Overall, The Pathless is a game those looking for some action and exploration should definitely give a try.

The Rumble Fish 2 is a product of its time, warts and all. It nailed the heavier 2D fighter feel with the proper weight to the punch. The crisp anime art style works for the backdrops and character designs, but loses something in translation when the characters are in motion. Despite what grievances I have, The Rumble Fish 2 is a foundationally strong fighter which makes it easy for me to overlook the blemishes to enjoy what lies underneath. This won’t grab the casual fighter fan, but the devotees should give it a look.

Dust & Neon manages to combine several common game tropes in a new and interesting way, with a surprisingly fun reloading mechanic that makes it stand out in a crowded field.

Overall, Factorio is a game that offers a great deal of depth and challenge for those who enjoy strategy and optimization games. While there are some minor frustrations, they do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. If you are looking for a game that will keep you entertained for countless hours, Factorio is definitely worth checking out.

It’s a good thing the story of Meg’s Monster is engaging because even if the gameplay cleverly ties into the narrative, it doesn’t amount to much. As long as your expectations are managed and you’re expecting something closer to a visual novel than a JRPG, Meg’s Monster should be an enjoyable read as long you’re ready for some bittersweet emotion.

Planet Cube: Edge is a charming but padded experience. Most of the levels overstay their welcome, and this hurts what is generally an enjoyable experience. More certainly feels like less here, as I often found myself sighing as the gimmick of one screen was repeated more than a handful of times. Still, playing as Edge feels great, and as someone who enjoys his fair share of tough 2D platformers, I found the challenge more than met my expectations. If you don't mind lengthy run-and jump-and-gun stages that are filled with similar obstacles, the strong gameplay and replay value make Planet Cube: Edge worth a look for platforming fans.

I do not think that this game is entirely bad or a complete mess, but it is the missed potential that stings. It is a plea to sometimes take a step back and fundamentally understand what your work should be about. Sure, there is enjoyment to be had, but much like a fast food meal I will not be thinking about Clive ‘n Wrench much in the future.

I don’t regret taking a few hours to read Seventh Lair, though I did need several minutes to collect myself at the end of the tale. With some cleaned up text, it could be an all-time great visual novella - but for now, it’s a solid one with some things worth discussing.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is another satisfying 2D action title from Inti Creates, further cementing their status as makers of genuinely solid retro throwbacks. Some of the enemy designs are clever callbacks to Mega Man and Castlevania, but ultimately the title manages to stand on its own merits. Even though they never seem to stop dictating all the action happening on screen, Shinobu and Maya are delightful to play as and make enough banter and jokes between them to keep the narrative light. If you'd rather purge something new than the dozens of games in your backlog, Grim Guardians provides a devilishly fun ride.

On the whole, Octopath Traveler II is soundly an improvement on the original, but it’s been quite a long time since that first game and the impact of the visuals and ideas aren’t as fresh as they once were. This game will not solve the issues people who bounced off the first game want to see solved, as the stories are still disconnected and dungeons mostly amount to straight paths with treasure chests dotted along the way. However, if you really enjoyed Octopath Traveler and want a better, improved version of the combat and overall exploration, Octopath Traveler II will deliver that in spades. This is a strong RPG that I enjoyed my time with, but it’s not a bold new step forward. Instead, it moderately iterates on an enjoyable formula to good success.

At the end of the day, RE:CALL is a sleek solo-dev indie title that provides a new history-rewriting game mechanic. Each puzzle acts as its own bite-sized puzzle box for you to analyze and explore while the story provides a lot of fascinating noir-themed goodness. It does swing and miss at a sentimental secondary story, but that doesn’t prevent this game from being a refreshing new indie I’d recommend anyone to try.

Overall Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is already a front runner for my personal game of the year, and it’s only February. The massive track list, fun gameplay, and cute aesthetic help keep me absorbed and have proven to be a dangerous catalyst to me saying “one more song” over and over late into the night. Difficulty options are also well balanced, Beginner charts are easy enough to get a feeling for the game, Expert charts are fun while not being too incredibly difficult, Ultimate tracks are a huge challenge for the most advanced players, and those looking for an extreme challenge will find some tracks add a fourth difficulty called Supreme. All of these levels feel exactly as you’d hope, meaning any skill level can have a good time. The music of Final Fantasy is legendary for a reason, and Theatrhythm is the perfect representation of that. If you’re looking for a great rhythm game to eat up your time and occupy your mind, Final Bar Line is a fantastic choice.

While it might not beat getting proposed to on Valentine’s Day, Ten Dates has more than enough substance to justify a second glance at the bar. It could definitely use more variety in terms of bachelors, bachelorettes, and even venues–with most dates taking place at some type of bar or similar establishment. Nonetheless, there are many, many scenes to unlock and fun conversations to have with the cast as is, and there’s even a menu that indicates how much you’ve seen from what’s available for each potential mate. It may not be love at first sight, but Ten Dates does offer an enjoyable way to pass an evening or two as you try to play matchmaker for Ryan and Misha.

