Sublime writing, beautiful artwork, and a haunting soundtrack combine to undertake one most nuanced and thoughtful explorations of all the best and worst of the human condition—disturbing and intense, but ultimately hopeful, and with a level of care and humanity that’s rare to see in a game that goes to the dark places this one does. Perhaps most of all, it’s a perfect example of how much visual novels can push the boundaries of videogames as a medium and as an art form, both because and in spite of their “gameplay” constraints. The House in Fata Morgana is, quite simply, a masterpiece on every level.

I'm torn. On the one hand, Returnal is one of the best third-person shooters you'll find, full of the kind of frantic, precise action that's so satisfying to master, but on a scale and with a sense of atmosphere that's far beyond anything Housemarque has done before. On the other, the ill-conceived idea to make it a roguelike sits at odds with everything the game does best, undermining its greatest strengths and turning an exciting game into a tedious and frustrating one. If you've got the patience for it, this is an adventure that's absolutely worth taking, but I can't help but wonder how incredible Returnal could be if it didn't keep getting in its own way.

Online troubles notwithstanding, MLB The Show 21 is a fantastic game that keeps the series in place as the best baseball sim you can play. It’s not quite the visual jump you’d expect from a new console generation, but the revamped Road to the Show, fun new features like Stadium Creator, and plenty of little tweaks across the board make it a far more substantial step forward than last year’s outing, and something that belongs in every baseball fan’s collection.

All three games in the Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack are a joy to dive into, whether you’re exploring them for the first time or revisiting some not-to-old friends. The new additions bring a lot to what were already delightful games to begin with, and to finally have all three games on Switch makes for a nice, convenient way to visit (or revisit) some real gems. And hey—now that Mysterious Trilogy is done, maybe Koei Tecmo will turn its eyes to the PS2 games? I sure could go for some Atelier Iris on my Switch…

The original NieR was a masterpiece, even if a middling critical reception and commercial struggles meant too few people got to enjoy and appreciate it. With NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, it finally gets a second chance at the acclaim it deserves, at a time when the world's much more receptive to Yoko Taro's particular style, and with all the improvements that this version upgrade brings. NieR Automata will always have a special place in my heart as the game that introduced me to NieR, but Replicant—with its narrower focus, with its raw energy, with its humanity, with Kainé—might just have taken the crown.

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.

How much you get out of Where’s Samantha? is going to depend on your tolerance for its clever but unyielding approach to puzzle design. It’s got some clever ideas, and if you find satisfaction in finding cryptic solutions, you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here. But little annoyances and a general lack of variety—despite the creative potential of the fabric-world theme—make it a less than satisfying experience for all but the most dedicated puzzle solvers.

But if you can deal with that, Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a fun little farm sim, one that lacks depth but makes up for in charm and the uniqueness of its setting. Put your favourite comfort show on TV and play this while you’re half-watching, and you’ve got a nice way to unwind and turn your mind off for a spell.

It would have been easy to take this remaster too far, to polish it too much in search of broader appeal. But its messiness, its scrappy nature, and the surreal atmosphere that stems from that are precisely what make SaGa Frontier as memorable and beloved as it is among its cult of fans. Restored content, revamped visuals, and new conveniences are great to have, but SaGa Frontier Remastered‘s greatest achievement is how it keeps the maverick soul of the original alive for a new generation to enjoy.

It takes just a couple of hours to play through Adios, but it’s an experience that’ll sit with you for far longer. It’s a haunting story about redemption and finding meaning in life, but one that eschews the bombast with which videogames typically approach such themes in favour of something far more grounded—and far more impactful, as a result. Going through your daily routine one last time, when you know you’re not going to see the sun rise the next morning, can be a powerful source of reflection, and Adios does an impressive job of capturing that.

Gensou SkyDrift is easily one of the more unique kart racers I’ve played, if a little rough around the edges. Unbalanced spells, aggressive rubber-banding, and a relative lack of game modes are frequent sources of frustration, but it’s also so full of clever ideas and the inherent charm of the Touhou property that it’s hard to get too mad at it. And hey, if it’s a choice between a polished game and an interesting one, I’ll choose the latter every time.

Barrage Fantasia may be a bit no-frills as an overall package, but the core game is rock solid: a retro-styled bullet hell that knows what makes the genre work and leans into that. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but packs enough of its own ideas to feel unique, with stylish pixel art and cute, eccentric character designs to top it all off.

The idea of a unique blend of word puzzles and detective investigation is an intriguing one, but that’s not what you’ll find here. Crossword City Chronicles is a no-frills port of a free-to-play, microtransaction-laden mobile game that ditched everything enjoyable about Scrabble in favour of a mind-numbing grind. The microtransactions may be gone, but the tedium remains, and without any hint of the promised “use [of]your detective skills” and the most lacklustre cases imaginable, tedium is all there is.

