If you’re a sucker for side-scrolling shooters with a penchant for a difficulty level that fluctuates between clever and fun to sadistically relying on twitch control and memorisation, Rive: Ultimate Edition might be a game to keep you busy for the 6-8 hours it provides.

It's easy to have a love/hate relationship with Dragon Quest Builders. Mechanically, it's a brilliant experience, with some of the best gameplay and aesthetics of any game in the genre. But the decision to break the game up into four separate parts with no sense of progression between them is jarring at its best, and downright frustrating at its worst. It could have been so much more, but what's here is worth celebrating too. It might not be perfect, but it's fun, there's a tonne of content, and most importantly, the monsters are cute as heck.

The Jackbox Party Pack is an investment for parties just like any other tabletop or board game. It's not something you'll play every day but if you have friends or family over a lot and you can work through the games and have a tonne of fun. There's nothing remarkable about the Switch version, but it doesn't need to be - The Jackbox Party Pack 3 stands on its own.

It’s so refreshing to be able to declare a third-party Nintendo Switch title as the truly definitive edition. Disgaea 5 Complete is just that – complete. It’s a competent strategy RPG packed to the brim with content that’s bound to keep RPG aficionados entertained for hours and hours. Despite this, some rough visuals and a little bit too much of an emphasis on grinding is bound to limit Disgaea 5 Complete’s mass appeal. Putting that all aside, Disgaea 5 Complete is accessible, and more importantly, great.

It's great that a wider audience now has the opportunity to play Live A Live, with the added bonus of getting the HD-2D upgrade in the process. Its novel anthology presentation won't be for everyone, thankfully, an added map/radar reduces some old-school frustrations. SquareEnix made the right move breathing new life into Live A Live.

Please play Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions if you never had the chance to play the original. Despite some questionable adjustments, having the opportunity to re-experience this game was an absolute pleasure and has only reminded me of why I love it so much. The characters and writing are as charming as ever, and the memories I had exploring the quirky BeanBean Kingdom are ones I’ll never forget. I only wish I could say the same for the Bowser’s Minions side of the package.

It’s an intriguing story, and one I feel is worthwhile experiencing so long as you’re not put off by a lack of moment to moment game-like elements. It’s just a shame that Oxenfree’s design genius is at odds with its pacing.

There’s a lot of detail and care put into Super One More Jump, and at $8 AUD on the eShop, it may just be that perfect game to pick up and play to kill some time.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore is a deeply fascinating game. On the one hand, it's mechanically one of the best RPGs I've ever played. On the other, its inability to appropriately handle serious issues, complete lack of character growth, and often downright creepy characterisation makes it a difficult game to recommend to anybody. It's a divisive game, but it's been given a second life on the Switch nonetheless. Whether or not that's a good thing is still up for debate.

Paradise Killer is absolutely bonkers weird in the best possible way. It is soothing to play at your own pace, with a brilliant soundtrack, rewarding collectibles and a deep, complex mystery to unravel. It is one of the best games I have played this year.

The Lion’s Song is a unique take on the narrative genre. While it displays point and click elements, they only drive what is three excellently told stories and a fourth that ties everything together in a nice, neat bow. The gorgeous art style and the tremendous writing draws you into late 19th Century Austria and proves that games that tell stories about art can be excellent pieces of art themselves.

Taking the inspired recipe from Overcooked and adding several pinches of improvements across the board, Overcooked 2 is a great game to play with others - despite an imperfect online lobby system and the lack of multiplayer customisation.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection sets a high bar for future adventure RPGs, offering a beautiful, stylised design, incredible storytelling, and combat that is approachable and satisfying without sacrificing tactical depth and complexity. It’s a fantastic evolution of the Stories formula, delivering a richer narrative, deeper world interaction, and more reasons to explore the Monster Hunter universe from a different perspective.

Star Wars Outlaws is a wild space adventure. It feels like a part of the Star Wars universe as opposed to just trying to shoehorn Star Wars into a mismatching game. If you get overloaded on big open-world games, that is still a risk here, although finishing the game isn’t dependent on getting too bogged down either. Star Wars Outlaws is another great game to show off what the Switch 2 can do when devs get the opportunity to make it work for the hardware.

It’s a fantastic rhythm game and hopefully a sign that many more amazing titles will follow.