PowerWash Simulator definitely lives up to its namesake, and while there’s something quite satisfying and calming about slowly spraying a concentrated beam of water at objects to rid them of dirt, the repetitiveness of its gameplay can’t be ignored. If you’re looking for a by-the-numbers time waster that feels a little like painting towards a set objective, then hop into your cleaning suit and equip your nozzle of choice (even better if you pair it with your favorite podcast). However, some will definitely find the power washing itself to be more of a chore than a blast, so splashing around with PowerWash Simulator is better left to anyone looking to zone out and clean to their heart’s content.

If I had any concerns about how Metroid Prime would stand up in a modern lens, they were instantly dispelled by this remaster. This is legitimately one of the best looking and best playing games on the platform. It will make you look at your Switch and scream “You could do this the whole time?”. Metroid Prime Remastered is the most impressive remaster Nintendo has ever produced. It is loyal to the original in its re-working of its art, yet unafraid to push the absolute boundaries of those original designs. The underlying brilliance of Retro’s original masterpiece shines forth from this new shell, pristine as ever. This is the definitive release of one of the greatest video games ever made, and an incredible glimpse into the future of the Prime series.

Trophy is a competent and enjoyable action-platformer that looks and feels like Mega Man, even if it falters in a few specific areas and doesn’t quite live up to that comparison. The game does enough to make it worth recommending to fans of 8-bit classics of yore, provided you can look past some of its poor level design and cheap deaths. At the end of the day, I'd award it a trophy somewhere in between participation and podium.

Bear’s Restaurant offers a unique experience in that it is both more and less than what it appears to be. Its narrative delivers some poignant emotional moments, but it's also interspersed with oddly dark or fantastical elements that undermine its genuine heart. As a prequel to Fishing Paradiso, which Neal reviewed here, it does at least introduce characters that carry over to that follow up, but those looking for something more well rounded and with more pronounced gameplay elements may want to skip the restaurant and go straight to paradise. If you’re up for a story about the afterlife, how people get there, and the desire to hold on to those we’ve lost, pull up a chair at Bear’s Restaurant.

While it’d be great to see online leaderboards and more content added down the road, I’d still recommend DRAINUS to fans of the genre and–given the manageable challenge it offers–even newcomers looking to try one of these for the first time.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, is a surprisingly endearing 3D platformer. The evolution of your traversal options is excellently paced and synthesizes naturally into constant, new challenges. The combat, while uninspired, is functional. The drive to push for 100% completion may be asking a bit too much given the structure of the worlds, but the levels themselves are fun to explore. The Switch version turns in crisp visuals, and generally stable performance, outside of a few specific areas. That being said, when the engine does come under stress it grinds the game to a halt. While it may not often affect actual playability, it's hard to ignore when the image simply freezes for five seconds. Perhaps appropriately, this feels like a lost licensed platformer of the early 2000s. That comes with the good and the bad, but there is certainly a lot to like here, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.

Onion Assault in general is a very challenging game, and it sometimes feels like that challenge doesn’t always come in a smooth curve. Arbitrary levels from the first couple worlds were often more difficult than levels near the end of the game. Difficulty spikes abound, and the less than generous checkpoint system may cause frustration for those not looking for a tough 2D platformer. But for those who are, Onion Assault will make for an excellent few hours of platforming challenge.

The game’s end hints at sequel potential, and while I wasn’t overly impressed with Shieldmaiden, I might be interested in a second quest, assuming the developers address the many platforming issues that plague this game.

Between Pokemon Scarlet / Violet and this, I really hope I don’t have any games in the future that could be great but that I have to start docking for egregious issues. A bad ending to a story isn’t as bad as game-spanning tech issues, but the end result ends up being the same; a game worth recommending, but with some major caveats. Especially when the story is 95% of the reason to play the game.

Overall, A Space for the Unbound is a must play for those that enjoy getting an emotional experience from their games. The puzzles are generally easy to understand, and the game does a good job of making each space dive throughout the story feel different from the last in some meaningful way, helping gameplay not get stale as you go. It may take a tad longer than it should to get to the various emotional payoffs, but those moments are well done and generally worth it.

In general Persona 4 is deserving of its spot on the list of best JRPGs ever made, but it absolutely shows its age. Those coming from Persona 5 will likely find many of the systems they're familiar with are present but in a much clunkier fashion. The bland dungeons and sudden difficulty spikes might also turn off new players, but if they can push through those they may find a thrilling murder mystery featuring some of my favorite narrative moments in the Persona series. Add this to an extremely likeable cast of characters like Kanji Tatsumi or Yukiko Amagi, as well as one of the most catchy soundtracks to ever be put into a video game, and you may well find yourself falling in love with Inaba. Despite all of its flaws, you might find that in the end you're actually sad to leave.

Even though its sequels would largely improve on the formula, Persona 3 Portable remains an enjoyable but formidable challenge. It packs a healthy amount of content into its lengthy runtime, and if the combination of school life sim and dungeon crawler strikes you, there's little reason not to dive right in. It's worth considering that P3P does feel a fair bit darker in tone and theme, complete with characters needing to shoot themselves in the head to summon their personas. For those who first played the game on PSP or Vita, the visuals and performance have received a noticeable boost over the original version, in addition to now being able to quick save your progress at any time. The update doesn't reinvent the wheel, but added quality of life features definitely make this the ideal way to play Persona 3 Portable.

