I absolutely love these 2 puzzle series and an upgraded iteration of this combo just hit Switch 2 so here's the colourful .

The base game already features plenty of puzzle goodness so it's great that newcomers can enjoy an enhanced version on their new consoles thanks to . For starters, it still features oodles of modes and delightful characters (many will be very familiar to long-time Sega fans) and there's an absolute ton of fun to be had whether you're going it alone, taking on friends locally, or challenging friends-to-be online. What's new in this version is that you can control the gameplay via mouse controls which I found to be surprisingly intuitive and it even makes moving the pieces faster which is great for the more difficult modes. You can also play via doubles mode where 2 players cooperate on the same playfield but I found that we were constantly trying to navigate around each other which got kind of annoying. 🧩

is certainly the best iteration of this puzzle combination yet and it's full of line-clearing and chain-triggering fun.

If you love Picross and rodent critters as much as I do then here's the super-cute and exceptionally fun .

is a basic nonogram game at its core which will be familiar right off the bat to anyone who has ever played a Picross game before. What sets this delightful gem apart is that it has a lovely rodent theme complete with cheese-looking tiles whenever you fill a space in. Plus, as you complete puzzles, you'll unlock furniture that you can use to decorate your rodent's adorable little habitat with. A lovely aspect of this is that you can dress them up in stylish clothes which made me smile a great deal. I've rarely played a puzzle game that has actual rewards for completing each puzzle and this blend really creates a satisfying formula, especially for genre newcomers as there are so many accessibility options that it's wonderful. Oh, and you can customise your rodent and I made mine look like my guinea pig Tina! 🧀

If you're in the mood for nonogram fun with adorably rewarding unlockables after every puzzle then play .

Oh, Wilmot; what are you up to now? Apparently, starring in the wonderfully entertaining new puzzler . Let's make art!

is certainly a very clever puzzle game. The gameplay loop goes like this: the mailperson delivers a parcel, you open it, a bunch of tiles unload onto the floor, and then you pick up or slide pieces until you make a complete work of art then hang it on your wall. Of course, things aren't as simple as they seem because many tiles won't be used until later packages arrive so figuring out which ones belong to which work of art is a substantial part of the challenge. With that being said, there really isn't much challenge because you can easily figure out every piece of art after tinkering around for long enough yet the gameplay remains impressively satisfying. I also love the soft visuals and audio which makes playing this cute and colourful game a lovely idea for whenever you're about to go to bed. 🧩

With its unconventional yet immediately intuitive puzzle gameplay, provides a relaxing and rewarding formula indeed.

Here we have an interesting take on the recent trend of Survivors-likes with some puzzle elements added so let's become the .

is a simple game where you run and dash around to avoid taking damage from the hordes of enemies that try and swarm you as you auto-attack and collect currency that defeated foes leave behind. The first thing you'll notice about the presentation is that the combat phases are rendered in 3D which is a nice touch for sure as most games in this genre are 2D. Anyway, between each phase (which doesn't last all that long), you'll be able to apply more tiles to your storage then purchase items to store there which consist of weapons, equipment that provides boosts, and items that you can use for various effects. I particularly loved summoning more challenging boss-like enemies because the degree of difficulty is generally quite low and the combat isn't very exciting as it comes across as more utilitarian than impactful. ⚔️

The blend of Survivors-like gameplay and puzzle-like inventory management makes stand out but it's still rather flat overall.

For some reason, there have been a lot of pirate-themed games lately and I generally enjoy them but does hold up?

When I started playing , I was surprised by how not pirate-like its gameplay was as you basically explore an island while figuring out how to progress as you painstakingly climb up cliffs, take zip-lines down, and do a little swimming while a silly parrot helps guide the way. Once you enter the cave, things start to get a bit more interesting as you can destroy skeletons with a magic lantern and you'll eventually unlock weapons such as a single-bullet firearm that's thankfully easy to reload. However, figuring out what to do in order to advance can be incredibly frustrating and there are a lot of annoying moments such as skeletons that relentlessly charge towards you while you don't have enough lantern oil to take them all down. Once, 4 of them ganged up on me and I reached a checkpoint and whenever it reloaded, they were all there and defeated me in a couple hits. That's maddening stuff and there are no accessibility options either. 🦜

I wish that offered lootin' and ship-captainin' because its confusin' and frustratin' adventure just isn't all that jolly.