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.
Light Fall swiftly finds a spot among all the other Switch hardcore 2D platforming greats by offering not only a quality game wrapped in a beautifully unique atmosphere, but by successfully providing the player with a plot and characters that are worth investing, making the game very hard to set aside until you complete the tiny shadow-being quest. We found very little to complain about the whole package and as such have very little reserve in recommending you add yet another fantastic platform adventure to the growing list of titles already available on Switch.
A simple but terribly addictive little game that goes very well side-by-side with other trippy digital Switch arcade offers such as Namco's Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus. If you happen to be having a stressful day, nothing better than pumping up the volume and just play Chill Out mode to eventual bliss.
Wild Guns Reloaded sets the new benchmark on how to bring back old Super Nintendo titles to the current generation of gamers. It not only manages to remain faithful to everything that made up the original such a stellar effort, but actually offers some worthwhile new content. With the continued absence of the Virtual Console service on Switch (and the rising costs of a complete-in-the-box original Super Nintendo versions of the game), we offer little refrain in welcoming one of Natsume's finest games home. Solid, memorable and fun arcade shooting action that will keep you coming back for more, even if only to see Bullet hovering about while grappled by his lethal drone.
Graphically, it's a masterpiece, but Jotun's action is too imbalanced to allow the same to be said about the game as a whole. Exploring its environments will be a treat for some players and getting stuck into its difficult boss battles will be a treat for others: if your tastes are wide-ranging enough to appreciate both scenarios, this is a winner.
Agatha Knife tackles vast subjects with surreal humour and delightful style but when it comes to the big questions, it doesn't offer much beyond sarcasm and a shrug. Fortunately, the writing is entertaining enough to make the adventure worthwhile regardless, and the comprehensive touchscreen execution on Switch makes it an ideal candidate for anybody wanting to dip their toe into the point-and-click pool, provided you're not put off by bad language or the odd splash of blood.
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs - Royal Edition is a 30-40 hour adventure, with plenty of replay value when considering the additional in-game DLC, that does a convincing job capturing the spirit and charm of the JRPG formula while providing competent turn-based battles at the same time. The developer has achieved its goal, but doesn't really make an effort to go above and beyond multiple other (and technically more authentic) offerings already available. There are a few notable shortcomings; however, being able to adjust gameplay settings on the fly makes this a game that can be enjoyed by veterans and newcomers alike.
While it lacks any storyline and the randomised nature of the missions may strike some as lazy, Sky Rogue has plenty of gameplay where it counts. The dogfighting action is superb, aided by excellent controls, a wide range of weapons and plenty of stuff to unlock. The 12-stage campaign mode will keep you coming back for quite some time – thanks largely to the unique roguelike approach where death means losing everything, but the experience gained means a better chance of success next time around – and the ability to rope in a friend in co-op adds even more longevity. Granted, when you do eventually complete the game there's not a great deal to bring you back, but it will take quite some time and effort to reach that point – and you'll have had such a blast you won't feel short-changed anyway.
Zotrix: Solar Division looks basic, even archaic, compared to recent offerings, but there's something oddly compelling about watching the events unfold - especially if you get the balance of difficulty, speed and resource management tuned to your liking.
While it's a fair few months behind the releases that graced other platforms in 2017, the Nintendo Switch version South Park: The Fractured But Whole isn't diminished by its later arrival. While it's no great leap from the mechanics of the first game, it still offers both an ideal introduction for players looking to try out a turn-based RPG and a worthy addition to any genre fan's collection.
Ninja Striker! is the Sega Master System game of your dreams you never knew you needed on your Nintendo Switch. Easy to pick up, nearly impossible to master flawlessly and thus like a true ninja it will take some dedication and discipline while you keep coming back to its charming mains quest. In either docked or portable mode, for five minutes or two hours this is a pure combo/score chaser that will keep you hooked to the screen for generations of ninjas to come.
If you're looking for something to pass the time in local multiplayer, it's a fun premise for a while, but there's very little to keep you carving through its unfinished oceans in the long term.
Sally's Law is an example of an already great game being improved and adapted to fit its new home. The adorable characters, heartfelt story and progressive mechanic of relying on each other is both a technical and thematic success. It is a short game, and once you've played through to get all the photos there's just the co-op mode to go back for, but Sally's Law is as much of a cherished, emotional solo experience as it is one you'll want to share.
For better or worse, The Way Remastered is a faithful homage to the old Delphine Software titles that inspired it and players should expect no more or less.
Shelter Generations is a thoroughly charming combination of open-world survival and platform-adventure that provides a fresh slant on both. Beneath its adorable skin, however, there simply isn't enough satisfying meat to sustain the experience.
While it might not offer that much in terms of player agency, Burly Men at Sea more than makes up for it with buckets of charm, wit and affable Scandinavian storytelling. Its playtime sessions are usually short, but with each playthrough recorded like a tome on your virtual shelf, there's plenty of new characters and encounters to be discovered as you plot many a memory on your very own map.
