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.

Not Tonight is the video game equivalent of a protest song – a piece the artist releases to the world with the intent to elevate a social movement or perceived injustice. I suspect the story will act as a Rorschach test of your political alignment depending on whether you love or hate it. Some could critique it as being too on the nose, but the lack of subtlety feels genuine in this moment.

Between it’s poor writing, sloppy controls, and lackluster exploration, Bookbound Brigade has a lot of missed potential. With how long and difficult a linear corridor in the game can be and exploration overall taking a backseat, it doesn’t succeed very often as a Metroidvania. Meanwhile the bad characterization and juvenile writing kneecaps a framing device that could’ve been interesting enough to make up for the bland gameplay. I can’t see myself ever returning to the game, and I don’t have much reason to say anyone else should bother with it either.

All in all, this version of motocross is pretty unfair to anyone who hasn’t played an entry before, doesn’t want to spend tons of time with it, or who isn’t already keenly familiar with the process of racing these types of machines. Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 3 offers an experience that is properly tailored for those fans who will more than likely make this purchase, but for anyone taking a passing glance, there is a barrier to entry that will take some determination to overcome.

The sound effects and music add little to the overall experience, and the customization aspects are only skin deep. Additional modes and options would go a long way to increasing its value, but as it is, Marooners is just okay. There are much more compelling multiplayer experiences on the crowded Switch island.

If you’re looking for a clever puzzle game, The Turing Test definitely delivers. The puzzles are great and involve a lot of mechanics that introduce a good deal of variety and some clever uses of the power-shooting tool. One of the challenges of a puzzle game is providing a reason to replay, and unfortunately everything the game has to offer can be seen in your first playthrough. A good number of nice twists in the story will keep you engaged, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights it seems to be aiming for.

Ideally, you’ll sit down and play through Knights and Bikes with a friend in the excellent co-op. If you find yourself in that potential situation, relish it like you would the end of summer before school starts again. If single-player is the only way you’ll be able to play Knights and Bikes, maybe take heed; solo play is less enjoyable experience even if the overall charm and presentation is wowing. This is a fun video game, but it’s optimally meant for two-player adventures.

Kunai is the next great Metroidvania on Switch. It could easily stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Ori and the Blind Forest and The Messenger, especially in how effortless moving around and traversing the world is. This is as close to a must-play as I can recommend. You're a tablet who plays like Spider-Man, and everything looks beautiful. Kunai is excellent.

Overall, SpeedRunners provides the foundation for an excellent party game and is certainly enjoyable with the right crowd. However, the lack of multiple modes and sparse single player content make this package feel like more of a mini-game. With the Switch hosting hundreds of multiplayer games that deliver a similar but fuller experience, like Runbow, it’s hard to recommend this one. If you’re looking for a more robust multiplayer experience, you may want to look elsewhere.

Overall Kentucky Route Zero may not be for everybody, but those for whom it is for will find it an incredibly well put together experience. The dark and mysterious atmosphere and memorable locations mixed with well written and human feeling characters make this game something that players who value a narrative focused experience won’t soon forget. It’s a story about looking for that which you’ve lost, and maybe finding some new stuff along the way, whether you really mean to be doing so or not. Those looking for a challenge or something a bit more action packed won’t find what they’re looking for here, but those looking for a surreal and mysterious tale will have come to the right place.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a solid game, especially if you like the source material. If you aren’t interested in the show or strategy games, then this won’t convince you to like them in any meaningful way. While it was nice to replay the first season of Netflix’s show, this was a missed opportunity to capitalize on the success of this new era of puppet mastery.

Actual Sunlight is a story worth experiencing, even if the format chosen to tell this tale is a little rough around the edges. Limitations with the engine, as well as a short story that feels rushed, make for a video game that won’t impress in many categories. Lengthy text-based sections will also cut some players out of the equation, but if you can get through this fairly rudimentary experience, then you will find one of the deeper and more necessary stories available.

