I love the concepts and world of Heaven's Vault, but I know deep down I would have loved them more as something other than a game.

A 2D pixel art puzzle platformer that is a cut above the rest. With fantastic world building and atmosphere, Olija’s cinematic experience flourishes in delightful ways, yet is restrained where it counts.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game holds up today really well in some aspects (visual design and music), but is still held back by its shortcomings over a decade ago (difficult in the beginning, even on the easiest mode; level up system is still too vague). But when you can look past the setbacks, it’s still a solid action game that’s made even more fun if you can get some friends on the couch to play with you. Let’s hope the game doesn’t get obliterated from every digital store in a few years like it did last time...

Immortals Fenyx Rising is always going to be compared to Breath of the Wild, but against all odds, it puts up a massively formidable fight. What's excellent about Immortals is not so much what it shares with Nintendo's biggest Zelda game, but rather where it differs, offering a fresh new approach to storytelling, a fantastic progression system, and a world that you'll never want to leave. No game is perfect, but for me, Immortals comes just about as close as you can get.

This is a charming, clever puzzler that is a delightful cooperative experience that is perfect for an afternoon on the couch with a friend or loved one. The simple controls make it easy to pick up, and the witty uses of the core concept will make you smile as much as the brightly coloured scenery. It’s well worth a look if you’re after something a little bit different.

It's impressive achievement to be playing this on the Switch, the cut downs to get it on there are visible, but the core gameplay loop remains fun even if you're looking through vaseline to get there.

Drawn To Life: Two Realms is likely to serve a niche, but unless you’re hankerin’ for more as a long time fan - or are really starved for some puzzle platforming - beautiful artwork and some occasional brilliance can only get you so far.

Tropico 6's Switch port is one for fans of the series or the genre. If you're not a fan, you might not be able to struggle through the performance of the game as you learn the game's many systems and depth. It is still a joy to be able to play these types of games on the go; they're nearly there.

Part of the charm of Puyo Puyo is the characters, and when you combine that with the personification of the Tetraminoes there is a lot to enjoy here. The Adventure mode is full of quirky and silly interactions with characters Puyo fans will be familiar with, along with any fondness for the characters PPT introduced. The new Skill Battle mode might not set the world on fire, but if you want more out of the game you could spend some time levelling up a team. On top of that, the game is just really fun to play, especially if you can join friends either in person or online. There is also more free content to be added into the game post-launch to look forward to as well! Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is a welcome return when the world can do with an enjoyable game to see out 2020.

Monster Sanctuary is a clever entry in the Monster Catcher genre, it naturally combines a deep battle system with Metroidvania elements with the lore of the game to create quite a special 2D pixel art indie title.

Fuser is off to a good start and for any music lovers, there is so much potential to make some wild and creative mixes with some familiar beats.

Fitness Boxing 2 is largely the same as the first title. The only real difference is that there are more trainers to choose from and the soundtrack is different. For owners of the first game, this may not be enough, but the option to transfer your exercise and user data from the first game is available nonetheless. For extended workouts, get a pair of gloves as those Joy-Cons will get super sweaty. It is a hugely accessible title that sets out to fill the Wii Fit void and acts as a nice complement to proper diet and exercise routine.

Sam and Max Save the World closes out this absurd year in a scarily appropriate way. It’s writing remains as whip-smart and irreverent as it always was, as do the bulk of its politics and tone. Skunkape Games has drawn on its personal legacy with the game to lovingly remaster its presentation and provided a Switch port that feels snappy and clean as well as stylish.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered remains a thrilling arcade racer even a decade on from its debut. The minute to minute excitement of playing cat and mouse with cops and racers is still an entertaining concept, and Criterion is the master of this type of white-knuckle racing. It is admittedly relatively basic as far as remasters are concerned, and there’s not that much here for those who have seen it all before, but those who have yet to drive these streets are in for a good time.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a joy to see out 2020 while we wait for the next Zelda.

