That mechanic can actually be quite tricky. Page moves around easily, but she faces many obstacles—such as broken bridges, trees, and bushes—that block her path.

It’s your job to grab either the sides or the corners of the paper on which Page is standing and fold them so they create new paths. If you happen to match a path with another, allowing Page to cross to the next area, you complete the level. However, as the game progresses, you will find you’ll have to fold the paper multiple times. If a paper is folded, and Page stands on that folded paper, you can no longer move it, which adds a level of difficulty to the game. Though, a lot of the time you can fold another part of the paper, walk on that bit, then unfold the previous part so she can head back in that direction.

Folding the papers can get pretty difficult, so it’s nice that the game not only gives you the ability to see the back of the paper with Y, but it also gives you hints with X. Seeing the back of the paper comes in handy, as you can see where the hidden paths are and which way you need to fold to connect them with the paths on the front. The hints are shown by sliding your Joy-Con L stick to the right to unveil the order in which you have to fold and/or unfold the papers. The further into the game you get, the more obstacles you run into, such as rocks you have to move out your way or domino-like paths that have to match numbers in order to cross.

Needless to say, Paper Trails does a good job at progressing in difficulty while continuing to feel fun and new throughout.

While the gameplay can get sort of challenging at parts, the controls remain easy throughout the story. The game always shows you what the buttons do, and there really isn’t much to do with them, anyway. Other than grabbing the papers and folding them, which is done with your R stick and ZR, all you have left to do is move Page.

Along with fun and challenging gameplay, Paper Trails offers colorful and stylized graphics that are enjoyable to look at. Using a very cool tone, the game’s art style mimics that of a watercolor painting. Due to Paper Trails being about folding paper, it’s only natural for the game to look and feel like you’re actually working with paper, which I thought was nice.

The audio mimics the sound of paper, as well, and the relaxing music in the background helps the game to flow by.

While playing Paper Trails, it’ll be easy to find yourself growing attached to Page’s adventure. This makes completing each level all the more exciting, as it’s one step closer to helping her reach her dream. With a charming art style and easy gameplay, Paper Trails remains fun, but challenging, allowing it to be enjoyed for hours at a time.

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Most of the puzzles involve arranging boxes in a way so you pass them, stack them, or climb them. At the end of each puzzle is a cat scratcher that can be on the main path, a box above it, or higher. If it’s floating a box or two above, this is where you’d need to stack boxes to reach it.

Other than this, there isn’t a whole lot to Mimi the Cat: Mimi’s Scratcher. There are 50 or so levels, all of which follow the same theme, just with a couple of different elements. While they do increase the difficulty, there’s not a whole lot of progression in this game. There’s no story to follow or points to earn. However, getting to see Mimi’s excitement as she reaches her cat scratcher adds its own level of achievement.

The controls for this game are simple; you simply move Mimi around with your Joy-Con stick. The beginning of the game gives you a tutorial of the controls, which you can pull up at any time. There are some extra features—such as hints or changing the background color of the minimal graphics—that help add some more elements, but, overall, the game remains pretty basic.

However, Mimi the Cat: Mimi’s Scratcher is still enjoyable and cute. It’s perfect for those who like adorable cats or simple puzzle games they can play while watching TV or listening to a podcast. Though it didn’t keep my attention very long, I did enjoy playing it with something on in the background.

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Cat and the Ghostly Road is a super fun game in which you get to explore and experience a lot. The first part of your journey involves you entering one of your master’s paintings and interacting with the characters inside. The whole game pretty much follows that format—talk with different creatures, use their hints to solve puzzles, and move on to the next setting. For example, one of the first creatures you come across is a spirit who tells you how to enter the spiritual dimension. He tells you of a secret door for which you need a key, but explains that it could be anything—not just a typical key. You have to talk to and trade with another spirit to acquire that key and then find the door.

In this game, however, you can only see and talk to spirits while in “spirit mode.” Because you are a cat, you have the ability to see what the human eye can’t. In order to access this mode, you just click the Y button. This is super helpful, as some puzzles cannot be solved from the human eye. Later in the game, you also gain the ability to change into a “human cat” which allows you to appear less vulnerable to certain spirits. You access this mode with ZL.

You also have an inventory, accessible with X, which allows you to hold items you may need for puzzles. Certain items can be combined to create a new item, which is simply done by holding one item and pressing A over another item. To use an item in the game, you double click A in your inventory, and then move it onto whatever you want it to interact with, and press A again.

