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Pragmata is a poignant game that tells a heartwarming story wrapped up in a science fiction horror action game. And while that could have described a handful of past games, Pragmata’s hacking mechanic sets it apart from its previous competitors. As the credits rolled, I found myself itching to go again, and that’s a huge compliment from me as I rarely play games more than once. And yet, while I enjoyed my time with it from start to finish, its minor annoyances keep it from being a 10, and the performance for the admittedly impressive Nintendo Switch 2 port then keeps it from being a 9. And while an 8 is a great score in a review, it is perhaps the most optimistic 8 I’ve ever written.
Darwin’s Paradox is a respectable entry in the slew of games inspired by classics like Limbo and Inside, and while it shows glimpses of something special, it never quite reaches the same heights. And while the game is, for lack of a better term, good, the current state of the Nintendo Switch 2 version only highlights its foibles. Overall, a 7 feels apt; it does a lot right and is enjoyable for the most part, but its start-and-stop nature and unfortunate performance challenges on Switch 2 keep it from being elevated any further.
All in all, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an intoxicating adventure that I couldn’t put down. The heady mix of exploration, adventure, puzzle-solving and accessible but challenging combat is moulded together by Ember Lab fantastically well. The news that a sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, is coming out shortly makes me incredibly excited!
When taking the whole experience into account, The Midnight Walk is a lot of style over substance that isn’t actually that much fun to play, which can work for some. Certainly, I’m sure there are some teenagers out there playing this game right now who are preparing to craft their entire personalities around it for the next few years to come. These things come in cycles, you see. But much like those same teenagers years later when reflecting on their blunder years, as I look back on my time with The Midnight Walk, I’m already struggling to recall specific details and why they were meant to be so important. In time the cycle will continue, and another “cute horror” game will emerge to remix the familiar into something vaguely new and neat. By then, your embers will most likely have been forgotten, little Pot Boy.
While the Bellabel Park addition is generally quite lacklustre, it can’t be argued that it’s simply an add-on to a flawless game. All of the main issues with the original have been fixed in this Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and playing through Super Mario Bros. Wonder for a second time gave me the warm and fuzzies like I was playing it for the very first time.
Spilt Milk Studios has made such a cute, cosy game set in a fantasy world. I love all the named NPCs and all the different races that come to your store. However, the trash left behind by the titular Trash Goblin has left a bit of a stench on the Switch port of this title. I do genuinely recommend exploring the life of running a trinket store, just maybe not on the Switch.
The Zooseum DLC is an excellent addition to the base Two Point Museum game. The same silly fun with some excellent new mechanical additions; it’s a great reason to pick up Two Point Museum again and dive back in.
One of the best Pokémon releases of all time, and the potential of what fans are able to build in Pokémon Pokopia has yet to be fully realised. One of the cutest and most adorable games is as you watch Pokémon live their lives in the environments you had a hand in building for them. Pokémon Pokopia is a must-buy for any Pokémon fan and that's not an understatement.
Quite simply, no one does it better than Capcom. The sheer amount of care and thought that has gone into the game design and the level design in Resident Evil Requiem is staggering, and that’s before you mention the sound effects, the art, the music, etc. It’s just such a polished piece of entertainment and the move to the dual-genre approach is a bold one that will please most gamers. Don’t let this doddery old fool put you off; Resident Evil Requiem is the first true AAA sensation on the Nintendo Switch 2 and is the beginning of an exciting future for Nintendo players.
Minishoot' Adventures is a near-perfect game on its own merits and kind of exposes the way the review score sausage is made. It may not be on the same scale as some other games or as deep, but for what it sets out to do, it does it near perfectly. When a game purports itself only as a literal mini adventure and then delivers on that in a cute little package, how can I respond with anything other than the following: Fix your map screen, and we’ll talk about the missing point.
We’re at a weird stage with Bethesda where we’re reviewing their titles not because it’s something new they’ve released but because we’re ranking them as competing versions of themselves. In that sense, Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition for the Switch 2 is a great port and a fine example of a polished Bethesda product. If you’ve always wanted to play Fallout 4 and are now at a busy time in your life where you might want to chunk up that playtime a bit, this might be the best version for you.
I feel like this was less of a review and more of an ”I love Monster Hunter Stories“ declaration, but somehow, Capcom managed to take what was already a brilliant game series and elevate it in a way I didn’t think was possible. The nuance of the story, the environmental elements and the new monster types could teach people in our world a lot. If you played two and enjoyed it, then you need to play Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection.
Blue Prince is an incredible experience that has captured a significant amount of my time since I first played it. It does an amazing job of keeping you hooked with the mystery that you unravel while giving players a beautiful art style to explore. The Switch 2 port gives players a way to play on the go and lose track of time before getting in trouble because they've spent 40 minutes on a 30-minute break. I personally can't help but recommend Blue Prince; it's one of the best things to do on a budget.
It hurts me to give a Yakuza game a “mid” score but it truly feels like they missed the mark with this one. It seems that the studio has a new vision for what the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series will be going forward, with smaller games that have deeper gameplay. I think that’s a fine idea, but Kiwami 3 shouldn’t have been the place to begin that philosophy. In this case, less was most definitely not more, though it’s potentially fixable if they just put things back in. That said, the narrative changes feel as though this remake bodes potentially bad portents for the remaining games in the Yakuza series as they address the newly created plot holes. I’ll be watching what Ryu Ga Gotoku does from this point with great interest and anxious anticipation.
While Baladins isn’t for me, I can see a lot of people who would adore this game. Baladins is a tabletop RPG for people who love Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley; it's a game meant to be played with your friends and relax too and I truly commend it for that.
Mario Tennis Fever leans into chaotic, wacky multiplayer action rather than the core tennis gameplay its predecessors majored in. Is this a great Mario Sports game? Yes. Is this a great tennis game? Not really. But that's ok, as it’s still a good time in single player and, more importantly, long-term, online.
When playing PARANORMASIGHT: The Cursed Mermaid, I was constantly reminded of one of my favourite games on the Nintendo DS, Another Code. This is high praise because it was one of my favourite games on the DS. Paronormasight feels like a lost art that has been rediscovered, where everything has come together into an almost perfect game. So if you’ve been looking for this style of game that combines folklore, history and a good chunk of mystery, PARANORMASIGHT is here to deliver.
Dragon Quest VII was always thought to be a very interesting choice to be remade in 2026, considering it recently got the treatment on Nintendo 3DS 10 years prior. While I’m personally glad it did, seeing how I lost my 3DS copy all those years back and finally got to finish it, it also seems like a strange decision considering there are other entries that are currently more deserving. But nonetheless, Square Enix have done a fantastic job with it and have fixed (as much as they could) many annoyances the original and the 3DS remakes were heavily criticised for. This is, by far, the definitive version of Dragon Quest VII.
Skate Bums reminds me of old Flash games you’d play in the early 2000s while at school; it’s simple and charming yet not all that deep or engaging, but you didn’t care because at least you weren’t doing schoolwork.
I truly think that the Switch is the perfect home for Cozy Caravan. It’s easy to pick it up, do a few things or complete a day and then put it down. There may be a few issues, but I enjoyed my time with it. Some people did complain about the stop-motion animation making them sick, but the developers have added an accessibility option to turn it off. There are also accessibility options for the hopscotch minigame, as some people had issues with that. Regardless of your age or ability, there’s something for everyone in this wholesome, adorable lesson presented as a game.