Enter The Gungeon is about as good as it gets for scratching that roguelike itch. The dungeon-craw- excuse me, gungeon-crawling mixed with twin-stick shooting has proven in the past to be a solid gameplay setup, and here mixed in with the smooth dodge-roll mechanic plus the great amount of customizable guns makes every run-through fun and exciting. The colorful and idiosyncratic style of the sprites and animation are absolutely delightful, and almost make you root for the cute little bullets shuffling around trying to kill you. The game runs great both docked and in handheld mode, the latter being what makes the Switch the amazing console it is. Obviously, if challenging games aren’t your thing you may want to think twice before purchasing, but if you are in market for an excellent roguelike, look no further and Enter The Gungeon.

When Yooka-Laylee was originally announced as a Kickstarter project by former Rare developers, it gave fans of the 3D platformer hope that a nearly dead genre could return to its former glory. It’s unfortunate, then, that Yooka-Laylee is no more than a mediocre attempt to capture nostalgia from the days of yore. In a year that has given us some truly innovative and special 3D platformers that pushed the genre to new heights, I can only really recommend pushing through Yooka-Laylee’s pedestrian campaign to the most enthusiastic of old Rare’s fans.

When all is said and done, Phantom Breaker Battlegrounds Overdrive is an okay game. One that, if you have a few minutes to spare, you can easily crank out a level or two, but not one of those games that will bring you back that often. Beautiful art, animation and music can’t seem to pump up the repetitive nature of the whole package.

I’m pleased to say that Letter Quest Remastered does a pretty fine job of carving out a place for itself in the lineup of Switch gamers looking for something more casual. If you like to get out your thesaurus and flex your vocabulary while having to contend with the obstacles your enemies love to throw in your path, it does a fine job. What helps distinguish it is the level of strategy you’ll be able to employ while doing so.

All in all, I really enjoyed my playthrough of Serial Cleaner. The stealth gameplay combined with the puzzling environment worked together well by both keeping my attention and baffling my brain. The whole 70s aesthetic and music are fantastic and complement the small story set aside from the main missions. While the controls can feel inconsistent at times, the experience as a whole was very enjoyable. Sure, it’s fun to bring on the onslaught - but who knew it would be so much fun to clean up after.

I dig so much of Never Stop Sneakin’. The aesthetic is beautifully PlayStation era. The soundtrack features absurd lyrics reminiscent of overwrought Metal Gear ballads. It distills the fun of stealth into an accessible analog stick or touch screen-controlled experience. The main drawback is that it leans too heavily on repeating similar experiences. As long as you can focus more on the critical path, it’s still a worthy game, but the charm and ingenuity start to fade when you see the same environment and setup for the nth time.

Mutant Mudds has seen ports to just about every console under the sun (with good reason), so I figured it’d only be a matter of time before it graced the Nintendo Switch. What I didn’t expect was to get Mutant Mudds, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, and Mudd Blocks all in one convenient package. With the great gameplay of three games present and brand new leaderboards for each game, this is the ultimately collection for anyone interested in the Mudds franchise. The lack of stereoscopic 3D is the only blemish, but hardly enough to diminish an otherwise fantastic offering.

Pinball FX3 is an incredible platform for pinball tables, and while a lot of the focus is still on high score chasing, the variety of modes and options makes this deeper than the typical pinball game. The future of this game will depend on how much Zen Studios supports it with new tables, but with 30 out there to start (with one free forever and two free for the first week), the diversity is there on day one. If the craft of each table matches the presentation in the platform, this should be a regular staple of any pinball-enjoying Switch owner.

Being a successful Kickstarter campaign means there is an audience out there that enjoys this style of gameplay, Unfortunately, I'm not part of that niche. Knock back is a mechanic that should not be considered nostalgic, it should just be forgotten. I also ran into a few glitches that ranged from strange to game breaking. The worst glitch was a boss that I somehow defeated prior to his dungeon, only to have him partially reappear in the dungeon with no health and undefeatable. For the action-platformer fan, this title would be low on my list of recommendations.

The limitation to Vostok Inc. is that once it stops being funny to you, the warts show. Seeing your mild-mannered business associate argue with aliens is very funny, until it starts getting old. When that happens, the smile-worthy sheen of the blending of shoot-’em-up and clicker starts to fade, revealing that Vostok Inc. doesn’t really do either that well. Charm can only go so far, and unfortunately, the charm here doesn’t hide the repetitive, stale gameplay.

Human Fall Flat is a fun little puzzler with plenty of hilarity in its scenarios. The levels feel like playgrounds where you could do whatever you want. With the ability to play this alone or co-op, plenty of ways are out there to create chaos. That doesn't mean it is all well and dandy, as holding on to objects can be a bit wonky and playing solo shouldn't be done in long play sessions. That being said, I still really enjoyed what this crazy game tried to do.

The mechanics of Floor Kids are truly novel, especially because the emphasis on originality and creativity really comes through in ways that other like games haven’t been able to nail. Outside of some convoluted details and a somewhat shorter length, this is a very rad rhythm game that stands out amongst others because of its gorgeous artwork and inventive take on breakdancing gameplay.

WWE 2K18 is just painful to play. Almost everything about the port is poorly implemented, causing me to just feel utter sadness.



If you are a fan of platformers or puzzle games, you will most likely enjoy Embers of Mirrim. It really does an amazing job of keeping the player engaged by introducing various gameplay elements and changing them up consistently over the entirety of the campaign. Though it was hard to distinguish myself on the screen at certain times, I was able to prevail and truck on. With the top-notch visual design, I really enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere that the developers created. So whether you are jumping over chasms, pouncing on weakened bosses, or scratching your head on a hard to solve puzzle, you are sure to have a great time playing through this beautiful and challenging title.

