Knockout Home Fitness is a fun game that does exactly what it sets out to do. If you use this game as its intended, then it can aid you in achieving your fitness goals.

If you’re willing to play it in small doses over a very long period of time, with either a lot of in-app purchases or a long grind, there’s absolutely a game worth playing here.

Mineko’s Night Market is a truly charming little game, full of cute cats, quirky characters, and plenty of chill vibes. Its narrative successfully celebrates Japanese culture, friendship, and belonging in such a beautiful way, and is supported by a simple yet engaging gameplay loop made up of gathering, crafting, and even a spot of espionage. A must for cozy game lovers all over the world, and the perfect way to unwind after a stressful day.

A charming but troubled post-apocalyptic title that I had fun with despite its best efforts, Metal Max Xeno Reborn is a good game dragged down by some silly design choices and a lacklustre presentation. But if you know this is your bag and have a little patience, there’s something really rewarding in here.

It’s basically grinding for 8+ hours with nothing to really show for it and, unlike its forebear, doesn’t even have the humor to hold your interest all the way through

While maybe a little too challenging on regular difficulty, Pronty joins the legion of engaging Metroidvanias on Switch, offering engaging aquatic combat and exotic underwater locations. There could be more exploration elements here, but those who come just for the gauntlet will be glad to greet some genre-defining bosses.

For some, Sir Questionnaire will be just too casual and undemanding to maintain interest. The decisions are simple, and the constant switching of inventory items can also get a little tiresome. However, for the rest of us, this is without question a spiffing release.

The Detail is often nice to look at, but it’s a game that most adventure fans can safely skip.

A thoughtful remaster of two much-loved classics, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX on Switch is a welcome walk down memory lane. Truly a diamond in the rough, these clunky little gems offer surprisingly deep gameplay mechanics and heaps of possibilities to explore.

Satisfying first impressions are conflicted with a lasting impression of frustration, due to equally conflicting mechanics. Yet there is still enough here for a tentative recommendation.

Voyageur is a game about exploration and imagination where you decide who you are and why you're hurtling through space faster than light. I recommend it to gamers who enjoy a more open-ended experience, and don't mind a bit of repetition.

A nice-to-look-at clicker/survival-sim. Nothing terribly wrong with it, but nothing exciting either.

A colorful, addictive twist on the traditional card battler with frenetic “dungeon” runs and slick presentation.

Hitman 3 is a glorious finale to the World of Assassination trilogy, but its Switch version isn't the best way to experience it.

Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles is a lovely window into a hilarious, melodramatic, and loveable series that many would have never got to see. While it may not be the greatest retro collection in the world, its greatness lies in its uniqueness. The fact we get to enjoy it is what makes it so special.

We had a ribbeting time with Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge as it offers a wholesome story with a goal to work towards - restoring the wetland and welcoming plenty of amphibians back to bask in nature.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter finds a rightful place on the Nintendo Switch with a welcome update to its once-awful control scheme, vibrant visual sheen, and an engaging story for hardcore fans and newcomers alike.

Though I wanted to love A Storied Life: Tabitha, its smooth and relaxing gameplay is let down by a frustrating narrative arc, which left me with more questions than answers - ones that a replay doesn’t seem to help solve.

Super Rush is a great party game but lacks replayability. If you can get past the XC golf portion of adventure mode, you’re bound to have a solid few hours of solo fun as well.

Despite the flaws of the gacha system and microtransactions, Disney Mirrorverse is a powerhouse mobile RPG, and it certainly fits the bill for any Disney fan, with fun combat, a great story, and a fantastic reimagination of your favourite Disney characters.

Teslagrad 2 is an iterative sequel that brings some smart new ideas to the table. Its stronger focus on speed, momentum, and platforming feels great, but it comes at the cost of more confined puzzles and often feels looser than I’d like. Still, the movement, presentation, and great use of Lumina’s powers make this another solid entry in the series.

Charade Maniacs is a visual novel otome game with some drop-dead gorgeous characters and an intriguing story. However, with fewer choices than I’d like and numerous ambiguous endings, it may leave you feeling a little confused.

Born of Bread is a fun and endearing 2.5D adventure game that features some of the most forgiving, yet fun, combat I’ve come across. The story is fun, the characters are engaging, and I can’t help but consider this to be one of the better games I’ve played in 2023.

