When Murder By Numbers was announced, I was excited for a game that fused Ace Attorney and Picross with style. I’m pleased to not be let down by my cascading hype as it turns out that Mediatonic has a firm grasp on the distinctive appeal of Ace Attorney’s world and characters, putting together a flashy and bright ‘90s world that wouldn’t feel out of place if it was actually across town from Phoenix and the gang. Throw in the well-executed Picross puzzles and you have yourself one of the best surprises of 2020. Here’s hoping we can see more of this enjoyable cast of characters and welcome visual novel twist.

Oddmar surprised me quite a bit; I was expecting another simple 2D platformer. However, I found a charming, beautifully animated, and above all fun platformer that even managed to challenge the completionist in me. It takes a little while to get going and is a bit rough around the edges. But I think that platform-fans looking for a short but enjoyable experience, will get their fill with Oddmar.

Overall, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is a mixed bag. On one hand, new features, like Infinity Mode and the new story scenarios, were great. However, the other additions feel as though they should have been added to the base game through a patch and not as DLC. It is worth mentioning that Warriors Orochi 4’s Ultimate content is available through two different avenues. Players who had previously purchased the base game could upgrade to the Ultimate edition through DLC for a price. Newcomers, on the other hand, will now only be available to purchase the game as Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate. For those getting into the series, the Ultimate edition is easily the definitive way to experience the game. To those who already owned the base game however, your money is best spent elsewhere.

All in all, Cosmonauta doesn’t go out of its way to impress you aesthetically, but each level throws a unique enough scenario at you that going through each one was a satisfying experience. There are flashy games on the eShop that aren’t as fun to play as this one, but when you die two dozen times on one of the stages and the same tired music keeps playing over and over, it can get a little grating. That said, for an inexpensive and gameplay-focused platformer, Cosmonauta shines bright enough to matter.

Despite its disappointing online issues, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] is one of the most impressive fighting games I’ve ever played. It’s oozing with style, it’s shockingly accessible, and the back-and-forth exchanges prompted by the Grind Grid system make for non-stop excitement in every match. There’s even a fifteen hour visual novel experience in the Chronicles mode that helps flesh out the world and characters of Under Night In-Birth, though personally I think I’m more afraid of understanding all the insane proper nouns in the plot summary than I am excited. This was a worthy addition to both the EVO lineup and the Switch lineup, and there’s nothing I want more now than to see the game finally reach the mainstream success it deserves.

You could sum up Bloodroots as a derivative of Hotline Miami, but the final product stands farther apart from that game. The weapon variety and depth gives different levels a distinct personality and the world itself offers a bombastic, naturalistic cartoony style. But what I keep coming back to as my favorite part of Bloodroots is its versatility. The action is ultimately easy to grasp, requiring only three buttons, but you can stylishly do so much with those base ideas thanks to the oodles of weapons and smartly designed levels. Paper Cult stuck the landing on this vibrantly violent game.

I have some misgivings with Voxelgram. It comes at the Picross 3D throne and misses in some respects, but in a world where virtually none of this type of game exists, this is a precious gem. This game succeeds well enough to capture the majesty of Picross 3D on Nintendo Switch. While I’d love to see more charm and smoother controls, I’m just thrilled to be playing one of my favorite kinds of puzzles again, and with the prospect of procedurally generated puzzles, I’ll hopefully always have more to go back to when I feel the urge to chill out to a good puzzle. Even with just the 170 base puzzles though, Voxelgram is an enjoyable puzzle game.

I enjoyed my time with Rune Factory 4 Special. It caters well to both farming sim enthusiasts and RPG players who want a little more action in between shipping crops and courting that special someone. I do admire the developer’s ability to blend all of this into one cohesive game, as there’s tons of things to do here and it can take hours to accomplish everything. Grinding can be a little grating, but Rune Factory’s positives far outweigh the negatives.

Time, place, and presentation matters in context of Strike! Ten Pin Bowling. Wii Sports was attached as a hot selling point to the Wii as a fresh new device and novel way to play at the time. Miis with their customizable faces and reactions when dropping a ball added a lot of personality this title is missing. Strike! Ten Pin Bowling has none of that going for it, and while it ticks off a lot of the same boxes you’d look for in a pick-up-and-play bowling game to share with family, the lack of character and slightly more complex controls prevented it from catching fire in my home. It’s a completely serviceable bowling experience, but one that doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessors.

Darksiders Genesis takes most of what you love about the Darksiders games and gives them a fresh spin. While I do wish that it had maintained the unified world of its mainline brethren, the adventure is thrilling from beginning to end. The Switch port itself certainly has some rough spots, but is overall still a solid way to experience Darksiders Genesis. An oddly hidden mission reward system and horrible map may cause some confusion, but the music and character dialogue are all superb. Fans of the Darksiders franchise will almost certainly find enjoyment here and newcomers can feel at ease knowing that they don’t need to play the previous entries to enjoy this one.

The combat is fun and strategic, the hero has a good weight to him/her and control is responsive and fluid. It’s not perfect but it’s enjoyable. It will appeal to the kind of gamer (like me) who enjoys punishing combat in a game that, through practice and sheer force of will, can be overcome and winds up feeling great.

Fans of the jump-and-shoot variety need to set their sights on the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection. It is a definitive package of lesser known Mega Man games that stand on their own as satisfying and legitimate experiences.

It’s as addictive as it is satisfying, and the hours I’ve spent with it have melted away like the cares of my newly-cured patients. Whether you’ve been in a simulation game coma like me or living it up as your tycoon of choice, Two Point Hospital more than lives up to its forebears. Let’s add eight more points to that title.

