There’s a fun wrestling game at the core of AEW: Fight Forever. Probably the best licensed one in a couple of decades. I greatly look forward to seeing where this franchise goes in the future. I can’t say I didn’t get some enjoyment out of this Switch version, even. But the technical performance here really is below-par, and not just in the usual ways we’ve come to expect on the platform. Hopefully some updates can get things running the way they should, but I can’t guess at the future. I can only see how things are right now, and my advice would be to seek this one out on another platform if you can.

Ray’z Arcade Chronology is a fantastic collection of a slightly mixed trilogy of shooters. If you’re a fan of the Ray games, then buy this with full confidence. M2 has done a terrific job as usual. Shooter fans will also likely get their thrills thanks to the online leaderboards and achievements. If you’re totally new to Ray and are only a modest fan of the genre, I’d give this a slightly softer recommendation, but I still believe you’ll find something to like here.

Pikmin 1+2 brings two very unique GameCube games to the Switch in about as direct a manner as possible. These games have been reissued before on the Wii (and again on the Wii U Virtual Console), but this is the first time they’ve been available in handheld form. Apart from a higher resolution and the removal of a few licensed elements, these releases make almost no changes to the original games. Still, whether you’re looking to revisit the early Pikmin games or are coming to them for the first time, this is a good, affordable way to enjoy them.

The equation for NOOB – The Factionless probably changes a bit if you’re a fan of the NOOB web series. Speaking as a Spider-Man fan, I know all too well how an average game with the right license can be elevated for those who like that property. So if you dig NOOB and the people behind it, I can give this a small recommendation. For everyone else, this is just another average RPG on a platform that probably has a few too many of those as it is.

The premise of Crime O’Clock is a solid one, and the art is really fun to look at. On top of that, each scene has ten slightly different variants. It’s neat to see things play out, even the bits that aren’t relevant to the case. Still, I can’t help but feel that the game held my hand too much most of the time. I never felt like I was actually solving any of these cases but rather just watching my AI do it while I fetch it a cup of water now and then. If you like games built around hunting objects in busy scenes, you’ll probably enjoy this game. Those who are simply intrigued by the set-up should be aware that it doesn’t deliver on it the way you might hope.

I can really only recommend Everybody 1-2-Switch! to those who regularly entertain large groups of friends who aren’t averse to playing games. Even then, there are so many better party games to play, with Nintendo itself offering several that are better than this. Not even a wacky horse head guy can save it, and I didn’t think I would ever say that about anything.

This is the third time Capcom has released Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, and I really do hope this is the time it properly catches on. It’s every bit as good as the other work Shu Takumi is known for, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. If you’ve never played it before, this is your chance to do so. It has a superb story, clever mechanics, charming characters, a sizzling presentation, and satisfying puzzles to untangle.

The biggest issue with Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story 2 right now is the general bugginess of it. If it gets some fixes, I’m sure it will settle into that same niche the first game did. Not that interesting for simulation fans, nor all that exciting for RPG fans, but for those who feel like dabbling in a low-impact version of both put together, it’s okay. It’s too bad it isn’t more than that, because the concept is really good and a sequel is ideally where things ought to come together.

The main gimmick Skautfold: Usurper has going for it is that combat is highly lethal. Like, a single mistake can be devastating and it doesn’t matter how deep into the game or upgraded you might be. Your defense is temporarily weakened when you attack, so the more aggressive you are, the less damage you can survive. That’s something, but that’s the only real trick the game has up its sleeve. Otherwise it’s thoroughly average in every other respect. If you really need a new Metroidvania-style game right now, Skautfold: Usurper will do. Otherwise, it’s hard to find much enthusiasm for this one.

If, like me, you’ve been off the Kairosoft wagon for a while, you might enjoy the familiar yet expanded take on the developer’s usual town builder formula found in Dream Town Island. If you’ve been on the wagon all along, you probably already bought this and finished it. And, as usual, if you’ve never played a Kairosoft game before, your first one will be amazing. Maybe that will be this one. It’s a bit busy for its own good and I think the design isn’t nearly as tight thanks to all of the added systems, but it’s certainly engaging and pleasant to dig into.

I actually had a fun time with this. It has that great pick-up and play feel that makes for a terrific palate cleanser between bigger, more complicated games. It’s easy enough to just make your way through, but the added objectives layer on more challenge for those who desire it. It even has leaderboards so you can see how you stack up time-wise on each stage against other players. Games like Unimime tend to get lost in the crowded hallways of the eShop, but it’s one that is worth paying some attention to.

I love falling block puzzlers and there are a lot of good aspects to Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine. It looks good, the controls are responsive, and I respect that it tries something new in the genre. Unfortunately the core gimmick is also what sinks it. It’s too hard to focus on setting up solid combos when you have to deal with all the frustrating traps along the way. Survival often feels like pure luck, and I’m not a fan of that kind of thing in a game like this. Ultimately, I’d just rather play Puyo Puyo.

I enjoyed ProtoCorgi, and I think there’s a solid chance many of you will have an even better time with it. It has a solid presentation, almost all of the options you would want in a shooter plus a few more, and a cute premise. Throw in a very competitive price and it’s an easy shooter to recommend. Just keep in mind the usual rule about cute-em-ups: just because it looks fluffy, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Inexperienced shooter fans may want to approach cautiously, but shooter fans should have a barking good time.

