Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is not, as its name would suggest, an RPG but rather a visual novel where music is the main theme. Once that settles in, Stray Gods does a good job at appealing to fans of visual novels and at doing its own idiosyncratic portrait of Greek mythology in modern-day settings, with a gorgeous visual outlook and fun musical moments. The game's scope is rather limited in its options, though, and those who are not keen on visual novels will soon find themselves with little to do. For a music-themed game, Stray Gods also displays some inconsistency in the singing performances.

Darkestville Castle may not bring a groundbreaking change to the point and click adventure genre but that doesn't mean this game is not a little gem, with both light-hearted humour and a somber environment that will remind players of landmark animated movies. With its surprisingly captivating plot, rapport with the characters and marvelous art style, Darkestville Castle is an easy work to recommend to any fans of point and click adventures.

This new incarnation brings an updated audiovisual field and an adventure mode with RPG elements, as well as online multiplayer and two very welcome new game modes, known as Speed Golf and Battle Golf. Nevertheless, this latest effort feels more like an update than a new game - longtime fans of the series won't find too much to discover here, and the game's adventure mode feels too drab and empty. There are also online performance flaws that need to be corrected.

Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a remaster of the original game and while the technical work falls below expectations, the gameplay is still as slick and enjoyable as it was over twenty years ago. This release mostly targets players who are already familiar with the original, since it pretty much recreates the experience in a contemporary platform but anyone looking for something new will come out disappointed, as other than motion controls there's nothing new when it comes to gameplay.

Anyone who picks this up will have plenty of content to discover, but it's also no less true that this conversion suffers from a clear visual downgrade, not to mention some interface adaptation time due to the lack of a mouse to drag and click. In any case, the most relevant ingredients for the latest Tropico experience are all here and they certainly won't disappoint players looking forward to act as a Caribbean dictator on the Nintendo Switch.

Mayhem Brawler is a fun and hectic beat'em up that features a comic book-type art style, different endings, and a fun world to explore. Its plot might seem strange but it goes beyond what's common in the genre, and the three available characters will provide plenty of opportunities for the player to interact with. Pity its lack of online multiplayer and some enemies, namely bosses, with life bars that get a exaggeratedly long.

Root Film is a visual novel that shares some points with other genres. Its plot ends up feeling too cumbersome and takes some time to pick up momentum during the first half of the game, along with an exploration that doesn't transmit the player a clear sense of purpose, only to then become much more compelling later on. This can be a problem for those not persistent enough, but players who won't put it down will enjoy a much more engaging effort closer to the end of the experience.

Remnant: From the Ashes lands on the Nintendo Switch to defend its reputation and fans of soulslike games have plenty to enjoy here, amid Remnant's varied and original areas to explore, weapon customization, and boss fights. Its performance raises some issues, however, as the technical limits of the Nintendo Switch end up constricting Remnant's full potential, but as far as the gameplay experience goes, this is one of the best soulslike games on Nintendo's console.

Super Dungeon Maker brings together dungeon building with dungeon exploration in an effort that stimulates the player's creativity and whose very active online community ensures there's plenty to look for when it comes to design ideas. Keeping this community running at such a level will be very important to ensure Super Dungeon Maker's longterm appeal.

Like the historical event that it's based on, Warsaw does not forgive - its difficulty is relentless and will not give players a moment to breathe. If this makes for an extremely challenging experience, it also acts as an obstacle for beginners who will feel put off. The game's combat system is compelling once the player masters it, and the soundtrack contributes significantly to this experience, but the game maps, where a lot of the action takes place, could be more elaborate to help the players find theeir way around.

Teslagrad 2 brings a different approach to the Metroidvania style and with its gorgeously detailed backgrounds and entirely text-free visually-narrated story, it provides a very enjoyable option for fans of 2D puzzle platformers. Those looking for something more thrilling might come out disappointed, though, as Teslagrad 2 does not invest in engaging combat, whether with the regular enemies or the bosses. Still, and despite its somewhat short length, Teslagrad 2 is an original effort that will capture the attention of many fans of the style and genre.

R-Type Final 2 marks the return of the much revered 2D shooter series after nearly 20 years without any new games, and it does a marvelous job at bringing the R-Type experience to our day and age. Its levels are tough, the vehicles and weapons are varied, and the formula is loyal to its origins. New players might feel, however, that this game is not most suited for them, given the emphasis on an arcade experience.

Thunder Ray fills a gap in the boxing game genre and it's a good experience at that. with its slick gameplay and gorgeous visual style. Where Thunder Ray falls short is when it comes to its short length and rather arbitrary difficulty, which makes some fights extraordinarily more difficult than others without an apparent reason, and its needs a multiplayer component as well. With all that in mind, Thunder Ray is easy to recommend to anyone interested in boxing games and who hasn't had a chance to try any such offer for the Nintendo Switch.

Its lovely art style, despite the lack of animations, is also a very welcome element, helping to create a Victorian-era atmosphere that fits perfectly with the game. Lamplight City's puzzles could have benefited from different difficulty levels though, as they feel too simplistic, which might put off more seasoned players of point and click adventures.

