Horror Tales: The Beggar lets you control your environment to fight off a dangerous pursuer. The actions are innovative and the horror from the enemy is real. The environments are well-designed and feel post-apocalyptic. But the story isn’t the best and the horror isn’t as engaging as it could be.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition lets you re-experience the classics in challenges that test your speedrunning skills. With quick mini-games that are easy to dive into, there's something for casual players and aspiring speedrunners. However, this game won't let you re-experience the classics in their glory; it's all about speedrunning. If you aren't into practicing well into the night to shave milliseconds off your record, the appeal quickly dwindles.
The Last Alchemist has some good puzzle-solving which immerses you in the life of an alchemist. Experimenting and treating every resource with respect is part of the charm. But it feels like the game relies on padding to extend its length. There aren't many activities to do in-game and the game length is short. The puzzles are certainly interesting, but there isn't much to do outside of running around and finding essence ingredients.
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge combines cute frogs and wetland development to create a refuge management experience you will never forget. The frogs are adorable and collecting them all is enjoyable. Customising your frog refuge and the extremely low chance of failure let you pursue your goals as you wish. While the game is not at all challenging and doesn't have the best UI in late-game areas, it's still fun to play. By far the cosiest frog simulator you will ever encounter, Kamaeru is perfect if you're wondering how you can save our planet.
Rewinding time and fighting with remnants from your recent past is exciting. There’s a clear progression that doesn’t make a challenge too difficult or impossible. Replaying your challenges is also enjoyable. However, there isn’t an obvious reason to gather collectibles or clear time challenges. The Switch also has notable frame drops throughout the experience. A solid experience but not the action-packed adventure one might hope for.
Lesson Learned is a fun historical tower defense, but doesn't bring anything new to the genre.
SKELER BOY tries to be too many things at once and fails to execute many of its premises.
SaGa Emerald Beyond provides an engaging RPG that takes you through five different stories and a complex battle system. By replaying stories and carrying over your experience, you can overcome previously insurmountable obstacles and view different endings. However, the emphasis on repetition and lack of information make this a hard game to master. You'll need to enjoy replaying stories multiple times and learning on the job to get real enjoyment out of the experience.
Undead Inc. gives you a challenging management simulator that forces you to dive into shady sciences to stay alive. There are several rough edges but give it a chance and you will have a fun time.
Owning your own zoo and having a high level of control makes the experience immersive. You decide the animals, environment, and attractions that visitors get to experience. Managing the selection process and going through the tutorial is tough on a console. The learning curve is also high; trial-by-fire isn’t a reliable method. But if you ever want to make your own zoo a reality, there’s no game better than this.
INSPIRE could have been great fun but it holds itself back in many ways. Despite having a nice soundtrack, beautiful environments, and a decent shooting experience, the many flaws drag the title down. It's too easy to get lost, difficult navigation feels like a deliberate design choice, and combat ends up being frustrating. It doesn't help that the non-existent story is confusing and is quickly thrown out the window. There's a lot of potential INSPIRE squanders, which is a shame given the promising ideas.
Withering Rooms provides a great horror RPG experience with its gameplay. You never stop being a fragile girl trying to leave a horrible dream. But the tools to fight back give you courage and let you battle the undead. Coming up with strategies is genuinely rewarding and adds variety to the combat. Learning from your mistakes and making death painful forces you to pay attention. The story isn't as strong as it could be and some aspects could use better explanations. However, Withering Rooms is not a horror experience you want to miss if you've been looking for a challenge.
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles lets your imagination come alive as you build a staggering empire in every sense of the word. But because it’s a world without mistakes, there’s no challenge or pressure.
South Park: Snow Day! brings a snow day to life by letting children direct power struggles between nations. The trademark humour of the series returns, making you laugh every step of the adventure. A robust combat system helps you coordinate with your allies while encouraging exploration and taking advantage of your environment. Even if you are alone, AI bots are trustworthy allies who do their best to help. Upgrades are also handled nicely, giving you a variety of playstyles for your character. While chaotic combat and satire might not be for everyone, this remains a solid game to play with others.
Outcast – A New Beginning presents an exciting adventure into the planet of Adelpha. While the innovative combat and environmental interactions are fun, the game is too similar to other open-world RPGs to truly stand out. Exploring Adelpha in its entirety is also challenging because several bugs hamper your progress, sometimes even crashing your game. The game may not break the barrier into greatness, but you can still easily have a good time if you look past the flaws.
The Outlast Trials takes its bone-chilling horror and extends it to a multiplayer aspect. The series retains its horror roots that scare you at every turn. Completing missions also makes you feel like you are improving, giving you goals to work towards. However, part of the fear is dampened when you realize that failure isn’t as painful as it used to be. Missions also take a long time, subtly encouraging you to play with friends.
Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters has some stumbles on the Switch. The frame rate can drop, multiple endings are hard to find, and the intricacies of combat pass you by. But if you give the game a chance, you will find a story that occasionally moves you while entertaining you with light-hearted humour. It's not a story that stands out because it's special, but because it's easily accessible and funny. The game is inviting even if you haven't played other games in the franchise. You might have to work harder to understand and spend more time on the mechanics, but it's an adventure well worth the investment.
Go Mecha Ball is great at delivering fast-paced action thanks to its collision combat. You constantly balance rolling into enemies and firing with your weapons while dodging attacks. The enemies you face constantly attack you and the boss battles are challenging. The game isn't perfect, as it constantly forces the tutorial on you and you sometimes spend too much time chasing enemies. But for a game that gives you a quick action fix, it's hard to dislike Go Mecha Ball's frantic pace.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp promises a good time for turn-based strategy fans and those new to the franchise. It’s nothing but strategy battles sprinkled with some story and the ability to unlock new characters. This might not be the game for you if strategy isn’t your favorite genre because there’s nothing else to do. But if you want a game that pushes your strategy skills, it’s hard to find a better game.
Atlas Wept does a great job at creating a 2D retro RPG that's accessible to beginners. Unfortunately, some of its strengths aren't enough to overshadow its weaknesses. The story can often be unclear with not enough explanation. It's too easy to get bogged down by combat, which weakens the overall charm. But what Atlas Wept does well is think outside the box, giving you a decent RPG experience to jump into.