Neal Ronaghan
Treating this game like a super-serious RPG is the wrong way to go about it, as that's where the holes start to emerge, whether it's the middling combat or the mildly annoying quest and item management troubles. This is a comedy, pure and simple, and thankfully it's one that's clever and funny in a way that makes up for any lesser gameplay segments. It's a great chaser between the ample supply of serious games out there, especially if you have Stupid Walking turned on.
On their own, the 12 games in this collection might not be worth it to most people outside of series fans, but the full Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is a package of interesting past significance. It's the kind of thing that could be used in the future to explain the first decade of the series. Even if you would inevitably get thrashed taking this game online, this collection's overall production values and ease of use make it something that can be toyed with and enjoyed even if you can barely Hadouken. Outside of the lack of a good arcade stick option on Switch and rough online play, if you want to play some old Street Fighter games, this is likely the best option out there and should be for a long time.
Yoku's Island Express is far from bad. It has great ideas, a very good soundtrack, and competent gameplay. But while there's not too much actively wrong with it, it doesn't do anything exceptionally well either. It'll do.
The only shame is that Dead-Heat Breakers is launching on the 3DS at a time when the system is old hat. If you have the desire to put down your Switch and play some 3DS, Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers is very much recommended. Here's hoping the silent armadillo makes it to the greener pastures of the Switch in the future.
Multiplayer is where the mileage of this game is, and if you can get into this with friends, it can be glorious. Otherwise, it's a really funny concept that might only hang around for a night or two of laughs. That's totally fine, especially because the name Disco Dodgeball Remix is still humorous by its very existence.
If your favorite aspects of Fire Emblem games were the story and you're antsy waiting for the series to arrive on Switch, sitting down with The Banner Saga might be a good way to sooth your tactical RPG desires.
At the end of the day, Wizard of Legend is a totally fine arcade-style dungeon crawling roguelite. It's not near the top of the genre, or even near the top of the genre's Switch representation, but with the fun two-player experience, it's a respectable addition. If you'd rather sling spells then shoot guns, dance among the dead, or jump around, Wizard of Legend is a good game to pick up.
The overworld is nicely streamlined and the dungeons, aside from being a tight fit on the Switch screen, are fun to explore. To top it off, the Joe Mad art is excellent and the overall presentation is superb. Nightwar is truly a fantastic RPG, and if you could wipe away the minor technical woes, it's one of the best available on Switch so far.
The wacky narrative escapades in Death Road to Canada are where it excels, but it falls apart when you actually want to progress. The brutal, random nature too often made me feel like I had little agency in my quest, which made it hard to really care about ever making it to Canada reliably. The reward for my death road was the unusual tales I created along the way, not the gameplay.
If you're looking for something substantive or something that doesn't have vexing controls and frustrating moments, this doesn't deliver that. What you see is what you get. No more no less.
No better time than now to finally play Retro Studios' excellent Donkey Kong sequel.
While the introductory RC Car is a quick 10-minute build, the other four (Motorbike, Piano, Fishing Rod, and House) are much more involved.
It's just all over rather quickly. I like Light Fall a whole lot and I could have stood for some more of it, maybe with some less spaced-out checkpoints and a less disappointing finale. As it stands, it's good game that ends a little too soon.
The game might be dated in some respects, with a punishing difficulty and steep initial difficulty curve, but it's worth powering through to learn the intricacies. Aside from that, since it does have an arcade background, it's a tiny bit on the short side with the only carrot on the end of the stick being online leaderboards. Wild Guns Reloaded might still sidle into cult classic status on Switch, but at least if you do dive into it now, it'll be with the novel new characters, stages, and polish.
A digital board game that lives up to the real deal.
Whether your throughline with Streets of Red is roguelike beat-'em-up or throwback to arcade brawlers, it's a great time. While it works best in co-op, overall this is a game with easy-to-grasp controls that builds out a wealth of variety with numerous characters and upgrades.
Regardless of the overall simplicity or the uncomplicated design, The Adventure Pals is a really charming platformer that is a joy to play whether by yourself or with a friend in co-op. It's a lighthearted, jokey journey filled with a plethora of fun ideas that is eminently enjoyable, especially with a younger gamer.
Penny-Punching Princess might have its issues, but it's a nice lightweight brawler that mixes together quick levels and a focus on grinding for items to make for a good home and portable experience on Switch, even if sometimes that expedient pace can be thwarted by some choke points. The issues might drag it down overall, but enough clever ideas make this a game worth checking out, as long as you're not that much in debt to the Dragoloans.
It takes a basic concept and never lingers too long on one idea, continually adding new and novel twists. For the several hours it will take you to finish, Slayaway Camp stays fresh, avoiding the common problems of the horror movies it draws influence from. Even when mimicking the absurdity of later Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, it stays inventive and fun.
While cool concepts and ideas are awash throughout Swim Out, the dawdling pace of the 100+ puzzles drowns the more novel ideas. This is, for better or worse, an alright puzzle game that just happens to be in a sea of better ones. Good for a laidback romp, but not for much else.