Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is fun. The combat is enjoyable, the exploration is entertaining, and the story is amusing in a ridiculous sort of way. It's just a great game. It has flaws, including inconsistent difficulty and repetitive content, but on the Switch, these aren't serious enough issues to drag down the excellent gameplay. It's an aging game that you've probably had the chance to play on another system, but it's still incredibly enjoyable, and the Switch's portability arguably makes it the definitive version.

Ashen is a great title. The Souls formula may be adapted nearly wholesale, but the art style gives the game a different vibe. The presence of co-op at all times makes each run feel feasible, since the odds rarely feel impossible to overcome, and the presence of a community to grow gives you a real sense of progression and purpose. Unless you're completely burned out by the formula, Ashen is an adventure that's well worth checking out.

Even with all the promotion we're seeing now, Days Gone still carries the aura of a title that could be miscast and possibly overlooked at a glance, like it was for me a few years ago. You don't know until you play, and this stands as one the more pleasant and satisfying surprises of the year for me. It's been a long road to this game, but the ride is worth it.

Steamworld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is an excellent addition to the Steamworld lineup and a fantastic game on its own merits. The story is simple but charming, and the gameplay alone is strong enough to carry players to the end. The sheer amount of customization and variety in character builds and combat offers a lot of enjoyable content to players both casual and hardcore. If you're a fan of RPGs, then you should try out Steamworld Quest. It's one of the most enjoyable indie titles on the Switch to date.

All in all, Mortal Kombat 11 is a solid addition to the franchise. It has arguably the weakest story mode in the new MK trilogy, but even that mode has one of the better fighting game story modes on the market. The gameplay is solid, satisfying and fun, with a lot of potential depth. There's a lot of good single-player content for those who like beating up various characters, in addition to the online multiplayer that is genre-standard. Mortal Kombat 11 is everything that a Mortal Kombat game should be, and it's something fans should enjoy.

Unravel Two improves upon its predecessor and has a decent showing on the Switch. The gameplay is as fun and clever as it has ever been, making it one of the best cooperative (and mobile) experiences money can currently buy on the Switch, even though the technical downgrade to make it feasible is noticeable throughout. If you aren't bothered by that, be sure to check out Unravel Two.

Home Sweet Home is a decent horror title. It mostly relies on jump scares, but the brilliant use of sound builds up suspense where needed. The puzzles are decent, but some can be too obtuse for many to solve on their own, and the breakdown of AI at times means that some of your escapes are due to dumb luck. The explanation of Thai mythology would've been nice, and the VR use should've been better, but the fact that this isn't labeled as an episodic game will annoy players the most. Home Sweet Home is worth checking out — but only if you aren't already tired of the genre.

The puzzles are simple in their execution, but their obtuseness can be infuriating at times. The story may begin mysteriously, but both of the endings are unsatisfying, even though the story is still muddled at that point. There are plenty of other titles on the PS4 that do a better job of telling a short and mysterious tale artfully, and your time is better spent with those and saving Vane for a video walkthrough unless you're hunting for Trophies.

The Bug Butcher is an absolutely solid homage to classic arcade shooters. It nails the shooting mechanic and provides a gradual level of difficulty that doesn't veer too much into impossible territory. Though it's a short game, there's enough to keep people interested for more than an afternoon, and it's a good fit on the Switch thanks to the short levels and co-op gameplay for endless mode. This is another indie port to Nintendo's console that's worth checking out.

The content is plentiful, replayability remains high, and the presentation easily makes Ace Combat 7 one of the better arcade-style flight games on the PC. It has been a long time coming, but action flight fans and those who love the series won't be disappointed by Ace Combat 7.

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is an experiment that works better than expected. The focus on boss fights is the right one, as the exploration and puzzle sections are novel but not noteworthy. The controls can seem unwieldy at first, but part of the charm and excitement is in trying to concentrate on typing and moving at the same time. The presentation is excellent, and the length is perfect, as it never feels like the game goes on for too long. The Textorcist may seem like an odd game on the surface, but give it a chance, and you'll find it to be one of the more inventive and fun experiences out there.

It's difficult to be positive about Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission because you have to give it the benefit of the doubt and be a big Dragon Ball fan to enjoy it. The core game is pretty fun in a simple time-wasting way, and the "What If?" scenarios are significantly more engaging than the ones in Xenoverse. Unfortunately, to reach all of that, you have to deal with awkward UI, convoluted explanations, and just about the worst graphics you'll see in a $60 game. Fans who have the patience to deal with a lot of caveats can enjoy World Mission. Casual Dragon Ball players will want to go for the Xenoverse games for an overall higher-quality experience.

Each incarnation of The Show I've played has been better than the last, and MLB The Show 19 keeps pace. I do wonder, however, if there is a "next level" coming for the series or if we're content to accept a layer or two of steady improvements for the next few editions. I'll take it. After all, it's a long season.

Worbital's features mean that it'll take some time before players get acclimated to it. Once you get used to the gameplay, you'll find it to be a perfect blend of RTS and artillery shooter, with some gravity effects thrown in. It's a shame that the online community is practically nonexistent, but the presence of local multiplayer and the ability to earn currency while playing against friends or bots ensures that it isn't a completely dead game once the campaign has been completed. If you're looking for something different and fun, give Worbital a shot.

Below is divisive. Few will argue about the bleak beauty of the game, but everything else sets it up as a title you'll either love or hate, with few reservations. From the lack of instructions to the slow pace and the combat and survival mechanics, there are things that seem to conflict with one another but work fine at the same time. It is a game that asks you to stick with it for a while, and you'll be rewarded with an atmosphere that allows you to interpret things your way. Given some of the game's shortcomings, not everyone will have the commitment to playing until they encounter that "Eureka!" moment. As such, Below gets a cautious recommendation if you weren't already sold on the idea.

