Reading the description for Kabuto Park, I imagined it would be like Animal Crossing’s Bug-Off. But this quick, cosy beetle-collecting game from French developer Doot Tiny Games presents a concept that’s closer to another Nintendo series: Pokémon.

The story is pretty light. Your character, Hana, visits the eponymous park for a month to catch bugs and catch up with friends. It’s played through menus, where you select areas rather than explore them – you’ll unlock four throughout. But the gameplay loop is where Kabuto Park really flies: an addictive combination of catching and battling. Capturing bugs takes the form of a minigame inspired by another very cosy title, Gears of War’s Active Reload.

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This review was originally published in April 2015 alongside the Wii U eShop's Virtual Console release. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library.

At the mere mention of Nintendo's 64-bit console, many of us find it difficult not to get swept up by a wave of nostalgia. We drift through countless memories of flickering TV screens and eye-popping graphics, washing up on the shores of 3D gaming's first bold steps onto a Nintendo platform. While it was Super Mario who first triple-jumped his way to the forefront of this revolution, it wasn't long until the competition got...hairy.

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In a sense, the arrival of eFootball on Switch 2 is something of a homecoming for Konami, whose long-running football series started off as a Nintendo exclusive decades ago.

Whether you want to start the timeline with NES game Konami Hyper Soccer or the legendary SNES title International Superstar Soccer, the path is the same: the ISS series would eventually make its way to the Nintendo 64, PS2, and GameCube, while also spinning off to the PS1 as ISS Pro.

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When Square Enix originally announced that Final Fantasy VII Remake was coming to Switch 2, it came with the promise that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and its eventual sequel would also be coming. While Remake established itself as one of the finest and most advanced titles for Nintendo’s new platform, there was lots of talk about whether the same would be true for the next instalment.

Known for its significantly expanded scope and open world, 2024's Rebirth was a system showcase on more powerful hardware, and squeezing it down to a handheld seemed an impossible task. Though it doesn’t make the leap unscathed, I’m happy to report that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is every bit as engaging and enjoyable as the versions you can find on other platforms - this is easily one of the greatest JRPGs of the last several years, and that’s still true of the Switch 2 port.

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When first revealed, Pictonico was clearly channelling serious WarioWare energy. That madcap microgame series got two Switch entries — 2021's multiplayer-focused Get it Together! and 2023's Move It!, inspired by the Wii's Smooth Moves — but the microgame format feels particularly well-suited to touchscreen mobile devices.

However, I didn't expect this to be WarioWare pretty much 1:1, minus the Wario.

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Since its release in 2014, Shovel Knight has been a gift that keeps on giving. Groundbreaking for its hugely successful crowdfunding campaign, it also helped usher in a glorious era of throwback platforming gems like Sabotage Studio’s The Messenger. Yacht Club Games has spent years expanding the Shovel-verse while developing its next project in parallel. Now that follow-up is finally here, and with Mina the Hollower, the studio is moving beyond Mario-like platforming to explore the formative era of action RPGs.

Blending the exploratory charm of The Legend of Zelda with the European gothic setting of Castlevania, and adding subtle nods to numerous other titles, Yacht Club Games has delivered another finely polished gem that stands shoulder to shoulder with the classics it pays tribute to. Zelda is the key inspiration here, though - the game takes its cues from Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, key maturation points for the series.

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Back in the day, it was pretty well understood that seeing a popular show or brand on a licensed video game didn’t necessarily mean that you were in for a great time. Though titles such as DuckTales or GoldenEye 007 broke through as exceptional titles for their respective eras, the majority of licensed games were usually the sort of passable chaff that eventually made its way to the bargain bin to be forgotten about when the generation passed.

Yet, video game preservation is an increasingly discussed topic these days, and with nostalgia always being a reliable means of making a decent return on investment, many publishers have been investing more into collections that preserve legacy content by offering it to a new generation.

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When Bluey: The Videogame launched toward the end of 2023, I found it a faithful yet soulless adaptation of the cartoon phenomenon from developer Artax Games, cramming some of the show’s most iconic locations into a repetitive one-to-two-hour game. It wasn’t great.

Fast forward to 2026, and Halfbrick, the studio most famous for Fruit Ninja, is having a go at delivering something a bit more substantial. And y’know what? It mostly succeeds. Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen retains some of the repetitive nature of the first game, but it’s also a much more ambitious experience with some solid gameplay mechanics.

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Reputation matters, and few video game characters have spent longer trapped beneath the weight of their own than Bubsy. The wisecracking bobcat arrived in 1993 as Accolade's answer to the '90s mascot-platformer boom and promptly became notorious for clumsy design and punishing controls. Yet, the bobcat kept clawing his way back into new releases regardless.

Since acquiring the rights to Bubsy, Atari has been intent on nudging him through a belated redemption arc. Two underwhelming modern revivals and a poorly received retro collection have not exactly made that easy, but Bubsy 4D, developed by independent studio Fabraz (Slime-san, Demon Tides), is the first of these efforts that feels like it has a real idea of what Bubsy could be.

