Night in the Woods and it's one of the most important experiences I've had as an enthusiast of this industry for over 30 years.
The blue blur returns in Sonic Mania, the hedgehog's crowning achievement
Onrush is an excellent reimagining of the driving genre. It’s Evolution Studios greatest hits smashed together with the ultimate competitive traits of the very best modern multiplayer games. It stands alongside its peers as a reason to invest in premium online services, laughs in the face of those who would dare pigeonhole it and demands your attention.
Ape Out is persistently challenging, completely bonkers and deliriously entertaining.
The narrative is by far the most engaging and wonderful I’ve had the pleasure to experience this year so far.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps improves upon its predecessor in every way, and is perhaps the most accomplished Switch port so far. Completely and utterly essential.
The Entropy Centre is a masterclass in intuitive, creative and exciting game design. From the first puzzle to the last you’ll be staggered by the imagination on display, and as you rebuild the world around you you’ll have a few chuckles along the way, too. A truly excellent first-person puzzle that deserves to be played by absolutely everyon
Velocity 2X then remains an absolutely unmissable experience. The control issues may initially throw off the seasoned player, and you’ll have to adjust rather dramatically, even with a single button change it’s crazy the affect it has on your knowledge of the game. That being said, it’s still utterly, utterly brilliant.
Ironcast has proved once again that ports are nothing but a plus for Nintendo Switch.
Monster Boy stands alongside the likes of Celeste and Yoku’s Island Express as truly fantastic representations of the genre, doing enough differently and with enough style, polish and care to ensure it’s kicking and screaming on the doors of the Game of the Year contenders.
Downwell finally made it to Switch and it’s found the best place to play. The Switch has done it again.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a genius game to port to the Switch. It’s so absurdly entertaining, so enthralling and addictive that it’s knocked out Mario Kart 8 as our go to multiplayer game for the time being. Its unique aspects ensure that it’s an essential title to add to your Switch line-up, and is yet another port that’s found a brand new home. I now prefer playing it this way to VR, which is something I never thought I’d say as I ranked it as one of the best PSVR experiences a couple years ago.
There is nothing quite like it.
It’s the best in its field and now it’s on Switch, which makes it more or less essential and yet another cracking indie port to Nintendo’s delightful handheld hybrid.
The stage is set and if the content releases continue at this high bar level of quality, there's every chance we'll be talking about Destiny 2 as a potential "Game of The Generation", never mind "Game of the Year".
Despite its niggles, Tokyo 42 is quite simply absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait to see what SMAC Games have for us next.
It's a monumental pain in the ass at times and is perhaps too much of an onslaught for the less experienced in the genre (our advice is to start out on rookie. You'd be surprised how big of a leap it is to 'experienced'), but for those who are after a game where you can take on the world in a variety of modes (MUST. COMPLETE. FEATS. BOARD.), there's no reason at all why Nex Machina shouldn't be the top of your list.
I'm struggling to find something I really didn't enjoy about Golf Story. It feels fantastic on my Switch and is the kind of game I could play for hours on a train journey (battery withstanding). I'm delighted it's as good as I was hoping it would be, it's probably exceeded my expectations.
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine is a colossal re-imagining of what a narrative driven game can be.
It’s a game that wears its heart on its sleeve and is full of fun and exciting gameplay, which in its more tricky areas requires your attention. It looks terrific and runs like a dream, you may expect it considering the 2D visuals but there are moments I felt like I was playing a cartoon and the grin wasn’t going away.