RWBY: Arrowfell reminds me of a lot of WayForward’s other licensed games in that it’s amusing enough to play but not much more than that. It has a few interesting elements but nothing big enough to help the game stand out. It’s certainly better than the average licensed game, but it’s not up to the level of the developer’s best fare in this genre. RWBY fans should have a nice time, at least.

There are just over twenty levels, but you’ll fight tooth and nail to get through them. Boss battles are particularly punishing and memorable. Ultimately, this is a game I liked well enough but also find hard to recommend.

OlliOlli World remains one of my favorite games of 2022, and the OlliOlli World: Finding the Flowzone DLC is the perfect finale to it. I still remember being skeptical of OlliOlli World when it was originally announced, and I’m glad to have eaten crow multiple times on this release. OlliOlli World is superb, and while the first DLC isn’t as good, the team knocked it out of the park for OlliOlli World: Finding the Flowzone. Now we need to get a complete physical release with everything on cartridge.

If you enjoy relaxing puzzle games, A Little to the Left is definitely worth checking out. I hope some of the control issues can be addressed in future updates.

If you’re new to the world of Amnesia and just bought Amnesia: Memories on Switch or played it across its many ports and re-releases, this is an easy recommendation. It is more than worth the asking price and is one of the better otome releases from Idea Factory International. As far as fandiscs go, this took a while to release in the West, but the wait has been worth it.

If you already played Amnesia: Memories before, you can safely skip this release. The Switch version is worth grabbing on sale if you’re new to this world, and I know I will be getting it eventually to go alongside my physical edition of Amnesia: Later x Crowd to complete the set, but I wish this was priced appropriately given its age and price on other platforms. Newcomers to the series will find a lot to like here, but it is definitely overpriced right now.

I applaud the creative spirit behind Once Upon a Jester, and I had a decent time playing through it. I’d love to see these characters again, and I hope to see more from this developer in the future. The game thankfully reaches its conclusion before the novelty wears out completely, but some parts of it get a little repetitive even within that span of time. It’s an affable affair, and its quirky charms are worth experiencing even with a few shortcomings in tow.

I’ll be frank: if you don’t vibe with McPixel 3‘s extremely quirky sense of humor, you’ll have a miserable time with it. If you do? You’ll have a great time chasing down every last gag, good or bad. There were a couple of bits that didn’t work with me (one sequence was way too self-indulgent for my liking), but overall I found the game hard to put down until I had seen every last stupid thing it had to offer.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is an essential for iOS owners. I already thought it was underpriced on consoles and PC given the quality of the game, but the iOS version is an even better deal with it costing less than half. This is Sigono’s best work and I can’t wait to see what the studio releases next. I just hope iOS and Switch owners will not be waiting too long for Sigono’s next game. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a game you need to experience if you enjoy memorable stories, well written characters, and excellent music. Having done nearly three full playthroughs across platforms, I still can’t get over how good OPUS: Echo of Starsong is.

If you’ve not played Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales before, the PC version is an easy recommendation on Steam Deck. Miles Morales is a tighter and more focused take on the formula than the original game with better combat and a brilliant use of licensed music. The story is perfect to experience during the holiday season as well. It has been about two years since its PlayStation debut, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has aged brilliantly. It is yet another ‘perfect on Steam Deck’ experience from Sony. 

Its stylish comic book-style visuals look great, the voice acting is top-notch, and you definitely get the feeling of being on a Jurassic Park adventure. What hurts the game is the overall lack of variety in the gameplay and how far it tries to spread what is here. The gameplay is just too simple. The cheap scares get a little old, and the cheap deaths get very old. Not a complete disaster, but ultimately only of interest to fans.

I enjoyed Oddworld: Soulstorm more often than I didn’t. The moments of frustration were intense, but most of the time I was just having a good time rolling through this adventure. The performance issues are both expected and unfortunate, but I suppose it could have been a whole lot worse. This is still just about as playable as the other versions of the game. That said, if you have the option of a more powerful platform, I would take it. A decent enough game to not let down the series, but not one I would recommend to anyone but those who are all-in on the Odd.

I have my share of issues with NEOGEO Pocket Color Selection Vol.2. The untranslated games are a bummer. It’s extremely likely that if you’re interested in this, you’ve already bought some of the separately-released games. But as a whole, even counting out a few games for lack of translation or double-dipping, this is still a really strong set of games that show what the road less-traveled looked like on the handheld. The oddball nature of the line-up gives it a strong appeal for those looking for something a little different, warts and all.

What makes Lunistice work is just how spot on the controls are. The gameplay here is very tight, which makes the platforming fun no matter how tough it gets. The stages can get a little long for my liking, but I appreciate how thoughtfully they are designed. You can find some very clever shortcuts if you keep your eyes open and have the guts to try. It’s not the lengthiest of games, but it’s a lot more substantial than most lower-cost 3D platformers on the Switch. If you like the genre, pick it up.

