Lost Wing has a fantastic gameplay loop, housed in a shell that shows some rough spots. Actually playing Lost Wing is sublime, but progressing through it can be an occasionally frustrating grind. It looks and sounds fantastic once you get past its menus. In this way, Lost Wing perhaps presents more of a challenge than it intended, but it’s a challenge I am happy to accept.

Locomotion doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but its clever level design and pick-up-and-play nature make it a great option for puzzle fans and those who are looking for an experience they can share with younger or more casual players. More color or visual flair would have added to the package, and it would have been nice to skip puzzles you get stuck on to advance to the next stage. Overall, though, Locomotion is a solid 3D puzzle title that is good for a few hours of train-based entertainment.

As a game, Dex’s progression mechanics and choose-your-own-adventure style of exploration and story-telling make it an interesting and worthwhile diversion. The main story doesn’t achieve the greatest of heights, and the different possible endings are a little lackluster, but there’s enough substance in the journals, emails, and character interactions to push you all the way through. The combat could stand to be a little more engaging; as it is, it feels more like just a means to an end, but the shoot-’em-up like hacking mazes add satisfying, albeit challenging, depth. Greater accessibility options would have been a nice addition to the Switch port of this 2015 PC title, but it does enough to justify a space on your digital shelf if you’re a fan of 2D narrative-heavy action games or future-noir RPGs. Just don’t expect it to hold your cybernetic hand.

Carrion often made me sit in disgust and reflection as I left behind a trail of guts, spines, and blood. It’s an incredibly atmospheric, satisfying Metroidvania that toys with expectations of the genre and just feels great to play. Its length is an advantage as the game doesn’t overstay its welcome. Even after the credits rolled, there were still a lot of optional power-ups to hunt down. Carrion feels familiar in its gameplay but unique in execution. The blood may still be freshly dripping from the wall, but Carrion is certainly one of the highlights in gaming from this year so far.

Panzer Paladin is a charming, satisfying platformer that I enjoyed immensely. It even manages to do the impossible: make at least one aspect of Zelda II enjoyable.

Radical Rabbit Stew is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from top to bottom. From the arcade, slapstick action of punting rabbits into bowls of soup, to the thought-provoking map puzzles, this action-puzzler offers a unique and interesting take on the genre, even with the sometimes repetitive nature, and boss fights that utilize overly similar ideas from world to world.

Rez Plz aims to do one thing really well: co-op puzzle platforming. And it does do that really well. If you’re in the position to play through this fully in co-op, I recommend it wholeheartedly. However, if your only option is single-player? Take heed. Rez Plz relies heavily on the two-player experience. It’s nice the solo option exists, but I can’t say it’s very good. Thankfully, the co-op is a lot of fun.

Night Call ultimately feels like it’s missing something crucial to tie it all together. I think the game would’ve been better if it really was just about driving around Paris getting to know these people who are living out their everyday lives. The mystery-solving is half baked, and the fact that you can’t carry the stories of your passengers forward into future cases just makes me wish the mystery wasn’t there at all. I really did love the conversations I had with the game’s diverse cast, but in the end I was just left frustrated that I wouldn’t be able to see them through to their end without slogging through a lot of stuff I’d already seen.

I liked playing Paper Mario: The Origami King. It has such high points with the music, the visuals, the comedy, and the willingness to try new ideas. I love how experimental the adventure is with the large variety of situational humor and mini-games. This world was such a treat to journey through, and it was nice to have more then one meaningful emotional moment again in a Paper Mario game. It’s so clear that The Origami King is trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to its combat system. It’s so strange to me how optional the game is to play. I did go for completing every challenge presented to me, but I can definitely foresee players skipping ahead because of the lack of incentives. I applaud Paper Mario: The Origami King for trying something new, but am worried that the friction between its ongoing genre identity is going to keep the series running around in circles.