Oddworld New ‘n’ Tasty is not only a solid remake, but it’s also a solid port. It’s strange that of the Oddworld games, the first game is also the last one to be re-released, but then by now, it’s been available everywhere else. If you’re new to the series and are looking for a challenging platformer with some puzzle solving then New ‘n’ Tasty could be the dish for you. If you’ve already got a copy of the game elsewhere, just be aware that the Switch version doesn’t add anything except another portable way to enjoy Abe’s Oddysee again.

Ultimately those little moments at the farm, bonding with the gang or appreciating the ambience, are how I think back on Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. It’s action portions are also exceptionally well-executed, seamlessly tying together the hard work you put into your crops with the badass moves you get to execute out in the field. Its blend of action, farming sim and wholesome writing is one of 2020's many surprises but finally a welcome one.

Descenders is a top tier extreme sports game, translating the feeling of riding a bike down a hill with incredible precision. So many small design details pull the package together to provide a wonderfully kinetic experience.

Jackbox Party Pack 7 is another solid mix of games to through into rotation for your next social gathering. Quiplash 3 and Blather ‘Round are quick and simple options that anyone can pick up, and The Devil and the Details along with Talking Points are more complex games with plenty of replay value. Champ’d Up fails to live up to previous entertaining drawing games and has a pretty frustrating bug preventing full drawings from showing up properly. Overall, it’s a good collection of games that will please fans of the series, but I’m hoping that we soon get an option to export every pack into one collection for the ultimate party pack.

Incredible art and animation lift Röki up even without any particularly exciting mechanical design present (though what is there is very good). If you don’t enjoy point and click adventures you might find Röki lacking, but otherwise, this is an enjoyable and touching tale.

Disc Room is fast, frantic, smooth and inventive. It folds death into the progression loop and makes score-chasing in each gore-tastic room an enjoyable challenge. The choice of skill can massively influence your chances of survival and domination of a room, which adds experimental longevity.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe, as a port, is excellent. It’s refined, adjusted, and perfected to the best degree it could be. As a game, Pikmin 3 leaves a little more to be desired; its combat could use a lot of work, and its puzzling elements (while good) could be improved somewhat too. But where it lacks in decisive game design, it makes up for in spades and spades of unbridled charm. It’s a strong base for what could be a wonderful Pikmin 4… maybe some day.

The whole package is one that boasts a terrific core set of mechanics but stumbles in its ability to highlight them. A limited range of modes, a frustratingly slow unlock path for its roster and some odd difficulty gating in the campaign form an unavoidable weight around the neck of an otherwise charming experience. For $30 AUD it’s a steep asking price, especially when Super Smash Bros Ultimate is sitting right there, but fans of Nintendo’s morphing pink blob may get a kick out of this attempted impersonation.

It’s been a long wait to get our hands on Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! on the Switch as the game went through Early Access. It was well worth the wait! CSD3 manages to keep the formula interesting once again, although for fans of the series it might mean not everything you enjoyed made it over. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is a solid, enjoyable cooking sim that will keep you busy for many hours. It’s like an all-you-can-eat that you’d actually want to eat at.

Mario Kart Live is as fun as any other Mario Kart game, while you'll have to spend the time and creative energy to lay down your course you'll soon forget about it and just start playing Mario Kart. The difference is there's a little RC Mario or Luigi roaming around the floor bringing the game to life even for those not playing it. Mario Kart Live is a super polished experience, and possibly the first time I've ever enjoyed anything AR. Instead of just having AR for AR sake, it's taken something already fun and merged it with real life.

Little Big Workshop is like running a business. No, that’s not a metaphor. Build yourself up from a humble 5 figure sum to a table-trotting titan of industry. Just watch out for crashes along the way. Yes, that one was metaphorical. And literal.

Hades is a triumphant take on roguelites and without a doubt a top-shelf example in the genre. The game is always unfolding and you always feel like you’re progressing, even if you get smacked down a short way in. It’s aesthetically beautiful and challenging enough to spur you onward without feeling impossible. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone looking for a new single-player dungeon crawler.

Falcon Age won’t blow you away, but for the tolerant person, this is a good effort from a small team. If you come in with the right expectations, there’s definitely something to like here. Your falcon is the star of the show - treat her like a partner rather than a tool and you’ll enjoy yourself.