GamersRD

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales becomes one of the most charming titles of the year, evoking the greats of the 16-bit adventure genre. Despite the clear inspirations and somewhat predictable narrative elements, the game comes with some ideas of its own that make it stand out in its own right. Its great dungeon design, variety of weapons, and the Magicite system make it an enjoyable experience for fans of Legend of Zelda-style adventures.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows in the footsteps of the first remake for Nintendo's hybrid console with a proper port, albeit with certain minor but expected flaws. It maintains specifications of 1080p in handheld mode and 2K in docked mode, all at a locked 30fps with an unbeatable result. The game struggles a bit to maintain textures due to the expanding world, but ultimately, it is a version that brings out the best of the Switch 2.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a charming and rewarding experience that features truly interesting ideas. It invites us to discover an endless array of mechanics hidden within each creature in the book and the synergy between them. Sure, it is not a challenging game like we are used to, but it makes up for it with a display of creativity rarely seen in recent times.

007 First Light is the game we have been waiting for from the world's most famous agent since the infamous 007 Legends. It is a title that blends the open-level design of Hitman, the frantic gameplay of Uncharted, and the 'World of Espionage' of James Bond. IOI delivers a production worthy of the character with a high level of detail and memorable nods. Although it could have been better graphically, at least it remains stable.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight takes up the mantle of the Arkham franchise, combining its simple gameplay and adding the already famous mechanics from Rocksteady's titles. It is a game with a strong story component that covers the key moments of the character throughout his history. It is still a LEGO game (too easy) but even so, it is entertaining.

Tales of Arise continues to shine, now on Switch 2, for its dynamic combat, its great art direction, and an entertaining story that manages to hook you from beginning to end. Being able to enjoy one of the best entries in the Tales of series in a portable format is simply great. Although it has questionable technical decisions like those 30fps, it is still a title worth considering.

Forza Horizon 6 is fun and well-optimized. It is the perfect escape to explore and unwind from other games, but Playground Games played it safe, as it lacked that major graphical leap we saw from Forza Horizon 4 to 5 to fully take advantage of current platforms. It is very entertaining with plenty of content, but it leaves the feeling that it could have delivered a much more impactful experience in Japan with all those new activities and stunning scenery.

Saros is definitely a solid, challenging, and very well-executed game within the Roguelike/Bullet Hell genre. Although it features simplified mechanics reminiscent of Returnal, it distinguishes itself enough to keep fans of the genre interested. Visually, it is one of the most beautiful games in the recent history of this generation, featuring an interesting plot and frantic gameplay. Even though it no longer has the element of surprise, it is a highly recommended game.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream returns as one of the quirkiest life simulators in the genre. Unlike other titles, it bases its premise on random interactions between Miis, from which anything can happen. Although it lacks a bit more depth, it is a game with a lot of charm, but also very niche.

As additional content, SEGA Villains Stage is a good way to return to the action title, although it is brief. It is geared more towards hardcore players due to its high difficulty and rather tough bosses with memorable battles. If you know what to expect from the DLC, I can recommend it.