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.

While it can be fun to run around smashing stuff and listening to a cool soundtrack, Ape Out is a bit of a one-trick pony. When you boil it down, it’s a maze runner with a smash-the-bad-guys element. Don’t get me wrong—the theme may be simple, but the game is fun to play. It’s challenging enough to keep you entertained for several hours so go let your inner monkey run wild for a while.

Metagal is a fun platformer. It could do with more content, but what’s there is an enjoyable ride with incentive to replay. At $4.99, it’s a bargain that’s worth checking out if you’re a platforming enthusiast or Mega Man fan looking for a little action on the side.

At its price point and addictive nature, it’s an entirely enjoyable addition to your Switch as a time waster, or if you simply feel the need to yell profanity at your console when you mess up one. Lousy. Flap.

If you’re looking for a title that relieves tension instead of building it, My Time at Portia is as soothing as gaming gets. The craft-heavy life sim offers new spins on mainstays like farming, mining, and even fishing. It’s the closest gaming equivalent to a warm cup of cocoa: soothing and satisfying. If Harvest Moon and Breath of the Wild had a baby, I’m positive their beautiful brood would feel like My Time at Portia.

Paperbound Brawlers was so frantic the first time I played it that I couldn’t keep track of the action and quickly switched the game off. I’m glad I came back, though, because things start to click once you get the hang of how to use gravity as a weapon, and you start to see each level in a brand new light. Planning becomes virtually impossible, and you exist simply in the moment. Until a goo bomb kills you, that is.

Windscape is a melding of old action/adventure gaming with new mechanics and storytelling in mind, allowing the player to explore the nearly open-world around them at their own pace.

Overall, Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! is a fun game to play, though the story and some of the characters could have been done better.

Whether you are a true fan of the Atelier franchise, or just like RPG’s and town simulation games, this will surely satisfy your thirst. It has enough gameplay elements, with depth, to make any gamer have enough content to last them for a while. The story and voice acting made the already in depth gameplay systems even better. This game is a must buy for any RPG or town simulator fan, especially as the Nintendo Switch lacks in town simulation games.

I really enjoyed my time with Neon Caves. It brought me back to memories of my first gaming experiences. Trying the publisher’s other games as suggested in the loading screen is something I myself plan to do.

I’m not sure who Little Shopping is for. Sure, there’s bright colors and even numbers to challenge young minds, but I’m positive a simple game of Tetris would be more satisfying and more stimulating than this barebones virtual shopping game. It’s hard to recommend this game. As a former kid who was occasionally settled with poor titles, I can only say firmly: Kids deserve better.

OlliOlli: Switch stance is an awesome combination of two great games and packed with fun content. If you’re a skateboarding fan or you just like a good sidescoller then you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

Even though The Red Strings Club is in a pixelated genre which is oversaturated, the story all but makes up for it. I would recommend this despite its controls for anyone on a budget looking for a great story-telling game, and for all sci-fi/cyberpunk fans.

While Warparty is a visually stunning attempt at bringing real-time strategy to the Nintendo Switch, it’s lacking in understandable controls and small maps that make the overall experience feel restrictive and monotonous.

As a huge fan of the Yoshi series, in general, I can honestly say Yoshi’s Crafted World did not disappoint me. I really found the details behind the levels to be stunning and highly enjoyable – I can’t stress enough how creative it looks. Despite a few minor complaints here and there, fans of Yoshi games and platformers in general should give Yoshi’s Crafted World a go – there’s even a free demo, so there’s nothing to lose.

I certainly don’t regret my time spent with Cuphead, but also I don’t know when I’ll pick up the game again. There’s too much rinse and repeat and rote memorization of bosses to be fun for me after a while. That being said, if you’re looking for a steep challenge, Cuphead will certainly satisfy. The game is definitely a huge accomplishment–I just wish it was more universally accessible and fun for everyone.

12 is Better Than 6 provides quick, intense battles coupled with a great soundtrack and visuals. I had an enjoyable time in the Wild West – much more than expected. A few tweaks could go a long way, but as it is, I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for something unique in the twin-stick genre.

Is this 22-year-old game worth your time? Absolutely. There’s a reason why it’s being re-released for cutting-edge systems, and if you’re willing to engage with its idiosyncrasies, old-school mechanics and graphics, and interface oddities, there’s a frankly wonderful story that will grab you while also allowing you to understand how many other games it has influenced.

Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers is a straightforward flight simulator that throws you into the heart of World War II dogfights and looks good doing it.

If you tend to play games for the story, you’ll find plenty to like about The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. If you’re more about the puzzles and the platforming action, however, it’d be best to leave this particular storybook on the shelf.

Claybook is admittedly ambitious. It’s also quite a nice looking and unique game, with commendable user features. Yet it struggled to command my attention, lacking elements to maintain interest beyond a few minutes at a time. The community creations do help here to an extent, but the overall experience needs to be tightened, and perhaps reigned in a bit.

While this game may not have a lot of wow-factor, it is visually pleasing and the battle-mechanics are built for players who enjoy an adaptable hack-and-slash play style.

Undead’s Building is a game built around using an elevator to save people from zombies in different buildings and garages. While there are only seven levels to play, this title still manages to overstay its welcome because of boring gameplay and generic character design.

