World of Light maybe overstays its welcome, but it's an enjoyable ride through an array of matches. The oodles of extra modes are great alternative ways to mess with the characters and history. But the core of what matters with Smash Bros. is the local multiplayer, and it is still one of the best party games out there, bar none. Ultimate's inclusion of all the playable characters from the series history—as well as several dynamic new characters—along with most of the stages and music makes it a must-have multiplayer game for the Switch.
Conduct Together is an overall low-key affair but the puzzling chops here are solid and well crafted. The solo experience is the draw to me, as it's the kind of serene game with demanding puzzles that sucks me in. Multiplayer is a bit more goofy and frantic, but it has a fun feeling, especially if you can find some conductor compatriots to ride or die with.
series, except with much better art and music. Some warts do show up, mostly stemming from a steep early difficulty curve and occasionally hard-to-judge hitboxes and jumps, but on the whole, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a fabulous entry in a relatively dormant series. My future-gazing hope is that this team can have another go and make it more of a bolder, modern game than a warm, loving throwback to a series clearly near and dear to them.
Overall, Nidhogg 2 is a successful follow-up to the dynamite original, instantly making this one of the must-have local multiplayer games on Switch. Not much is there for the solo player, though the online multiplayer is nice. The ideal setup is a slew of friends passing off controllers in the tournament mode, but even in less than ideal multiplayer scenarios, it's still a chaotic and wacky blast.
This is really Stardew Valley but with cats, and that's an adorable and cute experience. It might not have the longevity of that and other farming games, but it has more heart than the majority of those games. This is a chill romp through a relaxing world that is best experienced by someone who just wants to take their time and smell the catnip.
Full Metal Furies works best as a local multiplayer game, but the developer makes a solid attempt at serving more common play styles by offering up a suitable online experience and a competent single-player alternative. This game is a much harder sell if you're only ever going to play it by yourself, but it's easy one if you have a few friends that want to mess around in a bright and lovely world with cute characters and a solid brawler with some light RPG upgrades.
Rogue Legacy is fundamentally sound but the stringent play pattern where you very slowly incrementally improve can make parts of this novel and fun platformer too slow for its own good. Thankfully the sheer polish of the platforming helps to transcend the issues more often than not. Even if you wind up slowing down and not saving the day, Rogue Legacy is a family trip worth taking thanks to cool ideas and a killer hook.
SNK isn't Nintendo or Sega, but they carved a unique path through the industry that has helped them stick around for 40 years. This celebration might only be focused on the first dozen or so years, but it's a lovingly crafted and curated virtual exhibit that sets the standard for retro collections for the future. SNK 40th Anniversary Collection shined a light on a company I didn't know much about, and I'm thrilled it will now be easy for others to learn about them the same way I did.
I'm aware that Carnival Games doesn't need my approval, but even with an open mind, I came away disappointed. I will always think fondly of my time with Wii-era party games and mini-game collections, but the Carnival Games revival will not be my preferred method of reliving that charming and gimmicky time period. Maybe this was a series worth leaving buried.
The arcade focus is fine, but this doesn't coalesce into a long-lasting, memorable experience. It treads mostly on its raunchiness and doesn't have the substance to match its gross style. Even on a system without Madden, Mutant Football League is too rough around the edges to be worthwhile.
As a wacky idea, I love Heavy Burger. It's such a goofy way to use old games in a new way. In execution, it's woefully scattershot. My fun with it lasted as long as the joke was still funny. Once that wore off, the multiplayer matches dried up fast. I wish this was a little better because I would love to see more things like it, but as it stands, Heavy Burger works better as a gag than a game.
The combat races and Arena matches are fun, but the straight-on racing is subpar. The courses are detailed and varied, but they're hard to make sense of when going fast. While it's certainly nice to see a throwback to old racing games, especially one with local split-screen, I wish it could have been a game I'd want to break out with friends more often.
Maybe it's because my affection for horror movies is more broad and not specific, but whatever the case, I wish there was more than just Jason present in the sequences and puzzles. That being said, Killer Puzzle has staying power and longevity, mostly thanks to the daily puzzles. I might prefer Slayaway Camp in a direct comparison, but both games are well made and fun.
It's a smartly-made stealth game that oozes style while being packed with gameplay variety and depth. Playing this 2012 release today made me wary that it might show its age, but the amazing thing is that in 2018, this game feels extremely fresh. This ninja has been hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike on Switch, and the results are fantastic.
I wish there was more to it, or at the very least that it was a little more forgiving. The style of Black Bird is masterful as the mixture of the peculiar soundtrack, dour pixel art, and elegantly simple gameplay makes for a fun yet fleeting experience. It's just over too soon for everyone except shoot-'em-up savants.
If you're looking for something better for lighter concentration, Jackbox 5 doesn't have the variety of some of the earlier bundles. I came away impressed by the five games here; I don't think any of them are even close to being a dud. You just need to make sure everyone's up for the long haul with these games.
While the fact that there is a game called Crayola Scoot is still funny to me (just say it aloud; you'll probably smile or grimace), it's no joke that this game is actually good. This isn't a trashy cash-in or a poor licensed title. No, Crayola Scoot is a totally fine kid-centric extreme sports video game peppered with some nice touches, like the Splatoon-esque combo system or the gentle progression nestled within a harder series of challenges.
This world is a joy to get lost in and thanks to the unique take on procedural design, it offers a multitude of ways to re-experience the game even after completion. Aside from some minor issues with the ho-hum traversal upgrades, Chasm is an inspired take on a well-worn genre. If you long for the days of annual Igavanias, Chasm's one of the better modern stabs at that glory.
It's deliriously silly in a way that matches Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime in tone and style. This is built for four friends messing around and trolling each other trying to progress through difficult platforming challenges together. It falters a little bit in longevity and as a solo experience, but those elements are more secondary to the raucous fun in multiplayer.
However, Marble It Up as it is right now is an excellent marble puzzle platformer with not a lot of meat on its bones. It's hard to recommend in its current form because it's so threadbare, but it's something worth keeping an eye on as updates are made.