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As the first otome game on Switch, Men Of Yoshiwara: Kikuya is both excellent proof of concept and an enjoyable piece of electronic erotica in its own right. With a memorable cast of courtesans, a generous amount of content split over several discrete routes and sub-scenarios, and affection-based unlockables, there's plenty here to keep you busy and blushing. The backgrounds and music give off a bit of a budget feel, and occasional text encoding issues and some steep (but infrequent) quality drops are blemishes on an otherwise well-written script, but overall, we'd certainly recommend a trip to Kikuya for otome fans.
Ace Of Seafood is proof that even bad games can offer some entertainment value, and if you don't find the idea of massive, laser-shooting fish battling ghost battleships amusing, then you probably need to check your pulse. Beyond its utterly bonkers premise, it offers some surprisingly deep gameplay, with every battle presenting a different challenge and the need to constantly manage your resources adding a neat wrinkle to the arcade action. This fine balance between all-out blasting and tactical play makes this fishy game an intriguing prospect, but its myriad problems – which include poor production values, terrible interface design and awful music – suck some of the fun away. While we can't possibly recommend Ace of Seafood wholeheartedly, we also can't state categorically that you should avoid it; despite our frustrations we still had a surprisingly good time trying to rule its post-apocalyptic waters, and chances are you will, too.
The Final Station is a unique journey among the current Switch library you will not want to skip on, especially if you managed to stay away from the original PC release up to this point. World building and plot is brilliantly delivered by numerous little details of which we have rarely seen developers explore with such efficiency to deliver so much tension and sense of urgency from the player. Despite linearity, when you do reach the end game you can immediately jump into the ‘The Only Traitor' DLC included in the Switch version, which will enable you to experience the same events under a new character. Make sure you don't miss out this train ride.
A Normal Lost Phone is a tough game to recommend. The concept is intriguing and there's a genuinely interesting narrative at the center of the experience, but it's all so fraught by poor execution and mediocre presentation that we can hardly suggest you pick this one up. You could do a whole lot worse for three bucks, but you're also getting exactly what you pay for and nothing more. If you have some credit leftover in your account from another eShop purchase and feel like distracting yourself with a mildly entertaining adventure game, this one may be worth a look, but you'd best take a pass.
Hollow is an incredibly ugly game with the kind of plentiful technical issues that make it actively difficult to play. Those with a masochistic streak might derive some pleasure from its abrasiveness and its downbeat tone, but most Switch-owning horror fans would be much better served playing through Resident Evil Revelations and its sequel for the umpteenth time.
Radiation Island is a good survival horror premise that sadly never delivers.
If you played and enjoyed the previous versions, there are enough new additions to warrant a new visit while players meeting Watt and Volt for the first time will find this a rather pleasing package whose only really fault is the fact that is landing on a console with a library filled with several other exceptional platforming games.
Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas offers a decent puzzling experience, but its refusal to innovate or even introduce anything fresh into the game long past the halfway mark seriously dampens things. There is fun to be had here, but expect things to get repetitive and frustrating all too quickly.
Hot off the heels of Layers of Fear: Legacy, Detention is yet another horror classic that deserves a place on your Nintendo Switch. Its story has an important message behind it as it introduces themes that seem almost unfair when viewed through the eyes of a child, but that only helps to escalate the horror. Through a terrifying atmosphere, chilling ghouls, and a soundtrack that will sink its teeth into you, Detention is a suitably horrifying title that needs to be experienced first-hand.
Mercenary Kings: Reloaded takes some serious steps to breathe new life into the gun-toting, fast-paced arcade shooter, resetting your expectations by adding RPG elements such as weapon crafting and loot drops into the mix. It's ambitious, but also sorely repetitious, lacking in mission variety and the kind of enemy AI needed to make the grind feel worthwhile.
Charming, challenging yet never frustrating to the levels of the designed to do so Super Meat Boy, this little triangle that could might just turn you into a geometry fan for life. Recommended from every angle.
CA roguelike at heart with a rhythm-game soul, Crypt Of The NecroDancer is a sublime experience that's a must-play for fans of the genre(s). Its upbeat, uptempo take on dungeon crawling is infectious, and there's enough content here to last even the savviest of spelunkers for many, many dance-fuelled dives into the depths — if you've never tangoed with the COTN, this fully-featured Switch edition is the perfect way to jump in.
Toki Tori 2+ on Switch is still the same, cute and cuddly, yet fiendishly tricky game that we've been enjoying for the last few years, but with some notable improvements that make it the best version currently available on consoles. The difficulty of some puzzles may still be too much for some, but the levels of frustration that plagued earlier releases have been somewhat nullified thanks to new mechanics. If you're interested in what the title has to offer, or have only played it in its earliest forms, we urge you to give this version a try.
Dragon Sinker is fortunately no ‘Dragon Stinker'. True, there is nothing you haven't seen before a couple of decades ago and there is little reason to once again venture into this quest if you happen to have played it on another platform previous to this release. But nostalgia is a powerful force and what the game does, it does so quaintly and provides many hours of blissful, care-free JRPGing tropes. Not revolutionary but still a very welcome choice for Switch owners with a retro itch. If you do love JRPGs, miss the simpler days and enjoy getting out of a game as much as you put into it, we have little reasons not to recommend you give this quest a go.
Payday 2's devotion to its core gameplay mantra makes it a unique way to team up with other players on Switch, but it does seal the game's mechanics in a time capsule that only serves to noticeably age it when seen through the prism of 2018.
Typoman remains a refreshing combination of platform-adventure and word puzzler, with a particularly creative use of words and letters as physical tools. It's undoubtedly spoiled by frustratingly clunky platforming mechanics and a lack of clarity in some of its design, but those after something a little bit different and cerebral should give it a spin.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus is everything that fans of the classic arcade game could want out of a legacy sequel, focusing on delivering a pure, high-speed realization of the concept that was introduced way back in 1980. Between the single player and multiplayer modes, there's enough content here for hours of play, and it's all endlessly replayable. We would give this game a strong recommendation to anyone that enjoys the easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay that you typically find in an arcade game; PCE2 has it in spades. For 20 bucks, this one is a no-brainer.
Pool might not be the classiest of sports, but that doesn't mean it deserves a half-baked attempt at simulation to further its virtual cause. For a game asking for £9/$13 for the privilege of knocking balls around its tables, Premium Pool Arena feels more like daylight robbery than an eShop steal. If you truly want a proper pool experience, you're best looking elsewhere for now.
Like Meme Run and Zombie Brigade, Superola And The Lost Burgers is an embarrassment to modern gaming.
SteamWorld Dig 2 is a wonderful sequel to the already impressive SteamWorld Dig, and this 3DS port of last year's Switch release does not disappoint. Taking everything that was great from the original, and improving it even further, SWD2 can stand proudly near the top of the list of 'must play' titles on the Nintendo eShop.