It’s a shame that the experience of actually playing Bunhouse feels so off, because it’s a cute game with a lovely, laid back atmosphere and it’s a clear labour of love from Reky Studios. It’s just that for all the charm points and rabbits in hats, the simple things can bring you right out of the experience. Fighting unwieldy controls, a molasses slow camera, and unclear visuals makes the game often frustrating to play, rather than the relaxing experience that was intended.

It’s a game that seems like it’s for hardcore The Lord of the Rings fans, considering its playable character and the lack of recent releases for the franchise, but even diehard fans couldn’t enjoy this unexpected journey.

Despite its occasional flaws, I liked Convergence a lot. It may not be the game that gets me into League of Legends, but it did provide a great introduction to the world and its cast. It’s a solid platformer, combining satisfying movement and combat with a surprisingly heartfelt story.

Loop8 squanders its goodwill. This is a game Marvelous and SIEG Games clearly want to be poignant and important. However, its frustratingly obtuse, the pacing is problematic, and it wears out its welcome with tedious interactions. I love the concept and the idea of wandering around Ashihara. Some characters are memorable too! But after a few loops and constant Musasa intrusions, I was tempted to let the Kegai win if it would shut that squirrel up.

The Etrian Odyssey games have always been a triumph, and Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is the sort of loving proof of concept to convince Switch and PC owners that yes, it’s still just as good on a platform that doesn’t feature two screens. Etrian Odyssey I, II, and III remain fantastic, challenging, and engaging games that will drive players to explore. Even better is that the auto-mapping and difficulty options increase the ease of entry, making them even more appealing. It’s wonderful to see all three games again, and I hope this is a precursor to a seventh installment.

Diablo IV introduces one of the most integral characters from its expansive catalogue of lore to weave a tapestry about choice, parenthood, while transitioning the series into something more resembling a live service game.

Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game for everyone. With control schemes that will let you do cool things simply by mashing the buttons, a sprawling single player mode, and a character creation system that allows you to cobble together whatever moveset you like, it feels like something designed to give you whatever you want out of a fighting game.

I’m genuinely disappointed. Star Trek seems perfect for a narrative-heavy adventure game, and Star Trek Resurgence’s bugs, design, and QTEs keep people from getting properly invested. I don’t regret my time with the game, and I did enjoy the tale it told. However it’s executed in such a sloppy fashion and littered with issues that draws a player’s attention away from what matters.

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord was a great time. The gameplay was very entertaining, every battle felt like a fair challenge and I ended up taking on almost every quest both for the rewards and just for the sheer fun of it. The story has its ups and downs but nothing that made me abandon the game completely, on the contrary, it felt the high points mattered the most. And finally, the characters made it all worthwhile, it was refreshing to follow the adventures of friends that don’t feel heroic in a standard way, yet still completely endearing all the time.

Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum is a beautiful blast to the past that hearkens back to the glory days of the indie RPG Maker scene. What makes it shine is in its cast of colorful characters and its heartwarming message. Though I commented that its vagueness is detrimental to emotionally connecting with the story, it does linger with you as you ponder upon its meaning. Video games are art, and Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum is one of those games that can prove it.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy XVI is engaging and does show some promise. While a lot of what I experienced in the narrative feels somewhat half-baked by comparison to the early hours of its predecessors or other more overly politically driven Square Enix RPGs, I am interested to see how Clive’s journey will end. I think this story could be compelling, but I am cautious how it will ultimately choose to handle its female characters from what I have seen. [Impressions]

There are certain NIS America games that sometimes end up a bit forgotten compared to other titles, like Cladun or The Guided Fate Paradox, and I really hope Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook isn’t one of them. There are some elements that feel like they aren’t quite there yet, like pacing or effect application, but what’s here feels really different and innovative. I enjoyed my time with it way more than I expected to, and I would really love to see what could be done in a sequel.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an absolutely massive adventure, just like its predecessor Breath of the Wild. However, it isn’t as though we’re retreading familiar paths or going through an expansion of the existing game. Rather, it does feel entirely new, with its new creative elements adding more freedom while still offering a bit more structure when it comes to visiting Temples and following its story. The technical elements and execution mean that it could be welcoming to all audiences and gameplay styles, and it’s a prime example of what sorts of heights the Nintendo Switch can hit.

Being a free game with a small roster and beginner-friendly slant, I can see Idol Showdown being a great entry point into fighting games for Hololive VTuber fans. If fighting game veterans, attracted by the allure of rollback netcode, end up endeared to the characters, then the game could serve as a nice gateway between the two communities. Those outside those camps may find its appeal limited, but such is the nature of games targeted at such a specific crossover of audiences. Despite that, Idol Showdown is a worthy addition to the growing list of Hololive fan-games that stand on their own merits.

Winter’s Wish: Spirit of Edo is one of those Switch otome games that covers a lot of different topics well. Do you like period pieces? It’s got that. Enjoy stories with supernatural elements? Each route features blightfall hazards to overcome. There for the romance? I really recommend going through Yoichi’s route! Due to playing so many routes one after another, the sense of progression felt a bit similar to me, but I think someone playing it in a more measured way as intended would have a good time.

