Duskfade doesn’t get everything right, but I came away from it appreciating what Weird Beluga has attempted. It genuinely feels like a mid-2000s mascot adventure game, complete with colourful worlds, speedy movement, platforming challenges, straightforward action combat, character upgrades and a surprisingly earnest emotional story.
Steins;Gate was already one of my favourite visual novels. After spending all these years with it, I didn’t necessarily need another reason to love it. Somehow, Re:Boot gave me one anyway.
Nearly nine years later, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 still has plenty of rough edges, but its heart, characters and incredible sense of adventure remain as strong as ever. On Switch 2, it finally feels like the hardware is doing justice to the scale of the journey.
Blue Reflection Quartet isn’t a perfect collection, but it’s a fascinating introduction to a series I completely overlooked the first time around. Its strongest moments come from its characters, atmosphere and soundtrack rather than its combat, and while the older games can show their age, seeing the series evolve makes the journey worthwhile.
Splatoon Raiders could have easily been a simple spin-off that relied solely on the popularity of the franchise. Instead, Nintendo has delivered something that genuinely expands the Splatoon universe in meaningful ways.
By the time the credits rolled, I was genuinely impressed with what Denshattack had accomplished. It’s stylish, engaging, mechanically satisfying, and packed with personality from beginning to end. The combination of addictive gameplay, memorable characters, gorgeous visuals, and an outstanding soundtrack makes it incredibly easy to recommend
As someone finally getting the chance to experience one of gaming’s most iconic franchises, I’m glad I played it. The story may not have completely lived up to the legendary status it had built in my mind, but the satisfying combat, excellent weapon variety, enjoyable vehicle sections and impressive visual overhaul still make for a fun campaign.
I enjoyed my time with Echoes of Aincrad. It successfully does something different with the Sword Art Online formula by allowing players to experience the Aincrad incident through an entirely new perspective, and that alone makes it feel fresh. Strong combat, enjoyable progression, excellent presentation, and a genuinely engaging story make it an easy recommendation for fans of the series.
Black Flag still reminds me why it remains my favourite Assassin’s Creed game. It captures the fantasy of being a pirate better than almost anything else, while delivering one of the franchise’s strongest stories and most memorable protagonists. Resynced doesn’t replace those memories. It enhances them, proving that this classic still has plenty of wind left in its sails.
I went in expecting a decent co-op survival game with a Lovecraft skin, but what I found was one of the most effective portrayals of psychological horror I’ve experienced in gaming. Its madness system constantly keeps you questioning your own senses, the world is rich with intriguing lore, and the oppressive atmosphere perfectly captures the fear and uncertainty that define the Cthulhu Mythos.
I had a great time with The Adventures of Elliot, and it’s another strong showing from Square Enix. It may not completely reinvent the action RPG genre, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it focuses on delivering a polished, consistently entertaining adventure that reminded me why these kinds of games remain some of my favourites.
Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition is an outstanding addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 library. It delivers the complete core experience, includes all of the previously released DLC, performs exceptionally well, and finally allows one of Capcom’s greatest action games to be enjoyed both at home and on the go.
I came away from Star Fox thoroughly impressed. As someone with no nostalgic connection to the series, I finally understand why so many people still talk about it decades later. The combination of satisfying aerial combat, memorable characters, gorgeous visual upgrades, excellent performance and rewarding replayability makes this an easy recommendation for both newcomers and returning fans alike.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition definitely provides value for money. The main story alone will take around 70 hours to complete, but there’s easily over 100 hours of gameplay on offer here for those players that want to spend more time completing the many side quests, building character affinities and of course completing the new Future Connected epilogue.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is an impressive new chapter for the series and a confident beginning for a brand new protagonist.
Coffee Talk: Tokyo may not be the most complex game you’ll play this year, but it is one of the most heartfelt. For around ten hours, it invites you to sit down, pour a warm drink, listen to some wonderful stories, and spend time with characters you’ll genuinely care about. Sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of experience you need.
Whether you are a lifelong Yoshi fan, a Nintendo enthusiast, or someone completely new to the series, this is an adventure that is easy to recommend. It is heartfelt, visually beautiful, consistently inventive, and perfectly suited to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch 2. More importantly, it captures that special sense of joy and wonder that Nintendo so often excels at delivering, making it one of the most memorable family-friendly adventures available on the platform.
Legacy of the Dark Knight doesn’t just feel like another Lego Batman game. It feels like the future of the Lego franchise, and it’s one I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.
Tales of Arise is a notable step forward for the series, and it’s actually made me want to go back and investigate previous entries I’ll need to add to my gaming backlog. It’s full of fantastically written characters, a well developed world and drastically different biomes that assist in keeping everything visually interesting. I’ve had a great time with the game and can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters I’ve already fallen in love with.
For fans of Housemarque, Saros feels like a natural evolution of everything they’ve been building toward over the last decade. And for newcomers, it’s an outstanding place to finally discover why the studio has become one of the most exciting developers working in action games today.