Poor Max Caulfield—the original protagonist of Life Is Strange has hardly ever been able to catch a break. Now, the time-rewinding heroine is about to face her ultimate challenge in Life Is Strange: Reunion, and after a brief hands-on preview, it’s clear that she at least won’t be facing it without her oldest ally.

When we last saw Max in 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, she had settled into a new position as an artist-in-residence at Caledon University in Lakeport, Vermont. When tragedy befell her new best friend, Safi, Max discovered a new ability which allowed her to “shift” into an alternate timeline where Safi was still alive, and discover the truth behind her would-be killer. The game ended on some unresolved business, which Reunion will apparently seek to close off, but another layer of paradoxical problems will plague Max along the way.

As yet another mysterious disaster threatens to take away the things Max holds dear, a blast from the past will appear in her new life at Caledon: Chloe Price.

Depending on the choices you made (or consider canon) from previous games, Chloe might be alive but estranged by Max. Or, the events of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure may have shunted an alternate version of Chloe into Max’s reality, with memories of the destruction of Arcadia Bay and their time on the road together… and nightmares of dying on the bathroom floor at Blackwell Academy from the original game. Either way, players will have to control both characters and utilize their particular skills to solve the mystery that’s threatening Caledon.

“Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has.”

Life Is Strange: Reunion essentially offers four possible backgrounds, based on two different choices: if Max and Chloe romanced or were just close friends, and if Chloe lived or died. During a hands-on preview with the game ahead of its release next month, I was able to hop into the game with my personal choice from the first game—romanced, and Chloe died—and see how these factors affect the story.

In a segment that feels like the end of the first chapter, I explored the familiar Snapping Turtle bar from Double Exposure, first as Chloe and later as Max. This included interacting with familiar Caledon faces—some welcome (Amanda) and others unwelcome (Lucas)—and using both protagonists’ powers.

Max’s rewind ability from the first game is back in full form, allowing her to rewind conversations while retaining knowledge and items. Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has, right down to the familiar spiral gauge that shows your position on the timeline. There were at least two great opportunities to use it to Max’s advantage at the Turtle, and zipping back in time with a pocket full of secret information still feels like a conversational cheat code.

Later in the preview, a life-or-death timed segment put the mechanic and Life Is Strange‘s mystery-solving through its paces. While Double Exposure used the “shift” power to great effect, it is satisfying to get Max through a dire situation with good old-fashioned time tampering.

Chloe’s featured mechanic (calling it a “power” is a bit aggrandizing) for Backtalk came into play later. She may be about ten years older, but even as an adult Chloe still has her rebellious side, and arguing with a security guard is a tantalizing target for her. As before, the key is to use what you’ve noticed in the environment or about the target of your Backtalk beforehand, and bring it to bear.

Admittedly, as the first part of the exchange was shown in the trailer, it was like starting with the answer key in front of me, but nonetheless, I felt a pang of nostalgia for the days of hurling barbs at Chloe’s stepdad, David, in the previous games. This ability is much more restricted than Max’s rewind, which can essentially be used at will, so it will be interesting to see how else it comes up in the full game.

Dialogue and choices are the core of the franchise, but for the first time, Life Is Strange: Reunion will feature two simultaneous protagonists, and naturally, Max and Chloe have a lot to talk about. Instead of keeping players firmly rooted in one of the two, such pivotal conversations between the two leads shift between them, depending on the choices being made. There’s a visible cue showing the focus shifting to either Max or Chloe, and while dialogue options are on screen, the game highlights which character is making the choice.

I was impressed with how this setup allowed me to make decisions on behalf of both characters in a way that felt authentic to their story. Devoted players have shaped their own take on the characters’ relationships over three games’ worth of choices by this point; bringing Chloe back into the picture but denying her any chance at player agency would’ve made the whole exercise moot. Thankfully, judging by the key conversation following their reunion (which was also teased during the reveal livestream), Deck Nine has put a lot of thought into how it would handle having two heroines.

My short hands-on time with Life Is Strange: Reunion flew by, and even with a small cross-section of the full experience, my mind was left buzzing, pondering the possibilities. It remains to be seen if other choices made during Double Exposure, like having Max romance or flirt with Amanda or Vinh, will be eligible to carry forward, but the implications of each of the four main situations between Max and Chloe alone have me itching to see the same conversations from another side.