Fire Emblem Engage may not be my dream game, but it is still a damn good Fire Emblem game. The worst parts of it are merely okay, and the best parts of it paint a bright picture for the future of the franchise. I have never played a game quite so ravenously, sinking over ninety hours into my first playthrough in just two weeks (though don’t get too intimidated by that number, it counts all of my resets from playing on Hard difficulty, and I also played all fifteen optional chapters). At the end of it all I didn’t feel exhausted or burnt out, but rather like I somehow wished that I could play for even longer. Fire Emblem Engage may not check every box that fans were hoping for, but it is easily the strongest showing for the series in the last decade.

I found myself wanting to go back and play other traditional Picross games as I played Picross X, though. That isn’t to say Picross X is a bad game, far from it. It’s a creative attempt at mixing up the formula for the series. It’s just an attempt that didn’t land as well for me as I had hoped. Here’s to Jupiter continuing to creatively iterate on Picross while also returning to the old style and giving us a new allotment of traditional puzzles every now and then.

While there’s certainly nothing really off putting about Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, it ultimately feels pretty derivative. It does an admirable job of conjuring up feelings and impressions of the 16-bit era, but it fails to push the envelope in any meaningful way. There’s no doubt that it’s a decent way to spend a couple hours as far as action-platformers go, and fans of the genre–particularly the retro-focused kind–will get a kick out of something so clearly paying homage. For my money, though, I’d have liked to see a few twists and a bit more risk taking with such a well-worn type of video game. Falling short of being a full Moonrider, Vengeful Guardian does enough to make rolling credits worthwhile, if not much else.

If you’re going to get into Witch on the Holy Night, perhaps while waiting for someone to tie George R. R. Martin to a chair long enough to finish off their magnum opus, it’s going to be a commitment. 20+ hours of either nudging an analog stick to stop the system from going into screen saving mode or jamming A will get you a well-written story that sets up a lot of things for the future.

The Punchuin is at its best, though, in its core puzzle gameplay, and it’s worth fighting through the other stuff to see that. Its unique blend of action-puzzle-platforming is really fun, and easy to jump into and out of in bite-size chunks.

Whether you're watering dream flowers, catching hamburgers in la-la land, or socking a few dingers mid-snooze, Melatonin makes and leaves behind a warm and inviting impression. You can even edit each of the non-mashup levels to make your own customized version. From both a gameplay and presentation standpoint, what's here is nearly unassailable, and the game serves as an exquisite reminder of just how spoiled we are with the wealth of indie titles on Switch and also how astonishing it is that it took until now to get a flattering facsimile of Rhythm Heaven on Nintendo's latest console. Playing this late at night might not boost your brain's melatonin levels, but it’s sure to leave you smiling before bed time.

Overall I found A Little to the Left to be enjoyable in the moment, but after playing I rarely have thought about the game since. The puzzles are very clever and the way they are seemingly integrated into real life objects and locations makes A Little to the Left stand out from many other puzzle games. It should be very accessible to people who do not play a lot of games, even though I felt that by the end that the game had run out of steam and felt a bit too abstract for its own good. While the Switch version performs fine enough, the controls did feel like a drag when using a gamepad, which caused me to play the game in handheld mode with touch screen controls. A Little to the Left has a clear and unique identity among other puzzle games and while it won’t last you an entire weekend there is enough here for those looking for a new type of puzzling challenge.

If you liked River City Girls, you’ll probably like River City Girls 2. It’s mostly the same thing, just way more of it. The new characters are fun, the city is much larger, there are way more quests, and the story has higher stakes. The minigames are a great new addition, boss fights are tough but fun, and oh man, that soundtrack.

It’s with these pleasant vibes where Dragon Quest Treasures finds its strength. At its best, Treasures is JRPG candy that acts either as a solid first JRPG for new players or a relaxing diversion for series fans. I just wish the game wouldn’t get in its own way so much. If Treasures had more monsters, a more thoughtful combat experience, fewer annoying interruptions, and some more bosses, Treasures would hit the Saturday morning cartoon highs of Level-5s best titles. This, unfortunately, misses the mark a bit.

Aka’s heart is in the right place, and it may have an audience with players looking for a breezy, slice-of-life game. Unfortunately, playing the game offers too little of an incentive for how challenging it is to control your red panda friend. While it may be true that a good deed is its own reward, such a proverb doesn’t lend itself well to the medium of video games. There are some worthwhile moments to be had in this world, but they’re just too few and far between.

Evaluating any remaster is fraught with difficulty because a person's enjoyment of it is almost always tied to how much they connect with the original game. My connection to Crisis Core is only in my experience with the original Final Fantasy VII and then the more recent Remake and its Intergrade DLC. Make no mistake: I love the world and characters of Final Fantasy VII, but that's not enough to make Crisis Core Reunion an easy recommendation. Much of its gameplay is repetitive and its narrative only pays off in fits and starts. Those who want to see and do all that this Reunion remaster offers will find dozens of hours of content, but outside of its compelling protagonist, Crisis Core feels fairly hollow, and it should be judged in a 2022 context as a home console experience. As such, its appeal will be limited more to diehard fans than RPG players as a whole.

Harvestella feels like a farm sim made for people who like traditional RPGs, or maybe you could position it as a traditional RPG for people who like farm sims. Either way works. It’s a unique balance that is rocky at times but won me over more often than not. This is a game with a lot of heart that I kept wanting to explore even with its messier aspects. If you’re looking for a farm sim mixed with a JRPG or a JRPG mixed with a farm sim, this is perfect for you. And if you go into it with the right mindset, you’ll enjoy the relaxing stroll of this world and its gameplay.

