Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze continues the tough-as-nails platforming with new power-ups to help navigate the nastiest obstacles, as we’re treated to the best soundtrack in the series. However, the inconsistent difficulty makes for a less refined game and the bosses are dragged out to the point where fighting them becomes a chore.

Grimvalor is the best Metroidvania you’ll find on a mobile platform, but doesn’t move the bar for the subgenre at large.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is a tale of two halves. I had a blast with the new single-player content, taking my time to trounce the Koopalings one by one, but the multiplayer element falls a bit flat in terms of replayability and variety.

A long-awaited remaster of an iconic turn-based JRPG, the Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster finally brings the beloved title to modern consoles, allowing even more people to enjoy its charm. Unfortunately, the remaster falls short in some areas, and not every change is for the better, but it’s still a great time for fans of classic RPGs.

Seen as a first episode, it offers a strong foundation that, if followed up on by more ambitious level design and greater focus on its strengths, could be a real Wild West legend.

A neat twist on an old classic, but lacking in variety and challenge.

Bardbarian has a great genre-bending idea and amusing aesthetic but suffers in the execution.

A beautiful anime-style RPG, that is a joy to explore, though certain aspects can feel overly simple.

Despite boasting three of the most beloved platformers of all time, Super Mario 3D All-Stars too often resembles a hurried re-release as opposed to an act of careful curation

Still, Sproggiwood is a clever, fast-paced RPG disguised by a tawdry facade. Is it particularly deep? No. Is there too much grind to it? Yes.

I absolutely love the story and characters in Persona 3, but Portable isn’t the optimal way to experience them. I can recommend this version to visual novel fans and those looking to experience the game on a budget. If I were rating Persona 3 FES, you would see a much higher number.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a great time filled with farming, decorating, and forming friendships. The game really is fun, with an interesting story and plenty to do, but the performance on Nintendo Switch can leave a lot to be desired due to muddy graphics and pop-ins.

Ni No Kuni II looks incredible on Switch, but the price it pays in terms of poor performance is too high, resulting in an experience that you're better off having on any other platform.

Fire Emblem Engage has so much to love, yet feels a little empty. With tight and tricky combat, gorgeous graphics and art, and vibrant character designs, its first impression is a good one. But as the story progresses, things feel a little soulless. It’s good and it’s bad, and how much you like it just depends on what you want from it.

Nuclear Blaze arrives on Switch with extra content and provides a Metroidvania-like experience that gets immersion right. While the game world nearly makes up for what the story lacks, and the gameplay offers up the odd moment of frustration, this one easily finds itself in the better half of Switch titles of the genre.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin can be confusing to start with, but getting past the initial hardships opens up beautiful levels and satisfying gameplay.

MicRogue is a game where, even if you fail seven times in a row, chances are you’ll have failed each time on the eighth or ninth stages. Even when you’re losing it doesn’t feel like you’ve lost much at all.

Beholder is pithy, with small sketches of character and darkness. Sadly, submission to the game's mechanics means much is lost in the God of efficiency.

A roaring cosmic escapade that would make Bowie proud, The Artful Escape tells a beautiful story of artistic integrity and brings it to life with show-stopping visuals that never relent. It’s a slightly better story than a game, however, and I hope the Switch version gets a tune-up down the line.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 surpasses the original with a fun light-hearted story. Though slightly repetitive at times, returning fans will find more of the same casual puzzling fun.

A brilliant Apple Arcade exclusive with a killer battle system, let down by hit-and-miss visuals and a slightly naff plot.

Pikmin 1+2 is a great accessible introduction to the beloved series for newcomers and a gem for existing fans, but the steep price tag and lack of features drive a hard bargain for a series that lets you jump in at any point.

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is a great entry for newcomers, plus the story mode and multiplayer expand upon the gameplay in fun, if inconsequential ways. Puzzle Bobble vs Space Invaders is a great new addition, but it also leaves me wanting for an entry in this franchise that truly brings in some new ideas.

A love letter to the music of Kingdom Hearts and a fab way to summarise the story, but it can get rather repetitive at times.

This goofy physics based puzzler has its best jokes in the first few minutes of gameplay, and wears its schtick thin at just about the same time it turns into a real game. You can approach it as a silly timekiller or as a serious Angry Birds-style slingshot challenge. Give it a try for something fun that requires little attention, have a good laugh at the first few levels, and then play as long as it continues to be amusing - if it grabs you, there's a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay later on.

An incredibly detailed and accomplished game that deftly balances combat with managing your very own occult village, Cult of the Lamb is an amazing game that deserves to be played. But no amount of humour or depth of mechanics can save the consistent and disappointing performance. I pray to Cthulu that some patches can bring this essential title up to snuff on the Switch.

