Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a fine adventure game that adds in a unique supernatural twist to Sherlock Holmes. The game is at its best when you focus on the supernatural storyline and is at its most boring when it wants you to do anything else. The overall Switch port is quite poor, with poor graphics, constant rendering issues, and poor framerate ruining the experience. Diehard Sherlock Holmes fans that own a Switch may find some fun here, but for everyone else, maybe look elsewhere for a fun adventure rather than pick up Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened.

Button Button Up! is a stellar looking platformer but offers little for seasoned platforming fans. However, younger audiences will be at home with the colorful presentation and whimsical albeit basic platforming. It’s nowhere near the best platformer on the Switch, but you could certainly do worse.

Despite looking nice and offering plenty of unlockables, there’s no real reason to visit this entry into the tennis game genre. It’s by no means poorly made, running smoothly all the way through, it just simply lacks any sign of a satisfying game loop.

Bonkies is a puzzle co-op game that’s better with friends, but its short gameplay won’t have you entertained for long.

Sloppy level design and sluggish run speed and teleportation turn the speed-based Aeon Drive into a bit of a slog.

Stonefly delights the eyes and ears. But the gameplay mix, despite offering some depth, can’t do the same. The combat simply isn’t much fun, and exploring runs the risks of glitches. This strange premise just isn’t executed that well. I’d stick with Creature in the Well until Stonefly gets a discount and patch.

Curious Expedition 2 is pretty to look at and fun to play for an hour or so. However, any longer than that, the gameplay gets repetitive and dull.

I rather like the mid-’90s 3DO/Saturn look, and there are a few pleasant music tracks, as well. But when I put the nostalgic presentation and low price aside, I’m left with the realization that Toree 3D is a short-lived game I just didn’t find particularly fun. The level design is hit-or-miss, and the camera needs more attention. I’d direct players on a budget to Macbat 64: Journey of a Nice Chap instead.

Confusing marketing and a visual choice that impedes while in motion will probably alienate potential customers. The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] is targeting a narrow audience, with a 2-bit CGA graphics gimmick. Some will enjoy it a great deal. Others, like myself, will develop eye strain, and end up reaching for FLASHBACK instead.

Overall, Hokko Life is a bland shell that wants to ride the coattails of Animal Crossing without doing anything to stand out or be unique. The game could be more polished, with lag and weird choices in camera zooms, though not outright terrible enough to get mad at. While the visuals don’t look bad, the music is forgettable. An average game at best, its $19.99 launch price means I can’t really recommend it.

I went into Dungeon Munchies with high hopes. But unfortunately, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. The base is there for an interesting experience, but it needs polish. The cooking feature doesn’t allow for experimenting, and the level design lacks creativity, but the combat hurts the game the most. Maybe it’s because too many things are going on in the game instead of focusing on one or two features and making them work well.

Genre fans might find Buck Bradley Comic Adventure worth grabbing (on sale) to pass a couple of hours. But from presentation to puzzles and beyond, this is an average release at best that most can skip without worry. Unfortunately, this title falls short in too many ways.

Simply put, there’s too much going on in Undungeon. It feels like several different mechanics ratcheted together. But none of it is cohesive. Moreover, the story is too complicated; you must read a novel every time you interact with someone. Finally, the controls feel cumbersome, and the numerous loading screens take you out of the experience.

Rotund Rebound is an ambitious sequel that retains its cute style and rapid pace, but gets somewhat lost in its new features.

Space Pioneer offers an addictive arcade experience that feels incomplete. Although the upgrade system is surprisingly deep, the rest of the game suffers from being too shallow to set itself apart from the pack. As far as isometric, twin-stick shooters go, this one is just okay.

Digimon Cyber Sleuth comprises of two nearly perfect Digimon game experiences, but unfortunately, they’re smack dab in the middle of an experiment in the franchise that feels much more like a chore than a game. When you’re finding, raising, and battling Digimon, you’ll be in heaven. But the insane amount of unskip-able dialogue and shallow “mystery-solving” gameplay is enough to turn off even the most dedicated fan.

While Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition kind of checks off some of my old-school boxes, it’s not a markedly high-quality release on the Nintendo Switch in 2020. By all means, wishlist it if you have fond memories of the original, the series, or late ’80s/early ’90s DOS games in general. Even then, wait for a sale; $14.99 is too much for this short “definitive” release.

Heirs of the Kings plays everything a little too safely. It moves from one retro JRPG trope to the next, but doesn’t provide the player with much incentive to do so beyond checking the boxes along the way.

If you’re an avid fan of the Monkey Ball series you may find some entertainment here. Otherwise, I’d say you should pass, or wait until it’s on sale as Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is not the grand return of the series it could have been.

