With plenty of challenge and freedom to play the way you want, Mark of the Ninja’s staying power as one of the best stealth games available is a testament to its incredible design. Packed with all the previously released content, Mark of the Ninja: Remastered on Switch is perfect for first-timers, plus anyone looking for another playthrough.

Death's Door tightly packs a challenging action-adventure into some of the more enjoyable ten hours of 2021. It's a game deserving of the hype and spots on game of the year lists. Unfortunately, there aren't any difficulty options to help make the game more accessible. While it is a challenging game, it's a challenge that you feel you can overcome as you unravel what is going on in the department.

Ubisoft has struggled with what to do with the Prince of Persia series; the Lost Crown is the revival the series needs. If you're a fan of the previous games or the Metroidvania genre, you should get The Lost Crown. Or even if you miss Rayman Origins/Legends, get this game! It is nice to see the series back, and I hope it's not the last we see of it.

FAR: Lone Sails is one of those special games that does so much with the small amount of time it asks for. Completing it in one or two sittings feels entirely achievable, and has just enough depth to its gameplay to feel engaging without being bothersome. The experience it delivers is a wholesome jaunt through the end of the world that put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.

It's a cliché, but Metroid Dread won't be a game for everyone. If you like a game that doesn't hold your hand at all, is brutally difficult, requires precision from every movement and busts your back, you'll love Samus' latest mission. If not, your experience will vary depending on how much you can put up with the genre’s pitfalls and what might be considered obtuse design decisions. Metroid Dread almost broke me several times, but it might just be what you're after. It took a while, but Samus is back, and hopefully not going away for so long this time.

Super Mario Maker 2 is a much needed and long awaited addition to the Switch. Even the smaller additions to course making goes a long way to giving players the tools they need to make courses that you wouldn’t be able to distinguish from the real deal. If you’re not interested in building levels, there’s plenty to play in the story mode and the content from the Course World will ensure there’s content for years to come. While there are some limitations that might irk hardcore course builders, there is so much more to like about the game. How can you pass up a Mario game that has the most inventive courses the series has seen in years.

Monster Hunter Rise is, put simply, the very best Monster Hunter game to date. Everything it does, it does well, and everything it doesn't do is just around the corner. It's a beautiful, enjoyable, exciting game, taking all the best parts of World and combining it with all the best parts of classic Monster Hunter, then adding a swathe of new features, monsters, play-styles, and more. It's a sharp incline for the series, a rise to the top if you'll forgive the pun, and it's likely to entertain and captivate for weeks, months, and years on end. If you only ever play one Monster Hunter game in your life, make it this one.

If you’ve been waiting for a Thousand-Year Door remaster/remake for many years, let’s not pretend you’re not already getting this when possible. If you are still reading because you just want to be sure, you can relax; Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is still a great game. Paper Mario is not only still a great game but remains one of, if not the best, Paper Mario games. If you haven’t had the chance to play this game when it was first released, you’re in for a treat. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is not only a classic Mario RPG but a must-buy for the Switch.

If you have the patience and desire to fail often and learn from your mistakes, Downwell is well worth falling into.

SteamWorld Dig 2 is what I want out of more games. A game that wants to be played, that doesn’t punish you for enjoying it your own way. You can tell that everything about this game is so deliberate and thought out, so much care went into this world, and you’re invited to be a part of it. So don’t wait, dig in!

Shadows Over Loathing is brilliant. The adventure RPG stuff works well, the comedy is right up my alley and there's so much to see and do. I honestly kept thinking it was so good that it had have a short runtime but nope, the chapters just keep rolling in. Ocean City is the place to be!

Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse wraps up the (formerly) Telltale Games series, giving us more of the Freelance Police duo while changing up enough to keep a third game fresh. The remaster treatment makes the game look and sound better, but is still very much the same game. Luckily, it also happens to be a good one! If you haven’t played one of the games in the series before, this is a strange point to jump in – go play the other games first. For longtime Sam & Max fans, you’ve likely been waiting for this re-release already, but it’s worth checking out this conclusion to the series.

Tempopo is a phenomenal puzzle game that excels in just about everything it tries to do, taking inspirations from some of the best games in the genre and turning them into something truly unique and truly special. It’s a gorgeous audiovisual experience that puts your brain into a puzzle-solving frenzy, and it’s one of the best puzzle games you’ll ever play.

Overall, Stardew Valley is a must-own indie title for the Switch. The game has such a wide variety of activities to take part in, so you’re never left wondering what to do next. Beyond a few minor, easily fixable gripes, I found myself losing hours of the day each time I picked the game up. The Switch is an indie machine right now, and this is the current, shining example.

