Iris.Fall continues the trend of shadow-based puzzle games, finding plenty of opportunity to build on the core concept of moving 3D objects to create paths among the shadows cast. It doesn’t quite hit the mark with the sort of introspective, abstract storytelling it tries to deliver, but its clever puzzles and stunning presentation nonetheless make Iris.Fall a few hours well spent.

Coupled with the timeless charm and humour of SpongeBob, The Cosmic Shake can be a lot of fun—just don’t go in expecting anything groundbreaking or especially polished.

If you’re after an authentic skate sim and don’t mind some rough edges, Session: Skate Sim absolutely nails it. No other game has captured the feel of skateboarding quite like this, and the steep learning curve baked into the unique control scheme—frustrating as it can be at times—only helps sell that idea. Because, hey, skating is hard, but the excitement that comes with it makes all the falls worthwhile, and that’s what Session gets spot on.

Some pacing issues aside, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest is gripping adventure. It uses the setting of the Werewolf: The Apocalypse tabletop RPG and relatively recent real-world events for a fascinating exploration of environmentalism, activism, and Polish culture, backed by a clever mix of visual novel storytelling, RPG systems, and comic book influence.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl may be the weakest entries in the series yet, and it’s a testament to the franchise’s solid foundations that I liked them at all. Their cheap graphical presentation is salvaged by a combat system that, despite its lack of innovation, has been steadily refined over twenty-five years. Thankfully, there are two other Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch, so you can play one of those instead.

After almost 15 years, the Mario Strikers franchise has returned in a big way with Battle League Football, an engaging arcade football experience that shines in local play. It could benefit from additional characters and an expanded single player offering but for those looking for a super accessible yet enjoyable sports game to play with others, this will satisfy that role nicely.

That simple sense of fun and frivolity is the spirit that runs through Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain, and the thing that separates it from more “serious” brain training games. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but what it lacks in a structured training regimen it makes up for in playful energy and a party game touch. Sometimes you want to meticulously practice an instrument, but sometimes you just want to jam—Brain vs Brain is the brain training version of the latter.

Habroxia 2 is a classic shoot-’em-up at core, complete with its pixel-art aesthetic and clear influence from the genre’s early kings. But with some fresh ideas and enough modern design sense to avoid feeling stuck in the past or overly derivative, it gets just the right balance between retro style and modern playability.

While Yaga doesn’t always deliver on the potential that comes with its unique premise there’s still some good fun to be found. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in style and humour, wrapped around a decent, if uneven, action RPG.

Even with some minor technical concessions, Layers of Fear 2 is every bit as impactful on Switch as it was on beefier platforms, full of the unsettling atmosphere and disturbing yet insightful psychological horror that Bloober Team is so good at crafting. Only now, there’s the added convenience of handheld play—and the option of playing under the covers with lights turned off for maximum effect.

How much you get out of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is really going to depend on what you expect from it. It’s a familiar fantasy action RPG, but comforting in that familiarity and easy to just lose yourself in. It may have been overshadowed by the games that have followed in its footsteps in the decade since Reckoning first came out, and Open World: The Game has well overstayed its welcome by now, but Kingdoms of Amalur finds the right balance of simple fun and routine yet satisfying RPG loops to make that format work, even today.

Approached purely as a strategy game, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia may seem a little simplistic. But then, it’s not trying to be the next Europa Universalis, and what it lacks in systemic complexity it makes up for in the clever interplay between grand strategy and its tactical RPG side. Along with an intriguing world and captivating stories to discover, that combination makes for a fantastic experience.

“Final Fantasy meets Nioh” is in easy assumption to make about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, given appearances, and while that’s not exactly inaccurate, it’s an incomplete description. Team Ninja’s pedigree and inventive riffs on Final Fantasy staples makes for an action RPG that’s hard to put down, but what really sets Stranger of Paradise apart is the subversive way it approaches its source material. This isn’t your typical origin story; it’s a deconstruction of that first Final Fantasy and a reflection on the legacy it left in its wake—one that’s entertaining, often funny, sometimes biting, but above all, is willing to question its own canon in a way that you don’t often see from a series as high-profile as this.

But those are minor complaints, really. Before We Leave is an intriguing, enjoyable game—one that puts its own twist on a Settlers-style civilisation-building game with a heavy environmental focus and a reframing of the colonialist implications that tend to underpin the genre. It’s a relaxed, chilled-out city-building experience, but within the premise of reclaiming your own land instead of colonising someone else’s, it’s also a thought-provoking one.

Taito Milestones 2 features a great assortment of games, but presented with absolutely no historical context or any real reason to buy this collection instead of just buying Arcade Archives releases individually. After the criticism the first Milestones faced fit the exact same thing, that’s a disappointing result.