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One could be forgiven for thinking they missed an entry in this storied R-Type series of re-releases, but in fact the preceding R-Type Dimensions released in 2009 (and again as R-Type Dimensions EX in 2018) contained both the first two games in one package.

R-Type III: The Third Lightning was first released for Super Nintendo in 1993. Notable for being the first game in the mainline series not released in arcades, it showboated with Mode 7 sprite scaling and fast scrolling parallax. It was also significant for introducing a variety of new Force Pods — three in total — that dynamically altered the way you could approach the game. Being developed by Tamtex rather than Irem, it felt unique, its terrain less Ridley Scott’s Alien and more space station sci-fi, and serving up some broadly interesting bosses and set-pieces.

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Though the Tales series goes back all the way to the days of the Super Famicom, it feels like it’s always been one of the lower-budget ‘B-tier’ RPG franchises that only the most dedicated genre fans engage with regularly.

To counter this and try to bring the series to a bigger audience, the developers decided to go for a ‘soft reboot’ with Tales of Arise, which first released in 2021. The idea paid off, as Arise went on to become the bestselling game in the series and was even voted Best RPG at The Game Awards, beating out the likes of Monster Hunter Rise and Shin Megami Tensei V.

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The Yoshi series has cemented itself as one of the most approachable in Nintendo’s arsenal, providing experiences that younger gamers in particular can enjoy without too much friction. Woolly World and Crafted World offer light-hearted platforming fun while still retaining some of the spirit of the SNES original, and both come recommended. Developer Good-Feel’s latest effort, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, unfortunately, has a few too many stabilisers on its wheels, losing a lot of what made the series great to begin with.

The game takes place primarily in, well, a book, utilising a unique art style to depict its setting, much like its Woolly and Crafted predecessors. You’re tasked with entering the pages of the talking encyclopaedia Mr. E in order to seek out creatures within and discover their mysteries. Naturally, Bowser Jr. and Kamek are back to cause some mischief, though their overall presence is surprisingly muted.

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When I was a teenager, I landed my first-ever job as a barista at a busy chain coffee shop in the heart of New York. When I didn’t have my nose in the books at school, I’d spend hours making all manner of drinks for the city’s thirsty clientele. It was daunting work — customers expected to get their drinks fast, and the surplus of orders during the morning and midday rushes could get downright brutal. I’d emerge at the end of each shift, clothes and hands reeking of coffee grounds, and command my aching feet to take me to class or back to my apartment.

I absolutely loved it.

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Take a glance at the Switch’s selection of mech titles, from Daemon X Machina to Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and you’re likely to notice a pattern. Aside from the occasional outlier like the tactical Front Mission remakes, action-based gameplay is almost always at the forefront when mechs are involved.

It’s easy to see why — those ever-alluring visuals of awesome-looking robots flying around and duking it out serve as the perfect foundation to craft weighty, tactile, and high-octane combat systems. Despite this precedent, developer IKINAGAMES has opted to break from the pack and try translating the fun of the mech genre into a slower-paced, classically-styled experience. 'Try' being the operative word here.

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For the longest time, I was convinced that Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was the peak of the twin-stick arcade genre. It took what the original XBLA game did so well and perfected the formula, delivering an experience that was easy to grasp yet difficult to master.

Imagine my surprise, then, to discover that not only does Sektori effortlessly emulate the feel of GW2, but it also manages to surpass it in pretty much every way. Having launched on other platforms at the tail end of 2025, this, my friends, is the new benchmark for twin-stick arcade games, and my favourite Switch 2 release of 2026 so far.

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Indiana Jones is a multi-generational icon, and the weight of developing a new entry in the franchise must be as intimidating as a rolling boulder. He's a character that has permeated every facet of media since he first found the Ark of the Covenant back in 1981.

The impact of his legacy in video games cannot be understated, either. After all, medium-defining icon Lara Croft and her tomb-raiding contemporaries would not exist without Henry Jones Jr. setting the standard. Indy’s own videogame outings have been mixed, with plenty of misfires (I'm looking at you, Staff of Kings) and at least one classic in 1992’s Fate of Atlantis. Now, MachineGames has a (whip) crack at the character, bringing the cinematic storytelling and brutal action it honed with its Wolfenstein cycle, to create a genuine blockbuster of a game.

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Tokyo-based studio Nagai Industries’ inKONBINI does what it says on the tin: it puts you in a konbini. Whether you know or care what a konbini is will probably indicate your chances of getting along with this game, too. It’s a shortening of the Japanese pronunciation of "convenience store", and your character Makoto is working in one for a week over summer. Does the idea of nightshift work in a shop stuck by a railway line in 1993, middle-of-nowhere Japan appeal to you? Then step on through the sliding door and enjoy the ring of the bell.

Makoto’s home for a break from university and is working in the konbini her aunt Hina has been running for decades. Hina has the place ticking along smoothly, knows all the regulars, and leaves helpful notes of advice for you to pick up during your shift. She’s also on the other end of the telephone at all hours should you need any guidance, like knowing what to do when a fridge breaks down or how to top up stock that’s running low.

