Hammerwatch carries the torch for Gauntlet with aplomb. It takes its concept and magnifies it into something richer and more thought-provoking than Ed Logg could’ve ever imagined. It can be played and enjoyed by anybody, from the lone adventurer to ale-soaked mates and everything in between.

Little Noah is a game that we can easily recommend, but with the caveat that it’s not really special in any way. The quality of the combat and the design of the progression systems make it clear that the developers are big fans of roguelites and understand what makes them alluring, but Little Noah is rather light on its own ideas. Sometimes that’s enough; not every game needs to reinvent the wheel, and Little Noah certainly feels like it deserves credit for how effectively it delivers on the roguelite formula. This may not be a game to rush out and buy right away, then, but keep an eye on this one and have it in mind when you feel like snapping up another roguelite. If you're after a solid 'one of those', it’s well worth your time and money.

Although there’s nothing here that hasn’t been seen previously, this is still a package bursting at the seams with content, and the sequel’s novelty Christmas theme is perfect for memorable December gaming. Driven by an excellent set of punchy organ arrangements and murky musical notes, Deathsmiles I & II is a very large Halloween-themed cake; an exuberant, gothic flourish punctuated by enduring bosses and a unique route-and-rank structure that encourages experimental replays. With little middle ground between casual and concerted professional play, it might not be Cave’s most balanced piece of work, but there’s no doubt it has something for everyone, no matter how you choose to approach it.

Rabi-Ribi is a fantastic Metroidvania that injects a whole heap of originality into a genre that's arguably a bit overdone at this point. The bullet-hell boss battles are thrilling, the soundtrack is absolutely superb, and the RPG mechanics are really useful without being overwhelming. On the negative side, the storyline fails to excite, and we would have liked a bit more variety with the character design, but overall this is a great, 'feel good' game that deserves to be played if you're after a different flavour of Metroidvania.

As you’d expect, LEGO DC Super-Villains doesn’t make many attempts to change up the formula that’s served it so well for so long, but with a vast library of well-applied and famous baddies to draw from it offers a far more engaging and memorable story than the stretched-too-thin LEGO The Incredibles. However, with a brilliant cast on hand (can anyone really compare to Hamill’s Joker?), a vast sandbox hub and all the customisation options you could want in Danish brick form, this familiar playground still has bags of charm.

If you've played the previous entries, you'll probably already know you'd enjoy Rune Factory 3; it's a prime example of "if it's not broken, don't fix it" at work. The new features are bullet points rather than game changers, but it's the biggest entry in the series so far and a must for fans of farming and fighting.

Flowerworks is the kind of thing we like to see on WiiWare: it's a bit goofy, cute and colourful and a lot of fun. If you take the time to get the hang of things you too can find that fireworks and flowers go great together!

Developer Nnooo has certainly balanced the title well and while it's unlikely to withstand prolonged play, it offers enough depth and enjoyment to keep you coming back for short bursts.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 was a massive game on other platforms and is even bigger on the Switch. The visual downgrades were expected, but the removal of the gray filter present on other platforms actually makes the Switch version look better overall, in this scribe's opinion at least. The brilliantly rendered cutscenes, deep character customisation and fine-tuned fighting mechanics make for a title that is easy to pick up but hard to put down. This is another case of a game that makes one wonder just how much developers can do with Nintendo's diminutive console. Fans of fighting games and Dragon Ball alike should look forward to picking this one up.

Pikmin Bloom is much more of a life companion app than something to feverishly devour as long as your battery permits — it feels like a far 'healthier' experience for body and mind than many free-to-play games, and Niantic accomplishes its goals well. Time will tell whether it has anything like the staying power and pull of Pokémon GO, but where that game can feel like an insurmountable climb if you've put it down for any length of time, with no hope of catching 'em all, Pikmin Bloom is more of an old friend you haven't seen in years but you just pick up where you left off. Fire it up with appropriate expectations, and you'll likely have a blooming good time with it.

There are a surprising amount of variables to keep track of when you embark on your journey around the world, but ultimately this doesn't get in the way of the sheer joy of discovering a brand-new location and seeing what potential choices it might present to you. It's not going to be to everyone's tastes, but if you're a fan of Jules Verne, travelling, or culture, then you really need to check this out.

Star Renegades deserves to be in the conversation of the best games of 2020 that you’ve never heard of. Like a lot of indies, its primary sales pitch is how it fuses ideas from a bunch of popular and well-respected releases, but it succeeds where many others fail in actually making something inventive and compelling with those borrowed ideas. At its best, Star Renegades is a gorgeous, deep, challenging, and thoroughly gripping release that successfully delivers a fun and enjoyable experience. There are some technical issues that hold it back from perfection, but there’s little else here that otherwise feels below par. Star Renegades is a title that absolutely belongs in your Switch library; if you’re a fan of roguelites, RPGs, or strategy games, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot.

With only 4 short chapters to play through, Lydia will only take you about 1 or 2 hours to complete, so those after more of a meaty experience might want to look elsewhere. We would, however, encourage you to experience it at least once, if only for its eye-opening message. It successfully tells a haunting story about abuse and heartbreak without necessarily shoving it down your throat, and that’s really hard to do. It’s one of the most emotionally impactful games to grace the Switch since its launch nearly three years ago.

Despite threatening to fizzle under the weight of its reverence for Blade Runner, Observer manages to craft an impressive and affecting horror experience on Switch that doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s arguably at its best when you surrender to the barrage of imagery and sounds rather than scanning pools of blood with detective vision. This port walks a technical tightrope and falters a little in docked mode, but fares much better as a handheld experience – its ambition and rich world-building are admirable enough to make up for any technical shortcomings. If Bloober Team doubles-down on the horror genre and keeps producing work of this quality, we’ll gladly play whatever’s next in the pipeline.

