Gunvolt Records Cychronicle is a confusing release, but one elevated by its amazing music and solid gameplay. I wish it had more game modes and in-game content outside the core rhythm game though. On Steam Deck, Gunvolt Records Cychronicle looks and plays amazing even with touchscreen controls. I don’t see myself bothering with the game on Xbox or PS5 after how good it feels on Steam Deck out of the box.

UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes is a sublime fighting game with robust online, fantastic music, and deep gameplay. I’ve not even scratched the surface with some characters after focusing on a few since launch, but I adore just about everything UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes has to offer. I hope it does well enough so we can get crossplay eventually. There are updates planned and early purchases get the season pass free, but a chronicles-like story mode later on would make this package even better than it already is. In its current state, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes is brilliant to play on Steam Deck, Switch, and PS5.

Potion Permit is a great game that brings together interesting elements from franchises I love into its own charming package. The mobile version on iOS at least, should’ve been better though. Right now some interface elements don’t feel tailored to touchscreens, and the text size is too small almost across the board. I was also hoping to also see it target a higher frame rate on newer devices like the iPhone 15 Pro. Given this was done by the excellent Playdigious who have released some of the best mobile ports, I expected better. Right now Potion Permit isn’t best played on iOS, but this mobile version isn’t a bad way to play MassHive Media’s simulation RPG, especially at its low asking price compared to consoles.

Mustache in Hell is a short, sometimes frustrating game that has a certain charm to it, but ultimately fails to distinguish itself in a very competitive genre. There just isn’t a whole lot to chew on, and what is here isn’t all that compelling. If you’re looking for something that won’t occupy too much of your time or demand a great deal of thought, you might enjoy your time with the game. I found myself somewhat motivated to play it to the end despite its rough edges, and I suppose that’s worth something.

Regardless of whether you’re new to the series or not, Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is essential if you enjoy horror adventure games. It has a few small things holding it back from being perfect, but I love the time I put into it on both Switch and Steam Deck. I hope the wait for the next entry isn’t as long and Experience Inc continues to deliver with each new release.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft does exactly what it says on the tin, presenting the first three adventures of the famous heroine with some optional improvements to help them shine a little brighter. These games have a feel and logic of their own, and those wading into them for the first time might find the games hard to wrap their heads around. For better or worse, this is the original Tomb Raider trilogy, and if you’re going to play them this is the best way to do it. There are a few bugs to address and it really needs a brightness setting for the modern visuals, but otherwise I can’t find much to complain about here that isn’t endemic to the original games.

Dragon Quest Builders on Steam Deck is the definitive version by far offering all content at a lower price than other platforms while delivering solid performance. The wait for Dragon Quest Builders on Steam was long, and I didn’t think it would happen after Dragon Quest Builders 2 shipped, but Square Enix put a lot of effort into this port to make it feel great to play on Steam Deck. If you held off on the original or want to play my favorite Dragon Quest spin-off series, your wait has been worth it. Dragon Quest Builders is excellent on PC and a joy to play on Steam Deck.

Fixeight is the only non shmup in this collection from Bitwave Games. The 1992-released vertical run and gun game from Toaplan had never been brought to any console or modern platform until this new release, and it has been very interesting to play as a fan of Out Zone from a prior collection. I liked that quite a bit, and Fixeight has been a noticeable improvement in many parts. It isn’t essential if you only care about Toaplan’s shmups, but I’m glad it was finally released on PC. It also plays without issues on Steam Deck.

Toaplan’s 1991-released vertical shmup Vimana is the first of two games in this collection I had never played in any form before. I was surprised by the unique setting and visuals for a game released back in 1991, but Vimana’s gameplay excels quite a bit in its levels and weapons. This version has a few sound-related issues that I hope are addressed in patches though. I noticed audio cutting in and out if I used the fast forward or rewind options a lot, and I only did to test and see how the game would handle things. Barring that, Vimana has been a good addition to this collection.

