Despite the somewhat rocky difficulty curve, Midnight Fight Express is an enjoyable spin on the beat-em-up genre. It plays a bit differently from the average entry in the genre, but once you get the hang of it you can pull off some wild sequences that just plain feel good. It’s only a few hours long, but it is immensely replayable thanks to having many unlockables, options, and leaderboards to jostle with other players on. This is one express brawlers fans will want to catch.

If you enjoy action-adventures and don’t mind a game that isn’t big on going easy on the player, you should give TUNIC a look. It’s gorgeous, clever, challenging, and simply a joy to pick away at. While it is quite difficult by default, there is an impressive number of options for those who want to tailor the game to their preferences. This Switch port, while obviously not quite up to the versions on other platforms from a technical standpoint, is very good and more than capable of delivering the experience to players. Really something special.

Let’s Build a Zoo is a dangerous game. When I decided to take a break from playing The Centennial Case on PS5 to spend a few minutes with Let’s Build a Zoo on Switch, I ended up putting in over an hour and barely realizing it was 1:30 AM. It is a perfect fit for a portable as well, but hope the UI issues can be addressed over time with updates. If you can deal with the small text and some interface elements, this is an essential. I like the controls, gameplay, writing, and never got tired of the music. While I’m sure it runs better on more powerful systems, I don’t think I’d trade portability for anything else with Let’s Build a Zoo, and I hope it does hit iPad in the near future.

In its current state, I’d recommend picking up Hokko Life on another platform over Nintendo Switch if you have the option. The long load times and performance issues even in early parts hold it back. The developers have said that they are still working on the game and bringing more to it, and Hokko Life has the potential to be much better on Switch. Right now, I can only recommend it with the caveat about technical issues and assuming you like the aesthetic. I enjoyed my time with this blend of elements from Animal Crossing and Story of Seasons.

In its current state, Temtem is moving in the right direction and is absolutely worth your time on Switch as long as you’re ok with the online-only aspect of it. I still have issues with the lack of any sort of offline support for a portable system like Nintendo Switch, but the core gameplay loop and amount of content available with the 1.0 launch is well worth the asking price. The Switch port is also very good considering the hardware and how it runs on other platforms as well.

If you like adventure games or just want to enjoy an interesting, well-written story with a pleasingly dark vibe, Beacon Pines will serve you well. It’s a thoroughly engrossing tale that pulls you in further the more you play it. Perhaps a little too substantial to explore in a single session, but you’ll likely find yourself wanting to see it all the way through in one go. Add in a superb presentation with gorgeous visuals and excellent narration, and you’ve got a winner.

There are some particulars of OneShot I would prefer not to discuss because this is indeed one of Those Games, but I think just about anyone who enjoys the adventure game genre will fall for OneShot‘s charms. It’s a clever, immensely likeable game that is metatextual without being obnoxious about it. You’ll almost certainly want to replay it immediately after you finish it, and that’s the mark of a pretty awesome story and game in my books. It has made the transition to Switch as well as it can to any non-computer platform, and if this is where you happen to play it, I think you’ll have a fine time.

If you enjoy Pokemon Snap and Amanita Design games, Penko Park feels like a lovely blend of both with its own unique charm that will keep you coming back for more as you inch towards 100% completion. While it may seem repetitive on paper at first, the developers have done a great job of throwing unlocks at you as you explore the different locations trying to grab secrets, photograph the eclectic creatures in different positions, and fill up your guidebook.

In the end, Shovel Knight Dig checks off two boxes for me: the desire for a Shovel Knight-ish experience on my iPhone, and the desire for more games like Downwell. It’s not flawless by any means, but it’s a great game with a lot of things going for it. I’m truly impressed with how well Nitrome was able to adapt the essence of Shovel Knight into such a different format without losing the satisfying elements of the pineapple and pen it was trying to smash together.

Potion Permit is fine. Occasionally quite good. It certainly makes an effort to do some different things, to varying degrees of success. Apart from some performance problems in this Switch version, the biggest thing dulling Potion Permit‘s shine is just how familiar its structure is. When you take into account the somewhat grindy nature of this sort of affair, the lack of any particularly inspiring derivations makes it one best consigned to fans of the genre looking for another hit.

Like Crossbell itself, Trails from Zero is caught between two large powers: the humble Sky series that got this whole ball rolling, and the Cold Steel games that are perhaps a bit too drunk on excess. It’s a great RPG, and one that nicely demonstrates what makes this series so well-loved.

If you’re looking for a different sort of shooter, or perhaps one that has some similarities to Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun has a lot to offer. It’s rare to see it rereleased, and the SEGA Saturn game infamously goes for a ridiculous sum, so having the experience available on Switch for such a reasonable price is great. The game plays well, but a few issues with the music and graphics could do with some ironing out. It’s perhaps a little too complicated for its own good at times, but give it your time and consideration and you’ll find it rewards you greatly.

I don’t know if Family Man is for everyone. Its visual style is certainly modest. Its themes are darker than you might expect. The minigames and other activities are shallow enough that you might get tired of them. Your choices don’t mean nearly as much as you might hope. It’s an unusual game, but there’s a charm to it that I can’t deny. While some of what it’s doing is a sleight-of-hand magic trick, it’s one that has been pulled off fairly well.

