Swords & Bones needs to be approached and scored based around several key details, including whether you enjoy Ghosts’n Goblins or Castlevania-style platforming, as well as indie takes on the theme. If the answer is ‘yes’ to these metrics, then Swords & Bones comfortably earns its modest price tag. It has near zero replay value once completed and tied in a bow, and it’s neither deep or surprising; but it is, undoubtedly, a fun way to kill three hours with a talented gang of bedroom coders. If that sounds appealing, the negligible investment will be money well spent.

OlliOlli World takes Roll7's refined 2D skateboarding concept to cosmic heights. Tight and challenging gameplay, a high skill ceiling, dozens of hours of content, and a remarkably stylish sense of presentation combine to make this a release you absolutely don’t want to miss. It's an easy recommendation to pretty much any Switch owner, especially those who are easily roped in by score-chasing releases or super hard platforming, OlliOlli World is a shining example of the distinct kind of innovation and quality that can come from inspired indie game studios.

Overall, this is the best Sherlock Holmes game we've encountered and a very auspicious debut for the consulting detective on Switch. This is far from a lazy downgrade, with developer Frogwares presenting a full-featured and compelling experience from start to perhaps-too-soon finish. It looks great and plays brilliantly, with only occasional annoyances and some weak (though thankfully skippable) puzzles to knock it down a peg. The fact that the game is willing to allow you to get it wrong means it feels less prescribed and inevitable as other titles in the detective genre, and that's quite refreshing. A little ironic that it took one of the form's oldest characters to finally land such a novel approach.

The Artful Escape is a thrill. It’s true that the most joyous bits of action are underused – in terms of both playtime and what they could give the story – and some scarce but present graphical issues on Switch are a shame. Overall, though, the strengths are major, the niggles minor, and it will strike a chord with any pipe-dreaming rock star.

The whole thing is presented well enough with a nice clean art style and some entertaining voice samples, which should have kids smiling. The scrolling is a little on the choppy side, which can be a little distracting, but we dare say eight-year-olds are less likely to notice (not that this excuses it, of course). The main issue we have with the game is that its tracks lack diversity. While there are 40 courses in total, in reality these are just four different environments with 10 different layouts each, meaning once you’ve done one four-race GP you know exactly what to expect from the other nine. It’s also very easy – experienced players will have everything unlocked within 90 minutes, but of course it isn’t aimed at experienced players.

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.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus feels like the result of Game Freak learning lessons for 25 years, refining the formula, and finally taking the franchise in a new, incredible, exciting direction. With its emphasis on extremely rewarding exploration, addictive catching mechanics, a fine roster of Pokémon and a genuine sense of scale that’s unlike anything in the series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is quite simply one of the greatest Pokémon games ever made.

Vagante is, at times, an impressive game that feels incomplete. There is no denying the incredible amount of dedication that the team put into certain aspects, especially into the visuals and variety of upgrades available, but there isn’t enough of a game here to make it all come together into a complete package. The combination of a short adventure, the lack of any story, arbitrary difficulty, and minimal tutorials makes for a hard recommendation. The Nintendo Switch has plenty of incredible roguelikes and run-based indie games, and your time is better spent on them than Vagante.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is an odd game to recommend. Those of you who have never played before may want to check it out—it’s free after all—but even at that lowest of prices the barrier to entry is so great that it can feel like getting stuck into this one isn’t really worth the effort it would take. Those of you who have a longer history with Yu-Gi-Oh! will have a much better time getting into it and climbing the ranks, but then you were probably going to play this game regardless of reviews. At any rate, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has all the foundations of a potentially great online card-battler, and though it has its issues — at least at launch — it’s definitely worth checking out if you've got the fortitude to stick with it.

The ultimate M-KAI package, this three-strong historical evolution is the purest distillation of the developer’s vision for the shoot-em-up. Eschatos’ beautiful bombast will suck you in, fire up the adrenaline, and spit you back out with an instant just-one-more-go mindset. If that’s not worth diving into, why are you playing games at all?

Blackwind is as utilitarian as a bank statement and painfully middle-of-the-road. It’s tough to recommend that you play this game because we can scarcely remember anything notable about it from our own playthrough. Yet at the same time, it doesn’t actually do anything egregiously wrong to make it instantly destined for the garbage bin. If you’re looking for an entirely unremarkable and unoriginal sci-fi themed hack ‘n’ slash, Blackwind certainly ticks those boxes. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a meaningful way to spend your limited time and hard-earned money, this ain’t it. We won’t go so far as to say that you should definitely give Blackwind a pass, but we'd understand entirely if you did.

With Windjammers 2, Dotemu has taken the fiendishly addictive core formula of the Neo Geo classic and improved upon it in every way. The core gameplay here remains as immediately endearing as ever whilst being enhanced and given a real strategic kick by a bevvy of new moves and skills that add to the fun without detracting from or overcomplicating proceedings. Yes, there's not much in the way of modes, and we've yet to see how online fares here, but this is another banger from Dotemu, an all-time classic improved upon, an arcade classic refined for a new generation.

A bit of an interesting paradox, then; it's difficult to recommend Shadow Man Remastered to those who haven't played the game before, while — at the same time — if they do wish to check it out, this is absolutely the only way we'd recommend doing so. It's a sterling port, rich with new and restored content, improved visuals, copious customisation and almost-flawless performance; it runs at 60fps locked with only the very occasional hitch. Shadow Man has never been a masterpiece, but it is a clear labour of love with plenty to offer those willing to endure its more aged mechanics and structural curiosities. We can only hope that plenty will have the patience to do so.

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.