The controls for this game are fairly simple, and are displayed at all times so you don’t forget. Move your character with the L stick, move your cursor with the R stick.

The graphics for this game are also very well done. The art is really nice to look at, as the scenery and animals are all super pretty and relaxing. Even the scary demons have great designs.

The music also helps add to this game’s relaxing but ominous vibe, allowing it to be fully appreciated as a creepy and mysterious, but also calm and touching, experience.

Cat and the Ghostly Road does a great job at taking a sweet story, one of a cat trying to save its owner, and making it thrilling, suspenseful, and hard to put down.

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This gang is known for its obsession with fast-driving cars and…tornadoes? Seems so. Add religious fanaticism to the mix for an even creepier combination.

They also have an unfeeling leader, Toni (he is a former car salesman, after all), and members who create dangerous situations everywhere they go. It’s your job to discover what happened to your partner and to shut down the Bahnsen Knights, all while keeping your identity hidden.

This is the third game in LCB Game Studio’s Pixel Pulps series, following Mothmen 1966 and Varney Lake, both of which are available for the Switch. These visual novel stories are separate from one another, so you’re free to jump straight into Bahnsen Knights if you haven’t yet tried the others.

Like those, however, Bahnsen Knights has a complex and captivating story that keeps you on edge. You get to make your own choices, explore your own areas, and even play mini games. I liked that my choices mattered. That I could inadvertently lead my character to being caught or even dying kept the tension on high throughout the game. If that happens, though, you’re taken back to the choice that led you to those results so you can change your answer and continue the game.

The mini games also help lead you in certain directions in the game. For example, the Bahnsen Knights have a game they like to play in which they “exorcize the road.” You start the mini game leading three other cars down a highway at fast speed, trying to avoid other cars on the road. If you or another one of your cars crashes, you die and the mini game stops. If you pass the mini game, the story continues and you gain respect from the leader. The controls for this game are simple and turn-based, reminiscent of the actual handheld racing games from the era in which the game is set.

Speaking of that era, the pixel art style and bright colors of Bahnsen Knights are also a selling point. Straight away, the game pulls you in with its pixel art style and bright colors. Bahnsen Knights uses its mid-80s setting to its advantage by incorporating a lot of neon pink and blue to create that retro vibe. Contrasting this with black shadows creates a super cool effect that adds to the eeriness of the game. When speaking with different members of the Bahnsen Knights, their faces are covered in deep shadows and bright highlights, adding to their intimidation factor.

It’s worth noting that the game can be completed in under three hours, and there’s not a lot of replay value. But that timing is fine for a visual novel, and the game is priced accordingly. Whether you play Bahnsen Knights like a movie in one sitting or split it up like a streaming series, fans of captivating stories and dark characters will enjoy every moment.

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With a point-and-click style to it, Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling takes an unusual and exciting tone to convey mental health issues and how difficult it can be to struggle with them. However, the game does a great job at keeping these undertones subtle, allowing itself to be a fun horror game first.

Players will explore the house and interact with many objects by clicking on them. The objects help tell the story, and even the ones that don’t lead to actual game progression help give you an idea of who you’re playing as and how she lives.

This approach and mood are set up straight away; Looking Up I see Only a Ceiling starts with you waking up hungry for breakfast, and won’t let you explore many other places until you make your way to the kitchen and prepare yourself some food.

From here, you go to use the bathroom only to find yourself entering a strange hallway filled with calendars. You aren’t able to turn around, so moving forward is your only option. In this hallway you finally meet a stranger who claims to know you are, but you’ve never seen him before. He remains mostly a mystery throughout the game, but you do meet again as you start to find yourself in more strange situations.

This game is a super quick playthrough, one that can be completed in 30 minutes. There are also two possible main endings—a good one and a bad one—as well as a bonus ending. I completed both the good and bad ending, realizing the only difference was one choice you had to make. This disappointed me a little, since it felt that my options throughout the game didn’t matter as much until the very end. However, I still enjoyed the overall experience.

While Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling is very short, it still does a great job at being fun and getting its message across. For only three dollars, this game is enjoyable and recommended.

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The game starts with Passpartout being evicted from his home as his landlord admits he can no longer accept not being paid correctly. With nowhere to go, Passpartout heads to the small town of Phénix. There, he starts on his quest to rebuild his legacy and become the great artist he once was.

Passpartout 2 is a simple game mechanically; there’s not a lot to do other than make and sell art. But it’s still challenging in parts, and it’s incredibly fun.