I completely understand and appreciate their intent with this game, and I’m sure there are a decent bunch who will be swept up by this and adore it. For me, once you’ve played it once, there is no value in ever returning.

What it all boils down to is that Knightin’+ struggled to keep me engaged. The lack of an overworld of any type makes it ultimately forgettable. For $5.99, you’ll get a strictly average title.

Although I still get a kick out of seeing these Neo Geo Pocket Color games on the Nintendo Switch, some fare better than others. THE LAST BLADE: Beyond the Destiny is my last choice. The combat’s a little too sluggish, the presentation a little too uneven, and the overall package a little too dated. I’d check out one of the prior NGPC releases instead.

While the concept of an open world beat ‘em up set in high-school sounds interesting, the way it was executed is far from perfect. Furthermore, the entire world feels meaningless, as there is no way to easily tell what time your classes begin, and where they are. It is also difficult to know where each building is in the world because The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa lacks a map/compass feature. If you are looking for a unique beat ‘em up, and are willing to manage it’s user experience issues, then this is a perfect game for you.

It just doesn’t stand out to me as a “must buy.” I will say that there was a patch for some of the bugs in the game, but it could use a little more fine-tuning, in my opinion. YesterMorrow is nowhere near the worst game I’ve ever played, but it’s nowhere near the best.

Witch & Hero 2 has a great formula. Simplicity throughout, understandable mechanics, and a quick, in-and-out gameplay loop. However, the title lacks in nearly every department across the board, with some mechanics standing at odds with one another, and gameplay that doesn’t hold up long-term.

One Last Breath is an ambitious game set in an artfully creepy world, with some great ideas in its foundation that unfortunately don’t shine through as well as they could in its mechanics or storytelling.

Riverbond coaxes you in with its charming feel and aesthetically pleasing voxel graphics, only to thrust you into a monotonous hack ‘n’ slash. With the plethora of other games that have interesting art styles and incredible looks, it is hard to let the gameplay here slide, even with its comedic relief and destructible environments as a backer.

Virtuous Western is a quick, easy puzzle game with an 8-bit cowboy aesthetic and a speed run mode, but not much else to make it stand out from the wealth of similar games.

There’s not much to say about REPLICA. It plays closer to a proof of concept than a full-fledged game. It is only $4.99, but that might even be high for a game I beat (multiple times) in under two hours. It was painless, except for the pain that came from seeing potential unfulfilled. Maybe a sequel can make things better.

Robot Squad Simulator has some potential, but it feels a bit flat for a release which goes for about $15. It is interesting to pilot some ROVs, and it touches the whole hero-of-the-day theme, but there are some real issues that prevent fun gameplay. You can upgrade your bots a bit and there is the whole get-better-and-progress-through-levels thing, but it needs some refinement before I’d recommend it.

Leftovers KO! showcases some very fun art of foodstuffs dealing with a fierce blow. It’s a fine little time-killer, but otherwise doesn’t have much going for it to make it stand out from the crowd of other novelty fighting games.

Proficient Paddles: Deluxe doesn’t have much to it. The gameplay is fun for a little while but doesn’t hold my attention for too long. While I got used to the controls, it was frustrating in the beginning making the game just okay to me.

My time with Braveland Trilogy was enjoyable however it still felt like there could have been a lot more done to add variety to the games. At the asking price of $14.99, it feels like a lot to spend on a so-so title, even if it breaks down to about $5.00 a game. It wasn’t a terrible experience but when Braveland had something going for it, not enough focus seemed to be placed into it.

Surprisingly, the online play works well, and it is cool to have a portable version of ARK for playing on the go. But would I recommend it on Nintendo Switch? $49.99 is…pricey for the quality. It’s worth it if you have no other way to play ARK, but only if it goes on sale. ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition itself is a very good, if not great, game, but this port is more mediocre than the best it can be. While I like playing it on Switch as an existing fan, I’m not sure I would if I was new to the game.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokemon adventure, with a heart wrenching story and a real sense of soul, which is let down by sloppy mechanics, half-fulfilled ideas and disappointingly common cut corners.

Gleamlight is a simple 2D platformer with a pretty premise but not a lot of substance to back it up.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an imaginative reinvention of the iconic Pokemon adventure, with a heart wrenching story and a real sense of soul, which is let down by sloppy mechanics, half-fulfilled ideas and disappointingly common cut corners.

Otherworldly is just a little underwhelming and short for the price. I recommend waiting for a discount if this looks like a game you would be interested in.

