Fans who patiently awaited the next game from the Disco Elysium studio can rest easy. Zero Parades is another complex, intelligent and gorgeously presented RPG. It oozes style and boasts an engaging narrative and cast.That said, it brings nothing new to the groundbreaking experience offered by its predecessor.
Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is a satisfyingly faithful update to a beloved Kaiju brawler. It's simple and fun, with local and online multiplayer keeping you around for the long haul despite a wafer-thin single-player experience. Now if we could just get a remaster of Save The Earth and Unleashed…
Trails in the Sky: 2nd Chapter is more of the same, and that is definitely a good thing. It's part of an exemplary remake cycle that rivals Final Fantasy VII's.The new adventure takes us back through familiar areas while continuing the journey of Estelle and Joshua Bright. The 3rd Chapter will push the siblings into the background, but on the strength of these updates, that can't come soon enough.
Ratatan is a welcome injection of weird into the Switch 2 roster. Hiroyuki Kotani builds on the legacy of Patapon with an addictive musical strategy title that will have "Rata" and "Un-Taka" rattling around your brain long after you walk away from your console.It will please fans of the developer's previous rhythm-action strategy, while offering something fresh and challenging for newcomers. It's a bit light and can feel too chaotic at times, but it's easily one of the most unique titles on Switch 2.
Minecraft Dungeons 2 adds some mechanical changes alongside a new open-world format, making for a distinctly different sequel. It's a simple, bare-bones ARPG with a strong co-op experience that's currently let down by some technical hitches.Those jumping in at launch will likely be the established fanbase of either the franchise or the popular first Dungeons entry. Anyone else after a deep or challenging ARPG is unlikely to be won over.
Valheim 1.0 is finally here and it brings an atmospheric, challenging, and compulsive persistent world to Switch 2. An epic survival-crafting game with solid fantasy worldbuilding, it's a fascinating hybrid. Performance issues and uneven crossplay blight the release experience, so let's hope Iron Gate keeps an eye on this version with future updates.
In many ways, this is the same satisfying core experience as the first game. A visual overhaul and some significant changes to combat and dungeon exploration, however, make Moonlighter 2 a bigger, bolder sequel that's worth clocking in for.
Madden 27 improves on the performance of the previous entry and adds in a healthy suite of new features to make this a worthy new year for NFL on Switch 2. Franchise mode is even more of a time sink with the added Persona DNA management, while MUT is bursting with challenges to keep you opening packs until next year.Online issues take the shine off things, at least at launch, but this is the best football game on Nintendo hardware since Tecmo Bowl.
Performance-wise, Oblivion Remastered may not sing as you'd hope on Nintendo's hardware, although the added control options are very welcome and it looks and sounds the part, even when the frame rate dips below the target 30fps.However, this is without a doubt one of the best RPGs of all time and the remaster gives the same old game a brand-new look. With the main quest and all additional content, it's huge value for money and well worth experiencing for the first time or revisiting if you've walked through this flaming gate before.
The latest entry in the Digimon franchise was well worth the wait, arriving on Switch 2 in fine form with a performance standard that puts its closest rival to shame. Digimon Story Time Stranger's monster-battling is as fun as ever, and the time-hopping, dimension-crossing story is a blast from start to finish.
Yacht Club Games has successfully made the leap from Mario-inspired side-on platforming to Zelda-style adventure, delivering another retro-styled masterpiece. Mina the Hollower is an intricate, challenging yet accessible adventure packed with content, set against a gorgeous 8-bit gothic backdrop.
A globe-trotting adventure with compelling exploration, crunchy melee, and tomb-raiding puzzles. With a great story and sky-high production value, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an authentic new franchise entry with a capable lead in Troy Baker. And despite taking the odd hit, the Switch 2 port holds its own admirably.
With a strong relationship at its core, a striking sci-fi aesthetic, and an addictive puzzle combat loop, Pragmata is the full package. The adventures of Hugh and Diana stands as another excellent Switch 2 port from Capcom, and hopefully marks the beginning of a new blockbuster franchise.
The Midnight Walk is an intoxicating journey through a beautifully twisted nightmare world. The Burnt One's quest to Moon Mountain is an atmospheric, bleak, and surprisingly sweet story that's worth experiencing.
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits is a great addition to the Switch 2 roster. A visually stunning platforming adventure with great storytelling and an adorable companion mechanic. Combat and enemy design leave a lot to be desired, but this doesn't do much to dent the experience of Kena's journey.
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Playing as a Trooper or a Bug in this stylised retro shooter is every bit as entertaining as the movie that inspired it, with a bonus hit of nostalgia for fans of golden-era military shooters. It doesn't take a brain bug to realise that multiplayer would have been a great addition to round out the package, though.
A visually intoxicating journey across an alien world, as full of cute critters as it is murderous robots. Planet of Lana 2 builds on the original game with a wider scope and worthwhile mechanical changes. The mix of stealth, platforming and Mui-based puzzles keeps Lana's journey feeling fresh throughout.
It's easy to get retro fatigue when every month brings another wave of throwbacks. Scott Pilgrim EX, however, is a reminder of why this genre became so popular in the first place. The spirit and execution come together in a way that feels fresh rather than forced.There's real pick-up-and-play value here, whether you're going solo or just messing around with friends. You don't even need to be a fan of Scott Pilgrim to enjoy it. After all, getting a bunch of friends together to battle the forces of evil with martial arts and giant turnips is about as universal as it gets.
An explosive return from this 30-year-old franchise, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is close to being the full package. It's one of those rare reboots that can satisfy older fans while also appealing to newer players drawn to the roguelite loop. It's fast, entertaining, and backed by a teeth-rattling heavy metal soundtrack.It's a shame, then, that there isn't more of it. With no multiplayer and no additional content announced, Rogue Shift starts strong and shows real promise, but it ultimately runs out of gas.