Thomas Was Alone is a middling puzzle-platformer that overcomes its gameplay troubles by the sheer force of its charm.

Kirby Air Riders is a visually stunning whirlwind of a game, filled with tons to do - if you like meticulously crafting vehicle builds and racing at breakneck speeds. It’s confusing for newcomers and difficult to look at, at times, but it’s sure to bring some people a ton of joy.

Catalyst Black is excellent at giving you a good time. The numerous game modes and loadout options are fun to play around in, and the scale of some of the maps is really impressive. I just wish there was something that made me want to keep coming back, which there isn't for now.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a fantastic way to tide you over until Breath of the Wild 2, if you can forgive the dodgy frame rate and several other warts hidden within.

An intriguing survival game that forces real-life players to sustain each other as the clock ticks down, one minute (year) at a time.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe For Revenge is a simple, fast paced romp through an action-heavy, techno-fueled fever dream that will leave you with a craving for bananas… And revenge.

While Dying Light doesn't win many awards for originality, it more than makes up for it with satisfying gameplay that will please even the most established zombie hunters.

If you’re a fan, there’s nothing here that’s going to shake the foundation of puzzle games in the future but if you’re looking for a quick puzzler to kill some time, Magic Flute does what it sets out to do. If you’re not a fan of sliding puzzles and find them the bane of all that is good in the world, stay far, far away.

Despite being a tad beige and not hugely ambitious, The Trace is a palatable concoction of hidden object and traditional first-person adventure gaming. Worth trampling a crime scene for, if only to see where the series will go.

Hitman: Blood Money Reprisal offers a way to play a classic Agent 47 experience on mobile with fantastic touchscreen controls and a few gameplay improvements. While the graphics are not as impressive as we might like in 2023, it’s still worth picking up for fans of the series and those wondering why the original is still so well-regarded all these years later.

Though it's a very difficult expansion, Tides of Oblivion is a great side story for Pascal's Wager.

Life is Strange: True Colors is an incredible game that takes you on a journey of loss, recovery, and adventure. It's a fantastic entry in what is perhaps one of the best narrative-driven franchises out there. However, to truly experience its beauty, you should play it on a different platform, where I would score it higher.

Attractive and engaging to think about, less enjoyable for which to perfect solutions.

Though it never reaches the potential highs, Chroma Squad is the best video game adaptation of Power Rangers to date.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore captures the intended retro charm with expert authenticity, warts and all. There's a great deal of energetic personality here, and the gameplay is straightforward fun, though the experience is slightly undermined by a lack of polish... but perhaps that's the whole point.

Fallen London is a text and story-driven game set in a highly original and expansive dark fantasy world that affords players an unusual amount of freedom to shape their character's destiny. The original web-based game runs well on mobile, but the recently released app is critically flawed.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition has a few technical issues that may infuriate those of you that are used to modern RPGs. However, the story, unique characters, and gorgeous art make it worth pushing through if you’ve never played this amazing JRPG in the past.

INKS. is a light and fun diversion whose only real fault is the lack of a sense of progression.

It’s a smashing success in game design for the purposes of luring in new gamers and giving everyone a reasonable second choice when a game group comes together and has difficulty choosing a game.

Due to the rampant increase in difficulty and sometimes feeling wholly dependent on luck, Missile Cards is a great idea that frustrates just a little too much to be a great game.

With a vibrant soundtrack, vivid visuals, and an eye for a punchline, Grapple Dog is a good time in a neat package. There are a couple of issues with movement, and progression can feel forced in places, but overall I’m hooked on the first game from Super Rare Originals and Medallion Games.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a lot of fun, boasting enjoyable combat, a sprinkle of charm, good humor, and a badass cat. However, falling through levels and frequent frame rate drops stop the game from achieving its true potential on Nintendo Switch.

While it takes its time to build momentum, once it clicks with you Mario vs Donkey Kong is a rewarding and enjoyable remake, and another win for the Mario franchise. The simple gameplay gets deceptively tricky, and is supported by wonderful visuals: just make sure you stick with it.

Grimm Guardians: Demon Purge is a competent and gorgeous Castlevania-lite with satisfying action and a great two-player mode. It’s also got its tongue firmly in cheek, and I had a fun time blasting through gigantic bosses and exploring this world. I just wish it offered a little more variety in gameplay and had a little more of what makes the Castlevania series so fun to explore. Maybe in the sequel…

Subnautica: Below Zero embraces all the elements needed to create a strong survival game, though it suffers from repetition and immersion-breaking performance issues on Nintendo Switch.

