Techno Banter manages to balance surreal twists and turns through a gritty nightlife scene with characters that feel grounded and believable. The story is concise and well written, set against a finely constructed backdrop of trippy art, a thumping soundtrack, and quick wit.

Hidden Cat Outlaws is a clever hidden objects game with quirky music, lovely hand-drawn art, and enough of a challenge to keep you playing.

Hidden Kittens: Kingdom of Cats is a chill, low-key hidden objects game with calm music and pleasant hand-drawn art.

Overall, Not Not 2 – A Brain Challenge is exactly what it says on the box. It tickles the brain in a fun, interesting, and challenging way. With over 100 levels to master, daily and weekly challenges, and unlockables, this is a fun title with plenty of longevity.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World – Director’s Cut is an interesting platformer that’ll keep you occupied for some time. The quirky characters and fun voice acting is entertaining, but the gameplay can fall flat at times.

1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! is one of the more unique games I’ve played on the Nintendo Switch. It does get repetitive after a while, but the striking visuals, compelling story, and frantic “call center” gameplay will be enough to get most new gr1ms through the workday.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is a colorful combination of two popular puzzle games with plenty to keep you busy. A robust story mode and chaotic multiplayer matches are very entertaining. If this was a new gane, it would receive higher marks. I’m glad it’s on the Switch 2, but it’s a shame there’s no upgrade option for owners of the original Switch version.

A narratively disconnected relationship makes Old Skies stumble badly at the end. But that aside, this polished release is generally great. I’d love to see a sequel that explores more of ChronoZen and its staff while jettisoning the romantic fluff to a side-story spinoff visual novel. The best way to make that happen is to check this title out. Old Skies starts brilliantly and maintains its grip with fun individual stories and an overall sci-fi plot that keeps ticking in mostly thoughtful ways.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma’s greatest accomplishment is its ability to pile so many gameplay elements into one big adventure, and to make all of them feel integral and organic. Whether you’re farming, fighting, exploring, or romancing, every task—like the game itself—feels like it’s worth completing.

Point-and-click adventure fans may be surprised by the more depressing tone of Leila, but the art style, emotional story, and challenging puzzles will carry them through. The game’s themes can feel heavy, but leave the player with a sense of hope.

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.

This “cozy RPG adventure” was clearly picked before it ripened. As such, it’s not as easy to recommend as it should be, with its many positives (music) clouded by sizable blemishes. Expect imagination and irritation, often in equal measure. Maliki: Poison of the Past has plenty of good ideas, but needs a patch to grow to its full potential.

On Your Tail is a charming title that suffers from terrible performance issues. It’s a pity; there’s a lovely tale, interesting characters, and fun gameplay on offer. Perhaps playing on the Switch 2 will deliver an experience closer to what the developers were trying to deliver.

Mirage Ignis Fatuus is a clever little puzzle outing. The story and graphics go a long way to making this stand out. Some extra incentive to replay, however, or a hint system to help with the more frustrating situations, would be a welcome addition.

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.

I don’t think it’s impossible for sim fans to have fun playing Wind Story. And with some updates and fixes, that may be easier to do. In its current state, however, I found it more complicated and confusing than rewarding and entertaining.

Alter Age is worth checking out if you’re a fan of RPGs. It runs smoothly on the Nintendo Switch and has many fun mechanics to try, though some features may not be needed.

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade offers great visuals and slick combat that will initially appeal to fans of roguelites and action RPGs. But unless you’re into the slow grind of repetitive battles, you’ll likely sheath this blade earlier than expected.

KinnikuNeko: Super Muscle Cat is obviously designed to be silly, but manages to balance its sometimes juvenile humour with broadly solid platformer mechanics.

Vinebound: Tangled Together is an excellent co-op game with cute aesthetics, high replayability, and the right amount of challenge.

Spirit Valor offers a decent retro-RPG combat system, but the story and exploration elements provide little incentive to keep adventuring between battles. I’ve played and continue to expect better from KEMCO.

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.

Skies Above provides some pure and simple arcade action fun. It looks nice, has a straightforward (albeit quite unique) premise, features simple gameplay mechanics, and challenges the player to keep pushing further than the last time.

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is an action platformer for the Nintendo Switch. It actually serves as a sequel to the 1988 Atari title, Beyond the Ice Palace. After such a long break, was it worth the wait?

The Hundred Line: The Last Defense Academy is a must-play game for anyone who enjoys TRPG gameplay and compelling, often surprising sci-fi storytelling. Despite its dark themes and disturbing imagery, it’s a total joy to play.

Overall, the fun gameplay had depth, and the quirky story was both engaging and humorous. Metal Slug Tactics is a cool twist and does a great job of keeping the series relevant.

I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream is a solid port of a classic point-and-click adventure game, co-designed by author Harlan Ellison, with enough alterations to make gameplay surprising even for those who’ve read the original story.

This game holds a fun, mysterious narrative with quirky characters. Expelled! will keep your attention for many hours.