Based on this slice of Max’s tumultuous life, it seems like Life Is Strange: Reunion is poised to make good on all the things Double Exposure set up and left on the table, while also doing right by the events of the first games. It’s been hard to bite my tongue and not give anything away through the course of this article, either regarding the new mystery or the implications from previous games.

One particular allusion, regarding David, gave me hope that this game could truly bridge the eras… but we’ll have to wait just a bit longer to dive into the game and see what other ancient history gets dug up along the way, as Max and Chloe’s fight to secure their future’s saga comes to an end.

Life Is Strange: Reunion launches March 26 on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X|S.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is already half a year old, and what a big six months it’s been. Nintendo sold over 10 million consoles and 20 million software titles in the system’s first quarter alone, despite debuting at a heftier price than consumers had hoped. Its backward-compatible library of games has also been bolstered with cross-gen hits like Pokémon Legends Z-A, original exclusives like Donkey Kong Bananza, and devoted updates to Switch classics like Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

With a solid lineup over the next few months, it seems the second-generation hybrid console will hit the ground running in 2026 with an upgrade to Animal Crossing New Horizons this week and the intensive port of Final Fantasy VII Remake later this month. Yet, there are so many other games that could benefit from making the jump to the Switch 2, whether they’re third-party gems that skipped the original Switch, or overlooked gems from Nintendo’s previous generations that could use a revival.

So, without further ado, here are the announced Nintendo Switch 2 games we’re looking forward to most this year, and others that we’re wishing to see land on the console at some point in 2026 (or beyond).

The Duskbloods (TBD)

At the system’s big reveal last April, FromSoft shocked fans by not only announcing Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition for the Switch 2, but also The Duskbloods, an exclusive with heavy Bloodborne vibes. A multiplayer action game for up to 8 players, with both Player-versus-player and Player-versus-events, this new title focuses on vampiric creatures called Bloodsworn, and takes place in a stunning dark fantasy world (with the requisite Gothic Victorian atmosphere).

With several different classes and a fresh menagerie of horrible monsters to slay, The Duskbloods seems to be the culmination of everything FromSoft has been cooking up over the last 10-12 years, from Bloodborne to Elden Ring: Nightreign, and it will surely be a prominent feather in the Switch 2’s cap when it launches at some point in 2026. It will also be a true test of the new hardware’s technical strength in every aspect.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (TBD)

Since announcing it at the last Nintendo Direct in September, Nintendo has had little to say about Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, the long-running series’ first appearance on the Nintendo Switch 2 (unless you count the addition of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance to the Switch Online’s GameCube library a few days ago).

At least, it seems that the new tale hinges upon “the Heroic Games,” which appear to be held in an epic coliseum, as seen in the debut trailer. The core gameplay appears to carry forward Fire Emblem: Engage‘s torch, with similar interfaces and a possible substitute for the Engage function. Similarly, players will be able to explore the halls of the coliseum beyond the field of battle… though it remains to be seen how much of the game will take place in this one setting.

Most curious of all, it appears that Sothis from the Three Houses lineage will play some kind of role, as she appeared in a new, older form at the end of the trailer. This will surely have fans speculating until Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime this year.

Witchbrook (TBD)

Cozy, sim, and cozy sim games flourished on the original Switch, and the Switch 2 will be able to continue that tradition with titles like Witchbrook, from British indie developer/publisher Chucklefish.

Originally scheduled for release last year, Witchbrook may be the next big life sim. Players will explore the vast city of Mossport in charming 2D and, as students at the Witchbrook College, pursue the arcane arts to their hearts’ desires. Online multiplayer will be supported for up to 4 players, allowing students to coordinate and work together while chasing their dreams.

With school, romance, decoration, magical, and seasonal aspects, plus a dash of Stardew Valley-inspired visuals, it really seems like Chucklefish is crafting something special that will have something to offer almost everyone. Though it’s unsure what other console-specific features may exist in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition, the system’s portability will surely be a big asset once “I’m just gonna play one more day” syndrome takes effect.

