Inside (Switch eShop)

Inside builds on the successes of Limbo, developer Playdead's previous game, in every imaginable way. A grimly beautiful platform-puzzler that, while brief, is packed full of jaw-dropping highlights, its dark tone won't be for everyone, but it's been executed brilliantly, with gently taxing physics-based conundrums woven into a haunting wordless narrative.

It's a very similar game to its predecessor in many ways, with side-scrolling elements, a gorgeous, moody art style, and a vulnerable protagonist at its heart. Everything's just bigger, better, and more affecting. A wondrous piece of work.

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Just Shapes & Beats (Switch eShop)

The sheer verve of Just Shapes & Beats is infectious. Self-described it as a ‘musical bullet hell’ game, bullets are the least of your worries – objects to evade range from simple Euclidean shapes to laser beams, spinning saws, spiralling tentacles and ocean waves made from EQ bars.

True to its name, the elements are simple, but Berzerk Studio explores and executes on its modest premise with an exceptional level of polish. Challenge mode and the hectic multiplayer will keep you occupied after you’ve conquered the refreshingly breezy story.

It's a celebratory explosion of the audio-visual in video games, showcasing chiptunes in their natural habitat. Headphones are essential for this one. Lovely.

Kamiko (Switch eShop)

Stunningly stylish and with an irresistibly kinetic sense of motion, Kamiko was an early Switch release and a true gem. It's a quick ride, to be sure, but gorgeous pixel-art visuals, a lush soundtrack and three very different characters with plenty of speedrunning potential make it well worth coming back to. A uniquely appealing, action-packed package, this is an easy recommendation for any Switch owner.

Lunistice (Switch eShop)

Presenting itself modestly as “a simple and short experience”, Lunistice has masses to offer. A first run is maybe a handful of hours, but the thirst to retry is so strong it’s almost hard to move on to each new stage. Add the challenge of finding all the cranes and hidden items, avoiding resets, and setting faster times, plus unlockable characters with different moves, and it's a full and generous package.

At $4.99 or your regional equivalent, weighing in at a lean 600MB, and having a demo on the eShop, Lunistice is simply a must-try game.

Lydia (Switch eShop)

With only four short chapters to play through, Lydia will only take you about one or two hours to complete, and we would encourage you to experience it at least once, if only for its eye-opening message. It successfully tells a haunting story about abuse and heartbreak without shoving it down your throat, and that’s really very hard to do.

It’s one of the most emotionally impactful games to grace the Switch since its launch and one that's worth your time.

Minit (Switch eShop)

Minit is a perfect example of a game that introduces a creative new concept, explores it thoroughly, and then ends before things get stale. This may be a short game, but you’re almost assured to have a blast for every bit of it, with funny dialogue, creative puzzle design, and moderate amounts of replayability all being a plus.

We’d recommend this to anyone looking for something a little different than the norm, along with anybody who’s looking for a title that takes after the older Zelda games.

Old Man's Journey (Switch eShop)

If you’re looking for something substantial in the gameplay department, Old Man’s Journey probably isn’t for you. Its main mechanic is neat, but it doesn’t build upon it and due to the lack of any surrounding substance, you may be left feeling short-changed.

But for those who do connect with it, Old Man’s Journey offers up a memorable experience that comes equipped with a meaningful message and a stunning graphical palette.

Pepper Grinder (Switch eShop)

Pepper Grinder is a wonderfully inventive and fun platformer that no fan of the genre will want to miss out on. Channelling the spirits of several retro dig-based games, it may have a runtime that feels a little too short, but this is ultimately a deeply enjoyable, challenging, and highly replayable game with lots of personality.

If you think you’d be interested, we’d suggest you pick up Pepper Grinder at the next opportunity (and there's even a downloadable demo if you're on the fence).

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Pikuniku (Switch eShop)

We struggle to recall a dystopia quite as cheerful as the one found in Pikuniku. It’s a short game, but one packed with heart and imagination, with a great single-player component and excellent couch co-op that can genuinely be enjoyed by anyone.

It makes us remember the fun we had cutting pieces from our friends in Snipperclips, but where we occasionally hit a brick wall with that game, Pikuniku sidesteps frustration in favour of a breezy and charming adventure; a perfect salve if you need a break from the backlog, but don’t dive in expecting endless hours of gameplay.

qomp2 (Switch eShop)

qomp 2 is an excellent and worthy reimaging of Pong that honours the classic arcade game's legacy while providing a unique experience for folks with no nostalgia for Atari's seminal masterpiece. It offers a consistently interesting and engaging means of traversal with a great variety of obstacles and puzzles to overcome throughout the 30 stages.

We would have liked a few more levels in the end, but this is really just an indication of the quality on display here. If you're into quirky action-focused puzzlers with a unique hook, then qomp 2 is definitely worth your attention.

Sayonara Wild Hearts (Switch eShop)

Sayonara Wild Hearts is the video game equivalent of Prince: it’s extremely short and its journey maybe ends a little sooner than you’d hoped, but it packs so many varied and beautiful ideas into its brief life and masters so many different styles that even though there’s a real disappointment it’s over so quickly, what it did give you will remain with you for an extremely long time. A true creative masterpiece.

Storyteller (Switch eShop)

Storyteller seems simple at first. Each puzzle has a title, a set of scenes, a handful of characters, and a bunch of blank spaces for you to fill. The titles are the key, and with 12 chapters that have four puzzles each, they get progressively more complicated as you build narratives to fit the parameters of the title using a cast of four characters.

After just this short taste, we sincerely hope Benmergui and Annapurna give this clever premise a sequel.

Subsurface Circular (Switch eShop)

Subsurface Circular is a landmark moment in interactive storytelling. The elegance of its escalation is simply unmatched, as it tells a story that makes you feel like you’re in completely over your head, and yet still perfectly believable. The characters you meet along the way all feel unique with their own personality, which makes interacting with them a test of wit and cunning as you use the conversational mechanics to their full effect.

There’s nothing else quite like Subsurface Circular (except its sequel, the equally wonderful Quarantine Circular), and when that uniqueness is combined with the phenomenal narrative at hand, you have all the ingredients for a simply unforgettable and very special journey aboard the subway.

Superhot (Switch eShop)

Superhot offers a first-person shooter experience unlike any other, and although the main campaign is a little bit on the short side - a boon in this case - once you’ve made it through, you’ll have dozens of new ways to replay it should you wish. In a genre that can feel a little tired sometimes, Superhot feels like the most innovative shooter we’ve played in years.