If Legend of the Skyfish drops to its app price of $3.99 I’d have an easier time recommending it for its good-looking presentation and fishing pole approach to combat. But even then, my recommendation would be limited to those looking for a straightforward game and willing to tolerate the muffled music and repetition.

Ski Sniper is fun enough for some shooting practice with a funny premise, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of meat to it.

Thunder Paw is a charming platformer that’s short but not so sweet. The gameplay doesn’t hold up compared to the cute pixel art and fun music.

While it might not be to the level of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but Chocobo GP definitely earns its spot as a must-play on the platform IF the microtransaction system was removed. Square Enix has come out and said they are listening to fan feedback and will try to tone the system down. However at the time of this review, Square Enix has not pushed through that update. This makes it tricky to recommend Chocobo GP at this exact moment. There’s a lot of fun to be had and I genuinely would continue playing this game. Yet I would strongly caution those interested in the title to hold out until the microtransaction system is fixed. By then progression will be as it should be and actually reward you for playing. Until then, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just got new content…

Pinball enthusiasts will, presumably, find Safari Pinball acceptable for the cheap price. That’s not much of a ringing endorsement, though. The glitches annoy, and I still maintain that these budget tables would work much better as part of a bundle.

There’s some fun to be had with An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs. But the high price destroys any chance of a recommendation from me. Bump the score up a point if there’s a heavy sale.

Niffelheim had plenty of good things going for it, without room for mistakes it kind of killed the flow of the game. With plenty of other good crafting action-adventure RPG games on the Switch, Niffelheim just failed to hold my attention.

Unfortunately, the good parts of Foodtruck Arena are mostly outweighed by the plain and unoriginal nature of the game itself and the sloppy controls. I was hoping for a spicy sportster, but ended up with a bland-mobile.

When we remember that Gothic was one of the earliest truly open-world 3D concept games, we can at least give a nod of appreciation for the pioneering effort. With the time that has passed, Gothic Classic is mostly a reminder of how far we have come with game design and system capabilities.

I had fun with PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs when I first started playing. However, the longer I played, the more bored I got.

Orbital Bullet is a fine rougelike run ‘n gun game that can be fun for a few hours. Its circular stage design and rougelike randomness offer a wide ranging experience every time you play. That rougelike element will ultimately be the make-or-break for anyone’s enjoyment of the game. In my experience, it’s usually more unfair to you when you start a run, giving you the worst weapons, stages and enemies to fight. It also does nothing new that a few dozen other games haven’t done before. Orbital Bullet can best be described as an average experience designed for those who truly love roguelike games.

Liege Dragon is an okay RPG with all the right elements but bland gameplay.

If you’re new to KEMCO games or JPRGs in general, Sephirothic Stories serves as a light, quick (the game can be finished in around 10 hours), simple introduction to the genre. Unless you’re looking for a deep challenge or a modern presentation, there’s nothing really wrong here. However, there’s also not much new or terribly interesting, making Sephirothic Stories a game that’s okay to miss.

SHINRAI – Broken Beyond Despair has an interesting enough narrative. But poor quality visuals and lack of variety make for a hard story to become fully invested in. There seems to be too much text and waffle, and I get the feeling that quantity was preferred over quality in the story. On the whole, the game feels rushed and unpolished.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas looks great and I liked the retro inspired music, but it’s a short game. It also lacks exciting features and objectives to keep the player interested. Would be a good game for younger kids though.

Land of Screens has an interesting storyline, but there’s no depth to it or its characters. The music is fun and it’ll keep you busy for about an hour but that’s about it.

I appreciate the unique control scheme, which made Hoplegs stand out in its promotional videos and material. But overall, it was a frustrating experience, even though I progressed quicker when the controls started feeling more natural and gained more momentum. The repetitive level design, visuals and music become tedious, leaving Hoplegs (sigh) no real leg to stand on.

I appreciate that Times and Galaxy is a very different vision of what a game can attempt to do. It reminds me of the games I used to play on the Apple ][ in my school library, where the idea was to teach lateral thinking. But while I enjoy the weird idea, a new mechanic, time-wasting NPCs, and game-ending bugs simply make for a bad front page.

The Legend of Gwen presents a fun world with a lot of potential, but there are too many issues with controls and difficulty of the game itself.

In the end, this port turned out to be an average experience for me in most ways. I’d suggest checking out the free version first (on mobile with half the levels). Subsequently, you can decide if adding Mekorama to your Switch digital library is the right call.

On arrival, I had a sense of hope and promise for the twin-stick shooter, Aniquilation, but was left with an “oh well” experience. With a little refinement, it has the potential to be a really fun game with some interesting aspects. As it is, the game leaves too much to be desired.

