Twisted Voxel
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Kirby Air Riders surprises with deceptively simple one-button controls that hide a deep, high-speed racing experience. While the lack of difficulty options may alienate younger players and City Trials feels weaker than the stellar Air Ride mode, the robust content, slick visuals, and addictive "just one more run" gameplay make this a spin-off worth boosting into.
Octopath Traveler 0 defies its mobile origins, delivering a rich, 80-hour prequel with a strategic eight-person party system. While early pacing stumbles and grinding is required, the deep combat and stunning HD-2D visuals on Switch 2 make this a surprisingly essential, feature-complete entry in the series.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion revitalizes the beat ’em up genre with a brilliant tag-team system and distinct hero mechanics that elevate its classic arcade roots. While the stunning pixel art and co-op chaos are delightful, the experience is slightly held back by repetitive enemy encounters and an unsatisfying, shallow progression system.
Dispatch is a rare example of a narrative adventure that understands exactly what it wants to be and executes its vision with finesse.
Visually arresting and mechanically fluid, Constance paints a beautiful picture of mental health via satisfying paintbrush combat. It doesn't reinvent the Metroidvania wheel and stumbles with late-game pacing, but the exquisite art direction and emotive score make this short journey an essential play for genre fans.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is an entertaining and feature-packed entry that suffers from the cost of trying to be everything at once, resulting in a robust but uneven package.
Yakuza Kiwami 1 on Switch 2 exorcises the technical ghosts of the past, trading stuttering frame rates for a buttery 60 FPS. While the narrative sits in Yakuza 0’s shadow and the lack of an upgrade path is criminal, this polished port finally gives Kiryu the handheld performance he deserves.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 impresses with Dragon Engine visuals and a compelling villain, effectively utilizing the Switch 2’s hardware for fidelity. However, the experience is marred by inconsistent frame pacing and a jarring drop to 30 FPS, making it a beautiful but technically uneven sequel to its smoother predecessors.
This polished isometric stealth sequel delivers an engaging story and Aardman's trademark wit, making it a good fit for fans of the series. However, the clunky controls and awkward camera angles work against the core stealth mechanics, which already feel too simplified. It is a short and easy experience, but it still offers solid replay value despite its flaws.
An ideal entry point for newcomers, this Deluxe Pack delivers the best versions of the trilogy with useful quality of life improvements, sharper visuals, and all included DLC. At the same time, the lack of an upgrade option or save transfer makes the steep price hard to justify for returning players, and playing all three games back to back can lead to story fatigue.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a stunning technical showcase for the Nintendo Switch 2, delivering smooth 60 FPS performance and exciting combat that skillfully blends Zonai abilities with mechanics inspired by Tears of the Kingdom. However, its storytelling loses some impact due to repetitive, linear mission design and pacing issues caused by an overabundance of lengthy, though beautifully cinematic, cutscenes.
A lively and charming party game that captures the spirit of Mario Party while adding its own signature LEGO humor and impressive customization options. However, the small number of boards at launch, uneven Golden Brick balance that lessens late-game excitement, and repetitive minigame selection hold it back from reaching true party game greatness.
A solid and smooth port of a defining JRPG, Tales of Xillia Remastered delivers an enjoyable experience with its engaging co-op battle system and thoughtful quality-of-life improvements. The charming cast and vibrant world remain as captivating as ever, but the dated user interface and a handful of minor bugs hold it back from feeling truly modern.
Tormented Souls 2 is a faithful 90s horror throwback with excellent atmosphere, level design, and puzzles, but its promise is undermined by a clunky combat system, thin character development, and a muddled, poorly paced story.
DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake successfully modernizes two foundational, aged RPGs with a unified, speedier battle system and essential quality-of-life upgrades, making them finally palatable for modern players. The package, which shines on the Switch 2 with its HD-2D visuals, delivers a definitive, streamlined experience, though the core narrative of the short first game remains simplistic.
Once Upon a Katamari successfully delivers the series' signature, quirky charm through its inventive time-travel theme, deep customization, and chaotic new multiplayer mode. While it retains the core, addictive fun, the familiar, clunky camera controls and the King's interruptions persist, making the nostalgic experience feel polished but not entirely modernized.
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a faithful, nostalgic port that succeeds on the strength of its core cult classic gameplay and the excellent addition of local multiplayer and co-op support. However, the experience is hindered by repetitive late-game content and a poorly scaled, un-modernized UI that makes text nearly unreadable on a large-screen television.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A sets a new technical benchmark for the series, achieving a smooth 60 FPS on the Switch 2 while revolutionizing combat with an engaging real-time system. Despite its strong narrative cohesion and challenging boss fights, the adventure is slightly muted by the absence of voice acting and the overly simplified 'wild zones,' which remove much of the excitement of natural discovery.
Disgaea 7 Complete is the definitive, feature-packed edition of the tactical RPG, running exceptionally well at 60 FPS on the Nintendo Switch 2 with surprising graphical options. The sheer volume of version-exclusive DLC and quality-of-life additions is undeniable, though the practice of locking content and the high launch price may give both newcomers and veteran players pause.
Absolum brilliantly merges the slick, progression-driven feel of Hades with satisfying, visually stunning beat 'em up combat, offering a feature-rich co-op experience. Despite its gorgeous animation and responsive systems, the game suffers from noticeable enemy repetition and requires some tedious late-game grinding, slightly detracting from its otherwise stellar genre combination.