Sonic is back in a mixed bag of mixed bags, though the positives outweigh the negatives for the most part. Combat can be engaging, depending on the enemy, and zooming across open zones takes a while to get old. Still, if you’re looking for infallible performance, the Switch version might not be the best port of call.

If you’re looking for a point-and-click, or narrative-driven adventure, with helpings of edge, sharp satire, and deep deduction-based gameplay, Gamedec makes for a riveting addition to your collection. However, the occasional issue with controls and performance does need addressing in a patch, and those looking for an interstation with a bit of heart will find nothing but a husk here.

Lone Ruin is a roguelike with style but it lacks in originality, making for an overall experience that’s worthwhile for fans of Hades and Diablo, but one that doesn’t quite match up to the epic scale of those adventures. Still, anyone with a love for dungeon crawling and fast-paced combat will have a blast here, and for the price, the replayability is a real boon.

Little Nightmares 3’s multiplayer aspect feels like a natural progression for the series, and it’s genuinely fun to play with another person, though the AI leaves a little to be desired. The world itself is eerie and atmospheric, while the puzzles are exactly what you’d expect from LN, albeit a bit repetitive.

Sea of Solitude is a game with a lot to say, though it struggles to impart its familiar lessons in an engaging way.

The game is definitely for min/maxers and “roll” players. If you enjoy character optimization, accumulating and upgrading powers, and fine tuning your choices for specific battles Oz will appeal to you. Battles are quick, fun, and rewarding. You should, however, be willing to either do some daily grinding or spend some real money to keep your heroes on par and all of your options open. If you are looking for a story-driven RPG for the “role”-playing elements, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

A delightfully charming business sim with cute characters, fun mechanics, and adorable kitties. Cat Cafe Manager is the purrfect way to relax and unwind after a long day.

In the time I spent with this game, the hardest part was the fiddly controls—it took a while to figure out that with some care I could control the size of the platforms created by pinching my fingers ever so slowly. The puzzles themselves weren't challenging at all.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening continues a long and dependable series in the exact fashion you’d expect, but playing it on Switch is a clunky and unintuitive experience, bringing a charming sim into the territory of irritating micromanagement.

Kitaria Fables feels like a short and sweet game stretched needlessly long, robbing the game of a lot of the fun it’s cutesy art style promises. But fans of similar genres, and people with a lot of time and patience, might well fall in love with this game.

A reimaging of a dormant series that straddles the line between homage and invention, but delivers an entry that doesn’t go far enough in either direction. Oddworld: Soulstorm still has plenty to please fans and it looks gorgeous at certain points, but it’s often an exercise in frustration geld back even further by load times, control issues, and brutal level design. Plus he can’t fart anymore, come on man.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion struggles under the weight of ambition, while also needlessly playing to as many people as possible. It all blends together in a painfully dull experience that feels as murky as it looks. While some mech action and unique mechanics make it at least interesting, it’s a mediocre time that I would only recommend to die-hard fans or those who wait for a deep sale.

Abalone is a classic implementation of a classic abstract with all the advantages and disadvantages that implies. It's easy to learn but unfolds to have a rich, deep strategy, especially when you vary the starting setup. On the other hand, it's dry and offers little hand-holding for new players who are easily obliterated by the more experienced. How you feel about it will likely align with how you feel about abstract games in general. But the faults in online play aside, if abstracts are your thing, you'll find the shell of this snail pretty and the meat satisfying.

For all its performance and interface issues, Rune Factory 5 has the same familiar comfort that every game in the series does. It's great to have it back, even if it's not quite right. It's good enough.

Trine 5 is an utterly enchanting and charming game, that truly conjures up the same magic as its much loved predecessors. With a fantastical narrative, the return of lovable characters, and more puzzles than you can shake a wand at, it’s a brilliant couch co-op experience to enjoy alone or with friends.

Touken Ranbu Warriors is a wonderful entry point for anyone new to the musou genre, with stripped back but enjoyable combat, flashy animations, and a host of stunning maps to explore. While it may have its imperfections, its aesthetics are spot on, its sound design is lovely, and the Touken Danshi are each as charming as the last.

Romancing Saga Minstrel Song Remastered is a simple yet welcome rejuvenation of a classic JRPG. With no dramatic overhauls, just some additional content and quality-of-life improvements, it’s still a stroll through the past, but one that’s easy to access, priced reasonably, and packed with stuff to do. It never feels essential, but it’s still a lovely time.

