The problems that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics has don’t automatically make it a bad game, it just doesn’t have enough pros to let them be overlooked. While the combat has the potential to be great, it’s dragged down by foolish AI, artificial resource starvation, and a lack of interesting music tracks. There will be some fans who will find content here to enjoy, however, with the vast breadth and depth of the Nintendo Switch library, those looking for quality games can no doubt find better candidates elsewhere.

SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions is an ambitious game that hides a lot of content beneath its surface whilst offering one of the best combat systems and strongest replay values for an RPG. Its main problem lies in its accessibility to the average RPGamer. The game’s difficulty can be unforgiving at times, and it’s definitely not a game for everyone. But those who like endless party customisation, good battle strategies, rich world-building, and choosing how the adventure plays out will find a very rewarding title here. The SaGa series has always been about going against the grain and innovation, and this one outdoes all its predecessors in that regard and raises the bar for any new entries to come.

For anyone who played the initial release on the Wii U, there’s not a ton to revisit, though the combat remains immensely satisfying and the story continues to hold up and is further beefed up by new content. While the game won’t appeal to those seeking the tactical gameplay of a classic Fire Emblem, anyone who didn’t jump onto the idol train last generation could do far worse than picking up this Encore, especially with a dearth of other games in a similar vein on the Nintendo Switch.

The game sports an involving combat system and a fascinating world to explore, one that is ripe for expansion in a promised sequel. I commend the work that went into this title from Talerock’s dedicated staff. The technical issues that creep up are hard to ignore though, and the localization doesn’t help a game that’s trying to have a spectacular narrative. Hopefully the promised follow-up improves on this first Grimshade.

It’s very hard to find the positives from Arc of Alchemist. The music at least alleviates some of the monotony and players won’t need to spend too long with it to spark the ending credits, but the combat and systems contrive to make the gameplay far from enjoyable, and the story is almost not worth mentioning. One can only hope that it allows lessons to be quickly learned ahead of any future action RPG endeavours.

What probably best summarizes The Outer Worlds is that, in spite of my qualms with aspects of it, I still enjoyed my time playing it. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and by the fills a void that feels wider in the wake of many larger western studios losing interest in making dedicated RPG experiences. It’s not the kind of game to stand the test of time and Obsidian has made much better and more interesting games in the past, but there is a pleasant experience to be had. For those looking for that style of single-player RPG will find a lot to like and could do a lot worse.

Players shouldn’t expect too much from Skellboy, but it does what it sets out to do and provides some good sessions of entertainment. Its length hits a good balance for what the gameplay has to offer and the steps of progress come along frequently enough that even when some annoyance does occur, players can be confident it won’t last very long. The game offers enough humourous charm and strong enough gameplay to make it an enjoyable experience.

After the disaster that is Nelke, I wasn’t sure if I would ever get back to playing and reviewing the Atelier series. While Ryza is a shorter experience clocking in at just over thirty hours, I admit to enjoying nearly every second of my time with the game. Atelier Ryza ushers in something new while still feeling like a familiar experience. Sure, it’s not the perfect Atelier experience, but I appreciate the changes in Ryza in a way I did not with any of the Mysterious subseries or recent iterations. Ryza is easily the best heroine since Totori, and while her game has some ups and downs, I would play another game with her at the helm.

It tries to do a lot of things, and definitely has a distinct personality from anything else I remember playing. Layering everything with needless profanity is not the magic bullet to become amazing though, and using the game’s real bullets is often more complicated than it should be. If a sequel should come to pass, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Everreach: Project Eden somehow manages to avoid being as annoying to play as its constituent parts would indicate, and there will be some out there who can get a decent evening or two’s entertainment from it. The game at least flows along quickly and the writing just about holds interest through the six or so hours it takes to see everything on offer. But this papering over fails to deal with the major underlying cracks, and it remains one that is impossible to actively recommend.

