DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS

NINTENDO SWITCH $59.95 | Nintendo Switch www.dragonquest-game.com

Originally released for PS4 in 2016, this JRPG take on the Minecraft sandbox format feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. For those who missed it the first time around, it combines the freeform creativity and survival systems of

Minecraft, but mixes it with lightweight adventuring and a loose storyline. So basically, if you found Minecraft too directionless but are nonetheless drawn to its Lego-inspired world building, then Dragon Quest Builders is probably exactly what you’re after.

The game is unchanged from its Sony release, and while it did release for the PS Vita alongside the PS4, the Nintendo Switch is the perfect way to play a game as engrossing as this — it is suited to both short spurts of busywork gameplay (harvesting slime, mining for copper), and longer sessions (building detailed architectural monstrosities). It’s not as flexible as Minecraft, and the third-person perspective can grate at times, but overall this is among the most charming and more-ish adventures you can get on the Nintendo Switch at present.