A tired, lackluster, and watered-down riff on the Alien series that finds players swapping from camera to camera guiding crew members through a xenomorph-ravaged space station.

Super Meat Boy Forever is particularly frictionless on mobile. Combine this with its punishing difficulty and aged aesthetic and it just feels a little out of place, out of time. It’s a struggle to have a good time with it.

An unimpressive and incremental sequel to an already underwhelming game, Konami is in desperate need of doing something interesting with the Bomberman formula. Luckily for Konami, the time worn Bomberman gameplay is still a blast, and new online modes are sure to please longtime fans, but it’s hard to justify spending the full price of a retail game on a title that doesn’t do enough to earn that price tag. I’ll have to forget my dreams of a true reinvention along the lines of Pac-man Championship Edition DX+ for now.

I’d say there’s a great Sonic game here, and newcomers will find plenty to love. But if you own it already, maybe wait for a sale.

An impressive new franchise from Square Enix, The Diofield Chronicle has a thrilling real-time battle system that gives every moment a tense, and challenging twist. It’s incredibly satisfying to turn the tide of battle with well-calculated moves, and the high fantasy story is told well with interesting characters, great visuals, and a meticulously detailed story.

EA’s flagship soccer series has finally found its feet on Nintendo Switch, pushing the console to its limits to deliver something that feels like it’s made for 2023. There’s no crossplay, and some of the off-the-pitch graphics are a touch primitive, but for raw soccer gameplay, there’s nothing better available on Nintendo’s smash hit console.

While engaging gameplay, roguelike concepts, and a big replayability factor bring Double Dragon back from the dead, Rise of Dragons’ late-game struggles and a skew-whiff lives system slightly detract from a promising revival.

Diablo Immortal is a mixed bag. While the solo content offers a roadmap for series looking to bring their titles to mobile, the invasive microtransactions remove some of the rewards of mastery, and leave us wishing that Diablo Immortal had stuck to its paid-for guns. There’s enough for casual players to delve into the world of Diablo and have a good time, but as things stand, and as those in the underworld will confess to, there’s no way of getting to the top without paying for it.

While a little lacking in content and options, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a hilarious and satisfyingly silly game that balances its gameplay nicely between moments of skill and utter mayhem. With a gorgeous culinary theme and stellar presentation, alongside plenty of great rewards to unlock, Dream Buffet will keep players coming back for several helpings for the foreseeable.

Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is a cute and captivating game, though it could do with a little refining. Fly your days away delivering packages, boxes, and bags while fixing up your broom, and get back to your witch training.

The Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection invites you to re-experience two of the best narrative games ever made. Better still, the Switch port performs well with only a couple of hiccups here and there, meaning it’s a solid platform to experience the story of Max and Chloe on.

Detective Pikachu Returns brings you back to Ryme City to solve crimes once again. While there’s a cute story and some light-hearted fun, the visual quality and price of the game let it down.

Quest of Dungeons feels like the barebones of a rougelike game – a stripped down, uneventful, tedious affair. It works and functions perfectly fine, but it is so inoffensive and safe in its execution, that that ends up being its biggest crime.

Colt Express is a well-designed, fun game that is destroyed by a poor online multiplayer experience.

Meganoid 2017 is an incredibly challenging game, but it is one that hangs on this challenge because of both intended design and poor controls. When you die from a laser that was off screen, it teaches you to tread more carefully and pay attention to your environment. When you slip off the edge of a platform into a spike trap due to the controls, it just leads just annoyance and frustration. I like certain elements about this game: parts of the presentation and level design, plus the large array of item, but I can’t see myself coming back to it anytime soon.

An intriguing new take on a Final Fantasy 7 remake, Ever Crisis has a whimsical art style, new insight into beloved characters, and a delightful soundtrack. It’s a must-play for any fan of the series. Oh boy, I just really love Final Fantasy.

If this was a 20-30 minute game, maybe, but clocking in at over 2 hours and not being able to save is a death sentence. Knowing that the odds are stacked against finishing a game doesn’t give me much incentive to start one.

While acting as a steady starting point for kids who can’t tell their Pac-Men from their Space Invaders, Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a remaster that struggles to make itself feel necessary, with no improvements outside of graphics and mechanics to enhance the original Pac-Man World’s formula. There’s some fun to be had, but perhaps not enough to warrant a remaster when including a port of the PS1 title in a collection might have made more sense.

