Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft does just enough with the original Tomb Raider games to make them a great fit for the Nintendo Switch. The ability to instantly flip between the original and remastered graphics is entertaining, but the real fun lies with the games themselves. And these are the three best Tomb Raiders ever made.
Despite its nearly 20-year-old origins, Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal makes for a fun, violent time on the Nintendo Switch. The aging graphics and cumbersome controls aren't enough to hamper its core stealth action gameplay no matter what playthrough you're on.
The Legend of Steel Empire for Nintendo Switch strikes a solid balance between its modern upgrades and its Sega Genesis roots. Despite its short campaign, the game offers plenty for shmup fans to uncover and master without completely overwhelming casual arcade players.
I couldn't help but think back to Minesweeper when playing Growth. There's much more to this relaxing, nature-based, hexagonal puzzle game, but its reliance on a mixture of clever strategy and random luck will appeal to (or repel) the same crowd.
It's probably not good that the most distinctive element of Arcadian Atlas is its jazzy soundtrack, but it's still a decent tactical RPG that provides enough challenge and intrigue to overcome a few missteps. Genre fans will get their money's worth.
As far as action RPGs go, Astlibra Revision is one of the most surprising I've played in quite some time. Outside of the occasional gap where neither the story nor gameplay seem to be progressing, it engages (and challenges) the player in multiple unique ways throughout its somewhat lengthy duration.
9 Years of Shadows' pixel graphics are gorgeous, its story is compelling, and its boss battles are worth the slower moments you have to wade through to get there. It's a fun adventure that offers enough surprises to keep Castlevania fans engaged throughout.
Grace of Letoile has a fun, turn-based battle gimmick that's unfortunately underused throughout the game. Thankfully, the brisk story and engaging characters push the game along when combat starts to feel redundant, making it a worthwhile side quest between your more epic adventures.
Howl combines challenging turn-based gameplay, creative visual effects, and a somber story to produce a unique strategy puzzle game. Built-in repetition and a lack of instruction do slow things down, but, taken in smaller doses, there's enough here to compel most puzzle fans through to its resolution.
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a chaotic mix of gaming tasks and music styles that will continue to surprise and delight players throughout…provided the required rhythm precision doesn't turn them away first. Definitely don't try it alone, and make sure your co-op partners-either locally or online-are fully up to speed as you progress.
Terra Alia: The Language Discovery RPG is an OK game that does an OK job of introducing you to the vocabulary of your choice from 10 available languages. Its story and combat system are not compelling enough to attract those uninterested in the education component, but the language gimmick offers a unique experience that can reinforce players' outside lessons.
Long Gone Days is an RPG with a very smart story. It's a bit of a shame, then, that the gameplay elements are elementary. If you allow yourself to get attached to this somber world and its young cast of sympathetic characters, however, the experience will be well worth your time.
Easy Japanesey is anything but. This educational game attempts to teach Japanese vocabulary and character recognition, but it provides little in the way of instructions or context. It also barely provides a user interface and is, therefore, as much fun to use as a fast food self-checkout kiosk.
Ebenezer and the Invisible World brings a fun, holiday-themed premise and palette to Metroidvanias, but not much else. Annoying issues and gameplay repetition will bring out the Scrooge in some gamers, but Metroidvania fans may see it through to redemption.
Fate/Samurai Remnant is a Musou game for players who just can't get into Musou combat. By relying more on narrative, puzzles, and RPG stat building, it certainly has a broader reach for action gamers. The new formula still becomes repetitive, however, and performance issues on the Switch may start to nag after a while.
The core gameplay and roguelite loop of Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade likely won't hold the attention of rhythm game fans for long. Its J-pop charms, however, may be enough to win over Hello Kitty fans or those who just enjoy happiness in general.
The visuals and roguelike elements of World of Horror combine to create a wholly unique experience for Switch users. The gameplay loop does become repetitive rather quickly, but the short gaming sessions and changing relationship between events make this a successful and scary diversion from the norm.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is a difficult SRPG to push through if you have no previous experience with the series. But you've got to start somewhere, right? And once you get into the flow of it, you may find yourself losing a month or two to the game's unique elements, tricky systems, and joyful charms.
The appeal of BBG Entertainment's Astrosmash remake is not in what it modernizes, but in what it retains from the original. Although it looks good and runs great on the Nintendo Switch, its best feature is how accurately it recreates the feeling of playing it on the Intellivision in the early '80s.
Silent Hope is a simple action RPG that provides plenty of fun even if it doesn't pose a substantial challenge. Paying all playable characters equal attention will lead to redundancy, but shifting your focus to just a few will help the quick combat and hero customization to carry you through.