Digimon Survive is one of the best visual novels to come out so far this year, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and presented characters that deal with life-and-death situations will enjoy the ride, while players focused on the combat will probably find that the game comes up short. Despite its sluggish, padded start, Digimon Survive is well worth the long wait.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the strangest thing you'll play from Nintendo, bringing with it laughs and creativity in abundance. But even with improvements over the 3DS game, it follows a familiar structure that isn't always enthralling or hilarious.Tomodachi fans will certainly be living the dream with this new entry, but I'm not desperate to keep coming back to my island. A little more variety would've been welcome, but the customisation, and the thought of my cat being best friends with DMC's Dante, will have me peep in every so often for a little pick-me-up.
All told, Mega Man X Legacy Collection is a fantastic re-release of several must-play gaming classics, presenting them as authentically as possible while still including a few modern features on top that help to improve the overall experience and keep it from feeling antiquated. Throw in the new X Challenge mode and an enormous archive of museum content and this stands as the definitive way to play the Mega Man X games in the modern era. Four fantastic games, a bevy of extra content, and the ability to play at home or on the go make this one an easy recommendation.
While it's not the best looking FPS on Switch, Hunting Simulator still manages to offer an experience that brings something new to the console's growing library of software. The issues with its tracking system will rankle both veterans and newcomers, but if you can move beyond this roadblock then the bullet mechanics and actual minute-to-minute hunting have plenty to offer. Just remember to pack some sandwiches before you head out, because this is no ‘pick up and play' purchase.
A wildly imaginative and vaguely psychedelic physics puzzler with a novel pool-based twist, Pool Panic is frequently thrilling and almost never boring, but it's also mechanically suspect and occasionally frustrating. In short, it has cult classic written all over it.
Mugsters is a decent action puzzle game that will no doubt prove to be satisfying to a certain kind of audience. Goofy, physics-based puzzles, fun multiplayer, and a solid amount of content are definite positives, though these are hamstrung by the poor camera and grindy repetition of the gameplay. We'd give this one a light recommendation, as there's plenty of enjoyment to be found, but this is by no means a must-play.
While far from a deep experience, Sausage Sports Club is hardly trying to be anything other than a family-friendly (and really quite bizarre) party game which is fantastic fun in short bursts. While it does support solo play, it's simply nowhere near as fun or rewarding as cramming around your TV with Joy-Con in-hand, whacking your fellow players with a well-timed swing of your neck. Until Super Mario Party arrives, this is a fine alternative to keep those parties really wild.
Heroki is a bright and calming adventure game that can provide a simple level of entertainment for players of all skill levels and abilities, but never quite pushes itself far enough to be the experience it could have been. It ticks all of the boxes and gets the job done, with easy-to-understand controls, addictive collectable-grabbing gameplay - and even a nice little side quest area - but never breaks out of those metaphorical boxes to give us something that can truly amaze. A nice little game on the whole, then, just a little on the simple side.
Galak-Z: Variant S is a more focused and tighter experience than its forerunner, but one that offers surprising depth thanks to the often staggering upgrade opportunities on offer. By taking the freemium route developer 17-Bit Studios has been forced to introduce timers which can be overridden by spending actual cash, but these are thoughtfully deployed and even if you do decide to dig deep in your pocket, you'll still need considerable shooting skills to overcome the increasingly stern - if somewhat repetitive - challenge.
West of Loathing is not your average RPG; in fact we'd go so far as to say you've probably never played anything quite like it in your life. Its combat won't blow you away but don't be lulled into believing that's what this game is about, as really the whole thing is an adventure in exploration and interaction with a bit of fighting sprinkled in. It can occasionally be a little bit difficult to decipher, but the satisfaction felt upon working out a problem totally makes up for it. The humour is as wonderfully dry as the desert you're traversing and the writing is some of the best you can find on the Switch. Unless you've not got a humorous bone in your body, this is one RPG you can't risk skipping.
VSR: Void Space Racing is a one-of-kind racing game that finds itself very welcome in the Switch library. There is simply nothing quite like it; you're wrestling with raw physics as much as your rival racers, and the overall experience is brutal yet incredibly rewarding. Be prepared to swallow your pride in the first few sessions - during which you will be nothing short of a space pinball - and then aim for the stars.
If Space Invaders floats your intergalactic boat, Super Destronaut DX will definitely scratch your itch and the attempts to nudge and wink its way through your fond memories of neon lights and electro tunes are admirable. However, unless you're a high score hunter or a multiplier maniac who has had their fill of more interesting shooters or music-based games on the system like Just Shapes And Beats or Lumines Remastered, Super Destronaut DX will end up being a brief time killer, but not much else.
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion feels like a return to the old days of licensed video games. The developers took a classic genre in the turn-based RPG, boiled it down to its core mechanics, and plastered the Adventure Time setting and characters onto it with far too few original ideas. Even though it feels like a faithful recreation of the show's personality and charm thanks to the original cast and solid writing, the uninspired gameplay drags down any goodwill it builds between encounters.
If you're the type to burn through the Louvre in an hour and wait for your companions in the cafe, The Mooseman may well try your patience. If you're more inclined to wander around with an audio guide, reading every accompanying plaque and information card, you'll likely enjoy its sedate pace, workaday puzzles and catalogue of artefacts. A clumsy UI seriously hampers the experience but, if you're willing to work around the irritations at its core, it offers an interesting, sometimes beautiful journey.
Ghost 1.0 is a lighthearted Metroidvania that adapts a sprawling sci-fi setting with some really creative takes on the genre. Even though it originally released on PC two years ago, it still manages to fit right into the Switch's growing library of quality sprite-based action adventures. If you're looking for a less somber journey after the harrowing depths of Hollow Knight, you could do far worse than Ghost 1.0 as long as the forgettable story and cringe-inducing humor aren't too off-putting..
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! isn't anything we haven't already seen before. Forging and selling weapons is fun once you get into the rhythm of it, and there's plenty within the potato world to work towards. This is a game that can be played for a few minutes or hours per day, depending on how much you enjoy the genre. What's frustrating is how this title has been adapted to the Switch. It's got a clunky user interface that doesn't really feel compatible with the Joy-Cons and even if you opt with the screen by itself as a touchpad it still feels difficult to complete the most basic of tasks. All up, this makes it the hardest version of the game to play. Overlooking these problems, it's still worth checking out if you're looking for a game of this type and one with plenty of humour - it's just far from spud-tacular.
