Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity is pretty to look at and easy to pick up. It gives you everything you need to challenge yourself and a story that is genuinely moving.

Heaven Dust 2 offers around 10 hours of isometric action/puzzler fun. It’s meant as an homage to Resident Evil, but it stands up well on its own even if you’ve never played one of those games or the original Heaven Dust. Just be prepared for plenty of backtracking and puzzle confusion along the way.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a great game. I would like to give it top marks, but in spite of all the good design elements, cool soundtrack, and very good dialogue and voice acting, the Switch’s cloud version connection issues are a problem I can’t just overlook.

Playing as a young girl named Maya, Ever Forward takes you through a series of puzzles to tell one person’s story within a global pandemic. Challenging, fun, and interesting, this adventure puzzle game is worth the playthrough.

Robots, mayhem, and destruction, what more do you want? Hookboots is a good party game, offering more than I expected at first look. Even if you don’t have three friends to play with there is enough content to keep things interesting.

Don’t overlook Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. It offers the same frustrations common to soulslikes, but its visuals, soundtrack, and story comprise an experience that can and should be enjoyed by a much wider audience. (With help from its friendly difficulty options, mind you.)

As the checkered flag comes down on RISE: Race the Future, it has finished strong. The graphics, the driving mechanics, the tracks, the vehicles, and the play-time are all very good. The game is fun to play and challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. Even if you normally don’t get into racing games, RISE is definitely worth having in your Switch collection. Unfortunately, the lack of multiplayer is a significant omission that we can’t ignore.

Hob is still a solid title with a good amount of content. You’re looking at 10 hours easily with even more if you’re going for 100% completion. While certainly not of the same quality of a Legend of Zelda or even Hyper Light Drifter, Hob still has some great entertainment value if you’re looking for a good adventure/exploration game.

BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! is an enjoyable and adorable game. It has charm, and plenty of content, and features. I would say its price at $9.99 to be a fine deal and worth getting if you enjoy puzzle platformers.

Even with the maps the way they are, however, I still enjoyed my time playing. I mean who doesn’t love giant gun-toting robots? Overall for what Damascus Gear Operation Osaka has in content and gameplay, I would spend $20 all day long. Don’t pass this one up, if you like mech-based games.

Kamikaze Lassplanes leans heavily into its visual novel gameplay and ecchi art, but serves up an engaging story and fun shoot ’em up combat throughout. And whether you’re more into the romantic narrative or the arcade action, gameplay options are available to bring your preference into focus.

Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club has its issues. That said, the Peanuts fan in me could often overlook them. The charm and feeling of childhood innocence that this game offers carries much weight. The formula is a winner and is only a few changes away from being outstanding. I hope to see it return in an expanded sequel, perhaps with difficulty options, and definitely a bit more polish. Don’t let this game fall victim to the Kite-Eating Tree.

While it can be frustrating at times, BIT.TRIP BEAT remains an enjoyable experience at a great price.

Sisters Royale is a colorful, tongue-in-cheek take on the classic shmup format. On the upside, you get to play through the game as five different player characters. The down side is it doesn’t take very long to play through, so the replay value is in trying to beat your last score and to run through the levels on harder settings.

BIT.TRIP RUNNER holds up pretty well for an indie game from 2010. True, its sequels have spoiled us with checkpoints and leaderboards. But this more modest entry comes at the more modest price of $4.99, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans asking for a challenge.

Trident’s Tale provides enough sword slashing, ship sailing, stuff making, thing finding, world exploring, and skeleton smashing to keep adventurers busy and challenged for hours. If you want to live a little of the peg-leg life, give this one a whirl.

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation is a classic RPG adventure that inspires a whole new appreciation for the early days of video games.

At its core, Infini is your basic puzzle/platformer. With its highly unique visuals/audio and absolutely bizarre storytelling, however, it becomes something much…deeper? Maybe. I guess that depends upon how you react to it, and I don’t think any two players will take it the same way.

Super Bomberman R 2 is a fun return to the world of bomb-toting multiplayer madness. It’s easy to recommend for the Battle Mode alone, but there’s also a solid Story Mode to keep you entertained, despite some design flaws.

Goliath Depot effectively pays tribute to early ’80s arcade gameplay, and would’ve fit right in next to the machines that inspired it. Although aimed at classic gamers, modern features such as leaderboards, level randomizers, and a speedrun mode should help it appeal to a wider audience.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate brings a new way of playing to fans of the green, teen heroes. The story, visuals, and gameplay are all great, though a few bugs hamper the experience. The simple roguelike elements won’t be too jarring for fans of the typical side-scrolling style of gameplay.

