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Switch Online: Nintendo Entertainment System, sorted and semi-ranked

Switch Online hasn’t been a people pleaser, but since its launch in September, members have seen its collection of classic NES games grow into a legitimate library. Currently, the list contains 19 of the NES Classic Edition’s 30 games; another 16 are service-exclusive.

At this point, any fan of that nostalgic gray box can’t complain about what’s on offer — true classics, lost ones, and curiosities abound. In fact, the number of games is unwieldy enough now that some tidying up of those digital shelves is in order.

Here are my recommendations for how to organize that growing list of games, using some categories to provide structure and guide you toward the gold.

First row: Super Mario games

As of February, Switch Online offers all three NES Super Mario Bros. titles. These games are compulsively playable, full of charm, and bona fide historic objects. Stick them at the top of your screen.

Second row: puzzle games

Maybe they’re just hiding in the Switch’s ballooning catalog, but addictive and simple puzzle games feel in short supply on a system that’s ideal for them.

Luckily, Switch Online has one of the genre’s best examples, Dr. Mario. Three more games join that masterpiece: Yoshi, a passable match-three with a stacking mechanic; Adventures of Lolo, which features Zelda-like puzzle rooms and an adorable blue ball for a protagonist; and Wario’s Woods, an insidiously addictive and deep match-three game starring Toad. (You’ll be thankful for the app’s built-in save state feature as you climb that game’s ladder.)

Third row: stone-cold classics

This is where the list starts to get subjective, but I believe that the following five games deserve to be in your next tier.

Donkey Kong is a seminal game that’s still fun to fire up; a ramble through The Legend of Zelda’s world of Hyrule is worth it for any gamer; River City Ransom is the best beat-‘em-up from the 8-bit days, with RPG elements that add some robustness; Ninja Gaiden awaits anyone up for an unforgiving action platformer; and Kirby’s Adventure is the perfect pleasant palate cleanser, if you haven’t broken your Joy Cons conquering Ninja Gaiden.

Fourth row: flawed classics

The next eight games represent, for me, much of what gives the NES its character — games that have a few loose bolts or bland spots, but balance them with brilliance and bald-faced fun. (I can see anyone swapping or scooting a few of these up a row, based on preference.)

• Excitebike • Gradius • Solomon’s Key • Metroid • Blaster Master • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link • Kid Icarus • StarTropics

Fifth row: multiplayer games

Many fond console memories are made with others. Switch Online serves up plenty of the NES games that excelled at these special moments — so clobber your siblings, best your spouse, and pick Bo Jackson’s Oakland team before your buddy does.

• Balloon Fight • Double Dragon • Ice Hockey • Mario Bros. • Pro Wrestling • Tecmo Bowl • Super Dodge Ball • NES Open Tournament Golf

Sixth row: other stuff

Every barrel has a bottom. These games, sadly, represent the dregs of Switch Online’s NES offerings. From early “Black Box” games to clunky arcade ports, these games can be safely avoided by all but the super curious (or bored).

• Baseball • Ghosts’n Goblins • Ice Climber • Soccer • Tennis • Mighty Bomb Jack • TwinBee

Last row: SP versions

A fun but ultimately lightweight idea that Nintendo has indulged is the inclusion of “special” versions. They range from late-game checkpoints for Metroid and Dr. Mario to Game Genie-esque hacks of Zelda 1 and Gradius. Fit these experiments into a single row.

• • •

And that’s how I currently organize my Switch’s NES app. Doing so is easy, with one button press allowing you to drag games to the positions you prefer. And thanks to the app’s playful scaling of box art, this suggested layout will make the best games stand out.

As I spend more time with these games, my wish list for the service grows. (Nintendo, let us hide titles and give us more display options!) But even if Switch Online feels bare-bones and underbaked, you shouldn’t write off this treasure trove, especially as it gathers a few jewels every month.

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Crackdown 3 and “old-fashioned” fun

Instead of making this post overlong and complicated, I’m taking a cue from Crackdown 3 and getting to the point: Thank you, Xbox, for remembering me — a gamer who can feel forsaken by his hobby.

Last weekend, I fell hard for Crackdown 3, a game reamed for being “old-fashioned” — although the word critics forgot (or forwent) is “obsolete.” Open-world games, the consensus chorused, grew up.

They’ve also just plain grown. Expanded map sizes. Bloated runtimes. Sprawling skill trees and snarled control schemes.