The game's lower level of difficulty and rather short main quest might turn off some gamers looking for a bit more meat on the bone, but for those who just want a fun platforming ride with plenty of action and some amazing boss fights, look no further than this rather entertaining DS adventure.

The real-time strategy genre is one that doesn’t have very much representation on the Switch eShop now, but Swords and Soldiers II shows how it can be done well on the platform. Deep, but not confusing gameplay, great multiplayer, plenty of challenge, and a silly premise make this one an easy recommendation for anybody that’s looking for more of a thinking man’s game for their Switch. If you want something that’s a bit livelier and more hands-on than Wargroove, but still ultimately concerned with planning and executing sound strategies, this is the game for you.

Unravel Two was already a wonderful little game, filled with heartfelt moments of poignant storytelling and challenging platforming puzzles, and now it has a fitting new home on Nintendo Switch. Even with a few downgrades to the visuals, Unravel Two is far from an inferior experience when played on Nintendo's hybrid system. Full of charm and character, it’s one of the best co-operative platformers you can play anywhere, and another robust Switch port that was well worth the wait.

Outlast 2 ramps up the tension and the technical achievement from the original, with one of the most stunningly atmospheric game worlds around. The level design has expanded along with your stealth options, creating a handful of truly memorable moments. It definitely isn't for everyone, though. Themes of religious perversion and abuse make Outlast 2 (un)comfortably the most horrific experience on Switch, while the limitations of its stealth mechanics can try the patience.

Cytus α is a wonderful take on the rhythm genre with a note layout which is really nicely suited to Nintendo Switch. Tapping and sliding your way around the handheld’s touchscreen is an absolute delight when you’re in full flow, and should more and more players start to fill up the online lobby, this could easily be considered one of the best rhythm games on the platform. The full retail asking price is a little hard to swallow when put in direct comparison to other, similar titles, but the quality is there if you don’t mind taking a harder hit to the wallet.

While it lacks the additional content seen in the PS1 port, the original arcade iteration of Ridge Racer remains a landmark release in the history of the racing genre, and it's just as gripping and playable today as it was back in 1993. The ability to compete for high scores online adds massively to this version's staying power, and while its long-term appeal does have a fairly low ceiling, it's easily worth the modest asking price just to experience the primal satisfaction you get from pulling off a perfect power slide. Here's hoping Hamster brings Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer to the Arcade Archives 2 range in the future.

Runner3 is wonderfully creative and funny, relying on a style of play that belies the challenge at its heart. A few moments of unbalanced control or obstacle design can frustrate, but this will pass when Commander Video finally nails a sequence of movements and makes you feel like a fast-fingered expert.

A truly pleasant game, Spiritfarer balances undemanding platforming, gentle exploration and forgiving resource management with a beautifully-realised world with a cast full of charming, likeable, memorable characters. It's a pleasure to move around in with an evocative, endearing atmosphere and a succession of gameplay styles that gel superbly and never feel like padding. It's a long game, and you may find it becomes a little rote and repetitive before the end, but if it gets its hooks into you it's a game you'll want to go the distance with. Would it be distasteful to say it's dead good?

The difficulty level and technical issues aside, the game triumphs in what it aims to do; the Giana Sisters franchise may have started out as an uninspired rip-off of Super Mario Bros., but this latest effort very much proves that it has become a unique, fascinating and rewarding experience in its own right.

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! feels like a fitting, worthy new entry in the long-running series. There’s a rich mixture of single and multiplayer/online modes on offer here, and though the AI bots can leave something to be desired, this is overall a well-rounded and appealing package that’s sure to appeal to any action puzzle fans. We’d give this one a recommendation to anyone looking for an addictive puzzler that doesn’t require too much mental investment to ‘get’ and that keeps you on your toes. The simple and brilliant game design on display here is admirable and it’s sure to eat up hours of your time once it gets its hooks in you.

There's been a tweak to the controls, but Real Bout Fatal Fury offers similar fast-paced fighting thrills to Fatal Fury 3. This game builds on that with some extra characters and the introduction of a power gauge to give you a few different things to consider during battle. The Real Bout games that followed would make some changes, including more character additions, but this is still a well put together entertaining fighter.

Frogun Encore offers a strong and satisfying sophomore sortie for Renata and her frogun. Much like classic 3D platformer sequels such as Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back or Sly 2: Band of Thieves, it expands upon the foundation laid out by its predecessor in meaningful ways and polishes the ideas that the original release introduced. The level design is tighter, you can play with a friend, the stages are more ambitious, and this overall feels like a more confident and sure-footed adventure. It may still have some lingering issues with controls, but as far as retro 3D platformers go, Frogun Encore is close to as good as it gets.

Having more content does not necessarily equal a better game, but there’s no denying that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road’s massive wealth of modes, options, and gameplay variety make it feel like the franchise’s most premium experience yet. Between a fun and heartfelt story mode, a second story mode that includes the highlights of all previous games, and a bunch of additional side content along with robust PvP systems for longevity, it really does feel like you could play Victory Road forever. At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to that core loop of teambuilding and playing football matches, and Victory Road’s take on the series’ trademark RPG-esque customisability and intuitive action on the pitch feels just as fresh and stylish as ever. Perhaps all those delays really were worth it.

Kirby's Dream Buffet is a colourful and chaotic slice of slapstick party game action that serves up a nice range of modes to play either offline, in online ranked matches, and with friends in split-screen or local play modes. This is an easy, breezy game to jump into, perfect for beginners and young gamers, with plenty of courses, lots of unlockable goodies, and a budget price point to boot, making for one delicious treat that we're gonna be digging into for some time to come.