8 Nintendo Switch games we're excited for in May 2019

The single-screen, four-player shooter which rekindled the subgenre back in 2014 is finally making its way to everybody's favourite handheld console.

For those unfamiliar with Duck Game, each player starts out unarmed in one corner of the screen before rushing for weapons or items then facing off against each other until only one remains standing. The premise is incredibly simple, however the sheer variety of items and weapons — as well as the fact you can play dead, or quack for no reason - makes it a really fun party game.

Among the machine guns, rocket launchers and swords there are items like a religious text (with which you can convert players) and a whole bunch of musical instruments. It's hard to take the game seriously, but that's fine because it's an extremely fast-paced and ridiculous party game.

A clever visual novel built around stories which stretch from shift to shift rather than a traditional A-B story, VA-11 HALL-A puts you into the shoes of a bartender in the cyberpunk future.

As somebody who has spent a few months as a bartender (mumble mumble gig economy) the social elements tied to bartending, as well as the natural building habits of knowing your customers and their drinks, is bang on. Not only are you serving peculiar customers and advancing their stories though, you're also dipping into the bartending itself, mixing drinks for customers.

We've actually got our review for VA-11-HALL-A live already. Our former editor Rik Cowley summerises that 'VA-11 HALL-A is a fascinating visual novel which deftly weaves realistic dialogue and a cyberpunk aesthetic into a magnificent tale', and rewards it a Gold Rating.

Shakedown Hawaii is the successor to the exceptional Retro City Rampage. It looks to be just as full of references and great gameplay moments as the first game,

We reviewed Retro City Rampage back in 2013 when it released for the Vita, a succelent sandwich of technology and potential left to rot by its creators… Oh wait, that's the Vita. We said that RCR 'pummels you with fantastic video game and movie references throughout, and has the gameplay to back up the funny' before awarding it a Gold Rating.

Shakedown Hawaii builds on the first game by also allowing you to purchase any property on the map, all while making sure that the open-world island is always alive with opportunities for chaos.

One area that both home consoles and handheld consoles are lacking is the wargaming department. The genre has a very avid following, one that fanatically supports it even though its traditions and mechanics often still run the same as they did twenty years ago.

We've not got a trailer here for European Conqueror X, but you can have a peek below at the previous game, World Conqueror X, which almost certainly operates on the same engine and mechanics, but with a change in units and scenarios.

Unlike World Conqueror, European Conqueror X focuses on the late 18th- to early 19th-Century. It appears to be a port of the cannily named European War VI: 1804, which included start dates of 1798, 1806 and 1812 and featured a tutorial reflecting on the American War of Independence but then proceeded from the French Revolution onward.

Beat the world conquest mode and you too can sign off on emails and important work memos with 'European Conqueror X'.

Okay, so Resident Evil Things isn't the name of one of the entries in the long-running series, but there's a whole bunch of Resident Evil games coming out on the Nintendo Switch this month.

The remakes of Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 4 will be launching throughout the month, as well as a combo pack of 0+1 under the moniker of 'Origins Collection'. They join the Revelations mini-series on the Nintendo platform.

If you wish you can read our reviews of Resident Evil Revelations (3DS), and Resident Evil Revelations 2 (Vita) on the site.

One day somebody will remake the true gems of the series, Nemesis and Code Veronica — maybe even also modernising their co-operative survival sub-series Outbreak. Until then the REmakes should be a welcome addition to anybody's library.

Lapis X Labyrinth is an action RPG from Nippon Ichi which has players stack their party atop each other, like a totem, and then setting out to smash the pudding out of dozens upon dozens of brightly coloured beasties.

There are eight classes to choose from, with each character having their own levelable statistics which are also modified by the droves of treasures and items you can collect. Even though it's played from a 2D-platformer perspective the grind-and-loot cycle of aRPGs is definitely present throughout.

It looks like a brightly-coloured, non-stop experience, perfect for fans of aRPGs who like their games laced with sugar.

Among the Sleep was quite a phenomenon when it released on PC back in 2014.
The first-person horror game had you take on the role of a small child who becomes lost in a twisted take on their own house, with only their teddy to help them on the way.
It was a daring, compelling tale at the time and the same will no doubt stand as it is ported to a new audience on the Switch.

Darkwood is a top-down survival horror which takes place in a surreal, swelling forest populated with horrors and mystery.

During the daytime you seek out resources and supplies, trying to gather enough to survive the coming night. The night brings raiders and people who attempt to enter your hideout and do you harm. Surviving the night nets you awards and bonuses (which otherwise you take alongside nerfs during the day), but you're always at risk — failing during the day loses half of your inventory to boot.

It definitely takes some getting used to, and the moody atmosphere is definitely hard to take for those used to more chipper experiences, but the choice-led story is very rewarding and the controls are incredibly intuitive once you're through the tutorial.

Darkwood's haunting ambience and amazing lighting and shadow effects really manage to capture the horror which the protagonist would be feeling. If you're not feint of heart then it's definitely a game to buy when it releases.