Bitwave’s new version of Batsugun also includes the Batsugun Special Version release that includes multiple loops, changed enemies, different visuals, and more. If you’re new to Batsugun, this release is excellent, and worth grabbing even standalone if you aren’t interested in the other games in the collection. This new version is a much more responsive version of Batsugun compared to the CityConnection release as well.

Toaplan’s 1985 classic vertical shmup Tiger Heli feels great to play in this release from Bitwave, but the sound pitch is a bit off even now. It has gotten updated as recently as a few hours ago from this writing, but it still doesn’t sound exactly like the prior release I’ve played on Switch. Barring that, I have no real complaints with this specific version of Tiger Heli. It delivers a responsive version of the game with a super fast boot up on Steam Deck.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a fantastic experience from start to finish that can serve as a brilliant introduction to Cygames’ amazing Granblue Fantasy world. It feels and looks great on Steam Deck, and also is beautiful on PS5. Having replayed the story and now deep into the multiplayer and postgame, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an easy game of the year contender that I will be playing throughout the year with friends and solo.

Barring the issues with the visuals when played docked, Lil’ Guardsman is worth your time on Nintendo Switch for its writing, puzzles, voice acting, charm, and colorful visuals. It manages to bring in a few styles together well in a compelling package that is only held back by minor issues right now. If you do get it on Switch, play handheld and make use of the touchscreen for the best experience.

Fans of twin-stick roguelites would do well to give Starward Rogue some of their time. The gameplay mechanics are sound, the challenge is right where it should be, and the sheer variety that springs from the many items, rooms, and enemies is impressive. While the visuals are a bit lacking when it comes to the small touches, the action itself is so good you won’t often notice that. An excellent game overall, and I’m glad publisher Klabater brought it to the Nintendo Switch.

While I don’t think either of the games included in The Adventures of Panzer: Legacy Collection are particularly noteworthy, they’re solid enough platformers to get you through a lazy weekend afternoon. Ratalaika has put them in the developer’s usual wrapper, and that means the usual set of features that are welcome if overly familiar. If you’re looking for some silly platforming entertainment for a reasonable price, this isn’t a bad choice.

Dungeons & Doomknights is a decent 8-bit adventure with its tongue planted so far into its cheek that it threatens to burst right through. Nami Tentou has done a nice job packaging it for the Switch, improving on its sometimes too-threadbare earlier efforts. Some collision issues and its tendency to go a little too over the top are the only real flies in this ointment, but those who can get into modern NES games will likely come away satisfied with this one.

Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal is a game that was clearly ahead of its time, and that means it holds up very well in this Switch incarnation. Feral Interactive has done its usual solid work here, borrowing elements from later games in the series and giving the player the choice of whether they want to use the big new additions or not. If you’re like me and haven’t played a game in this series before, this seems like a good place to start. If you’re more familiar with the newer games it might be a little hard to go back to this game in some ways, but I think there’s still a lot of enjoyment to be had with its clever-for-its-age structure.

I assume that if you’ve taken any interest at all in EGGCONSOLE, you’re willing to accept some of the cruft that comes with games of this time and place. If so, I invite you to check out Yokai Tantei. It’s a great take on some familiar concepts, and one you’ve likely never experienced before.

Overall, this is a decent pack of tables if not a great one. Mechanically, they try some interesting things that sometimes work and sometimes don’t, but the creativity is appreciated. It terms of the themes of each, I feel like some do a better job of adapting the material than others, but they all suffer badly from the lack of authentic voice acting and soundtracks. Budgets only go so far, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t severely bummed out the minute I fired up Deep Space Nine and didn’t hear that theme song. Fine enough, but I’d recommend grabbing Zen’s take on the Williams Star Trek: The Next Generation table ahead of this pack.

I suppose the lucky thing is that you can download Pinball M for free and try out the included table to see how much the heavy technical issues bother you. It hits some tables worse than others, but you’ll at least get a taste for the situation. As for the Death Save Bundle, I would heartily recommend picking up these tables elsewhere. Here on the Switch, I found them to be scarcely playable with the app in its current form.

