Curse of the Sea Rats is a 2D platformer adventure game in which you fight enemies and upgrade your abilities while searching for the evil pirate witch who turned your party into rats. Exploring new areas and defeating the witch's crew is fun throughout the course of the game, and is definitely worth a play-through for those patient enough to deal with its difficulty.
Rune Factory 3 Special is a life/farming simulation game originally released for the DS in 2009. Remade, it's now playable on the Switch. Fight monsters, grow and harvest crops, sell loot, cook, fish, and raise your relationship levels with the villagers in this very interactive and fun game.
A Tiny Sticker Tale is a cute game in which you play as a little donkey who explores new areas, collects many stickers, and helps people along the way. The explorative puzzle/adventure gameplay is super fun, and not too challenging; its simple style makes it easy to complete, leaving you feeling accomplished and happy.
Bahnsen Knights does a great job at keeping fans of visual novel adventures involved. It's fun and unique story, visuals, and occasional minigames make it hard to put down, and it never feels repetitive or slow across the few hours it takes to complete it.
Cat and the Ghostly Road is a point-and-click adventure game that involves solving puzzles, exploring new dimensions, and helping out creatures and spirits, all to save your master. The puzzles are challenging enough to keep you from getting bored, but there's also no real sense of danger in the game, which keeps it relaxing and fun.
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.
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.
With an interesting story and attractive art style, it's hard to get tired of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. Even if you've already read the novel or seen the miniseries, being able to interact with the characters, explore its 12th Century English setting, and shape the narrative provides a new thrill. As far as visual novel adventures go, this one is hard to put down.
In SUBNET – Escape Room Adventure, you have to solve puzzles in an escape room type-of-way in order to progress and save the subway from a vicious terrorist attack. It's not the most original puzzle game out there, but the eerie environment and diverse puzzles make for a fun time that's well worth the asking price.
To the Rescue! is a cute management sim in which you run a dog shelter that houses and helps dogs find their new homes. Taking care of the dogs, the building, and the finances makes for a fun and highly interactive experience.
Homebody is a horror puzzle/adventure in which you must escape a house filled not only with old friends and awkward conversations, but also a murderer. The combination of puzzle solving and detection avoidance combine for a tense but accessible-and surprisingly emotional-experience.
Flutter Away is a very peaceful and relaxing collection game in which you explore the rainforest, capture new butterfly species on camera, and befriend capybaras. Though it is a very simple and quick playthrough, Flutter Away provides a warm and fun environment to explore while it lasts.
Brain Show is a snarky trivia game (aren't they all these days?) in which up to eight (local) players face challenges involving questions centered around pretty much any category you can think of. Hosted like a TV game show, Brain Show has a fun sense of humor that keeps things enjoyable and challenging.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.