You can strongly dislike automatic side scrolling platformers and still love playing Dark Scrolls. I am proof in the proverbial pudding – I struggled to put it down. What sets Dark Scrolls apart from other platformers is its focus on simplicity. It's a great co-op platformer that's merely held back by its balance and relatively punishing progression. Its charm and co-op chaos will win you over the next time you want a party game to play with your friends!
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is the closest thing to a modern take on classic Zelda games I’ve played during the past two generations of consoles. It scratches that itch of bite-sized dungeon crawling and puzzle-solving that Nintendo has effortlessly refined over the past few decades. Best yet, it showcases the beauty of 2.5D pixel art that Square Enix has successfully implemented across its other turn-based JRPGs over the past few years. If nothing else, Elliot is a romp worthy of your time.
Swapmeat won me over on its chaos, silliness, and replayability. Its grotesque meat swapping mechanics kept me on my toes in building wild looking yet wildly powerful meaty monsters.
Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition brings the newest Tales title to Switch 2 owners in a complete fashion, albeit one that is not the most optimized for the hardware. It remains a compelling, engaging, and gorgeously designed action-RPG despite its execution.
Even if Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is not for you, it’s hard to ignore the immense creativity that Good-Feel and Nintendo packed into this game. This puzzle platformer gives the player the warmest of hugs – hugs that make the player forget about their worries and leaves them with a big ol’ grin.
Psyvariar 3 will remain installed on my Nintendo Switch 2 for quite a while simply because of its engaging, highly-difficult, yet highly-rewarding gameplay loop of grazing bullets and racking up high scores. It falls short in the graphical department, but it makes up for it in properly executing a bullet hell that caters for those who want a true shmup challenge.
Atomic Owl is a beautifully drawn and well-orchestrated platformer that wavers between a punishing retro 2D sidescroller and a roguelike. If it had made a bolder stab at one of those genres, perhaps its gameplay would feel meaningful. For now, there are other roguelike platformers that are deserving of your time.
R-Type Dimensions III is a great remaster for 80s and 90s kids who haven't yet been able to play R-Type III outside of the Nintendo ecosystem. As far as remasters go, it contains a great number of accessibility and graphical features to make it a compelling shmup for today's players.
On the basis of the shifted gameplay loop involving racing against the clock, Fate of the Phoenix presents a more hectic, difficult, yet rewarding way to play Europa Universalis V.
Saros pushes the envelope on multiple fronts, changing the roguelike genre in ways that's more player-friendly than ever while taking advantage of the PS5's DualSense controller in novel fashions. It's near perfect in several ways, even if its story lacks the satisfaction that its gunplay otherwise provides.
The Rogue Prince of Persia's fluid traversal, gorgeous art style, and satisfying combat make it a promising roguelike platformer. What it lacks in endgame content and variety it makes up for in a game that has now set the gold standard for what traversal should be for all platformers going forward. With its physical release and imminent free content updates, now might be the best time to try Evil Empire's take on a Prince of Persia title.
If you've ever wanted to feel satisfaction from a coin pushing machine, RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike will give you the hope, joy, and endless chaos that the real thing couldn't. It's a Balatro-fied coin pusher roguelike that'll keep you chasing the highs of raining coins for hours on end.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is the same, already great 3D fighting experience that PC players got last year and fans of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown have been familiar with since 2021. It brings Nintendo Switch 2 owners to parity with crossplay and rollback netcode, meaning that it should be easier than ever to find an online opponent.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is a near-complete collection of the Nintendo DS' Mega Man titles. Featuring welcome quality of life benefits, new-and-improved (for the most part) audio/visuals, along with online play, it's a must-have for a Mega Man fan wanting to replay some of the best titles in the series' history.
On the PlayStation 5, Tales of Berseria feels less like a traditional remaster and more like a simple port. While it remains an excellent game in its own right (and perhaps one of the best in the Tales series), the struggle is real in recommending it to those who can simply play the PS4 version and not feel like they're missing out on anything novel. Good news for other platforms, though: You're now able to play Berseria on the Switch and XBOX for the first time.
Despite its simplicity and minuteness, Lovish is an 8-bit retro platformer that gets right to the point with its retro charm. Some of its progression feels archaic, but it makes up for it with tongue-in-cheek satire and tight platforming. It's a delight of an indie gem that's best appreciated by 90s kids who are still wearing their rose-colored glasses.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a delight of a remake, retaining the core story that you and I love alongside a new combat system that makes battles more fluid and frenetic than ever before. Dark Ties is an excellent side story, albeit one far darker in contrast to Yakuza's tried-and-true storytelling thematics.
I'm thrilled that Switch 2 owners get a chance to enjoy the OG Switch's best games, but whether or not the Switch 2 update breathes life into Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains to be seen. The 12-player online play is nice in theory, but it's far from enjoyable thanks to Nintendo's archaic approach to online play. The Megaphone and mouse-capability are nice-to-have changes, taking some of the pain out from relying on Joy-Cons for minute adjustments. The biggest benefits of the Switch 2 upgrade are its pro-consumer pricing and its utilization of the console's processing power.
Woolhaven is Cult of the Lamb at its most difficult yet satisfyingly chaotic. It's arguably one of the better, if not the best, DLC expansions of recent years thanks to how much good content is added to the base game. While it might be punishing thanks to the winter mechanics, it's in line with the painful existence associated with the teachings of our favorite little lamb. Believe you, me, Woolhaven is a fantastic standalone post-game in and of itself.
If FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE is a proof of concept in stress testing the Switch 2's processing power, consider it passing with flying colors. It's the same incredible FFVII remake that's been available on multiple platforms since its original release in 2020. While it doesn't add anything new for first time players, it's the best example of a AAA port done exceptionally well on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you're a Final Fantasy fan, Switch 2 owner, and have been waiting to play VII REMAKE INTERGRADE all this time, now is the best time to play. If you've been waiting to play a AAA port on your new Switch 2, this is assuredly the best port that should be added to your library.