Having now spent enough time online and offline with Tekken 8 across Steam Deck, PS5, and Xbox Series X, I can safely say that Bandai Namco Studios hit it out of the park with this one. It is a universal improvement over the last game and delivers a superb package right from day one. While it has a few things I’d like to see fixed in updates, Tekken 8 gets my highest possible recommendation right now. I can’t wait to play more. It feels great to not only enjoy playing a new Tekken game, but also have it actually push visuals once again. Tekken 8 has great gameplay, awesome music, superb visuals, a brilliant replay system, and one of the best story modes in a modern fighter.

I feel like the Neptunia series is mostly about preaching to the choir at this point, and in that capacity Sisters VS Sisters is a decent enough spin-off. The thing is, I’m not sure where to send people who want to get into the series at this point, and Sisters VS Sisters presents an equally awkward entry for such people. It assumes you already have some familiarity with the cast, and the emotional beats and twists heavily depend on that. The battle system is really bland, and I feel that the cut corners which are practically a staple of the franchise at this point are getting harder to ignore as the years pass. I had some fun with Sisters VS Sisters, but I was bored a lot more often than I’d prefer to be.

As adventure games go, Another Code: Recollection is a good one even if I don’t think it quite reaches the level of great. Fans of the originals will likely be thrilled with this, as I don’t think anyone expected any of CING’s works to get this kind of treatment. Newcomers looking for a decent adventure game will find one here, complete with some clever puzzles that occasionally get a bit too clever. It didn’t change my mind on Another Code, but I don’t think it was really supposed to do that anyway.

While I need a bit more time to see how Death Stranding Director’s Cut feels later on, I can say that it is a very impressive conversion so far in parts that can look great on the iPhone 15 Pro screen. It isn’t ready for being the only way you experience the game though, at least right now based on the time I’ve put into it. I don’t recommend playing it with touch controls at all either, but if you have a Backbone One or external controller, it will be worth buying after the performance issues can be ironed out. The developers went the extra mile and even added some DualSense features into the release and even implemented gyro controls, but the performance issues hold this back right now.

If you’ve never played Goat Simulator 3 but did enjoy the first main game and spin-offs in the series on mobile, this one is an easy recommendation with a few caveats. While it isn’t perfect even on Xbox Series X, it plays a lot nicer there compared to iOS. I hope we get updates to address the visual and control issues because Goat Simulator 3 feels right at home on a portable and suits the pick up and play nature of the platform while delivering the full game experience from the start.

I’m obviously not going to pretend like this remake’s new visuals, content, and gameplay enhancements make up for the lack of the Persona 3 Portable’s female protagonist option and FES’ The Answer, but Atlus has done a fantastic job with most aspects of this remake bringing out a new gorgeous and modern take on Persona 3 for the current generation. Even if you already played Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable like I did, Persona 3 Reload has enough to justify a replay. It also feels almost perfect on Steam Deck, my favorite way to play it now.

The Legend of Steel Empire is a decent enough way to play a cult classic shooter, even with a few rough points in the overall package. If you’re tired of having your head knocked around by the likes of Gradius or R-Type, you might find this to be the approachable shooter you’re looking for. I appreciate that they made some improvements in the presentation rather than just toss the original game out there, but it feels like there was a missed opportunity to do a little more here.

In its current state, Art of Rally on iOS is sadly not a great port. This should have been the definitive portable version of a superb racer, but it is just in between the bad Switch version and the great Steam Deck version. Performance and visual issues aside, it doesn’t even have good touch controls. I got used to them, but I’d recommend this with a controller for now. Noodlecake is usually great, so this is a rare misstep from the team. I hope it does get fixed because Art of Rally is worth owning and playing at full price, but I can’t recommend on iOS without some caveats unfortunately despite the low asking price on mobile. Hopefully by the time the Android version and DLC release, it will be in a better state.