If the quirks and differences of the original release of Sonic Origins pushed you away, nothing in Sonic Origins Plus is going to turn your opinion around. Even the pixel scaling is still off. If you were okay with vanilla Origins, the Plus content is more than worth picking up. Ten dollars gets you a dozen Game Gear games and some fun new character options for the base game. I still think this is a solid collection that presents a good value for your money, and the Plus add-on only hammers that in more. I’d love to see a few things fixed or improved, but even as it is I think it’s a solid celebration of the most famous hedgehog in the world.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a game worth getting for anyone looking at grabbing their next relaxing experience on Switch. I was afraid of technical issues given recent games from Marvelous on Switch, but this is the best Story of Seasons on the platform, and well worth its asking price. As someone completely new to this entry, the developers have made it feel good enough to be a brand new game as well.

The action point system adds a whole new dimension to a genre that frankly has gotten a bit stale of late, and I’m happy to be having to use my brain in a new way for a puzzle RPG again. If you enjoy match-3 RPGs and can forgive a healthy sack full of rough edges, I strongly encourage you to check out Bright Reappear. It’s good stuff.

Jet Dragon isn’t going to be for everyone, but those with an open mind and a love of simulation games will likely be pleasantly surprised with what they find here. Those looking for a slick dragon racing game with dragon drifting and such are going to be less pleased, since that aspect of the game aims more at the strategic than the action-packed. If you’re looking for something different that has a lot of meat on its bones and you have an Apple Arcade subscription, I recommend giving this a look.

On paper, the looping concept and setting could’ve worked well, but it feels like there was a disconnect between the people working on the in-game combat and dialogue systems with the rest of the game. Loop8: Summer of Gods is one of the biggest disappointments of 2023. It had so much potential, and I hope this idea is revisited in the future, but I cannot recommend it right now unless you’re ok with boring gameplay that feels more like a chore than anything. The great art, music, and voice acting sadly isn’t enough to elevate this to something I can recommend at full price. It should’ve been better.

While I think the asking price is high given the state of the Switch version, there’s a lot of potential here. When the updates hit Switch, it will be an easier recommendation at full price. It might have been better for the developer to focus on releasing it and fixing any issues on PC before bringing it to consoles. I hope that the updates arrive in time for a potential physical release, because despite my issues, I’ll be adding this one to my collection if it does see a retail release.

GyroGunner is a bit rough around the edges, though. The presentation is quite bland, the hit boxes aren’t as kind as you might like, and there just isn’t a whole lot of depth to the game. I think there’s still some fun to be had here, particularly if you’re a fan of this type of shooter. That said, I wouldn’t be rushing out to pick this up given how many other ways you can get your shooting kicks on Switch.

The problem comes from the technical side. The lag in these games is readily apparent, both in terms of controls and audio. I have Iron Commando on the Evercade console, and the way it plays here compared to there is night and day. The options are as basic as they get, and there is naturally nothing resembling extra material here. With games as rare and under-the-radar as these, it would be great to have some kind of context or history to read about them. Instead all we get is a pair of adequate brawlers presented in a bare bones, less-than-optimal package.

Bloo Kid isn’t bad, but it is rather bland. The stage layouts aren’t terribly interesting, and there’s no gimmick to taking out the enemies. You just bop on their heads to take them out. Making a run for the bonus star on each stage when you’ve defeated the last enemy is the most unusual idea here. Given the wealth of good-to-great platformers around this price point on the Switch, it’s hard to recommend this decent one with much enthusiasm.

Trinity Trigger would’ve been an easier recommendation had it been cheaper. This might be my favorite Furyu release since The Alliance Alive, and I recommend it for any fans of Secret of Mana who would like to play a game inspired by that classic, but the price point and paid DLC makes it a hard pill to swallow. Once it gets discounted, Mana fans should consider this.

Jack Jeanne is easily the best otome game you can play right now, if you’re ok with rhythm gameplay. I love rhythm games and good quality otome games so Jack Jeanne feels tailor made for me. If you enjoy rhythm games but haven’t been able to get into the otome sub genre yet, this is for you. Just go buy Jack Jeanne.

If you enjoy classic arcade games or modern games inspired by them, you’ll likely enjoy Annalynn. It has a great presentation, fun gameplay, and a sufficient amount of depth to its scoring system to give it a lot of replay value. The lack of online leaderboards makes it hard to get fully into competing, and it’s a feature I hope might be added later on. For now, this is good, fast fun that fans of similar odes to the arcade like Donut Dodo and Galacticon will greatly appreciate.

While I feel like all of MOSS’s Raiden games fall along a similar line of quality, the fourth and fifth games certainly feel like they take more risks and aren’t afraid to be their own things. Raiden III for better or worse is a game that feels so busy trying not to mess up that it forgot to do anything interesting. This new release adds in some cool features and extras to make it worth hopping in the Fighting Thunder one more time, even if all but the most ardent of Raiden fans would be better off picking up one of the later entries in the series.

I’m glad that Maquette finally hit the Switch, but it needed a bit more optimization work. I usually prefer playing shorter one and done games on portables, and Maquette would’ve been a perfect game to recommend on Switch without caveats if it didn’t suffer from technical issues. In its current state, Maquette is a game I recommend playing, but be prepared for technical issues on Switch. It isn’t perfect on PS5 either, but the issues are more prominent here.

The Case of the Golden Idol is truly incredible. Not only does it respect the player’s intelligence, but it is one of the most rewarding games you will play. Combined with The Spider of Lanka DLC, The Case of the Golden Idol is absolutely essential, and it is a joy to play on Switch with touch controls. My only complaint is that I wish there was more of it.