Reigns: Beyond is a cute, quirky adventure with excellently designed art, music, and storytelling delivered in a simple yet engaging format that works better on the Switch than most other mobile-friendly games.
Rose and Camellia Collection offers a glimpse into an intriguing yet tragically under-developed world that has moments of great humour, but teases a much better game than it is. It is brief, inconsistent, and relies on its one unique (and undeniably fun) mechanic far too much to feel complete.
One Last Breath is an ambitious game set in an artfully creepy world, with some great ideas in its foundation that unfortunately don't shine through as well as they could in its mechanics or storytelling.
As poignant and important as its predecessor, Not Tonight 2 utilises its addictive gameplay and rich storytelling to tackle some of contemporary America's most divisive issues in a way that manages to stay fun and humorous.
Tamarak Trail follows a lot of the familiar beats of a deck-building roguelike, with enough character and unique twists to make a worthy addition to the genre. Its soundtrack and art style shine, with a world that is ripe for deeper exploration.
A very worthy addition to the Demagog repertoire, Highwater builds on the gorgeous and provocative world of the studio's other games with a story-driven escape from a flooded planet. It is a sharp critique of late stage capitalism, but it populates the devastated world with a touching story, wholesome characters, and surprisingly engaging combat.
Lil Guardsman is a delightful game that draws you into the complex and nuanced story of a well-constructed fantasy world and explores its political turmoil. The characters and dialogue are wonderfully written, with a great sense of humor and clear indication that your choices, no matter how small, make an impact.
Gorgeous from start to finish, The Cub is a short but hugely entertaining 2D platformer that has been crafted with love to be not only a fun game to play, but a fantastic piece of satirical art that does not pull its punches in its critiques of contemporary reality.
A provocative and technical feat, Terra Nil stands out from games with a similar environmental setting. It requires you to think creatively and intelligently about the challenges faced by the natural world, and it leaves you with a realistic vision of what humanity needs to do to change the world for the better.
Crymachina boasts a dark, imposing world populated by monstrous machine enemies that uses classic sci-fi themes to examine deep existential questions. However, it doesn't offer you any agency through a story that is unsatisfyingly similar to the studio's last game.
Gordian Quest is an ambitious fantasy RPG that offers a vast campaign, exciting auto-generated maps, and turn-based combat that offers near endless hours of gameplay with its broad selection of battle decks.
A finely crafted game in almost every respect, Gunbrella mixes engaging puzzles with exciting action, well-rounded characters, and a dark, intriguing mystery that infects the entire dystopian world.
A stunningly well-executed game, Cocoon takes you on a physics-bending adventure that has you leaping between worlds to solve puzzles that guide an endearing little alien home. It absorbs you fully into its unique and beautiful corner of space until its orb-based mechanics make more sense than reality.
Bokura is a clever co-op game that makes use of an unusual play structure and innovative puzzles to deliver a story about friendship and contemplations about the human existence that stays with you.
A relaxing and satisfying cleaning simulator, Fresh Start channels a serious environmental messages through a simple, if repetitive, tour of a planet.
Tiny Thor is a cute, colorful 2D platformer with a fun, nostalgic style. But an over-reliance on genre tropes and under utilization of its mythological source material mean it doesn't stand out from the wealth of similar games.
A strikingly beautiful game, Chants of Sennaar takes you on a journey through a number of finely crafted cultures that challenge your puzzle skills and absorb you fully into the looming secrets of the labyrinth.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is an immaculately constructed game, with gorgeous design, realistic characters, rich emotional punches, and choices that genuinely resonate through the narrative.
Smushi Come Home is a genuinely adorable exploration game with a simple, idyllic world to explore and fun characters to interact with. It offers a pleasant adventure to while away an afternoon or two.
Etrian Odyssey II HD follows a nearly identical path to its prequel while boasting some features that embellish the fun of the original. It pairs a very similar storyline and gameplay with equally refreshed graphics and music to celebrate its port to the Switch.