After reaching Phénix, right away you are met by Benjamin, a local artist who greets you with a brush and easel. He gives you a quick tutorial on how to create art on the easel, and then leaves you be. Later on in the game, Benjamin provides access to a table which allows you to sell your art. At first, you can only use the table at Benjamin’s shop, where he also sells you canvases and better brushes. But eventually, you can also buy that from him, which allows you to sell art from anywhere. This is helpful because there are many areas in which different characters reside, so taking the table to them allows you to sell art they may prefer over works from another artist.

For example, around Benjamin’s shop is a chef and a landlord. What these two may like artistically is way different from what a punk or little girl may like. Being able to travel to the punk part of the island with a painting catered towards that demographic will result in higher satisfaction, and therefore fetch a higher selling price.

If you’re someone who likes to draw or paint, or make art in any way, this game is definitely up your alley. However, playing on the switch has its disadvantages. Once you open your easel and choose your canvas, you can pick a brush, adjust its size, and then start painting. You paint by either moving your Joy-Con and pressing A, or removing your switch controls and pointing at the TV. Both of these options can be tricky to control, especially if you want to make more detailed and precise paintings. Another option is to use a stylus on the Switch’s touchscreen. This allows you to create more in-depth paintings, and it’s a lot easier, but it’s not necessarily accessible as styluses don’t come with the switch.

Although Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist is more compatible with PC gaming, it’s still all around fun on the Switch, and recommended for all artists. It’s a great way to explore a fun story and town while creating your artistic masterpieces. The game’s mechanics are certainly unique, as are the storytelling and graphics style. Passpartout 2 is enjoyable and easy enough for anyone to play while still presenting some fun challenges.

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The game starts with you and your clan discovering new land that Pacha, whom the clan refers to as “the Creator,” has led you to. You wake up on your first day there, and your adoptive father, Igrork, immediately introduces you to planting wild seeds. This is your first quest that leads to the discovery of farming. Wild seeds are really easy to obtain, as they are spread through the land and the places surrounding it, such as the forest and the savanna. All you have to do is wait for the wild plants to grow to full maturity, collect them, and then plant them on your farm.

After discovering a plant, Igrork will start to sell it to you. As you continue to farm and harvest plants, your knowledge for them will grow, which allows you to discover how long they take to harvest. The farming aspect of this game is very similar to other farming games such as Stardew Valley. All you have to do is plant the seeds, water them, then harvest them.

You can upgrade your tools to interact with multiple plants at time, which allows you to save your stamina. Upgrading requires you to discover new minerals and show them to Acre, the town’s toolmaker. She’ll take a couple of days to inspect the minerals. Once she discovers how to turn them into useful tools, you can buy them from her, while also providing the materials. In Roots of Pacha the currency isn’t anything physical, but instead based on your contribution to the clan. In order to buy anything, you must contribute materials to the contribution box. At the end of each day, you are awarded points for what you contributed. You can contribute your harvest as well as items you’ve gathered around the map, and even things you’ve cooked or crafted.

A lot of the items from which you make the most points are ones you collect from animals. Early on in the game you are taught by Frer to fish. You can either sell the fish as is or dry them first. You can also save the fish for cooking or crafting.

There are many other animals in the game too, a lot of which give you materials such as fur and milk. These, too, can be sold or saved to make food or other materials.

I think one of the best parts of this game is the fact that you not only get to have a pet (or multiple pets depending on how upgraded your house is), but you also get to have a mount, which allows you to travel more quickly. Inviting animals to your village is super easy. You are given a flute which is used to play music for the animals. Once you have it, all you have to do is walk up to an animal and attune it. This starts a rhythm game which, if done correctly, raises the animal’s trust towards you. You can only attune an animal once a day, but once it is fully attuned, you can invite it to either live with you as a pet or live on your farm, depending on which animal it is.

Animals are found all over the map, such as in the forest and the savanna, but they can also be found in the caves. The caves are located throughout the map as well, with an opening in the forest, savanna, and the beach. However, you can only use the forest entrance until you make it further into the cave. The cave is set up as a series of rooms, all filled with rocks that must be broken in order to open the door to the next room. Among the rocks are also a bunch of different minerals. Some of these can be used for tools, and others as gifts or materials to upgrade clothing items that give you extra stamina, charm, etc. As you make it further into the caves, you will need to upgrade your tools to use on tougher rocks. Also in the caves are totems and puzzles. Each totem is associated with a different animal, like a monkey, and once you have offered the totem the correct items, which are shown through cave paintings, you can receive that animal’s ability and use it to solve the puzzles.