Heroland is a game that won’t be for everyone, as the gameplay loop is fairly short and the music as well as combat can quickly become repetitive, but it remains worth the price of admission. It is ultimately saved by a strong, witty localisation that isn’t afraid to embrace the silly premise and run with it full tilt. The game made me outright guffaw multiple times, and even when I was chasing a frustratingly rare drop, I was still having a lot of fun raising affection levels and crafting the best strategies for different party formations. For those who don’t mind oft-repeated gameplay, there’s tons of fun to be found in Heroland.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas brings a lot of fun to the Christmas table. Brilliantly written and artistically designed, Zeboyd Games has gifted their fans with a game reminiscent of previous titles, but with enough new tweaks and holiday-themed fun for anyone to jump into this winter. If any RPGamers need a break from the story-heavy, hundred-hour games that we often find ourselves enmeshed in, this hilarious little breath of fresh winter air might be just what the doctor ordered.

If a steep difficulty curve, the promise of learning and juggling deep gameplay systems, and keeping a close eye trained on stats at all times sound right up your alley, or if you just want to be immersed in a well-made, atmospheric world, then Stygian is well worth checking out.

While this expansion will certainly frustrate new hunters learning the ropes, it gives veterans nearly everything they craved for after finishing the original experience. Capcom continues to do what it does best in this series, improving upon prior efforts to refine these games for an even finer sheen. When it comes to games about hunting monsters, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne proves that this series is the apex predator.

Players coming to Shenmue III will find neither a fast-paced plot nor an action-packed story. Instead, they will pour many hours into mundane things and accomplish very little for their time and effort. But that is the point of Shenmue. That is its greatest strength and weakness: to pass time doing the insignificant things while enjoying what’s around them. Fans of the previous games will love the third instalment, and those who disliked the previous two games will not find anything here to change their minds. This game shamelessly and unapologetically retains the old-style gameplay in spite of two decades of new developments in the game industry. The magic is still there, though diminished to a degree due to a few poor design decisions, mainly in the broken QTE and food systems.

Star Ocean: First Departure R is a quality game that any fan of RPGs should add to their library. The series might have faded, but its origins still shine brightly, even in today’s age.

Virgo Versus the Zodiac does a fine job of standing out from the crowd. Its ideas and characters remain engaging throughout, aided by the highly enjoyable music and varied designs. There are times when its inscrutability comes to the fore, but the game pushes past those quickly enough to remain enjoyable. It’s an easy recommendation for anyone who either wants to try something a little bit different or just wants a strong RPG experience.

Dragon Quest XI S is a game for both long-time fans and newcomers alike. There are many Easter eggs and references to past Dragon Quest games that will subtly reward fans, but at the same time, the charming world of Erdrea and its characters are appealing to newcomers of all ages. Even those who have played the previous versions of Dragon Quest XI may find the vast improvements of the Switch version compelling enough for another round, especially with the Tickington quests, new character content, and marriage options. This game is a masterpiece, and it sets a new high standard for not only the series, but console RPGs in general. Hopefully the series will continue outdoing itself with further instalments.

I was blindsided by how much I enjoyed Disco Elysium. Developer ZA/UM succeeded in making a game where progress isn’t tied to the defeat of, say, four hundred rats in a sewer, but to thoughtfully engaging with the world and characters it has to offer. It presents a reactive and messy world, occupied by people with needs, desires, and prejudices rather than NPCs with repetitive sage advice. There is a certain emptiness to the game, a sense that despite all efforts there is no fixing the underlying problems that plague the inhabitants of Revachol. The poor are still poor, union leaders fight for better pay, scabs take their jobs, and the rich businessman on top takes advantage of all of them. But dig deep enough and you’ll find some hope there, too.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is built for the fans of the series. There were things I enjoyed, like my trial-and-error of finding new Digimon through the evolutionary lines, and things I did not, like the lost item quests. The item was sometimes feet away from the person! The game may never win any awards for its story, but it was a solid romp in a digital atmosphere that reminded me how much I enjoyed the television series when I was younger.

