Toki Tori 2+ follows the mold set by great efforts of the genre such as Braid and The Lost Vikings. Unlike the frequent changes George Lucas made to the original Star Wars trilogy, it's commendable that Two Tribes has listened to criticism and continued to implement improvements. Anyone who enjoys a challenge and likes games where you can temporarily travel in bubbles should give Toki Tori 2+ a look.

Last Day of June is mostly quite good. It’s a story-driven game with one of the best-told stories I’ve seen in some time, and it offers an emotional edge that’s likely going to leave you with a lot of feelings by the time you reach the credits. The gameplay, however, is passable at best and annoyingly repetitive at worst, and while it didn’t fully keep me from wanting to reach the end, it added a somewhat frustrating slog to get there.

Gekido Kintato’s Revenge is a curio in its position as a Game Boy Advance game brought to a modern home console. The update is totally fine - the sprite graphics look great, the music is good - but the gameplay is an artifact of older days. That’s fine if you just want to sit down for a challenging beat-’em-up with a friend, but if you’re looking for something modern and fresh, Gekido isn’t that. It’s just an alright retro remake.

This is the same Pirate’s Curse we’ve been playing since 2014. Back then, I called it one of my favorite 3DS games and I maintain that opinion today. Get it in whatever form is most convenient for you (but seriously the 3D effect is ridiculous).

Input latency and levels that are too long without the ability to save keep Castle of Heart from being as fun as it ought to be. That being said, it’s certainly not a bad experience. It is quite nice to look at no matter how you play. If you can overcome the controller lag, Castle of Heart can quench the thirst for classic action platforming among diehard genre fans. For more casual players, mileage may vary.

My personal frustration with Clustertruck shouldn’t take away from the game. Landfall and tinyBuild made a good game, even if there were times that I thought they’d owe me either a Switch or a TV. And I had plenty of occasions in which I nailed a tricky series of jumps or managed to overcome a tough level and felt amazing. The run eventually comes, and if you can tolerate not knowing when that is, Clustertruck could be for you.

Superola and the Lost Burgers is disappointing. It has and initial appeal based on its inspiration but fails in the execution. I would run away from this game as fast as you can.

Slayaway Camp is a smart, well-crafted puzzle game that transcends its niche trappings in such a way that even if horror movies aren’t your bag, you should still keep an eye out on this excellent game.

While cool concepts and ideas are awash throughout Swim Out, the dawdling pace of the 100+ puzzles drowns the more novel ideas. This is, for better or worse, an alright puzzle game that just happens to be in a sea of better ones. Good for a laidback romp, but not for much else.

All told, The Long Reach could have used some more time in the oven. It presents issues that seem readily solvable—lighting, object highlighting, proof reading—but in its current form, the game is frustrating and not particularly enjoyable. Maybe some of the problems can be patched out, but until that happens, I can’t recommend The Long Reach despite its intriguing storyline.

The supernatural elements in the game had me interested right away, but the interface issues and the tone of the narration kept pulling me out of the experience.

You might lose motivation in the long run, but it is a tasty treat for the few hours it lasts.

World Conqueror X is a fun and challenging war game that is somewhat marred by a lack of proper tutorials and explanations. Riding out any early frustration will allow you to uncover a worthwhile strategy title that has many hours of content, albeit with not too much variation in gameplay.

The Switch, as a portable console, is great for this game. It’s always nice to have an infectious zombie on hand to pass the time when out and about. And though the gameplay itself is repetitive, it's a solid game with its tactical challenges and a great design.

Bleed 2 is a very accurately named game. In many ways it could be seen as a level pack for its predecessor, but the few small changes in the design all help to make it a better experience. These kinds of short, creative games are perfect for the eShop, and if we see Bleed 3 at some point I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up.

While Danmaku Unlimited 3 is not the most polished game of its kind, it is a very satisfying experience. The unique mechanics and multiple difficulty options combined with compelling reasons to keep playing and improving make for a game with a wider appeal than most other titles in the bullet hell genre. Danmaku Unlimited 3 successfully creates the tense feeling of a screen filled with bullets, without excessively punishing failure.

Kirby Star Allies is good, at times enjoyable even. It’s lacking in the single-player experience, though, especially compared to Kirby’s recent outings on Nintendo 3DS. The multiplayer is fun, but the focus on it might leave some fans in the cold. As someone who enjoys everything Kirby, I was left somewhat flat until the end of the campaign and the post-game. On my second run with friends, I did see the true potential of the game.

I like some aspects of The Trail, such as the calm setting and the sense of fulfillment when finally crafting that recipe that you had been working on forever. But the negatives -- the framerate, controls, and uninteresting story -- do hamper the experience. They are manageable, and The Trail isn’t necessarily a bad game. It has its moments, but technical limitations do put a damper on things.

Layers of Fear may at first glance fit into the often derided walking simulator subgenre, but its impressive design makes it a much deeper and more memorable experience than one would initially expect. It represents an effective Switch port and even goes out of its way to include a motion control option. In the Switch’s growing library of horror titles, Layers of Fear has positioned itself as a powerful front runner.

Steredenn Binary Stars might look like a generic shoot-’em-up on the surface, but it offers quite a bit to be excited about. I found the wonderful selection of weapons and multiphase bosses an absolute delight despite the relentless difficulty. While the all or nothing nature will be more than enough to turn some people off, for those who welcome it will without a doubt find themselves proclaiming, just one more run.

Although Magical Drop III isn’t at the top of the Switch’s tier list of puzzle games - Puyo Puyo Tetris and Ironcast are fighting for that spot - it’s still a high-tier product. Even if you’ll want to punch that stupid raven after losing for the 35th time, you’ll want to try again. The Neo Geo wasn’t really known for puzzle games, but this is the best that system had to offer.

Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo is a good first attempt at a loot mech game from Arc. I think some of the issues could be worked out in a sequel, which coincidentally - or not - launched just after the Switch release of Operation Tokyo. It plays well on a handheld with the short missions, just pop the volume down a bit and move the headphones over to something else.

One Eyed Kutkh is an interesting idea. Gorgeous and imaginative in its design but severely lacking in its execution. It leaves gamers wishing there was more to this game so more time can be spent in its world. Unfortunately, unless you’re looking for something simple to keep you occupied for a couple minutes, One Eyed Kutkh falls short.

Detention is a complicated package. Everything outside of its gameplay is top-notch. Its story, visuals, and sound flawlessly accomplishes what (I think) the game is trying to convey. At the same time, these things are experienced through slow, somewhat dull adventure gameplay.

Flinthook has a sound base, complete with an excellent grappling hook mechanic and a distinctive, fun mode of movement. The roguelite design leads to some repetition, but the gorgeous art and great style (even in the face of well-worn scenery) helps make up for that and other shortcomings. Be prepared to die a lot, but if it clicks for you, be prepared to want to jump right back in for another go.

Grid Mania doesn’t really do anything new, but it plays well, has some variety to its gameplay, and provides a solid challenge. Mania might be a little hyperbolic, so let’s just say the game is Grid Fun for the whole family.

The core flight feels good and each mission is an appropriately brief length that lends itself well to casual, quick play sessions. That makes it easy for me to overlook that it didn’t land without some turbulence.

TurtlePop, but as it stands, this is all far too convoluted to be something worth sinking a lot of time into. Charm can only go so far when strangled by numerous and conflicting ideas.