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Camping is great in theory, but not so much in reality. The itchy grass and leaves, vulnerability to the elements, and a dirt bedroom…and bathroom. I would much rather play video games about camping. Luckily, Outbound lets you traverse the great outdoors without digging a hole for the bathroom – just one thing that makes it such a joy ride.

Square Glade Games takes you on a campervan road trip through wilderness forests, grasslands, rocky canyons, sandy beaches. Here driving sim, walking sim, and open-world intersect for a trip that’s every bit as compelling as it is relaxing, although it's not without bumps.

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Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you should always make a soundtrack. That’s the advice of Stacey Rockford, the star of this latest musical adventure from Australian studio Beethoven & Dinosaur. Tie every event to a carefully curated track list and “pretty soon,” she advises in her teenage wisdom, “you won’t be listening to music: you’ll be listening to who you were.”

Presented as a 3D, third-person adventure, what unfurls — soundtrack present and correct — is the story of '90s high school friends parting ways, and the big blowout on their final night together. Stacey leaves tomorrow to seek fame and fortune as a Hollywood music supervisor. Her two friends, Cassandra and Van, will take an epic road trip down through California from the suburb where they’ve grown up.

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2D platformers are easy to find. They’re one of the oldest genres in video games, and thanks to that long pedigree, they’ve been getting made for nearly the entire industry’s history. It would be impossible to play through them all in your lifetime.

Great 2D platformers, though, are rare. TetherGeist belongs in that rare category, and it may be my favourite 2D platformer I’ve played since Celeste. It follows in the footsteps of the very best, and yet, it blazes its own trail with something new. Smart level design and progression keep things constantly fresh, and collectibles galore offer extra challenges and reward exploration.

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In R-TYPE DX: Music Encore, we have a release aimed at a niche gaming subset in much the same way as SNK’s Neo Geo Pocket collections. As such, some affection for both the era and the original hardware is necessary to appreciate what is essentially a reconstituted, miniaturised version of a much larger arcade game. And, like SNK’s handheld reimaginings of its Neo Geo AES titles, R-Type DX has no choice but to do its own thing — and that’s the reason why it works.

In the '90s, London-based developer Bits Studios was primarily known for porting other people’s games. These included movie licenses like Alien 3 and Terminator 2, and, of particular historical interest, Gunforce for the Super Nintendo, a lesser-known Irem arcade game. After releasing R-Type and R-Type II for Nintendo’s Game Boy, they were then remastered five years later in R-Type DX (1999), a Game Boy Color title that combined both games into one epic space battle.

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The idea of an indie Metroidvania exploring mental illness has become a bit of a cliche. The past decade has seen successes in the genre like the Hollow Knight and Ori games, as well as titles like Celeste that manifest their main character’s mental journey through their mechanics. Constance owes a lot to every game listed above, but uses those influences to say something profound, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any significant way.

Constance is a game about overstimulation and concentration, following the titular character as she escapes her overwhelming reality in favour of a fantasy realm of her own mind’s creation, manifesting both its charms and its horrors. Every now and again, we get a peek into Constance’s true reality, memories of her struggling to make deadlines at work, ignoring her loved ones and cracking under the pressure of day-to-day life.

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Released on other platforms in November 2025, Total Chaos is an intriguing first-person survival horror in which you explore the mysterious island of Fort Oasis. Once a bustling community of industry, it’s since fallen into ruin, and it’s your job to explore the environment, piece together fragments of the past, and ultimately survive against the encroaching horror.

Born via a Doom II conversion mod from developer Trigger Happy Interactive, Total Chaos is a slow burn that encourages you to scour the environment for items, weapons, and notes. Emphasis is on survival, and you’ll need to not only keep your health full, but also make sure you’re eating to stave off hunger. Thankfully, you have a pretty hefty inventory, so it’s worthwhile just grabbing whatever you see lying around.

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In 2021, a monster-catching RPG called Monster Crown hit the eShop, a one-man project aiming to emulate the glory days of Pokémon. Though it had its shortcomings, it mostly captured the essence of its inspiration and evidently it garnered enough of a following to justify the launch of a sequel after a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Though the reins have now been passed to a new development team within Studio Aurum (Jason Walsh, the original creator, is still heavily involved), Monster Crown: Sin Eater is a worthy continuation and I’d suggest you pay attention to this one if you’re looking for a new monster catcher.

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With Mouse: P.I. For Hire, I’ve got very little to complain about, so for the sake of balance, first I’ll gently shine a light on its near-absurd mishmash of influences.

The striking rubber-hose animation USP hails from the 1920s. The 11-hour story, with its tough, unsentimental protagonist, and its twists and turns through layers of complicated corruption and conspiracy, grows directly from the roots of film and literary noir – most often associated with the 1940s. The hyperactive, running-and-gunning gameplay weaves and blasts as hectically as any ‘boomer shooter’ from the 1990s – and even then, a number of quality-of-life features seem to have origins from the 2000s and beyond.

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