Overall, I like Levelhead a lot, but I’m saying that as someone that was probably never going to make my own levels to begin with. I can see someone on the flip side of that coin who would rather make levels than play those made by others being very disappointed by the Switch version. On the bright side, the game does have full cross-compatibility with the PC version. With a pre-existing collection of thousands of levels with more coming in every day, anyone interested in simply playing levels will have a fully-featured experience. Sadly, creators will have to put up with some frustrating issues to get as much out of this game as they could’ve on another platform.

The indie scene on Switch in 2020 has been pretty hit-or-miss so far with no clear standouts as of yet. With its engaging story and enjoyable combat mechanics, Dread Nautical has the potential to make a splash on the Nintendo handheld. Even after making it through the demonic ship, there’s enough variety and a strong enough combat system to encourage multiple playthroughs.

G-LOC is by no means the best game of this type Sega’s released, but it's serviceable and fun. The Sega Ages port is, as usual, excellent. However, morso than many of Sega’s games from this era, G-LOC certainly shows its age. If you’re a fan of this type of game, you’ll likely have a great time, but if you’re not sure, there are better places to start your sprite-scaling journey.

Unlockable avatars, helpful accessibility options, and a variety of objectives add compelling reasons to hire Moving Out for your next Switch event. A physics-based action-puzzle game like this comes with a certain amount of jank, but I never found it to be a deterrent to my enjoyment. If anything, the floppiness and bounciness of the characters make them more funny and charming. In addition, the colorful and light-hearted art style pairs well with the simple gameplay. The single-player experience probably isn’t enough to justify a purchase, but if you can get multiple people together, Moving Out is another excellent local co-op title that you’ll want to bring out again and again.

If you’re down with all sorts of in-jokes and spent way too much time online in the late 2000s, you probably already picked up Treachery in Beatdown City. If you’re still on the fence, it’s a brisk experience with a unique style of gameplay, and the dialogue is as skippable as you need it to be. It’s a good debut game from a studio I’ll be keeping an eye on going forward.

Sunless Sea has a really great atmosphere that should be ripe for exploring, but unfortunately it falls flat when it comes to core gameplay elements. Story bits are slow to develop and failed to hook me, while the act of sailing itself is mundane. That’s not to say it’s devoid of good ideas, but it’ll take someone who doesn’t mind a slow burn to fully enjoy.

A Fold Apart is a unique experience in terms of what is on offer from a puzzle-solving aspect, with the paper-folding brain-twisters allowing for an enjoyable experience from top to bottom. Pair that with beautifully-crafted environments, vibrant colors, and a compelling story and you have a game that plays and looks great. If the performance was on point, this would have been one of the premier puzzle experiences in the first half of 2020. Still, A Fold Apart is one to pick up and play if you can look past the framerate issues.

ITTA is unremarkable in many ways. It uses a muted color palette, a repetitive, droning soundtrack, and guns with bullets that are just white squares. But despite these lackluster presentation elements, the boss fights are brutal and thrilling. Seeing their health meters drop both galvanizes your resolve and heightens your dread; yes, you're edging closer to victory, but your opponent is about to ramp their attack up to 11. The 18 total bosses each present a unique and satisfying challenge, and if you find any of them too daunting, you can increase your damage by 2x or even turn on invulnerability. Fans of tough, bullet-hell style action sequences will be able to slake their thirst here, but don't go into it expecting much more than a solid boss rush.

With how consistent Jupiter’s Picross quality has been over the years, it isn’t a surprise that Picross S4 is very good. With just shy of 500 puzzles, it’s worth your puzzling time. I just hope that in the future, Color Picross can have a bigger presence and maybe someday touchscreen controls can return.

Without a doubt, the Trials of Mana remake is the definitive version of what for many of us was a long-lost classic. If you don’t mind replaying the game with different party configurations to see the minor story differences and unlock more endings, there are dozens of entertaining hours to be found here. For those who want more story depth, side quests, and gameplay variety, Trials of Mana probably wasn’t and still isn’t for you. I found the quick and eye-catching combat to be both satisfying and exciting; you can even earn bonuses depending on how fast you defeat enemies and whether or not you take damage in the process. The character endings I saw felt a little lackluster, but I’m compelled enough by the presentation and the simplicity of the gameplay to run through the adventure again. It might not be the drastic departure that some remakes are, but the Trials of Mana remake is a wonderful RPG palette cleanser for Mana newcomers and veterans alike.

Boot Hill Bounties would be considered a serviceable JRPG without the bugs. The visual glitches are just out-of-place, but the progress-ending bug in the opening tutorial had me worried every time I would open a menu or click through dialogue that my playthrough would be ended prematurely. Given that the story, systems, and mechanics are so familiar, it’s a shame Boot Hill Bounties does nothing to make its versions unique or exciting outside of the trope-filled, spaghetti-western theme.

Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a great concept with terrible execution. The idea of an open world to explore and goof around with friends is hampered by awful controls, an empty world, tedious gameplay, and a boatload of glitches. There are far better options for party games on Switch that will give you much less frustration, guaranteed. While the aim was clearly to deliver a goofy package, it seems the package never quite arrived.

Lack of touch controls aside, Convoy is still a title that feels at home on the Switch. The retro era style of graphics and gameplay that’s best enjoyed in short bursts is a good fit for the mobile platform. It may not be as exciting as a flamethrowing guitarist chasing down folks escaping from a post-apocalyptic dictator, but it's still a refreshing take on a genre looking for a new lease on life.