Quake is still a fantastic game all these years later; it's a pure first-person shooter experience without the fluff. Like the Doom ports before it, we've got a complete package here. An extra stuffed campaign, cooperative play, deathmatch locally and online, voice chat, and display options are all for a meagre price tag. Quake is a lesson on presenting an older game so everyone can enjoy it now and into the future.

Cuphead is a truly special game. An Xbox exclusive being released on the Switch. The announcement on the Nindies Showcase was an important one that received a lot of attention and fanfare. Luckily, Cuphead is a game that can back up the importance and expectations that have been thrust upon it. There doesn’t feel like any technical downgrades on its transition to Switch. Cuphead is a difficult, yet beautiful game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet encourages a sense of learning from the player.

Astral Chain is up there with Platinum’s best games. Once jumping into the story I wanted to keep playing, looking forward to seeing where it would go next. For everything I’ve written here, there’s still so much I feel I’ve left out. While it’s a long wait for Bayonetta 3, Astral Chain is an outstanding game on its own. If you’re a fan of action games or sci-fi anime, Astral Chain is a must buy.

Pokémon Sun and Moon make terrific changes the twenty-year-old formula, allowing new fans and returning ones back into the series with a wonderful lively and colourful world. It's just a little too easy for us who have been here from the start - but it's easy to forgot that when you're having such a blast.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is an incredibly fun fighter for both beginners and veterans. Its utterly gorgeous visuals truly capture the look and feel of the Dragon Ball anime, and its streamlined mechanics make for a remarkable gameplay experience. The tutorial leaves a lot to be desired, and the difficulty curve in the story mode is a bit too flat, but if you can get past that, this is the perfect game for fans of both Dragon Ball and the fighter genre.

It feels like Pikmin 4 revitalises the Pikmin series. Bringing Oatchi along for this new adventure improves navigating the oversized world and its many dangers. Nintendo has managed to make the series more approachable than ever whilst not holding back on swiftly wiping out your entire party if you get caught up in a surprise attack. Not only is there plenty to do, but it's all enjoyable enough you want to 100% every area. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a fair wait until the next Pikmin game, but it'll be hard to top Pikmin 4.

Enter the Gungeon is dangerously easy to jump back into for ‘just one more game’. It’s been out for a while on other consoles, but it is the perfect fit on the Switch as you can try and squeeze in another run for the gun wherever you may be. With great pixel art filled with personality, appropriate music, and fun gameplay, it’s not hard to sink many hours into Enter the Gungeon.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 are tremendous games and remain among the best Mario experiences. The packaging here on Switch between the two games is a little mixed, with controls never quite matching the originals and odd graphical quirks that ideally should be fixed. However, the games themselves do all the talking, and playing them again is an experience you simply need to have.

Link's Awakening, all these years later, is still an amazing Zelda title, it's a flood of nostalgia for those who have played it before, and if you haven't it's not one of those "old games" that people say were good, but they're just clouded by nostalgia. The slowdowns in the framerate is a little blemish, as that's the kinda thing that doesn't hold up over time. But with the limitations of the Game Boy removed, modern graphics and art, all new music — Link's Awakening continues to the littlest Zelda title with the biggest heart.

Pokémon Sun and Moon make terrific changes the twenty-year-old formula, allowing new fans and returning ones back into the series with a wonderful lively and colourful world. It's just a little too easy for us who have been here from the start - but it's easy to forgot that when you're having such a blast.

All in, SteamWorld Heist is a fantastic entry in the turn based strategy genre. The visual style is trademark SteamWorld and shines on the Wii U, while the gameplay feels more direct and impactful thanks to it’s reliance on player aiming rather than chance.

Overcooked: All You Can Eat is an easy sell to co-op players who revel in chaos. If you’ve already forked out for the two games and their DLC, this is likely salt on the wound. It’s hard to recommend getting this game if you’re going to go it alone. It’s doable, but this is a game that really excels with others to join. It’s been out for a while now, but with the birthday update it’s the icing on the cake.

Swinging for the fences, Super Mega Baseball 2 captures the fun of America’s pastime. Those looking for a highly customisable baseball experience will find plenty to sate their creativity. While Super Mega Baseball 2 isn’t as deep as MLB The Show, does it really matter when you can drop players like a sack of spuds with a beanball?

There is No Game: Wrong Dimension is paradoxically a game that is a ray of light in what has been a pretty crappy year. Draw Me A Pixel have put together a game full of humour and heart while making you peel away layer after layer of the game onion. While I have been purposefully broad about the game’s contents, I recommend this game to any point and click fan or anyone who might enjoy a silly adventure and wants to play something nice.