3DS eShop Game Reviews
Review Mighty Gunvolt (3DS eShop)
Mighty good mini
First appearing as a free download to those who purchased the exceptional Azure Striker Gunvolt on the 3DS eShop, Mighty Gunvolt is a run-and-gun platformer from the mind of Keiji Inafune and produced by Inti Creates. Aiming for an old-school vibe, it’s no surprise that this new title from one of gaming’s pioneers feels a lot...
Review Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness (3DS eShop / NES)
Little monsters
It might not be too off kilter to think that, in some alternate universe, things could have shaken out differently in Capcom’s stable and Firebrand the Red Arremer/Gargoyle would have become a bigger star. The company could have been associated more with crimson than true blue, and fans today could be crying out over the absence of...
Review Talking Phrasebook (3DS eShop)
It's translation time
Call us pessimistic, but we think it's fair to say that travelling abroad can be a pretty stressful experience. Sure, the exotic locales and sunny weather is always worth it in the end, but making the trip often takes no shortage of patience and more than a few embarrassing attempts to drag up half-remembered phrases in the...
Textual healing or vocal underperformity?
Want to turn your 3DS into a social device that allows you and your friends to exchange text messages and partake in voice chat while collaborating on doodles? That’s the experience that Chat-A-Lot advertises, and while it delivers in some regards, overall this simple application falls very flat. Part of...
Another pack of Picross
While the first few Picross e games mixed things up a little with slightly different modes each time, the previous game in the series — Picross e4 — didn't do anything unique; it simply brought back all of those previous special modes. Picross e5 also plays it safe and is essentially an expansion of the previous game,...
Review Safari Quest (3DS eShop)
Safari Meh-st
As consumers of entertainment, we all generally gravitate towards the extreme sides of the spectrum. When a product is amazing, it's really amazing — and we can't say enough about it. When a product is awful, it's really awful — and we're going to let everyone know. That's why it's such a disappointment when a product falls...
Review Lufia: The Legend Returns (3DS eShop / GBC)
The legend isn't feeling so good
Young Wain is the protector of his small village; it’s not a tough gig, with just the occasional blob-creature to slash on the outskirts, but things are about to change. As a spiritual force awakens inside him, the powerful Sinistrels re-emerge to release a threat of “unseen terror on the land”. His bloodline...
Review Vacation Adventures: Park Ranger 2 (3DS eShop)
The mediocre outdoors
The thing about vacations is that once you go back somewhere, no matter how much you loved it the first time, it's never really going to be quite the same. The people are new, the places might have changed, and your overall experience is likely to be largely different. This isn't the case with Vacation Adventures: Park Ranger...
Review Castle Conqueror EX (3DS eShop)
Back to basics
Four years ago, at the time of the original Castle Conqueror title's DSiWare release, we made a somewhat snarky remark in our review about the absence of Real-Time Strategy games on the Nintendo DS. With its touch controls and capability to display information on one screen and action on the other, the dual-screened console seemed...
Review Football Up Online (3DS eShop)
The life of lag
Amidst the clamouring hands of football fans over the next entry in the FIFA series, EnjoyUp Games saw a gap in the market, namely the 3DS eShop, and so decided to release its original Football Up 3D. Not content with simply remaining a sub-par local multiplayer experience, Football Up Online has since been released to little...
Review Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (3DS eShop / GBC)
Well, it ain't too young or pretty but it sure as hell can swing
The evil Avar Empire and their evil leader are planning evil things such as an evil invasion of the peaceful and generally lovely Karinia. Commander Joe was sent in to sabotage their evil plans but unfortunately he was a bit rubbish and got himself captured (again!? – no wonder they...
Review Secret Journeys: Cities of the World (3DS eShop)
The road less littered
If you enjoy global sightseeing, but feel it needs the excitement of a flea market exploding all over it, then Selectsoft’s series of hidden objects games are made for you. Secret Journeys: Cities of the World plays almost exactly like its predecessor, City Mysteries, only shifting the backdrops to different parts of the...
Review Adventures of Lolo (3DS eShop / NES)
Bubbles and puzzles and DEATH
The fine folks over at HAL Laboratory have an affinity for protagonists who could double as pretty decent basketballs, and the often-forgotten NES puzzler Adventures of Lolo features our first example of a blob hero. Unlike the platforming cuteness of the Kirby series, arguably HAL's most famous creation, Lolo has a...
Review I've Got to Run: Complete Edition! (3DS eShop)
Keep on running
When I've Got to Run! made its début this summer on Wii U eShop, we were not particularly impressed with the endless runner. An overly simplistic graphical presentation, a lack of replay value and the limited appeal of the genre on a home console were three of our biggest issues with the title — thankfully, all three have been...
Review Magical Diary: Secrets Sharing (3DS eShop)
The secret's out: this diary is meh-gical
A few decades back, when kids wanted to document their daily accounts or their innermost thoughts, they had to put a pen to paper or tap away on their Talkback Dear Diary. Yet in these modern times, where it’s common for most people to carry numerous electronic devices, there’s less and less of a reason...
