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SaGa: Emerald Beyond fascinates (for better and for worse) from start to finish. The multiple protagonists, bizarre presentation, and straightforward mechanics make for a rather easy but wholly unique JRPG.
Stellar Blade is an excellent action RPG with stylish and challenging combat.
Sand Land is a great vehicular action-RPG, one of the best anime and manga games available, and a parting gift from the late Akira Toriyama.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a fun platformer mixed with a genuinely moving story of grief, all in a setting we rarely see in games.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is designed to bring players a modern take on a classic JRPG experience. Get ready to lead 100+ playable characters through a war-torn world only you can save. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. On a PC, I imagine Eiyuden Chronicle might generally be fine, but on the Switch it is a mess.
This jam-packed collection features Touch Detective 3, the biggest and best point-and-click adventure of junior detective Mackenzie and her faithful sidekick Funghi, playable in English for the first time. Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files also includes the entire original Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2½ games, plus two bonus cases starring Funghi and an extensive museum of artwork and music from the entire Touch Detective series. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. It’s great to finally get Touch Detective 3 in the west and the collection makes it easy to enjoy all three games, but it doesn’t feel fully optimized for the Switch.
Slap your way to the top of high society! Grace and glamour give way to open-handed duels across five games of aristocratic absurdity - Rose & Camellia 1, 2, 3, & 4, plus Rose & Camellia vs. La-Mulana - in which you'll slap, dodge, feint, and counter your way through a series of one-on-one smackdowns. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Rose & Camellia Collection is a gimmick game that 100% commits to the bit in a delightful way, though the control options may frustrate some.
In BIOMORPH, you must use your skills to explore a vast, varied world. Solve puzzles and platforming challenges, fight deadly monsters and take their shapes to use their powers. But beware – every conquered creature can come back with new and even more threatening powers. You will level-up your character, Harlo, as you fight through the vast areas around the city, collecting new abilities, mementos and blueprints. The journey will reveal surprising and alarming truths about our hero’s own origins. Steam version reviewed. Despite good visuals and a strong start, Biomorph eventually neglects its most interesting mechanic and becomes tedious. In the end, despite its best efforts, it ends up being just an average attempt at an already crowded genre.
Harold Halibut looks beautiful on the outside, and it is even more beautiful once you dive into it. The visuals are an undeniable technical achievement. Its gameplay is undemanding, making the game accessible for many people, even those who are not familiar with the medium of video games. The story and narrative are easy to follow, and depict a modern fable about finding your own home, connecting with others, sharing your perspective, and finding what you want from life.
Open Roads is a game that relies heavily on a lo-fi aesthetic, but all that ambiance is surface level and doesn’t offer actual substance.
Pepper Grinder is an action-packed 2D adventure blending traditional platforming with an alternate drilling mode that allows you to dive in and out of the earth like a dolphin swims through water. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Pepper Grinder is a game with a good idea that generally works well.
Rise of the Ronin puts you into the role of a masterless samurai amidst the chaos of war, disease and political unrest of 19th century Japan. Reviewed on PS5. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Rise of the Ronin is a fusion of many influences aimed at creating something more than the sum of its parts. A game that stands tall, echoing the spirit of its predecessors while carving its own path.
Help Peach save the Sparkle Theater from the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, who have set the stage for the ultimate tragedy. Joined by Stella, the theater’s guardian, Peach is ready to save the day! Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Princess Peach: Showtime! has a surprising amount of depth, making one of the best Super Mario spin-offs to date.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more - in a truly immersive fantasy world. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Dragon's Dogma 2 is a marvel, and perhaps one of the best games within Capcom's catalogue of already impressive titles.
Return to Derceto Manor in this reimagination of Alone in the Dark, a love letter to the 90’s cult classic horror game. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Alone in the Dark is a bland entry in the survival horror genre that fails to say anything with its themes, and that barely holds up.
Introducing a new entry in the legendary Contra series! Contra: Operation Galuga is a thorough reimagining of the classic run 'n' gun NES/arcade game from the 1980s, featuring timeless gameplay, iconic weapons, modern graphics and sound, new stages, new enemies and bosses, new play mechanics, and intense co-op combat for up to two players in Story Mode or four players in Arcade Mode! The true Contra legacy begins now! Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Contra: Operation Galuga is a satisfying retro revival. Fans of the series will have a blast, even if its visuals sometimes get in the way.
Join Snufkin in this musical adventure about restoring harmony and balance to Moominvalley, protecting it from the industrious Park Keeper. Nintendo Switch version reviewed. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a short, but sweet, pastoral game that both Moomin veterans and newcomers can enjoy.
Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and an innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience in the iconic Vanillaware style. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Unicorn Overlord is, as a whole, a loving and well-crafted return to the Ogre Battle formula. If the character designs aren’t a dealbreaker for you, and we’d understand if they are — seriously, can they at least figure out how shirt fabric works? — there’s a lot of interesting tactical decisions to make.
The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos. Switch version reviewed. Everything comes together beautifully and seamlessly in Balatro, and it is now one of my favorite deck-building games ever.
The Thaumaturge is a story-driven RPG that combines real history and Slavic folklore to deliver a captivating period drama.