Major outlets like IGN defended their drubbing of Crackdown 3, citing the cynicism of Rockstar’s mega-selling games, “Bethesda jank,” and rote Rocksteady and Ubisoft design as evidence of improved open worlds.

Crackdown 3, however, ignores trend and embraces entertainment. Terry Crews springs over and scales up the dense dystopian playground of New Providence. It’s Ratchet & Clank and Jumping Flash! and Smash TV and Super Mario Odyssey. It’s a blast.

Credit to Sumo Digital, a studio confident enough to make Snake Pass, a platformer without jumping. Credit also to Microsoft. With Crackdown 3, they’ve supported the kind of experience I love, and ones that Game Pass and backwards compatibility provide.

Smaller games (Crackdown 3 is a miraculous 10 gigabytes). Shorter games (I saw credits roll after a dozen hours — still an investment for me). Sillier games that don’t sink your mood or seek your bloodthirst. Power fantasies fueled by actual fantasy.

On my Xbox, I can play Crimson Skies, Banjo Kazooie, and Metal Slug — compact, quirky, joyful classics. And I can play Crackdown 3, a game that admires and emulates them.

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My favorite games of 2018

I started 2018 as I had the past several years: Heating up my launch PS4, chasing Sony’s flash sales, and firing up my Vita to give each month’s PS+ freebies a whirl.

Cut to today. I split my time between Xbox One, where Game Pass and backwards compatibility define my diet, and Switch, with its constant stream of new and classic indies occupying my time between first-party releases.

December came with a burst of games for both. Game Pass added Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, Ashen, and Below, while the Switch welcomed GRIS, Guacamelee! 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. My year-end list could look a lot different had any come out earlier.

And the PS4 and Vita? I sold them months ago in an effort to clear-cut my out-of-hand backlog. I’m a happier, less harried gamer for it.

Onward to my ten favorite games released in 2018:

1. God of War

As the last big game I played on my PS4, Sony Santa Monica’s reinvention of its growly Greek warrior god was as brutal and beautiful a swan song as I could have asked for. A summit for the action-adventure genre — complex and perceptive and furiously fun.

2. Into the Breach

Along with the cause-and-effect calculations of its tabletop-inspired gameplay, Subset Games’ follow-up to FTL innovates by letting players decide what winning looks like, from non-punitive difficulty adjustment to a bevy of challenges that award new mechs. Infinitely playable.

3. Celeste

From Matt Makes Games, the developers of local multiplayer gem Towerfall, Celeste is a deviously designed platformer that matches Nintendo’s gameplay purity and outdoes most AAA narratives with its deep themes and characters you’ll want to see succeed.

4. Yoku’s Island Express

When I picked up Villa Gorilla’s tropical “pinballvania,” I was seeking some joy. This one hit all the bumpers. Effervescent, colorful, and unlike anything else, Yoku’s Island Express is a game you’ll love, even if you aren’t a fan of any of its inspirations. A rare feat indeed.

5. Moonlighter

A roguelite action RPG with town building and shop management? Might sound overstocked, but every system is so simple that it never feels like a slog. Just roll-dodge through procedurally generated dungeons until you’ve got all the loot you can sell, then use that cash to upgrade your hero and dive back in, again and again and again.

6. Membrane

A neon-hued anatomical aesthetic candy coats this satisfying brain squeezer. The set-up — a housefly lands on a dude’s knee, and you’re a triangle-headed neuron racing to his hand — leads to anything-goes puzzle-solving and an unexpectedly transcendent conclusion. Trust me.

7. Dandara

Brazilian developers Long Hat House shake up a genre quickly losing its fizziness, the metroidvania, by torquing the formula through disorienting traversal and art direction that marries hip pixels with cultural resonance.  

8. The Room: Old Sins

Fireproof Games’ fourth installment of its bespoke, immersive tap-and-pinch series sees you sucked into a dollhouse, diary entries, and the elaborate devices that these games are known for. As spellbinding and well-crafted as ever.

9. Mega Man 11

Without overhauling the platforming action perfected over three decades, this eleventh installment in the Blue Bomber’s core saga upgrades itself with a simple gear-switching system and stages that delight like perilous theme parks. I had a blast. 

10. Dig Dog

I wrote a post months ago celebrating the pure pleasures of this game, which looks like a lost Atari 2600 title and plays like a one-button Spelunky. I still return to this ruthless and minimal roguelite when I need to bash some buttons and howl a little.

