Mika and the Witch’s Mountain really does do a good job of giving us a Kiki’s Delivery Service sort of game, and it’s often quite relaxing too! Mika’s a fun protagonist, and the island is this vibrant setting filled with big personalities and life. Sometimes the broomstick-riding can feel a bit fiddly, but it’s genuinely a delightful simulation about being a courier witch.

While there are brief moments of intense emotion, Please Be Happy is mostly a very gentle story that might not satisfy those looking for an excessively cute or romantic tale, because that’s not what it is. It’s a story about slowing down and appreciating what you have, looking at yourself and deciding what it is you actually want to do and be. If you can match its pace, you’ll find a satisfying story in a pretty well made package. The pretty anime girls falling in love is just a bonus.

Lover Pretend ended up being a real surprise, as I didn’t expect to enjoy this Switch otome game as I did. It seemed like it could perhaps rely too heavily on its taboo theme. But it snuck up on me with its earnest nature. Not to mention the way it handles certain topics lent a level of respect I didn’t expect from it. It’s just a lovely little love story.

Reanimal is an ominous, tense adventure that puts you in unsettling situations and leaves you to draw your own conclusions about what’s going on. So much so that it almost feels like the end is only the beginning of analyzing what’s happened here. While short, there are some interesting puzzles and encounters, the pacing is good, the NPC intelligence in single-player is competent, and there’s some great character and environmental design elements at play. A few bugs that will likely be patched out in a few weeks aside, it’s a great horror game.

Another Code: Recollection doesn’t make huge changes to the overall formula of the games, as they’re still very introductory and in one case short adventures. However, these Switch remakes look fantastic and are quite impressive in terms of how well they adapt the titles. If someone is looking for games with solid stories or is looking for a first adventure game for someone, this collection is a good fit.

Overall, DNF Duel is a great fighting game. It appeals to casual players, while still offering a fair bit of complexity to keep more experienced players entertained. It’s definitely a title I’ll go back to from time to time. Ultimately, it feels like a game that could develop a consistent following in the years to come. If it gets the right opportunity, that is.

I really enjoyed playing Sunderfolk, and I would love to go through a second time with a larger group and different characters. Though honestly, I’d also be equally happy to go again with the same avatar (I love my Pyromancer) and make different choices. It’s a lot of fun, and the nature of its additional objectives, varying missions between the campaign quests, and possible party compositions means it is the type of title that could be worth replaying with different folks or on varying difficulties. Sunderfolk works quite well and I’d recommend a it for a series of game nights.

For a game that would make most anybody do a double take because of its mixture of anime art style, action shooter genre, and soulslike gameplay, Little Witch Nobeta comes together very well as a whole. The shooter components are enjoyable to play with and offer enough diversity to give you several options for battles. The soulslike parts add fun and difficulty, as well as a tiny bit of a strategic element in the upgrade system. And though the story isn’t grandiose or deep, with most of the worldbuilding coming in the form of the stories attached to items found throughout the castle, there’s enough to carry the game forward, which is fine by me. It’s not perfect, but the game is nothing if not fun, and I’ll definitely be coming back to play some more of it.

Even though the world is in danger and Lilith is a force to be reckoned with, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a popcorn flick of a game purely designed to entertain its players. It can be silly! Sometimes, it will be serious. You don’t need to think too hard about it. No experience with Marvel series or Firaxis games is needed. You can hop into it, play for a few hours, and save the day alongside major and minor heroes.

While it isn’t perfect, it shows a lot of promise! It’s a fantastic first step for what future Pokemon spin-offs could look like. It’s certainly more refreshing than some recent mainline games, and I felt more excited each session playing than I did with Pokemon Shield or Pokemon Brilliant Diamond. I wouldn’t say it’s the most essential installment or should be someone’s first experience with the series, but people who love Pokemon should really play it.

True Swing Golf’s brilliance is in its simplicity almost anyone even non gamers will enjoy. [JPN Import]

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream builds on the previous entries in the series, with Nintendo crafting a simulation that goes above and beyond with customization elements. It’s as silly and joyful as past games, while letting us basically build the Mii island of our dreams. Minigames can be a hit or miss, especially when it comes to ones that keep proposals from going smoothly. Plus the walled garden nature of it makes it so difficult to share that with others. Unless you can actually manage to meet up with people for local wireless, there’s no way to swap, and it’s a shame that there are extra steps tied to sharing moments. Still, aside from it being locked down, it’s lovely.

I will say the RPG mechanics of leveling up RoboCop and enhancing his various skills felt a bit like an afterthought. Some of them are quite necessary, such as providing more dialogue options, but others centered around his strength feel unnecessary due to his existing power. Regardless, this added a nice bit of depth and customization to this otherwise swift RPG experience that you can beat in under 20 hours.

