Given the abundance of budget-friendly puzzlers on the Switch, I’ll admit that some of them can begin to blur together in crowded categories. While each title may have its own look or general feel, there are only so many ways to repackage familiar play. That does make it easier to appreciate those games that do something a little different, and with that in mind Ringo’s Roundup, while not being perfect, at least ends up feeling a bit fresh.

In the game, your goal will be to get Ringo from the point he starts at to a mailbox, picking up all of the stray letters strewn about on the way there. To do this you’ll need to place down arrow tiles that will change his direction or move him in some more substantial way as you get further into the game. At the beginning this tends to be quite straightforward and simple, but it doesn’t take long for there to be layouts or scenarios it’s asking you to complete that are a bit more challenging. For instance, I tended to struggle when the objective was to essentially make as many moves as possible, not choosing the most efficient path. The good news is that these supplemental challenges are generally optional, so you can skip them if you’d like.

The shame to me is that the controls for the experience are more cumbersome than they need to be. This really feels like an experience that would be better suited to playing on a tablet, or possibly a phone (though that may get too small), and using a touchscreen. The fact that the Switch would allow for this, but it isn’t supported, I’d consider to be a mistake. Simply navigating the main interface feels cumbersome and visually it looks geared to touch controls, so why exclude them? This may not be crippling, but considering the more narrow appeal of puzzle games like this, and the fact that they’re more likely to be enjoyed by people accustomed to play on mobile devices, and not necessarily dedicated gaming systems, it’s a needless limitation that detracts from its basic appeal.