Nintendo Enthusiast

Although nothing here is likely to change your opinion on any of the titles, most people who have played these games don’t need any convincing. Each game holds up very well and shines behind its own compelling strengths. It’s hard to imagine what could have been — a fully revamped Super Mario 64, tweaks to a few of the more painful aspects of Super Mario Sunshine, or some fresh levels in Super Mario Galaxy, for example.

As someone who has grown tired of the ever increasing emphasis on competitive multiplayer aspects to games, I really wasn’t expecting to like Spellbreak. I wanted it to do well, since the concept really appealed to me, but I couldn’t have imagined that I would enjoy playing it. But after my time with the title, I’m happy I decided to give it a shot. I’ve had an absolute blast playing it.

Regardless of these minor quibbles, Spiritfarer is a journey I wholeheartedly recommend taking, even if management sims are not your thing. The main lessons of accepting loss and the importance of leaving something behind are important to learn. The heavy topics your colleagues discuss with you are also necessary to navigate and leave a lasting gut punch.

They’re minor issues, in the grand scheme of things, but they’re issues that Momodora: Reverie of the Moonlight didn’t have at all, leading this game to feel just a bit less polished in comparison. Still, problems like those simply prevent a fun game from being truly magnificent. Minoria still has gorgeous art, haunting music, and addictive exploration that is sure to keep any Metroidvania fan well entertained.

Gear.Club Unlimited 2 is back with its Tracks Edition expansion, but building off of a bad foundation only leads to a mess. The unfair AI, unbalanced cars, puddle-deep "sim" mechanics, repetitive circuits, egregious economy, and laughable performance just drag the whole experience down. Tracks should've been its own (improved) title, but this one is currently better off swerving around.

Jump Force Deluxe Edition has great ideas and intentions but fails to execute them in a meaningful way. Its story woefully underutilizes the incredible roster of characters at its disposal, and some technical and design problems keep it from being the smooth experience a modern fighter on Switch needs to be.

It’s sad because Crystal Chronicles is still a fun game with a deep story and interesting mechanics, one which I truly wanted to enjoy again. Perhaps when we can meet in person, my old party can hang out and play through a couple of raids. Maybe meeting in person really is the only way this game can be fun. As it is right now, with social distancing and self-quarantining being the norm in the United States, I can’t recommend this title.

Building new loadouts and testing new strategies is addicting and delightful, and a perfect online experience means there is tremendous replay value if you have a friend with the game or if the PvP scene continues to grow. GungHo has produced a quirky little gem here for Switch.

I keep bringing this series up, but if you liked the Monkey Island games, you’ll almost certainly enjoy Darkestville Castle. In fact, if you’ve always wanted to try one and are allergic to PC gaming, this is not a bad experience on Switch at all. The visuals and humor are worth it, at the very least.

Regardless of the few gripes I have with Carrion, the title is such an original idea that it’s very easy to recommend. Also, you grow in such a tightly designed manner that gameplay never gets stale and the experience is over in a satisfying length of time. Sure, it might take players a while to get used to swinging their tentacles to snatch up food, but after a few minutes, you’ll be ingesting screaming victims like a pro.