Although rough around the edges, Radirgy Swag will please existing fans, certainly win some new ones, and probably land cold for everyone else. It was never expected to be a mass market hit, which is why it’s a positive that the series has found a western audience, small as it may be. If you’re a shmup fan looking for something out of the ordinary, its system of power-up juggling and reckless shield regeneration might just be your ticket. It requires some initial legwork, but once it clicks it really cooks.

As good as it ever was and now incredible value, SNK Vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash is still essential. Obviously the card-based gameplay isn't going to appeal to everyone, but at this asking price we'd say it's worth a go even if card games usually turn you off, especially if you dig SNK/Capcom's extensive character rosters. Many, many series are represented here and everything you need to learn to play is available in the scanned manual as well in-game via tutorials. Let it get its hooks into you and you've got a bit of a masterpiece here, and we're absolutely delighted that it's graced the Nintendo Switch with its excellence.

Other than the touch controls, this is pretty much the same game you’ve played countless times before and we can assure you it’s the same one that will come out in yet another few months. Some other notable changes can be found in the chilly winter theming of the menus you navigate and the new foray into *checks notes* Drum and Bass music for the main menu theme. Other than that, it’s another few hundred nonogram puzzles just like the last several hundred nonogram puzzles. But who are we kidding, at least this one is, er, innovative in how it boldly introduces an all-new control scheme — one which, admittedly, returns from the (3)DS era of the long-running series. At this rate, we might even get HD rumble support in another four years when we get Picross S15. Imagine what that would feel like! Anyways, you should buy this game.

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.

Ultimately, we found 12 Minutes to be a trite adventure that squanders its initial intrigue almost instantly. We can see how someone else might get a kick out of its star-studded silliness, but in a gaming landscape littered with time loop games, we found this one extremely tedious at best.

Dreamscaper really is rather good; this is a game that certainly deserves more attention than it’s received. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in heart. A surprisingly emotional story, rewarding progression system, snappy combat, and painterly visuals make for an experience that we’d suggest you give a serious look.

It's tricky to review games like this, especially re-releases where many will already know if they want it. The Telltale formula hadn't been scaled back to "interactive cinema" yet, so you're dealing with clunky puzzles and somewhat clunky delivery of clunky comedy, but you might love it. In a sense, each to their own. As a port it's difficult to fault, but as a game it's really no great shakes. But then again, if you dig that lagomorph, it doesn't need to be.

Hollow 2 could - and should - have been a vast improvement on the first game. With poor visuals and gameplay that frankly feels like a chore to play, there’s little here to convince anyone looking for a new FPS on the Switch. There are small hints of a good game bubbling under the surface, and perhaps with more time and diligence this could have seen the light of day. As it stands, Hollow 2 fails to address the glaring issues from its predecessor and should be left well alone.

Dungeon Munchies is the kind of game that feels like it might be good in another two or three years. Despite the shoddy visuals, awful performance, sloppy movement mechanics, and unoriginal crafting systems, it feels like there could be a good game somewhere in here. With a few tweaks, this combat system might have some promise, and the core loop of crafting—fighting—repeat seems like an interesting riff on the main idea of Monster Hunter. Unfortunately, that potential has yet to fully present itself here — this is an Early Access release with all the issues and lack of cohesion that implies. We’d recommend you pass on Dungeon Munchies, and instead suggest either looking into Dead Cells or Dragon: Marked for Death. There are some quality traits here, but it’s not enough to redeem Dungeon Munchies.

The House in Fata Morgana is over 40 hours long, and in those 40 hours, you'll maybe get to make about three decisions. It is a visual novel in the strictest sense of the word, and you must be prepared for that going in. But with a fantastic, original, slow-burn story about love, loss, hurt, forgiveness, and recovery, it's one of the best visual novels out there — and your patience will be paid off in the end.

As an adventure game, Chicory is quite sincerely up there with the very best of the genre. There’s plenty to see and do and a full completion run will probably take you 25-30 hours. The characters and their travails are rich and likeable, the game’s sense of humour is generally inspired, and it’s all very sweet without being sugary-twee and talking down to the player. It’s also an affecting little tearjerker that will definitely strike a chord if you make art, and almost certainly will even if you don’t – so long as you’re capable of pretty basic empathy. Chicory is simple to play but impressively long and complex, with perfect controls, performance and visuals. Throw yourself into painting the world and you’ll be left with a game that’s very much your own and speaks to you directly – a beautiful marriage of mechanics, themes and visuals.

Wytchwood is a crafting game, through and through — and a good one. It smartly puts its focus purely on the act of gathering materials to create a wide range of objects, with little else to distract from the core crafting mechanic. It’s backed up by a great soundtrack and a reasonably well-told but ultimately forgettable tale as you trawl through the various areas searching for ingredients. Trying to locate specific items can at times feel exhausting and drags down the pacing of the game, and the gorgeous visuals are unfortunately hampered by a slight frame rate jitter. Ultimately though, Wytchwood is a relaxing and addictive jaunt into the world of crafting.

If you’re going to release something titled Valis: The Phantasm Soldier Collection it’s not unreasonable to expect it to contain a full complement of Valis games, even if only for one format. Unfortunately, those hoping for a one-stop Yuko (and friends) shop are going to be disappointed. What's here is delivered in a no-nonsense, serviceable fashion, and newcomers may well fall in love with the action heroine’s slightly awkward games... only to find they’re missing the final entry.

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth doesn’t take too long to beat — even the most curious/thorough/careful player is unlikely to go over the 10-hour mark — but when the adventure’s this much fun and as densely packed with creativity, does it matter? At the end of it all you’re far more likely to feel satisfied than short-changed, and Deedlit’s tale is a surprisingly touching one regardless of how much or little you already know about Lodoss. If you're after something with the flavour of Symphony of the Night that doesn't feel like a shallow knock-off, this is a fine alternative.