With an enjoyable story, the novelty of changing between a large cast of characters, and a fun extra game mode, Code Shifter makes up for its shortcomings with many ideas successfully carried out. Bright, colorful, and energetic, Code Shifter is worth a buy for studio fans.

A paint by numbers entry into what’s becoming an inflated genre but the gameplay can still be fun despite feeling repetitive, especially late on.

Tennis World Tour 2 is a complex sports sim that features some real nuances of playing tennis. Unfortunately, that results in convoluted controls with little instruction on how to use them. It’ll keep hard-core sports gamers busy for a while, but is not a very good option for casual tennis fans.

Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder feels unfinished in parts, but fans of card-based battle games will be intrigued by the ingenious combat mechanism that forces you to balance your attacks against the threat of the enemy’s retaliation.

There’s a great game waiting to be checked out from The Library of Babel, but it’s currently buried under platforming puzzles that are too annoying to be fun. It’s a beautiful game with a compelling story, but it needs some difficulty adjustments to let the fun parts save the day.

Germs is enjoyable with a few players in short bursts. The user interface is well-designed and there are plenty of options, plus its just plain fun being a cute germ battling in a body for supremacy. On the downside, there’s just not enough to entertain you for long periods, and the lack of a dedicated single-player experience is unfortunate.

While I like the intent that Feather brings to the table, its ideas are implemented in a subpar fashion. This is a proof of concept, whose asking price doesn’t reflect its current modest state. I can’t recommend it unless a sizable update arrives to unlock its potential.

A shorter title, Bitlogic – A Cyberpunk Arcade Adventure will nonetheless likely appeal mainly to older gamers. It successfully mixes genres in a great setting with a good soundtrack. It effectively draws you in with unlimited ammunition, no time limit, and well-spaced checkpoints, to balance the atypical lack of jumping. Having two game styles – the MSX original is included – is also a cool plus. I think it hits its nostalgic target without overshooting into too-dated territory.

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.

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.

Despite the strong story and its interesting characters, the gameplay is very clearly of a game out of time, and so feels out of place on the Switch. It’s difficult to recommend, especially to newcomers, but fans of the franchise may find good reasons to visit, even if for nostalgia alone.

Overpass certainly adds an interesting take on the genre, allowing for well-trodden ground to feel fresh. Unfortunately the difficulty of the game and poor handling will prevent most from making it past the tutorial.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour probably should have been a pack-in release; not because it’s not worth the money, but because it’s turned into a PR nightmare. It also feels like the perfect game to include with a new system. At the end of the day, it wasn’t included; but it IS fun and interesting. So, if you like the sound of it, give it a go! If not, leave it alone. Someone at Nintendo worked hard to put this together, and I, for one, am glad I was able to experience it.

Creepy Tale is aptly titled; it had no trouble giving me goosebumps. The gloomy atmosphere is aesthetically pleasing and the cryptic puzzles will tease your brain, bordering on frustrating at times – patience and trial and error are key attributes here. This one will likely appeal to fans of point-and-click style puzzle games with horror elements.

Hero Concept’s additions help to break up the inherent monotony of Space Invaders, but Doughlings: Invasion is still a game that’s fun for short bursts only. That’s not a deal killer, of course, just something to consider before buying.

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.

Even though it’s markedly short, FoxyLand quickly grows repetitive. Basic equals dull in this case. Even at $3.99 (on sale) it feels overpriced compared to comparable experiences on the Nintendo Switch. With nothing to make it stand out from other budget platformers, you can pass on this below-average game without much worry.

Rise Eterna is good enough to give tactical RPG fans something to enjoy while they await big studio releases, but its lack of difficulty and unfortunate UI issues will prevent other gamers from playing through to its unsatisfying ending.

The Padre is a delightfully creepy game that you can move through at your own pace, with plenty of treats for horror fans to find amidst the central mystery.

Ganbare! Super Strikers is a fun tactical RPG that happens to feature soccer players. The turn-based approach works well overall, though the formula can wear a little thin after playing several matches in a row.

When I started playing Demon’s Rise – War for the Deep, I really wanted to like the game. Unfortunately, there are too many little bad things stacked up to really get into this one.

Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed is a rudimentary port that certainly shows its age, but the stripping-based combat and crazy story/quests are unique enough to provide a refreshing experience for action gamers who are open to its mature content.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted’s port to the Nintendo Switch has proven to be a difficult one. The slippery controls render the game difficult to play, but I don’t consider this a hit against the franchise. FNAF will continue to be a fan favorite, and I’m sure more games are planned for the future.

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.

Despite great ideas at its foundation, Roller Drama has limited sports management features, minigames that drag and a mysterious dystopian setting that gets glossed over all too often.

Overall, Stranger Things 3: The Game is a nice addition to the Nintendo Switch library of games, and fills the void of good, inexpensive beat- ‘em-up games that were previously missing on the platform. That being said, the game was designed with hardcore fans of the series in-mind, which will differentiate it’s value to some. As mentioned previously, it does emphasize a lot of fanfare, but its beat-‘em-up combat is some of the best on the Switch, making it a must-own for any beat-‘em-up fan.

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.

Everdream Valley has the potential to become a good farming game, and there were times when I really enjoyed myself just working on the farm and training my animals. But the short story, underwhelming ending, and gameplay issues were a turnoff.