It’s an intriguing game in concept, with an abundance of eerie atmosphere and some clever ideas at play, but it struggles to reach its true potential. If you like the sort of moody puzzle games that Darq follows in the footsteps of, the couple of hours you’ll spend in Lloyd’s dreamworld are certainly worthwhile, but this is a nightmare that, strangely enough, feels like it’s over too soon.

Grief is a familiar theme in art, but in being both so universal and so personal, it’s something that will always resonate. Lost Words: Beyond the Page is an poignant, original approach to a common idea—both an abstract metaphor for grief in its fantasy world and a moving exploration of the creative catharsis behind it. Most of all, it’s a game about the power of words to make sense of a world turned upside town, and to cherish forever the memories of those we’ve lost.

There’s an enjoyable game somewhere in Derelict Void. The concept of a space survival roguelike with light city-building and heavy resource management is intriguing enough, as is the premise of a whole galaxy just suddenly being dumped on the other side of space and its inhabitants left to figure out what’s going on. But that potential is lost amid lacklustre writing and an arbitrary approach to difficulty that revolves almost entirely around luck, making each outing—win or lose—feel pointless.

All the Miku-ness in Logic Paint S is obviously going to appeal most to Hatsune Miku fans, but even if you don’t count yourself among them, there’s plenty to enjoy. The unlockable artworks are impressive and worth a look, and they ensure a wide variety of interesting puzzles. The vocaloid-inspired visual design and unlockable music bring so much personality and a sense of cheerful energy to the whole game. That’s one of the strongest things about Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S: it’s a game ostensibly made primarily for an existing Miku fanbase, but the sheer quality of the whole package makes it something that can transcend that. Miku fan or not, if you like picross, this is one of the best puzzle collections you’ll find on Switch.

Monster Hunter has gone from strength to strength over the years, and Monster Hunter World in particular felt like a high point for the series. But Monster Hunter Rise manages to one-up even that ambitious game. A renewed focus on vertical level design and mobility take everything that makes Monster Hunter work to new heights (pun absolutely intended), and the Japanese inspiration gives this latest outing a very different, very impressive new sense of style, but without forgetting the series’ roots. Truly, Rise is Monster Hunter at its absolute best.

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.

It’s an experimental game that uses its PS1 aesthetic to drive home the surreal atmosphere of this world, and it’s easy to get lost in that atmosphere as you explore and experiment in search of different endings. It’s just a shame that the mystery runs out of steam so much sooner than the game itself does, dulling the impact with each new outing and robbing the “true” ending of much of its potential.

Gal*Gun Returns doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Double Peace or Gal*Gun 2, but it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable rail shooter, and one that’s far more subversive and clever than its infamy would have you think.

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.

Pacing issues aside, Hitman 3 is still a worthy conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy, and one that still manages to keep a few surprises in store despite the inevitability of its end. A more serious tone means there isn’t quite so much of the playful humour that Hitman 2 relished in, but Hitman 3 makes up for that with some of the most intricate and detailed locations the series has seen, leaving the door wide open to all sorts of creative assassination setups. That’s what Agent 47 does best, after all.

Super Meat Boy Forever is no doubt going to be a controversial game, especially among Super Meat Boy purists. But its new ideas bring a world of new possibilities for precision platforming challenges and sheer level design creativity. Dying over and over again in an effort to master the precise jumps and perfect timing each level demands rarely feels as good as it does in Super Meat Boy Forever.

With its vibrant art style, playful atmosphere, plenty of cleverly-designed levels to solve, and some interesting, if uneven, new ideas at play, Drawn to Life: Two Realms is an enjoyable game, but it never quite manages to capture the magic of its predecessors.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is one of the best case studies in augmented reality I’ve seen yet, at least as far as pure entertainment is concerned. It’s the Mario Kart you know and love, but with your home as the course—something that could have easily fallen flat or come across as a shallow gimmick, but instead manages to hit every note near-flawlessly. There’s nothing quite like racing around your own living room, throwing shells every which way and hitting those boost pads while weaving through your furniture and trying to dodge the cat that keeps trying to catch your kart.

Sam & Max Save the World is a hilarious game that moves effortlessly between surreal screwball comedy, buddy cop sitcom, and sharp satire of American society. That’s reason enough for the new lease on life that comes with a remaster and a Switch release, but as one of Telltale’s formative works, it’s also an important part of videogame history that was at risk of being lost forever.

None of these are things that alter the story in any tangible way, but they make the player a part of what’s happening in a way that ties into that theme of connectedness. This isn’t your story, but you’re still part of it, even as a passive observer. It’s a story that will continue with or without you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not connected to it as part of the same Bigger Thing as the forest that’s telling the tale.