So while it has some shortcomings and could stand a little more refinement, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is exactly the kind of game I love to see: an unusual concept that puts creativity first and dares to experiment, even if the ideas don’t always quite click. And even with its pacing and puzzle design troubles, it’s still a rock-solid shoot ’em up, mixed with an engrossing crime thriller, carried by the most compelling villain since Monokuma.

If you want to play something that scratches that life sim itch while also breaking away from the Harvest Moon mold just a little bit, you can’t go too far wrong with My Time At Portia. It suffers here and there from the simple fact that it’s an adaptation of a game that wasn’t designed around touchscreens to begin with, but this is still a more than serviceable port of a very enjoyable game.

The best way to think of LOUD is like an interactive demo tape in the form of a Switch game. It doesn’t have the flash, licensed music, or sheer song count that bigger-budget rhythm games tend to shoot for, but in its place its something fresh, original, and invigorating in its raw energy. While it falls short of its narrative ambitions, it makes up for that in a kickass soundtrack and finely-tuned rhythm action core—and aren’t those the most important things in any music game?

Despite those technical shortcomings and the lacklustre experience that is Ninja Gaiden 3, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is an impressive collection that shows why this series is so lauded. From the ambitions of Ninja Gaiden Sigma to the way Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 refined those ideas to near-perfection, these are some of the best action games you’ll play—and they hold up surprisingly well today. I guess I like Ninja Gaiden now.

Cathedral is a competent metroidvania, made by a team that clearly loves the genre and knows well what makes it tick: it’s got a huge, detailed map to explore, full of secrets to find and upgrades that give you fun new ways to navigate the space. But it’s also an unremarkable game in a saturated space, and one that gets in its own way to often. Cathedral is an enjoyable enough game that will scratch that exploratory itch if you’re the sort of person who can never get enough Metroid (guilty!), but it won’t have much appeal beyond that niche.

In a genre that’s grown crowded in recent years, Patron finds a way to stand out with deep, intricate social systems that build cleverly on city builder foundations. The limited information tools and lack of any sort of scenario mode make it feel a little rudimentary, but the quirks of the social system and the way it interacts with everything else make this worth a look.

While Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has its shortcomings, they're minor frustrations in the scheme of things. For the most part, this is exactly what you'd want from the latest addition to the original farm life sim: a relaxing, cheerful game that lets you get lost in the simple joys of an idealised rural life, taking each day as it comes and working towards different goals at your own pace, with some welcome new additions to the genre's formula. A wilderness to tame, a space to call your own, some crops to grow and chickens to raise—there are far worse ways to relax and unwind.

Cozy Grove isn’t shy about its Animal Crossing inspirations, and while it may not have the sheer expanse of Nintendo’s island paradise, it brings some fresh ideas and plenty of its own spooky-cute personality into the mix. Most of all, it’s a game that knows how soothing a familiar slice of routine can be, and builds itself around those little daily bursts of comfort—never overstaying its welcome, but always there to ease you into a new day or to help you drift away at night.

Still, if RPGolf Legends’ greatest sins are being a little bland, it could be a lot worse. Its mashup of golf and action RPG is a fun idea, and those disparate pieces come together well to create an adventure that’s full of playful charm. It’s an enjoyable enough romp in its own right, but it also shows there’s potential in this sort of genre clash, and I sincerely hope that’s something ArticNet continues to explore.

Between stunning performances, a sharp new script, gorgeous, cinematic presentation, and the fluid action that ties everything together, it tells that story beautifully. Xuan Yuan Sword may not be a well-known name in the west, but it should be—and Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a wonderful demonstration of why.

As unlikely as it seemed for a game as niche as this (especially in the West), Reborn just proves how deserving Metal Max Xeno was of this sort of reimagining. Despite some flaws, the original game was an intriguing game with a lot of neat ideas, and this rebirth does a fine job of polishing up a diamond in the rough.

A gorgeous art style ties the piece together, combining cute, cartoony characters, subaquatic wonder, and the ominous atmosphere of submerged ruins. Metroidvania fans are spoiled for choice right now, and while Pronty may not be remembered as the best of the best, it’s an enjoyable take on the genre with plenty of fresh ideas.

Aspire: Ina’s Tale sets itself apart with stunning visual design and a story that, in knowing exactly when to leave things unsaid, encourages reflection just as it does adventure and excitement. It’s vivid, brimming with little details, but also leaves the door open to personal interpretation. It’s a shame that the game itself can’t reach the same heights, though, with lacklustre puzzle design and lots of little frustrations that get in the way of Ina’s inspiring tale, rather than enhancing it.