Wavetale provides a compelling, accessible world that is enjoyable to simply wander around in. Zipping over the surface of the water as you go from island to island is effortlessly fun. While many of the lesser combat encounters can feel repetitive and somewhat meaningless they’re punctuated by some much more compelling boss battles. The characters are charming and learning more about Sigrid and the world around her is legitimately engaging. While a few technical hiccups trip up select areas, the net experience as a whole is one of the more legitimately fun and unique games I’ve played through this year.

I actually would recommend it if you’re a fan of Waifu Hack ‘n’ Slashers, but the Switch’s framerate issues keep me from issuing a full-throated endorsement. If you have access to other modern consoles, maybe check out some gameplay videos. If it’s way smoother during combat situations, maybe go for that version. I’m enjoying the game on Switch, and will be buying some of the DLC, but it suffers a lot on the performance side. That and the terrible platforming segments that, thankfully, are pretty rare.

While my final impression of Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a positive one, I'm also left wanting in some noticeable ways. The final three to five hours of the game are nothing but a slog, and the greatest culprit is a four-part dungeon that comes in the heels of one that can include as many as 10 combat encounters; all of this without a chance to shop, too. I certainly understand the purpose of the Union Level, but it's an inelegant solution to a problem that other RPGs have themselves faced. Still, the aesthetics remain true to the original versions of the game, and the audio experience is simply marvelous. It's built much more for veterans of the genre and players with patience and persistence, but Tactics Ogre, in the right hands, can absolutely soar.

Lunistice is an expertly designed 3D platform that succeeds at everything it sets out to do. Stages are well designed and replayable, platforming feels tight and responsive, and performance is perfect. Its only significant failing is how quickly it comes to an end, with many of its best ideas feeling underexplored. Lunistice feels like a tease of a hopefully much grander sequel that I can’t wait to play.

If you want a very artistically and technically accomplished Doom clone, Prodeus absolutely delivers. Support for fan-made levels can potentially expand your experience somewhat but the option to create your own is missing from this version. Performance on Switch isn’t flawless but it is still very playable and looks great the whole time. While it struggles to find its own identity along the way, and comes off more as an elaborate mod or a fan game than a title of its own, Prodeus does still stand as a solid though unoriginal shooter.

If you’re a fan of scary movies or games that don’t spell out their story, I’m certain that you will enjoy what Inscryption has to offer very much. But it was the deckbuilding system, sigils and strategy that kept me coming back again and again and again. Inscryption feels like the perfect fit on Switch and is great on the go. While I thought I would play it in short sessions, the game kept pulling me in again and again to play for hours on end. You’ll definitely get everything you’ve asked for and more while playing Inscryption and it makes for one must of a card game on the Nintendo Switch.

When compared to the other, more powerful consoles, the Switch version of Alan Wake Remastered feels like a step down visually: in terms of muddy graphics and visual detail. The Nintendo Switch doesn’t struggle against it, but concessions had to be made. Fortunately, there’s an added director’s commentary to soothe that blow. When compared to the original Alan Wake, though, the Switch port is absolutely comparable. There’s similar gameplay and visual treatment that we’d seen back in 2010, which isn’t a bad thing, though you may not want to revisit it too often. Porting an Xbox 360 game to the Nintendo Switch isn’t necessarily a big feat, but at the end of the day, at least we now have another fine way to play this fantastic game.

I’m happy to have experienced Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered. It’s based off of a PlayStation 2 game I was always curious about and the fact it’s now out on modern platforms is awesome. This might not be my favorite SaGa entry (I think that would go to Romancing SaGa 3 or Scarlet Grace?), but it’s another fine entry in a franchise that is well represented on Switch. Whether you’re hooting and hollering for Unlimited SaGa to make it to Switch next year or you’re a newcomer to the legacy of producer Akitoshi Kawazu, Minstrel Song Remastered is an enjoyable adventure as long as you come prepared for some open-ended RPG escapades.

It Takes Two is a very fun game that should honestly be about half its length, but the Switch very much does not feel like the place you should go to play it. The major graphical downgrades and added loading screens make it hard to recommend no matter how good the gameplay feels or how clever the writing is. If you’re looking for a fun game to play alongside your significant other or a friend, It Takes Two is among your better options in general, but you’d likely have a far better experience on PlayStation or PC than on Switch.

Despite the score, I’m going to spend a stupid amount of time in the world of Paldea. The technical issues with the game will eventually be fixed, and what will be left is a great Pokemon experience. If you’re still on the fence at this point, it’s certainly fair to wait for patches to smooth things out, but at some point I hope everyone can come along for the ride. And based on the opening weekend sales, I might’ve gotten my wish already.

Despite the score, I’m going to spend a stupid amount of time in the world of Paldea. The technical issues with the game will eventually be fixed, and what will be left is a great Pokemon experience. If you’re still on the fence at this point, it’s certainly fair to wait for patches to smooth things out, but at some point I hope everyone can come along for the ride. And based on the opening weekend sales, I might’ve gotten my wish already.

