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The Garden Path is a labour of love for both developer carrotcake and the player. It targets for a specific audience that is accepting of a slower pace and a soft, cosy vibe. Unfortunately, that meticulous, mellow life is both The Garden Path's selling point and its weakness, with vague directions, advice, and control issues on Switch weighing down the experience even more. The Garden Path may grow on you over time, but whether you have the patience for that will be the real test.
An ode to the arcade hack-'n'-slash genre, Abathor offers an old-school experience, for better and worse. There's extra novelty in taking the four-player co-op anywhere with an undocked Switch, simple controls mean that four Joy-Con are more than comfortable, and the gorgeous pixel art looks great on the smaller screen. It sounds great, too, and co-op is huge fun with a few couch-based adventurers.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a game where charm meets challenge and a passion for Japanese culture is expressed with artistic flair. Its emphasis on platforming skill over exploration gives it a distinctive profile in the Metroidvania crowd and, while that might not be everyone's cup of tea, for many, the appeal will blossom like the trees in Sakura City.
Like a photo, The Star Named EOS is a fleeting moment in time. In the all-too-short playthrough, it gave us so much to love: between the art, the story and the puzzles we can't choose just one highlight. And once the credits rolled we already wanted to take another turn. Puzzle games don't have the best replay value, but thanks to the tricksy teasers and compelling mother-son narrative, we would be delighted to return to this one. There's not much more for us to say here - a photo is worth a thousand words.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure dares to be different, and it succeeds with aplomb. By interweaving a heartwarming and inclusive story with addictive gameplay, Furniture & Mattress teaches us that puzzle games can be more than just a vehicle for making the cogs in your brain turn. If you're looking for pure puzzling, then the game won't be for you, but a simple story and simple gameplay loop are both elevated to new heights because of the thought and care that's gone into them.
SCHiM is an interesting and relaxing 3D platformer that makes great use of its unique premise. Although its gameplay may be a little basic and the camera can have some issues, its gorgeous art style and relaxing vibes make it an overall worthwhile experience. This isn't one that we'd suggest you go out and pick up right away, but if you've been looking for a 3D platformer that approaches the genre in a notably different way from the rest, this is the game you've been looking for.
A mixed bag, then, but certainly not unenjoyable.
Some of the stages in this collection don’t feel quite as refined as those found in Toree 3D or Toree 2, and the game’s arcade-like nature means it won’t hold your attention for hours and hours on end, but what Toree’s Panic Pack sets out to do, it achieves with ease. It’s a fun and fast 3D platformer with surprising replayability (i.e. a Toree game), a rock-bottom price of entry, and a heaping barrelful of charm to fall in love with.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition doesn't make a great first impression. It's a downgrade in many ways to NES Remix and there's not as much variety or effort put into the challenges, nor any graphical tweaks to speak of this time around. However, stick with it, get into the competitive mindset, and start collecting up all the pins, icons, and top-ranked times on offer, and you may find yourself fully entertained. It's a slight thing, purely speed-focused, but we expect that'll suit plenty of folk who want a competitive outlet to display their old-school skills. And hey, it also doubles as a handy history of some iconic Nintendo gaming moments and mechanics.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the absolute pinnacle of the series and despite being over five years old this 'impossible' Switch conversion does very little to degrade the experience. Long-time franchise players and military aviation enthusiasts will be overwhelmed by the fan service at every turn, from craters on the ground to airplanes, liveries, callsigns, and emblems shouting out to previous entries - all ready to play all on the physical cartridge (strangely exclusive to Europe) with nothing to download if you take that route. We understand the genre is uniquely niche, but if this is your first foray into the franchise, this conversion is a perfect gateway into this rich, revered series. You get tons of content and an epic single-player campaign wrapped up in triple-A presentation that now delivers the most comprehensive portable experience ever delivered by Project Aces.
With a gameplay loop that effortlessly integrates the heroes in a half-shell into the world of roguelikes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a fun and approachable 'Hades-like' that's best played with pals. However, despite the power of the IP and a co-op addition, it doesn't pack enough of a punch to avoid unfavourable comparisons to Supergiant's classic and constantly feels like it's on the back foot because of it. There is fun to be had here, but those who have spent time in the Underworld will find it hard to shake the feeling that this central loop has been done much better elsewhere.