Spirit Valor offers a decent retro-RPG combat system, but the story and exploration elements provide little incentive to keep adventuring between battles. I’ve played and continue to expect better from KEMCO.

Panorama Cotton changes up the series’ cute-em-up experience by switching to a 3D action arcade style, but it introduces some problems along the way. The trippy enemies and color palette provide some quick fun, but they quickly wear out and allow performance issues to dampen the experience. Unless you’re a fan of the series, this isn’t a game you’re likely to finish.

Slayin 2 has some UI issues, and its gameplay doesn’t stand out for me. However, if you’re looking for a game to just play while passing time, you could certainly play worse.

On the one hand, I can say Westone’s arcade “treasure” was worth the wait when viewed as a piece of gaming history. But, as an ININ Games published release in 2021, not as much. Once the warm fuzzies wear off, you’re left with a short game with little replay incentive due to a lack of online leaderboards. Combined with a lack of both standard and extra features, I’d wait for this $19.99 release to get a sizable discount unless you’re an arcade fanatic who has someone readily available for two-player co-op.

While AWAY: Journey to the Unexpected features some great 2D character models and animations, the gameplay simply didn’t provide a fun experience. Close-up first-person combat and first-person platforming has never been easy in games and AWAY doesn’t take any meaningful step forward in solving those issues.

Monster Truck Championship isn’t the worst or the best racing game I’ve ever played. The frame rate and visuals are good, and the overall presentation and setup are fine. Regardless, whether you are a fan of monster trucks or racing games in general, I would say that it isn’t worth the price of $39.99. I can’t see myself going back to it since the controls are dicey and that the game itself is average and forgettable.

TAURONOS it’s just a game that I could not get into. The puzzles seemed dull and very uncomplex. It felt more like a game that I had played on a mobile device years ago, not a game releasing on a console. Whether I am taking my Switch on the go or playing in my living room, there are many other games I’d rather play.

Electro Ride: The Neon Racing suffers from touchy controls and an overall lack of depth. It’s not amongst the best racing options available for the Switch, but it does contain a couple of unique elements that may appeal to gamers looking for something a little different.

Steampunk Tower 2 is a tower defense game that’s more grinding and flat rather than filled with strategic gameplay with an engaging story. It looks pretty and controls nicely, but there isn’t much to do.

A solid foundation is in Animal Fight Club, but it’s a real grind to pick up momentum. The limited animation and inconsistent challenge do no favors either. With missing multiplayer, I’m not sure how many will hang around for the DLC. The game is inexpensive and has some positives, but more work is needed.

So, what we’ve got in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a well-designed game that’s poorly developed. A championship-caliber team that needs another few months (or perhaps another year) of training camp. 505 Games has promised to fix the glaring problems, but I can’t review a game based on promises. There’s still some fun to be had here, but it shouldn’t have been released in its current state. Wait for the updates. If they don’t come, wait for a sale…and stay away from the bookshelves.

I wanted to like Dead Dragons when I read the specs and the premise, and the game does do what it claims. But this retro RPG from KEMCO needs some improvements before I can give it an endorsement.

OctaFight is a good-looking multiplayer arcade game with fun music and a unique art style. However, unless you have up to eight friends on your couch, you’ll soon get bored after a handful of rounds.

Ladders by POWGI certainly isn’t bad for a few minutes at a time, especially if you have a second player to bounce word suggestions off of. Still, I didn’t find it addictive enough to carry a standalone release.

Tales from the Dragon Mountain: The Strix is an okay game with decent puzzles, look-and-find mechanics, and subpar controls. If you enjoy quick puzzlers, this may be worth a try.

Little Briar Rose is a decent puzzle game with a strong point toward graphics. However, the gameplay felt more like trial and error and less like puzzles.

Match Three Pirates II is a solid puzzle game with various difficulty settings. However, there’s nothing else to the game, so you might have short gameplay sessions.

Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition is not a pleasant experience. That may be the point, judging from the title. But, save for one key decision, the updates here somehow make this version seem even more dated than the 1984 original.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is much more fun than I ever thought it would be; however, it doesn’t do enough to hold my attention any more than a handful of battles and doesn’t do enough with those battles to make me want to come back. Couple this with the random generation that only hinders your progression, and you have a frustrating game that is only working against you.

Remnant: From The Ashes is a unique take on the Souls-like genre, blending 3rd-person shooting gameplay with the challenging combat of a Dark Souls game. It surprisingly works and offers something new to the endless Souls-like games that are out there. The issue with Remnant: From The Ashes is that if you don’t like Souls-like games, this isn’t the game to change your mind. Plus, the Switch port is rough to look at and harder to play due to technical issues. If you absolutely want a unique Souls-like experience and only own a Switch, Remnant: From The Ashes could be worth checking out.