Puyo Puyo 2 is an excellent arcade puzzle game, and the Sega Ages port makes it more accessible than ever, both to a western audience and to those who have difficulty with colors. Though it is a shame the localization couldn’t go all the way, this new version more than makes up for it with all the new options and features it brings to the table. It’s a must-play for fans of falling block games, and there’s never been a better way to play it.

Character action games rely heavily on combat and style and Devil May Cry 3 manages to deliver just that in spades. While not being able to completely withstand the test of time, the addition of Free Style play to the Switch version gives the title a breath of fresh air, offering veterans of the series a fresh take on the classic while making it even more accessible to newcomers.

All in all, Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle is a thing I’m glad exists, even if maybe not every game is a winner. It’s a nice way to revisit a beloved and long-running NES series that saw roughly half of its releases even make it to America. The various online and technical flourishes make them all play the best they ever have. It’s awesome playing Super Dodge Ball not as it was, but more like I remember it.

All in all, Vitamin Connection is one of the best games on the Switch eShop, period. While there is a little backtracking to be done, the game just glides by and is a smooth experience all the way through. The levels are rich with fun obstacles and challenges that test your skills. In addition, the sub-games break up the gameplay in a non-intrusive way, making for fun surprises. Most importantly, however, I absolutely love the presentation. The whole look of the game made me grin constantly, with colorful characters and funky Japanese music taking charge. No matter if you're playing alone or with a pal, Vitamin Connection is made with this system in mind.

Depixtion is not the best Picross or nonogram game I’ve ever played, but after checking out some dreadful examples on the Switch recently, I’m thankful when I can romp my way through a new one that is satisfying and fun. Depixtion does both in spades.

Cindered Shadows truly takes the playstyle of pre-Awakening Fire Emblem: map after map, limited things to do to prep, and forcing budgeting for most of the time. The maps themselves are about the same difficulty as about a chapter from 17 to 20 in the base game, but without the backup of possibly having higher-end classes. That said, it was still a fun experience, and the new options provided by having the Ashen Wolves in my class make me want to get back on the bike and finish the storylines I’ve yet to play myself.

Crash Drive 2 is a decent game that doesn’t exceed at anything in particular. The fundamentals are all there, like good controls and a lot of goals to work towards, but the gameplay loop is just too simple to be worth more than a few minutes of play at a time. If you just want something to play while you’re waiting for the bus then you could do worse, but it’s worth noting that the mobile version of the game is free on both iOS and Android. The game fits into the short-bursts niche that mobile gaming has carved out for itself, so perhaps it’s best to pass on the Switch version; after all, you can’t beat free.

Overall if you aren’t looking for a visual novel about weird spirits finding love or friendship, this probably isn’t going to be for you. There are a few issues with it, such as the UI tinting the option you’re selecting instead of tinting the options you’re not selecting like most games do. This specifically had me confused and at least a few times I accidentally picked an option I didn’t want because of it. There is basically no gameplay variation to be found in Speed Dating for Ghosts, it’s a visual novel through and through, but if that’s your thing each “run” only lasts about ten to fifteen minutes making this game perfect for an afternoon of soul searching and spook searching.

Overall, if you are looking for a deeply emotional and relatable story about the joy and challenges of love and everything that comes with it, Florence is definitely a game you cannot miss. With its simple gameplay, lovely art, and powerful soundtrack, anybody can pick it up and find themselves connected with the story of Florence and Krish. It’s a happy story that takes some sad turns, but in the end it provides a wonderful message of hope for the future. With a short run time of around 45 minutes to an hour, this is the perfect game to show to your family in order to convince them of just how games can be used to artfully tell a tale of adulthood.

For a first effort, Guardian of Rebirth is a fine read despite some of the minor quirks—and maybe Impey will be a little bit less annoying in the future.

Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold is a journey with highs and lows. The gameplay itself is quite entertaining with cool weapons and slick movement. On the other end, it is also very grindy, with dialogue that can become real grating. Some of these problems fade away in multiplayer, which makes it such a missed opportunity to make that aspect a bigger focus. Snack World isn't a bad game, but it’s somewhat misguided in how it wants to present itself. If you can deal with the frustration, you will find that the dungeons themselves can be fairly entertaining.

While the switch version of EQQO is probably not the ideal way to experience this story, it is a cute and small game that is great for someone who is looking to play something in short bursts. Take your time getting adjusted to the controls. If you take on a chapter each night, you will more than get your money out of it. Just don’t go in and expect a full top-down Zelda dungeon experience.

Thronebreaker is certainly a well-developed title with fun gameplay, but it’s perhaps designed for a niche audience. To really get the most out of it, you’ll want to be a fan of Gwent, a card game that often gets ignored even by the most hardcore of Witcher fans. The story is worth the price of admission, but if you’re not a fan of card-based combat mechanics this title is probably not for you. Thronebreaker certainly is fun, but it might be worth trying out a few hands of Gwent with Geralt back in Witcher 3 to make sure your interest can be sustained for 30 or so hours.

In the right situation, Thief Town is an absolute blast to play. Rounds are short and matches can be adjusted to have higher or lower point totals needed for victory. The overall range of options and stages is definitely lacking, but the core gameplay is very enjoyable. Ideally, you’ll have at least four in your group since fewer than that really takes away from what makes Thief Town fun. If you’re looking to add an easy-to-play and satisfying multiplayer title to your game nights, don’t skip town on this one.

In some ways, Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo is as disappointing as Alpha: it doesn’t feature save states, online leaderboards, or any historical materials. Other than having them all in one place, you don’t really get anything extra when buying these shooters as a package, rather than individually. You might save a couple bucks purchasing all six games at once, but the better play might be to just pick and choose your favourite ones. Ultimately, Shooting Stars Bravo is a decent compilation that is disappointingly barebones, even if it can provide a pretty good time.