WORTH CONSIDERING - Turmoil is in fact a quite charming game, with a soothing soundtrack and a really clean 2d art style. The gameplay is casual, but addictive and at no time did I ever feel overwhelmed by any of the sim management aspects. It was a fun time for me hopping into the year 1899 and drilling for black gold.
GREAT - clean, vibrant and accessible way that I generally thought wouldn’t be possible. With semi-freeform trails that allow players to carve out their own paths, and challenges that’ll have you white knuckling down a mountain to beat a time limit, there’s a lot of intense fun to be found here for a very reasonable $19.99 price tag.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Curious Expedition is a game for those that enjoy Roguelike strategy titles with some choose your own adventure thrown in for good measure. The graphics aren’t that great, but I had a fun time trying to nab some treasure without dying. If you don’t like having to start over from scratch after you die, then this one’s not for you.
GREAT - Follow Milo and Lola, recent college graduates having just been inducted into hell as they search for answers, but more importantly, try and find a way out back to the land of living via drinking Satan under the table. Hell is party central and there’s a great adventure game to be had here. Dark, mature humor, vibrant visuals, and a storyline that’s a blast to be a part of, make Afterparty another great title from developer Night School Studio. Hell is a party, and one that’s not a snooze fest.
EXCELLENT - Two Point Hospital takes on the business management sim as humorously as possible and comes out on top of the genre. Although a revitalization of a classic title from the ‘90s, this new game builds a well balanced and surprisingly deep sim without ever creating a frustrating experience. It’s easy to play on the Nintendo Switch, and hours will quickly slip by as you treat patients for silly illnesses, customize your hospital, and expand your services to maximize those sweet profits! While I generally avoid hospitals like the plague, I’m happy to make an exception for Two Point Hospital.
BAD - Demolish & Build 2018 tries to offer something in the simulation genre that would appeal to many players, in that you can be a demo expert and blow up buildings, smash objects, and then do some replacement construction. Unfortunately, the game falls short on creating a realistic simulation, combined with pretty rough visuals and audio, and confusing progression and secondary gameplay systems. The only demolishing I’ll be doing at this point is removing the game from my Switch.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Music Racer is a quite reasonable addition to the rhythm game genre. It delivers a visually striking experience, with significantly non-challenging gameplay if desired. The music included is all typical EDM, but many of the songs are quite catchy and what should be expected in this genre. There’s a ton of visual unlocks, but otherwise the progression is pretty lackluster, so don’t expect to be playing this game for countless hours. That being said, for a $6.99 price point, it’s not going to break the bank to have a little fun.
MEDIOCRE - A farming sim adventure on a deserted archipelago certainly has a great ring to it, and the setting is ripe for a lot of exploration, discovery, and some clever mechanics. Stranded Sails however falls a bit short in nearly every department. A heavy over-use of a convoluted cooking mechanic and other issues prevented the game from reaching that addictive quality that is required for games like these.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Megaquarium offers up a robust and well-researched fish and aquarium sim to players. You’ll have a blast expanding out the aquarium of your dreams. However, the complexity of the game is a bit high and it’s not always clear why certain behaviors are happening. It’s not the most visually appealing game, but there’s a whale-load of content to experience if you’re willing to give it a shot.
GOOD - Felix The Reaper brings a tragic comedy in the form of a challenging puzzle game to the Nintendo Switch. With a catchy soundtrack, vibrant visuals, and a reasonably fun storyline narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart, there’s a good game play here for only $24.99 on the eShop.
GOOD - RAD is a pretty typical rogue-like that’s bound to be familiar for fans of the genre. It splices up things by mutating your character as you progress and explore the ‘80s neo post-post-apocalyptic wastelands giving you a dynamic experience that both can feel great but also land on the unbalanced side frequently. Double Fine has brought their style and quality here from everything in the visual identity of the game, to the humor and just overall class. There’re some nagging performance problems on the Switch you’ll have to contend with, but thankfully it didn’t cripple the game in any way.
GOOD - Eight-Minute Empire is a perfect bite sized strategy board game adaptation brought to a befit on-the go platform with the Nintendo Switch. Easy to learn game mechanics without sacrificing strategy, combined with games that can be played easily on a 15-minute break or less is good fun. I wish the game had a custom match offering, as I think players would be able to really get a lot of bang for the buck then, but what is offered isn’t too thin thankfully.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Solo: Islands of the Heart is an introspective journey to question how you love and understand different ways it can manifest. Filled with light puzzle elements and exploration, this game can be relaxing and is more of a walking simulator than anything else. The $20 asking price is a bit steep for the content included.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity is a clever narrative journey of a space repairman stuck in a predicament and he just wants to find his way home. Gameplay feels familiar to other genres, while finding its own unique mechanics to create a pretty enjoyable experience. It’s not a particularly deep game, but the voiced story is what keeps players engaged more so than the core gameplay.
GOOD - Graveyard Keeper is the dark and twisted humorous companion to games like Stardew Valley. It boasts many similarities but delves particularly deep into crafting, exploration, and story intertwinement. For a more casual player, this game can easily feel overwhelming, somewhat confusing and definitely complicated though. Tending a cemetery ends up being far more enjoyable that one might expect with Graveyard Keeper and it’s a very reasonable to give this game a go for $20 on the Nintendo eShop.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Verlet Swing combines a unique art style with platform swinging mechanics in a progressively challenging game that’ll test your skills to the max. For someone thinking this may be similar to an artistic walking simulator like Abzu or Firewatch, you’ll be sorely amiss. Sticking with the game and overcoming its challenges will reward you with new unique environments to play through, but swinging around is anything but easy.
EXCELLENT - Slay the Spire combines deck building with turn-based combat in a roguelike form like none other. Satisfying gameplay with so many player-driven actions makes for a completely fulfilling experience every run you take at the Spire – even when you perish. This is the type of game that will stay on my Switch for years to come.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Chime Sharp brings puzzle placing action into the music genre after a long hiatus from other platforms. It delivers a more refined experience than its predecessor from long ago, and certainly should whet the appetites for longtime fans. There’s a bit of a learning curve, and not everything is explained very clearly to new users, but it shouldn’t hold anyone back for too long. For fans of puzzle games, it’s a solid game to have in your library, but may be a bit niche for everyone else.
GOOD - Anarcute brings a whimsical, colorful and (dare I say?) joyful experience to the act of rioting. With a Katamari-esque feel to collecting fellow rioters and grabbing environmental items to throw around, it’s a blast to cause mayhem and take down the corporations brainwashing folks. Accessible gameplay and challenging missions kept me coming back for more, although the game could have used more satisfying unlockable elements.
GOOD - Redout features hyper fast racing and looks visually stunning when playing on the TV. Controls are sharp and fluid, but a completely dead online multiplayer and no local play option was disappointing, and the visual fidelity in handheld mode leaves much to be desired. The $40 asking price is double the competition, like Fast RMX, but Redout features a ton of tracks and modes and futuristic racing fans will definitely find a lot to like here.