Once Upon a Katamari successfully delivers the series' signature, quirky charm through its inventive time-travel theme, deep customization, and chaotic new multiplayer mode. While it retains the core, addictive fun, the familiar, clunky camera controls and the King's interruptions persist, making the nostalgic experience feel polished but not entirely modernized.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A sets a new technical benchmark for the series, achieving a smooth 60 FPS on the Switch 2 while revolutionizing combat with an engaging real-time system. Despite its strong narrative cohesion and challenging boss fights, the adventure is slightly muted by the absence of voice acting and the overly simplified 'wild zones,' which remove much of the excitement of natural discovery.
Disgaea 7 Complete is the definitive, feature-packed edition of the tactical RPG, running exceptionally well at 60 FPS on the Nintendo Switch 2 with surprising graphical options. The sheer volume of version-exclusive DLC and quality-of-life additions is undeniable, though the practice of locking content and the high launch price may give both newcomers and veteran players pause.
Little Nightmares 3 successfully preserves the franchise's haunting atmosphere and wordless, mysterious storytelling under new development, making for a compelling new entry. The innovative co-op design is hampered, however, by the glaring omission of offline split-screen and cross-play support at launch, making the otherwise intriguing experiment feel functionally incomplete.
A stellar remaster of two 3D platforming masterpieces that remain inventive and fresh a decade later. While the steep price and dated motion controls detract slightly, the stunning 4K/60 FPS upgrade on Switch 2 makes this package essential for newcomers and worthy of a return trip for fans.
Silent Hill f is a bold, visually stunning new entry that successfully modernizes the series with a Japanese setting, an engaging narrative by Ryukishi07, and a robust, action-oriented combat system. While the fighting mechanics initially feel clunky and the late-game shift toward action may alienate purists, its deep lore, intricate puzzles, and strong character development make it a thrilling and rewarding experience.
Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac is a colorful and faithful remake with improved visuals and tight controls, making it the definitive way to play the classic. However, it inherits the original's overly linear and repetitive level design, uninspired boss encounters, and barebones PC port, leaving it enjoyable but short of modern platformer standards.
Dying Light: The Beast represents a welcome return to form, with a more focused narrative and improved parkour mechanics that harken back to the original game's strengths. While it forgoes advanced graphical features like ray tracing and suffers from a generic villain, the game's polished gameplay, solid performance, and satisfying core loop make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the series.
A surprisingly polished and accessible entry, Super Robot Wars Y skillfully blends multiple anime universes into a cohesive tactical RPG with stunning attack animations and deep customization. While the narrative feels like fan-fiction and the UI can be clunky, its quality-of-life improvements and engaging core gameplay make it a fantastic entry point for newcomers.
Despite a satisfying core gameplay loop and a solid entry point for newcomers, Everybody's Golf is an unpolished release plagued by technical issues, a cumbersome camera, and a lack of the signature charm and polish of past entries, making it a decent but ultimately unremarkable return for the series.
Bloober Team's Cronos: The New Dawn is a confident new IP that builds on the studio's horror strengths with a distinct visual style and a challenging combat system. However, the experience is held back by technical issues, a clunky inventory, and unpolished combat mechanics that hinder its otherwise ambitious design.
A standout entry in the series, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar successfully expands on the original with vibrant visuals, quality-of-life updates, and rich content. While the farming loop may still feel familiar and some customization options are limited, the game's polish and thoughtful additions make it a rewarding experience for both new players and longtime fans.
Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 delivers CyberConnect2’s trademark blend of cinematic spectacle and flashy combat, successfully capturing the anime’s visual flair while offering a massive roster and solid performance. Its accessible gameplay and roguelike Training Path mode add replay value, but the linear story design, filler collectibles, and reliance on recycled formulas keep it from feeling truly fresh. For fans of the anime or Ninja Storm series, it is a stylish crowd-pleaser. For others, it may feel more like déjà vu than evolution.
Mafia: The Old Country delivers a competently crafted but ultimately underwhelming prequel that falls short of franchise expectations. While the early 1900s Sicilian setting offers visual appeal and the supporting cast provides memorable moments, the experience suffers from uneven pacing, a unconvincing central romance, and repetitive gameplay mechanics. Outdated enemy AI undermines stealth encounters, and the linear structure lacks the ambition of previous entries. Despite solid performance optimization and polished presentation, this mid-budget effort feels caught between being too safe and too limited, requiring series fans to significantly lower their expectations.
Donkey Kong Bananza successfully transitions the franchise into 3D with impressive scope and satisfying destruction mechanics. The open-sandbox design encourages exploration, while intuitive controls and collectibles keep players engaged. However, it suffers from performance issues in docked mode, simplistic difficulty, and a forgettable story. Despite these shortcomings, Nintendo delivers a polished launch title that captures the joy of destruction and expands the series' potential.
No Sleep For Kaname Date delivers a clever, puzzle-heavy spin-off brimming with Uchikoshi’s signature weirdness—though its story feels more like fan service than a meaningful expansion. While the escape room segments and adjustable difficulty shine, the disjointed pacing and thin character arcs leave it stuck between prequel filler and standalone charm.
Pac-Man meets Metroidvania in this bizarre yet bold experiment. Shadow Labyrinth mixes arcade nostalgia with punishing Souls-like mechanics, but uneven controls and a harsh checkpoint system take away from the experience. While its Pac-Man-themed platforming shows moments of creativity, the shallow world design and clunky combat make it feel more like a curiosity than a must-play.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut remains a masterclass in crime drama storytelling, now polished to 4K/60fps glory on Switch 2, but its 'exclusive' new content feels underwhelming. While the added cutscenes and experimental multiplayer barely justify the 'Director’s Cut' label, this is still the definitive way to experience one of gaming’s greatest prequels. A must-play for newcomers, yet hard to recommend for returning fans unless portability trumps all.
Tamagotchi Plaza offers harmless, kid-friendly minigames wrapped in colorful nostalgia, but its repetitive gameplay and shallow progression make it feel more like a tech demo than a complete game. Younger fans may enjoy the charming characters and simple shopkeeping, but the Switch 2’s motion-controlled features do little to elevate this thin package. Cute, but ultimately forgettable.
Mario Kart World is a remarkable achievement and the most ambitious installment in the series. It features stunning visuals at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, along with exciting 24-player races and a charming, albeit somewhat shallow, open world. The new free-roam mode and kart customization options are enjoyable, but the repetitive side content and the surprising lack of a proper story mode prevent it from reaching perfection. While it is a multiplayer gem for Switch 2 owners, solo players may find themselves wanting a deeper progression system beyond its beautiful and content-rich appearance.