MIO: Memories in Orbit (Switch 2)
£16.99 / $19.99 / €19.99
MIO: Memories in Orbit is a compelling adventure with solid platforming and combat, and The Vessel is a great place to explore, while the mod system adds versatility.
A great game, then, though its similarities to genre heavyweights stop it from being essential. If you are in the mood for another tightly designed Metroidvania, however, this is an easy recommendation.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour (Switch 2)
£7.99 / $9.99 / €9.99
Ooo, controversial!
Despite the hate, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a calming, surprisingly engaging hardware exhibition with a handful of cool minigames, a trove of interesting info, and some neat demos that showcase exactly what the little system can do. It makes you feel good about buying the thing...which makes the platform holder's decision not to bundle it with the console utterly baffling. Featuring expensive add-ons you might not own also won't impress anyone who's indignant that they want another 10 bucks for this.
That aside, it's an undeniably fine demonstration of Nintendo's thoughtful design approach. Cute and fun, it's a shame the whole pack-in argument overshadows the delightful software. Anyone interested in tech, design, or Nintendo in general should check it out immediately.
PowerWash Simulator 2 (Switch 2)
£19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99
Putting a power washer in your hand and charging you with cleaning the grime off all sorts of objects, the methodical, calming cleaning of the first game continues in PowerWash Simulator 2, with the added grunt of Switch 2 making things look especially shiny once you've blasted the muck and dirt away with your righteous hose.
ShapeHero Factory (Switch 2)
£21.59 / $23.99 / €23.99
Asobism's tower defence/roguelite/factory sim title, ShapeHero Factory, is on both Switch 1 and 2, with a free upgrade to the S2 version (although save date won't transfer - it isn't a bona fide 'NS2 Edition').
For anyone unfamiliar, this one sees you create an army of robots from a bunch of magical shapes within a factory setting, making for a sweat-inducing puzzle of sorts as you work to get your automation processes up and running before battle.
The twist? You don't actually get to control the robots you make in the ensuing fight here. Nope, it's all about the factory, levelling up through artefacts and creating more and more powerful units to keep on, er, powering through.
Simogo Legacy Collection - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
£13.49 / $14.99 / €14.99
Polishing and repackaging its excellent mobile output, Simogo has created an essential collection of classics, where every one of the seven games here is worth your time.
Despite their mobile origins, these titles feel tailor-made for Switch. The devs fully embrace the console's feature set with clever implementation of Mouse Mode and dual input that makes these ports almost as approachable on a TV as they are in their natural touchscreen habitat (where rotating the small screen in your hands is elementary).
With a trove of archival extras and audio-visual goodies in addition to the library itself — which includes the brilliant Device 6 and Year Walk — Simogo Legacy Collection is one of the most unabashedly original sets of experiences we have encountered in a long time. If you enjoy puzzle-driven narratives and experimental design, this bundle is nothing less than essential.
Skate Story (Switch 2)
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99
There are moments of gameplay during the climax of Skate Story that are some of the most visceral, original, and downright impressive that I’ve experienced for a very long time. Its great-feeling skating isn’t always pushed to its limits, but the sheer craft, personality, and audiovisual flair throughout largely compensate.
Overall, Skate Story is an enjoyable, offbeat adventure game with a striking, unique identity. It might not be difficult, but if its tone speaks to you, you’ll find plenty to appreciate for its relatively short duration: sliding at speed around corners, landing shove-its, jumping across crevices, grinding through crystalline underworlds, and, yes, eating moons – all to a superb soundtrack.
Squirrel with a Gun (Switch 2)
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99
If you didn't catch Squirrel with a Gun on its PC release in 2024, the title tells you just about everything you need to know. You play as a squirrel. You have a gun. What you do with it is up to you.
There's a fair emphasis on the 'sandbox' elements here, with platforming, collectibles, weird little challenges, and a bunch of funky gun abilities at your disposal. And let's not beat about the bush, the titular conceit paints a funny enough image on its own.
Stardew Valley - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
£10.99 / $14.99 / €13.99
This is Stardew Valley — arguably the best farming sim of all time — as you know it, just better.
Mouse mode is supported. Online multiplayer now supports up to eight players. Improved split-screen co-op is another huge boon, as you can now play with up to three other people on the same farm on the same screen. The magic of better processing power! Or you can GameShare with up to three others to Switch 2 or Switch 1.
Short of the mods the PC version affords, Stardew Valley on Switch 2 is pretty much the best way to play now.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Switch 2)
£16.39 / $19.99 / €18.19
Aspyr did the work to make Tomb Raider (2013) — the first game in the Survivor Trilogy — run at a solid 60fps on Switch 2 (though the Switch 1 version struggles to maintain a 30fps target).
However, it seemed the cost of that smoothness was graphical fidelity at almost every turn. Not to mention the bizarre implementation, or lack thereof, of motion controls and unwieldy mouse options on Switch 2. Post-launch patches have addressed some issues, but it's still not quite as 'definitive' as its title suggests.
Thankfully, though, this entry in the Tomb Raider mythos remains one of the very best, and clever visual design means that your trip through Yamatai is far from ugly, as long as you don’t inspect too closely. Crystal Dynamics’ reinvention of Lara Croft just might be the best entry in this decades-old franchise, and for the asking price, you’re getting a thrilling action romp that’ll keep you hooked until the credits.
The Touryst: Deluxe (Switch 2)
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99
The Touryst: Deluxe gives us Shin'en's excellent 2019 adventure, plus a new island, fun new minigames and missions, and a new arcade game that's worth the price of entry alone.
With snazzy Switch 2 graphical effects and super smooth performance, it's perfect if you've yet to play it. And with a reduced price point for seasoned travellers — returning players are presented with a 75% discount on the eShop — this is a return trip that's very hard to knock.