Fans of RWBY might find something enjoyable here, but it just lacks the sort of care and polish that goes into most of WayForward’s catalog, which is a shame.

Overall, there were too many irritations in Soulstorm to win any of my enthusiasm. Every play session left me somewhat frustrated, and I often had to talk myself into booting it up. If you’re dying to revisit Abe’s Exoddus, this is certainly the best way to accomplish that. I just wish it was a little more fun and a little less janky.

The transition to Switch is mostly smooth. Floating Cloud God’s clean, bold art was originally designed for handheld play, but holds up great on a TV as well. I did notice some mild performance hiccups in later stages if you managed to get a full party of pilgrims dropping a whole bunch of hearts as a barrage of enemy fire came flying in. It wasn’t common, but it was noticeable when it did happen. Overall, Floating Cloud God: Anniversary Edition is a great version of a great game. While a somewhat harsh initial difficulty curve may scare off some, it is worth pushing through for some enjoyable boss fights, and for the good of all those tiny pilgrims.

Not being able to control Kanii or Kumade or explore their world at all makes it very difficult to connect with the story of Goodbye World. While its message about the challenges of independent game development are increasingly poignant, the packaging around that theme fails to captivate. The metagame Blocks, on its own, is equally plain, and the feeling I'm left with after rolling credits is largely one of disappointment. In spite of its interesting conceit, parting with Goodbye World isn't really sweet sorrow.

I wasn’t expecting to see all of the best endings before writing the review mainly due to time, but it was worth setting aside the backlog to get through Paradigm Paradox. It’s probably been my favorite of the Aksys / Otomate collaborations since they really kicked off in early 2020, and has genuinely ratcheted up my expectations for Lover Pretend next month.

As an interactive timeline and a virtual exhibit, Atari 50 is unparalleled. No other historical collection comes close to how awesome this is as a context-rich story (the only ones that do are also from the same developer). I hope that this style of giving historical context and not just presenting a list of 40-year-old games without any explanation is the trend going forward for packages like this. Even if I’m not chomping at the bit to play some RealSports Football, I’m thrilled that I now know its place in the grand history of Atari.

From the live-performed songs to the funny writing and memorable characters, Jester and Sok's journey is one I would heartily recommend and makes my Dutch heart incredibly proud.

The story is surprisingly engaging for long time fans even if the writing is incredibly awkward at times. Combat especially with larger enemies is engaging even if it could use some basic quality of life changes. Sonic Frontiers has a lot of issues that it is constantly tripping over, but I cannot emphasize enough that I hope the series continues in this direction. For all its rough edges, this is still probably the most fun I’ve had playing 3D Sonic since 1999.

There have been frustrating boss fights, sure, but that was my experience with Hollow Knight too, and it’s a similar feeling here. Finally beating these tough-as-nails bosses gives you a great feeling of accomplishment (and relief), although they’re probably not for everybody. It’s definitely worth a shot if you enjoy Metroid, Hollow Knight, or the Souls series.

Let me be clear - Sifu is a beat-em-up that is going to challenge you. Structurally its aim is to throw you in the fire to either temper your steel or melt. The Easy mode is a welcome reprieve, giving several more lifeboats before letting your drown, but even that has the ethos of “you will be testing your limits”. But if ready to climb that mountain, players will be rewarded with some of the most refreshing hand-to-hand combat out there with inspired stylistic flair. If you enjoy the struggle, SIFU is in the upper echelon of video game fighting.

If you’re OK with putting up with -chan lingo and otaku of the highest order, then it might be worth sitting down with Chaos;Head Noah for a weekend - or even if you want to see what led to the Steins;Gate series. As for me, I’m going to head to the sequel and hope the main character is a little less irritating. (Or maybe J. Michael Tatum can make him not sound like a complete twit, I don’t know.)

In spite of the numerous small tweaks to the Monster Rancher formula, it’s difficult to see this Ultra Kaiju entry as a breakthrough for the series. The inclusion of NFC technology is hobbled by the lack of amiibo support, and the Adventures continue to feel like a relic from the beginning of 3D gaming in the ‘90s. That said, seeing familiar kaiju–Gomora, Bemstar, and Sevinger (which was the first kaiju I raised)–and even Ultraman himself will definitely hit home for a certain audience. After playing around with the remastered first two Monster Rancher games, there wasn’t enough in this release to keep my attention, but its updated graphics and presentation could make it a decent place for newcomers to the franchise. Here’s hoping that the next time we see Monster Rancher on a Nintendo platform, it takes some kaiju-sized risks in order to offer a fresher experience overall.

It’s a shame because the idea of The Pinball Wizard is neat, but the execution and longevity make it a game that faded away before it got truly interesting. Maybe it’s worth it for the cute visuals, but even that doesn’t stave off the lack of variety.

Midnight Fight Express is a very elegant package that is as simple or as deep as you want. For those wanting a simple brawler, the combo mechanics with weapons and environments are so satisfying. For those that want depth and technique, there’s the grading system with bonus challenges to perfect your runs. The soundtrack blasts your ears with grimy hype up beats that rocks the combat even more than it does on its own. There’s a very obvious issue with a bland story that puts a halt to the game but there’s a lot to enjoy here. Midnight Fight Express is a fantastic game that plays great, sounds fantastic, if only it would get out of its own way with the story.