With its banal art style, nebulous lore, and generic take on dungeon-crawling, Unexplored lacks the necessary panache to make a dent. The unfulfilling combat further weakens the game. The positives of giving players access to many different game modes, including a hefty amount of content, and providing really cool music makes Unexplored an overall average title. It's still fun to explore, but the game's lack of flair inhibits the desire to try another round, and the gameplay alone isn't enough to sell it.

All in all, Yoshi's Crafted World is a delightful adventure that is held back only by being a bit too predictable. It's a solid platformer for gamers of all ages, and it's easy enough for the youngest players but has enough charm to keep adults playing. It's also easily the best Yoshi game since the SNES original, and while it's difficult to live up to a classic, Crafted World does a good job on its own merits. Even if you're not a fan of Nintendo's multicolored dino-horse, it's worth giving Crafted World a shot. You might be charmed and surprised.

Flashback: Remastered Edition remains a stone-cold classic, and old players will love how so little has been done to it, helping to preserve what caught people's attention in the first place as opposed to covering it all up with a more modern sheen. Newer players who aren't accustomed to the classic single-screen style of gameplay might find the control scheme and lack of real help frustrating at first. Stick with it and you'll discover why Flashback was more than just a display of pretty graphics. Overall, this title is a worthy addition to the Switch library.

Despite my issues with its combat and optimization, Hand of Fate 2 provides a wonderful experience for those seeking an interesting deck-building game to add to their Switch library. There's a good bit of bang for your buck here, and with additional levels available as paid DLC, I could imagine players getting lost in Hand of Fate 2's tabletop-inspired world for countless playthroughs. Just be sure to bring an open mind and plenty of patience.

In the end, Killing Floor: Incursion is fine. The guns work well, but the lack of accuracy will have you favoring melee weapons until you have to use your guns to solve puzzles and fight against bosses. The lack of device accuracy also means that you'll have a tough time trying to holster your weapons, making the combat feel slower and allowing enemies to get in a few cheap hits, but boss fights make the combat feel tedious. The game being available in co-op is nice, but once you're done with the campaign, there isn't much to draw you into the horde mode. If you're a fan of the series, you'll dig it, but don't expect much in the way of replay value beyond showing off the technology to friends.

Smoke and Sacrifice presents itself as a game that knows exactly what it's going for. It doesn't push any boundaries in the gaming world but offers a fun, interesting, and somewhat different experience with the crafting and narrative. However, the narrative ends up feeling flat and hollow, and it detracts quite a bit from the experience. While the art style can be a little jarring at times, the rest of the visuals, the gameplay, and the audio all make the game enjoyable. Overall, Smoke and Sacrifice ends up feeling like a little bit less than what it was advertising, but it's still a fun experience.

Overall, The Slater is a barely competent stealth game. The limited move set is disappointing, but it would have at least provided some sort of challenge if the AI were competent at its jobs. If the game weren't so precise about where targets should be killed, then the more open approach to the levels would've been interesting. Combine all of this with a presentation that seems fine until everything is in motion, and you have the recipe for a game that stealth fans will only play if there's an afternoon to kill and all of the other good stealth options have been exhausted.

It challenges, punishes, and brings a warm feeling of joy with every mastered encounter. It's not for everyone, and it isn't absolutely perfect, but Sekiro is the best game I've played in a very long time.

By creating a timer feature that tracks how much time we're away from Quinn, Stay extends its memorable experience beyond our gaming monitor and asks us how long we're willing to stay away when it has negative consequences. With great narrative and relatable content, the title falters in creating far too complex puzzles that transform the game from Stay into Stuck. However, Quinn's story (and our story) create solid and thoughtful gameplay that keeps us coming back for more. If one can overlook the puzzling mishaps, Stay is a title that reaches out to all of us and creates a worthwhile experience.

Track Lab is an interesting title. If you're looking at it as a game, it has some great puzzle mechanics, but there's only enough content to last you about an hour unless you get stuck on one of the puzzles. If you're looking at it as a music creation tool, the interface is novel but not something you'll use to seriously create tunes, especially since there's no easy way to export your creations. Ultimately, Track Lab is more of a fun toy in VR but not something you'll be itching to visit more than a few times.

In the end, Sleep Tight means well but is very limited in scope. The core mechanics are fine, and the different upgrade trees are good, but the slow difficulty ramping can make it feel like a grind in a short amount of time. The lack of any modes hurts significantly, as does the lack of variety in locations and your arsenal. Unless you want something simple in your tower defense or twin-stick shooting game, it's easy to pass on Sleep Tight in favor of other titles.

Dragon's Crown Pro makes strides in updating the side-scrolling beat-'em-up genre by incorporating light RPG mechanics well. The overall setting and simplicity of getting into the game are intriguing, but the art style is jarring, and the story paper-thin. While I understand the latter is not the reason to play this type of game, it's frustrating to see and feel how flimsy it comes off. The gameplay is solid, and the innovations are intriguing, but the rest of Dragon's Crown Pro is rather shallow.

All in all, The Mage's Tale is a great VR title that showcases how well games in the genre can work if they're built from the ground up for the technology and the developer pays attention to the details. It's funny and immersive, and while it surely isn't a masterpiece due to its technical issues and lackluster enemy AI, it's a good title that anyone who's hungry for more VR will surely appreciate.