If you’re a fan of this genre, I don’t think you could find a better game in it than House Flipper 2. Some of the edges need a little sanding, but that polish could come from patches or future DLC. However, these hiccups don’t hold the game back and it’s still a blast to sink hours into.

Without the, ahem, near-infinite wealth of content of its predecessor, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is unlikely to be anyone’s favorite Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game. But as a side story? It’s a great time.

I’m genuinely impressed with Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei. It presents an intriguing take on historical events in an easily digestible way. It presents players with love interests who are interesting both due to their backgrounds and nature as warriors, as well as romantic partners. Shanao is a strong heroine. It looks great. Not to mention with the “if” routes, it ends up feeling even fuller. It’s another great Switch otome game.

Everything Ultros sets out to do as a game, it does well. The combat isn’t the most elaborate, but it’s not boring or poorly done either. The navigation and level design excel, yet they fall short of being the most memorable aspects of the game. The art style and design of the game may overshadow the game itself, but it’s not due to poor execution. The Metroidvania genre as a whole has a lot of familiar, but not quite tired, gameplay elements and that is true of Ultros as well. All in all, Ultros is a solid Metroidvania game with a ton of style, and if you are a Metroidvania fan it absolutely deserves a little of your time.

Arcadia Fallen II feels like it tells a stronger story than its predecessor, and it’s one that feels quite relevant. The character development is handled well. Choices feel like they matter, and we can see results of certain actions. However, since this is still a story where there’s no wrong answer, the storyline will mostly follow the same path until later in the tale when those big decisions play out. Given the range of choices you can make, I could see it being with at least playthroughs to get an idea of the different outcomes.

Some minor quality-of-life ideas aside, Is This Seat Taken is a relaxed game filled with generally pleasant logic puzzles. Is it as difficult as I would have liked? No. However, the experience is so pleasant and the concept is so strong that I felt fine with not being really pushed to work out complex solutions. The concept is great. It looks quite stylish. It’s just fun.

Toem is an utterly delightful Switch photography game that is filled with personality and doesn’t wear out its welcome. It rewards you for taking your time and paying attention. Which doesn’t mean you can’t rush through and finish it in a single weekend if you’d like. But it is the sort of adventure that goes out of its way to make someone feel comfortable. And with all of its little details, I imagine a player might be able to return a few times to check out little extras they might have missed.

Wanderstop tells a fascinating story and very much captures the stress, anxiety, and pressures that come from being trying to meet all these expectations and not fail. Especially when you try to stop doing that. However, I often found myself wishing this was a short animated series or movie, rather than a game. Alta’s journey and many of the characters around her are fascinating, and I love watching them. But this ended up being an unexpectedly stressful, inconvenient, and broken sim at some times, and that got in the way of my enjoying everything. I believe there are many people who will love and identify with Wanderstop! I just found it clunky, broken on the PS5 at launch, and far from cozy.

Something that followers of the series will appreciate. It does have it's shortcomings, like it's short, pretty easy and is your standard run and gun game without two player support.

I love parts of Mad Rat Dead. The music is incredible. It looks fresh. Even the concept and the questions it asks get you thinking in a good way. But it can really be frustrating. I think perhaps if the time limits weren’t in place, it might have felt more manageable? Maybe if I could have chosen my inputs, to create something more comfortable for extended gameplay sessions? There are lovely elements to it, but sometimes its gameplay gets in the way of really enjoying the ambiance.

I do wish that it gave people more changes to really connect with the larger cast and experience more side-stories. Roy, Meg, and to a lesser extent Golan are the main focuses here. There are occasional moments when a green exclamation point will appear on the map, allowing someone to pop in and briefly take part in an exchange with other NPCs. However, these tend to be quite brief and even ones with side quest elements to them, such as preparing a hamburger, don’t involve too much thought or offer any reward other than talking to other monsters for a while.

I had a lot of fun with Persona 5 Tactica, especially after I took the risk to crank the difficulty up on the strategy game so friendly fire would be enabled. The characters, Personas, and concept all adapted well to the genre shift. Atlus also executed it in a way that makes it easy for people new to tactical titles can wade into it without encountering too many barriers. I do wish there’d been more elemental elements to it and certain characters didn’t feel a little too perfect for every situation, but it is entertaining and I appreciated the creativity behind the design direction.

I knew I’d like Kirby Air Riders, since I enjoyed the GameCube original, but I didn’t expect this game to feel stronger than Mario Kart World. It’s so enjoyable and robust. There’s room for both racers on the Switch 2, of course. But if I had to pick a favorite and never touch the other game again, I’d pick Kirby Air Riders every time.

Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster is an opportunity to play through a missing piece of the series’ history. Some of its concepts might be a bit antiquated, but it’s amazing to essentially have a prettier version of a video game time capsule to finally peruse and learn from. While the UI has some issues, Square Enix did a great job of restoring and bringing this game to audiences that have spent a long time waiting for it.

Pacific Drive is a weird game. If you want to be swept into story of science gone horribly wrong, enjoy unique twists on the survival genre or have the capacity to fall in love with a car, there’s something here for you. However, its randomness and weird difficulty spikes are likely to be off-putting for others.

The replay value of this game is incredible.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment feels like a more niche The Legend of Zelda game, but Tears of the Kingdoms fans may appreciate its lore. It’s interesting and attempts to capture the concept of land, sky, and underground spaces from Tears of the Kingdom too. It’s effective in using campaign missions to open up areas of Hyrule, tell its story, and emphasize the importance of fights against named or major opponents. At the very least, we got to see Omega Force experiment a bit with its formula. But in short, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is an interesting Musou game made for a very specific audience.

Tengoku Struggle: Strayside is a delightful otome game. This is the one you pick up and play if you like a well-rounded world, a heroine who stands up for herself and has a personality, and a cast of heroes and villains who all feel interesting. It’s easy to get invested in its story.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies quite well to Civilization VII. In some areas, developer Firaxis crafted the most stunning and welcoming entry in the franchise by a long shot.

If it seems like I’m struggling to find anything to really say about No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files, that’s because I feel like there’s really not much to say. It doesn’t make the sort of substantial, storytelling strides forward as the other two installments in the series. The new Escape gameplay works fine, but it isn’t as exciting as Kotaro Uchikoshi games that fully dedicate themselves to that kind of experience and mystery. The established Investigation and Somnia segments feel about the same as they always do and don’t really reinvent the wheel. I had some fun, but not nearly as much as I did with its predecessors. It’s there and feels like a placeholder ahead of whatever is actually next for the series. Folks who really enjoy AI: The Somnium Files and are biding time waiting for the next Uchikoshi project might like No Sleep for Kaname Date, but it isn’t really for anyone else.

A pretty picture to look at and a port of an excellent Super Nintendo action title. On the other hand increased slowdown and its short length will restrict Irregular Hunter X strictly to Mega Man maniacs. [JPN Import]

Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is exactly what you’d expect from a project like this. It’s rough around the edges but made with such obvious love that it’s hard not to find it charming. It’s far from the best in the genre, but there’s still plenty of enjoyment to be found here, especially for Hololive fans.

All in all, though, these are relatively minor blemishes on an impressive, bold follow-up to an acclaimed modern classic. Whether you’ve been champing at the bit for a new take on Axiom Verge or if this is your first experience with a Metroidvania, Axiom Verge 2 is a dense, beautiful game that’s easier than ever to get into and shouldn’t be missed.

Aokana is one of those romantic visual novels where yes, you are eventually trying to win over one of your classmates. But, it’s structured in such a way that the journey, your school life, and the Flying Circus team you help coach feel equally important. It’s a gorgeous game that looks lovely on the Switch. Its story is often uplifting, and it’s rare to have a game where everything feels so well realized.

It is drawing from a beloved series, as the original Hyrule Warriors did. It gives us a new way to play and, in so doing, opens up new options. It isn’t going to be for everyone, but it does a lot that some fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will appreciate. It isn’t for everyone, but it is interesting.

The selling points of Cuddly Forest Friends are that it is cute, it is easy for someone to get into and play, and there are an array of different sorts of minigames. It succeeds on all three fronts. The pacing does force you to follow a certain sort of schedule, which might be a bit slow or restrictive for experienced players. Still, that will probably work well for beginners and younger players. For those looking for a more relaxed title or game for kids, it could feel like coming home to fluffy friends. For the sort of game that it is, it handles the concept and material very well.

Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a slow life simulation game paired with an engaging adventure involving the mysterious Coal Town. It’s a really relaxed and pleasant play, as a result. You can take your time with it and enjoy the ambiance. The only thing that might get in the way of some people’s appreciation or enjoyment of the experience is the presence of Shin-chan himself, as not everyone might appreciate his humor or the series’ character design. Still, even if you are apprehensive, it’s a soothing way to savor the last bits of summer before easing into winter.

Ultimately, the System Shock remake doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. The original game already revolutionized the shooter and immersive sim genre back in 1994. Nightdive Studios’ take gives one of the most influential games ever made a fresh coat of paint, tweaking the formula and pacing subtly while adding some quality of live improvements. For those that were too intimidated by the original, this is a fantastic way of playing it. While the few, but substantial, differences might be divisive among returning fans, the System Shock remake does a great job of informing new players of why the game was so impressive in 1994 and proves that it remains impressive in 2023.