While ultimately less accessible than the likes of Wargroove (which taps into that Nintendo-centric DNA of Advance Wars far better), Battle Worlds: Kronos does a decent job of bringing a more complex and challenging take on turn-based hex strategy. The reinforcements system makes this far less ‘hard’ than its tutorials would have you believe, although it’s a much purer experience without them. The lack of online multiplayer support stings, but it’s balanced out by a hotseat local version. Its overly long mission structure doesn’t lend itself to short bursts of play, but for those looking for something suitably meaty in the strategy department will find plenty to enjoy.

Bullet Battle: Evolution does not bode well for the future of online shooters on Switch. With it looking increasingly unlikely Call of Duty will ever return to Nintendo hardware, it falls to other studios to fill that gap. Unfortunately, undercooked messes like this one don’t help the cause. A free-to-play shooter that’s riddled with disabled microtransactions that bottleneck progress, this is a clunky effort that’s in dire need of some proper optimisation and a complete overhaul of its progression systems and balancing. You’re far better off sticking to Fortnite, Realm Royale, DOOM and Paladins for your online shooting needs.

Super Skelemania is a passable – if mostly superfluous – effort in a sea of similar games. The satisfying movement mechanics you uncover ensure that the hour you spend playing won’t feel wasted, but whether you’ll feel compelled to pick it up again – or if you soon struggle to recall ever having played it in the first place – is another matter. Nonetheless, there are certainly less competent, and more cynical releases to filter through on the eShop.

There’s no denying Warlocks 2: God Slayers has really improved upon the original game that completely bypassed a Nintendo platform release. The larger levels, more refined character traits and continued support for co-op play does help it stand out among its Metroidvania-esque, pixel art-styled brethren. However, the lack of support for online play (something present on PC and other version of the game) takes the shine off this package, especially for a game that’s substantially more fun to play with others.

Slay the Spire is an endlessly addictive roguelike card-battler that’s a perfect fit for the Switch; a beautifully balanced game that’s arrived on Nintendo’s system with all the benefits of an extended period of Early Access on PC. Its combination of ferocious battles, entertaining chance encounters and selection of three impressively different player characters make every run to the top a nerve-wracking and totally absorbing affair.

Hue is an interesting title. It’s unique and striking, but it always feels just a hair's breadth away from true brilliance. The few moments of exasperation after finding your way out of a confusing situation are some of the best a game of this type could possibly have, but they happen so rarely throughout the four-or-so hour running time that their impact is dulled. Hue could have been something more, but what’s here is engaging enough if you’re gasping for an inventive indie puzzler.

In its current state, PixARK on the Switch is a poorly optimized, unenjoyable, and otherwise weak approximation of the Minecraft experience that in no way delivers value equivalent to the money you’re paying for it. Considering it comes with a $40 price tag at the time of writing, this unfinished and unpolished game is borderline robbing you of your hard-earned money and time that could be so much better spent on just about anything else you can think of. We would strongly urge you to take a hard pass on PixARK, as it offers a lacklustre survival experience that’s not even worth the memory it’ll take up on your SD Card; life’s much too short to be wasted on poorly made games such as this.

Gorgeous to behold and equally delightful to play, Timespinner is yet another top-notch Metroidvania on Switch. A lack of tough exploration challenges and an under-utilised time-freeze gimmick aside, it succeeds in using the popular genre as a vehicle for a genuinely intriguing science-fantasy tale that will motivate players to explore every inch of its fantastic pixel-art world.

Cricket 19 brings the full cricket experience to Nintendo Switch for the very first time. This port can sometimes struggle in the performance – a few too many pre-match cutscenes likely being one of the main offenders – but gameplay is mostly slowdown free, letting you focus on juggling a ton of options in every corner of the field. The sheer number of modes on offer is astounding, and while the lack of consistent official licences is frustrating, the potential for community-driven support in Scenarios mode (and online) proves that the Switch continues to be a worthy platform for full-on sports simulators.

It’s rather hard to believe that Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth could very well be the last game to grace the 3DS, but it's a fantastic note to end on if that does turn out to be the case. The style and characters of the Persona series fit perfectly into the Etrian Odyssey mold, and this entry in the Q sub-series seems to be a bit surer of itself than the last. The movie aesthetic is clever and well-handled throughout this lengthy adventure, the exploration and combat remain as gripping as ever, the Persona system is pleasingly deep and flexible, and the stellar soundtrack ties it all together extraordinarily well. If you consider yourself to be an RPG fan and you still haven't sold off the old 3DS, we’d highly encourage you to look into picking this one up; as the final release on a platform that’s enjoyed a proud and successful run, what a way to go out.

