Puzzle fans will find a lot to love in Vesta. The game goes beyond simple tasks to a fully fleshed-out experience with beautiful graphics and an intriguing storyline. While the pacing can be slow and certain puzzles frustrating if you don’t follow the correct sequence on the first try, this is a perfect title to pick up and chill out with. The levels can vary in length, but overall aren’t that long, lending itself well to short play sessions while on the go.

This expertly paced journey through nature provides a similar spiritual cleansing that one gets on a summer hike, and that’s a wonderful feeling if you’re currently stuck with the winter blues.

What it comes down to for a game like this is whether you’re a fan of the genre and what your expectations are for the length of the experience. I’d say that Darkside Detective isn’t the best adventure game on the system but it holds up well in the middle of the pack. The greater the breadth of your pop culture appreciation the more likely I’d say the jokes and references are to connect for you. In general, the game is riding on that understanding. It’s a worthwhile romp for genre fans who’d like a chance to enjoy five chapters with a reasonable length, have a few laughs, and not being quite as frustrated as with other games in the genre on the Switch.

Tales of the Tiny Planet is an adorable looking game, sure, but you will be done with it quickly. It offers six worlds filled with all sorts of trickery, and that’s pretty much it. I did enjoy all of the levels, I’m just really bummed that there isn't more. The Nintendo Switch version would've been a perfect platform to expand on what made the original great, plus offering something unique for the new paying public. At the moment, Tales of the Tiny Planet is simply a fine title.

When that patch comes, Owlboy is absolutely worth checking out, even if just for the pretty artwork and enjoyable story. Fortunately on top of that, the gameplay is also sound, delivering a nice puzzle platforming experience with a wealth of variety and distinctive elements. That being said, the Switch version is rough around the edges right now. It’s still possible to play through and enjoy, but it might be worth holding out for the patch (or even the physical version in May).

The Fall Part 2: Unbound adds a significant amount of depth and complexity to the formula set by its predecessor and it is all the better for it. Combat has become more interesting and varied. The new characters are a welcome addition to the world. The story presents fresh ideas and feels like a worthy follow up to The Fall. The occasional awkward mechanic aside, The Fall Part 2 presents an exciting and satisfying adventure.

The entirety of Disc Jam depends on if you’re into playing Disc Jam competitively online. If you’re not into that, then this game is probably not for you. The Ghost Arcade is the best mode aside from online play, and while it’s nice that it’s there, it’s just the same thing with an offline hat. On the bright side, online runs very well and thanks to cross-play with PC, the player base should stay strong for a while. The disc-throwing action is very fun, but with limited ways in which to do it, Disc Jam is a one-trick sport.

Overall, I had a really surprisingly fun time with ATOMIK: RunGunJumpGun. It has a good sense of difficulty and nailing everything was satisfying. Next to that, the grand sense of style is unmatched by most that I play in the genre. The big bummer is that it took only a few hours to fully complete the roughly 100 levels in the package. An endless mode would made me really happy, and would've made ATOMIK something I could return to. Still, what’s here is made with care, making for an enjoyable experience.

3D MiniGolf is a bad piece of software that can't even serve its purpose correctly. With only 70 minutes worth of content, I found myself quickly erasing this game from my memory. The skeleton of a minigolf game is absolutely there, but it is buried under way too many annoyances. Ultimately, the game plays alright, but that doesn't make it something worth looking into, which is a shame.

Shiftlings’ size-swapping mechanic serves as a perfect metaphor for the game itself. Simply put, it lacks balance. The cute art style would make for a perfect parent-child co-op experience, but the skill required for certain platformer-specific puzzles makes it a bit too difficult for a younger child to master (and/or have fun). The story elements that are fleshed out don’t really amount to much. It would have been better served without the bloat of the story. It harkens back to the oldest of game truths; as gamers, we ultimately don’t care how or why Bowser kidnapped Peach (possibly something cake-related?), we only care how we’re going to save her, and the playable journey ahead.

At the end of the day, Crypt of the Necrodancer is a trip. You hop on for the ride, enjoy some groovy tunes, and overcome a slew of challenges along the way. Even though every run is different, I always felt I was in control. It’s hard to get on the beat, but once over that initial hump, Crypt of the Necrodancer becomes one of the most intriguing experiences available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Don't sleep on it.

I had a great experience playing Sky Force Reloaded, and will keep playing it when I want to be doing something on my Switch that isn’t as big of a commitment of an RPG like Xenoblade. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary for the genre, playing it safe in all regards. It has a lot of content in an enjoyable package. The loop of short, quick play sessions is addicting, and an experience I did not expect to have as much fun with as I did.

Dripping with a fanciful charm, Aegis Defenders is a joyous blend of puzzle platforming and tower defense. While it starts slow, it’s an artful fusion of two somewhat disparate genres that comes together as a beautiful whole near the end, making it well worth a look in the crowded Switch eShop.

Mercenaries Saga Chronicles will itch a scratch if you’re looking for a solid strategy RPG experience. The gameplay is fun, easy to get into and accessible for anyone that’s ever wanted to play a strategy RPG but didn’t know what to begin with. Beyond the solid gameplay mechanics lies a very generic presentation and a list of other things that come as cheap, uninteresting, or uncreative. In general, the game doesn’t have a lot of bad elements, but too many bland moments restrict it from becoming a truly memorable experience.