The Teal Mask adds a variety of interesting characters and Pokémon to the ninth generation, and while Ogrepon is the clear star of the show, there’s something to love about each addition. Plus, a focus on tradition and folklore add a richness to the area of Kitakami that is so great to see. But, wildly outdated visuals, inconsistent performance, and a litany of bugs mean that it’s genuinely hard to recommend this DLC, especially for nearly the price of a brand new game.

Tomb Raider: Reloaded has much potential thanks to featuring a videogame legend, but janky controls that suffer from sluggishness and delays ensure it’s not a smooth experience.

For all the wonderful writing and gorgeous world-building, Little Orpheus fails on a fundamental level to create anything engaging in the platforming and puzzles. There's a lot worth seeing, but it is sadly buried under monotonous gameplay.

Shadow Labyrinth offers a fresh look at a beloved franchise, throwing you into a dark new world where danger lurks around every corner. It's one of the best Metroidvanias I've played for some time, offering enjoyable combat, good boss fights, and a mysteious world with a story that begs you to unfold it.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a gorgeous title with some charming elements, but the action isn’t sharp enough to be memorable, and the town building elements only serve to hamper the other sides of the gameplay. A lovely game is buried in here somewhere, but instead, too many unsuccessful elements drag down the greater experience.

Maneater is a grisly, carnage-fuelled experience, though the Switch port exhibits some rough edges, many of which dampen the fun.

If you were already a fan of the base game, the Mega Dimension DLC’s offer of more side-mission escapades, Rogue Mega Pokemon battles, and story content should have you engaged for countless hours. However, if you’re already not keen on Z-A’s battle-centric approach, or you don’t have the time or patience for grinding, it’s unlikely to win you over.

Like a red wine stain on a stark white dress, Blanc spoils its pristine visual style with a combination of frustrating controls, stubborn camera angles, and restrictive puzzle solutions. I love walking through the beautiful wilderness as the adorable animals, but when I try and think of good gameplay, I’m drawing a blank.

While the unique monster-taming dungeon-crawling crossover gameplay that occupies much of Adore is surprisingly engaging, a lack of character and a bendy difficulty curve stop it from reaching its potential heights.

A game that excels in its presentation and production, but ultimately feels like nothing more than a hollow experience. Sacred Legends has enough clever hooks to keep you going but nothing to make it memorable.

This precision 3D platformer does not work with mobile controls. One control option has you using the gyro in the phone to control your view, which is precise, but awkward if you're in a space where you can't move around. The other option is touch only, but doesn't give you easy access to all of your abilities. If you have a controller, give it a try, but it’s not worth the hard drive space otherwise.

My Time at Sandrock is a potentially delightful farming and crafting-based life simulator – but unfortunately, your time at Sandrock on Switch is a little half-baked for now, but has promise if updates can bring it up to speed.

Oddly charming, perhaps nostalgic, but pretty shallow and filled with free-to-play shenanigans.

Trek to Yomi is an ambitious journey revolving around love, honour, and, above all, revenge. An ode to classic Samurai flicks, its gameplay is simple, but its striking aesthetics and clear focus on cinematography is what truly sets it apart – unfortunately, it’s also where it struggles the most due to the performance limitations of the Nintendo Switch.

FBC: Firebreak should be a slam dunk for Remedy, with a unique elemental combat co-op hook and action that unfolds in the coolest parts of the studio’s connected universe. Sadly, dull, uninspired missions and a failure to capitalize on Remedy’s imagination hold the developer’s first proper multiplayer outing back massively. There could be something special here with future updates, but I’m struggling to see a future for it.

A gorgeous fantasy Metroidvania with a lot of promise, let down by its repetitive combat and bewildering story.

In having to conform to Switch, it feels like something important has been lost in Cultist Simulator. I do, however, thoroughly recommend playing it on mobile or PC.

It is difficult to recommend The Frostrune to anyone but die-hard mobile adventure gamers and/or people with a passion for Norse mythology.

A remake of an iconic yet obscure horror classic, White Day: A Labyrinth Named School is an atmospheric survival spookfest with plenty of jumpscares and puzzles to explore. While it may rely a little too heavily on backtracking and frustrating chase sequences, it’s an enjoyable blast from the past and deserves a place in any horror fan’s Switch library.

