Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a splendid remake. The updated visuals and quality-of-life improvements add plenty to this already-fun title. The puzzles are interesting and challenging, with plenty of variety to keep you hooked.

Overall, qomp2 is simple yet thought-provoking. It’s challenging but not unforgiving. With its smooth controls and accessibility options, you can play this game however you want.

With better aesthetics, all DLC included, and new puzzles, this 3DS port has a lot going for it. LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition is a great series debut on the Nintendo Switch, and it should excite fans of LEVEL-5’s long-running series. It’d even be a good starting point for first-time Layton players.

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo stands out with its papercraft-inspired art, looping time mechanic, and inventive quiz-style boss fights. Paired with heartfelt storytelling, it delivers a unique and emotional experience that’s definitely worth playing.

Despite its modest handheld origins, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a true console experience. With updated aesthetics and superior controls (especially for inventory), it’s shaping up to carry on the Game Boy legacy and be both a critical and commercial hit. An innovative, generally light-hearted installment that’s full of surprises, Zelda enthusiasts won’t want to overlook this game. Link’s Awakening is also an ideal entry for those who aren’t Zelda fans.

Helheim Hassle is a genuinely funny game with a dark sense of humour that holds up throughout a series of creative and silly puzzles.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza & the Lost Demon is a charming action/puzzle game. Hardcore Bayonetta fans may not have much interest in seeing their heroine during her formative early years, but their loss is the gain of anyone seeking a wonderfully presented and consistently clever adventure.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC is an absolute triumph that everyone should play. It’s one of the few times we get a DLC to a modern game that absolutely nails the classic gaming franchise it took inspiration from. The game looks, sounds, and absolutely plays like a classic Castlevania adventure. The soundtrack will leave you jamming in your head for hours at iconic Castlevania tunes. Its overall shorter game length will ultimately disappoint you, as the DLC is so good you wish it didn’t end as soon as it does.

Littlewood is so gosh darn cozy. From the charming characters to the low-stakes RPG fun, there’s plenty to love in this interesting entry in the farm-sim genre. It may be the only game of its kind that is truly “pick up and play.” Or, like me, you can sink in plenty of hours and get lost in all that cuteness.

My time spent with the collection was great. Langrisser I & Lagrisser II both are immensely strong strategy turn-based RPG games, which make them so great. Fans who love the likes of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars are in for a treat with this collection. I can’t wait to put more hours into this one!

Please, Touch the Artwork 2 is delightful. Its beautiful paintings, quirky characters, and lovely music combine to create a playful outing that provides a true form of escape. This short but sweet outing will stick with you after the credits roll.

Talk of double-dipping aside, Pikmin 3: Deluxe is one of the best games available for the Nintendo Switch. Local co-op play in story mode, however, is the only addition that helps it stand out from the original Wii U version. If you’re not playing with a partner, view this only as an expensive stopgap as we await the ever-elusive Pikmin 4.

Loddlenauts is one of those satisfying games that balances a clear and important message with fun gameplay and a population of adorable creatures that it is all too easy to become deeply attached to.

Timespinner is an absolute joy to play. There’s so much to love, with a compelling and mysterious story involving exploration. The interesting time mechanics, coupled with an amazing soundtrack and pixel art style, make this game a welcome addition to any Nintendo Switch library.

Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus blends expert storytelling, interesting puzzles and finely crafted spooky pixel art to create a fantastic prequel game that leaves you wanting more of this insidious, addictive world.

Alder’s Blood is a wonderfully crafted game with an intoxicating story. Its missions are simple but your strategy can’t be if you want to survive.

Little Bug is a great game all around. It has an immersive world through vivid graphics, appropriate music, and fun gameplay mechanics.

Watcher Chronicles offers enough of an RPG action platforming challenge to make you work for it, and provides enough satisfaction to keep you coming back for more (especially in local multiplayer). It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it just lets the player(s) get on with enjoying the game.

Overboard is a charming and darkly funny game, with incredibly well-written characters and a great atmosphere of intrigue, secrecy and 1930s style.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a beautiful follow up to Innocence, ramping up every element that made the prequel so captivating. Its gameplay expertly combines puzzles, action and stealth with a story that absorbs you into its mystery and makes sure you feel every emotional beat along the way.

A Year of Springs is the heartfelt story of three young women in Japan, facing issues with love, friendship, and gender. This visual novel is cute yet compelling, and highly recommended.

A Plague Tale: Innocence – Cloud Version is an incredibly well-written, well-designed immersive game that blends stealth, survival and puzzles in a rich historical setting with an intense story of family, war and magic.

Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is an adorable yet challenging dungeon crawler designed to play with friends and suitable for any character class. Its world is exciting, its style is lovely and it has a lot going for it that draws you into the adventure.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is a fantastic game that absorbs you into a grim parallel universe and uses every tool in its arsenal to create an addicting sense of tension.

Neversong is a highly effective release in so many ways. The standout framework and subsequent story building leave room for interpretation, and the apt aesthetics go well beyond mere window dressing. You don’t see one-man studio releases of this high quality very often. Nearly everything falls into place in the best way imaginable.

Persona 3 Reload’s strengths are in its details. The game’s turn-based combat and social aspects should become repetitive, but they build effectively throughout. More importantly, the style, story, and characters are continually compelling, driving to a finish that will stick with you well after the game’s finished.

Kunai does so much with so little. From the minimalist art style to the polished grappling mechanic, it’s hard not to recommend this entry to fans of the metroidvania genre, or anyone looking for a fresh offering on the Nintendo Switch.

Winter Burrow is easily one of the cutest survival games out right now, expertly combining the tension of enduring a harsh environment with a cosy sense of home. The art is adorable, the characters are wholesome and the story is well-written and moving.