While staying true to the series that it extends, Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll / Fantasy brings so many different experiences in a single shmup that it may as well be a compilation release — and unlike the arcade versions, it is all presented in English language. The more time you give it, the more the replay value snowballs. The faults to be found are few and far between, while sharp level design and a joyful, even mischievous personality define Success’ latest. Simply put, Cotton Fantasy has a lot of fun to give.

We were pleasantly surprised by EQQO. After a rather lacklustre opening segment, the majority of the game proves itself to be an engaging puzzle title with a surprisingly meaningful narrative to support it. If you’re after a challenge, you might want to look elsewhere, but for its price, EQQO is a lovely, relaxing experience that will keep you playing right to the end.

Senran Kagura certainly has its issues - an inconsistent framerate, repetitive missions, and a sketchy, ecchi aesthetic that's likely to turn off as many players as it turns on - but it delivers an intoxicating blend of quick, combo-heavy combat that's an absolute blast to play.

Trials Rising is the (mostly) full package you’ve been waiting for. With its huge list of tracks to tackle and all the races and trick-based stunts you could ask for, RedLynx has served up the best instalment in the series since Trials Evolution. With a killer soundtrack, tons of customisation and an impressively deep tutorial mode, it’s only really let down by a tutorial-free Track Editor. The drop to 30fps might put off those also playing on other platforms and the drop in visual fidelity can be hard to miss at times, but despite its blemishes, Trials has proved its right at home on Nintendo Switch.

Moco Moco Friends is a sweet, snappy, and engaging game that does what few of its ilk manage to: craft a genuinely high-quality experience that's tailor-made for younger players.

Space Invaders Get Even is a wonderful new take on the franchise. Reversing the roles was a stroke of genius. Blowing up buildings never gets old and it’s fun to be the bad guy every now and then.

Kirby Air Riders is a cracking sequel that gives solo players much more to dig into with its story campaign, whilst also bringing all-new levels of shiny graphics, bells and whistles to its returning City Trial, Air Ride, and Top Down Racing modes. This is a chaotic and frenzied racer, there's no doubt, but it's got depth for those who wish to learn and plenty of competition to be had both online and at harder difficulties for diehards…With lots of excellent tracks, riders and machines to unlock, sat alongside some surprisingly deep machine customisation, Kirby's latest air riding adventure is off to a strong start. Oh, and that soundtrack!

Even if you're not a 2D 'shmup' veteran, or are looking for something a little off the beaten, sidescrolling track, there is plenty to enjoy here - we have tight controls, plenty of unique monstrous bosses to defeat and exploration of a broken but beautiful submerged world. While it lacks a few options, has occasional boss fight difficulty spikes and is not the relentless action that some genre fans prefer, Earth Atlantis has enough old school shoot 'em up substance to back up its glorious and organic style.

A stand-out party game, Cake Bash deserves a place on your Switch menu. As with all games of its type, it benefits from having your friends alongside you, but online play with matchmaking (here called "matchbaking") works well, and you can play with bots if you really feel like you need to. It's only the eventual repetition that brings down Cake Bash, and that's really in the pie of the beholder. Far more than a mere trifle, Cake Bash belongs in the upper crust. We suspect the publisher's profit(erole) turnover to rake in the bread. Donut miss this one! (Reviewer is roughly bundled into an unmarked van and shot.)

One word sums up the gameplay in the latest Final Fantasy spin-off for WiiWare - deep. There’s absolutely no way you’ll be disappointed with the sheer number of things to consider throughout the game.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are beautiful reimaginings of a video game classic, updating a 20-year-old game in ways which make it infinitely more accessible and user-friendly for a modern audience, while keeping the magic first discovered all those years ago.

There’s no doubt about it - The End Is Nigh delivers excellent platforming. It’s a manageable challenge from start to finish, and a game that becomes more and more enjoyable as you slowly adapt to its seemingly unforgiving design. At the same time you’ll never feel completely unstoppable like you would in other notable platform titles. It keeps you on your toes from start to finish and has a balance few other games associated with this genre manage to achieve. If you are a fan of the source material and happen to enjoy well-crafted and tough platform games, check this one out.

Yooka-Laylee is a worthy modern tribute to the collectathons of yore, and it is highly recommended for Switch owners. This feels like a game that belongs in 1996, but with all the quality improvements of a game made in 2017, making for an excellent blend of new and old. Though it can be a little uneven at times, the game as a whole manages to succesfully achieve its goals. Do yourself a favour and give this one a go; it may not have been too well received to begin with, but Playtonic has polished it up quite nicely; it is a worthy addition to the Switch library.

Beach Buggy Racing 2 builds on the already decent first game to provide a genuinely entertaining karting title. It may come just short of competing with the Marios, Sonics and Crash Bandicoots of this world, but it's nevertheless a solid racer that runs smoothly, provides satisfying controls and has an enormous amount of things to do before you can consider it 100% complete. If you're looking for another karting game you should really give this one some consideration, despite the lack of recognisable branding.