Tardy is a rich combination of story and puzzles that blends past and future in a charming and surprisingly emotional game.

Unit 4 is a game you can pick up and play, but small learning curves are required at times. This is mainly because combining your characters is crucial in navigating the challenges the game throws at you. For it to be enjoyed to its fullest, it is a matter of mastering the fun character switching mechanic with a sleight of hand to make the most of this fast-paced platformer. It’s generally going to best served to those with some 2D platforming experience already under their belt.

While the replay value falls short once you’ve beaten the game, Trine 2: Complete Story offers plenty of challenging content to keep you busy for a while.

While the linear design coupled with high difficulty is worth noting, the challenge leads to very satisfying gameplay. Mindball Play is a good-sized game, with polished aesthetics, and high replay value. This marble racer deserves a look.

Overall, Caterpillar Royale isn’t too bad of a game. I would like to see more variety in the modes, especially in the Mission Mode. I’d like to have more challenges and be able to customize the modes. For example, I should have to win a stage in Mission Mode in order to move on to the next stage. The controls are smooth and the graphics are crisp. Though it wasn’t as fun as I would have liked.

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.

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.

If you played the original game on the Wii, you’ll have to ask yourself how much the new extras, admirable though they are, trump the missing multiplayer. However, for those yet to experience it, it’s certainly worth picking up Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn on 3DS. It’s a high-quality package with charming aesthetics and a good amount of content for the price that should keep you playing.

The gameplay here is satisfying enough to feel like it was worth your hard-earned cash, although I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is looking for a game with all the elements of a modern day game–you will not find that here.

The logic behind the puzzles combined with the design of the visuals combine to create a game that is both relaxing to play while demanding your full attention to solve. Challenging without being stressful, She Remembered Caterpillars is an ideal game for shutting out the world and mapping out all the paths to victory.

RemiLore is a fast-paced satisfying rogue-lite game with randomized level maps, fun hack-and-slash moves, and smooth controls. If the save mechanic was better, this would be a top-notch game.

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.

I do wish the time-honored gameplay was offset a bit more by balanced, polished, and tighter design at times. But if you’re “ready for a blast of funky nostalgia” the sense of déja vu that comes from familiar fun won’t be a negative.

Cinders breathes new life into a tired fairytale in a way that is smart, dark and funny.

With little replay value incentives and a campaign that lacks the qualities which make for a compelling experience, it is very hard to recommend this game even with its lower price tag.

With its methodical, unforgiving gameplay, Aragami: Shadow Edition is not for everyone. However, it doesn’t try to be. It’s aimed squarely at the Tenchu crowd, with whom it should be a hit. If you’re a younger gamer who’s never tried a true stealth game, Aragami is a great place to start.

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 2 doesn’t even have local multiplayer unless you have two systems and two copies of the game, which is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen of late! The polish, quality, and most of all fun, simply isn’t here.

The controls are the biggest let down in terms of the right analogue 8-directional aim. Fix that, and this is a game worthy of some solid playtime and fun.

Riddled Corpses EX seeks to emulate the twin-stick shooters from the 8 and 16-bit era. However, like any game worth mentioning, Riddled Corpses borrows, but stands out on its own merits. Sprite characters and backgrounds along with quality chiptunes make this arcade shooter a total time warp worth your time.

If you’re a fan of either the Borderlands or Payday series, this game is a must try for you.

The mix of exploration, sandpit and story elements makes it feel fresher than recent LEGO games. Plus it’s just plain cool to walk around as Emmet or Wildstyle while talking to the likes of Batman and Unikitty.

Sword and soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon does a great job of pulling together all of the things that made the original great while adding in new elements.

While the plot of Robothorium is rather interesting, the mixture of slow repetitive combat, and probability based map events held this game back from its true potential.

I’ve had an immense amount of fun with R.B.I. Baseball 19 — something I couldn’t say of the previous entry.

Daggerhood isn’t a platformer built with everyone in mind. In fact, even a few die-hards may find it to be a little too difficult. If you’re looking for a platformer that’s far-flung from the easier titles the genre is known for, it’s not a bad place to start. It may be the only Nintendo Switch eShop title under $5 that not only gives you more bang for your buck but has an incredible amount of polish.

I enjoyed Golf Peaks from start to finish. It’s a fun, light game that’s perfectly suited for portable play on the Switch, but is equally engaging in docked mode where it’s easy to have some others help solve the puzzles.

A solid top-down shooter, Solstice Chronicles: MIA is very easy to pick up and has enough versatility to keep you coming back to explore its different options even after you’ve made it home to safety.

A fun fighting game with crisp graphics and smooth controls. With various characters and modes, the gameplay seems endless.

Pirates Pinball is okay, but it only offers the rudiments of pinball. EnjoyUp Games would really be best served bundling these tables in a compilation.

In spite of its side-scrolling pixel-art facade, Rotating Brave adds a plane of intrigue to the mechanics of the game with a constantly shifting perspective.

Almost There: The Platformer takes a stripped-down approach to enemies and level design and adds a twist: while gravity can kill you, it only has limited power over your movement. It subverts the jumping puzzle game and manages to meld it with a fun brainteaser because the designers realize that a real-world motion (the joystick) doesn’t have to play by real world rules.