Despite the cumbersome controls, lack of scares, and somewhat mundane puzzles, Ikai has a fantastic atmosphere, and can offer Japanese horror fans a strong story that keeps you hooked throughout.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

If you can live with the creaky interface and resist overusing the auto-battle system, then you will discover that Disgaea is packed with great ideas and challenging battles.

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.

End of the Universe tries to mash space shooting and roguelike randomness onto the small screen, with mixed results.

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.

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.

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.

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.