Let’s Build A Zoo is just as wonderful on console as it was on its initial release on PC. As with any building management simulator, some controls will never feel completely intuitive moving from mouse to controller, and Let’s Build A Zoo is no different, but only in minor areas. The Dinosaur Island DLC takes all the highlights from the base game and amplifies them in a fantastic addition to an already extremely enjoyable game.
Hokko Life fits the bill for a simple, yet charming experience. For seasoned players, be mindful there is a slow burn to start and may be more suited to those who are newer to the genre. Whilst some mechanics are not intuitive for console play, Hokko Life on console still captures the creativity and calmness of the farming sim genre.
This is an easy recommendation to anyone who loves a unique and interesting story and yearns for a casual platforming experience. An adventure to be discovered by many. Little Orpheus has creativity, beautiful visuals and smart witty characterisation. With a run time of three hours split into nine small episodes, it certainly will not disrespect your time.
City Eye is a surveillance simulation game that has an interesting concept but disappoints in many areas. From bottlenecking progress in late stages by padding the game unnecessarily to repetitive mechanics and a lack of variety, the game fails to capitalise on an interesting premise. You’ll find yourself less likely to be fighting crime, and more likely to be waiting for them to happen.
Circus Electrique features a unique take on a blend of genres that are nicely balanced against one another – a fun narrative, slick turn based combat and interesting circus management simulation. The art style (a steampunk take on Victorian London) is easy on the eye and players can customise their game to be as strategic as they like. That said, the gameplay loop can be either too demanding or passively easy if not played on the right difficulty.
Dividing its time beautifully between rouge-like dungeon crawler and cult management simulator, Cult of the lamb is everything you would want and need from the mix of genres. A fantastic soundtrack and incredibly moreish gameplay, this is a big recommendation for anyone who is in awe of the vibrantly cute aesthetic it presents. While it’s currently harrowed by some glitches preventing certain aspects of gameplay from shining, once these are ironed out this could easily be ‘Game of the Year’ material.
Two point Campus is an easy recommendation for anyone a fan of the management sim genre. Exceptional level of detail to design and a wonderous explosion of creativity within University Life. Like its predecessor Two Point Hospital, challenges will still be present throughout each individual campus, but these challenges are worth your time. Pick up your pencil case and your red plastic cups and enrol.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town continues the same charming cutesy aesthetic as its predecessors, although at times feels discombobulated in organisation. A decent enough farming management addition to the genre, the game features a depth of gameplay but is light on narrative. Prepare and expect to be in it for the long haul if you want to see any real results from your hard work.
A cute coming of age space robot story and a fine addition to the cosy game genre, Growbot is a short and sweet puzzler with an ethereal soundtrack. This is one for those who want a short story, a beautiful art style and relaxing gameplay.
Repetitive, uninteresting, and lacking in substance, Jumanji: The Curse Returns contributes nothing new or dynamic to the game board genre apart from a dose of movie nostalgia. This game didn’t feel suited to the Switch console, and likely best played on a mobile device because it is short and sweet, but not much else.
Super Perils of Baking is a 16 bit, 2D side scrolling platformer and an ode to the retro game genre in terms of variety, difficulty and platformer peril. It’s jam packed with things to do and collect but you’ll need a sprinkling of rage induced dopamine to get you through the enemies, highs and lows. There’s hours of fun that’s certainly worth your time, especially for the price point.
Arise – A Simple Story contains a beautifully told story within a charming puzzle adventure. With poignant moments and joyful visuals, this game has the ability to capture a breadth of emotion with ease. It’s a short but worthy edition to narrative driven puzzle games.
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is adorable with clever logical puzzles that may appeal to the masses who love a good puzzler. Despite being filled with Bioluminescent beauty though, the lack of direction and repetitive environment holds it back from being anything more than ordinary.
Cat Café Manager is a cozy, stress-free casual management game for anyone who wants to adopt cute kitties whilst serving coffee. Whilst not changing the genre of management style games in any particular way, this is ideal for those wanting a homely game to play at ease.
Epic Chef leaves much to be desired when encountering a game breaking bug that stops progression completely so early on. It has potential with unique cooking experiences, but don’t expect to be the next Gordon Ramsay anytime soon if you hit a game ending glitch.
A relaxing collect-a-thon adventure game, Submerged: Hidden Depths is visually stunning with graphics that are comparable to those of big budget titles. Although the story lacks depth and the main mission can feel a bit repetitive, if you want a game that is very chill and completely devoid of stress, this is worth picking up.
Grapple Dog is an exhilarating, fast paced 2D platformer that feels like a familiar warm hug and a nod to platforming greats such as Sonic and Super Mario. While it doesn’t do anything especially new, the game never stops surprising with its mechanics and it’s a valiant addition to the genre.
The Dead Tree of Ranchiuna is a short walking simulator that may take the words ‘Walking Simulator’ a bit too literally. With a hollow story that feels unfinished, long pauses between any narrative development and repetitive design, it’s difficult to recommend this game when there are many others in the genre that do much more with a similar runtime.
Unreal Life is a charming indie game filled with story, adventure, discovery and a talking traffic light. It’s unique as you’ll be comparing timelines to discover what happened to the protagonist Hal on one fateful night. It’s a game that invokes curiosity and keeps the player intrigued through storytelling and puzzle, presented in a gorgeous pixel art of blue hue. Although feeling like it ended abruptly, there is a lot within Unreal Life to invoke emotion.
Headland is an action adventure journey into the imagination. Although not breaking any new ground in the genre, the story, gameplay and combat is exciting and suitable from any age player. It’s full of vibrant colour, an endearing story and secrets to uncover that are worth spending your time on.