Switch 2 Game Reviews
Review Super Meat Boy 3D (Switch 2) - Not The Finest Cut, But Still Tasty
A real meat grinder
In many ways, the gaming landscape was radically different in 2010, and one difference was a relative lack of indie releases. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for games like Balatro or Hollow Knight: Silksong to have equal sales, attention, and excitement behind them as major AAA releases, and it can be easy to forget that such...
Close but no Jafar
Since its somewhat rocky release on Switch back in 2022, Disney Dreamlight Valley has redeemed itself through several updates and a plethora of DLCs which can make any Disney fan happy. You see, I originally played the game on the Xbox One during early access, when the game used to be free-to-play but full of performance issues...
Spirited away
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an easy game, but it has two near insurmountable difficulty spikes. The first is the compulsion to constantly sit with your companion critters and make them dance around you or kiss you on the cheek, which brings the game to a screeching halt. The second is an overwhelming urge to use the game’s photo mode...
REVOlutionary?
It feels like Virtua Fighter 5 has been around for bloomin’ ages, and that’s because it has. Originally released in 2006, it’s been updated several times, remastered by RGG Studios with the Dragon Engine, received the highly-requested rollback netcode, and finally ported to current platforms, including the Switch 2. If I were...
Now with added Pikmin
After almost 20 years of 'New' games, 2D Mario was in desperate need of a shakeup, and in 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder did just that. Equal parts throwback to the glory days of the SNES and something entirely fresh, the platformer was a delight from start to finish, and while it might not have been as memorable or challenging...
Would you like to know more?
While titles like the upcoming Sprawl Zero may herald the dawn of the 'millennial shooter' on other platforms, Switch remains a comfortable home for the retro stylings of the boomer shooter. Games like Boltgun, Dusk, and Ion Fury make for enjoyable '90s throwbacks, while the titles that inspired them, including DOOM,...
Hey. Nice sneakers.
Back in 2023, Mimimi Games, the Munich-based indie studio that almost single-handedly reinvigorated the real-time tactical genre over the previous decade, released its very best game to date. And then it shut down for good. Of all the indie studio closures we'd had up to that point, this one felt like it got to me the most upon...
To the gurney
Following a handful of Star Trek games on Switch over the last few years, a couple of which have been rather good, Switch 2 now has its own entry in the Trek library courtesy of German devs GameXcite, and this is probably the best one yet - IF (big if) you've got the stones for a long, arduous journey. It's worth emphasising up front...
Ganon fire
I’ve seen lots of games try to emulate top-down Zelda over the years; some to great success and others, well… not so much. Minishoot’ Adventures - NIntendo Switch 2 Edition falls into the first camp, and although it’s not as grand in scale as your average Hyrulian quest these days, it nevertheless nails the feel of a great Zelda...
"I'm ready for my close-up"
Though survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill have always taken up most of the spotlight for the genre, lesser known franchises such as Fatal Frame have quietly provided some excellent horror experiences for those willing to go a bit off the beaten path. Fatal Frame traces its roots back to the...
It's a Monstie world
It’s fair to say that, at the time of writing, Capcom is on an absolute roll with Nintendo Switch 2. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection arrives against that backdrop, but also as a continuation of a franchise spin-off that began as a 3DS exclusive. Nintendo systems have benefited from plenty of Monster Hunter games...
Review Blue Prince (Switch 2) - A Masterful Mystery, And One Of The Best Puzzlers Ever
Homes Under The Planner
Herbert Sinclair, the baron of Reddington's Mount Holly Estate, is dead. In his will, he leaves the estate, its grounds, and his title to you, his grandnephew, Simon. There is one condition: to prove yourself worthy of the gift, you have to find the mysterious 46th room in the 45-room manor, the location of which has never...
Review Planet Of Lana 2: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - A Charming Trek Through A Fantastic World
Mui and me
Planet of Lana released in 2023 to strong reviews, but flew under the radar. Wishfully Game's short and sweet indie platform puzzler was a real treat, with its painterly style and cute central partnership at its centre. While the original is still well worth seeking out, the story is quickly recapped in the opening moments of Planet of...
Review Scott Pilgrim EX (Switch 2) - A Gloriously Entertaining, Fan-Service-Filled Retro Brawler
Sweet! More coins!
Riding the cult success of Edgar Wright’s cinematic adaptation while keeping the aesthetic and charm of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s source material, Ubisoft's Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World game was a smash hit at launch. This gloriously retro co-op brawler still holds up today; its 16-bit charms remain well worth your time,...
Review Pokémon Pokopia (Switch 2) - One Of The Most Enticing Pokémon Games Ever
I'm gonna reconstruct block by block
I feel like I’ve been rebuilding my relationship with Pokémon over the past decade. It’s been a weird experience for me, who’s grown up with the franchise at every stage of my life; taking my toy Pokédex to school; sitting at the top of the stairs, GBA SP in hand and Sapphire on the screen, timidly...