If you’re satisfied with Clap Hanz as a subscription game on Apple Arcade, you don’t need to worry too much about Easy Come Easy Golf. It’s basically the same game. But if you want the game in a more permanent form, or you’re a Switch-only golfing fan who wants something a little light without the goofy chaos of modern Mario Golf, you’ll want to pick this game up. It’s well-made, content-rich, and enjoyable in a comfort food kind of way.

At least for my tastes, Splatoon 3 is a great new chapter in a fantastic series. While more of an evolution than a revolution, it adds enough new things to liven things up for veteran players while also being the new de facto point of entry for new players. I’m not really sure where Nintendo can take the series from here, but I suppose that’s a problem for a couple of years from now after the team has done its thing updating this game. For now, I think we all have enough room in our lives for another helping of colorful, charming, ink-flinging action.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok / Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure gets these two vintage RPGs back out there, and I think that’s a good thing on principle alone. The games themselves are decent if somewhat dated due to their positions in the history of the company, and there aren’t any added features or extras to enjoy. I’m not impressed that this was yet another launch with an unavoidable crash bug in tow, but NIS patched it pretty quickly. Fans of tactical RPGs or Nippon Ichi Software will be satisfied with what they get here, if not necessarily thrilled.

I had no expectations at all going into TinyKin, but as soon as I started playing it, I was sucked completely into its world. The area designs are fantastic, encouraging you to root out and collect everything while presenting you with enough options that you never need to bang your head against any one thing. It also has a very charming presentation. The choice of using 2D sprites for the characters takes a little adjustment, but once you do? This is one of the better games in this genre you can find on the Switch.

This is a less than stellar package of two less than stellar games. Those who aren’t fussy about emulation accuracy can probably find some fun with Radical Rex‘s 16-bit version, but there’s practically nothing good to say about the game in its Game Boy form as presented here. More of a Dubious Dino than a Radical Rex.

If you want a solid but not spectacular Metroidvania-style game that won’t let you down or knock your socks off, Catmaze does the job. I don’t see myself returning to it all that often, but I don’t regret playing through it in the least. In a genre with so many different working parts, I suppose I have to give this one a little extra credit for not dropping the ball in any major way. It’s a completely competent Metroidvania-style game, even if it isn’t especially exciting.

Unless you’re completely burned out on the Darkest Dungeon variety of RPG, you’ll probably find something to like in Circus Electrique. The theme is strange enough to catch your attention, the mechanics are solid, and the added gameplay elements don’t ruin anything with their presence. The moment to moment dialogue is well-written, but the story as a whole could have been more interesting. I also think the difficulty curve could be a little smoother. Otherwise, it’s a somewhat unusual take on a concept that is becoming a bit well-worn by now, and worth checking out for fans of the genre.

It plays well enough, it has a nice sense of style to it, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome in terms of how far its mechanics will go. But if those jokes don’t land for you, know that they will never stop for the rest of the game. Consider how much of a problem that will be for you before wading in.

If you mean to seriously get into JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, you’re probably better off heading over to one of the other platforms where it runs at 60 fps. This Switch port is solid enough to play, however, and JoJo fans will likely have a good time with it. Discriminating fighting game aficionados will probably want to look elsewhere for their Switch satisfaction, though.

I found enough things to like in Hell Pie that I could probably see my way to recommending it on other platforms. On Switch, there are just too many technical issues dragging down the experience for my liking. If you’re very tolerant of that kind of thing, you might still enjoy the game. It has some fun ideas, a crass but amusing sense of humor, and some interesting levels. But it’s hard to enjoy any of that when you miss a jump because the framerate took a dive and the camera went wacky at a critical moment.

I really enjoyed the story of Aquadine and its various routes. It’s well-written, the setting is unique, and the character interactions are interesting. Its mysteries are intriguing and the plot delivers well on them for the most part. The only thing that really bothered me is the way the characters would vibrate to express certain emotions. I’d rather have had them static than looking like they just stuck a fork in a toaster. Other than that, if you enjoy a good visual novel, you’ll probably like Aquadine.

The game runs nicely enough on the Switch, but handheld players will naturally have to plant themselves near an online connection point to play with others. And you will want to play with others, because it turns what is in single-player a very rough time management game into a properly enjoyable roguelite action-RPG experience. This “best with friends" quality means that Tribes of Midgard isn’t going to be for everyone, but those with the right conditions to enjoy the game will find plenty to like.

In its current state, Ooblets is an easy recommendation at its discounted launch price if you enjoy life and farming simulation games despite the performance issues. While it isn’t perfect even when played on Xbox Series X going by the bit I played there to compare, Ooblets does a great job of blending creature collecting and life simulation elements together with a ton of its own charm. I hope potential future updates can address the performance issues on Switch because Ooblets feels like a fantastic fit for the Switch’s library, and I look forward to seeing how it evolves over time.

ANNO: Mutationem is a good port of a great game. The flaws from the original are still present here, but the gameplay perfectly suits the Switch’s hybrid nature. It also can look absolutely stunning on the OLED display in handheld mode. If you aren’t sure about the performance or how it looks when played docked, I’d recommend downloading the free ANNO: Mutationem demo on the eShop. I’m glad ANNO: Mutationem finally arrived on Switch and hope it gets a physical release in the future.

Islets is a gorgeous, enjoyable example of the Metroidvania genre that feels in some ways like a throwback to the pre-Souls era in how it is set up and the tone it pursues. While it doesn’t make any substantial changes to the formula outside of its entertaining flying sections, it’s refreshingly solid all-around. Those on the hunt for a new game in this genre would do well to consider Islets.