8 Nintendo Switch games we're excited for in April

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Hob is an action adventure game structured like a Zelda title. Its set within a massive, churning mechanical world which adapts as you explore it, with most of the puzzling/metroidvania elements all solved through upgrading the main character's arm.

The overgrown machinery setting is absolutely beautiful, and the game tells its story through this shifting environment, with more of the world being uncovered as you peel back nature and reactivate old ruins using your powers.

If you're looking for a ramble through undergrowth and brush, an expedition to uncover and recover an old world then Hob isn't a bad place to start at all. It's also had some quality of life improvements since it's earlier console and PC launches, with an improved camera and rumble features added.

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I'm a massive fan of the CSD series. They are almost purely reaction based during the serving element, with each dish and chore playing out as a quick time event. However, you also have to prioritise each of the tasks and customers at hand.

There's a delightful meta game as well. You run a restaurant in a large building, unlocking new upgrades and items to sell with your earnings. If you're feeling up for a challenge then you can work at other eateries, however there's a nice little story (and lots of fun emails to read) which follows your progression from greasy-spoon grubbery to the highest rated restaurant in town.

Cook Serve Delicious 2 adds to the gameplay of the first by allowing you to prepare some dishes in advance via serving trays, and also to prepare side dishes which boost your income.

Also, the images of food are absolutely amazing. I know that games like Final Fantasty XV kickstarted a trend in excellent food graphics in games, but Cook Serve Delicious has been doing it for longer and I simply cannot get sick of looking at its artwork.

Oh, and it's co-operative throughout too.

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As announced back in September of last year, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has made its way to the Nintendo Switch

Phoenix Wright needs very little introduction, the series redefined how narrative was approached on the DS and through its many sequels and spin-offs it continued to captivate and compel people — there was even a movie made.

For those who are unaware of the courtroom drama series, Ace Attorney places you in the heart of multiple courtroom hearings tasked with loudly declaring 'Objection!' at the right time and providing evidence of contradictions. Each of them have brilliant storylines which are more in-depth than the pulpy daytime TV it initially feels like it's mimicking, and it is all done with fantastic artwork and audio.

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Trüberbrook is a fantastic-looking point and click adventure game set in a parallel universe 1960s.

Set in the titular German village, players take on the role of Hans Tannhauser a physicist who stumbles upon the secrets hidden beneath the town. Even more interesting than the setting however, is the art-style of the game. It's all handmade: clay, wood and crafting materials. And, the thing is, having played through parts of Trüberbrook at events, it is a compelling game even without that art style — both style and substance.

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Dragon's Dogma was easily one of the most underrated RPGs of the Xbox 360 & PS3 generation of consoles. It was also the nearest thing that the home consoles got to a Monster Hunter game in the West, pioneering a lot of elements which would later cross into that series like the grappling of enemies and level designs which allow for that clamouring to take place.

Although the initial release had some flaws, like a thin story, strange travel system, and some strange animations, the first two issues were fixed with the release of Dark Arisen a year later. But, let's talk instead about its many positives.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a third-person action RPG which is based all around class-based combat. The various classes each have extensive skill trees which map extremely well to the controls, giving each archetype equal footing in the world of goblins and giant beasts. Better yet, if you are playing as a class and do feel that you have a weakness in range, area of attack or melee, then you can have party followers to cover your weak spots. Each player has a primary pawn, a character that they create and can redefine at will, they can then also have two more pawns with them which can be selected from a roster or borrowed from a friend. Each of these pawns learn how to fight enemies at their own pace, with the information and lay of the land shared when players reconnect with the pawn originator.

What this means is that you'll sometimes be in combat with a new foe and one of your followers will yell out tips on how to defeat them. Occasionally they'll comment on the paths you're taking, or the journey you're on.

The real killer appeal comes in the grappling and grabbing mechanics. Yourself and your pawns can grab smaller enemies, holding them in place or even lifting them and throwing them. I fondly remember coming across some small, skittering enemies and one by one throwing them from a clifftop rather than fighting them.

For larger enemies, which are like mid-bosses or boss fights in most games, you can climb up or over them. In the case of fighting a chimera this might let you hack at the specific part of it which you need to wound, in the case of a cyclops this means you can jab at its eye (assuming you don't have an archer handy to land the shot) or in the case of a griffin it means you can ride the beast as it lifts into the air, hacking at it until it tumbles to the ground.

It's a really exceptional action RPG, and it's about time that it made the journey to the Switch

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Katana Zero is a furiously fast-paced arcade platformer where you can die in one hit. It features that brilliant 80s neon style which remains very welcome, with a grimy world that fits the story of a time-manipulating assassin pretty damn well.

It's bound to be tough, but that fast, rinse-repeat loop which we've seen in Hotline Miami and Super House of Dead Ninjas before is one which really feels rewarding once you've got the pace of the game down. You'll not only be contending with armed grunts, but also laser traps and squishing presses, but your time-manipulation ability, as well as the opportunity to throw objects and deflect bullets, should be more than enough to overcome them.

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Cuphead is, like the Souls games, a bit of a love-hate situation for people. An amazing art-style and music arrangement gives an appealing look to a game that's frustrating for many. But, if are one of those who can play the game and play it well then you'll find an exceptional game which requires pinpoint precision and timing.

It's definitely not for the faint of heart, much like early console games or masocore platformers, there's a learning curve which requires patience, but it is really worth it if you can master that.

Much like with the versions released for other platforms, Cuphead is co-operative throughout, and is definitely one to look out for if you're a big fan of platformers.

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Switch 'N' Shoot is a one-button arcade game where you change direction by firing your spaceship's cannons.

It's all visually simple, with a blocky pixel art that will feel familiar to arcade cabinet fans. There's over 60 palettes which can be unlocked and then swapped in at will. It can also run in the portrait Switch mode — something which is sorely underused by games on the platform, except pinball it seems.

I've played a lot of Switch 'N' Shoot at events. To see a new vertical shooter isn't really a cause for fanfare, however the game's one-button control scheme mean that you have to unlearn a lot of habits from the genre. This makes it both memorable and challenging, a good combination to have in an arcade-style game.