There are several good ideas put to work here, including a wide cast of characters and a simple but functional combat system. At the same time, Pathway's ideas don't quite live up to their potential, and while the game is indeed a competent effort, it loses appeal rather quickly and won't captivate many players to pick it up again once finished.

Prinny 1-2: Exploded and Reloaded is a small compilation based on a beloved series and it comes with a good amount of challenging platforming action, as well as a good dose of humour. Unfortunately the conversion job for the Nintendo Switch gives it a lacklustre look and makes it seem like not much effort went into this, and at the same time both games included in this offer feel too similar to each other.

Filled with humour, as well as a great level of challenge, Unrailed! features a steep difficulty curve that will require some time to get used to, and this is one of the game's weaknesses, especially as the multiplayer is its main selling point. But those willing to learn its dynamics will be rewarded with a work that's both hilarious and unforgettable.

Disney Magical World 2: Enchanted Edition is a remake of a 2015 game originally released for the Nintendo 3DS but the change in format does not harm the experience in any way. This life simulation game is full of Disney content to explore and live out, and with its relaxed game pace, accessible difficulty level, and spaces to explore, it's a very fitting experience for players of all ages and skill levels who want to explore the Disney world at their own pace.

Its audiovisual environment is perfectly tied to the narrative structure, where the story is told through pictures and background sound effects, and where subtle fears strike horror with no need of jumpscares. The experience would be even more enjoyable if it lasted longer, and the cooperative dimension needs improvement when playing solo while the need for a second Switch 2 for local play is an obstacle, but Little Nightmares III most certainly knows how to create an experience in horror gameplay.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers brings a new visual approach to the EDF series but while the aesthetics are new, the gameplay experience remains mostly the same, though more accessible for a wider audience. World Brothers also brings a myriad of characters, which help make this a rich experience, but the lack of local co-op multiplayer using a single Nintendo Switch and EDF's usual performance issues end up harming World Brothers for those players less familiar with the series, as well as its high price for what's here. Regulars and veterans will certainly enjoy what's here, though.

Pikmin 2 follows Nintendo's skilful adaptation of its classic series and the result at hand is an all-round marvelous and high quality conversion of the original to today's age. Keeping the essence of the experience intact, Pikmin 2 on the Nintendo Switch is able to provide a captivating, evolving, accessible and in-depth adventure comparable to the original nearly twenty years ago, but adapted to today's standards, thus opening the doors to new players while stimulating the renewed interest on the Pikmin series at a much larger scale.

Featuring a great world to explore, very tricky and demanding challenges and a fully immersive plot, this edition of Soulstorm will have players fully mired in its intricacies. Not all its aspects are flawless though, and some elements of level design along with long load times will cause some bouts of frustration, but this is an overall marvelous Oddworld experience and in a handheld-friendly format, too.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is undoubtedly aimed at fans of mecha-based games. Its frantic combat featuring giant metal machines and especially, the boss fights, will keep players on their toes. However, Titatnic Scion could have done better at addressing its performance flaws, which sometimes prevent the game from standing out in the Switch 2 hardware when there's a lot happening on the screen at once, and beyond the combats, its plot and secondary missions are rather repetitive and end up pushing this game into a more niche territory.

Fairy Tail's game adaptation is primarily targeted at longtime fans of the comic and animated series, who will immediately insert themselves in the game's action and plot. But newcomers too will find something involving here, mostly the game's combat system, which can become quite addictive and engaging as the game advances. While the experience will be different depending on familiarity with the series, Fairy Tail has assets that don't disappoint.

Gynoug is a 2D shooter that first came out 30 years ago but despite being a very competent game with a tough and demanding difficulty level, it has received very little attention as far as re-releases go.

Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition shows that the slick gameplay and exquisite art style of Rayman are still as fun and enjoyable today as they were three decades ago. Nevertheless, this edition acts more as a modern port than as a definitive anniversary collection at some points, namely due to the lack of accessibility options for new players, and features an arranged version of the game's soundtrack with no option to listen to the original. All that aside, the bonus content is very welcome, and this game shows the original Rayman remains strong and one of the platforming classics of its time.

Featuring a cast of captivating characters, decent combat system and some interesting gameplay mechanics, there's enough here to appeal to long-running fans. However Rune Factory 5 disappoints when it comes to its visual performance, even to the point of harming the gameplay experience, while its exploration can quickly become repetitive. The result is a game that could have been much more enjoyable had these elements been treated differently.

This fifth chapter is not a reboot, rather an experience that focuses on what Trine does best: fun and creative challenges. Trine 5's puzzles are a delight to tackle, and the game's slick level design allows the players to adjust them to the desired difficulty and approach them in different ways, while rewarding players that make the effort to explore more and more of the game's world. The co-op experience is a marvel too, as it opens new possibilities for solving specific puzzles. Trine 5 is without a doubt a game that the fans of the series and of adventure games with puzzle-solving will embrace.