While its runtime is noticeably short for a JRPG of this style – especially when compared to the classics it so closely resembles – Shadows of Adam is still a really enjoyable experience while it lasts.
Beyond Enemy Lines: Covert Operations is an Early Access game that's come out of the oven less than half-baked. The good intentions of the developer are clear to see in the open-ended nature of each map and the way you approach each objective in your way by opening locked doors and hacking computers rather than shooting your way into a facility, but none of the mechanics in place ever make these conditions feel reliable or rewarding. It's a purely single-player experience that really needed more time to work out its considerable number of kinks before enlisting on the eShop.
When it's not giving the world more reasons to 'Catch 'Em All', Game Freak continues to deliver interesting and unexpected forays into other genres. Much like Tembo the Badass Elephant before it, Giga Wrecker Alt. is a quirky left-turn that takes the exploration staples of a 2D Metroidvania and combines it with a destructible environment puzzle system for some creative and hugely rewarding puzzles. Combat is quite forgettable, but sucker-punching a boss with a giant ball can be ridiculous fun when you pull it off. It's looks might not be that memorable, but it's still a worthy way to make a mess on Switch.
Mortal Kombat 11 is the best Mortal Kombat since MK2, a bold and bombastic entry that boasts a fighting model that finally matches the slapstick theatrics of gory Fatalities.
Screenshots really don't do The friends of Ringo Ishikawa justice. What looks like a traditional side-scrolling brawler is actually something far more intricate. It's more of a teenage simulator than anything, and with some really well-written dialogue (filled with the kind of malaise and sense of directionless rebellion we all experienced in our formative years) there's a really interesting story to be found. Its everyday activities will remind you more of Bully or Shenmue than Street Gangs/River City Ransom, just don't expect to have your hand held as you head out into the world to discover them.
In the highly competitive world of CCGs, PlayFusion has taken one of the biggest fantasy licences and seamlessly melded it with a card battling system that's both easy to grasp and different enough to set itself apart from its contemporaries.
While The Padre is a far from perfect indie offering, its mixture of satisfyingly challenging puzzles, a dark sense of humour and a perennial love for classic survival horror makes for an intriguing addition to the genre. The issues with combat and the sometimes infuriating nature of its puzzles can grate, but with a little extra polish The Padre has the potential to be a real hidden gem on Nintendo Switch.
The gap in quality between mobile games and console/PC releases is almost non-existent now, as is proved by the likes of Shadow Blade: Reload. As such it fits the portable nature of Nintendo Switch like a glove, with its short-yet-challenging levels offering a platforming experience that's ideal for both short bursts of play and longer speedrunning sessions. The sound design helps create a rhythm to your progression through each level, and there's plenty of secrets to find in each level, but the absence of the level editor included in the PC/PS4 port makes this version feel a little hollow by comparison.
As an officially licensed game – complete with character likenesses in Reigns' angular portrait format and Ramin Djawadi's instantly recognisable score – Reigns: Game of Thrones is about as close as you'll come to living the day-to-day life of a Westeros monarch, short of visiting the Seven Kingdoms for real. By bringing in key characters and events from the books and show, you're given enough authenticity that exploring storylines only ever teased in the source material (such as seeing Jamie on the throne or a more compassionate version of Cersei) feel just as meaningful.
The Mystery of Woolley Mountain might have more of a low-rent aesthetic that's more South Park than Monkey Island, but it all ties back into a homemade feel that really sells its quirkiness and sense of personality.
Out There: Ω The Alliance is a roguelike that takes the terrifying prospect of travelling the lonely stars and makes a pulpy comic book adventure of it. Luck and chance are often as important an influence as tactics and knowledge, but with so much to discover (and enough content to warrant multiple playthroughs) this intergalactic adventure will have you humming that iconic mining menu theme tune from Mass Effect 2 in no time.
We've been stung before with ports of console and PC games - especially those lauded for the size and intricacy of their worlds - but Panic Button has proved, once again, that it really does know how to do the right games justice within the constraints of Switch's hardware design.
GODS Remastered is an odd remaster. The brand new visuals help give this incarnation of Ancient Greece a far more agreeable presentation with a proper lighting system, some much-improved character models and a soundtrack that helps do justice to the unforgettable original. But peel away those cosmetic changes and you’re left with a once brilliant action-platformer that has not aged well.
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is a faithful port of the original that brings every slash of Chaoseaster and every bloody execution to Nintendo Switch in all its glory. While still the inferior entry in the Darksiders trilogy, this first outing is still a robust action-platformer full of satisfying melee combos, open-ended levels and a suitably over-the-top story. Easily one of the most underrated franchises to appear in the previous generation, Darksiders is a solid port that finally unleashes the Apocalypse in handheld form.
It’s not often we recommend you play a Nintendo Switch game on a different platform, but there’s simply no way we could advise you to pick this up right now in its current state.
