Casey DeFreitas
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is mindlessly repetitive, but its combat is still somehow addictive enough to be an enjoyable action game with a dark-fantasy story that stays true to its source, most suitable for fans of Berserk. It even left me craving to try out new characters in Endless Abyss Mode. But it desperately needs more challenge and variety to carry it through its campaign, especially considering you can't bring a friend with you.
The beautifully presented Puyo Puyo Tetris has a ton of content, a really fun multiplayer with a lot of variations, and is very easy to pick up and play with just about anyone despite the slight balance issues. The Nintendo Switch is a great platform for it too, with its portability and non-threatening Joy-Con controllers. This is the type of game that offers an adequate challenge for even the most hardcore puzzle players with its Challenge modes, but is inviting for even the smallest of children and gaming newbies.
I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed my more than 50 hours with Monster Hunter Stories so far. It effectively eliminates the oh-so-common boring RPG grind, implements a novel turn-based battle system, and sincerely surprises me with seemingly limitless customizability. Though wrapped in a pleasant, sugary coating, Monster Hunter Stories did all of this while retaining the spirit of the Monster Hunter world with some small yet enjoyable nods to fans. I can't wait to dive back into the endgame and hatch myself a Kirin.
Unless you played through both Sun and Moon extensively and have already collected every Legendary Pokemon, it's easy to recommend to any Pokemon fan.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is a good-quality port of the Wii U game, but outside of much more stable performance and better local co-op it doesn't add enough new content to make replaying the story mode interesting again if you've already tried it. Luckily, the Adventure Mode maps and 16 of the 31 unlockable characters are available from the start.
Pokemon Quest can be a cute little distraction when taken in bite-sized pieces, but it's best served with a lot of patience. It's cute, and its systems are much deeper than they seem, but trying to build my perfect team definitely drove me a little crazy.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are the best games in the series, streamlining its most tedious traditions without losing any of the charm.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a beautifully presented JRPG with a plethora of fun things to do and deep systems I happily got lost in – but a few issues leave it short of being flawless.
Ooblets is an adorably sweet meal made with familiar creature-collection and farming sim-style ingredients, but its flavor is missing the depth it needs to make it stand out.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a fascinatingly fun action-strategy hybrid with unique gameplay and impressive art design.