Like a loveable puppy that’s peed on the carpet, it’s hard to be mean to Wobbledog. The adorable pet sim has a distinct personality and loads to do. I just wish it wasn’t quite so aimless, and that the performance and controls on Switch matched the heart that the core gameplay so clearly has. You’re a good boy Wobbledogs, but you can be better.

A cult classic reborn on the Switch with all its original quirks, including its flaws.

Chocobo GP has a charming story and the tournament is sure to keep you occupied for many hours. It’s a great first foray into the world of Final Fantasy for young gamers.

If you're a Fire Emblem super-fan, this is the best version of the NES classic. For everyone else, the Nintendo DS remake or its Wii U port are far better.

Azur Lane: Crosswave boasts some gorgeous artwork, but the combat system and dialogue need work. Unfortunately, using sexy battleships in combat just isn’t for everyone.

It's Space Hulk, that's good. It's slow-playing, that's bad. It's still easier to set up than the miniature game, if you even have a copy.

It’s not a terrible game by any means, but it is uninspired. Made all the more frustrating by the cleverness of the CARROT apps that preceded it.

Fashion Dreamer is the next evolution of Nintendo dress-up games, boasting creative and robust online features, adorable character design, and near-endless customization options for the style-conscious gamer.

While the fishing core of Moonglow Bay might be a little lackluster, and exploration is underwhelming in places, there’s still a good time to be had with this cozy narrative-driven experience that touches on grief, loss, and new beginnings in a way that is almost certain to make your heart stir.

Paleo Pines is a delightful, dino-filled romp through the farming sim genre that skillfully blends real paleontology with cutesy, cottagecore aesthetics and motifs. It’s a little wobbly on the Switch but it’s still full of wholesomeness and charm.

Seven Knights foray into Switch territory has resulted in a JRPG that just doesn't fit well on the big screen, with technical and mechanical limitations marring a surprisingly fun, if basic, combat system.

Digimon World: Next Order is very much a Marmite game, you’re either going to love it or hate it. In my case, I had a wonderful time, love digivolving my cute lil crew, and will definitely replay it for a third or fourth time at some point.

A successful distillation of the heart of skating in a very small package, The Ramp is a chilled out skating getaway that I could happily put hours into without a care in the world. What a lovely way to relax.

Curse of the Sea Rats is a truly beautiful Metroidvania-like, with stunning, hand-drawn characters, a charming story, and an intriguing world. Unfortunately, its sluggish controls and input delay hold it back, making this swash-buckling bonanza feel more punishing than it needs to be.

There is a good game buried somewhere in Lego 2K Drive, but it’s not here yet. Fun racing mechanics, a large world, and great characters prop up this release, and kids are sure to have a blast. But dire Switch performance and a litany of monetization methods in a full-price release mean that parents should keep this well away from their kids. If you’re desperate to play it, buy it on PS5, otherwise, buy Mario Kart folks.

Reynatis has great potential. I can look past a few flaws due to its gorgeous rendition of Shibuya, interesting story, and wonderful soundtrack. Unfortunately, with the PS3-esque character models, poor frame rate, and unintuitive combat, it doesn’t live up to some of the greats.

Hell Pie is one of the crassest games I’ve come across for some time, and I highly recommend it to anybody in search of a rude, fun, and hilarious platformer. Yes, it has a couple of performance issues, but those are fixable and pale in comparison to the great time this game is sure to give you.

South Park: Snow Day is an enjoyable experience that offers something a bit different from previous entries, Stick of Truth and Fractured but Whole, through a hack ‘n slash-tyle combat, card-based powers system, and the ability to go on a hilarious adventure with your pals.

Drag x Drive can be a lot of fun, but it can also be just as frustrating when it doesn’t want to play ball. For me, it seems more like a showcase of the Nintendo Switch 2’s mouse mode controls than a game that stands out for its own merit. There’s likely an audience for this kind of thing; it’s just I don’t think I’m a part of it.

If you played and enjoyed Aralon: Sword and Shadow then this game is more of the same with a better UI. In any other case, there are much better RPGs available for the iPad.

Endless Ocean Luminous is a welcome return to the series. It offers a fun story mode, enjoyable multiplayer, and an abundance of creatures to discover. However, the repetitive nature of the game may begin to wear on you after a while.