Café Enchanté doesn’t break a lot of new ground in its genre, but it’s a well-told romantic story and would be a great way to wile away an upcoming long weekend.

If you like Kingdom Hearts, and you like the music of Yoko Shimomura, I would personally call Melody of Memory a must buy. Just don’t expect to find a blowout story reveal buried in this title, and you should find yourself bopping along to the rhythm and having fun in no time.

YesterMorrow could have been a real solid platformer, but it was released far too soon; more work is needed to bring it up to a point where it can be enjoyed. There are moments where YesterMorrow’s tight controls, level design, and artstyle all come together and shine. Unfortunately, the mountain of technical issues and the empty world eclipse any hints of excellence. At the end of the day, YesterMorrow is an incomplete, broken game, and broken games are neither for yesterday or tomorrow.

The lovable Jobski and his part-time endeavors are absolutely worth checking out on Switch. Even if you’ve already played the mobile version of Part Time UFO, this latest release adds co-op, and the adventure and stacking modes I mentioned earlier, so there’s reason to jump back in. We all need a dose of pure happiness now and again, and if there’s anything that comes out HAL’s version of the classic claw machine, it’s joy.

The usual bells and whistles are here, including a digitized manual, different NGPC skins, and a rewind feature. As in the previous games, there’s a distinct lack of a moves list, so you’ll have to resort to repeatedly opening the manual, writing things down, or going to GameFAQs. Being able to play with a friend on a single system is nice, though, although The Last Blade won’t give you the multiplayer mileage than Smash Bros. does. The Last Blade is fun, and another good NGPC game to add to your list.

Descenders joins the reawakening of the skateboarding and cycling genres by offering a unique take on a specific form of cycling we haven’t seen in a long time. While the gameplay is thrilling and does its best to stay interesting, mechanics that are at odds with each other mean you will be forced to choose between having that exciting arcade experience or maintaining the roguelite run through the sometimes intense difficulty. Whether taken seriously or just for fun, Descenders isn’t consistent, and considering this specific port has some rough edges graphically, you may just want to focus on using it for its multiplayer.

It turns out the farming might be my favorite part of Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin, though, despite my issues with fertilizer. I didn’t think a video game could give me such an understanding and appreciation of rice farming, but this game did. Rice farming is as much an art as a science, it’s beautiful, and it’s calming. Sakuna and I were both learning the value of hard work and an appreciation for doing it well. Now if only I could catch more frogs...

Overall FUSER is a worthwhile game if you have an interest in music or just want to experience a unique entry into the rhythm genre. Its technology continues to impress me even if the gameplay has a tendency to get a bit stale after long play sessions. There is a Freeplay option that is a really fun way to mess with the game’s music library, and it may even be a cool thing to put on at a party to let guests mix and match songs at their leisure. Technical issues aside, the Switch seems to be the perfect place for this game, as it being easy to transport means the party can go wherever you go. I don’t think FUSER will set the world on fire quite the same way some of Harmonix’s earlier titles did, but I think it’s definitely a game worth looking at.

Iris and the Giant is an excellent roguelite experience wherever you play it, but the simple presentation and mechanics help it find a fitting home on Switch. Three difficulty modes, the hardest of which is unlocked after completing the main dungeon, two secondary dungeons after the first, and dozens of cards, enemies, and more to unlock give the game some real staying power. The watercolor aesthetic and haunting soundtrack contribute beautifully to the endearing story and satisfying gameplay. Some menu issues and the inability to adjust difficulty level within a save file shouldn’t hold back another strong contender for a spot in your Switch library, especially those craving that “one more run” loving feeling.

TENS! is like a piece of bubble gum; it’s colorful and even delightful in the moment but loses its flavor too soon. That doesn’t negate the fun I did have though. I really enjoyed my time with TENS! as a casual palette cleanser between bigger releases, and it’s convenient to be able to quickly pull it up on my Switch whenever I feel the itch to play a puzzle or two. It’s not hard in the slightest, though the later puzzles in the campaign may have tripped me up a couple of times; I never felt like I was hitting a wall. Instead TENS! delivers relaxing puzzle gameplay that is just engaging enough to have your attention without ever pushing you to the point of frustration.

After the exhausting dev process of Cosmic Star Heroine, I can see why Zeboyd Games went with a smaller project for this round. It’s a simple game, with a hilarious cast of characters and it’s about the length of the Home Alone duology. Cthulhu Saves Christmas is a nice way to wile away a snowy November day while trying to figure out how to convert to J.... planning your Christmas holidays.

Barbearian might be one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. Underneath the hack-and-slash simplicity in sending troops flying with a swing of your axe is robust strategizing and improvising on the fly when your best laid plans crumble. The mystery inherent in its story coupled with the bright and neat visual style adds an additional dimension to the experience. I can wholeheartedly recommend you add this to your Switch catalog.

Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia shows a distinct lack of passion not just from its poorly thought out gameplay and shoddily thrown together story, but also through its astounding lack of polish. Gameplay would frequently freeze before animations could play, key NPCs could be hidden behind level geometry, and you can even move around the map some 10 seconds before a loading screen finishes; I guess any speedrunners out there should take note of that. It all culminates in a game that feels like it was made as an excuse to put a box with the Bakugan name on a shelf in Wal-Mart. Champions of Vestroia is a total failure. If you’re not already a Bakugan fan, there is absolutely nothing for you here. If you are a Bakugan fan, then you deserve a game that respects your time and passion more than this.

No More Heroes is filled to the brim with style, and the Nintendo Switch version is a fine place to experience it for the first, or second, or tenth time.

