Nintendo Enthusiast

Despite its original release in 2015, Steins;Gate 0 feels like it was made to be played on the go due to its episodic design and is a natural fit for the Switch. I would’ve liked to have a dubbed version of the audio added in for this port, though I can’t complain about the quality of the Japanese voice cast, even if I wound up reading too fast for it. Steins;Gate 0 provides an experience no science fiction fan should miss, but only if you’ve gone through the original.

Despite a shift in focus from dramatic storytelling to goofy romance, Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace contains all of the heart and charm that you’d expect from the series. The art is as gorgeous as ever, the music is strikingly addictive, and the characters are just as fun and bizarre as they’ve always been. For fans of the franchise who have always wanted to see the cast in a fresh, funnier light that feels more like a traditional romantic visual novel, this game is the perfect treat.

For better or worse, Fishing: Barents Sea Complete Edition trades in the traditional hands-on experience of virtual fishing for something more focused on button presses and automation. It’s relaxing but grind-heavy, and the automation takes some soul out of the gameplay.

I dare to say Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is one of the best first-person shooters that’s on the Nintendo Switch. It may not be the most complete experience, (It took me around 6 hours to finish.) but it’s a fun enough experience that I instantly wanted to replay it on a harder difficulty. Should you want to fill out the various skill trees and collecting the remaining “Nuggets of Truth,” you’ll be receiving another 8-10 hours of glorious arcade shooting.

Overall, you’re getting a massive amount of content in Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection, with the port of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag being one of the more impressive examples of an open-world game on Nintendo’s handheld and Assassin’s Creed Rogue being worthy of a playthrough if you haven’t yet played it. The collection features two complete open-world experiences that are still a joy to play.

The game opens with a short movie about how important bees are to the world and our way of life. It reminds us that they’re dying off due to new pressures — most of them human-made — and that without them we’re going to be in rough shape. If more video games combined fun mechanics with educational messages, then I think we’d be looking at a better world. At least I hope that would be the case, and it seems to have been what the developers behind Bee Simulator were working towards as well.

Ultimately, Shovel Knight Showdown feels a lot like a Shovel Knight-branded Smash Bros., except with more restrictions and an emphasis on treasure collection. The characters are simultaneously varied yet limited in ability, the stages bountiful yet forgettable, and the battles extremely modifiable yet narrow in objective. Sloppy AI renders single player a chore as well. Nonetheless, when you have four players (and maybe a cheat code) handy, this is still a frenetic, action-packed party game that will have you yelling at each other in a good way for hours at a time.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards is an almost flawless platforming experience, between King Knight’s unique mobility and the endless variety of levels. Joustus could have used more tutorials, and the game recycles a lot of existing assets. But considering this is cheap DLC (which is free if you own Treasure Trove), who cares? Shovel Knight: King of Cards offers some of the best platforming game design ever seen in a video game.

Simulacra is an inventive idea that brings both gaming and horror to something as simple as a smartphone. The title’s strength comes from its story-driven mystery and the spark of curiosity. Its weakness lies in the meager gameplay showing, which mostly amounts to something we do every day – flipping through a phone. The puzzles are fun, yet simple, and they aren’t present enough to truly consider Simulacra a puzzle title. This game will likely only speak to those who enjoy a good mystery.

When compared to the last mobile entry —Farming Simulator 18 — which came out on mobile and 3DS, this is a pretty big step up. However, while I do find Farming Simulator 20 to be well put together, considering that GIANTS got the ball rolling on Switch with a port of the home console/PC experience, this does feel like a step back. Personally, I would have preferred a port of Farming Simulator 19. Now that the studio has taken both paths, it’s hard to say exactly what the next entry on Switch is going to look like.