It is agonising to try and share some final thoughts for The Crush House. The concept and execution at its core is top notch, offering a brilliant twist on some existing gimmicks that just aren’t all that common. The disappointment comes from the end of the honeymoon period, where you find yourself hungry for just a little more depth to really reach your TV production potential. I have rarely found a game that offered such a concise gameplay loop, that was wildly fun to engage with and excited you to master it – only to then hit your head on the ceiling of your ambitions in rapid fashion. While my gripes might paint a picture of this game not being a recommendation, I have to insist that the fun parts of The Crush House are absurdly fun. This isn’t a case of the game being broken or unloved, quite the opposite – it is an exceptional level of potential not quite reaching its zenith. Film some butts, see for yourself.

Another Code: Recollection is a solid repackage of two classic adventure titles that manages to celebrate the Cing games despite some lacklustre puzzles and clumsy camera controls.

Misc. A Tiny Tale is not a game I enjoyed. The narrative tone is awkwardly patronising to play through as an adult, and while the level design has its occasional moments, the relatively bland gameplay does not make up for this. While the game mostly handles sensitive topics around mental health in a way that is appropriate for young children, some of the supplementary material is at odds with this otherwise child-friendly tone, and it’s hard to recommend to any age group.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl take me back to a simpler time in Pokémon where Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing didn’t exist. It’s a wonderful reminder of how far Pokémon has come and it feels like a love letter to arguably the most formative generation of Pokémon.

The best video game adaptation of the wildest manga property gets a better-than-average port. For Jojo's fans only, though.

Verne: The Shape of Fantasy isn’t a bad game by any stretch. There are some neat moments and ideas, and the pixel art style is a delight, but the overall experience does little to stand out among the crowd in a genre teeming with creativity.

Evil West might wear old-school clothes, but under the hood it's a modern stunner. Gorgeous and gutsy, the tale of Jesse Rentier paints a dark world where the best way to illuminate your path is by way of a shocking Tesla-powered knuckle duster. It deftly navigates some of the pitfalls that are to be expected when forging a new IP and drops a winning hand that is more aces than eights.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football excels on the field, but it struggles to make a compelling offer for solo players or anyone not willing to invest time in forming and maintaining a Strikers Club. It's just pick-up-and-play enough to work as a party game with mates and it's compelling to watch in action, but the lack of embellishments is sure to hurt its long-term appeal.

A clumsy and mechanically inert effort to capture the majesty and thrills of mob cinema, Mafia: The Old Country finds no promised land in either its routine tale of crime or its linear, hyper-focused gameplay. Impressive facial capture and a unique setting can’t sustain this poor, if well-intentioned, emulation of far greater works.

Garden Story is the kind of chill adventure that’s great in short bursts but long play sessions may leave you bored. The combination of genres is unique, but I feel like each aspect could have been explored more for a deeper experience. I definitely enjoyed what I played and was charmed by the characters, environment and music, but at the end of it all I was left wanting more. But how much can you expect of one humble grape?

Through this occult management simulator l was challenged like never before, navigating magic, zany challenges and the offbeat humour that aims to thrill and vex it’s players. Call me a masochist, but I had fun.

A fun pick up and play experience that is unfortunately held back by its inability to truly innovate on its predecessors and take advantage of the Switch's hardware.

Behind the Frame is a subtle and evocative tale that explores the lives of two artists, their relationship and what inspires them to create. The short experience is made memorable by the high-quality animations and the mood setting melodies. Puzzles may be easy, but it’s clear they are intended to be vectors to experience the story, rather than hindrances. A perfect game to unwind with your drink of choice and get lost in.

Outer Terror is a daring and defiant ode to the beauty of retro horror, delivering an arcade experience that is familiar but unique enough to keep you digging further.

Siren’s Rest is an enjoyable, if a little short, dive beneath Still Wakes the Deep’s waves that doesn’t capitalise on its strong narrative, leaving players a little unsatisfied. The premise and setting do manage to build some solid tension, but it never elevates to a genuine scare factor that would take the experience to the next level.

An intriguing premise backed by refined gameplay and an immersive atmosphere makes House of Ashes the best entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology yet.

With a heaping of exploration, a pinch of turn-based JRPG and wonderful visual novel finish, Haven takes its varied inspirations and bakes them into something sweet, layered and extremely satisfying.

It’s a chaotic push and pull between ecstatic fun and dull annoyance that honestly drives Soulstice, but it’s nonetheless worth checking out.

While it’s built around an interesting mechanic and features tense, sometimes terrifying moments, MADiSON is frequently derailed by tedious puzzles and an irritating amount of backtracking.

Those that love Mahokenshi will adore the fully realised blend of deck-building and digital board game, but will forget the threadbare mythological Southeast Asian theming.

The reward for my perseverance with Goblin Stone would be a well-narrated bit of storybook exposition and perhaps a new combat class or weapon tier, before heading back to base to find missing inventory items, goblins, and stats being reset to the impossibly low 0/0/0. It’s just boggling stuff, making for an arguably unplayable late game that kills any curiosity and goodwill that the first impressions made. A disappointment, as there is genuinely a heap of interesting ideas here repurposed from turn-based indie greats, but Goblin Stone forces its implementation onto rails with no fanfare and no incentive or reward for player experimentation or even investment.

With no timers, no combat and barely any challenge Submerged: Hidden Depths is a super chill if overly shallow adventure that makes a good palate cleanser between bigger titles.

Capes makes a great first impression as an original superhero tactics title that feels fresh, tight, and responsive. The turn-based battle system controls well and is easy to pick up, while also being so confident in its smooth player induction that things quickly start getting spicy. The roster of cape-less heroes all look, sound, and play satisfyingly distinct from one another and make choosing your four heroes for a given mission a daunting task. Players who like their turn-based XCOM-like titles to be lean, mean, and brain-meltingly precise will be sucked in for the first six-to-nine hours. After that, the tactical puzzles give way to what are essentially trial-and-error horde-survival missions that betray this title’s ambitions of doing anything interesting with the systems or story.

An ambitious blend of genres that winds up a jack of many trades but a master of none, Sunday Gold deserves credit for its aesthetics and goals but it’s difficult to recommend this trip to the races.

Wanderer does a lot of great things, but is held back primarily by the ageing hardware but also some uneven design choices.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia feels a little antiquated, nailing the fundamentals of the tactics genre but leaving a lot to be desired.

Salt and Sacrifice makes a number of changes to its general design and structure that are absolutely not worth the cost, and while the game is still enjoyable, it ultimately feels like a step backwards from the charming 2016 original.

The optimist in me hopes that, for everyone else, there’s a future in Switch Sports’ competitive online play and regular updates. That’s in spite of the pessimist in me seeing this staggered approach as nothing more than a grab for more long-term Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but that’s beside the point. If it all comes together, I suppose there’s something decent if not overly special here, but that’s a big ol’ question mark hanging over this review for the time being. As it stands Nintendo Switch Sports is a fun, nostalgic collection of motion-controlled sports that are sure to be a hit at gatherings in much the same way that Wii Sports was, but it’s an awkward package that’s hard to justify forking out for right now. [Review in Progress]