Sophie Hiner
Playing as a young girl named Maya, Ever Forward takes you through a series of puzzles to tell one person's story within a global pandemic. Challenging, fun, and interesting, this adventure puzzle game is worth the playthrough.
Kathy Rain is a '90s-inspired point-and-click adventure game that follows a college student on her journey of discovering her hometown secrets. Dealing with supernatural elements and old family secrets, the game provides plenty of fun puzzles and interesting characters to captivate fans of retro adventures.
Considering the limitations of the Switch's small screen and physical setup, Colors Live offers a pretty good range of tools and functionality for a low-cost painting game. It doesn't have the capabilities serious artists will want, but its accessibility and daily challenges provide a fun way to get some drawing practice in and stay creative.
Kitaria Fables is an incredibly fun RPG that combines the exploration and fighting style of Zelda with the farming and village gameplay of Stardew Valley and the cute animal characters of Animal Crossing. I played this for hours at a time, unable to put it down.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a wonderful package that will provide plenty of laughs and thrills for fans of mysteries, adventures, and visual novels. The situations and scenes make a successful leap to the big screen, and there are enough new gameplay elements to engage longtime fans without making them miss their favorite characters from previous Ace Attorney games.
With no alternative endings (again, there are no decisions to make, so no way to split off the narrative), it's one-and-done with the visual novel Cross the Moon. But it's priced accordingly, and should be an interesting read for fans of mysteries and the supernatural.
In the visual novel adventure Winds of Change, you play as a hero who is meant to save your land. Throughout the game, you must make difficult decisions, explore your surroundings, discover secrets, and build relationships with those around you. With an interesting story with lots to interact with, this game is definitely one to play.
Sumire is a visual novel adventure that should appeal to anyone who has experienced loss or just ever felt disconnected from the world. It's perhaps over too quickly for the price, but it's an enjoyable, fulfilling adventure while it lasts.
Layers of Fear 2 is a fun horror game that doesn't rely on gore or violence. It focuses more on psychological terror, while also providing numerous jumpscares and haunting imagery. Once you start, it's a hard game to quit playing.
DARQ Complete Edition is a dark puzzle platformer in which you must help a boy named Lloyd navigate a seemingly endless loop of nightmares. Its lack of story and solid scares may disappoint some players, but it's a solid pick-up for those seeking a quick, creepy gaming experience.
In Astrologaster you play as an unlicensed doctor who helps his patients by seeking guidance from the stars. This visual novel is full of fun choices, characters, and songs, as well as cool spiritual aspects that will keep you somewhat entertained.
Filament is a clever puzzle game that will challenge even the most ardent fans of the genre. The relaxing atmosphere helps to ease the frustration, but the complexity of later levels may put off casual gamers.
Don't let its children's book aesthetic and promise of being "jump scare free" fool you. Clea is an effectively creepy survival horror game that requires plenty of patience and courage when you'd rather just run.
Lost Ember provides players with an open world to explore through the viewpoint of various animals. And although it can be effective, its high price and downgraded graphics mean the Nintendo Switch may not be the best way to play it.
Over the Alps is more for those who enjoy reading and watching a story unfold than those seeking good mystery gameplay. Go in with that in mind, and its fun interface, quality writing, and unique art will carry you through.