Overall, fans of RTS games may get some fun out of Golem Gates, but it’s hard to get around the fact that this mash-up of tactical RTS gameplay with the random nature of the deck-building element of the game leads to a watered-down tactical experience. If you’re happy enough to enjoy it for what it is you’ll get a decent amount of fun out of the various modes on offer, but anyone looking for a serious RTS or deck-building experience would be best sticking to either genre exclusively, rather than taking a chance on this well-meaning but misguided mishmash.

As a specific and finite experience, TT Isle of Man is superbike and supersport racing at its most intense and exhilarating. There’s few tracks in the world of motorsport that are as challenging and downright frustrating as Snaefell Mountain, and even the most experienced of virtual riders will find their mettle tested. However, with a meagre career mode, few additional tracks and several issues with performance, this is a racing highlight surrounded by janky filler.

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a game that’s easy to recommend, but with the caveat that you don’t go into it expecting to spend very much time playing it. The eye-catching visuals, generous humour, and excellent level design stand as a testament to the raw talent present at DrinkBox, but the short runtime leaves the experience feeling rather half-finished in some ways. Even so, it stands as a lesson in the value of understanding and executing a concept well; there’s nothing here particularly new to 2D platformers, but it’s so well-done that you hardly can fault it for any lack of innovation. We’d give Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack a strong recommendation to anybody looking for a new game to scratch that 2D platforming itch, though you may want to wait for a sale before jumping on.

Kotodama could have been a perfectly fine mystery school adventure if it didn't leave you blindly groping in the dark through repeats of repeats for a tiny morsel of fresh content. Failing that it could have been a decent brain-teaser if only it had the depth of even the most casual of free-to-play phone puzzlers. It could even have been an actually erotic visual novel if your lead's "People I've met but without their clothes on" fantasies ever went anywhere, real or imagined. Kotodama is in every way too much of not enough; the individual elements do not work well on their own nor gel together to form something new and there is no unique fusion going on here, nor even a basic feeling of quality to the individual elements. Pick whichever part intrigues you most about this title then seek it out elsewhere.

Among the Sleep benefits from a fresh setting and the odd spooky set-piece, but it's let down by disappointingly generic puzzles and stilted gameplay. It takes a number of baby steps in the direction of Firewatch and Gone Home, but it's got a lot of growing up to do before it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath.

With tight controls, retro-styled minimal art style and a superb sense of progression, this is the perfect Metroidvania to play whilst you’re waiting for an actual Metroid or appropriate Castlevania game. Only its difficulty leaves a bit to be desired at times - anybody with a lick of experience will likely breeze through it in no time, and we wish it lasted a little longer. Nevertheless, it's chock full of meaningful upgrades, secrets and spectacular boss battles to keep you busy, if only for a few hours.

At the core of TerraTech is an extensive mechanical construction kit that presents an interesting canvas for creative players. However, the Switch’s significant UI shortcomings, a cumbersome console control scheme, and a limited-feeling campaign will ensure that only persistent players stick around long enough to find the fun.

As poignant, heartbreaking and memorable as it was back in 2013, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons hasn’t lost any of its emotional impact in those intervening years. With a captivating soundtrack, an aesthetic design evocative of Fable and a genuinely clever take on co-op, you can really see why it’s held in such high regard. The new traditional co-op mode does offer a new way to play, but it also robs the game of one of its most challenging and rewarding features. While there’s not much here to coax back players who have already experienced Brothers, those that enjoyed Unravel Two will certainly revel in its co-operative charms.

Crystal Crisis isn’t going to dethrone the kings of the falling block genre anytime soon. It’s a solid puzzler with a heart of gold, but it doesn’t have the decades of improvements that its peers have. With a solid amount of content, an amazing cast of characters and fantastic presentation, though, we recommend this as a fun alternative if you tire of Tetris 99.

Little Friends: Dogs & Cats invites comparisons with the Nintendogs series with its structure and overall presentation. However, once you’ve enjoyed petting your fill of digital 'good bois', you’ll be left marvelling at how little there is to do even compared to that most lightweight (though fondly remembered) of Nintendo offerings.