As a single player game, the arcade racer Crash Drive 3 can feel a bit empty. But it’ll very likely be a real hoot for the kids who just want to explore and goof around. As a multiplayer game, it can be a free-for-all blast.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition is still a game that will push strategy fans to (and beyond) their limits. You’ll spend more time learning than playing. But the Joy-Con mouse functionality in this Switch 2-only release removes a major obstacle to the long-serving rewards awaiting those able to stick with it.

Bravery and Greed looks good and plays well, adding platforming and brawling elements to the roguelike genre. The characters are fun, the fighting satisfying, and the levels balance the difficulty to encourage replay.

Homebody is a horror puzzle/adventure in which you must escape a house filled not only with old friends and awkward conversations, but also a murderer. The combination of puzzle solving and detection avoidance combine for a tense but accessible—and surprisingly emotional—experience.

Pupperazzi is just as cute as it sounds. Taking photos of dogs is easy and fun, though its simplicity may result in a lack of follow-through. Still, there’s something endearing and relaxing about snapping pics of happy pooches.

Those who are familiar with or already participate in Zumba classes are going to love the familiarity of Zumba: Burn it Up and the distraction-free access to the routines. Those who aren’t, however, will have to get past an initial period of ineptitude while you figure out the moves. I’d personally rather do that at home than at an actual Zumba class, but with nothing here beyond the energetic exercises to keep you motivated, actual classes will serve you better if you’re in it for the long haul.

A lower learning curve gives Garden Simulator accessibility the genre isn’t known for. The lack of touchscreen support is a negative worth noting, but the overall title (quirks and all) evens out as something worth digging a little deeper into.

Kana Quest is a cute, friendly game that aims to teach you kana character recognition as you work through its numerous match-em puzzles. Some may be put off by the unfamiliar Japanese alphabet, but those who are willing to learn (or just want an additional challenge) should have fun picking up the basics of kana recognition and pronunciation.

On paper, Crash Drive 2 should run out of gas, but with Joy-Cons in hand, it succeeds in spite of itself. It’s not for multiplayer that it’s a success – the lack of local support ensures that – but it triumphs as a solo romp, as there’s plenty to accomplish and laugh at.

The Smurfs – Dreams is going to pleasantly surprise a lot of people who think they’re just playing it to keep their kids happy. Although never too challenging, its colorful visuals, clever gimmicks, and solid 3D platforming gameplay help it escape the franchise tie-in doldrums.

I expected Super Mario Maker 2 to be an outstanding sequel but instead, it’s simply good. It takes steps forward and back in near equal measure, having significant post-launch shortcomings that go beyond mere nitpicking. Namely, the inferior online implementation at present, especially the, at times, borderline-unplayable online multiplayer. I certainly don’t expect perfect, but I also don’t expect a selling point this flawed from the Big N. It forfeits the right to a higher score, but I’m absolutely confident the game will continue to improve with updates. Meanwhile, it still offers a ton of creative potential and courses to play, representing good value for the cost.

While boring at times, Pig Eat Ball is a fun puzzle game that manages to bring the players in with its basic mechanics and interesting world and characters.

Cross Tails is one of KEMCO’s more unique releases in quite some time. Although the story never surprises, the gameplay mechanics of this isometric, tactical JRPG certainly do. Turn-based combat fans shouldn’t let this one slip past without serious consideration.

Trifox is a fun action platformer that allows you to choose the type of character you play as. Although there are a couple of concerns with floaty physics and a rigid camera, but they are outweighed by fun fights, clever puzzles, and vibrant visuals.

Trombone Champ is a goofy, chaotic music sim that never for a moment takes itself seriously. Everything from the gameplay to the song selection to the loading screens is meant to amuse, making it a perfect fit for the Switch. The fun can wear off quickly when playing solo, but it’s consistently entertaining for a full band (up to a quartet, anyway).

Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived is no longer a suspect to being a bad game. Multiple levels of difficulty allow for multiple playthroughs. The Visual Novel is interesting enough for players who just want the story, while the other two difficulties add a bit of twists and turns to the already enjoyable game.

9 Years of Shadows’ pixel graphics are gorgeous, its story is compelling, and its boss battles are worth the slower moments you have to wade through to get there. It’s a fun adventure that offers enough surprises to keep Castlevania fans engaged throughout.

Silver Falls Episode Prelude offers an intense and atmospheric introduction to the world of Silver Falls, in a concise narrative game with some bonus battle content on top.

