Ys has a long and respected history. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is only carrying the torch of what came before. There's so much to love about this game from its characters, the environments, the enemy designs and the juicy combat system. You can expect the usual JRPG goodness such as typical anime tropes, silly dialogue, humorous moments and dramatic events. The soundtrack is no slouch, either. It's great. There is performance issues and the localization is far from perfect, but Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA at its core and every unique thing it offers makes for a jolly time. If this is your only way of playing the game, then you need this JRPG in your library immediately.
SpiritSphere DX is a retro callback, both visually & audibly, and feels like a lost gem from an old era. It takes any old tennis match and uses magic to spice things up, resulting in matches to play out in a multitude of ways. It's straight up a great local multiplayer game and one that's great for playing in the backseat of road trips if there's only one Nintendo Switch around. Plus it's $10 which isn't too shabby, either. Still, with no online functionality and being a game that is best with friends, the single player doesn't add much replayability. However, if you got the peeps around and Mario Tennis Aces is a stretch to your budget, this should be a good fix.
Pode takes the cooperative experience from Snipperclips and puts it into 3d environments, yet is warmer and even cuter. The Norwegian-influenced art direction is pleasant to see come to life via pop-up book aesthetic. The puzzles are creative and remain a suitable challenge for all players. There is no negativity to be found in the game and the wonderful audiovisual aspect drives that notion home. Good vibes all around.
Anyone who isn't into fantasy card games, but have thought about trying them should give Hand of Fate 2 a look. There's a compelling narrative and many added RPG elements which should tickle the everyday RPG fan in general. The combat is good, albeit repetitive. The stories on your journey will keep you engaged. The Dealer makes you feel like you're never alone. The newly earned cards always feel surprising to see what's next in your story and there's enough variety in-between to never make it feel stale. Hand of Fate 2 brings the tabletop feel to completion and fully immerses you in its atmosphere. You'll be shouting at times, and they will be for different reasons, both excited and enraged; and that's part of the addiction. It's alright to be addicted.
Mega Man X lovers should rejoice when it comes to nailing down how the game feels because 20XX absolutely nails it. The tight controls and platforming feel great. Adding to that the various upgrading and online play, there's plenty of fun to be had here. Taking your Switch anywhere and X'ing through a different stage each time is kinda cool. It's too bad there's not much of a story and while the procedurally-generated levels offer limitless replay value, predictable layouts with only 4 themes wears out the novelty. If you're in it simply for the endlessness of it and fantastic controls, then you're in for a good time.
Pool Panic's level of weird creativeness and silly humor is commendable. Not knowing what you'll see around each corner of the map and within the levels themselves is a huge factor in its enjoyment. The "pool" aspect is not as good as it could be and there are some control issues hampering the enjoyment which get in the way of your proficiency or getting the best score, but the levels presented almost make you not care. Over 100 levels and weird scenarios to put yourself in, regardless of a couple of flaws, puts Pool Panic in a league of its own.
Flipping Death offers up to 10 hours of gameplay, has brilliant setups to that gameplay, animated fluidly and is voiced by a wonderful cast. It takes the overall flow of Stick It To The Man! and improves on it in every way, allowing more things to see and people to engage with, and engage as. The writing is just as good as ever and there's extra collectables. Zoink Games managed to do even better than their previous offering, which is saying a lot. As with Stick It To The Man!, Flipping Death is a puzzle-platformer with an identity that stands out from the rest and is a nice accomplishment for Zoink Games to have under the belt. I eagerly await the 3rd game in this series.
Okami HD is a fantastic 40 hour journey into Japanese folklore with a stunning art direction and clever gameplay. Although it is heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda series, it manages to take that formula for a spin and in many regards does it even better. The writing and cast of characters certainly make the narrative experience a joy. Even better is Okami HD makes use of every Nintendo Switch feature. With 3 different control schemes it can be a new way to play; many would consider the touchscreen feature as the best way to play. HD rumble was care for and feels great. It's certainly worth your bang for the buck with its shiny new additions. A premium game on the eShop for $19.99? More than worth it.
Salt and Sanctuary is purely a Dark Souls clone for the 2D style of gaming. It's not a carbon copy, but it offers rewarding combat and exploration. With an open-ended world and varied enemies & bosses, a decent character progression system, secrets to find, numerous weapon types and a grim atmosphere, it's easy to be sucked in and master being a better fight than you were since your last death. This isn't a game about impossibility, but rather adapting and honing your skills. For that alone, Salt and Sanctuary is one of the best 2D action-RPG's available.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate truly is the ultimate Monster Hunter package. It's missing the quality of life improvements, openness, and spectacular visuals found in Monster Hunter World, but what it's not lacking is content and varied gameplay which can be seen as the best in the series. This action-rpg is no hack & slash. It's depth is engaging. Over 14 weapon types means 14 distinct fighting styles. Tons to craft, collect and sights to see. The 93 bosses are unique in both design and their patterns which provides a fresh experience every time you meet a new one. The game is fine solo, but if you grab a few buddies and get to work, it's one of the best times. Just stay away from fighting on the edges of areas. Happy Hunting!