Review Harvest Moon 2 (3DS eShop / GBC)
Crop ‘til you drop
Clearly a testament to the popularity of the genre, the 3DS as a platform has been flooded with life simulation games. Ranging from the cutesy and calm world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf to the adventurous Fantasy Life, the surplus of games has spanned a plethora of sub genres, but they all come down to one thing: allowing their...
Review Zombie Panic in Wonderland DX (3DS eShop)
More adult than necessary
Zombie Panic in Wonderland DX is a rare breed on the 3DS, as shooters are rapidly becoming less and less common on the handheld machine. It's not the first time that this has arrived on Nintendo hardware, either, as it initially appeared as a WiiWare title; as the DX in the name suggests, this aims to tempt us in for more...
Review Donkey Kong Land III (3DS eShop / GB)
Marvellous Monkeys
In 1997 the fifth generation of video games was well underway (even Europe and Oceania had the N64 by then), but the trusty Game Boy was still the place to go for portable gaming joy. Having successfully brought monkey platforming action to the handheld twice already, Rare produced a third game — the imaginatively titled Donkey...
Working for pennies
Woah Dave is all about classic arcade action. Taking control of a blocky little guy named Dave Lonuts (who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Bert from Sesame Street), players will do their best to exterminate aliens and collect the change left behind in their wake. There are two modes to choose from, and once you’ve...
Review The Legend of Dark Witch (3DS eShop)
Just short of legendary
As both a developer and a publisher, CIRCLE Entertainment has been paramount to the rising indie games scene on Nintendo handhelds. Starting on the DSiWare digital service and eventually moving forward to 3DS eShop titles, CIRCLE has managed to have its hand in around 40 releases since 2010. With that many games in its...
Review Mighty Final Fight (3DS eShop / NES)
Haggard by time or as mighty as ever?
Originally released for the NES in 1993, Mighty Final Fight is a home console spin-off of the original arcade classic, Final Fight. Interestingly, it came out a year after the technically superior home console port that appeared on the SNES and, furthermore, is quite a departure from the other games in the...
Review Donkey Kong Land 2 (3DS eShop / GB)
Diddy's 8-Bit Quest
The success of Donkey Kong Country inevitably saw a sequel released. Likewise when Donkey Kong Land proved a similar platforming experience was possible on the Game Boy, it was a no-brainer that Rare would release a second handheld adventure. This time Donkey Kong has gone and gotten himself captured, and so it's up to Diddy and...
Review Ninja Battle Heroes (3DS eShop)
Kawaii katana
Tom Create, known for its contributions to the DSiWare GO Series, as well as games dating back to the Super Famicom era, has created a little gem in Ninja Battle Heroes, an action brawler bursting with adorable personality and surprisingly deep gameplay. Despite a generic title that describes little about the experience other than that...
Review Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (3DS eShop)
A pirate’s life for me
It’s interesting to track the progression that WayForward's Shantae series has undergone over the past decade. Beginning in 2002, the original title was released on the Game Boy Color, an unfortunately timed release that was mostly overshadowed by the recent introduction of the Game Boy Advance. Despite an attempted sequel...
Review Riding Star 3D (3DS eShop)
Fault!
Horses are supposed to be noble, herd-based creatures with personality and spirit. A simulation of caring for and riding one should be an intricate, rewarding experience as a bond is formed between rider and animal. Riding Star 3D does not worry itself with any of this. It botches the majesty of the horse so badly that one starts to wonder...
Make your own pyramid scheme
Almost three years ago to the day, Enjoy Gaming’s Pyramids had the honor of becoming the second independently-published eShop title to utilize the stereoscopic 3D feature of the Nintendo 3DS. While it didn't quite blow anyone away in that regard, with its simplistic graphics making negligible use of the effect, it...
Review Donkey Kong Land (3DS eShop / GB)
Mobile monkey magic
Donkey Kong Country was a fun and popular platformer for the SNES, but not everyone thought it was great. Some people (possibly Mega Drive / Genesis owners) said the game was in fact quite poor and any fans were deluded fools drawn to it for reasons other than gameplay – or, as Cranky Kong says, “put a few fancy graphics and...
Review Horse Vet 3D (3DS eShop)
Horse pucky
Two things became apparent during Nintendo Life's time with TREVA's Horse Vet 3D. The first is that, apparently, everyone owns a horse; the second is that these horses needed a lecture in safe mating, as nearly all the horses treated had scabies at one point or another. Horse Vet 3D, like TREVA's recent offerings Top Model 3D and Outback...
Review Secret Empires of the Ancient World (3DS eShop)
Trash as old as time
Do you have too much money and space on your SD card? Are you the type of person who enjoys finding objects hidden in low-resolution images? Do you adore games with lengthy and misleading titles? Then we've got just the thing for you! Welcome to the depressing experience that is Secret Empires of the Ancient World! This is the...
Review Painting Workshop (3DS eShop)
Digital canvas
The 3DS has continued to thrive as a result of its varied and expansive software catalogue, providing a one-stop-shop for RPG, platforming, and even action fans to find some really solid titles. It's not only that though, as the eShop has opened the door for smaller developers to release more subdued or technical affairs, be it music...