Here’s ten more titles that stand out from a standout year:

Best game of 2017 we all played this year: Hollow Knight

Sweetest farewell to my beloved Vita: Chasm

December release that most excites me: GRIS

Most unnecessary Metroidvania post-game: The Messenger

Phenomenon that didn’t click with me: Red Dead Redemption 2

Hottest Game Pass love affair: ONRUSH

Prettiest thing that bored me: Forza Horizon 4

Game I’d tear through any other year: Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Most appealing indie lost in the shuffle: Pit People

Best gameplay bogged down by quirk: Donut County

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12 indie metroidvania games also worth your time

Respected Retronaut Jeremy Parish recently released a round-up of what he claimed to be the 12 best examples of the genre that he coined the metroidvania. Parish is a pro at lists that get it mostly right while poking the bear, and I felt sufficiently growly after reading it.

For one, his list is subjective. Obviously. Yet Parish frames his choices not as favorites, but as the top examples of the explore-defeat-upgrade-repeat formula. 

I’ve played all of the titles he mentioned and beaten many of them. Some are rightfully ranked, while others seem to be picked out of controversy or convenience. (8 of the 12 games mentioned were released this year or last — 9 if you take him at his word that Guacamelee! can be swapped our for its superior sequel.)

Also, he puts a strange “indie-published” restriction on his list, though “indie” often refers to the size and resources of the development team. With this constraint, Parish omits Ori and the Blind Forest, Shadow Complex, and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, all published by Microsoft. The first two games would be included on most best-of metroidvania lists. (2014′s Strider, published by Capcom, is another worthy entry caught in the filter.)

Still, I’ll play by Parish’s rules in the creation of my own list, one that doesn’t overlap with his at all. That isn’t to say that I don’t agree with some of Parish’s picks — his top 5 looks about right, though I’d scoot Hollow Knight up to #1 — but I saw an opportunity to shine a light on some less obvious titles.

I hope my list gives you a lot for your wishlist. Depending on sales, acquiring them all might not even cost you as much as a single AAA game (some are even free). Onward!

1. AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake), 2016

Okay, my top spot is a little controversial. Technically, this is a Metroid game, but its development occurred completely outside of Nintendo (much to their displeasure). Like Samus herself, Milton Guasti’s passion project absorbs the franchise’s best skills, improves on its influences, and victoriously storms through a reimagined chapter from the series’ past. A massive achievement that Nintendo’s own remake didn’t eclipse. 

2. Environmental Station Alpha, 2015

What appears at first glance to be a micro-sized adventure soon explodes into a sprawling adventure by one-man developer Hempuli. The devious boss fights make you feel triumphant, and the exploration has you scrutinizing every pixel (I like banging my head against a metroidvania map). This game confounds, surprises, and satisfies in ways that the slicker, sexier examples don’t bother to.

3. Sundered, 2017

Illustrated art and brutal action stand out in this Lovecraftian metroidvania. As much as abilities keep you from advancing, hordes of beasts also serve as seething walls you can only break through after enhancing your character’s power and prowess. Some upgrades transform you into a monster yourself, which shapes the endgame. A procedural layout and nonstop flood of enemies also forces you to enter a flow state as you fight toward your destination. Novel, beautiful stuff from Thunder Lotus Games.

4. Alwa’s Awakening, 2017

Elden Pixel names this game’s influences as Battle of Olympus and Solstice, two dimly remembered NES fantasy puzzlers. This faithfully 8-bit metroidvania leans more on cerebral challenges and quick reflexes than combat, which is a nice change from the blasters and blades found in other old-school homages. If the art style triggers fond memories in you of crossed legs on carpet and box art that leapt off the rental shelf, grab Alwa’s Awakening. 

5. Super Win the Game, 2014

Similar to Alwa’s Awakening is this game from developers Minor Key. No combat here — your character jumps, collects, chats, and that’s it. But you’ll truly feel like an explorer while soaking up the cathode rays (an optional filter replicates the boob tubes of yore). A sequel to You Have to Win the Game, which is free on Steam, Super Win the Game is chronically on sale and worthy of its asking price.

6. Dust: An Elysian Tail, 2013

Yet another one-man endeavor, Dust presents a Christian coloring book aesthetic and furrified characters fully voiced with anime affectation. Hold your nose, though, and you’ll feast on deep and deft mechanics and a story worthy of investment. I’ve never had aspects I couldn’t stand so drowned out by the quality poured on top. Kudos to developer Humble Hearts.