Untitled Goose Game is a well-crafted hijinks simulator which captures whimsical misadventures of a bird just being a real prick for no real reason. While the game is short, it fits nicely on the ‘doesn’t overstay its welcome’ shelf, meaning it’s simple to play through in an evening. Mechanics are easy to learn (button inputs can be customised) and the stealth is light on strategy. But what’s ultimately delivered is a neat little package of an open sandbox where you can run amok without consequences to great, maniacal effect.

Persona 3 Portable is probably the best game in the Persona series, even if it feels a little dated at times. A fantastic story told with restraint and great care, tackling some heavy themes and doing an incredible job. It’s compromised, sure, but it’s wonderful nonetheless.

I had my doubts about the whole museum thing, but the never-ending charm of the Two Point world carries you through it all. There are so many things to unlock, systems to manage, and options to tinker with — perfect for anyone thinking about getting into the genre. There are no mouse controls, which is a bummer because the UI can be a little clunky, but you’ll get used to it over the many hours you’ll spend with this game. It could even be 1 a.m., like it was for me.

I really, really like Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Shifting the focus from character interactions to more gameplay mechanics was a huge deal for me, along with a story that feels like it’s developing with you, rather than happening in the background. Definitely pick it up if you’re a Fire Emblem fan, either new or old!

I have been playing farming games for quite a while now, going back to the original Harvest Moon on the Super Nintendo. I can honestly say that Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar likely will rank in my top five games in the genre. There is plenty to do in the game, the voice acting is surprisingly well done, and most importantly of all, it is not a chore to play. I never played the DS original of this; however, I am confident when I say that this is a definitive version of the game and well worth checking out.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a fantastic addition to the series and the genre as a whole. It’s got plenty to enjoy for farming game fans, life sim fans, and RPG fans, a lovely cast of characters, and mostly solid presentation that makes it a delight to play. There are a few shortcomings here and there, but it’s hard not to recommend it to just about anyone looking for a nice, laid-back experience with lots of charm.

Going Under has some great synergy, but don’t expect any sort of hostile takeover of your life. It lacks scope and variety compared to time-devouring classics like The Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon, and certainly doesn’t come close to the challenge of either of those two games. As an accessible, friendly, funny take on the genre though, it scores some big points, and is generally a blast and a half. You should give this one a spin.

Citizen Sleeper is rich with ideas and atmosphere, and loves to tease you into its world. Don't be put off by the text-heavy gameplay if you enjoy a dystopian sci-fi setting with solid worldbuilding and some tight role-play mechanics.

Puyo Puyo Tetris feels like the definitive puzzler for the Nintendo Switch. Both Tetris and Puyo Puyo share similarities and feel right at home together here, but the overall package feels incredibly complete and comprehensive. There’s enough here to do no matter how you want to play and who you want to play with, online or off. The price is bound to be a talking point here, but given how solid and polished the Puyo Puyo Tetris experience is, it’s hard to fault it for much.

Company of Heroes is another one of those Switch ports you probably didn't expect, nobody asked for, but in the end, you're happy it's here. We've got this real-time masterpiece on the Switch. It won't be for everyone, and learning the controls can take a bit, but it looks great and is still fun to play, even without a keyboard and mouse.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD manages to smooth over practically every rough edge of the original release and offer a vastly better experience from start to finish. I truly expect this remaster will bring the game's reputation from the maligned place in history where it currently sits up towards the upper echelon of the series where it belongs. Much like how the small town of Skyloft sits in the clouds above an enormous world below, looking beyond the surface of this remaster reveals a revitalised adventure with so much more to enjoy than you expect. Even if you didn't like it ten years ago, I implore you to give it another chance. It just might surprise you.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 gives Monster Hunter fans even more monsties than they bargained for in 2021. This spin-off from the traditional games is an enjoyable adventure, even if the story is a little generic. If you’ve wanted to enjoy the Monster Hunter world without all of the pressure from the main entries, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is an excellent game for fans and people looking for a time to jump in.

It’s all a fascinating idea, with a rich world for you to explore. It’s the closest thing to a true hybrid of a book and a video game, with plenty of reliance on your own imagination mixed with excitement and control. I’d highly recommend it if you’re after a deep game to take your time with and soak in, and if you’re used to really bad dice rolls.