Fans of Sonic and racing games should be excited about this game, but assume you’ll face some underwhelm at various points, and its price tag is much too steep.

Super Mario Party Jamboree's Nintendo Switch 2 Edition adds very little to the already incredible base game, and the Jamboree TV expansion is filled with gimmicky, lackluster game modes with the occasional nugget of gold thrown in.

This remaster of the DS fan-favorite brings the town of Sharance and its beloved characters to life like never before. Gorgeous visuals work alongside satisfying farming and fun combat to deliver hours of fun for newcomers, though there is very little here for returning players to warrant the price tag. Some additional changes to UI and the gameplay could have made this one of the best entries in the series.

Total War: Medieval 2 holds up, there's no doubt about it. It's still one of the best strategy titles ever made. But the concessions to fit this fiddly thing onto a small screen are clear, and anyone who's thinking of jumping in needs to ask themselves whether they just want to play the game again, or if they actually need it on their mobile phone. If it's the latter, then go for it. It's a good enough port.

Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD Remaster has an intense, philosophical story with intriguing characters and fun combat. Unfortunately, the title definitely shows its age with outdated visuals and gameplay aspects.

While full of classic Metroidvania mechanics and stunning visuals, Convergence lacks a certain originality to make it to the higher echelons. Still, the combat is tight, and the story is forthcoming with fully-voiced lines, making it an engaging experience for anyone looking to learn more about the world of League of Legends.

The Crown Tundra brings back some fan favourite Pokémon and provides some much-needed end-game content. However, it’s content felt skin-deep and could have fit easily into the main game.

In the time I had with it, I saw a lot of potential, but not too much interesting or challenging happening in the first hour or so. The slow pace is also a blessing and a curse: easy to handle with touch controls, but often dragging out basic movement in ways that kill the pace of the game. Your goals are also not entirely clear, which can be a motivation-killer in a wide-open game like this.

While Coromon takes some of the needless complications of the Pokémon series away, it also leaves out some of the most engaging mechanics, and only stands on its own two feet in certain moments. It’s sure to engage anyone looking for a fix of old-school monster-taming RPG goodness, but don’t expect any innovative elements.

Playing Caverns of the Snow Witch feels, for the most part, like stumbling around half-blind in a blizzard. But it’s one hell of a blizzard.

WarioWare: Move It! is a festival of frantic fun, offering the sort of minigame madness we’ve come to expect from the series. However, the reliance on standing poses presents something of an accessibility issue, and one the game has little answer for.

Swap Heroes 2 is smart, but slight, and could have been much improved if its main mechanic was given the proper room to stretch.

A clever dance to excellent music in beautifully colorful world. But over time this initially compelling and graceful experience deteriorates into a dissapointingly rote routine.

The Star Named EOS offers a lovely experience filled with puzzles of differing difficulty, on a background of hand-painted art and a delightful piano-filled soundtrack.

High speed chases and spectacular police take-downs provide plenty of thrills, but a lacklustre remaster, and a couple of annoying quirks let the arcade racer down.

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a fun time for Rugrats and platforming fans alike, featuring solid level design, a enjoyable story, and good enemy design. The game performs perfectly on Switch and is arguably more fun to play in handheld mode, though there’s something special about seeing 8-bit graphics on the big screen.

We Are OFK is sort of a visual novel that presents itself like you’re watching Netflix. The story is good, the voice acting is great, the characters are excellently flawed, and the cast is effortlessly varied. However, performance issues, tacked-on gameplay elements, and the weirdly indifferent emptiness I was left with at the end made it struggle on a fundamental level.

Princess Peach: Showtime turns the Mushroom Kingdom’s monarch into a digital Barbie, filling any role she’s given with personality and charm. Some levels place you on the edge of your seat, while others leave you praying for the interval. A very good game for a highly specific demographic - adult Mario fans, be warned.

Super Gridland is a solid match-three offering with a cool day/night cycle.

Let’s Build a Zoo reminds us why tycoon games were once an industry monolith, but also why the genre couldn’t stay at the top forever. Morality mechanics, plenty of animals, and an appealing visual style all make this Zoo one you want to visit, but some tired systems and a slightly clunky Switch control scheme means you might not stick around for more than a few breeding seasons.

A flawed but beautiful JRPG with farming sim elements, Harvestella boasts a unique and emotive narrative, gorgeous art direction, and an ambitious range of mechanics to explore. It’s slow to start but, with a bit of patience, blossoms into something truly memorable.

Storyteller has an alluring concept and some great visuals but doesn’t engage you fully until it’s almost too late. While providing some laughs and including some solutions that modernise fairy tales and tragedies for today’s audiences, the puzzle aspect doesn’t boggle the brain consistently enough for my liking.

