Crispe

I would probably give it an 8. It's an objectively better game than BOTW and if BOTW didn't exist it would be a 9 or so, but I am definitely missing the awe and wonder that BOTW gave me. I still think it's great but it doesn't hit the same, personally.

Probably the cheapest way to get a skin in this game at this point.

@LikelySatan wow. The music is my favourite bit. Except the end battle music that you hear hundreds if not thousands of times.

Good. I am very over HD-2D.

Foretales
Recently released, it is a narrative card game with absolutely gorgeous art. It's quite unlike anything I've played before. Not really a deck-building game but more of a puzzle game with branching narratives. Extra marks for great voice acting.

The first one is one of my fav games on Switch but mostly because of the tiled tactical combat. I didn't find the world exploration quite so good, so I am a bit disappointed to see they've not stuck with the same tiled tactical gameplay in this.

This is a nice surprise. Everybody's Golf is fantastic.

I’d say 4 out of 5 of my attempts to get a game end in the communication error. Pretty frustrating. I already think there’s a little too much time between matches considering how short they are, so going through all these failed attempts is rough.

I didn't mind the first one, but I don't think I can do another HD-2D (or whatever you call this style) game. 😔

@FishyS Not sure if you've tried Rise but the wire bug mechanic makes the combat feel much faster and chaotic in the best way. Only played World prior to Rise but it's definitely easier to get into.

I completely forgot this was coming out with my brain absolutely rammed full of Elden Ring right now. Glad to hear that it came out well!

I bought it on Xbox instead of my Switch. Really digging it though. Great combat with a really good feeling of heft. Great visual style and UI. Only negative for me so far is managing the light mechanic on top of everything else but perhaps that's something I'll get used to.

I recently got a 4K tv and an Xbox Series X. And boy my Switch looks rough upscaled to 4K on it, so I'm hoping these rumours will bear fruit sooner rather than later.

@VoidofLight Yeh quite possibly. I loved them when I was younger and am still drawn to them but being older and more time poor I find little things like that much more grating. I go in there hoping to finish but always burn out.

'but the time it takes coming in and out of a battle' - damn I'm out. This is the number 1 reason I fall out of JRPGs. I liked in Dragon Quest 11 how quick the entry/exit from battles was. Persona 5's entry/exit killed me despite thoroughly enjoying other aspects of the game. I really don't need to sit through the same stat screen and press through multiple button prompts while listening to the same music clip thousands of times. Make it quick!

I'd be interested to know what it's sales are like on all platforms. I wonder if it's going under the radar a little. I'm sure it's getting overshadowed by Valhalla on PS/Xbox/PC platforms. I got it on Series X and I was not prepared for how much I am enjoying it. Up there with the best games released in 2020 for me. The combat is fantastic, the puzzles are just challenging enough to be satisfying but not frustrating and the visuals are gorgeous. I think this and Mario Rabbids are the most interesting games Ubisoft have released in the past few years.

Hmmm its going to be hard playing this for me after World I think. World being probably my favourite game of the XboxOne/PS4 gen. The environment feels so bland and empty. I'm sure the gameplay will be solid but its visually so washed out and dull. I'll probably still get it, become hopelessly addicted again and rinse it anyway.

Awesome. This is one of the main games I've been waiting on a console port for. Looking forward to it, heard nothing but good things.

Wanted to love Moonlighter. Loved the idea and the general loop but found the combat to be too rough.

@Jawessome The lanes come into more as you go along. The enemies can attack everything in a lane (set it on fire or flood it) or specifically target units you put in the melee or ranged lane. Re the characters that can't attack - you're meant to balance building your own strength while taking theirs down, so sometimes its equally about keeping yours alive and buffing them with your commander (loyal abilities) as it is reducing the enemies.

Re the puzzles, yep, some of them are definitely about laying the cards down in a precise order but I find that usually they are short enough that I can work it out but initially it pissed me off. In the first hour I was regretting my purchase, but once I got over the hump I started to love it. Can definitely understand it not being for everyone though.

I'm surprised by how much I am enjoying this. I didn't like Gwent in TW3 and haven't bothered to play the multiplayer version but a lot of the encounters in this are 'puzzles' which are shorter and use a smaller predefined deck with interesting mechanics. I've read complaints that not enough of the battles are your standard 3 round type where you use your own built deck, but I find those the most drawn out and tedious of the lot. Solving the puzzle battles is far more satisfying (but can be pretty tough). The story and art direction are fantastic and I found the overworld to be a pretty pleasant bit of downtime. In comparison, I was bored by the story/overworld in Steamworld Quest and just wanted to get to the battles there. This is a far better attempt at weaving story into a card battler imo.