Let's have a rave-up
There's part of me that still can't quite believe I'm playing Rave Racer on a home console. Namco's 1995 sequel to Ridge Racer never made it out of the arcades back in the day, despite promises that it would be ported to PC as part of NEC's push for its PowerVR graphics processor. For years, the game's legacy has been having...
War never changes
Since this review was published, Bethesda has released its promised DLSS update, which also apparently addresses a number of bugs and performance issues. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. When...
Review Resident Evil Requiem (Switch 2) - Action And Horror Combine In A Series Highlight
Blood, blood, gallons of the stuff
There’s a moment during Resident Evil Requiem — actually, no, several moments — in which I laid the controller on my lap and just stared at the screen in awe. Over the last decade, the series has reclaimed its throne as the king of the survival horror genre, but Requiem pushes the quality bar higher than...
Review The Disney Afternoon Collection (Switch 2) - A Delightful Yet Difficult '90s Throwback
Good afternoon
It’s been a long time coming — almost nine years, in fact — but Capcom’s The Disney Afternoon Collection is now finally heading to the Switch and Switch 2 under the stewardship of Atari and developer Digital Eclipse. Not to rub it in the faces of PlayStation and Xbox owners (except that’s exactly what I'm doing), but it’s...
Mini Review Resident Evil Village Gold Edition (Switch 2) - A Solid First-Person Follow Up
Lady D-ecent
With Resident Evil Village, Capcom wisely leaned into the success of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, presenting a direct sequel that continues the story of protagonist Ethan Winters. This time, he winds up in a rural village overlooked by a vast, elegant castle as he strives to locate his kidnapped daughter, Rose. It’s no secret that...
Go tell Aunt Rhody
Just in case you need yet another reminder of how old you’re getting, Capcom first revealed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard all the way back in June 2016 – almost a decade ago. Following its release in 2017 and a rather unsavoury cloud port on the Switch in 2021, Nintendo fans can finally experience Capcom’s soft reboot on Switch...
The bomb
One of the most pleasant surprises of this month’s Partner Direct was the reveal and shadow drop of the Super Bomberman Collection, a compilation of some of the eponymous hero’s earliest games with some extra goodies thrown in. Though it’s ultimately little more than the sum of its parts, Super Bomberman Collection does a great job of...
Review Ys X: Proud Nordics (Switch 2) - The Definitive Version Of Adol Christin's Seafaring Saga
Such is the Norman way
It feels like just yesterday that Ys X: Nordics slashed its way onto the Switch to deliver another one of the series’ action-packed adventures for the ages — and, really, that’s not too far off the mark. The 10th mainline entry in NIS’ seminal RPG franchise made its way westward back in late 2024, which is still plenty...
Mini Review Console Archives Cool Boarders (Switch 2) - Not Up There With 1080, But Still Pretty Rad
'90s snow-back
Hamster Corporation is on something of a winning streak, with the fantastic Arcade Archives series continually dusting off and polishing hundreds of notable games from the annals of history. Well, those wizards are back with the fresh Console Archives brand, and the now 30-year-old ‘radical’ PlayStation sports game
Review Reanimal (Switch 2) - Little Nightmares Team Delivers Its Darkest, Boldest Vision Yet
Not your average farm sim
If you’re a horror fan and you own a Switch 2, you should play Reanimal. From the moment it pulls you into its bleak, nightmarish world, it’s clear that developer Tarsier Studios is building on everything it learned from the Little Nightmares series while pushing its signature horror sensibilities to unnerving new...
Review Mario Tennis Fever (Switch 2) - Slim For Singles, But An Addictive Core Gives It Online Legs
Nadal it's cracked up to be?
Having never been any sort of tennis fan for my entire childhood — Wimbledon always seemed a bit posh to me — I fell completely and utterly in love with the sport in my teenage years through the medium of video games. Yes. Video games. They're a whole thing! And just as has been the case with American football,...
Death Race 2026
In a cruel twist of irony, those of us who remember the breakneck mayhem of the original Carmageddon are creeping ever closer to our senior citizen bus pass. This will allow us to ride a slow-moving passenger vehicle that gains no extra points for mulching pedestrians. Released in 1997, this classic of vehicular combat arrived with...
Review Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (Switch 2) - Maybe It's Time To Take A Break
Daddy issues
I’m of the opinion that there are no bad Yakuza games. Although the series has definitely fluctuated in quality over the years, they always offer up something to keep me engaged and satisfied. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is still a decent entry, but it’s also bloated, poorly paced, and marred in controversy surrounding the recasting...
Review Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined (Switch 2) - A Fantastic Makeover & The Best-Looking DQ Ever
Let's do the time warp again
Ready to feel old? It’s been about 13 years since the launch of the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII, which itself was released about 13 years after the original on the PSX. That means that it’s time for yet another remake of the storied classic, which has been dubbed Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined this time around. This...
May contain nuts
As a big old superhero nerd and a fan of Telltale's narrative adventure games of old, it's fair to say that Dispatch piqued my interest when it made its episodic arrival on PC and PS5 last year. Still, I took a punt and held back on purchasing because it simply had to be coming to Switch at some point in the future. Well, Jim of the...