Darkest Dungeon II expands on the series in a way that brings a new kind of freshness to the core experience. Those looking for something identical to the first game may feel disappointed with how progression tracks, or a lack of a more diverse roster of characters. That said, it is bound to keep you entertained for hours on end, and has plenty of new mechanics to engage in that allow for more experimentation and min-maxing.

Ultimately, whether Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is for you will depend on how much you liked the first game. As much as it builds on the first game in terms of size and scope, it doesn’t feel like it’s going in any new direction. It’s more of what was good about the last game, a second helping of a meal you already know you like. That’s not to damn it with faint praise, it’s an enjoyable game with a lot of content, but there’s no new angle that the previous game didn’t cover already. Add to that the technical instability and it’s hard to recommend this over Fallen Order unless you’ve already beaten that and want more.

As Redfall lacks any actual depth in terms of narrative or gameplay loop, it’s a hard game to recommend. But who knows, maybe six months to a year down the line, it could be a completely different and more engaging game. That’s just the time we live in.

Still, it’s not the easiest game to recommend even if this is the best and easiest to play version. If you want to ruin friendships, Mario Party is the better option. Yes, there will be hurt feelings, but at least everyone will have a good time while it happens. With Dokapon Kingdom: Connect, the pacing and other elements mean it’ll feel like all four people are trudging through a mile-long pit of quicksand in many modes. There’s an audience for this niche game, for sure, but know going in that it is a lot.

Arcana of Paradise: The Tower feels like the concept is sound. A roguelike deck builder with more puzzles to it and possibly caring for your current and future party members is a novel idea. However, even with the real-time element forcing you to act quickly, it doesn’t feel like this is a critical affair. There’s a lack of tension that keeps it from feeling like an achievement when you do well, and the recurring events means you’re rarely surprised and already prepared for most things headed your way.

The art and graphics in Cassette Beasts are beautiful, and perfectly match the whimsical, and at times terrifying nature of New Wirral. Without spoiling anything, the design for each boss battle is spectacular. Likewise, character portraits are beautiful and full of personality. In contrast, the game world is simple and not filled with too much detail, which helps with navigation and clarity. Because of this simplicity, the pixel art pops-up and the art style benefits a lot from it.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a very well-balanced dungeon crawler that weaves its narrative right into its aesthetic. Despite how impressively modern the game looks, there were a lot of factors that made it a lot more reminiscent of a bygone era. Aside from how little strategy the battles required, it also had an incredibly monotonous soundtrack. Personally, it was a little difficult to get into the game because of these issues. This game is definitely one that dungeon crawler fans should play, but it is also one that I could only recommend to fans of the genre. What makes Labyrinth of Zangetsu stand out is in its sumi-e art style. So once the novelty of that wears off, it feels as hollow as a fountain pen that’s run dry.

Trinity Trigger does nothing new. It doesn’t advance the genre forward and it doesn’t offer many surprises to veterans of the genre. However, as I said at the start of this review, it’s hard not to love a humble comfort RPG. Especially when it’s as charming as this one.

Afterimage‘s loading times are the far more egregious offender in this Metroidvania than any tiny text. This may change with a patch, but it would take over a minute to reach the title screen. I thought it was broken initially, to be honest. I recommend starting the game, going to get yourself something to drink, and perhaps it will be ready to go when you get back. The in-game loading isn’t as bad, but you’ll stare at a black screen for a time when you go into some buildings at certain villages or occasional other places.

Specific to the Switch version, it plays at a fine pace, but its blurry characters can be hard on the eyes. That, and the lack of rollback netcode, make it the clearly inferior release out of all the platforms it’s on. It’s a solid release if you have no other choice, but if you DO have a choice, get it on anything but the Switch.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is simultaneously a triumph in preserving the timeless strategy gameplay of the past and a huge missed opportunity to give it a rejuvenated platform that could attract new players.

So far though, I’ve liked what I’ve seen in Wildfrost. I’m a big fan of how cute the art is in this otherwise brutal game. Plus, it was really easy to just pick up and play. But I wish that the game allowed me to refresh my options in the beginning or made expanding Snowdwell feel a bit more rewarding. I enjoyed unlocking new cards, but there was never much fanfare. I also wished I could use leftover bling instead of accomplishments to add more cards to the hub. You really needed to get lucky with RNG to get the necessary cards. Nonetheless, Wildfrost is a game as beautiful, cruel, and cold as its sunless environment. Players going in will have to prepare to sink hours into building their dream deck… and punching their pillow.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is a bite-sized adventure and decent enough 2D action game that will keep players entertained during its short playtime. While it isn’t overly mechanically complex, mastering its magic system is rewarding. However, those looking for a more substantial story which remains consistent with Riot Games’ previous lore concerning Sylas may feel a bit underwhelmed or disappointed.