While there’s so much to do in Roots of Pacha that’s been done before (farming, fishing, raising animals, cooking, crafting, and mining), what’s unique to this game is the socialization and spirituality of it. The socialization is set up as in other games—like Stardew Valley, again, with the talking, gifting, dating, and marrying—but there is a new element added: dancing. Each week you can dance with a character to raise your relationship. You also rely on the characters to help build the village, as they’re the ones who come up with the ideas, which I haven’t seen before. They’ll add little things such as hammocks or laundry spots among the land, and also invent useful items such as the cheese cloth or brewer.

If you’re playing in multiplayer, you can share your village and acquired resources with friends. Your daily activities can be enjoyed together, and you can even engage in some friendly competitions.

All of the Pachans believe in a higher power they refer to as Pacha. She’s referenced many times throughout the game, as they tell stories of how she created the land and the creatures who live there. In the jungle, there’s a pyramid where Pacha’s prophecies for you are listed. When you complete a prophecy, you are gifted with rewards, such as rings or necklaces with powers that help advance your skills.

Roots of Pacha is a fun game that will immediately catch your attention and leave you not wanting to put it down. With a little bit of everything, this game feels relatable, but also leaves room for imagination and surprise.

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You start Fashion Dreamer with the ability to create your own character, choosing the body type (though all are pretty skinny), skin color, gender, hair, eyes, lips, nose, etc. You get to choose your name, as well, and you’re then sent into a tutorial to learn the basics of the game. In Fashion Dreamer, your main goal is to create an image for yourself and your brand. You want to gain as many followers as you can, and you do so by showcasing your fashion skills, which can be done in many ways.

The easiest way is by dressing up yourself or others. When you dress your own character, other players will be able to see you in their game. If they like your style, they can walk up to you and literally “like” your outfit. Liking your outfit not only helps you gain followers, but it also allows them to add your clothes to their inventory so they can style themselves and others. This is super helpful when you’re wearing your own brand, as it allows you to get your name out there. You are able to like other player’s outfits and gain their clothes as well.

Dressing other players also helps you to gain followers as well. In your profile, you are able to list your favorite color, pattern, and style, as well as your most wanted item. When dressing other players, these options are shown so that you can match their preferences. The better you do in matching their needs, the more stars you get.

You are also rewarded with bingo tickets, which can be used to play bingo and win prizes. The outfit you created will be sent to the player, and you’ll be given followers from it. If they like your outfit, they get to keep it, and you get more followers from it. When other players dress you up, you can also like the outfit to keep it.

Both in offline and online-mode, you also have the option to dress NPCs. This is where I think Fashion Dreamer started to lose me. Since there’s no story that takes place in this game, a lot of it is just repetitive dressing up. We faced this in the Style Savvy games, as well, as the story died down. What makes it hard to stay interested in Fashion Dreamer is that even the NPCs have no story to them. They are very monotone characters who don’t have any real personalities except for one liners. They also don’t have any preferences as to what clothes they want. They do have specific styles, but there’s no real penalty if you don’t match their styles. Sometimes the NPCs will have an exclamation point above their head, in which case they want something more specific, but it’s usually very easy to find. Even your “boutique” is more like a showcase room for your designs. Every once in a while an NPC will show up, but all they do is ask for an item you have showcased.

If you want a game where all you have to do is dress yourself and others up, do your makeup, hair, and design clothes, then Fashion Dreamer is perfect. Its wide collection of clothing and styles is super fun, and allows you to create many different outfits. Though designing your own clothes lacks a lot of personalization, it’s still fun to pick certain items, change their colors, and claim them as your own. The fashion elements of this game have definitely been given an upgrade since Style Savvy, and have a more modern approach.

However, if you want this game because you like the story and challenges of managing your own store and customers, it may be best to just stick with Style Savvy; there’s just no real challenge to Fashion Dreamer. It’s a well made game with great graphics and animations, but it lacks the heart and drive that Style Savvy had, which may leave many fans disappointed.

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PAW Patrol World begins with a quick and easy tutorial. You start at the Lookout (the base and home of the pup crew) where Ryder gives you your first mission; help a truck that crashed on a nearby road. Many people have surrounded the truck, and the sweet treats it was carrying for the upcoming festival have fallen out. Ryder first asks you to clear the crowd, which you do with Chase and his megaphone. Next, he asks you to use Rubble and his vehicle to pick up all the spilled sweet treats. This shows you how to change pups and access vehicles, which you then do again to use Skye to lift the truck back on its wheels.

