GOOD - Rise of the Slime is a very personable deck-building roguelike game. Robust gameplay mechanics with just the right blend of randomization and skill, as well as high replayability that makes it the perfect game on-the-go. The visuals are charming, but a bit lifeless, however the game is accessible through use of both the Touch and Joy-Con controls. With a competitive price point of $14.99, if you’re of a fan of games like Slay the Spire, Rise of the Slime will be good company in your library.
GOOD - Taking on the role of a DJ, you’ll be mixing licensed music tracks from plenty of genres to please your venue’s crowds, and also your pals at home. There’s a real skillset to master once you get going in the game, and it’s a lot of fun hearing your creations come to life. Sadly, none of the game’s multiplayer modes worked at all for me on the Nintendo platform, which is a big miss given the full $60 price point, and therefore forced me to play in solo venues only. If dreaming of being a DJ is your thing, you can fake it to make it here with Fuser and feel great as the crowd’s cheer.
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.
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 - Out There Ω The Alliance offers plenty of new content for its Switch release. Small text in handheld mode is a bit problematic, but I still had a fun time. Easy to learn resource management should engage most players, but the RNG will usually get the best of you so don’t be surprised to start over a lot. This one will allow you to explore the dire and bleak adventure of solitary space travel and the mental impact that follows.
GOOD - Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing delivers an immersive airship combat experience coupled with relationship drama and alliance building with your arena opponents. The thematic premise of this being broadcast similar to a show of Survivor works to the game’s favor and creates added decision making apart from the core gameplay. Not enough randomness leads to some repetition after a few seasons, but the game is still very fun to play!
The Legend of Evil brings a creative and easily accessible single player Tower Defense game to the Nintendo Switch’s table. Gameplay is straightforward, but offers a lot of strategy as you progress.
Monster Loves You is a carefully crafted storybook experience that works splendidly with the Switch, allowing controller or touch screen interfacing. It’s one of those games that’s great to be played as a bedtime story for your kids, or just on your own as you please. There’s a lot of endings, with even more decision outcomes in the heart of the game. Watching your monster grow up is a clever story arc and one with a lot of fun to be read along the way. With the price point of $9.99 at the time of this writing, I’d equate this to picking up a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book. There’s a lot of enjoyable reading here for the value.
GOOD - Everything is an interpretive experience game, and one that’s quite hard to score, as so much of it will come down to personal engagement. The collection and exploration mechanics are well defined, and getting to hear some of Alan Watt’s speeches is a treat and further adds to the gravity of the game. For many, this will be too random of an experience, but I implore giving it a go as it’s a relaxing game to enjoy.
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.
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.
GREAT - In the gaming space of off-roading playground titles, SnowRunner is the pack leader by far. Having honed their franchise for the better part of nearly 8 years, the game has some of the best terrain deformation I’ve seen, and realistic-feeling physics that truly make you engaged like you’re slogging through completely inhospitable terrain. There are some drawbacks in terms of onboarding difficulty, and some platform specifics like handheld mode being a toasty battery drain unlike I’ve ever seen before, but if the Switch is your gaming console of choice, it’s a total treat to have SnowRunner perform so well and provide countless hours through its campaigns.
GREAT - The Game of Life 2 takes on the classic board game, and gives it a fresh look with several themes, and some updated and enticing gameplay. With the ability to play any way you like with friends, strangers, or just alone against CPU opponents on your lunch break, the game finds its footing equally with the cartoony graphics, responsive touch controls, and quick game rounds. The Game of Life 2 doesn’t disappoint for really any age group to dive in and see where life takes them.
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.
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.
GREAT - Reigns: Game of Thrones is a clever choose your own adventure-styled title with highly accessible mechanics and a very robust dynamic narrative experience. Fans of the series will find a lot of canon to play around with and forge their own paths not seen before. Although not part of our typical rating system, I’ve given a higher total score also primarily due to the staggeringly low price point of $3.99, making it the perfect companion game to enjoy the last season with.
GREAT - Airheart delivers a reasonably balanced roguelike experience with a dieselpunk art style that looks great on the Nintendo Switch. Gameplay comes in the form of twin-stick arcade shooting & collecting, coupled with a trial & error crafting system that I found to be a bit annoying, but not enough to detract from the overall game. If you’re in the market for a thematically different roguelike, this game has a nicely structured game loop that delivers hours upon hours of fun.
GREAT - Glass Masquerade delivers an accessible, clever and elegant jigsaw puzzle experience with stunning art deco stained-glass pieces to be built. The game performs great on the Nintendo Switch utilizing both main control methods, and I only had one minor criticism of the gameplay. In the end, I’d love to see more content added to really bolster the lasting appeal for this game.
GREAT - Nowhere Prophet brings deck building and a unique turn-based combat system into the roguelike genre complete with slick visuals, and accessible controls that add to the straightforward game mechanics. There’s a ton of strategy to be had with each run, and the risk/reward elements tied into the narrative driven choose-your-own-adventure choices make for an incredibly engaging experience with every start of a new game.
GREAT - Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition brings everything great about the series to the Nintendo Switch. Tongue-in-cheek humor is present every step of the way, and accessible gameplay with fun quests hold this game together wonderfully. Players will be delighted at how expandable this game can be with the amount of content that is offered using the in-game currency too. Some minor bugs and slight clunky controls aren't enough to mar the experience. I'd definitely consider this a staple game on my Nintendo Switch.