The world of fault seems to be interesting, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t interested in seeing more of it, but the focus on world building hurts narrative progression. I’m confident existing fans of the fault series will enjoy LIGHTKRAVTE, and people who enjoy reading stories about fantasy worlds may find the fault world to be interesting. However, I think the lack of a compelling protagonist really brings it down.

Turn the lights down and the sound up. Play this game on your TV, late at night. SIGNALIS is a wonderful, mind-bending experience and the passion of the developers can be seen in every pixel.

Sophstar soars above some of the other arcade shooter offerings on Switch because of the sheer amount of content and replayability. Going through its Arcade Mode on different difficulties and using new ships is a genuine treat because each one feels distinct from the one before. While it's a bit annoying that sleep mode seems to regularly disconnect the game from its online servers, requiring a manual reconnection in the menu, there's little else about the game that is worth criticizing. Sophstar marks a stellar debut effort from developer Banana Bytes, and it's both an easy recommendation for vertical shooter fans and a title I'll be coming back to regularly.

While the welcoming visuals might make this game seem chill, it will test your ability to nimbly avoid disaster while trying to collect coins to unlock adorable frogcopter accessories. This game is straightforward in its execution and if you’re hankering for the long-lost niche Nintendo franchise Kuru Kuru Kururin, this is likely the best you’ll find (especially since the GBA version’s only active appearance is on the Wii U Virtual Console, which will go away in 2023). I had a good time with Spinfrog, though it doesn’t quite match up to the fun I had playing Kuru Kuru Kururin on Wii U a few years ago. Still, it’s fun even if it’s oft hard and frustrating.

Bayonetta 3 is the kind of game that makes you wonder where a series could possibly go from here, because I can't imagine a sequel being bigger or better than this. Platinum Games pulled out all the stops for this one, both expanding on the Bayonetta franchise as it was and learning from other games they made in years between to bring the franchise to a new peak. The game is constantly swinging for the fences, and while it may strike out a few times it manages to hit plenty of home runs in the process. It’s been nearly five years since Bayonetta 3 was first announced, and after years of silence it finally seems that it was absolutely worth the wait.

Thankfully, even when the going gets repetitive, the vibes of Paradise Marsh are off the charts. The tone-setting music from Disasterpeace (Fez, Hyper Light Drifter) is tremendous, and the chunky 3D world is stylish and wondrous. A handful of mysterious in-game achievements encourage further exploration of the world beyond catching the bugs. Your time in this paradise might be short, but it’s memorable and enjoyable.

While I was thrilled to finally have a Taiko no Tatsujin drum to try out with Rhythm Festival, the accessory and the game itself left me wanting to a degree. Fans of previous games and Japanese music, including the dozens of anime themes available here, will find a charming and compelling package in DON-chan's latest outing. Others might not appreciate the lack of variety in the basic library, which seems to demand that players fork over for the more robust offerings of the Music Pass. It rubs me the wrong way when, at launch, the base version of a game contains but a fraction of what can be purchased or rented digitally. There's no denying the cute and colorful characters of the Taiko no Tatsujin world, but you're almost forced to pay a premium to keep the party going.

One True Hero feels a bit like a game in very early-access. There is the potential here for a very good game, but it is buried beneath so many issues that it's difficult to see through the haze. When One True Hero works, I generally enjoy it, but there are just so many issues to push through. Its writing is genuinely endearing, its characters are lively and animated, and even as you moon jump high above the playable areas, it maintains solid frame rate and resolution. With some aggressive patches there may be something here, but it isn’t quite there yet.

I wrapped up Little Noah: Scion of Paradise in around ten hours. It was just such a refreshing feeling to finish up with a game in this style in a short period. I really appreciated the simple gameplay loop of going on a run, finding cool familiars, and figuring out the best order to put them in. I didn't feel bogged down by the systems cause I knew no matter how good or bad a specific run went, I’d still be coming out of one with some currency to work on the next upgrade I wanted. I would have liked some optional modes now that I’m finished with Little Noah, like a daily challenge mode or something, but I still had a fun time and recommend it to anyone curious.

Returning to Arcadia Bay has been pretty disappointing for me. The magic that I felt from the game in 2015 is gone as playing the episodes in quick succession makes their flaws all the more obvious. I would be unsure about recommending the best port of this game now, but my feelings on the Switch version specifically are far less complicated. This is not a very good port, and the baffling difference in quality between the original game and its prequel only makes that more blatant. If I could rewind time, I would go back and avoid playing this port so I could simply live with my positive memories of the original instead of confronting the serious letdown the remaster has turned out to be.

Them's Fightin' Herds is one of those indie games with a lot of heart and moxie, that wears its heart on its sleeve and shoots for the stars with what it tries for, even if not everything comes out polished on first blush. It is a fighting game born out of passion and intersects at a weird venn diagram of people that a project like this will even appeal to. In 2020 at its 1.0 launch on PC, Them's Fightin' Herds was something that had such wildly new ideas for how to take fighting games as a genre forward, and came at the perfect time for online play to take center stage. In 2022, it is ever so slightly harder to recommend when games in the triple A space seem to have taken notice of features that TFH beat them to market with. If you want a game with heart, soul, and a unicorn that shoots a demon out of her magic book, you've come to the right place. if you want a fighting game that's got the correct number of buttons for single Joy-Con play with a friend on the go, TFH ain't a bad choice for that either!