Fans of Nintendo 64-era 3D platformers will find it hard not to enjoy FreezeMe. The level and character design, mechanics, music and structure are all love letters to the seminal N64 launch game.

While it may have some niggles with backtracking, lame endings and button-mashing combat that hold it back, overall the game is as engrossing as they come and certainly one worth investing a chunk of time into.

With all manner of pre-designed and freeform modes - and a haul of DLC included as standard - the last thing you’ll be doing with Prison Architect: Nintendo Switch Edition is hard time. The sheer amount of interconnected systems you need to track and maintain are as vast as they are intricate, but learn to spin its penal plates and you’ll have one of the deepest - and most rewarding - simulation games ever made at your fingertips. It’s still an awkward fit for console controls, but the game beneath them is worth the effort nonetheless.

As a standalone game, Super Kirby Clash holds up well to the Kirby series standard with its impressively diverse boss roster, straightforward RPG-lite mechanics, and deep potential for replayability. Though the online multiplayer is an unstable and unreliable mess, this hardly stands as a reason for you to not at least download the game and give it a shot. As a free to play release, Super Kirby Clash also manages to smartly handle its monetization and doesn’t hold back too much, offering you a fair amount of time-gated content relative to how much you feel like paying. We’d give Super Kirby Clash a high recommendation even if it was a low-price budget release at retail, but considering that it literally costs you nothing but your time, do yourself a favour and go download this as soon as you can.

Are you a fan of the original DuckTales game or the animated series? Download this game immediately. Have you never played, watched, or even heard of DuckTales? Download this game immediately, and then tell all of your friends to do the same. They’ll thank you for it later.

The game does a superb job of striking a balance between being an easy route of entry for newcomers to the series and offering just enough post-game challenge and competitive play elements (and nostalgia, of course) to please series veterans; as a result, these new titles really do offer something for everyone, which can't always be said of the mainline Pokémon entries. They might not be an absolute masterpiece, but we’d urge any Poké-fans out there to give these ones a go – if a Let’s Go Johto sequel is on the cards, we’ll happily be there waiting in line.

Even with the online components removed, Fieldrunners is still very fun and addictive tower defence game and a welcome addition to the DSiWare library. There’s hours of fun to be had here, and even if you’re reaching the genre saturation point it's worth a look.

Make no mistake about it - Flinthook is a really well crafted, charming and fun experience. To a certain extent, however, it feels impeded by the constraints of its genre. It is one of tightest action platformers and addictive rogue likes around, but due to the randomly generated levels, you will encounter the odd frustrating spike in difficulty or structurally very similar areas in close proximity.

Cult of the Lamb proves to be a remarkably fresh take on the roguelite genre, not just in its goofy and creepy aesthetic, but in its smart blending of action and survival mechanics. Gameplay remains tense without ever feeling like it’s unfair and a steady stream of unlockables and collectables ensure that your efforts are always rewarded. It’s just a shame that the performance isn’t up to snuff, at least at launch, as that’s really the only major complaint that we have here. We’d still give this a hearty recommendation to anyone who thinks it might be up their alley; it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Cult of the Lamb proves itself to be a great new addition to the Switch library.

Rhythm Heaven Fever doesn't do much new with the series apart from a lacklustre multiplayer mode, or really capitalise much at all on now being on a home console, but the amount of whimsy and joy burned onto the disc still make for a remarkably fun game.

Nintendo Labo might seem like a gimmick - and it is, to a certain extent - but there’s far more it than at first meets the eye. It’s a collaborative concept as rewarding in its construction as it is in its final result (much like any LEGO build you’ve ever worked on), and one that utilises every facet of Switch’s DNA in a way only Nintendo could pull off. With the unbound potential of Toy-Con Garage at its heart, Nintendo Labo mixes the physical and digital so seamlessly even its hefty price tag shouldn’t put you off.

It might not be the flashiest of the Texas Hold'em releases, but it's hands down the best executed one of the bunch.

Magical Drop II is a fantastic, fast-paced puzzle game that feels right at home on the Switch, and an easy recommendation for any puzzle game fan. Its unique combo system emphasizes speed and reflexes as much as pre-planning, meaning even those among us who struggle to think through a three-chain in Puyo Puyo can experience the thrill of combo-building in Magical Drop — as long as your thumbs can keep up. The inclusion of the original Japanese version — with its extra mode and voice acting — is icing on the cake; this is a must-play puzzle package.

If there’s an idea no one’s done before, it’s probably because it’s just a bad idea. But Zoink has managed to hit on something original that actually works with Lost in Random. Its audiovisual world-building is tremendous, ably lifting a servicable quest structure and story, and inventive combat plays to its strengths and is taken carefully up to the limits of its potential. However, the layers of interaction during battles make a promise of strategic complexity that isn’t kept, and encounters last too long without the depth to sustain interest. Nevertheless, everything is packaged beautifully and Lost in Random doesn’t outstay its welcome, either, leaving you craving one last roll of the dice.