This is pretty much how the game plays throughout its entirety. Although this is a children’s game, and is therefore understandably simple, it does start to feel repetitive after a while—especially because all you do is get the pups to where they need to be. Once you have made it to a mission point, the pups automatically do their job, which you don’t even control; it’s an animation you have to watch and can’t skip. Though these animations only last a second or two, they can become old. In fact, the only thing you do have complete control over is exploring the map, which I believe is the highlight of this game, and why I still enjoyed it.

Being almost 20 years old and in college, it may be a little shocking when I say that I’ve never played a PAW Patrol game before, or even really watched the show. However, after doing some quick and easy research, I found that this is the first open world PAW Patrol game, which can be exciting for those who love the franchise. Even those who know nothing about PAW Patrol can still enjoy this game though, as it has its own story that doesn’t relate to the show, movie, or other games.

PAW Patrol World features four different maps you get to explore, which helps with the repetitiveness of the gameplay; at least there’s always a new place to find, with new citizens and new pup treats to collect. The exploration part of the game is very interactive, as collecting all pup treats requires some fun maneuvers such as jumping on bushes or picnic umbrellas, or using Zuma and his vehicle to float on water. You can also use these pup treats to buy new pup outfits (with more available via paid DLC), postcard stamps, emotes, vehicle stickers and more.

The stamps can be used on postcards to make funny images from what’s already there. For example, you can add funny monkeys to the background, or accessories to whoever’s in the photo. Postcards are found in mail boxes around the maps.

There are a lot of side missions and things to explore, find, and collect in PAW Patrol World, but the main objective is still to stop Mayor Humdinger from taking over the festival. He and his Kitten Catastrophe Crew have stolen signs promoting the festival, and it’s your job to get them back and stop them from stealing the festival for themselves.

While I wouldn’t recommend this game to anyone outside of the show’s preschool target demographic, it’s easy to enjoy if you find yourself playing it with a young child in single system co-op.

PAW Patrol World is a very simple adventure game, and one that kids who adore the franchise are bound to enjoy with or without assistance.

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Starting on an unknown planet, you’re taken through a tutorial on the game. It gives you an ax and shows you how to chop down trees, and the same with a pickaxe to break down rocks and minerals. After collecting enough materials, the game shows you how to use those materials to expand your island, which allows you to discover more materials. After doing this for so long, you should collect enough materials to build a rocketship which, once built, takes you to your first official planet: Gaia. There, the proper game begins.

On Gaia, you start with collecting basic materials such as wood and stone. You then use these to not only expand your island, but also to upgrade your tools. Upgrading your tools allows you to break down materials more quickly. You are also given the opportunity to craft a sword, which comes in handy when the monsters start to spawn.

Defeating monsters gives you coins, which are very useful later on in your upgrades, as it starts to cost you money. Same with expanding certain parts of your island.

As you further expand your island, you not only discover more materials, but you also start to level up. With each level you gain, you’re able to pick a booster. Some of these are very useful, such as the “Pacifist” booster that allows you to walk by monsters without them automatically attacking. There are also some boosters that provide immunity to fire or poison, or make your tools stronger. Dying causes you to lose all your boosters, and starts you back at level 0.

Expanding your island is super-important in this game, and is actually the main objective. Doing so gives you more materials, which can be used to expand even farther, upgrade tools, and upgrade armor (which becomes available a couple planets in). Once you have collected enough materials, you can build a portal that takes you to the next planet. There are 9 in total, each with dungeons.

These are like mini planets within the main one. In the dungeons, you have to do the same as you would outside: collect materials and expand them. The difference is that they tend to have more rare materials and a lot more monsters—and even bosses.

The controls in My Little Universe are simple. You have the option to set your tools to automatically break down materials as you walk near them, but if you choose not to, just holding down Y or pressing it repeatedly does the trick. For areas with larger masses of materials, you can hold down B to wind up a super move; once you release B, it does a lot of damage to the area, which is very helpful when you don’t want to spend too long pressing Y. You change your tools with X, and interact with objects with A.

The graphics of this game are basic, but also very nice to look at. While there isn’t much detail to your characters, you can unlock costumes to make him look a bit less boring. The settings are amazing; there are different biomes on each planet, all of which are unique and fun to explore.

My Little Universe is a very interactive and fun game. With so much to do, it’s easy to get lost in the game and lose hours of your day…and it’s worth it! While the game can be a little repetitive, the fact that you are constantly upgrading your tools, yourself, and the area around you keeps it fresh and exciting.

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