7. Hero Core, 2010

Yet another solo development, Hero Core’s 1-bit graphics and simplistic controls do not exceed expectations. Additionally, its status as freeware doesn’t instill confidence. Zip through the Metroid-tribute prologue and first crude doorway, and you’ll feel developer Daniel Remar’s sure hands. An arcade-y sensibility keep things twitchy, and the black-and-white sprites splash with satisfying animation. A surprisingly full-fledged experience.

8. Headlander, 2016

Overlooked as the metroidvania boom began, Double Fine’s foray into the genre looks nothing like the imitations that filled Kickstarter at the time; instead, it replicates a chic ‘70s sci-fi style. The core mechanic — popping your head on and off all manner of robotic bodies to change your skills, size, and access credentials — amuses and adds occasional challenge. You’ll chuckle all the way to the epic ending, which builds with impressive intensity. 

9. Dandara, 2018

Brazilian developers Long Hat House looked in other directions — namely, every one — for this disorienting entry in the metroidvania catalogue. Your character leaps from surface to surface in an anti-gravity dance. Planted, she acts as a kind of mobile turret, which makes combat tactical. Frustration sets in as backtracking becomes forthtracking and side-to-sidetracking, but what is this genre if not an opportunity to squish the wayfinding side of your brain a bit?

10. Song of the Deep, 2016

Sentimental, whimsical, and even spooky at times, this small-scale production from Insomniac Games (I know, a bit of rule-breaking) features the plucky Merryn as its protagonist. She’s in search of her sea-faring father, and her intrepid spirit and ingenious hand-built sub lends this adventure real adventurousness. Not taxing, but well worth the time of a metroidvania fan.

11. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, 2016

The fourth in a line of Momodora games from Bombservice, Reverie Under the Moonlight realizes its ambitions through silky pixelwork and a smattering of charming idiosyncracies. Priestess Kaho whips her body, bow skills, and blood-red leaf around during combat encounters, roll-dodging and doing damage from a distance and up close. In between the action, Kaho takes cat form to sneak around some beautiful locales.

12. forma.8, 2017

A flat, Flash-like aesthetic. A blinking black dot as your avatar. The appeal is limited, but curious players will find an intriguingly obtuse adventure from Italian developer MixedBag Games. Combat and puzzle-solving employ an almost passive approach, with well-placed bombs and boulders playing major roles as your drone buzzes around obstacles and past danger. This title has been ported to almost every device, making it easy to try.

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Indie Games at E3 2018

Ori and the Will of the Wisps was my favorite game of E3 until I saw Knights and Bikes.

I didn’t see its trailer wedged into one of the Big Three’s conferences, though. I saw it on Double Fine’s YouTube channel after Googling it. Attempting to find coverage of Knights and Bikes anywhere — even on IGN, which included it on its Best of E3 shortlist — was a vain pursuit, at least on the last day of E3.

This is the lot of the indie at gaming’s biggest exposition: relegated to montages or, worse, left out of the festivities altogether.

While their development budgets and sales projections may lack zeroes, indies are, more than ever, the blood that pumps through our gaming machines between jolts of AAA adrenaline. They’re owed more than an unceremonious upload; they deserve to add texture to E3 press conferences that are too often too slick. And some did just that this year.

Electronic Arts got a boost from its two EA Originals titles, Unravel 2 and Sea of Solitude. The games’ scruffy devs took to the stage to share their passion projects, disarming audience members. Unravel 2 also “shadow-dropped,” giving us something to play as soon as EA wrapped up its otherwise by-the-numbers showcase.

At Microsoft’s presentation on Sunday, Tunic, Finji’s foxy little Zelda riff, got the spotlight and a shout-out from Phil Spencer. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Game Pass montage boasted Bethesda and Ubisoft additions but buried Afterparty, Night School’s follow-up to critical darling Oxenfree.

(Ori and the Will of the Wisps received a spectacular full-length trailer and 2019 release window; later, a retailer outed its $60 price tag, which is deserved, but a definitive reason to drop the game’s “indie” designation.)

That night, Devolver Digital, respected indie publisher and E3 antagonist, aired their bonkers “Big Fancy Press Conference,” immediately after Bethesda’s ponderous presser. Amid the anarchic comedy, two Devolver games made big impressions: My Friend Pedro, some unholy Tony Hawk/Hotline Miami hybrid, and Metal Wolf Chaos XD, a game that threatened to overshadow From Software’s other, bigger E3 announcements.

