
The best the series has been since the PlayStation 2 era.

The best the series has been since the PlayStation 2 era.

Lost Soul Aside’s repetitive story, derivative characters, and bland level design take turns setting up rakes for its excellent combat to step on. This game would be much better without trying to be an RPG.

A formula that has proven itself across four generations of Nintendo consoles.

A fun, if barebones, tactics game reminiscent of TMNT's arcade classics.

Using firearms to fly through the air is a total blast.

A more traditional rhythm game that innovates on some of the genre’s best ideas.

A well-oiled tactics game with an incredible sense of style.

XDefiant’s core modes offer temporarily fun stabs at the competitive multiplayer arena shooter, but Ubisoft’s latest attempt at carving out a slice of the lucrative esports pie feels half-baked.

Teeming with life, secrets, and charm that surprise and delight, Animal Well held my full, undivided attention.

We wish we liked Library of Ruina more than we do; its world and characters touch on clever themes and storytelling devices, but never fully lean into its potential. Slapdash pacing coupled with sluggish, nerve-wracking menus makes playing Library of Ruina an exercise in courting digital whiplash as you cycle between rushed, truncated story beats and glacially-paced menus. If it had more engaging combat and a more efficient narrative setup, Library of Ruina would have really impressed us. Sadly, we don't feel very compelled to see it through to completion.

Foamstars is a fun competitive shooter surrounded by red flags.

This sequel is an all-star platform fighter that finally lives up to that name.

In a year dominated by titanic, big-budget releases like Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Wonder, Dave the Diver steps up to the plate and knocks the ball clear of the park with a heaving swing. Its charming animations and writing supplement a mechanically dense experience that never stops dangling a new carrot to chase. It's one of the few games to come out this year that rivals Mario Wonder's all-out density and charm while doing something almost completely new. You owe it to yourself to pick up this outstandingly funny, enthralling, and weird gem.

It's deeply disappointing to play Gordian Quest and encounter the amount of UI-driven issues that permeate its menus, because it has some really cool stuff going on beneath its bristly, frustrating outer shell. It's decidedly easier to pick up than most other deckbuilders, and combat has a good flow to it, with lots of combinations and deck variations to explore. Unfortunately, it's a horrendous Switch port that makes even simple things difficult. It's worth your time, just maybe not on the Switch.

Horizon Chase 2 isn't going to set the world on fire. No matter how fun it is to fly across the highway at blazing speed, no amount of speed can disguise the fairly limited breadth of content available. In fact, that speed only makes courses blur together even more. Ultimately, you're left with a fun but shallow arcade racer that feels disappointingly shaky on Switch.