Overall Riptide GP Renegade provides a nice experience on the Switch. The XP and BP upgrade system provides a great amount of replayability, while the online and local split screen multiplayer means you can always play with other people whenever and wherever. Be warned though - the choppy frame rate in handheld mode can be a damper on the overall fluid dynamic, so you may want to plan on playing this docked. Otherwise, if you're a fan of Wave Race or racing games in general Riptide GP Renegade would be a great addition to your Switch library.


As a whole, I had fun with this one. I think better twin-stick shooters are out there on the Switch, but that’s mostly because Crimsonland is from a different era of an already fairly niche genre. But, if you’ve played those highlights already and want more, you can’t go wrong with this. It’s not bland by any means; just exactly what the experience you’d expect is. It’s mindless fun, with enough addictive strategy to keep playing. I loved weaving through the hundreds of enemies (whether they were zombies, spiders, or something in-between) so I could reach a power-up orb at the last second, to suddenly fry everything around me with a flame thrower. It’s a great time all around, and if you have the itch, give it a try.

If you can put up with the choppy frame rates and lengthy load times, The Sexy Brutale is a fun, worthwhile experience. The highs are high, but then the game chugs or hitches during a long load. Those ups and downs are present from beginning to end. No matter what though, I definitely recommend this game as something to be tried, just maybe not this particular version.

Dimension Drive takes a commonly held problem in vertical shooters on home consoles, and turns it into a fun gameplay mechanic. It takes a fair amount of getting use to, and at times it becomes evident that there is definitely some room for improvement. In general however Dimension Drive offers some fun twists that fans of the genre will absolutely want to try out.

Nine Parchments has its problems, but for the most part, it is still an entertaining dungeon crawler. If you plan on playing solo, your playtime might be a little more frustrating, but if you have some local friends, a multiplayer romp through this game is sure to be a good time. Online, as of this writing, is a wild card. If it works well, Nine Parchments has the potential to be one of the better online experiences on the Switch. If it's rough? Well, a lot of the appeal for Nine Parchments will wash away. We will update with a final review after more playtime before we reach a verdict.

I enjoyed the core concept of shooting alien ships in space with a customizable fleet of ships. That’s really fun. The problem is all the bulk surrounding it. Poor checkpointing, being unable to carry tech upgrades forward, and the persistent wish that I had more control over my own aiming all sort of dampen the experience. I like where this game’s head is at, but I’ve got a list of things they can improve if Xenoraid gets a sequel.

All said Mantis Burn Racing plays brilliantly on the Switch whether in docked or handheld mode. Control is smooth, the drifting is satisfying, and in general it looks great. You can enjoy playing against the AI but it is far better to play with friends locally or online and in general I didn’t have issues finding people to play against since it is cross-platform to boot. If you’re willing to grind through the Career Mode in order to learn the nuances of the controls and unlock everything the game has to offer it does deliver a satisfying payoff, I just wish tastes of it came sooner.

Transcripted is exactly the kind of new and interesting concept that services like the eShop are built for, doing a very good job of getting the most out of that concept. This fusion of two very played-out genres creates an experience that’s far more engaging than you would think it should be, and adds another strong title to the Switch eShop.

If you haven’t played this game since the original DS version launched back in 2007 or never experienced the game to begin with, this is the perfect opportunity to pick up an essential chapter in a beloved franchise. If you’ve never played any Ace Attorney games before at all, Hold It!! What are you doing reading this review? Go pick up the Phoenix Wright trilogy on the eShop first, and then we’ll talk.

Teslagrad is an experience any puzzle-platformer fan won’t want to miss. Even for someone who isn’t a Metroid-Vania fan, it was hard to force myself to go to bed. I ended up playing the final hour of the game at 2am because it was too exciting to leave for the morning. It was a perfect ending to a fabulous game. If you’re new to the indie scene and looking to get your feet wet this is the perfect game to get you started.

It’s not for everyone. My feeling is that if you got through Super Meat Boy, you’ll also enjoy The End is Nigh. It scratches the same itch, but it feels like a harder game. I enjoy figuring out how to get through any given stage, but making it happen is where the challenge is. It’s a great feeling when you come to a stage and say “how in the world…” and then beat it a few minutes (and several dozen deaths) later. Personally, I love this game to death even if it does feel like beating my head against the wall sometimes.

This entire game can be played in either two player local co-op or four player online co-op. I was thrilled to see that they had both. Once you are online you can jump right into a friend’s world and start exploring together. There are hours of content in this game and it could be a while before I put this down. From the ease of combat, to the colorful worlds, all the way down to the gameplay loop of finding new portals, it’s no wonder that you can see a whole day go by without even knowing it.

Although the game uses little books as micro-tutorials to help you learn the basics, there is still an aimless quality that could either attract or detract players to its style of game. As a definite throwback to classic games, Uurnog can feel a bit obtuse if the player is not fully enveloped in the gameplay. However, whenever I felt like I didn't know what to do I would just keep on exploring rooms and would find a beacon of direction to work towards, and never felt like I was completely lost. If retracing your steps in the same environments isn't up your alley, I would steer clear of this title. But if you can't get enough of old school exploration, trial and error and classic 2D puzzles, Uurnog Uurnlimited can provide you with an Uurnique experience.

Overall I’m actually very impressed with Tallowmere and would recommend it strongly to any roguelike fans out there looking for a great way to spend some time on something a bit light but still challenging. In many regards, though the style of play is very different, it reminds me of Quest of Dungeons, a sort of gem of a title hidden in an unassuming package. If you like to constantly feel like you’re on top only to have the rug pulled out from under you, Tallowmere delivers a high-quality challenge at a budget price.