Eclipse: Edge of Light is a very engaging story that I found myself more attached to than I was expecting. Though it only lasts a few hours, that time yields a rich experience. I do wish there was more to it, but what is here is solid. While the Switch version perhaps carries a bit too much of the original release with it in terms of design choices made for VR, the core adventure will still be rewarding for those who are patient.

Skellboy has a duality to it that makes it a harder game to quantify. The visuals are adorable and fun, but technical issues muddle gameplay. The back half features more exploration and enjoyable side quests, but the first part is slow-paced and straightforward. If you think the charm of the aesthetic can carry you through the low points, it’s worth reaching the highs, but if not, Skippy might be better left in the ground.

Aviary Attorney’s clever writing and storytelling are its strongest suit, and is worth playing for that alone. It’s not in-depth as other detective games, but it doesn’t need to be as its other qualities more than make up for some of its shallowness. Aviary Attorney is great for those that want a short, but thoroughly entertaining experience.

The daffy silliness of Speaking Simulator is the beating heart of this video game robot. When that’s allowed to be the focus, laughter courses through its circuitry. Sometimes the wiring of this robot obscures the best parts, though, as the dizzying amounts of QWOP-esque systems draw the focus off the heart and onto the brain, where the controls and mechanics reside. This strained, faulty metaphor might best sum up Speaking Simulator, as this game tries its best but winds up being sloppy in a way that diverts attention from the most enjoyable parts.

Mosaic was a game I wanted to love. Adventure titles that offer deep storytelling are some of my favorite experiences in the genre, and Mosaic had everything lined up to be truly special. Unfortunately, a little bit too much monotony, a control scheme you will be fighting throughout, and major performance issues make this a game that will have you looking for a way to alleviate your frustrations. Hopefully a patch comes to fix the performance issues in what could have been a fairly decent experience.

If you’re looking to curl up on the couch with a warm drink, Coffee Talk can set the mood and help you pass a few wonderful hours until closing time.

The eShop listing for Squidlit advertises that it “ does everything it can to be as accurate to the original hardware as possible,” and while that may be true, I can’t think of a Game Boy title that would be less appealing or enjoyable than Squidlit. There are only one or two interesting uses of its core gameplay mechanic and no discernable challenge in any of its stages. If your favourite genre is retro platformers in that familiar yellow-green that feature squids for protagonists, Save me Mr Tako is an infinitely better game. Even if you have a religious attachment and nostalgia for all things Game Boy, Squidlit just ain’t it, Chief.

Hypercharge Unboxed is by no means whatsoever a bad game. Actually, it is one I look forward to revisiting as time goes on. It is extremely promising, but it isn’t quite there yet. If you have a group of friends you can reliably play with and you’re willing to trudge through the rough spots, there is certainly plenty of content to enjoy here. It also happens to somehow be one of the most visually impressive games I’ve played on Switch.

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea DX is a refined adventure that ends the trilogy on a higher note than it began. However, it brings with it the same vapidity and monotony that inspired me to hold down the fast-forward option through the final half of the experience.

With its retro ‘80s aesthetic and multiple different settings and dangers to deal with, Stories Untold is a very well put together horror game, despite its flaws. Every story is short, clocking in at just around 30-45 minutes each, which makes this the perfect game to pop on during an evening get together where your main goal is to spook your friends. The voice acting is also a high point, as each performance felt believable and different in a way that truly made me sink into each small world as I went. It’s not a perfect game or even a perfect port, all things considered, but if you like a good atmosphere and a well-told series of stories, then you should probably go and contradict this game’s title when you have the chance.

I liked Shinobi a lot, even though the experience was very quick. The controls felt good and tight, there were some clever enemies (especially towards the end) and the entire concept of being a ninja is a real cool idea. Shinobi is a fleeting experience, but not one that I don’t regret having.

Understanding the experimental and purposeful design of 198X goes a long way toward appreciating it. Rather than a fun, traditional game experience, it’s best viewed as a bold and thought-provoking work that reminds us of a time before wireless controllers and console wars. Back when all you really needed was a quarter and some courage.