It doesn’t pack a lot of content to keep you playing, but Hide & Dance is a good-humored rhythm game with catchy tunes.

Epic Dumpster Bear 2: He Who Bears Wins is a funny game that controls great. Though I wish the story was a bit longer, you unlock bonus levels. I’d say it’s worth checking out.

Despite an oddly placed bullet hell section and a story that takes a couple of playthroughs to fully grasp, Need a Packet is a fun game with a simple gameplay loop. Mix that in with the eerily fun graphics, this is a truly interesting addition to your Switch library.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is a well-made, quality game that’ll prove mostly entertaining for fans well-versed in the series. But it reflects plenty of choices here that are tough to wrap one’s head around, especially when other Shantae games surpass this one in both pace and polish. The restrictive 4-player mode disappointingly fails to live up to the hype. And the inexplicable lack of a map (or any typical hint system) makes this game feel antiquated next to its other entries. Thus, what should be a great game is just a good one. Wait for a sale, and make this Shantae your Half-Price Hero.

The violent mix of combat and platforming provided by Gori: Cuddly Carnage won’t be for everyone, but it will be for more people than you’d expect. The gameplay is surprisingly engaging if you’re willing to take on the unsettling visuals.

Professor Lupo and His Horrible Game has a lot of creativity and humour, but it is let down by its clunky controls.

Wingspan is a calm, thought-provoking bird-watching game with fun visuals and sounds and simple controls.

Project Warlock is a FPS that pays homage to classic ’90s shooters like Doom. If you like mazes filled with hardcore monsters and plenty of gore, this game will probably be of interest to you.

It’s too bad Takorita Meets Fries isn’t good. As there are few hero quest stories with female protagonists, Takorita could’ve been great for a younger audience. Unfortunately, Takorita Meets Fries struggles with its identity and who the intended audience is supposed to be. The simplistic story, lack of gameplay, and cartoon artwork might appeal to a much younger crowd. But the crude humor takes away that option.

Decades after being cancelled at the last minute, the revived Ultracore offers a fun and tight action-packed retro experience even if it’s a little unfair in various parts.

A Little to the Left is a cute puzzle game in which you organize everyday household items. There’s even a cat who shows up every once in a while, which is always nice (even if he’s always making a bigger mess for you to clean). With a very cozy and relaxing vibe, this game is perfect for those who like to wind down and play something easy, but also a bit challenging.

9th Dawn Remake is a solid dungeon crawler that you’ll sink hours and hours into. The main game has wonky controls for my taste, but the mini games are a blast.

Astria Ascending checks off the proper JRPG boxes while adding enough unique twists to satisfy fans of the genre. It won’t sit at the top of your “must complete” list, but it’ll serve you well when you need a break from higher profile releases.

Console Archives Cool Boarders is a good re-release of a classic title, but it’s best enjoyed in shorter bursts. I truly enjoyed it for the nostalgia of that era, even more than for the game specifically. You might want to wait and see what’s next in the Console Archives pipeline, depending on your tolerance level. But if you were a mid-’90s PlayStation kid like me, “the thrill of navigating cliffside courses” is probably worth $11.99.

Smelter is a clever mashup of genres with a cute style and fun action. The jolt between action and strategy sections can take some getting used to, but it’s worth sticking with until you get the hang of the rhythm.

Metamorphosis is a good puzzle/adventure game with some platformer elements, but it fails to take the experience quite as far as it could. If you are into the surreal, consider it a solid option for a little creative time-wasting on your Nintendo Switch.

Vitamin Connection is pretty much a unique concept, so if you’re looking for a game that’s hard to compare to others, this one should be near the top of your wishlist. Just keep in mind that, much like actual vitamins, this game is best in small doses. Also, if you’re a solo player, be mindful that backtracking and encountering difficulty spikes through maze-like bodies is best when tackled as a pair.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II does a good job of optimizing combat and dungeon exploration, and the new features and tweaks likely will appeal to series fans. Its slow story and propensity to disrupt its own momentum, however, make this a slight downgrade from the previous game, and a middling entry in the series.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a classic title that, while imperfect, offers a fun, action-packed outing. The story is the game’s selling point, recounting the untold tale of Jango Fett’s entanglement with the galaxy’s darker side. A true remaster that added features like save points and a map would have been appreciated, but this slightly improved in-situ version still mostly holds up.

Get Packed: Couch Chaos doesn’t add anything new to the puzzle/party genre. It’s a quirky game that focuses on the chaos aspect instead of strategy. It could be a bit more polished, but perhaps that’s part of the appeal and identity of the game. You can play this one solo, but the real beauty of the game is found in the multiplayer mode. If you have young kids who get frustrated with other games in this genre because they don’t understand the strategy, this might be a good pick-up. There’s a lot of silly fun to be had.

The platforming action of Onion Assault is betrayed by its imprecise controls, but there’s more than enough action and fun to help players get around them. The upbeat vibe and general wackiness of combat and characters make this a good (albeit frustrating) way to kill an evening or weekend.

If you’re down with OCD, (yeah, you know me,) Faircroft’s Antiques: Home for Christmas Collector’s Edition will keep you staring at the screen for a while. It may feel a little more appropriate around Christmas time, but fans of hidden object games will find it plays well enough any time.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a fun game fans of the 3D platforming genre should check out. It’s easily one of the best licensed games to come out in a number of years. Visually, the game looks like an episode of the TV show, with super vibrant colors and worlds that are full of life. There’s also the great humor found within the game, reminiscent of the early seasons of SpongeBob when the jokes felt clever. That said, it’s not without its faults. Ultimately, the puzzles and combat—two major areas of gameplay throughout Cosmic Shake—aren’t great. The puzzles are incredibly simplistic and never change as the game goes on, and the combat just feels off throughout the entire game. Neither thing is a game breaking element, but they do take away from a fun experience. In the end, if you’re a fan of 3D platformers or fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, there’s enough fun to be had in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake that you should check out.

Crystar combines a stunning supernatural setting with simple hack-and-slash fighting to draw you through a complex and profound plot that bounces between realms.

Miniatures is an extremely short collection of four… I hesitate to say games. Emotions? Memories? It relies more on mystery and melancholy to connect with the player. It can therefore be very intriguing, but at the risk of leaving some to wonder what was the point.

Aqua Lungers is a fun multiplayer title. It’s quite challenging, and not as much fun in solo mode, but it’s worth a try if you’re after something different to play with some friends for a few hours.

Zombie Driver is everything you’d expect from a game called Zombie Driver – zombies and driving and guts splattered all over your screen. Its great.

If you enjoy platformers, Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition is a good addition. It doesn’t rank the highest on my list because of sensitive jump points which can oftentimes be frustrating. But when taken for what it is—a unique platformer with fun narrative and visual twists—it’s worth the purchase.