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope takes the fantastic canvas that was Kingdom Battle and paints a masterpiece on it. The combat is as fun as it is strategic, and each world is a delight to roam through. The added freedom in terms of movement during battles and the light RPG elements pair exquisitely with the slapstick Rabbid humor and the whimsical music composed by industry titans Kirkhope, Shimomura, and Coker. The story serves its purpose well enough, even if the ending is a bit lackluster, but the gameplay is unassailable. If you liked its predecessor, you'll love Sparks of Hope. It sets a new bar for Mario-themed spinoffs, and I'm full of hope that the series doesn't end here.

And after several months of student life and stylish fighting, Persona 5 Royal holds up perfectly in its portable form.

Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is a straightforward, easy to understand adventure game that does its job of being approachable for a younger audience. The inclusion of optional cooperative multiplayer locally on a single system earns it some bonus points for being playable with friends, siblings, or parents. Fans of the series will also find plenty to enjoy from familiar characters. While combat can get a little repetitive, the puzzles are genuinely inventive. Ultimately whether a trekkie or not, Supernova provides a reasonably solid experience with fun multiplayer that is approachable for everyone.

I said that Moonscars is a game of inches and I mean it—you’ll fight for every inch of progress. Personally, the game presented too many challenges for my enjoyment. If the difficulty didn’t go up every time I died or I could activate checkpoints without having to fight a clone afterwards, it might be a different story, but I don’t appreciate being punished for doing inevitable things (dying, saving). Did you find Hollow Knight and Blasphemous too easy? If so, Moonscars may give you the challenge you crave. For the rest of us? It has limited utility.

This is a game anyone with an understanding of the toy can pick up and enjoy. While a more mature single player will probably not stick around too long, this is one that families will definitely appreciate on whatever platform they choose to play.

Atari Mania is endearing and enjoyable despite some stumbles, especially if you hold some form of nostalgia for the old Atari brand. I had a good time with this even if I felt like I was waiting too long between batches of mini-games. The overworld puzzles ended up being one of the cooler parts of this package. I just wish the mini-games erred more on the side of WarioWare excellence as opposed to the muddy middleground.

Temtem proves that there is still room for competition in the monster catching and battling space. There’s also proof here that games like Digimon or Pokemon, while doing a lot well, leave a lot of things on the table and that’s where Temtem shines. It’s easy to write it off as a copy-pasted clone, but the additional features of co-op battles, deep synergy combat mechanics, and rich endgame content culminate in a real diamond in the rough for those finding the competitors lacking. The main story content can be rote but for those hardcore fans wanting something deeper, Temtem may be what you’re looking for. Temtem is both better and worse than the opposition, and I think that’s okay.

No Man’s Sky makes the jump to Switch mostly unscathed. In terms of performance it greatly exceeds my expectations, but at the cost of a couple features. Settlements are ultimately a minor loss but multiplayer will be significant to many players. Hello Games hasn’t ruled out adding it in the future, but it is worth being aware of if you’re planning to pick up No Man’s Sky on Switch. Beneath these few complaints is an incredible game that outdoes anything else in its genre. It is one of those games you can play indefinitely.

Youropa left me feeling quite ambivalent about the final product. As a puzzle game it has some clever mechanics and explores them with plenty of abilities to extend your playing experience for quite some time. However it must be said that this playtime feels extended by a sluggish pace that makes exploration and even some of the puzzle solving feel exhausting at times. The game runs good enough on Switch and for those who like trying their hand at creating games or levels of their own, Youropa has plenty to offer here. But if you’re looking for something with its own personality or a story that will keep you engaged while solving these puzzles, you’re going to have to pull some other strings.

It's a shame that No Place for Bravery crumbles under the weight of its ambition. Should the performance and technical issues be fixed, it would become something I could easily recommend. The music, story, and visuals are all wonderfully crafted, and it would be unfortunate if this version ended the final product. Fortunately, it does seem like patches are in the works, but it remains to be seen how much of the above issues are fixed by them. Ultimately, No Place for Bravery is a promising title that may be able to live up to its aspirations with a little more work under the hood.

As this made-up storybook was created by a young child, I feel that RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is intended for a younger audience or as something a parent can use to introduce video games to their kids. There are even a few times where it recommends you play with an adult. But with the overly hand-holdy approach to some of the gameplay, I fear a lot of younger kids would quickly lose interest when there’s a lot of downtime due to control being taken away or a lot of dialogue. I still think the game has some fun moments that made me chuckle and features a lot of great hand-drawn art, but I find it hard to recommend this as the best option for the first game for a young child.

It was interesting to read through Episodio 1926 to see what happened to the characters and how they would deal with the fascist threat that was only growing in Italy. The text issues (especially in necessary scenes for best endings) were a bit annoying, and if you’re not going for 100% completion it’s possible to run the story through as a long weekend read.

Tinykin is a “stop and smell the roses'' kind of game that is brief in a way that gives a meaningful experience without overstaying its welcome. Its charming world and endearing characters are a pleasant window dressing to this safe, mellow bit of fun, and that’s all it needs to be. Splashteam’s singular focus on exploration and charm runs deep, and the end result is laudable for their Sophomore outing.