The sprite art and character designs, while in a way overly "anime", are still memorable and fun in a way a lot of anime style games like this aren't. The occasional tedious puzzle and slow movement speed are frustrating at times but never really felt like they fully broke the experience for me. It's not perfect nor is it what I would call great, but the things it excels at lift it slightly higher than your average 2D horror game. Just not much higher.

HyperBrawl’s beat-’em-up-meets-sports gameplay is frantic fun that leads to tense matches and clutch moments. The progression means that you have things to work toward if enticed, but the lack of story and multiplayer options may limit your willingness to get too invested. Still, developer Milkytea has something special here in the core gameplay for those that are interested; that interest just may be short lived.

After waving the checkered flag, there will definitely be racing fans who find hours and hours of entertainment in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. There may be just as many, though, that open up the box and begin setting up the game only to find that their home just isn’t a great fit or they don’t have others around to enjoy it with. Without question, its novelty is charming and it makes a stellar first impression, but the experience can start to seem shallow the more and more laps you make around the track. If you have a good amount of space and flexibility where you can play, Mario Kart Live is a neat and well-functioning toy, but diehard Kart fans are likely to be left in the dust not long after the race begins.

I really wanted to like Legends of Ethernal, but it nearly ended up being the most frustrating 2D game I played this week. It’s a very modern experience in a lot of ways, but it also drug up some very unpleasant memories of NES games that were designed to not be beaten in a rental period.

The developers FreakZone Games have created a pair of competent games that play to their source material well. If you’re into platforming that’s as hard as diamonds and still enjoy the series’s brand of humour, you might want to take these games for a spin. But for me, who hasn’t watched a Nerd video in years and had his fill of NES hard when the NES was the system of record, I’m out.

Pixel Puzzle Makeout League does one of the best jobs I’ve seen of fusing Picross with another genre. The puzzles are awesome, the world is wild, and the story is engrossing. I only have the faintest critique for this game, as there are a few stretches where the story drags, but it’s likely I felt that way because the Picross on display here is well-designed with some of the best usability features the puzzle style has ever seen. This is a great example of a peanut butter/chocolate-esque genre fusion that works better than the joke idea it seems like from afar.

Just in terms of the big picture of the overall experience Torchlight 3 has sort of a Frankensteined-together feel, lacking in cohesion and polish. Given the presence of not only Diablo on the platform, but other strong contenders like Victor Vran that deliver a more exciting experience, unfortunately this Torchlight entry just fizzles out a bit.

Oceanhorn 2 has one or two glaring weaknesses. I certainly had moments of real frustration, but upon overcoming them I’d once again be presented with a world I couldn’t help but explore. The story is fun, if a little predictable. Dungeons and puzzles in the world are varied and just the right degree of challenging. It also certainly doesn’t hurt that it is a gorgeous game that holds its own as one of the prettier on Switch. The genre blending mechanics that Oceanhorn 2 brings to the table help to elevate it above the failings it has. Some bumps along the way can’t prevent this from being a journey worth taking.

I wish the new playable content was more substantial or there was online play, but the additions are still an overall positive. The variety of difficulty settings makes the game harder if you want it to be, while also making it far more approachable for gamers of all skill levels. The controls don’t quite match the elegant design of the Wii U, but the tweaks here approximate it well enough. I know for me, as someone who played and enjoyed Pikmin 3 on Wii U, revisiting this game again was well worth the time. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is very close to being the definitive version of a modern classic. Now please, bring me more Pikmin adventures. I would like to visit more areas with these little plant aliens.

Batbarian is a tight package that blends 2D pixel art Metroidvania with a modern day humor aesthetic. It may be a mouthful but it brings a lot to the table. The art and music style bring the jams of the retro age as well as its storytelling and humor bring a modern sensibility. Despite the occasional difficulty spike (which can be adjusted with assists), Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials is a game worth trying out. If only to see what’s really going on in that cave.

Context of the original really can inform what level of accolades someone might give Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty. Without it, you might find the game a bizarre, competent, if clunky, 2D platformer with a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Looking back at Abe’s Oddysee, it couldn’t be clearer how much refinement was done in the action, and how much effort was taken to make it visually pleasing insofar as this world can be. There’s an undeniable charm in its oddness that provides a flavor to this Switch port either way, which makes it easy to recommend. Just make sure to give your fellow Mudokon co-workers a friendly hello.

Carto’s creativity is constantly on display in ways that surprised and delighted me essentially at every turn. It’s a tightly packed shot of brilliance that manages the balancing act of spending just the right amount of time in an area and on an idea. I was left satisfied but still wanting more at the end of the adventure. The blend of soothing puzzle gameplay and optimistic story makes Carto both a top-shelf Switch indie and a welcome respite for this year.

ScourgeBringer offers everything you’d want from a roguelite experience. Fast-paced gameplay, amazing visuals and soundtrack, and understandable systems round out a truly enjoyable experience. Some button-heavy combat and hardcore difficulty aren’t enough to damper the fun to be had in this top-notch action-platformer.

Filament is a game I thoroughly enjoyed for expanding my puzzle-solving skills, as well as delivering a relaxing soundtrack, visuals, and wonderful story. This is one of those games that you can either spend a whole weekend playing through, or even just pick it up quickly during a lunch break for 15-20 minutes, then pick it right back up where you left off. High difficulty is very much present throughout the majority of the runtime; that said, I feel that this where it truly excels. The real highlight of the entire experience to be had within Filament is the massive number of puzzles, each being very unique and creatively designed in its own way. If you’re looking for your next puzzle-solving indie fix, look no further than Filament.