Although the conversion is excellent, there are some things that you simply can't capture in digital form.

Though its monsters genuinely scare me at times, Dragon Quest Tact is a fun-filled tactics gacha with some appealing retro vibes.

Despite a slightly gimmicky appearance and card packs finally being pulled for all-out gacha mechanics, the well-executed risks of Cross Duel outweigh the issues by offering a selection of varied game modes, each with its own nuance, and a new way to play with the beloved cast of over twenty years of anime adventures.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is a fun adventure, and the Grand Underground is bound to keep you busy. However, it fails to reach the heights of Pokémon Platinum, with a limited Pokédex that excludes several great Pokémon unnecessarily.

Rather than capitalise on the John Wick IP with a generic shooter, Bithell Games has carefully captured the spirit of the franchise.

A fun twist on the platforming genre, Togges does a lot with a little and presents a charming world full of secrets to explore, and a satisfying gameplay loop at its core. While improvements to controls and visuals would be nice, there’s still a lot to love here for fans of classic titles like Pikmin or Super Mario.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is a fun adventure, and the Grand Underground is bound to keep you busy. However, it fails to reach the heights of Pokémon Platinum, with a limited Pokédex that excludes several great Pokémon unnecessarily.

A lovely learning experience that offers satisfying brain-teasing puzzles, but doesn’t quite have enough to keep players coming back for weeks. Fun multiplayer adds some mileage, though some extra options would really sweeten the deal.

A strong sense of mystery, puzzles which are either inoffensively brief or intriguingly maddening, a considerate user interface, and a promise of future updates add up to a generally pleasing experience.

While the core gameplay of Desta can deliver hours of entertainment thanks to nuanced core gameplay and a likeable lead, the touch controls can be a little frustrating and those looking for a challenge may be hard-pushed to find one out of the gate. Still, this game knows its demographic and those who belong to it are almost guaranteed to feel right at home in the dreamscape streets of Desta’s London.

There's nothing wrong or broken about Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning on Switch, it's just an uninspired experience that pales in comparison to the genre greats.

Nintendo Switch Sports scores a few points for successfully revitalising the heart of the original Wii Sports, with impressively gorgeous graphics and wonderful online performance. I only hope it can keep up pressure in the second half, by eventually adding enough content and sports to make it feel like a full package.

A modernised and remade classic – Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life – provides a very laid-back and pleasant journey through farming, raising animals, and finding a partner to spend your life with.

Banksy wannabes and those not familiar with this style of game should check this out. For everyone else, Vandals could prove to be underwhelming.

It’s impressive both visually and mechanically, showcasing lots of innovation to get the most from its minimalist mechanics. The fact it doesn’t do better is, I suspect, more a comment of the difficulty of making satisfying real-time strategy on mobile than it is on the game itself.

My Time at Portia makes for a strong mobile title with plenty of content and quality of life changes, but lacks charm and polish.

Wrapping a rhythm game around a heartfelt indie works wonders for Loud, elevating the gameplay and delivering a short but sweet musical experience that’s well worth the price of admission. Occasionally clumsy controls and a brutal difficulty curve are an issue, but rhythm fans will get a kick out of this one.

Nintendo continue to take another safe step in their mobile gaming journey. Fire Emblem Heroes is enjoyable, but largely forgettable.

It’s just a shame that Buried leaves some of its greatest potential, well, buried on the table.

Armello plays like an American-style board game with loads of dice rolls and player conflict. It has some neat ideas, with asymmetric player powers and multiple paths to victory, adding long-term interest, all of which are explained in a very well-presented tutorial. My biggest problem with the game is that at the moment it seems quite difficult to arrange matches with reliable players. Mutual enjoyment relies on all players sticking to a code of honour that involves seeing the whole game out and not ganging up on a single player.

While the game will win now awards for innovation, it takes the tower defence and real-time strategy genres, and turns them into a fun experience for Star Wars fans everywhere. Even if victory proves to be too easy at times.

The game’s sheer style and approachability will draw players in, but for seasoned gamers there is a distinct lack of challenge.

The game has got a couple of UI glitches, a tendency to crash, and a prodigious appetite for battery power. More abstract concerns arise from the basic limitations of the genre — these micro-session games are too far diluted from the formulas of Dungeon Keeper and Sim Tower to have any real bite to them.

A faithful recreation of the original Final Fantasy Legend titles. Perfect for fans looking for a nostalgia trip, but not a great first entry into the series for new players.

With stellar multiplayer gameplay and an intelligently crafted difficulty curve, Manic Mechanics offers hours of engaging content to race through. While there is space to improve in terms of controls and boss battles, there’s enough here to add this one to your list of party night titles.