In Stars and Time is a novel game that makes a game about a time loop more manageable with some clever execution and a stylish approach. It looks and feels memorable, while still being simple and fun. If you appreciate adventure and narrative-heavy RPGs, it could be worth investigating.

In the end, Gargoyles Remastered exists mostly for those who were either fans of the animated series or played this game when they were younger, but doesn’t really have much to offer beyond a few hours of gameplay and a mild sense of completion once it is finished. For a fan of Gargoyles like myself, it was nice to finally experience this piece of history for a series I hold fond memories of, but I also don’t feel like it was worth waiting 28 years to experience. For fans of the platforming genre who might have had a passing interest in Gargoyles Remastered, they would be better served playing something else with better levels and character control.

KarmaZoo has a noble goal, but the situational nature of things means the stars essentially need to align for things to work perfectly. You need to either get a good group of friends who all own the game together or hope your random session is filled with people who both are serious about working together and unlocked helpful characters. It’s too easy for things to not be exactly ideal, and I’d say about two thirds of all my gameplay sessions were fine as a result.

Yohane the Parhelion -Blaze in the Deepblue- is a solid Metroidvania experience full of pleasant surprises that will delight seasoned veterans of both the genre and Love Live fans. With plenty to explore and discover, this game is well worth your time and dollar.

Despite the fact that the game expects players to have watched the anime or read through the light novels and manga, this Switch game stands on its own well enough without having prior knowledge about the My Next Life as a Villainess series. As I mentioned earlier, the game does assume that the player has watched the anime or read the manga or light novels, but the game is good about establishing who each character is and what their relationship is to Catarina. Anybody who loves playing otome games should have no problem diving into the world of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! with this game, and it can be an interesting gateway into the rest of the series given that the game is treated as self-contained story. Fans of the series will absolutely find this game delightful for the new storylines of their favorite characters and get the chance to see Catarina accidentally stumble into more hilarious situations thinking they are death flags when they are actually romance flags.

Super Mario RPG breathes new life into an SNES classic, allowing players to re-experience one of Mario's most unique and adventurous titles on the Switch.

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.

Fashion Dreamer is a very hollow and basic dress-up and fashion game for the Switch, and the best thing that came out of it is it convinced me to go back to Style Savvy Trendsetters and Styling Star on the 3DS. Maybe after the free updates in December 2023 and January 2024, it will feel like there’s more of a reason to play. I’m just so disheartened at how little there is here.

Cuisineer is fun and I genuinely enjoyed my time playing it. However, it constantly reminded me of a game that you’d play on Facebook back during the mid-2000s, or something like Mabinogi. There’s no life to the town with how little you get to know everyone. Though I personally had fun with it, I enjoyed it as a de-stressing kind of game precisely because I hardly had to think while playing it. There were no consequences whatsoever to anything, so there was no need to worry about my debt or dying. Therefore, its simplicity and lack of deeper content may make Cuisineer a little dull for another’s palate.

Despite my gripes with the lack of closure in its narrative, and referential writing, Harvest Island can be a fun horror RPG/farming sim hybrid. The gameplay loop is simple, perhaps to a fault. However, the character writing and moment-to-moment story beats evoke the vibe of classic RPG Maker games, such as To The Moon, The Witch’s House, or Ao Oni. While Harvest Island is a flawed game, it shows a lot of promise in developer Yobob Games, particularly when the game is focusing on telling an original story, and exploring a detailed and engaging environment.

After going through a few Virche Evermore -Error: Salvation- routes, I feel like this is a Switch otome that could appeal to those who enjoyed games like Code: Realize or Piofiore and want something even more mature. It’s a darker and more visceral tale where it feels difficult to earn that happy ending. However, it is incredibly graphic and violent, which could turn some people looking for love off. What is here is intriguing, but it is a lot and not for everyone. Especially since the good endings are so walled off.

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.

Alan Wake 2 is a psychological horror masterpiece and one of the best narrative games ever made. Remedy Entertainment took everything they learned from its previous projects, such as Control and Quantum Break, and delivered a riveting story experience that will leave players on the edge of their seats until the game’s final scene. The long-awaited sequel is not only groundbreaking and ambitious, but it has now set the bar for how story-driven games can be told.

It’s hard to evaluate Gaiden as a standalone game. And that’s because it isn’t? Sega took what could have been a flashback chapter in Infinite Wealth and tacked on some extras. Remembering this context while you play is to the game’s benefit, too. A brief vacation into the old battle style, with some minigames along the way? Yeah, it’s fun for that. It’s not a destination to itself, and it genuinely couldn’t be with all its stale re-treads. But hey, it’s nice to see Kiryu again.

In this interactive fiction game, you will revisit the 90s and play an elementary schoolboy who lacks the courage to give a card to his favorite classmate. In the endless loop of the last day of 1999, you find out the secrets of your classmates, your friends, your family, and help everyone to have their “perfect day.” Nintendo Switch version reviewed.

It really is heartbreaking to see that My Time at Sandrock on the Switch is My Time at Portia all over again. There’s potential here. The setting and worldbuilding is fantastic, and it’s a large game with plenty to do. But this version just doesn’t feel ready yet. Perhaps in a few months or a year, it will be in a good place. For now, it’s better to wait before making the move.

