Legend of Mana
Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1-2, local only
My rating: 8/10
To be completely honest, I know that most of this rating is due to my strong nostalgic connection to this game. It was the first an only console game I owned as a kid, and I spent many hours watching my older cousins play it, then playing it myself with my sister. Now that it's been remastered for Switch, I've learned to speedrun it and enjoy replays just for the feels. This game is dated, but the art is great, the music is amazing, and there are a lot of really cute stories. It's got a unique world builder and fun real-time combat, though it can be tricky to complete without a guide due to the convoluted nature of some of the quests and triggering events. I've tried the other games in the Mana series, and none of them can quite compare to this one! I recommend it for more experienced gamers who appreciate an older classic, or anyone who just wants to appreciate the aesthetics of it.
Stardew Valley
Genre: Farm sim
Players: 1-4, local or online
My rating: 10/10
This is my comfort game. When I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, starting a new game in Stardew always makes me feel better. I love the small town farmer vibe and the meditativeness of starting with nothing and building a beautiful garden. I'm not normally very into retro graphics, but the visuals in this game are so cute, and the music is super calming. I enjoy the variety of things there are to do while also haivng a bounded world that doesn't overwhelm. I love resource management, crafting, and exp farming, and this game does all of those things well. Heartily recommend everyone try this game at some point!
Hades
Genre: Roguelike/dating simm
Players: 1
My rating: 10/10
I didn't actually think I'd like this game as much as I did, because I'm not really into relationship-building games and have never been good at roguelikes. But this game has become a go-to for me when I feel just a little like I need to beat something up. Great characters and story development, fun gameply with enough variety to keep it always fresh, and sick music. It took me a really long time to beat it the first time, but once I got the hang of it, it became addicting to go back to it again and again with new weapon and power combos. A great game to just drop in on here and there without needing too much continuity... if I can put it down, that is.
My Time At Portia
Genre: Farm/management sim
Players: 1
My rating: 7/10
Definitely enjoyed this game and logged plenty of hours in it. The graphics are pretty cheesy and there are a lot of limitations, but overall it's a very entertaining farming/building game where you can create your own homestead and workshop and become part of a town. The story is pretty meh, but the setting is neat, and I love how you can see the influence of the Chinese cultural background of the designers come through. Also Oaks is my true love and I have a strong desire to romance him every time I play. Love my wild boy and his bear dad.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1
My rating: 8/10
I had never played any other games in the Ys series before this one, but it seems like the kind of series where that doesn't really matter. This game was really fun. The storyline was absolutely bonkers and there were a lot of bad anime tropes, but it was also really entertaining. Lots of fun characters to play, and a decent sized map with good pacing for unlocking new areas. I really enjoyed the realtime combat, which was the main reason I picked this game up. I like these kinds of RPGs but I'm just not into turn-based games, so this one was a lucky find. This game definitely has its flaws, but also you get to fight dinosaurs and ghost pirates, so it evens out.
Sky: Children of Light
Genre: Puzzle adventure
Players: MMO
My rating: 10/10
I played this game every day for almost 3 straight years. It's a good game. Part of what makes it so good is actually that it's first and foremost a phone game that eventually got ported to consoles. As a phone game, it's incredibly well done. Made by the same studio as Journey, it has beautiful art, beautiful music, simple but elegant gameplay, and a strong emphsis on positive social interaction with other online players. And you get to fly. A great, chill game for people who enjoy collecting things, dressing up, meeting people from all over the world, and exploring beautiful locations. It's also free to play, though I've personally droped a not insignificant amount of real-life currancy on purchiasing season passes (4 times a year) and cosmetics. Absolutely the best phone game I've ever played.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Genre: Action adventure
Players: 1
My rating: 6/10
This game was trying really hard to be Breath of the Wild and just didn't quite hit the mark. It was fun to play, with lot of similar world exploration and fighting mechanics, but the story leaned a little too hard into humor for my taste, and there didn't seem to be as much variety or meaning to many of the tasks and exploration. Great graphics and cool powerups. The only way to play without being forced to create an online account, though, was to keep my Switch in offline mode whenever playing, so it couldn't force me to log in. Needing to have two different game accounts to play one game is a scam.
Graveyard Keeper
Genre: Farm/management sim
Players: 1
My rating: 8/10
Played this game to scratch my Stardew itch after I had beat that several times. This was a fun one, though a lot darker! The graphics aren't as pretty as Stardew, and it's more limited in a lot of ways, but it was very unique in its story and goals. Create a profitable graveyard and church by preserving or cremating bodies, building grave stones and mausoleums, and growing a garden and vineyard. With the expansion, you can even raise zombies to help you maximze effiency! It was a bit glitchy for me, though, and sometimes crashed unexpectedly after I had been playing for over an hour, which was terrible when I hadn't saved in a long time (since you can only save when you sleep, and you only need to sleep every 3 days or so). Overall not as much replayability as Stardew, but definitely an entertaining game that can really suck you in!
A Short Hike
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
My rating: 8/10
This is a very short but sweet game. Graphics are low quality and the world is small, but that works well with the simple premise of this relaxing adventure game. You're a little bird on a small island, waiting for a call from your mother. You travel around the island meeting people and learning to fly higher and higher until you're able to get to the top of the mountain. Just a few simple collectables and very basic mechanics keep this game relaxing and fun. A sweet little game to pass the time, well worth the price for a short indie title.