Visage requires patience as you progress through some truly horrific chapters, rewarded with even more nightmares as you encounter many supernatural elements. There are some beautiful environments to investigate, but the reused assets and unused space only hurt this game’s immersion. In many ways, this works as an adventure inspired by PT, but it’s defining elements are found in its unique features.

The Pathless is a gorgeous adventure with an entertaining traversal mechanic and a subtle but effective narrative. Running, jumping, and gliding around with your eagle friend while solving enigmatic puzzles is a real joy. While some lackluster stealth sections and difficulty maneuvering during some boss sections are present, it doesn’t take away from the overall experience. Whatever direction you decide to travel, The Pathless leads you to some special gaming moments.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has some great gameplay moments, even though it misses the mark on what the original did so well. The adventure hosts some great boss fights, a responsive combat system, and an unlockable difficulty mode that makes the entire experience even more enjoyable with the addition of a kick-ass soundtrack. Still, it remains in the shadow of its predecessor. It’s less goofy and more absurd and ends up being a heavy-handed retelling to correct the original’s plot. If this weren’t a sequel, I would have been praising it far more, but it spends most of its time desperately struggling to figure out what its own identity is.

No More Heroes is a game that sounds like it could be fun, and then on closer examination, looks bizarrely empty, full of padding, and shallow in terms of story depth. However, when you actually experience it, you’re left with an experience that experiments with just how much it can employ the concept of “less is more.” It’s got a down to earth yet absurdist narrative that is incredibly rewarding with an extremely cool and satisfying combat system providing an unstoppable feeling. Some games really do live up to their hype, huh.

Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition has a healthy balance of updated systems and features that make it a great introduction to what we can expect from action games in this new generation. Those who haven’t played will get to experience the best this title has to offer while returning fans can push their skills with the Legendary Dark Knight Mode and being able to play as Vergil. While I would have preferred a totally separate new campaign for Vergil, everything here shows how an amazing game can be better. Now, when is that Lady and Trish DLC coming?

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales expands this series with the addition of a new protagonist. There are some excellent moments of storytelling here as we watch Miles become adjusted to the superhero lifestyle, which is something a bit overplayed through the eyes of Peter Parker. While some moments seem to resemble more of an expansion than a true sequel, the advanced systems, unique battle system, and beautiful environment make this a must-own for any PS5 owner.

Ghostrunner is an incredibly addictive action game that requires a high level of skill for its difficult systems. It’s unforgiving in that regard, but it does a great job of teaching the player how to master each element to become a parkour badass with a sword. There are some moments where the action is brought to a halt due to layout, but there’s honestly nothing standing in your way from getting the most out of this adventure. Well, only if you aren’t counting the hundreds of enemies and obstacles ready to take you down.

Considering the story’s weakness and the high gameplay to story ratio, I can’t recommend Quantum Protocol to visual novel fans looking for a decent story with a bit of gameplay. Still, I would recommend it to fans of strategic card games. The difficulty could use a few tweaks to make it friendlier to beginners, but experienced players looking for a challenge will certainly find one.

The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny is an easy to pick up but tough-to-master fighter that does more than expected with only two-buttons. This creates some unique matchups, but the shallowness of the overall design leans heavily on unlockables and rewards for the time you put in. It’s definitely not something that will keep your attention for more than a weekend, but it a significant title to experience.

Kingdom Hearts: Memory of Melody is an incredibly charming game that finally brings the stellar array of music from the series into the spotlight. Its various options and modes allow any Kingdom Hearts fan to enjoy, but it doesn’t completely make up for some of the missing tracks. Still, the memories that these songs hold are represented brilliantly by a competent and addictive rhythm system that you’d be hard-pressed not to love.

There is clearly a direction and vision for Grand Alliance, but it’s pretty much downhill after the game’s opening. I know I’ve always touted that I’m into games with amazing stories despite the gameplay, but Grand Alliance made it difficult to stick with that idea. At least this was leagues better than Overlord: Mass for the Dead.

Seven Knights: Time Wanderer is a rather straightforward attempt at a JRPG with the inclusion of a unique active battle system. There’s a ton of room to grow here in terms of improved dungeon design, less repetitive encounters, and a more interesting gameloop. Still, the story is rather good, and the character interactions are reason enough to see the adventure through until the end.

Mad Father is a legitimate survival horror experience that takes after the seminal Sweet Home. The storyline is genuinely intriguing and disturbing, with a captivating narrative complemented by authentic gameplay systems that create a true survival horror challenge. Despite simple pixel graphics, Mad Father manages to use its excellent sound design to create a horrifying atmosphere. It may lack 8K powered zombies, but there are plenty of scares here for even the most seasoned horror game fans.

I don’t think Sakuna: of Rice of Ruin can be classified as one single genre. It’s blending of farming and action only scrapes the surface of what this game actually offers. Still, by looking at those two pieces alone, there is a ton of excellent moments of gameplay to experience. Yes, it’s very much a farming game, and yes, it is full of action, but these two systems run seamlessly alongside a beautiful story and brilliant presentation.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes the advancements of the series found in Odyssey and applies it to a whole new setting. As brutal as the period of Vikings is, there's something beautiful about this adventure. Every action is rewarded with some great moments of storytelling, and aside from a few narrative roadblocks tied to the player's level, there's an amazing world here just waiting to be discovered.

