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Steamworld Heist II expands upon its predecessor's solid foundation, offering a more complex and ambitious experience that rewards patience and careful planning. While the increased difficulty and expanded mechanics may deter some players, those willing to invest time and tweak things to suit their preferences will find a deeply satisfying tactical adventure.
Playing through The Lullaby of Life was a joy, with plenty of challenging moments without feeling frustrating, and it feels perfectly at home on the Switch. Each chapter has its own distinct personality and the music adds a lot of soul to each new planet. If you enjoy quirky, unique puzzle titles with cute characters and interesting mechanics, this is a gem that needs to be in your library - one that's especially suited to handheld players with headphones, as the music really is beautiful.
Its stability issues are minor qualms compared to everything Trinity Fusion does right. It looks good, plays well, has a great combat system, and nails the little things you need to get right to make a good, modern roguelite. And it runs well on the Switch, something nobody should take for granted given how old this hardware is, in this or any multiverse. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got to get back to it. Those enemies aren't going to air combo themselves.
Bare Butt Boxing delivers short bursts of frantic and accessible fun with some clear room for improvement. Playing against real people will certainly elevate the experience, seeing how rudderless the game's CPU fighters are. But given how simplistically it controls and the sparse game modes on offer, we can't see it having the staying power to be anything more than a game night palate cleanser between rounds of more established, better party games.
We're delighted that this game has made it to the West. And although performance and graphics aren't up to scratch, and the translation is a bit wonky in places, Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid still is very much a playable and enjoyable experience. The game teaches some genuinely valuable lessons and makes you think about life and how we must live it to its fullest. It's a game that shouldn't be rushed through, and the 25-45 minutes it takes to get through each day lends itself perfectly to the Switch. This game isn't for everyone - it's slow in many places and may test your patience - but if what you're looking for is a relaxing experience with lots of freedom and activities at your disposal, then we're sure you'll have a great summer with this one.
One Piece Odyssey may not exactly be reinventing the wheel with its rather basic approach to JRPG game design, but it nonetheless provides a fun and engaging adventure that we'd recommend to any fans of One Piece or RPGs - preferably both if you don't want spoilers from the manga and anime. Though quibbles like the middling presentation and rather 'safe' gameplay design keep this one from being a top-shelf RPG, the strategic combat system, meaningful exploration, and nostalgic story all come together to make for a worthwhile experience that holds up well. We wouldn't suggest you rush out to buy this straight away, but it's definitely one to consider when a modest sale comes around.
Cat Quest III is a familiar yet flawless action adventure with fluid and fantastic-feeling combat. Its charming story and witty writing bring life to the Purribean, one of the best-designed mini-open worlds in recent memory. That open world is packed with satisfying quests and engaging puzzles to solve that almost always throw some new idea or challenge at you. The progression here is smooth, and the entire experience is precisely paced with no performance issues at all. Some stunning animation work, accompanied by a gorgeous shanty-like pirate soundtrack tops off an excellent adventure. All of that together ensures that Cat Quest III is a pristine pirate adventure and action RPG. Quite simply, one of the best indie games of the year.
Volgarr the Viking II is, quite simply, one of the best 2D action platformers on Switch, or any other platform for that matter. It improves upon the original in just about every conceivable way, introducing neat ways to ease newcomers into its relentless brutality, vastly improving the visuals, and adding a soundtrack that is destined to go down as one of the all-time greats. Minor quibbles with the UI aside, Volgarr the Viking II is an absolute must-play if you can stomach the intense difficulty.
World of Goo 2 is a fantastic sequel to a stone-cold classic. The new focus on liquids feels right at home, and the utterly bizarre fourth chapter elevates the experience to one of considerable excellence. It's a shame that it's somewhat let down by limited control options, occasionally wobbly performance, and some underutilised mechanics, but its core is so solid, we can't help but recommend it regardless.
We commend Mars 2120 for what it does do well. It gets a few things right: the general aesthetic is on point, the ambient music is pleasant, and some of the upgrades you’ll pick up in your journey are pretty cool. But failing to nail the basic traits that make a Metroidvania means that we can't recommend this one.
Over two decades after its original release, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter still brings a decent amount of fun from the galaxy far, far away. The updated control scheme and visuals undoubtedly make this the best way to experience Jango Fett's backstory. But Aspyr's sparing upgrades can't hide a noticeably dated game underneath. With repetitive combat, occasionally confusing level design, and a regularly iffy script, this is a prime example of how far gaming has come in the past 20 years. It's a product of a simpler time, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a very average arcade fighter, a game that wasn't great over 20 years ago, and still isn't now. For retro-fighter enthusiasts, there's some interesting aspects to this port in the form of an online mode and the fact the whole thing looks and sounds so great. However, with a very low player count in its lobbies, and nothing more besides a gallery and practice mode by way of extras, this is a very hard experience to recommend to anyone outside of history buffs.
Thank Goodness You're Here! is a brief but oh-so sweet romp into a world that simultaneously makes no sense and yet perfect sense to those familiar with British culture. Bursting with excellent humour (which is no small feat in a video game), beautiful artwork, and fantastic animation, it's a wonder the devs managed to pack as much as they did into its short runtime. Performance may not be 100% perfect on Switch, and if you've no funny bone in your body, you'll wonder what the point of it all is, but it's still some of the best and most intense fun we've had in years on Nintendo's console. Our faces hurt from laughing so much, and we don't think there's much greater praise than that.
The New Denpa Men is pretty firmly in the middle of the pack when it comes to Switch's freemium games. Simple, approachable gameplay makes it a great light JRPG for anyone looking for a basic introduction to the genre but, unsurprisingly, it scarcely holds a candle to classically designed games such as Octopath Traveler 2 or Dragon Quest XI. And though the microtransactions and freemium elements don't get too in the way of progressing the story, they are nonetheless a persistent annoyance that can drag the overall experience down. Still, it costs you nothing but time to give this one a shot and, despite the drawbacks, this is still a fun little RPG that you may find yourself coming back to more than you'd think. If you give it a try and if you're not too impressed, there's a staggering number of excellent RPGs on Switch to play instead.
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.