Wish: A Nintendo Land Sequel

Now hold on, hear me out, as this may be out of left field.

Nintendo Land is one of the cleverest titles on the Wii U, which unfortunately means most people probably haven’t played it, let alone heard of it. However, the Wii U did at least one thing better than the Switch 2: it packed the demo software in with the console, which is more than we can say for Welcome Tour. This party game featured 12 different minigames, all based on Nintendo properties and arranged like a virtual amusement park (long before Super Nintendo World was a twinkle in Universal’s eye).

Each showcased different features of the Wii U console: the Zelda-themed Battle Quest was a cooperative battle game where three players used Wiimotes like swords while a fourth sniped arrows with the GamePad; Animal Crossing: Sweet Day had players grabbing as much candy as possible while evading guards; and Captain Falcon’s Twister Race had players use the GamePad’s gyroscope to steer their vehicle. Takamaru’s Ninja Castle was the most obscure reference, but also might have been the most fun, letting players lob shuriken by flicking the touch screen.

The Wii U crawled so the Switch could run, so it would be fitting to see the Switch 2 bring back one of the most fun experiences from its fallen ancestor. Most of the games would have to be heavily reconfigured, given the original’s dependence on Wiimotes and GamePads, but surely Nintendo’s think tank of master game designers can find new ways to recreate similar experiences with all the capabilities of the Joy-Con 2. Nintendo Land transcended Mario Party in a way by appealing to a wider array of franchises, so even with multiple party games available already, there’s plenty of room for another trip to Nintendo’s virtual park.

(Hell, another stab at Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival might even go over better on the Switch 2, for that matter.)

Nintendo 3DS Remasters (Wish)

For all the remasters the original Switch got in its lifetime, there’s still no shortage of games from prior hardware that are still worthy of an update on the Switch 2, and especially those on the Nintendo 3DS. Stereoscopic 3D effects aside, titles from Nintendo’s last dedicated handheld system are a prime candidate for porting to the hybrid system—just ask anyone who’s tried to buy one over the last year as secondhand prices have soared. To name just a few…

It’s arguable that Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave wouldn’t exist without its 3DS predecessors, Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates. This one-two punch helped the series finally break through with western gamers, introducing a welcome new format and featuring great stories with robust casts. Porting these landmark entries should have been a slam dunk since the success of Fire Emblem: Three Houses earlier in the OG Switch’s lifespan, but now the Switch 2 is uniquely equipped to make potential remasters all the more stunning.

Metroid: Samus Returns was briefly rumoured to be coming to the Switch, but it’s not too late to bring it to the Switch family. Based on the Game Boy original (which is already playable for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers), the 2017 remaster revitalized Samus’ second (and most technologically hamstrung) adventure and added a thrilling new melee counter ability, ultimately leading to the stellar Metroid Droid in 2021. If the 3DS remake comes over, the Metroid series would be nearly entirely playable on Switch 2, save those missing Prime 2 and Prime 3 remasters and… well, the Other one.

But the game I’d most want to see Nintendo bring up from the 3DS is Kirby: Planet Robobot.

Kirby has gone through something of a renaissance over the last hardware generation. Star Allies and Return to Dreamland Deluxe are whimsical platformers with multiplayer appeal, Forgotten Land is a master-crafted adventure, and original creator Masahiro Sakurai even returned to deliver Kirby Air Riders for the Switch 2. All of these games have excellent campaigns, once again taking Kirby from “having a picnic” to “fighting eldritch horrors” by the time you reach 100% completion. This hot streak, however, may have begun back on the 3DS with 2016’s Planet Robobot… but it may have flown under the radar for many.

Hungry for more after Forgotten Land, I went back and discovered what I’d missed out on, despite being a devout 3DS player—and discovered that the only thing better than Kirby’s usual adventures is giving him a giant freaking mech. Naturally, Planet Robobot would benefit from the Switch 2’s advanced hardware, and could use some kind of multiplayer functionality to stay in keeping with the existing Switch games… but most tantalizing is the prospect of expanding the adventure even further, in the same fashion that Return to Dream Land got in Deluxe.

What games are you most excited to see on the Nintendo Switch 2? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to CGMagazine for more coverage!