It may have taken me almost 20 years to become a Pikmin fan, but consider me sold on the series. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is just a joy to play from beginning to end. The game has several timers that keep you on track, but it rarely makes you feel rushed. There’s an added layer of accomplishment across each task you complete or day that passes where you don’t lose any Pikmin. While some systems show their age in terms of environment and controls, there’s a lot that makes it must play for Switch owners looking for a chill co-op experience.

The Case Book of Arne is a delightful murder mystery that successfully mixes lighthearted comedy moments with intriguing plot twists and darker narrative elements. Through a variety of minigames and some use of supernatural powers, it makes for an engaging gameplay experience as well despite being a little too simple in that aspect. Linearity makes the game feel a little hollow, without much to do besides the main plot beats during its minimal time of only about 6 hours. Still, the characters grew on me, and I’m very excited to see what the next cases in the series will be and where they’ll take Lynn and Arne.

SaDistic Blood is a visual novel that appeals to a very particular audience. I am not that audience. It’s a relatively short, horny, gory, torture porny VN made for people who, well, enjoy that. It gets points for having a strong visual style and being honest about it, but the target audience is exceptionally niche. Only enter if you want this, and expect your stomach tested. Those who wish to play without the gore can expect a patch to release soon, which removes those sections but leaves in the H-content.

Yestermorrow feels like it had a lot of potential. There are some decent temples and puzzles to be found, but it can be hard to recognize them with various design choices and performance issues. This also bleeds into the enjoyment and accuracy of precision platforming. While hopefully, there will be various patches to fix its numerous bugs, as it stands, YesterMorrow feels like an adventure that’s not yet finished.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon makes for an excellent new entry in this long-running series. The developers took a chance on a new protagonist and battle system, which forces fans out of their comfort zone for a very different yet, familiar Yakuza experience. Although the opening exposition can be a bit overwhelming, this is a standout video game on its own with plenty of emotional story beats, insane sub-stories, and plenty of ways to spend your time around Ijincho.

The Signifier is visually creative and quite a remarkable experience that ropes you into its mystery and keeps you guessing long past its rushed ending. It uses visual creativity that comes with the very concept of memory and dream exploration and creates some unique puzzles. While at times it came off as disorienting, those moments were in the minority and still kept me wanting more, flaws and all. Consider checking out this game the next time you’re looking for a mystery.

Watch Dogs: Legion is an interesting game in that it doesn’t feature a real main protagonist outside of the comical AI, Bagley. You may not care about each individual character, but their collective goal makes the narrative worth seeing through. The way you can take on missions any way you wish rings truest in this title, and what better set piece to do it all in than a fully realized London. Looking past some of the open-world janks may be required, but Watch Dogs: Legion is a hacking great time.

Dirt 5 provides a more approachable racer that acts as a decent successor to Dirt 4 and Dirt Rally while taking on the series in a few different ways. Diehard series fans might miss some of the more simulation aspects from the series, but Codemasters definitely found a healthy balance of the two offerings. Sure, you might not be blown away by the graphics, but you won’t go wrong adding this fun racer to you next-gen launch catalog.

Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is a tedious and almost mindless adventure that will leave you staring at the screen, wondering if it will ever get better. Sadly, it doesn’t. However, its systems are easy enough for a younger fan of the series to enjoy and receive a starter course in RPG systems. The biggest compliment I can give the game is that it works, but other than that, this Bakugan Brawl isn’t as epic as it could have been.

Crimzon Clover: World EXplosion is the most well-optimized shmup available on Switch in terms of the port’s quality and accessibility. The added modes do enough to invite fans back to the bullet-hell action, and there are also user-friendly options to introduce the genre to newcomers. This is a must-play shmup that I couldn’t recommend more.

The Angry Video Game Nerd: I & II Deluxe is the definitive version of these challenging platformers. There’s more to love about the game for fans of the Nerd, which might make some of the jokes and references go over some heads. Although you also have some throwaway stages and unmemorable boss battles, this makes for a pleasant way to spend a weekend. Just try not to break your controller.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is a terrifying adventure game that utilizes the atmosphere and setting to deliver the scares. As the player shapes the adventure, the game reacts in unique ways to the choices made. The upgraded UI and improved multiplayer mode show just how far this developer has come in terms of game-making and storytelling. Some endings can feel a bit anticlimactic or rushed, but that’s just all the more reason to play again.

Xuan-Yuan Sword VII is an absolute gem of an action RPG. Its dedication to world-building and narrative does not go unrewarded as you find yourself entangled in the oftentimes overdramatized politically charged plot. It’s high fantasy in every sense of the world. Still, I wish something more was done to make NPCs more engaging, and the battle system could use some balancing. Regardless, it’s going to be tough for me to ignore this long-running series anymore.