God Wars The Complete Legend is a solid strategy RPG. Following the turn-based mechanics of classics and incorporating a jobs system with many different skills makes for a good time. The characters can also be fun. The story is alright enough. The graphics are outdated, but the art design does a good job of standing out. Overall, it's pretty by-the-books when it comes to the genre. With a wealth of content, it's definitely recommended for the strategy purists.
SNK HEROINES ~Tag Team Frenzy~ is made with love from the creators and it shows. It's accessibility is meant for players of all skill types, neither catering to only the hardcore players or only casuals; just both at once. There is plenty of content to unlock and plenty of ways to customize your character. Even if it's not as sharp as the PlayStation 4 version, it's still eye-candy on the Switch. The soundtrack is also pretty good with the best remixes of past songs. There's enough single player for the solo player and co-op/versus for players of two, but up to 8 can play together both offline and online. Above all, it's just fun to play. Looking forward to the future characters being added to the roster.
Sigi - A Fart For Melusina is a budget title. Its price is a fair entry point and probably worth it for those looking to get a quick retro fix for their nostalgia cravings. There's no hating on $4.99 for 20 levels. Disregarding its price, it's boils down to the quality of the game. Ultimately, it's fun in a very clumsy way. However, you may want to put that money towards another game.
Dial (555)-555-5555 for a good time, $4.99 every minute. Or, pay $9.99 upfront and go hands on for as long as you'd like and even see person in front of you. There's a very repetitive gameplay loop for the story mode if you plan to see and unlock everything. There's no "going all the way", but there's actually a decent amount to unlock if customization is your thing. I.... unlocked everything. You also have the freedom to create any scene you'd like with your girl. So there's that.
The Spectrum Retreat is a wonderful first-person puzzle game. It contains clever puzzling and a mysterious story involving the past of the main character you play as. It's $12.99 on the Switch eShop, had a 5 year development cycle from Dan Smith himself, and is totally deserving of the price tag. There's an appreciated elegance to The Spectrum Retreat. I'm sure Dan Smith Studios is goin' places and most likely up from here.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is like if Disgaea was a first-person dungeon-crawler RPG, albeit with an entirely different cast. The character and enemy designs are good and the humor is still intact. Above all, the battle system is fun to play. Exploring the different labyrinths can be feel a bit repetitive at the start, but it helps you earn the experience and learn the mechanics. The game continues to open up and flows much better as you learn more abilities and are able to craft more Puppet Soldiers to your party. As far as dungeon crawlers are concerned, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk pretty much nails it.
One other artistically awesome indie game that left an emotional impression on me was Old Man's Journey. Now with the journey of Arina and Frendt, The Gardens Between manages to go for the same areas of emotion. There's nothing seriously gripping here, but it's meant to leave an overall personal feeling, which it does well. The environmental puzzles using objects from each memory builds up a personal idea of what event is actually taking place and ultimately becomes resonating when it is revealed. It's fun getting to those points. The Gardens Between may look simple when giving it a brief glance, but it's one of the most charming, clever and wholesome games of 2018 and it's all about beautifully capturing friendship.
The true successor to 2006's Marble Blast Ultra is finally here. Marble It Up! carries the torch and is even better than before. It looks stellar. It feels finely polished. Or does it look finely polished and feel stellar? True to both, really. The level design is clever and the future updates are promising. Multiplayer mode will be a good addition. As a Super Monkey Ball fan who has been constantly craving for another entry in the series, I've been a little disappointed that nothing has been made to grab my attention and that a game after Marble Blast Ultra hasn't seen the light of day. Marble It Up! not only does its series justice but proves it's got what it takes to be the best in the genre. Don't stop now. Keep rolling!
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection includes two titles, Yomawari: Night Alone & Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. It may contain cute, chibi characters whom you play as, but the creepiness factor sinks almost immediately. If the idea of exploring a town at night with monsters lurking in the shadows intrigues you, it's definitely worth checking out. The towns and locations are fun to go through just in general. Add a survival element with your flashlight, some tense moments, atmospheric sound design and collectables to the mix. Japanese culture and setting may also be a good reason to experience this horror adventure.
Rise & Shine not only has great artwork, but it also feels great to play as well. The shooting is solid and feels polished. Its pace is a little more deliberate thanks to the gun & bullet modifiers that require a slight bit of thinking. Levels never felt stale because the way mechanics were incorporated always kept things sort of fresh and because of that it strongly adheres to replayability; which you might be doing since the experience is a short one.