NieR Automata is one of my favorite games ever made. I was nervous about how it would hold up on Switch, especially given how troublesome its PC port was at launch, and I am incredibly happy to have been wrong to worry. This might be the best third-party Switch port I’ve ever played, which makes it incredibly easy to recommend this game to anyone who has never played it before. There are simply no two ways about it: NieR Automata was a triumph of design in 2017, and it is a triumph of porting big games to Switch in 2022.

Despite the control issues, I’ve been enchanted by Dorfromantik because it’s a zen-like relaxing game that keeps me engaged with bountiful variety and just-enough strategy. If you’re seeking a level-based puzzle challenge or a boisterous multiplayer experience, Dorfromantik won’t be for you, but if you’re down for some low-key tile tinkering, this is a gem.

Tunic is a modern masterpiece and its mysteries, secrets, and puzzles will stay with you for a long time after the credits roll.

I can see why Amnesia: Memories ended up as a breakout hit for the developer, even if I had to bite my tongue for most of an evening working my way through a route. It contained a lot more of the little quality of life items I took for granted in their later works, and if you’re curious about romance games, this is a fine starting point.

It’s hard to fully rate these fan discs or compilations of post-game content because they’re so dependent on how well the base game clicked with you, or if you weren’t satisfied with the handling of a suitor and want to see them get their comeuppance. Later x Crowd is one of the better fandisc treatments on the Switch, however, with a good mix of modes and two games worth of fanservice. It’s a definite recommendation after clearing the original.

The most glaring problem for Bear and Breakfast is that controlling the game is an immense chore on Switch, which means it ends up being a chore to help a bear complete his own chores. Opening up new areas and completing specific goals to move forward in the game is rewarding, but trying to navigate menus with the clumsy control scheme isn't worth getting out of bed for. Despite its flaws, Bear and Breakfast is no doubt a better game on PC, so play it there if you're smarter than the average bear.

This feels like a different flavor of Shovel Knight, but thankfully it never feels off-brand. Dig is not a sequel, but even calling it a spin-off doesn’t feel totally right. This is just the 2D side-scrolling adventures of Shovel Knight’s origins displayed through a different vertical lens with a dash of arcade roguelike design tossed in. Through it all, the bountiful creativity that Yacht Club has made their staple is everywhere throughout the experience.

Cursed to Golf is an extremely compelling, if also unforgiving, game. It succeeds at being an incredibly unique take on both the rogue-like and 2D golf formulas. The difficulty may be off putting to some, though, and an argument can be made that it would be better off with some adjustments made in that department. That being said, it is hard to deny the underlying quality and charm that this game exudes with every swing of the club. Cursed to Golf is a big deal for relative newcomer developer Chuhai Labs. While the studio has developed and published several titles and their lineage can be traced back through multiple companies well represented on Nintendo platforms, Cursed to Golf may very well be the game that puts them on the map.

I don't dislike Potion Permit, but I also find a good chunk of reasons to be disappointed by it. The town of Moonbury is charming with a massive cast of varied and fun characters, and the resource gathering gameplay loop has the usual ability to keep you sucked in for hours, but there's just something there that made me feel like it wasn't scratching the itch as well as it could have. Add to that the various technical issues and the inexcusable crime of not allowing me to romance Helene, and it is difficult to imagine recommending this game to someone before pointing them towards many of the other options popping up around it. Despite all it does well, Potion Permit doesn’t quite do enough to stand apart from the crowd.

Beacon Pines is an incredibly neat narrative adventure game that feels unique in terms of its mechanics. The story and mystery presented in the game’s world feel fun to discover, and the drastic differences noticed while going back and forth between different branches will likely be enough to keep your attention for the game’s 6 to 7-hour runtime. I especially enjoyed the game’s narrator, as she gives a delightfully enthusiastic (if not cheesy) performance throughout. If you want a complicated story with a simple delivery method, and a fun way of branching around, Beacon Pines is definitely a game to give a try.

Overall, Jack Move is likely going to be one of my favorite games of the year, and I wish more bite-sized RPGs like it existed. Visually the game’s pixel art is a treat to look at, and this is only bolstered by the fantastic soundtrack that accompanies it. Bright Town feels alive and NPCs have their own side stories that happen as the main story progresses, encouraging me to talk to every NPC at every possible opportunity to learn about things like the woman dating a mafia runner or the two hacker sisters who are clearly on another level. If you enjoy the cyberpunk aesthetic and want a short RPG to spend a weekend on, Jack Move is absolutely the place to go for a good time.

Ultimately, your experience with Legend of Heroes games will likely shape your enjoyment of Trails from Zero. While the background of the Trails in the Sky trilogy will help to explain certain events and moments, these three games simply aren't available on modern consoles; you'd probably need to play them on Steam. If you played Cold Steel 3 and 4, which came to Switch in 2020 and 2021, respectively, you may find that the more insulated first Crossbell game plays it a little too safe. Fortunately, Lloyd and the rest of the SSS make for likable characters that you can't help but root for. The dialogue-heavy second half of the game can drag a little bit, but the cumulative experience is still a positive one that I would recommend to RPG fans. With Trails to Azure coming in 2023, the stable of Falcom titles on Switch continues to grow, and there's Zero reason to be unhappy about that.