Keen: One Girl Army is a stylish, fun game that stands on its own by mixing together sliding puzzle gameplay with turn-based tactics and some light dungeon exploration. While it’s not as replayable as it wishes it could be, it’s still an enjoyable puzzle game even if it might be a little much at times. If you’re looking for something that innovates on puzzle games in the same vein as Hatsworth, Puzzle Quest, or Slayaway Camp, Keen’s the game for you, but it likely won’t hit the highs of those games.

I like Yes, Your Grace, but my enjoyment wasn’t unqualified. I felt the most affinity for the characters, and much less for the overall gameplay. Interacting with my citizens got monotonous at times, and long stretches where my family had no new interactions really took the wind out of my sails. A more compressed story with a shorter runtime would make me more inclined to explore alternate paths, or at least less inclined to “save scum” my way to good outcomes, but given the structure of the game I find it highly unlikely I go back to it.

Overall, Void Terrarium is just an odd mix of ideas. Mystery Dungeon titles are popular, but this one sadly offers a weak example of mechanics in comparison to the broader genre. From there, being able to go full Tamagotchi with a girl in a glass bottle was intriguing and kept pushing me through the tedious and difficult dungeon crawling. A powerful story, moody soundtrack, and amazing aesthetic round out an experience that has a solid support structure, but less than awesome baseline gameplay premise.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is a great game that pays loving homage to the classic old-school Castlevania games. Here’s hoping this does well enough so Inti Creates can go even bigger with a third entry.

Superliminal is a breath of fresh air, the kind of game you want other people to play but don’t want to talk with them about until you’ve both experienced it. An unassuming package on its face that as you peel back the layers, will be filled with surprises and gratification as you find out what point of view it wants you to see the puzzle from. With a moral to its story that is uplifting during a time which we could all use a new perspective, Superliminal is one of the more inventive games on a Nintendo platform today.

The hardest part about reviewing Deadly Premonition 2 is that in a lot of ways it’s exactly what fans of the first game wanted. It’s a broken mess that controls like a dog on roller blades that looks ugly and runs even worse, with the bizarrely charming writing that only somebody like Swery65 could bring to the table. Nobody in Le Carré feels quite Greenvale levels of weird, but they’re all a bunch of weirdos all the same. Well, except David, he’d fit in Greenvale pretty well. If you like the first Deadly Premonition you likely already know what you want and what you’re getting into, and you’ll likely be pretty happy with this sequel. Your everyday average player should probably weigh how much jank they’re willing to put up with before giving this game a shot, though.

Friends of Mineral Town feels flat and simplistic as a result of trying too hard to emulate the game it’s based on. Although there is a fair amount of freedom to play the game as you see fit, it’s difficult to recommend the latest Story of Seasons entry over something like Stardew Valley or even the two 3DS games. In-game achievements, hidden items to collect, and an easy mode are all welcome features; ultimately, though they don’t contribute enough to make for a compelling experience. Those who want to enjoy the nostalgia of Harvest Moon on SNES and GBA will like coming back to something familiar, but Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town isn’t necessarily worth throwing in the shipping box.

Unless you’re extremely against the principle of free-to-play games, Pokémon Café Mix is a delightful little puzzle game with some neat ideas and an adorable visual presentation. It’s a gentle game for tough times.

The Bard’s Tale is a low-grade action-RPG that must have spent all its skill points in voice acting and writing. Featuring Cary Elwes of The Prince Bride fame, and following a script that truly puts the snark in Resnarkled, The Bard’s Tale could talk its way out of any confrontation. Sadly, sub-par, boring combat, and a restrictive summoning system mean you’ll be rolling ability checks with a negative modifier. If only The Bard’s Tale was more proficient—should’ve chosen a wizard or a rogue.

If you’re OK with dealing with text issues—or will speed through too fast to notice—then Collar X Malice is going to hook you. The themes may be disturbing to some, and the M rating the ESRB gave it is definitely deserved, but it left me thinking for a long time after I hit the title screen for the last time. Sometimes, that’s just what I need.