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is a mixed bag. It’s an excellent remaster that balances preservation and improvement. However, two-thirds of this package are games that are, at best, merely fine, even with improvements. For The Last Revelation though? It’s worth it for that alone.

You can’t go into Harvestella thinking, “So is Square Enix’s Rune Factory/Story of Seasons game?” It isn’t fair to the developers or the game itself. Yes, this is an action-RPG with farming and life-sim elements. But it’s also very much trying to be its own thing. It needs time to grow. A think a few patches would help to act as stakes to help bolster the game would do a world of good. If Square Enix tends to it well, I could see a successful successor spawn.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure would always have high expectations projected onto it, as the original is perhaps one of the best emotional and narrative-driven games out there. The sequel might not be on the same level as its predecessor, but there are a lot of admirable qualities here. It’s great to see Max Caulfield return to the series, as she is genuinely an exceptional character. I really enjoyed the overall story, and there are some phenomenal twists along the way which you may not see coming. However, I wish Max and Safi had more scenes together, because it would have meant those impactful moments would have carried more weight. As long as you accept that Life is Strange: Double Exposure will not provide the same emotional whirlwind adventure as other entries in the franchise, you will have a good time.

Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop has a lot going for it, but I think a lot of your enjoyment will be based on how or where you play it.

While it may not have the immersive mechanics to be a great VR introduction, Batman: Arkham Shadow is fun to play and faithful to its Arkham predecessors. And yeah, picking off enemies one-by-one feels great.

A better hero shooter for remaining unbalanced, prioritizing fun over competitive play which allows it to shine.

For people who love otome games, especially on the Switch, I can’t help but feel Radiant Tale could be a must-play. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s really entertaining to see the cast of characters interact with the heroine and one another. Seeing their adventures and backgrounds, it’s almost like you can’t help but root for them and their love stories with Tifalia.

A beautiful game.

I had absolutely no idea I’d enjoy StarVaders as much as I would, and it definitely adds something to the ever-growing roguelike genre. It’s compelling, but inviting. You’re given opportunities to learn, but it will absolutely challenge you once you’ve gotten accustomed to its nuances. There are plenty of options when developing your deck, making the prospect of additional playthroughs promising. Fans of the genre should check it out.

Some minor quirks aside that could, in all honesty, be fixed by patches before too long, Core Keeper is a delight of a game that excels at offering options for being creative and tackling situations. It is easy to get engrossed in finding your way through the depths, establishing a settlement, and making progress, thanks to the intuitive systems in place. Core Keeper is definitely a game those who loved ones like Terraria and Minecraft should investigate.

When you look at the complete package, Rise of the Ronin is such a fun and rewarding experience. It might not have the most cinematic narratives or jaw dropping visuals around, but it delivers on everything it attempts. The melting pot of gaming influences makes for a product that is more than the sum of its parts. Much like a lone samurai wandering without a master, Rise of the Ronin cuts its own path while paying homage to the spirit of those who came before it.

This game is honestly all over the place. There’s a naming of an accomplice that is tough for others to guess. There’s a voting about which art to investigate. (And then you loop around and do more of them anyway?) It never feels like Weapons Drawn knows entirely what it wants to be. Still, there’s some fun in trying to spot letters. The second round keeps the same letter for your art, but uses different writing styles to make it truly tough. We appreciate the ambition, but this one’s tough to get your mind around most of the time.

I suppose what really hurts Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is that Luigi’s Mansion 3 is on the Switch and feels like the definitive entry in the series. It’s great to be able to go back to the earlier installment on the system. Especially since it is fun for what it is. It’s still enjoyable, and it looks great. I suppose my only regret is that the format of it felt better on the 3DS, and the limits of the more mission-based approach are more strongly felt on this console.

I have never seen so many people not only asking me to make a complete mess of things, but thanking me for doing so, in my life. But that’s exactly what Thank Goodness You’re Here feels like it is about, as the game rewards you for your goofy and occasionally destructive behavior with ridiculous, hilarious, and even sometimes a delightfully inappropriate response. It might not end up being a game for everyone, but those who do give it a chance and enjoy this kind of humor will likely be delighted.

Touhou Spell Bubble is something special. I’d call it the best Touhou Project spin-off to be localized and one of the best Puzzle Bubble games in years. I do wish it included some Side Stories at the outset and some elements are intimidating. However, it’s so unusual and unique. I can’t say I’ve played any puzzle game like it. It definitely is the sort of title a person might have to see to understand and the price could be off-putting, but I’ve been lowkey obsessed with it and its formula for a week and love how it works.