Neal Ronaghan
Shifty is a straightforward, focused caper with little fluff that will last you a few hours as you climb through 18 stages. What it lacks in length its makes up for with a dynamite gameplay hook. Teleporting is incredibly neat and opens up a lot of daring and rewarding circumstances where you can mow down foes. As long as you can overlook the handful of moments where the combat isn't the focus, Mr. Shifty is a great addition to the young Switch eShop.
But through all those old-school problems, The Dragon's Trap is still a strong and engaging Metroid-esque platformer that features a pleasant interconnected world filled with areas packed with secrets and grand old-fashioned platforming. It's well worth overcoming the outmoded aspects to experience a fresher take on a great game.
I might still carry a torch for quality single-player content and progression in Mario Kart, but there's no denying that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a step in the right direction for just about every other element.
Comparing Arms to Mario Kart 8 with regards to the online experience comes out favorably, though, as Arms' fresher gameplay style and highly polished online lobbies and infrastructure makes it a more active and engaging online affair. Even with the Grand Prix drawbacks, Arms is a fantastic start to a new franchise. Time will tell if Arms truly has legs, but it's definitely firmly planted at launch.
Gonner presents a stiff challenge that might not be for everyone, but if the potential oddities of this disquieting adventure seem up your alley, it's well worth trying to figure out; just be prepared to maybe look up a few things for clarification. It's not quite the tops of this take on the roguelike genre, but Gonner definitely earns its spot at the table.
While I had fun with the single-player, NBA Playgrounds is mostly a mess otherwise.
Salmon Run is brilliant, but only being able to play it at specific times is downright awful, and the local form of it requires a wealth of systems and games to work optimally. Still, even with those woeful limitations, Splatoon 2 is the best online game on Switch and with more updates coming down the road, could stay that way for a very long time. This might not be quite as fresh as it was in 2015, but it is certainly, as Marina and Pearl say, “off the hook.
Up until the bitter end, the diversity of levels and concepts is glorious. The fast-paced cooking might get stressful, but that also makes success all the more tasty. If you can find the right team of cooks and overlook a lower framerate, Overcooked on Switch is glorious.
While I still feel the late-game battles are drawn out with palette swaps and needless complexity, Severed is such a fantastic game otherwise that even with a few warts, Severed is absolutely worth checking out, especially if you missed any of its other releases on Wii U, 3DS, and more.
Depending on your skill and luck, Ironcast can be a fun 10 hour or so romp, fraught with many failures but likely numerous last-second victories and absolute dominations. The mixture of turn-based strategy and match-three puzzling is novel and for the most part, works extremely well in the rogue-like permadeath structure. The tedious and humdrum story can be tiresome, but if you focus on honing tactics to take down your rivals while building up your gear and abilities, Ironcast is a fantastic and unique game.
After beating Metroid: Samus Returns, my skepticism washed away, mostly thanks to the fact that this 3DS game pays a loving homage to the greatness of past entries while adding enough new elements to feel like a fresh and wonderful modern experience. With their powers combined, Nintendo and MercurySteam basically struck gold with this game. Samus Returns is a dynamite entry in the fabled series and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Metroid: Zero Mission and Super Metroid. If you've been waiting for a new 2D Metroid game from Nintendo for more than a decade, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
Still, if you want to sit back and relax with your Switch, Semispheres is an enjoyable and serene puzzler that is both soothing and tough. The lack of overall meat to the game is a little disappointing, but the ride is very much worthwhile as long as you're okay with a shorter-than-expected time.
Golf Story doesn't totally live up to the legacy of those Mario sports RPGs, but it does a very good job at touching on those classics and putting its own spin on the genre. A few nagging issues might draw down the experience, but the golfing is fun enough to work in tandem with a wacky story and world to make a genuinely enjoyable adventure on Switch.
It's a marvelous shooter that brings forth the best elements of cooperative play, as the action gets frantic, the difficulty ramps up, and even failure can result in a hell of a good time. If you have a few people to play with, Lovers is a fine addition to your Switch library, but even if you're all alone, you can pair up with a good computer-controlled puppy dog or cat and still have yourself a good time. This is an adorable, charming adventure - one that lovers of fine co-op game shouldn't miss.
Regardless of small blemishes, Axiom Verge is one of the best Metroid-esque games I've played outside of Samus' orbit. It's the rare game that seems to understand exactly what made that series so spectacular, using that understanding to craft original power-ups and concepts that make this more than just a hollow Metroid rip-off.
The straightforward design might not be for everyone, as no great challenge is nestled in Yono's escapades. This is an easier game that's perfect for those who want to sink into a contemplative cartoon world or maybe kick back and play an easy-to-comprehend game with their kid.
Each game in Jackbox Party Pack 4 is a winner - something I've never said about a Jackbox pack before. These games don't have convoluted rules and are super easy to jump right into, with each one being a great time even if you're flailing and not scoring any of the requisite points required to win. The variety also makes it versatile for different groups, and if you're searching for a solid party game on Switch, this might just be the one to break out during the holidays.
I truthfully didn't expect The Flame in The Flood to make the impression on me that it did. It's easily the best survival game I've ever played, all the way from its satisfying gameplay to its masterful audio design. In the veritable long river of eShop games on Switch right now, this is one worth making sure you've got enough food and water to last a couple weeks.
Even in the face of it's most frustrating elements, The Mummy Demastered isn't a bad game. It's just disappointing, more reminiscent of WayForward's okay past licensed work than any of their more transcendent Shantae games.
If you're looking for a light co-op game on Switch, Moon Hunters is fantastic, and the simple combat and short length are more of a boon than a hindrance. But if you want something deeper and long-lasting, this falls short of that, especially as a single-player-only affair. Still, weaving your own legends makes for a good time, even if it's short-lived.