As someone unlikely to play most of these courses in real-life, I relish the chance to visit them in video-game form. From driving off the tee, reading the green, and everything in between, this title offers a lot in spite of itself. If you’re someone who enjoys golf sims, please don’t let some careless glitches prevent you from checking out PGA Tour 2K21 on the Nintendo Switch. With practice, even a real-life duffer like myself can rack up his share of eagles.

After sinking several hours, I can say that Mini Motor Racing X is pretty fun. From seemingly small options to many extras, it offers a lot. While I wonder if it’ll prove a memorable racer when compared to many, I suspect it’s a game I’ll keep downloaded to revisit for short spells now and again.

Super Street: Racer is a fun driving simulation game with plenty of customization options so you can build your perfect car. The races are fast and fluid and, with a few more features and tracks, this could be an even better racing title.

With its narrative, cooking, crafting, and (of course) fishing, there is plenty more to do in Reel Fishing: Days of Summer than just cast your line and hope for a bite. The game provides easy to access reminders and pointers, some nice scenery to enjoy, and a relatable story, making for a fun and accessible fishing sim adventure.

Quest for Infamy is an excellent outing for fans of those old-school, point-and-click fantasy games of yesteryear. It’s packed full of missions, side-quests, and things to discover, albeit a little bare. The writing and characters breathe so much life and comedy into this game that you can’t help but have a merry old time with Mister Roehm.

EcoGnomix is a solid strategy game where you’ll need to be on your toes through every run of the game. Patience is key with this one.

Exit the Gungeon is a refreshing next step for the franchise. The smaller scale comes with certain drawbacks, but it’s nonetheless a worthwhile experience, even if it’s not to the same standard as the original.

As a solo game, I admit this one won’t endure for me as a series newbie. It’s just okay, at best. But if you’re a returning player or wish to experience it in co-op, there’s positively good fun to be had. You can lose track of time, making all manner of tasty-looking dishes while bobbing your head to the great soundtrack.

Initial frustration with balloon navigation eventually clears to let the lighter puzzle and platforming elements of Passing By – A Tailwind Journey create an overall pleasant experience. Even with survival elements, however, gameplay may be a bit too cozy and relaxed to hold players’ attention.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! offers a unique take on party board games and anime-based games in general. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of the series, but those simply seeking a truly fresh spin on a somewhat perfunctory formula should enjoy it regardless of their mastered breathing style.

Barry the Bunny provides an addictive platforming experience, complete with cute critters. A few issues prevent it from being perfect, but platforming enthusiasts should consider giving it a go.

While lacking in certain areas, THOTH remains a really fun game at a very affordable price. Pick it up.

DARQ Complete Edition is a dark puzzle platformer in which you must help a boy named Lloyd navigate a seemingly endless loop of nightmares. Its lack of story and solid scares may disappoint some players, but it’s a solid pick-up for those seeking a quick, creepy gaming experience.

While there’s definitely room for improvement and expansion, I can see kids liking this game quite a bit. There’s plenty to unlock, and hearing that you did something better than Mama brings a smile. As someone new to the series, Cooking Mama: Cookstar felt reasonably fresh to me. But vets may find it more so resembles leftovers. Hopefully, the rights holder and publisher can work things out.

Bassmaster Fishing 2022 is a great fishing sim, especially if you’re a hardcore angler. If not, this might be a little too detailed for you. But if you’re a patient fishing enthusiast, you’ll find plenty to keep yourself busy in this realistic-feeling title.

Cotton Fantasy: Superlative Night Dreams is a bit pricey for the time it takes to get to the end. However, it’s a shoot-em-up. It’s not about getting through a story, it’s about shooting baddies and getting a high score. Fans of shmups (and of the recently revitalized Cotton in particular) will have some fun with this one.

Tropico 6 may not be at its best on the Nintendo Switch but it is still worthwhile even on noticeably underpowered hardware. Once you get past the huge load times at the beginning and the lengthy tutorial, the only question is how would you like to rule? For the people? Or with an iron fist?

Crystal Ortha offers a breezy adventure that breaks from the norm just enough to please grizzled fans of JRPGs. It looks and feels right home on the Switch, but it’s easier to enjoy in short, handheld gaming sessions as opposed to long hours in front of your TV.

In most respects, PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC is the definitive way to play the best-selling sequel. But a few of the level and boss alterations prove questionable at best (especially the latter), and the easy (immune) mode is a sizable step back from its more balanced predecessor. Bandai Namco would be wise to address both in an update asap. The game mostly makes up for these mistakes with its aesthetic and control improvements. Add time trial leaderboards, two-player co-op, and plenty of new and returning extras with some fun unlocakables, and you have an adventure that might keep you playing.

