Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Oliver Revolta·Feb 12, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement—

I Hate This Place is a game that oversells itself in the trailer and undershoots on the Switch, but still manages to be very enjoyable. The performance issues, visual compromises, and pared‑back crafting leave their mark on much of the experience, yet the core loop of sneaking, crafting, and blasting through strange supernatural threats has enough bite to carry it.When the action flows, it's easy to see what the developers were aiming for. It just depends on whether you're willing to look past the rough edges to enjoy what does work.

Nintendo Life

Nile Bowie·Feb 11, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

With Reanimal, Tarsier Studios delivers its darkest, boldest work yet. Expanding on the Little Nightmares formula with non-linear exploration, striking audiovisual design, and bombastic set pieces, this is an imaginative horror experience that confidently delivers its vision while offering accessible co-op play that fans of the developer have long clamoured for.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Feb 10, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Mario Tennis Fever serves up my favourite game in the series thus far, by finding an addictive balance between Mario's madcap antics and real-world tennis fun. Streamlining superpowers into Fever rackets makes everything easier to parse, and keeping player movement relatively restrained makes for tennis matches that retain an exciting flow without constant slo-mo interruptions.The adventure mode is a letdown, and solo players don't have a ton of options, but there's depth and strategy at the core here that should see this one ace things online for some time to come.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 9, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a fair series entry, but one that's tainted by poor pacing and a recasting controversy that simply didn't need to happen. The main story has a lot to offer, but it's also bloated with way too much side content getting in the way of the core narrative. Dark Ties feels like a nice antidote to this, but I'm not sure whether this alone would be worth the purchase for anyone but series die-hards.RGG Studio fixed some visual blemishes in time for launch, so that's good news. Unfortunately, it seems Kiwami 3 will forever be associated with the recasting of one of its main antagonists, a controversy that undeniably affected my personal enjoyment of the game. If that doesn't bother you, and if an overabundance of side content appeals, you could probably add a point to the scoreline.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Feb 9, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement—

An explosive return from this 30-year-old franchise, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is close to being the full package. It's one of those rare reboots that can satisfy older fans while also appealing to newer players drawn to the roguelite loop. It's fast, entertaining, and backed by a teeth-rattling heavy metal soundtrack.It's a shame, then, that there isn't more of it. With no multiplayer and no additional content announced, Rogue Shift starts strong and shows real promise, but it ultimately runs out of gas.

Nintendo Life

Alana Hagues·Feb 5, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Made for RPG lovers by an RPG lover, Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass uses every tool in the RPG Maker toolbox to put together a purposeful, devastating, and beautiful game that never puts the kid gloves on.Yes, it's a little simple-looking, and the difficulty can be a little frustrating early on, but this is just the surface of a rich adventure with tons of secrets and challenges to uncover. The reward may be tears, it may be laughter, or it may be a new weapon, but it's always worth it.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Feb 4, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Despite being another in an ever increasing genre stable, The Perfect Pencil brings a uniquely twisted world to the genre. Its mysteries can be a bit dense, but the eerie atmosphere, complex themes, and strange landscapes make it worth exploring.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 2, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined proves to be a strong revisit of a classic, trimming the fat and including welcome additions to make for a magical experience that no fan of classic JRPGs will want to miss. Though I'm hesitant to call this the 'definitive' version of the game, given the content cuts, I would certainly say it's the most fun version yet. Combine the more engaging pace of the narrative with some nice gameplay updates like moonlighting and those gorgeous visuals, and it's tough to argue that the previous versions are more enjoyable.At any rate, I'd highly suggest you pick this up if you're looking for another high-quality, old-school JRPG for your collection; Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined may not be all that innovative, but it absolutely nails its gameplay and aesthetics.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jan 27, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

If you can make peace with a lack of multiplayer outside of online leaderboards, alongside the fact that digital triggers aren't ideal if you're after precision throttle control (grab a GameCube NSO pad to swerve this issue), Grid Legends on Switch 2 serves up an excellent package of slick and satisfying 'simcade' action that looks and plays wonderfully well in both docked and handheld.With lots of options in terms of graphics and accessibility, and all previously-released DLC included, this is easily the best racing package of this type that's currently available on either of Nintendo's Switches and a real blast for solo racing fans.

Nintendo Life

Alana Hagues·Jan 21, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Even in its attempts to swing big and do something different, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade respects where it's come from. The classic's pro-revolutionary heart is still intact, and it's never afraid to get a little weird and funny. The Switch 2 version makes impressively few compromises to get this gorgeous-looking game running on the system – even at 30fps, this looks and feels fantastic.The fact that everything from the PS5 release is preserved in such excellent fashion here is remarkable, and it makes me excited (and anxious) about Rebirth's incoming port.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Jan 19, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

MIO is a compelling adventure with solid platforming and combat. The Vessel is a great place to explore and the mod system adds versatility. A great Metroidvania, then, though its similarities to genre heavyweights stop it from being essential. If you are in the mood for another tightly designed Metroidvania on Switch, however, this is an easy recommendation.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jan 16, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Dynasty Warriors: Origins on Switch 2 is a super-solid port of a fantastic reboot for the franchise. The shift to focus on one protagonist and improvements in storytelling across the board result in a gripping adventure that delivers huge enemy numbers to slice and dice through, whilst also being careful not to lose players in a mess of historical names and events.30fps is a bit of a shame, but this is a super smooth and responsive 30fps - the good sort - making for a game that lands on Switch 2 in fine form and with plenty to offer hardened Musou and action fans alike.

Nintendo Life

Alex Olney·Jan 15, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement100%

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is perfectly fine. It makes things a bit prettier, has a few more options to take advantage of the console's new features, but all in all, it's not an especially exciting upgrade.If it were free, I don't think anyone could reasonably complain, but even at the relatively low price, it's only just scraping by to be worthwhile. It's far from an essential purchase, but if you've got credit on your account and you're a fan of the game, you could do worse.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Jan 12, 2026

Critic70/100

Agreement—

A familiar adventure that pulls from the likes of Zelda and Pokémon for its setting and story, Cassette Boy is nevertheless a smart puzzler with a great visual style. The dimension-shifting mechanic never gets old, putting a fresh and literal spin on traditional isometric questing.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 8, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Trails Beyond the Horizon is another solid new entry in the long-running series and feels like a firm step forward, even if it's not quite as big a step as some may have hoped. Though the story can be uneven, it's buoyed by a strong and diverse cast that keeps you invested and reminds you how all the work Falcom has been putting in over the years has ultimately been pushing towards something.Couple its engaging (if sometimes slow) narrative with polished graphics, deep character customisation, and a dynamic combat system, and you've got a great and ambitious JRPG that especially stands out in these relatively early days of the Switch 2 library. I'd give this one a strong recommendation to series fans, as it really does feel like a step up from Daybreak II. Newcomers, though, will want to give this one a pass until they've played the previous two Daybreak games, at least.