As with most JPRGs, a lot of progression options are present, related to special powers and weapon upgrades. Since they don’t make the combat any easier to digest, it doesn’t feel relevant to get too detailed about them. Not mentioning that you manually have to click through endless English dialogue while listening to Japanese voice acting doesn’t really change the fact that Fantasy Hero ~Unsigned Legacy~ is a title that can and should be ignored.

Dragon Quest Builders as a package is all kinds of fun. The way you build up towns and explore the worlds is a true time sink for many hours. I found myself constantly looking for materials, quests, or items to push towards a 100% completion. That doesn't mean everything is grand, mind you. The lack of significant updates to the camera or bosses left me sour more than I would like to admit. These problems can be forgiven in time, but the smaller chapters constantly offer clear reminders of the problems. The Switch version offers little in the way of notable exclusive content, but playing it in handheld does make the proposition an easier one. The free-build mode seems like the ideal way to play Builders, and that is more than enough for me.

Mercenary Kings is a great time by my lonesome and we’ll see how it performs online. If it does well, I think this could be the next big Switch online experience, up there with Mario Kart and Splatoon.

The Switch has had a surprisingly large RPG library in its first year; already it feels like there’s more RPGs on Switch than were on its predecessor and they just keep coming. Where The Longest Five Minutes stands out is that despite the name, it is fast. I did a lot of exploring in the environments looking for treasure and still managed to roll credits in under 12 hours. Given the Switch’s propensity for roguelikes and exceedingly long, story-driven games, this is a minor miracle. Not every game has to be a seven-course meal; sometimes you just want a light snack. On that front, Longest Five Minutes delivers.

While a few consistent problems weigh it down, Dandara is still an engrossing adventure. As many times as the in-game map bugged me or the difficulty got me down, I kept at it, working my way through the peculiar world, seeking out new items and upgrades and figuring out how to move around delicately to attack or avoid foes. It might not be for the faint of heart, but Dandara is a wonderfully idiosyncratic game.

The skill management system is a broken, confusing mess is what I’m saying. If any of you figure out how it’s supposed to work, please let me know. And that’s pretty much the whole game. Go on missions, kill some aliens, grab some loot, and craft your way to victory. Everything except the human characters looks great and there are some nifty graphical effects here and there. Control is smooth and combat is fun, especially the bonuses you get for random things like attacking from behind, destroying enemy shields, etc. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like the loot/crafting system largely because it happens organically and you’re not hunting anything down. Earth Wars is a fun game, well worth the ridiculously cheap price (five bucks). It’s not perfect but it’s a spirited attempt to imitate Muramasa.

Overall Her Majesty’s SPIFFING was a pleasant surprise, full of cracking humor and some suitably absurd puzzle-solving. It may feel a bit on the short side but given its price the length is fair and I would prefer it over too soon rather than overstaying its welcome. For people searching for a game that is light, not terribly demanding, and can just be enjoyed for quite a few hours it’s pretty easy to recommend.

In the end Brawl isn’t necessarily a bad game, it’s just a hodge podge of ideas that individually may work but somehow when they’re mashed together it doesn’t seem to congeal. There’s obviously been effort to inject some personality into things but at the same time, what makes each character distinct ends up detracting a bit from the ease of handing someone a controller and having some fun. With the voice work, it’s also obvious that the single-player story mode had some investment but the glorified tutorials with somewhat bland play and wonky AI failed to leave a very positive impression. Just from top to bottom the overall effort plays out as pretty average, though its stuttering periodic performance issues make it more difficult to redeem.

The story is great, the music is fine, and the game runs well in both docked and handheld mode. Night in the Woods did not really leave me with a lot of complaints. So if you’re interested in trying out a well-written story that is fairly relaxing in gameplay to get through, but also want to immerse yourself in an environment along the lines of something like Oxenfree, then Night in the Woods is definitely a must-have.

While the road to the best challenges were a bit tedious, my brain found the rapid pattern recognition and rule application of Nuclien very satisfying over the course of the few hours it took to complete everything. This is in no way a high-concept game; it is simply the full exploration of a relatively simple idea. If you’re looking for something a bit different that will test your ability to quickly recognize numbers and patterns it can be quite an engrossing activity while it lasts.

Overall, 10 Second Run Returns is a solid but somewhat dull title. The music is nice, but everything else from the art, gameplay, and multiplayer is quite barebones. What it lacks in sizzle it makes up for in function. The level design is fair and fun to overcome, and holds plenty of challenge for the platforming fanatic. Although there may be many other more exciting looking selections available on Switch, 10 Second Run is a good option for quick and reliable platforming fun.

The core game here is already so strong and so engrossing that more content is good no matter how necessary it might be. I’m thrilled Radiant Historia is back on a modern system, especially since the new release is now the best, definitive way to experience a masterful RPG.

Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL’s console transformation fails to make the most of the Switch platform. As a premium-priced experience on console, it fails to offer the improvements that one would expect. The shadows of the game’s mobile roots as well as its rough transition to physical controls make the console version difficult to recommend.

My main problem with SteamWorld Dig is that, apart from the puzzle rooms, there’s not a lot of meat on these bones. Second, I recently played (and perhaps you did too) SteamWorld Dig 2, a game that blows its predecessor out of the water in every possible respect. However, it’s interesting to go back to the original after playing its sequel, because you can see how the core gameplay evolved. I like SteamWorld Dig; I just like SteamWorld Dig 2 more and that fact, maybe unfairly, winds up hurting the former. It’s definitely worth playing, though, on whatever system you have that it runs on.