Just as it was when originally released in 2012, Double Dragon Neon is still a well-made and well-thought out reboot of the arcade classic that will certainly please veterans and newcomers to Billy and Jimmy Lee’s adventures.

With an interesting story and attractive art style, it’s hard to get tired of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. Even if you’ve already read the novel or seen the miniseries, being able to interact with the characters, explore its 12th Century English setting, and shape the narrative provides a new thrill. As far as visual novel adventures go, this one is hard to put down.

Admittedly, the Game Boy emulation will probably turn off many potential players. That said, there’s fun to be had under the dated surface. I don’t think Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition is a great adventure, but the refinements have cemented it as a good one.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is a vibrant game, artistically, that tells a dark tale involving coming to terms with one’s loss, making amends, and being pushed into a place of power. It surprisingly did a great job with its unique combination of action, adventure, puzzle, rhythm, and role-playing genres blended together. It is a short game that offers replayability due to the decisions one makes changing the course of the story.

Keylocker is a great turn-based, rhythm JRPG, but there are a few problems that should be addressed. If Moonana would fix the crashing, the broken quests, and the soft locks in fights, I think the game would be just about perfect. Unfortunately, it’s not there yet.

Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure is an attractive looking game that’s taken a timeless formula and added quality-of-life options. I feared this would be a game I’d suggest passing on, but it’s now turned into a recommendation for fans of this game style. While not every choice is to its advantage, $6.99 gets you a fun story mode, multiplayer, an endless mode, and more.

Whether you’re a fan of The Dark Eye franchise or point and click adventure games: The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav is certainly worth your attention.

The Bubsy games have become unpopular as time has passed, but his collection does its best to make them more playable than they’ve ever been. You can relive the nostalgia of the first two 16-bit games, roll your eyes at that Jaguar entry, and experience the refurbished version of Bubsy 3D that makes the original no longer relevant, all with modern updates and extras. I’m happy to see Atari and Limited Run compile these games and make them available on modern hardware, even if they fall short of their titular “Purrfect” designation. Subjectively, their individual appeal might be narrow (one’s trash is another treasure), and some might not be convinced to join Bubsy’s small fandom. But collectively, this release does plenty right, and those with appreciative mindsets will find value here. It’s better than the sum of its parts.

While newcomers may find some shortcomings in the whole package, hardcore fans will still find it a delight. Sure, it feels rather dated, but this port of a Neo Geo Pocket Color classic still hits the mark where it counts.

The Last Spell is a fun and complicated tactical RPG. The gameplay alternates between building components and turn-based fighting, providing plenty to do here. It’s a lot to take in, especially initially, but there’s plenty of fun (and horror) to be had.

Sometimes you want a game to play while watching TV or just needing to kill time. The $39.99 price I feel is too much, especially with the crashes. But if it goes on sale, give Two Point Hospital a shot.

Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is an exceptionally difficult arcade-action game that’s best enjoyed when shared with a friend. This release’s gameplay and visual tweaks modernize the experience a bit, but it’s still likely to appeal solely to those accustomed to the challenges of early ’90s NES action games.

It’s not my favorite in the series, but Quell Zen is a game that puzzle fans should enjoy. It manages to be simultaneously relaxing and quite challenging.

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell is simultaneously new and nostalgic. The arcade gameplay will be familiar to fans of NES-era titles, but the game’s modern features and obvious love for the source material elevate it above your typical 8- or 16-bit throwbacks.

Overall, Pixel Cafe is a charming cafe time manager with great pixel art. The chill Lo-fi rock soundtrack fits well with the mood, scenes, and themes of each cafe you work at. I’d say its price, $12.99, is fair as the game is pretty well done and has a good amount of content.

As far as party games go, Knight Squad has more going for it than you’d expect at first glance. It’s accessible, it’s frenetic, and it’s fun. The lack of online multiplayer and a worthwhile single-player mode will be easily overlooked when you’ve got your personal squad of knights seeking battle in your living room.

Super Blood Hockey varies away from traditional hockey games, though, it still is a ton of fun. It manages live up to it’s name as it is super bloody. The bloodiest hockey game I have ever played in fact. Luck for it the game has more to it than that, it is also really fun to play In some ways, the nontraditional gameplay allows for it to be more fun. There is some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Players wanting to get a fairly decent hockey title to play on the Switch should certainly check it out.