Overall it feels a little like death by a thousand cuts with American Fugitive, with one too many niggling little problems letting the whole thing down. There is still some fun to be had here, we can’t emphasise enough how impressive Red Rock County itself looks and feels to knock about in, stealing clothes off washing lines and running around doing murder in a pink dress never gets old, the story has a handful of reasonable missions around its middle section, including a standout, multi-part bank heist and the music and ambient effects are perfect. It’s just a shame then that those gameplay mechanics didn’t have a little bit more time in the oven because there’s only so many times your best laid plans can fall apart due to things beyond your control before you lose patience with the whole thing and jack it in for some GTA 2.

Some might write off Realm Royale as a Fortnite wannabe, and occasionally it can feel like one if you choose to play it that way, but the core principles of its gameplay bring enough new features to help differentiate it from its BR fellows. The unique traits of its four classes make a big difference, especially to teamplay, while the combination of forges (and their crafting potential) and the ability to seek shelter when downed (as a chicken, naturally) offer a more complex, and ultimately more forgiving experience. It’s also still in its beta, so expect Heroic Leap to be improving it for years to come.

It's a rare game that can start off tense and then continuously ratchets up the mood to almost unbearable levels until the final moments of the final chapter – and an even rarer one that has enough alternative characters, dialogue, and endings to make it worth playing through more than once – but Death Mark succeeds where it really counts. There's plenty on offer here for both horror fans as well as those looking for a mystery that requires more than hoarding knick-knacks and waiting patiently for your character to officially notice something before you can proceed.

As hard as it tries, Blades of Time rarely comes close to emulating the success of any of its obvious muses. Its mixture of third-person melee combat, environmental puzzles and platforming are entertaining for a while, but they lack the nuance of Capcom’s long-running Devil May Cry series or Sony Santa Monica’s refreshed God of War. Only the ability to control time, creating a co-operative element as you team up with your past self, offers something truly rewarding to use in battle or as part of a puzzle solution. The MOBA-style overhaul of the game's Onslaught mode offers an improved take on multiplayer, but the wonky combat and lacklustre presentation are impossible to overlook.

It feels harsh to draw so many comparisons between Back in 1995 and the classic survival horror games of the '90s, but then again, the former is an intentional attempt to replicate the latter, so it's unavoidable. Unfortunately, by staying so rigidly faithful to the typical survival horror tropes – like tank controls and fixed camera angles – the developer has left out important elements like plot and art direction. As it is, Back in 1995 only succeeds in reminding you why its ancestors were so good in the first place – but perhaps more importantly, why some of them should be left back in the '90s.

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland proves to be a great entry in Gust’s long-running series, and much like the many concoctions made by Lulua, this is a refined final product that reflects several of the best traits of the predecessors that came before. If you can get past the ho-hum storytelling and learn to master the intimidating crafting system, you’ll find that Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland has plenty to offer in its surprisingly involved combat system, gorgeous locales, and rewarding gameplay loops. We would give this game a strong recommendation to both longtime fans of the series and to those looking to see what it’s all about; Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is one of the best entries in the franchise and it’s a wonderful RPG that’s certainly worth your time.

A fantastic addition to the Switch’s roster of fighting games and sits right up there with the very best examples of the genre the platform has to offer, mostly due to the fact that XX Accent Core Plus R is just about the strongest, most technically refined entry in the series. The original game is showing its age, but it’s still an absolute blast and together these two games provide fight fans with a neat look at how the 2D era of Guilty Gear developed from inception to its most polished and refined point. It’s a disappointment that the online mode in XX Accent Core Plus R isn’t performing as it should be right now as there’s no escaping the fact that online is a major aspect of this type of game; it definitely sullies what is otherwise an absolutely essential purchase, but there's still more than enough single-player content here to make this collection highly recommended.

If you’re a fan of classic run ‘n’ gun action games, then Gunlord X is an absolute pleasure to play from start to finish. It joins the ranks of must-own retro-inspired titles for the Switch, delivering blistering action, stunning visuals and an absolutely stellar soundtrack. It could be argued that there’s little originality on offer and the longevity of the game is also questionable thanks to the fact that it's 'built' like an old-school coin-op release, but honestly, when the experience is this good, it seems churlish to grumble.