Ultimately, while Pokémon Shield could be considered the best Pokémon game in the series, its repeated flubs keep it from being truly excellent. Shield gives the series a much needed rest by limiting Pokémon availability and move set overlap as well as adding some welcome variety to the game’s progression. It’s truly a joy to play, with ample side activities to break up the otherwise familiar gameplay loop. That being said, Shield is still a Pokémon game; anyone not already a fan or tired of the series won’t find a compelling reason to return here.

Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! can easily be completed in under two hours, and the online rankings indicate that under ten minutes is readily doable once upgrades have been purchased. The game features multiple endings, though these are anticlimactic involving a tiny interaction based on those initial created character choices. There is a “true ending”, which is achieved by defeating the bosses in numerical order, though this order is only revealed in the text when meeting the bosses for the first time, so it is incredibly unlikely to get the first time. In the end, I’m not even sure if the game was even worth those few hours, and is one best left forgotten.

Ultimately, GreedFall is another step forward for Spiders and is its strongest entry to date. Its previous releases may elicit some skepticism, but GreedFall, while not perfect, is a welcome addition to the gaming canon. It is a fine example of what smaller developers like Spiders can offer to complement the other experiences out there. Even with its faults, RPGamers should welcome GreedFall into their personal collections.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a good JRPG held back by the poor design decisions made for the battle system. Straddling the line between the turn-based system of its DS forefather Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn and the full action-based system of its PS4 sequel Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom does the game no favors, but for those that can successfully battle the familiars more than the system, there’s a great deal of fun to have with this game. With a solid story and an amazing, beautiful world to explore, the White Witch on Switch is a port that many JRPG fans will enjoy, especially those like me who are getting to play this for the first time.

What makes Sparklite noteworthy isn’t so much its gameplay ideas, which will certainly be familiar to fans of the genre. Rather, it does an admirable job of putting an engaging pick-up-and-play spin on a simple formula of roguelike elements fused with classic sensibilities, and becomes something greater than the sum of its parts. It isn’t incredibly lengthy, but each moment feels like progress made toward a larger goal, with plenty of inherent replayability baked right in; a top-tier soundtrack and pixel art presentation are just icing on what’s already a tasty RPG cake.

A Knight’s Quest is a respectable achievement. In terms of pure design, it has an impressive scope that it manages to make good on. Blending three gameplay styles — combat, platforming, and puzzle solving — in a vibrant and vast 3D world is no mean feat, and the game never falters in that regard. However, the hiccups that occur along the way range from inconvenient, like a fast travel system that is locked away until it’s not needed anymore, to downright frustrating, like being locked into an awkward camera angle during a finicky platforming boss fight. Though not perfect, the game is a simple idea given a decent execution, and should appeal to those currently waiting for their next Legend of Zelda fix.

Overall, Little Town Hero is a lot of great ideas mashed together with a solid story, but unpredictable combat, average graphics and forgettable music drag down and tend to overwhelm the best parts. Reducing the randomness of the largest battles or otherwise streamlining these encounters would have noticeably improved the game’s overall flow. As it stands, Little Town Hero is neither especially great nor particularly bad but harmlessly average; with ample patience in the face of bad luck, there’s the sparkle of an enjoyable gem hidden under the game’s false starts.

Ultimately, Conception Plus feels like its skating by on the curiousness of its premise rather than using it to build a strong experience. The Star Children are easily the most interesting thing about the game, but it gets bogged down with gameplay that doesn’t provide any reason to stick around longer than necessary. The characters are given nothing useful to do in a predictable and irreverent main plot, and though the dating sim aspects are more interesting, it’s still hard to call them any better than ok. Conception Plus works best as something to do while having something else going on at the same time, but it’s simply not strong enough to warrant full attention for long stretches of time.