises it offers still aren't intensive enough to replace traditional exercise, it’s nevertheless an entertaining way for players of all fitness levels and ages to be more active and conscious of the importance of keeping fit.

If you go in expecting to sink 100 hours into Dragon Quest Treasures or think you’ll get the same kind of intricate plot that the series is known for, you’ll come away disappointed. However, if you are a younger gamer that is itching for a taste of what a JRPG is like or you just want something laid back to tackle, there is a lot of fun to be had here. Everything you’d expect in a JRPG is in this game, just stripped back to the basics, all adorned with that timeless Dragon Quest charm.

Although the 2D perspective and Metroidvania-style features call to mind past classics, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate shouldn’t be directly compared to previous games in Konami’s long-running vampire-hunting series, because it tries to do things a little differently.

A sumptuous feast in multiplayer, but a bit bland and monotonous when going solo, Mushroom Wars 2 is nonetheless an accessible and deep and enjoyable real-time strategy experience. There is plenty to dig into, especially if you enter the online competitive arena. Although the game does show it's mobile roots on occasion as the single-player campaign is ironically ’by the numbers’, Mushroom Wars 2 is definitely a dish best served cold, and with a group of fun guys or gals.

Control is, and always has been, a fantastic game – that's not in doubt. Remedy's skill when it comes to creating a highly-detailed game-world is world-class, and the gloriously dynamic combat is second-to-none – once you've unlocked the required skills in-game, at least. The Nintendo Switch may not be the absolute best place to play Control if you're looking for crisp 60fps graphics and rock-solid performance, but it's perfectly good if you've got a relatively stable internet connection and a Pro Controller.

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.

It was a pretty simple game before, but tons of bits has turned chick chick BOOM into a very hectic and enjoyable download title.

As the first full-length retail title to come to be distributed through the eShop, Order Up!! could have gone either way. Fortunately though it has an excellent blend of the best of both worlds: the length of a retail game, and the addictiveness and replayability of a mobile one. Some minor issues do mar the experience a bit, but overall there's very little to complain about. It's frantic, fun, humorous and contains a massive amount of content. If this were a burger order, it'd be well done.

Marrying astonishing spectacle and overwrought drama, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is one of the most memorable action games you’ll ever play. Its delirious excesses come with a price, and it’s one that’s at little harder to forgive this time, with the original’s flaws remaining untouched, and a few compromises made to accommodate the Wii U version’s dual-screen set-pieces. But for all its minor frustrations, it’s a game that rewards patience and perseverance. Grit your teeth through its control quirks and camera foibles and relish the giddy spectacle of a game that doesn’t know when to stop.

Just Dance 2014 doesn't rock the boat too much, nor does it really need to — turns out that dancing is still pretty fun in and of itself, and the robust, aggressively contemporary set list, oodles of choreography and video sharing put this year's dance party among the better ones.

There are a few notable shortcomings; however, being able to adjust gameplay settings on the fly makes this a game that can be enjoyed by veterans and newcomers alike.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus successfully fuses deep and rewarding turn-based strategy with impressively flexible customisation and some truly excellent world-building. Changes and updates made to the game's difficulty have put paid to most of the main criticisms of the original release's combat balance issues and this Switch port also performs impressively in both docked and handheld modes. Whether you're a huge Warhammer fan who's a long-time player of turn-based strategy games or a complete newbie to the genre as well as the world of the Adeptus Mechanicus, there's plenty to enjoy in what Bulwark Studios has come up with here.

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.

There’s a good chance you’ve probably never heard of NAIRI: Tower of Shirin, but that doesn’t mean this hidden gem should pass you buy. Sure, it doesn’t have the pedigree of a Double Fine game or the licence exposure of something from TellTale’s back catalogue, but it still offers up a safe and engaging world full of quirky characters, challenging puzzles and all the screen-tapping backgrounds you could ask for. It’s no great reimagining of the genre, but it’s still a curio worth playing nonetheless.

Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Editions aren't magical ground-up reworkings or spectacular remasters; these are games that are showing their age in many ways and there’s no doubt that some of the more recent tributes to the glory days of the Infinity Engine – games such as Divinity: Original Sin or Pillars of Eternity – are, in many ways, more readily accessible and appealing to modern audiences. However, these are still classics of the genre that are absolutely worth persisting with. Once you get to grips with some of their more antiquated ways you’ll be handsomely rewarded with some of the deepest combat, best writing, voice-acting and characters you’re likely to find in the genre. The Switch really is turning into an RPG-lover’s dream machine.

If we were tallying solely based on the content of the package, it would do well. If price isn’t an issue and you didn’t purchase the previous release already, you can add three digits to the scoreline, as this is certainly the superior of the two collections. But our primary job as reviewers is to provide information that helps you decide on how to spend your disposable income - income you’ve no doubt worked very hard to accrue. Since the entire release structure and its exploitative nature is so distasteful, however, we feel genuinely loathed to award a lofty score that indicates glowing praise.

Like a storybook that just so happens to come on a 3DS cartridge, Return to PopoloCrois is sweet, heartwarming, and absolutely worth diving into. If you have a soft spot for golden-era JRPGs — or just classically charming games in general — we can't recommend it enough.

Gurumin 3D may be short on epic story and have a few technical blemishes around the edges of its gameplay, but its fun style and a surprising depth in collectibles and replayability make it well worthy of consideration for action-RPG fans. Did we mention there's a pretty sweet drill?

Zarvot offers the kind of tight arcade-shooter action that lends itself well to epic local competitive scraps; what we have here is a charming, eclectic package that goes all-out to appeal to both solo and social players. It's perhaps a little too scattershot in its mixture of styles and tones, and not all of its ideas hit the target, but there's a whole lot of heart and humour to Snowhydra's little box of tricks, and that goes a long way.

Layers of Fear 2 is a rather disappointing follow-up to 2016's interesting and effective psychological horror effort. There's a decent premise here, a strong setting and an opportunity to tell an interesting tale, but it feels wasted for the most part. Despite looking and sounding great, predicable scares, repetitive gameplay, disappointing puzzles and a story that just never makes a decent connection result in a game that's pretty hard to recommend overall.

Gunbird is a lot of fun, both in its gameplay and the use of a wacky cast of characters. A single-credit mode similar to the Hi Score (with online leaderboard) one that features in Hamster's ACA Neo Geo/Arcade Archives series would have been a good inclusion, but the game is still very replayable. The co-operative/competitive two-player mode works particularly well, whether on the big screen or playing undocked in TATE mode. There's a good challenge with the default settings, and tweaking the options can make things easier if you'd like to see all the ways the story can play out. Gunbird is another great option for shmup-loving Switch owners.