While CrossCode is a superlatively excellent game, the Switch version is an astoundingly rough port. That said, the game is worthy of your time, even in this compromised version. While I can’t speak to the other console ports (due out the same day as the Switch release; the Xbox version will be on GamePass), the PC version is clearly better. If you can play CrossCode on PC, I advise you do that unless you desperately crave a handheld experience. A lot could be salvaged from this middling port of a stellar game with some of the same refinements and polish that made this crowdfunded gem so exceptional. As it stands, CrossCode gets a high recommendation from me with some slow, glitchy caveats.

What can I say but “yikes”...Over the past decade I have largely avoided revisiting Catherine because I knew that it likely had not aged well, and I didn’t really want to spoil the good memories I had of playing the game. My tastes have changed a lot over the years, and while I’ve gained a new appreciation for the incredible puzzle-solving gameplay, I’ve been utterly astounded at just how poorly the story has aged. It’s unfortunate, since the voice acting, visuals, and overall cinematic direction of both cutscenes and gameplay are all excellent. This game is the product of a passionate and talented team. It’s just a shame that their efforts were all in service to writing that is cynical, regressive, outdated, and just plain exhausting.

Biped is polished to a beautiful finish on the outside, but struggles somewhat with what it wants to be on the inside. Too much of its challenge is built around coming to terms with its controls rather than utilizing them to do interesting things. While the back half of the game is excellent, I worry some may give up before then. I’d also argue that single player either needs to be removed or expanded on. As it is, it presents a version of the game that will leave players not realizing how much Biped has to offer.

More than anything, the biggest disappointment with Blair Witch is that it somehow feels more like a game that had been made before having the IP applied to it. In the end, the story ends up being incredibly cliche and uninteresting, the setting is not all that fun or even all that frightening to walk around in, and the graphical downgrade is just another unfortunate brick in the wall that kept me from really enjoying my time with the game. If these things don’t sound like deal breakers to you, Blair Witch may still be worth your time to at least try out. Even then I don’t think I’d recommend the Switch be where you do so.

Jump King comes together as a totally competent platformer with enjoyably simple mechanics, where the only major downside comes in with why the game was made in the first place. Designing a game in which the point is to have the player repeatedly fail, forcing several restarts, is inherently not a good way to go about things, but if you can take it as a personal challenge between yourself and the game, then this platformer offers one of the more unique experiences on the Nintendo Switch.

Klaus is an impeccable experience from top to bottom. Platforming is engaging and tight, the puzzles will keep you on your toes, and the story offers up something that matches mind-blowing tales such as Limbo or Inside. The struggle with managing all the moving parts and some unfortunate flashing lights aren’t enough to bring this one down too far on the list of stellar platforming experiences on the Nintendo Switch.

Overall Burnout Paradise Remastered is a solid game and an even more solid Switch port. If you like driving games and that’s all you really need, driving in Burnout feels really good regardless of what kind of car you’re using (my personal favorite was speed types). Those looking for a bit more than just the endless grind of races and stunts might still find themselves having fun for at least a couple hours, and even though you don’t actually interact with it at all Paradise City is still an interesting and varied setting to roll around in. If that sounds like your thing I can happily recommend this game on the Switch.

If you look at the game’s Steam forums, you’ll see that Outbuddies DX is being updated continually (I suspect it was updated at least once since release), so I have some hope that it will, at some point, be a better game. Today, however, is not that day. If you’re itching for a Metroid-like, I did review an excellent one just recently. Without Outbuddies, I feel like the skeleton is there, but the meat needs some more time in the oven.

Overall, the M2 emulation and menu navigation are certainly strengths of the Darius Cozmic Collection Console, but at the end of the day it feels much more like four titles than nine, given how similar some of these versions are. Some of the games have online rankings, which adds to the replay factor, but there are no historical materials on offer, and the game balancing options are incredibly sparse. There are some decent screen options, and being able to remap all of the buttons is nice, but it’s hard not to see this package of Darius games as being light on firepower. We’ve seen much more robust compilations come to Switch, so I can really only recommend these games to true Darius diehards.