Monday’s conferences were almost devoid of indie love. Sony’s head-scratching “experience” focused almost entirely on first-party AAA titles, and the proceedings suffered from a lack of heart. And Ubisoft’s generally strong showing featured not one title from Ubiart, an initiative that appears dead as Ubisoft doubles down on games as a service.

Luckily, the unfairly ignored PC Gaming Show provided a stage for a parade of devs to show off some nifty looking games like Neo Cab and Sable. The middle of the show notably featured the debut of Untitled Publisher, which delivered cryptic announcements of three games: Morning Star, Bravery Network Online, and OVERWHELM, another game available the moment it was announced (on Itch.io, no less).

Nintendo went last with a pre-recorded Direct. For gamers not interested in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which ate up over half of the total runtime, indies saved the day. The Messenger, a bit-shifting Ninja Gaiden tribute, made an appearance. Local multiplayer staples Killer Queen Black and Overcooked 2 delighted in light of a leak. Hollow Knight, long awaited and surprise released, was another highlight.

Otherwise, Nintendo chose to keep indies, one of the Switch’s essential nutrients, off its plate. In doing so, only Smash die-hards left satisfied. (The announcement of a Switch port for Freedom Planet, an indie take on Sonic that will undoubtedly top the Switch’s sales charts, was relegated to Nintendo’s YouTube channel.)

And that was it. E3’s barrage of world-exclusive announcements and gameplay trailers swept through like a 4K tornado, showing us the power of our current consoles — and, in all likelihood, the potential of the next console generation.

Left behind were indies, which Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo championed as their consoles built libraries and reputations: the Braids, Journeys, Castle Crashers, Resoguns, Stardew Valleys, and Celestes that made me pick up my controller to play — and not just fire up the YouTube app to watch CGI teasers for far-off flagship titles.

Perhaps, on the skimpy storefront of my launch-day PS5 or Xbox Something-or-Other, I’ll select Knights and Bikes from only a handful of thumbnails. It’ll be the E3 2018 Best of Show badge that catches my eye.

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Dig Dog Review: Roguelite Done Right

I’m a cat person. But I’m also a roguelite person, which means I’m a Dig Dog person.

For the unfamiliar: A “roguelite” is a typically tough-as-nails game inspired by the procedural generation and permadeath of the “roguelike” subgenre, itself inspired by the tile- and turn-based 1980 dungeon crawler Rogue and its ilk.

By ditching the strictures of Rogue, including goblins and broadswords, many roguelites became modern classics. Games such as Nuclear Throne, The Binding of Issac, and FTL: Faster Than Light retained Rogue’s random, rage-inducing elements while exploring new stylistic and mechanical territories.

One title really changed the game. In 2008, Derek Yu grafted a handful of roguelike tenets onto something that resembled Super Mario 2 with destructible environments. That game, Spelunky, became one of the 21st century’s most influential titles.

Since then, a constant stream of explicitly Spelunky-like action platformers have strived for Yu’s tight controls and emergent gameplay. Many of those games litter the cave floor of Steam; others, like Ojiro Fumoto’s Downwell, claim their own place in the pantheon.

Developer Rusty Moyher is the next to pick up Spelunky’s damsel and run, and he’s released what I think is the next great roguelite, Dig Dog. 

Dig Dog’s most novel riff on Spelunky (and on its arcade namesake) comes in the scoopable, scrapeable terrain. Simply press in a direction, and you’ll clear the way; press the jump button while moving, and you’ll fling yourself like Superdog, drilling through dirt and handily defeating critters.

Your mission — to retrieve a bone at the bottom of every level — means you’ll be digging all the way to your destination. Find that bone, and you’re shot into the stratosphere like an underground rocket. Rinse and repeat.

As the environment shifts every four levels, you’ll encounter additional baddies to bop. You’ll also meet a merchant who will sell you new abilities and power-ups to aid in your journey — but be careful, because he’ll put the hurt on you if you rough him up. (Spelunky trademarks, all.)

But Dig Dog does Spelunky the way the Ramones did Buddy Holly: simpler and scruffier. The monochromatic Atari aesthetic brings Fumoto to mind, and infectious chiptunes by 8bitmatt stand in for Eirik Suhrke's more hi-fi Spelunky and Downwell soundtracks. 

Like the best power-chord punk, Dig Dog’s sublimity is reached through simplicity. You’ll only use the D pad and a jump button (okay, there’s also a “bark” button), but combining the two becomes key to mastery.