Even with a handful of mild problems, Billion Road is a fun local multiplayer board game on Switch. The most notable potential drawback is that it is at its best when you have two-to-four players that are all down for some whimsical yet strategic tabletop nonsense. If you have a few friends at home or nearby to play Billion Road with, dive into the Japan-themed board game mayhem.

While the action of playing the game is threadbare, the tone being set between the repetitive motions of exploration, your doctoral companion’s calm demeanor, a serene and mysterious accompaniment, and the satisfaction of each new discovery makes for a divine experience. If you’re looking for an interactive balm for your spare time or something to sate a sense of discovery without needing action-packed stimulation, sink into these waters and let them wash over you.

Metro Redux offers up two solid ports for the price of one. The Metro games bring brutal experiences where pure horror awaits you around every corner. Between those breathtaking moments, the titles build a terrific world that I love exploring. There are little complaints on both ends, but none of them make the games uninteresting. That being said, there are long loading times afoot and games are a little on the darker side of things. If you have an eye for detail and are in for terrific time, then both 2033 and Last Night are journeys worth having.

Gunbrick: Reloaded is just super fun and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging but not punishing puzzle platformer. The standard levels and boss battles are charmingly difficult and the new isometric mode is a blast, the game just left me wanting more. Nitrome continues to show some great support for the Switch, and I personally can’t wait to see what they have next up their sleeve.

In terms of what is on offer for a veteran gamer or someone who is familiar with the franchise, you will find this is a lacking option with not a lot of change, variation, or improvements. Motion control issues hamper the experience for anyone going for full completion, and the rest of what you see will remind you of one of the Wii-era titles in the series straight from 2007. As a family game, Cooking Mama: Cookstar offers a serviceable experience for your children for an evening.

Tharsis would be a game I would enjoy playing on a tabletop with some buddies, while drinking some beers, and enjoying our repeated failures. However, as a single-player video game, with only a few extra missions to take you out of the basic gameplay loop that is consistently frustrating, the overall experience has all the right parts but just leaves too much up to chance to be enjoyable.

There’s something oddly hypnotic and soothing about letting your muscle memory take over as you play one of the most elementary of video game genres, and Galaxy Warfighter seems to understand this quite well. It doesn’t present new obstacles or unique events with each new mission. Instead, it’s just dozens of similar stages that get slightly harder each time you advance, but if you fail you can just spend your coins to make your ship more capable or more durable. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t the next great shoot-’em-up, but it’s competent and playable and accessible. Galaxy Warfighter would be a great game to introduce a new player to the genre, but it’s just as good at being a background activity. Even though seasoned pilots should probably steer clear, there’s room in the galaxy for new or laid back cadets to take this one for a spin.

For people that are already fans of horizontal shooters, Cat Girl Without Salad probably has at least a little something for you. Its writing can be fun for its short duration, the voice acting is pleasant to listen to, and the music by Shantae and Shovel Knight composer Jake Kaufman is at the very least catchy. However, if you’re not already a fan of the genre or even if you prefer more meat on the bones of the ones you play, this game likely isn’t going to get you what you want. Its slow pace and short runtime may turn some players off, but if you’re looking for a way to kill an hour or so it may still be worth a look.

This is the kind of game where there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it’s also not super engaging. I suspect fans of the show will enjoy it most, and younger gamers will be able to hone their platforming skills. Everyone else can probably look elsewhere.

While it might be unfair to compare Grimvalor to its obvious inspiration, the fast pace and satisfying combat make it truly stand out from the crowd. The style and setting might not be breaking any new ground, but the core of the gameplay is unique in its own right. It might even provide a good challenge for players looking for some brisk action that is great in short bursts.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a loyal interpretation of an early 2000s classic, now on Nintendo Switch. Once again with this series on this platform, the nostalgia is strong with those who stick by this as an example of what gaming should be today, but new players should be aware of what this game actually is, so that their expectations can be properly tempered. Jedi Academy takes the foundation of its previous game and uses player customization to provide polish and a deeper engagement with the story in a 10-12 hour experience, but it falls short in providing meaningful options in both side missions and online play. If that earns your purchase, then the question remains: what kind of Jedi will you become?

While the learning curve in Deep Sky Derelicts is very steep, as I began to really understand how the systems work I enjoyed it more and more. There’s a lot of replay value here with the different classes and the ships being procedurally generated, and a greater understanding of the mechanics helped me appreciate how well they all work together. If you enjoy deep RPGs in sci-fi settings, Deep Sky Derelicts is worth the effort.

Exit the Gungeon is a really fun arcade game to play in short bursts from time to time. However, once you start playing longer sessions, the random nature becomes more apparent and frustrating. Success and failure can feel out of your control, and the game just seems unfair at points. The lack of accessibility and alienation of new players makes the experience more frustrating than it should be. For lovers of the original, Exit the Gungeon comes with an easy recommendation. However, for those new to the series, it may be better to exit stage right.

If you’re looking for the next gripping narrative or memorable character moments, this is where Ara Fell trips up. If you just want a simple and recognizable JRPG experience to add to your Switch library, you could certainly do worse.

Curious Expedition is a unique experience that fails to live up to its inspirations. Lacking storytelling through areas that could have offered so much was seriously disappointing, as the gameplay loop offers mostly basic management and decision making that doesn’t keep you hooked. Repeated playthroughs are hindered by this as well, leaving this one feeling shallow and uninteresting.