Hot Lap Racing is too serious to be an arcade racer and its handling is too loose to be considered a serious simulation, but players looking for something that attempts to straddle a middle ground will get a kick out of its unique roster of cars and its dedication to the history of racing, despite its performance issues.
Darkest Dungeon 2 may not be the sequel that ardent fans of the original wanted it to be, but its unique approach to that hard-edged, brutal roguelike gameplay is compelling all the same. A memorable art style, tons of replayability, and lots of mechanical depth make this one an easy recommendation to any roguelike fans, even if it can be a little grindy at times. If you've been looking for yet another tough roguelike to add to your collection, Darkest Dungeon 2 is certainly worth your time and your money.
Let's School is a business simulator dressed up as a school simulator, with a heavy focus on the business side of keeping a school operating and not much on the warm, fuzzy feeling that you might get from education and helping kids reach their goals. There are some visual bugs and some frustrating menu layouts to deal with in the Switch version of the game, but there is a deep, engaging – if a bit soulless – simulator here.
With only a handful of new refinements, Princess Maker 2 Regeneration is most notable for bringing Gainax's classic life simulator game to a wider audience than ever before. While its retro aesthetics are charming and its no-wrong-way-to-play design philosophy is still just as rewarding to tinker with all these years later, there's no denying that this title is beginning to show its age. That said, those with a deep interest in game history or the simulator genre should still be able to find plenty of enjoyment in helping their virtual daughter grow up to face the world head-on. It's an experience that may not be everyone's cup of tea - but the original wasn't either, was it?
Fading Afternoon is a very ambitious game that improves on Technos' decades-old Kunio-kun formula in almost every way. It's certainly the most accomplished of Yeo's works to date, and impressive in its polish. What really shines, though, is the way it expands on its life-simulator elements and those all-important details. It keeps things fresh, interesting, and compelling. Although regularly punctuated by satisfying gangland violence, it's not a fast game by any means. With its downbeat plotline and melancholic motifs, it's more an experience to become absorbed in, to be explored and tapped for all its little surprises and diverging paths on subsequent playthroughs. For everything it strives to achieve, beyond anything else, Fading Afternoon is incredibly charming.
If you're a fan of the anime, Spy x Anya: Operation Memories will feel like a relaxed, slice-of-life side-story, complete with wholesome, adorable moments and some fun interactions between the characters you love. The stakes are low and the gameplay is perhaps too easy, but it's a good way to unwind after a busy day. Between the wealth of minigames to choose from – some of them actually quite good, others lacklustre – and the dozens of outfits to put the Forgers in, anime fans will find a way to play that suits them.
Every single new thing we discovered about Tchia was delightful. Multiple times, we thought to ourselves, 'They didn't need to go this hard', but they always did, and it always paid off. Each cutscene is full of details and character, and the game is constantly trying to make you laugh with strange visual jokes and unexpected dialogue, which always works. Every part of this game goes above and beyond, in ways we can't even put into words, because Tchia made us feel speechless with joy at every turn.
For as many creative liberties as it takes in remaking Type-Moon's first-ever visual novel, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- exhibits a respect for the source material that borders on reverence. It feels as though every bit of the game has been carefully and lovingly crafted for the purpose of creating the definitive version of Tsukihime - one in which the shocking narrative developments hit harder, the action sequences are even more exhilarating, and the core story of life, death, and love is all the more bewitching. For fans of the original, it's not only a dream remake, but a triumphant affirmation to the rest of the world that, yes, we really have been missing out on something special for all this time.
Frogun Encore offers a strong and satisfying sophomore sortie for Renata and her frogun. Much like classic 3D platformer sequels such as Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back or Sly 2: Band of Thieves, it expands upon the foundation laid out by its predecessor in meaningful ways and polishes the ideas that the original release introduced. The level design is tighter, you can play with a friend, the stages are more ambitious, and this overall feels like a more confident and sure-footed adventure. It may still have some lingering issues with controls, but as far as retro 3D platformers go, Frogun Encore is close to as good as it gets.