Alan Wen
With simple controls but difficult to master, OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a terrific bundle giving you the best modern skating games around. Even if you manage to ace all of its challenges, competing against players on daily leaderboards will be sure to keep you hooked.
A striking abstract visual style soundtracked by a jazz freakout as improvisational as its gameplay, Ape Out glories in its primal rage for a wild ride. Give into its rhythm and bloodlust, and just go ape!
A brutally singular and unexpectedly brilliant subversion of what you know about Tetris and battle royale, if you’re a Switch Online subscriber, you absolutely need to download it.
The fighting itself can still be a fun and mad scramble that’s easily accessible for anyone looking to fast-track to Super Saiyan levels, and there’s definitely an appeal to creating your own avatar to join those ranks. Yet, if you want a faithful anime fighter that both beginners and experts can get stuck into, Dragon Ball FighterZ already delivered that last year. With all the potential here for celebrating 50 years of Shonen Jump, sadly at this point it seems that fans pining for a truly great anime crossover fighting game may just have to cross their fingers that Goku comes to Smash.
Wargroove is a majestic contender, if not outright successor, to Advance Wars, that every turn-based strategy fan should play. Beyond it’s handsome campaign and likable characters, there’s a ton of customisation and content to dig into or create, which makes it a bargain too.
It can still look visually striking when viewed from a distance while its audio design, with a brooding electronic score, can also be wonderfully atmospheric. Sadly, it's not enough to salvage a wholly disappointing experience that never reaches the lofty heights it begins with.
It’s not just a loving restoration but a temple built on newly solid foundations, with emotional beats that genuinely resonate. It sets a new bar for what a video game remake can be, masterfully marrying nostalgia with modernity without quite being a slave to one or the other
Onimusha: Warlords was an intriguing and successful spin-off of the Resi formula in a Japanese setting. But despite being enjoyable, this is still only a polished remaster of a nearly two decades-old game.
While not everything is a classic and there’s a few notable omissions, this is still a great mixture of genres couple with neat emulation gimmicks. For Nintendo fans, it’s also a great time travel machine back to see just how the other lived during the great console war.
Demon-slaying may feel simplistic compared to Monster-Hunting, but as the pioneer of the co-op loot-chasing dungeon crawler, Diablo III: Eternal Collection is the definitive article on the Switch, packing a wealth of content and variety of ways to slay.
Once you get past its daunting and archaic systems, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate continuously challenges you with the most thrilling gameplay and rewarding loop few games can match. Meanwhile, veterans will also feel at home – ‘G rank’ awaits you!
Tetris Effect, much like the psychological phenomenon the game takes its name from, is about finding order in things, and taking back control.
One of the most original modern JRPGs of all time, and beatable at the fraction of the time. Once you get over its primitive aesthetic, you’ll soon realise why everyone else has been so captivated by Toby Fox’s creation.
An old classic that’s never quite gotten the audience it deserves, Okami HD’s gorgeous art style and unique brush mechanic is perfect for Switch. Players looking for an equivalent to Zelda with an appreciation of Japanese myths and aesthetics needn’t look further.
Despite being available to buy as a separate stand-alone experience and packing content that could easily fill an entirely new RPG, Xenoblade’s idiosyncrasies make The Golden Country an experience you’re only going get the most out of if you’ve already played the base game.
Sure there are certainly bigger and more sophisticated looking military-themed games vying for your attention this year, but there’s not anything quite that looks or plays like Valkyria Chronicles 4.
Ultimately, our time in Erdrea makes us realise why Dragon Quest is Japan’s national game. It’s not necessarily because it’s the best or the most innovative, but for its generation-spanning fans, familiarity breeds comfort.
While it won’t scratch the itch for anyone looking for a competitive puzzler, there isn’t a music-based puzzler quite like Lumines Remastered so beautifully executed, and at an affordable price. The Trance Vibration gimmick you can take it or leave it, but you’ll still be able to bliss out regardless.