There just aren’t a lot of animals in the game, which means that the child playing it will quickly start to repeat the same ones, over and over.

To sum this up, Treachery in Beatdown City is a lot of fun, but I can’t suggest it due to the stability problems. Now I’m not saying to never get the game. What I am saying is I’d wait a while so the devs can hash out the issues.

It’s a shame that the unique elements of Onigo Hunter (monster acquisition, map trimming) have only a marginal impact. You’re left with a generic RPG, the kind that many uninformed associate with the publisher. This game could be comfort food to grab on sale, but there are superior offerings from this publisher.

I respect the idea that Circa Infinity is going for; a unique puzzle arcade game that will attract speedrunners and those looking for a challenge. If you enjoy punishing titles and can handle motion sickness, then this release may be for you. However, a game’s supposed to be fun. With the brain-breaking movement scheme, flashing lights, and constant moving images, I felt sick playing it.

The Man With The Ivory Cane is a fun but flawed title. Genre fans should grab it, after a sale and update. Until then, there are too many issues to currently recommend this game on the Nintendo Switch.

Reminiscence in the Night doesn’t offer much to keep you occupied, albeit at a modest $4.99 price. Choices that lead to different endings hold some appeal, but certain aspects of the script seriously lack. There’s also little balance between being cryptic and offering clarity. This release leaves you with questions but feels more rudimentary than sophisticated.

While graphics and performance are flawless, Undead Horde has repetitive and routine gameplay that can’t save it from its potential. The art style is amazing, so it is unfortunate it has to be ruined by mediocre gameplay.

HunterX has the potential to be an excellent platformer, but the lack of story left a gaping hole, and the gameplay grew dull and repetitive after a while.

Tiny Troopers Global Ops is a fine and simplistic twin stick shooter. It’s a far more enjoyable experience with friends than playing on your own. That said, it doesn’t do anything really special to make the experience standout. Its short overall length, even shorter missions and lack of replayability makes Tiny Troopers Global Ops a mixed bag to recommend.

Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe is an average fighting game. Although the gameplay isn’t bad, there are too many other underlying issues that keep me from recommending this title. Try another fighter instead.

Youni is a very short and unfortunately lackluster experience. Once you’ve played the first few levels, you have essentially seen it all. Whilst some of the jump scares are great and some moments are very eerie, there isn’t much else to keep you invested or wanting to play. The poor visuals impact the smoothness of the gameplay, causing frustration on top of the slow pacing.

An otherwise decent racing game, terrible AI choices, and rubber-banding cripple Cruis’n Blast. A real shame.

As a concept, Ashwalkers is fascinating, mixing the survival genre with a visual novel. The world created in Ashwalkers is one of hope surrounded by despair, but the execution lacks the polish to make this one a game that I could suggest. The technical issues alone should have been caught before the release. But even with that aside, the lack of character development and a risk and reward system makes for a very dull experience.

The 32-bit generation is one that I feel more indies should look toward after a plethora of 8-bit and 16-bit inspired titles have already dominated the scene. But Back in 1995 is too visually distracting, too slow, and too short for its $9.99 price. Nonetheless, the idea here is sound. With a better camera, a bit more speed, some expanded gameplay, and less negligence towards full-on emulation, a future installment could provide a nice retro fix.

The Mims Beginning offers a humorous take on the god-like genre through Minions-esque characters, but a shallow story, rough graphics and performance, and basic strategy gameplay drag this title down through the depths of space.

Epic Clicker Journey is a game that tries to mesh RPG elements with the clicker genre. While it’s fun in short bursts, there’s not enough to hold your attention for long. Its repetitiveness coupled with design issues make this one a game to avoid unless you’re a huge clicker fan.

This exploration platformer pulls off the essentials, but the amount of time spent backtracking and grinding for upgrades feels much more wasteful rather than satisfying. Micetopia wound up slightly disappointing, but I’ve seen enough positives that I have some optimism for the studio’s next release.

While Double Switch – 25th Anniversary Edition offers several improvements, the core game was never that good to start with. Locking bonus content is a mistake and, unlike its predecessor, there’s no real history to fall back on. Clearly one for existing fans only, who probably sprung for the physical release before it sold out.

I certainly don’t mind a somewhat easy game, but I need a bit of challenge to hold my attention. After several hours, I think I’ve seen enough of Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom for the time being. Perhaps it improves, but it should’ve put its best foot forward much earlier. The battles are so simple that the efforts at depth are lost, making crafting less necessary and rewarding.