With a running time of about fifteen to twenty minutes, Windosill is a bit of a tough sell despite how high-quality everything here is. It ends too abruptly, and my immediate reaction at finishing it was to wonder if that was really all there was to it? Unfortunately, it is. I don’t want to be too harsh on the game for that, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re considering it.

This game has a lot of rough edges and things that on paper shouldn’t work, but it completely sucked me in anyway. Its flaws mean I could understand anyone who bounces off of it, but I think even for those who don’t get into it the way I did, you have to at least respect the effort here. It tries something very new for the series, and if this is how good the first attempt at this style went, I can’t wait to see what comes next. What a weird thing to feel about 3D Sonic.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a excellent refresh of one of the all-time classics of the genre. Those who have any love at all for the genre owe it to themselves to play it if they haven’t before, and even those who have tried another version in the past will find enough improvements and differences to make it worth wading in again. A fine treatment of a game that only seems to get better with age.

Total War: MEDIEVAL II was more than worth the asking price, but the value offered in Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms is amazing. Together, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms and the base game are absolutely essential if you have any interest in the genre and have a recent iOS or iPadOS device. It is hard to imagine any newer Total War game DLC offering this much quality and value in DLC. With the Kingdoms expansion and the updates to the base game over the months, Total War: MEDIEVAL II with Kingdoms is absolutely essential.

Can a retro game compilation get by solely as an educational look into gaming history? Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration offers the most compelling evidence yet that yes, they can. The nice thing about this set is that it doesn’t have to get by on that alone. There is a nice mix of games here that is worth diving into. That being said, the outstanding walk through history is the most impressive and fascinating part of this endeavor, bringing new life into the games it talks about. An essential work for all fans of gaming history.

With so many great JRPGs on the Switch, it’s hard to recommend middling fare like this. I could understand if the price was more competitive, but as is I feel like you wouldn’t have to look too far or spend much more to find something more interesting on the eShop. That said, if you’re looking to try a KEMCO game or just want an RPG that isn’t going to make you think too much, there are worse things to buy.

Space Tail tells an emotional story, offers up some fairly enjoyable puzzles to solve, and makes good use of its unusual canine protagonist. The occasional frustrating puzzle or out-of-nowhere death hampers things a little, and the interesting communication mechanics unfortunately tend to come down to simple trial and error. There’s certainly something a person could really connect with here, but you’re going to have to put up with some irritations along the way.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is verified on Steam Deck by Valve, and it is absolutely worth your time if you’ve never played it before. If you have, I wouldn’t recommend it at full price. You’re better off waiting for a sale and a few patches (if you play on Windows).

If you’ve never played an Uncharted game before, both of these are excellent action adventure games with superlative set pieces. It is unfortunate that Sony didn’t release the first three games before this though, but you can play these directly. If you already played them on PS4 or PS5 and are wondering how they are on Steam Deck, I’d wait for a discount before buying them to play on the go. While they hold up well, there are too many caveats to this recommendation at full price if you already played these games before. If you haven’t the price is worth it assuming you’re ok with the storage requirements.

Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom makes some improvements on the first game and tells a reasonably engaging story involving everyone’s favorite robot cat from the future. It does what you would expect a Story of Seasons game to do, but it doesn’t do a whole lot more than that. We’ve already seen the trick of adding Doraemon and his wacky inventions to this kind of game, so it feels less fresh this time around. At the same time, it doesn’t significantly mess anything up either. While it’s lacking somewhat in inspiration, farming fans who need a reliable fix will find enough to enjoy here.

First Samurai and Second Samurai aren’t exactly the best games in the world, but they’re reasonably fun once you get the hang of how they work. QUByte’s package also isn’t exactly the best in the world, but it serves well enough here if you just want to play the games. I do like playing classic games I’ve never tried before, and more’s the better if they don’t suck. The Samurai Collection doesn’t suck.

If you’re looking for a cool action game and have both sharp reflexes and considerable patient, you’ll want to consider Sifu. It’s a lot of fun to learn, and while you will probably take your fair share of lumps, it’s all in service to getting your skills to the level they need to be to take you through the game. Once you’ve got everything down, it makes you feel like you’re Neo at the end of the good Matrix movie. Dodging and weaving around attacks that used to knock you out, and landing that vital counter-attack that sends your former tormentor flying, is the kind of feeling that hard games aim to deliver. And Sifu does indeed deliver.

If a lack of online leaderboards is a deal-breaker for you, Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo won’t be to your liking. Despite the high value I place on that feature, I found the game was able to present enough to dig into that I still got my kicks anyway. With so many unique mechas to play as, stages to challenge, mini-bosses and bosses to battle, and a bevy of unlockables, this is one shoot-em-up that just keeps on giving. If you don’t care about online score attacking, you’ll likely have an even better time with it than I did.

Shatter Remastered Deluxe is the brick-breaker to own. Like, if you’re only getting one, this is it. There’s nothing else out there in the genre that plays as well as this, and it keeps pace with the best of its peers in terms of presentation and sheer content. There are a few light technical issues here that I hope will be addressed in the future, but even if it stays as-is, it’s more than worth the reasonable asking price.