Thirsty Suitors is a thoughtful and whimsical story that balances light-hearted humor with a legitimately emotional tale about family, love, and self-acceptance. The game only took me nine hours to finish (even with the restart). But at the end of it, I felt like I’d known everyone in Timber Falls my whole life. Despite how ridiculous the game’s premise and battles are, the characters and their struggles all felt so real. This game wasn’t on my radar at all, but it’s a true hidden gem.

WarioWare: Move It is an absolute blast to play and is the perfect mix of chaotic gameplay and bizarre humor. However, the game’s heavy reliance on motion controls and strict minigame requirements may be a dealbreaker for some players. Ultimately, Nintendo’s decision to go all in on the Joy-Con mostly pays off as WarioWare: Move It has some of the series’ most innovative and bizarre minigames to date. If you can get past the hurdles, this is one of the best party titles on the Nintendo Switch and is a perfect love letter to the long-running franchise.

Star Ocean The Second Story is among its best games in the series, and I believe the R release cements its role as the strongest entry.

Little Goody Two Shoes’ themes of always wanting more than what you have hit particularly close to home. Elise’s desires are always surrounding you – and always just out of arm’s reach. The developers of this game took great care into shaping this beautiful world to fit with Elise’s characterization. This game is simply oozing with charm. You can feel the love and dedication that went into creating this game at every moment, in every aspect – from the artwork to the story to the sound design.

Super Mario Bros Wonder is clearly designed to be a game for everyone, regardless of skill level. The relative ease of main campaign stages that aren’t hidden away and addition of badges and “easy mode” characters Yoshi and Nabbit absolutely feel welcoming. The plethora of secrets and variety in stages feel more suited for people familiar with the series, giving them something to dig into as they play. While the downside means a somewhat decreased challenge, it’s still a delight.

Even if Tempest Dawning Connections is a Switch otome game just as attractive as its predecessor. Anastasia is still a strong, incredible heroine. The four love interests are still well-rounded and appealing characters. Their routes still have the investigation elements from the original game. Plus, the supporting cast members that may have appealed to players also get their moments. Top it all off with lots of CGs and no bugs, and it’s a fantastic follow-up to a fun game.

While the horror in World of Horror wasn’t frightening to me, I really loved the vibes of this game. Everything from the visuals to the story to the music all come together to create this wonderfully crafted tale that intrigues you and makes you want to keep learning more about this doomed seaside town and the bizarre people who live in it. It is astounding that Panstasz hand drew the art of this game in MS Paint and made this game all on his own because it accomplishes so much through its simplistic design and presentation. World of Horror is absolutely an instant cult classic, making it perfect for people who love adventure games or have an appreciation for grotesque, Eldritch horrors.

Other than a few small quibbles, Wizard with a Gun is remarkably successful at creating a lean but compelling gameplay cycle, with a lot of experimentation to be done between all your options for bullets, guns and special effects. The presentation has a moody edge to it, without being too dark, while the mix of 2D and 3D never rarely becomes difficult to navigate like I feared it might. Even the story, while mostly an unobtrusive backdrop to the gameplay, still contains plenty of interesting little nuggets that help build up the broken world you are exploring. If you and a friend both like crafting and shooting, Wizard with a Gun is an immediate recommendation. But if you’re solo, honestly that recommendation doesn’t become any less glowing.

I liked how tangible my improvement was as I played the game. In the beginning, I was always lost and had trouble balancing on smaller platforms like cattails. However, I quickly learned to navigate from character to character on the map. As I became more familiar with the grove, traveling from area to area took me no time at all. It was a fantastic feeling. The only thing that I felt could have used a bit more work was in the interactions with the characters. The conclusion of the game felt a little weak and unsatisfying, because the Mail Scout and the residents of Grumblewood Grove didn’t seem that close to me. Yet the game presented them like they’re all best friends for life, which felt at odds with what I experienced in the story proper.

Ultimately, if you want a hack-and-slash RPG with high-speed and fun gameplay but with a middling storyline, this could be a sleeper hit for some players. While not as deep as I wanted it to be, the game handles its mission format and character-progression system well enough. I just wish the story had a little more depth to match its intriguing post-apocalyptic themes and world setting.

The Baten Kaitos series is JRPG royalty. Both are experimental, engaging, and rich games that explore a gorgeous world carefully crafted by veterans at Monolith Soft. While the Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster leaves a lot to desire in terms of its QoL features, and makes the fatal mistake of not including the original English dub, the new HD visuals are stunning, and packaging both games for $50 is a great deal. I can understand that the aforementioned problems can be a dealbreaker to some. However, I have a hard time not recommending the HD Remaster, as it makes two incredible cult classics easily available and more gorgeous than ever.

Front Mission 2 Remake feels like a must-try game for mech and strategy fans. If you like Gundam or tactical RPGs with high customization, this is for you. Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of quality-of-life features or gameplay settings for those who might have played this game before, but it still looks and plays great. Even if you’ve never played a Front Mission game before like me, you can still jump in and enjoy. Just know it might take a bit to get going.