Diablo Immortal's monster slaying action is visceral and satisfying, and the game offers up a huge amount of gameplay for free. That said, its monetisation model and numerous restrictions sour the end game experience, and leave plenty of room for improvement.
With superb visual design and an incredibly well-realised rendition of Tokyo, Ghostwire gets a lot right, but just doesn't quite have the gameplay chops to push it over the top.
Rollercoaster-like courses and a wealth of moves make OlliOlli World a huge amount of fun to play, whether you're just cruising or out to become a true skate god.
Solar Ash may not get everything right, but its kinetic platforming and incredibly stylish presentation make its world a lot of fun to explore.
Two solid platformers in one; neither of which approaches the franchise's most dizzying heights.
With a gorgeous mythological world to fight through and explore, it's a shame Immortals Fenyx Rising's puzzles are so unremarkable.
Age of Calamity boasts compelling combat, a stack of content and a clever remix of Breath of the Wild's Hyrule.
Inertial Drift's innovative racing mechanics take drifting to a whole new level.
The Origami King suffers from one-note combat and few real choices, but its personality and visual design are a joy.
Unique mechanics, dynamic gameplay and polished presentation make this the collectible card game to beat.
Reroll gives a whole new generation the chance to experience this wonderful Japanese fever dream.
It may be a very short diversion, but Donut County is a delight. It's absolutely brimming with personality, has a killer soundtrack and visual aesthetic, and is based on an irresistible gameplay hook. I'd have loved more, but I guess I'll just settle for playing through it again.
If you like your games with an offbeat sense of humour and plenty of personality, Flipping Death comes recommended. Its central game design hook of flipping between life and death makes for an interesting world to navigate and puzzles to solve, and its characters are so oddball and endearing you'll want to hear every conversation in full, not to mention find out how it all ends.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom distinguishes itself from its predecessor by layering fast-paced, real-time combat and an engaging kingdom building system atop more traditional RPG systems and quests. It's a shame it delivers so few truly memorable characters and restricts so much of its storytelling to text on screen, but by the end of Ni No Kuni 2 the broader themes certainly resonate and the 40+ hour journey has been well worth it.
Fable Fortune has some novel ideas that put a new spin on gameplay that's familiar to CCG fans. Its good/evil upgrade system shows a lot of potential, though its selection of cards needs to grow into it before it can really pay off.
SteamWorld Dig 2 retains the original's addictive resource-gathering gameplay, but supplements it with a gorgeously detailed, handcrafted world. Its heady mix of exploration, combat, platforming, and puzzle solving, alongside an expansive set of abilities and mods gives it plenty of variety and a great gameplay rhythm. I wish there was more to do once the campaign ends, but that's a testament to the fact that what is here is just about pitch perfect.
Knack 2 is lacking in a number of areas, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. The pacing is spot-on, the combat satisfying and the gameplay varied. Co-op is genuinely good fun too, and most definitely the best way for younger gamers to get into the action. Knack 2 is definitely a step up from the original, then, but until the writing and characterisation improve drastically, it's not going to be a true first party titan.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends may not be the most visually appealing CCG, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in modes, mechanics and card design. This is well worth checking out for fans of The Elder Scrolls or digital card games in general. And like all great CCGs, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
Fast RMX may not be the perfect anti-gravity racing package, but it certainly offers high-speed racing and a lot of tracks to challenge yourself on. It’s a shame that the online multiplayer offering is so barebones, and that the time trial mode is currently AWOL, but in lieu of an official Wipeout or F-Zero this is a solid option to get your arcade racing fix on the Nintendo Switch.
I greatly enjoyed the two or so hours it took me to play through Pony Island. This is a game that delights in toying with your expectations and in breaking the fourth wall, in revealing its sinister yet playful world, and in building up a compelling antagonist and telling an ambiguous story. Pony Island is about as punk rock as they come.