The 'Ol Switcheroo

Remember when I'd occasionally review a handful of games for the Playstation Vita? You're probably not going to see much of that action now. Since Sony dragged that system out to the woods to be shot- I mean, let it live out the rest of its days in a grassy field with all the other retired handhelds- I'll turn my attention to the Switch instead. Here now are five games I recently played for the system, in no particular order.

WHIPSEEY AND THE LOST ATLAS
Blowfish Studios

It looks like Kirby's Adventure, it sounds like Kirby's Adventure. But brother, this ain't Kirby's Adventure. Just when you think you know what to expect from this peppy action title with a round pink protagonist, Whipseey throws you a curve ball and reveals itself to be more akin to the original Castlevania. 

This game has a thing for situations like this.
What would Sigmund Freud say?

It's not just the whip in the title, which doubles as a grappling hook and triples as a helicopter blade. It's that the hero, for all his resemblance to Nintendo's pink puff, has a decidedly Belmont-ish feel to his weight and jumps. It's rare to get thrown in a pit in a Kirby game, and even if it happens, you can fill your lungs with air and float out of the predicament. If Whipseey gets hit by an enemy while standing on the edge of a cliff, he's going in that pit, and no amount of struggling will save him.

What's most galling about Whipseey is that the level design and enemy placement conspire to take advantage of the title character's shortcomings. Seed-chucking creatures stand near the edge of platforms, demanding extreme precision with your whip. Other monsters rain down colorful pellets from the safety of perches Whipseey can't possibly reach with his jumps. Spikes and lava are instantly fatal, even with the window of invincibility you're given after colliding with an enemy. It's all very mean-spirited and very unlike Kirby, but luckily, it's also very short, so at least you'll run out of game before you run out of hair. C

PUZZLE QUEST: THE LEGEND RETURNS
D3 Go

Perhaps the brainiest of the match three puzzle games, Puzzle Quest demands a level of strategy and forethought far beyond the likes of Bejeweled or Zoo Keeper. (Not that Zoo Keeper, the other Zoo Keeper.) You're locked in battle against a series of computer opponents, and any moves you make could play right into their hands, giving them a chance to prolong their turns with four of a kind matches or damage you by stringing together skulls. Adding to the depth are magic spells, powered by the colored gems on the playfield. These harm or otherwise hinder your rival, but beyond that, using a spell lets you pass play to your opponent, forcing them to make a match that could spell disaster for them later.

Groot here beat the ever-loving sap out of me.

Unfortunately, the nature of match three puzzle games means that not every move is the result of deliberate planning. When pieces are removed from the playfield, a random jumble of gems and skulls is dumped into the bin to replace them, potentially causing chain reactions that have nothing to do with skill and everything to do with dumb luck. Worse yet, these chains usually come to the computer's advantage, robbing you of hit points and mana for spells. It's not as suspicious as the dice rolls from Culdcept, but it's nevertheless frustrating to watch the CPU get a cascade of matches in its first turn.

I've got other gripes, but they're mostly minor. The overworld map can be tricky to navigate and the game takes itself much too seriously, with dramatic dialog and a swelling orchestral score. You'd think the cousin of Candy Crush Saga would be just a teensy bit more self-aware. Nevertheless, Puzzle Quest is one of the standouts in the match three puzzle genre, even fifteen years after its debut. B

MARIO AND RABBIDS: KINGDOM BATTLE
Ubisoft

Mario sometimes gets compared to Mickey Mouse, and it's easy to understand why. They both serve as the spokesmen of the companies that created them, and they're both friendly... and safe... and a little dull, frankly. It's refreshing when these two mascots stray from the predictable paths set for them and dare to be stupid, which is why the recent Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts by Paul Rudish have been such a delight, and why gamers root for Mario's greedy, gross, and exquisitely strange doppleganger Wario.

Sherbet Desert? Oh, Sherbet DESSERT! Why did
it take so long for me to get that?

People were puzzled by the announcement of a Mario and Rabbids crossover, but in retrospect, it makes sense for the same reason Wario makes sense. It's because the Rabbids don't make sense, and Mario needs that injection of lunacy to keep his adventures from becoming too routine. This is definitely not a routine Mario game, and it's not just because the screaming, bug-eyed bunnies have brought toilet fountains and time-traveling washing machines to the Mushroom Kingdom. The gameplay itself is off-the-wall, a strategy RPG that weaves staples of the Super Mario Bros. series into the gameplay, and somehow makes the warp pipes, bricks, and stomping work in a completely different context.

For the most part, battles are all about sending your trio of characters behind cover, letting them safely snipe at their enemies with arm cannons. However, they've got the option to vault off a nearby teammate to increase their range. This is especially handy for Mario, who can chain the vault into a stomp, then either land a safe distance from the target he's squashed or blast them in the face with his cannon. Throw in a variety of alternate weapons and helpful techniques, and you've got a game that's as surprisingly deep as it is weird... and it's plenty weird. A-

SWORDS OF DITTO: MORMO'S CURSE
OneBitBeyond

There's nothing like a good old fashioned Legend of Zelda game. And since Breath of the Wild is nothing like one, you'll have to fall back on a substitute; something that can offer a quick, dirty fix for your classic Zelda cravings. Luckily, Switch owners have Swords of Ditto, an overhead view action-adventure title with dungeons to explore, puzzle-solving weapons to wield, and a labyrinthine castle at the end, overflowing with dangerous monsters.

You'll do WHAT to my WHAT now? So much
for dying with dignity.

However, there are a couple differences worth noting. The first is that Swords of Ditto is more contemporary and tween-focused than The Legend of Zelda. Instead of medieval pixel art, you get bright colors and round-faced heroes that look like they bounced out of your television during a Cartoon Network marathon. Instead of potions, armor, and swords, you're given hamburgers, stickers, and toys, and instead of a single elfen hero, your character could be just about anyone, from children to battle-scarred bunnies.

That leads us to the other difference... Swords of Ditto is a rogue-like, with its world built from scratch and the player forced to complete as much of it as possible before time expires. If you enter the final battle unprepared and lose, you have to do it all over again with a new hero and a newly constructed world. If you triumph against the witch Mormo, you... get to do it all over again with a new hero and world. There's a true ending in it for you if you manage to find the secret that breaks this vicious cycle. However, all but the most Zelda-starved players will be happy to beat this game once and move on with their lives. B

LUMINES REMASTERED
Bandai/Resonair

There was time for Klax in the 1990s, but every decade since has made time for Lumines. This musically inclined puzzler has a hypnotic draw even Tetris can't match, which is why the game jumped from its original home on the Playstation Portable to nearly a dozen other consoles.

The little guy on the left is pretty happy.
You will be, too.

There have been sequels in the years since, with licensed music from major recording artists and slight tweaks to the gameplay, but this is the original Lumines. Not much has been changed from its PSP debut beyond improved menus, but it was a well rounded package fifteen years ago, featuring puzzle and versus modes along with the standard single player challenge. It's hard to think of much that would have enhanced the experience. 

If you haven't played Lumines, try not to assume too much from screenshots. It looks simplistic, with the player matching just two colors rather than the usual five or six expected from a puzzle game. However, you'll understand its draw when the music takes hold of you and you're racing to build as many squares as you can before the steadily advancing timeline wipes them all away. The game would work even without musical accompaniment, but the pulsing background tracks accentuated by your every move makes Lumines more compelling... and compulsive. B+