This control scheme exemplifies the elegant design philosophy of Fumoto, highlighted well in this video on Downwell by Mark Brown — namely, that everything should do multiple things. 

In Dig Dog, moving and digging are one in the same. And that wacky dash move? It speeds up digging, destroys enemies, and helps you pull off difficult maneuvers. This move set, along with Dig Dog’s finely calibrated physics, allows for precise movement — often the difference between reaching victory or the pet cemetery.

You’ll do more of the latter, of course, because this is a roguelite. In Bone Hunt, the game’s main mode, you’ll perma-die plenty of times before graduating to the next crayon-colored world, where you’ll learn from fresh deaths at the hand of new dangers. For roguelite fans like me, this is an irresistible loop.

It’s one Moyher, head of one-man development studio Wild Rooster, has perfected as a studious pupil of the genre. In Dig Dog, he does with the roguelite what the Ramones did with rock and roll: make it look easy, even silly, and in the process challenge peers and charm new fans.

Dig Dog is available on Steam and Itch.io, iOS devices, and Xbox One.

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My favorite games of 2017

No Switch until December 27 means that I didn’t touch 2017’s two presumptive GOTYs, but odds are that my year-end list would’ve looked a lot like it does now -- I tend to favor the kinds of small-scale experiences that you’ll find below. And in a year that will go down in history as an embarrassment of riches, it’s never been easier to ignore AAA, saving time and money while staying in the thick of gaming’s zeitgeist.

Here are my ten favorite games of the past twelve months:

1. Cuphead

A glorious homage to Treasure and Capcom run-and-gun games, as well as the wackadoodle rubber-hose animation of the Jazz Age. No shortcuts taken with either -- you won’t feel this amount of quality and care in any other 2017 game. 

2. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Much like the game’s Elder Futhark runes, rich ambitions superimpose a familiar but beautiful over-the-shoulder actioner, complexifying the whole. Each victory feels like both an accomplishment and catharsis.

3. SteamWorld Dig 2

Just as addictive and infectious as Image & Form’s other SteamWorld entries. This time, the progression system’s chain of incremental improvements lets you customize the cutest robo-badass that’s ever broken bedrock. 

4. Little Nightmares

A surprising slice of somber, unsettling art-house indie puzzle platforming. The nonsensical sequencing of this warped, woozy world and the deformed ghouls that pursue you through it feel torn from bad dreams.

5. Prey

Fill an expansive yet claustrophobic art-deco environment with baddies twisted by science, Pompeii-like corpses, and audio logs that flesh out their lives, and yup -- you’ve got an immersive sim. This one does exploration and experimentation par excellence. 

6. Dead Cells

Officially in early access, this “soulsvania” throws a rougelite loop at a action RPG, giving Symphony of the Night a coat of nasty, neon paint. With each new tool of destruction and tile set understood, you’ll make it deeper and do so better.

7. Nex Machina

Eugene Jarvis jacks into Housemarque’s neck port for this neo-Robotron. Absolute mayhem, total torture, pure fun. Sad this this appears to be it from the masters of voxel-obliterating twin-stick arcade napalm.  

8. RiME

Fumita Ueda’s symphonic style of adventure gets a splash of watercolor. A few set pieces get the blood pumping and tears welling. One of the year’s most underappreciated soundtracks, to boot.

9. Metroid: Samus Returns

More 2D Metroid on a handheld that needed it. A parry adds flourish to the combat, and Aeion abilities let you decide how pure or superpowered a playthrough you’d like to have. Happy to have this as 3DS’s swan song.

10. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

Redeems the clunkiness of Plague of Shadows with a slashing core mechanic that adds Ninja Gaiden-like swiftness to the Shovel Knight DLC suite. Playable flashbacks lend both stakes and feels, making this expansion shine.

And now, ten more games that stuck out to me somehow: 

Best game that will make you constrict your controller like a boa: Snake Pass

My favorite game for the last three days: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Closest thing to a Chrono game we’re getting: Cosmic Star Heroine

2018’s breakthrough Switch title: Hollow Knight

Best update to an obtuse cult classic: Blaster Master Zero

Most charming aesthetic and accent: Loot Rascals

Game most deserving of a Caldecott Medal: Gorogoa

Closest thing to a lost NES classic: Alwa’s Awakening

Finest fan-developed revision of a franchise: Sonic Mania

Best Dark Souls clone that wasn’t Nioh: The Surge