Creepy Tale 2 retains the dark and foreboding style of the original, with a longer story and mostly more intuitive puzzles to solve. If you’re a fan of point-and-click games with horror elements, check it out.

Warriors Orochi IV Ultimate is so big and messy that I would never recommend it as an introduction to Mosou-style gaming. If, however, you beat Fire Emblem Warriors or Hyrule Warriors and thought, “Wait…that can’t be it,” you will not draw the same conclusion here. Not by a longshot.

Diablo II: Resurrected gets enough polish and features to appeal to fans of the original release and to series newcomers. The exploration/combat loop is still fully engaging, with only a few remnants of its age interfering with gameplay on the Switch.

There are only small segments of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition that feel like a Lara Croft adventure, but the game is still quite fun once you accept this reboot of the iconic character. It’s definitely a trip worth taking, even if the Switch 2 version doesn’t offer everything it could have.

Chess Knights – Viking Land provides hours of puzzle-based gameplay using a twist on the usual chess formula. With some additional incentives to replay, and a little more finesse in the controls, this could be a must-have puzzle game. It’s still worth checking out, particularly anyone with a penchant for chess.

Dark Auction is a graphic novel with point-and-click adventure elements. You play as Noah, a man who enters an auction to avenge his father. Throughout the game, you’ll explore, chat, and complete orders, all while solving puzzles to uncover the mystery behind your father’s life and death.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers is a good third-person shooter that’s a little on the light side in terms of graphical style and humour, but don’t be fooled – there are many missions to conquer and plenty of characters to unlock as you seek your ultimate team. The fast-paced action should keep you busy for hours.

Blue Fire, albeit flawed, is a very enjoyable and satisfying platforming experience. It may not reach the heights of some of the games that inspired it, but that doesn’t stop it from being an incredibly enjoyable game that has plenty to offer.

A construction and management simulation with a broader appeal (thanks to three difficulty modes), Country Tales succeeds on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a fun title that can be addictively challenging as you strategize how to manage your time best. Just make sure to play it in handheld mode if you’re looking for speed.

Remember when Fire Emblem games focused more on story and combat than on fishing, construction, and class studies? So do the developers of Dark Deity, an SRPG that survives some annoying bugs and UI issues to provide a satisfying, briskly-paced adventure.

A good combination of beautiful, challenging and relaxing, Himno isn’t the most gripping game you’ll ever play, but it is well worth a go.

As a throwback to 8-bit platformers, Miles & Kilo works better than most. It also works as a legitimate reason to fire up your old Nintendo 3DS and remember how much fun action/arcade games were—and how cool that 3D effect was—the first time you played it.

Creepy Brawlers is a decent retro-inspired boxing game. It is a good mix of horror and boxing making it a fun alternative to the more common horror shoot-to-kill survival game.

Spirit Roots offers exceptionally well made platforming and art design that is consistently impressive, but a rough checkpoint and health system is a bump in the road worth noting.

Overall, Cronos: The New Dawn is an atmospheric horror outing with an interesting premise that creates a bleak feeling of isolation. It borders on frustrating at times with its high difficulty, but that’s also part and parcel of the genre. It may not convert anyone not already invested in these tough outings, but survival-horror fans are in for a treat.

Kokoro Clover: Season 1 is a good game for younger players that may be new to the platforming genre. The storytelling is the best feature of the game, and the presentation is unique, making it unlike anything else I’ve played before. The game ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, opening the door for a second season, which I hope happens.

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.

Link-a-Pix Deluxe is a fun and relaxing puzzler that uses number logic to uncover hidden pictures. There’s plenty on offer here, with more available as DLC. As a “deluxe” title, is a shame it wasn’t all bundled together.

It’s hard to mess up Breakout as it remains fun after all these years (decades even), but darn if Choice Provisions nearly did with their inexplicable decision to lock content, including online leaderboards. The fact that the game still succeeds despite this blunder is a testament to their talent and the timeless source material.

Touhou: New World is the refreshing, fast-paced RPG you didn’t know you wanted. If you’re after something a little lighter and a little different, this one might be worth your time.

Regardless of how “intense” it is (or isn’t) Shakedown: Hawaii is still a fun, beautiful game, and I enjoyed my overall experience with it.

While Fight Crab is far from the best fighting game I’ve played, it is among the funniest fighters, which gives the title real value, despite its quirks.

If you have an hour or two to spare, Macbat 64: Journey of a Nice Chap is pretty good for the inexpensive price. The blurry visuals and the subpar camera are part of the nostalgic charm. The fun characters and level designs have me hoping for a more substantial sequel. So, pick this one up to help make it happen.