Wii U eShop Game Reviews
Review Defend Your Crypt (Wii U eShop)
Tomb sweet tomb
Curiosity is the folly of man. Those pesky humans tread where they do not belong, steal what isn't theirs, and dig into dark realms beyond their imagining. Their greed is a plague, and there's only one cure – giant smashy blocks! Tired of people raiding your elaborate tomb in search of treasure? Don't get mad; get even, with Defend...
Review Ninja Pizza Girl (Wii U eShop)
Eww, lukewarm pizza
You can probably count on one hand the number of video games where the premise revolves around delivering pizza. Aside from Spider-Man 2 from the GameCube era, which involved delivering some pies as Peter Parker, not much else comes to mind. Ninja Pizza Girl aims to be the pizza-delivering game to end all of them; let's see if...
Review Pirate Pop Plus (Wii U eShop)
Let's rumble, bubble butt!
In an industry focused on creating increasingly complex games and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the gaming medium, it can be nice sometimes to take a step back and play something that's just… simple. Pirate Pop Plus is one such game; there's not much to it on the surface, but it's one of the most...
Review SteamWorld Heist (Wii U eShop)
Now in steamy HD
Though Image & Form's most notable sales and critical breakthroughs have been on the 3DS, its games often cry out to be played in HD. The SteamWorld titles evoke an utterly charming steampunk aesthetic, with clunky and scrappy robots shining at full resolution on a TV. SteamWorld Heist was another hit for the studio on 3DS, but...
The game touch screens were made for
A little while after the Metroidvania-esque Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, developer Drinkbox Studios has returned with its latest title, SEVERED. Released earlier this year on PlayStation Vita, does this unique title reach must-buy status on the Wii U eShop? The story of SEVERED is light. You...
Review Word Logic by POWGI (Wii U eShop)
Word Up!
Puzzle game developer Lightwood Games has been rather prolific on the eShop, and continues to bring word games to the store. Bringing six new puzzles to tease your brain, Word Logic by POWGI follows in the same vein as some previous titles from the studio. It goes without saying that unless you're really into word puzzles, this might not be...
Review Quest of Dungeons (Wii U eShop)
Isn't it dangerous to go alone?
For some individuals, roguelike games are a lifestyle. For others, it may be a case of playing one and ignoring the rest. Either way you look at it, this genre is as popular as ever on the indie development scene, with these types of games released on a regular basis across multiple platforms. While the Wii U eShop...
Review Gear Gauntlet (Wii U eShop)
Is this the gears game we've been waiting for?
Too often, spinning cogs are portrayed as a danger in video games. Consider a lot of platform levels in the earlier Mario and Sonic titles, and dangerous spiky gears would normally make an appearance a few levels in - ready to slice the famous mascots to shreds. So how about a game where gears are for...
Review Aenigma Os (Wii U eShop)
Far from a perfect match
Indie tile-match games normally feature a unique twist in order to stand out among well known competition. Aenigma Os by Akies Games tries to deliver on this expectation - the problem is, it's nothing we haven't already seen before. After selecting from one of the many game modes, you are presented with a grid filled with...
Review Free Balling (Wii U eShop)
Gonna free fall, out into nothin'
Some people consider video games to be art, but there are also games that let gamers make art. Titles like Mario Paint (and the more app-like Art Academy titles) allow you to create straight-up paintings, while WarioWare DIY gives players the tools to create their own microgames. Skunk Software's Free Balling tries...
Review Super Hero Math (Wii U eShop)
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a lousy game
Educational games typically aren't contenders for "best games ever" lists, but occasionally one rises above mediocrity and provides a fun gaming experience for kids while also offering some knowledge to take away. However, the majority of "edutainment" games come off as textbook problems slapped onto a...
Save yourself, princess
Damsels in distress are becoming less of a common theme in video games nowadays. Instead we see plenty of titles with independent women who are more than capable of solving their own problems and even saving the day. Not every princess needs someone to come to their aid - as Rorrim illustrates. Players take control of the...
Review Games For Toddlers (Wii U eShop)
By toddlers, for toddlers
While many gamers fall into a certain age demographic, there are plenty of players younger and older than the average age. For games aimed at the young, the tradition has been to either create an educational experience or something dumbed-down and almost insulting to kids' intelligence. If you've got a young one who is...
"For evil to win all that is required are good people doing nothing"
The original Castlevania game released on the Famicom in 1986 offered a dark and challenging action-platform adventure, the likes of which had not previously been seen before; to this day, Konami's classic continues to inspire developers. Citadale, by Ezekiel Rage and Nitrolic...
Review Noitu Love: Devolution (Wii U eShop)
Do the Evolution
Although you can't seem to walk down the street these days without tripping over a retro-revival of some sort, it's refreshing to see a game that harkens back to play styles you thought were gone or, as is probably more likely, you just simply forgot about. Noitu Love: Devolution feels like a love letter to the likes of Gunstar...
Review TOUCH SELECTIONS (Wii U eShop)
You might want to AVOID[ER] this one
Hot off the heels of TAP TAP ARCADE 2, RCMADIAX has released TOUCH SELECTIONS; this title is a two-in-one game purchase, much like the existing ARCADE series. The games on offer this time are PEG SOLITAIRE and AVOIDER - which have been previously reviewed by other writers. The first offers a basic puzzle...
What is art?
140 - created by Jeppe Carlsen (lead puzzle designer, LIMBO) with music by Jakob Schmid - is a minimalistic rhythm-based puzzle-platform game that has clearly been inspired by the Bauhaus artistic movement. For those who aren't great lovers of art, Bauhaus was a school of art located in Germany that combined crafts with fine arts, and...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)
The sky's the limit
Though the core series still delivers by far the most popular kind of Pokémon games, the Mystery Dungeon series has still done a good job of establishing its own identity and setting itself apart. As the third and final game in the DS set of games for the series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky provides a charming...
Review Skunky B's Super Slots Saga #1 (Wii U eShop)
An unintended anti-gambling PSA
Throughout the history of video games, players have discovered that some real-life events and ideas translate better into interactive experiences than others. Playing football, marching into battle and exploring a dense forest are all exciting in their own ways, but others aren't quite as suitable when it comes to...
Review TAP TAP ARCADE 2 (Wii U eShop)
Double tapped
RCMADIAX returns, this time with TAP TAP ARCADE 2 for the Wii U eShop. Don't let the name fool you, as promising as it may sound this one doesn't quite live up to the name. With such a title naturally one would expect a compilation of games. Oddly, though, TAP TAP ARCADE 2 only includes two - just like the original TAP TAP ARCADE. The...
Review Jotun: Valhalla Edition (Wii U eShop)
The Gods are definitely pleased
Quietude is not a word synonymous with videogames. Most of the time there are peaks and valleys - an ebb and flow of exuberance and bombast, quickly followed by a period of downtime filled with storytelling and world building. Sometimes they eschew one focus for the next, either by being filled with a constant barrage...
Review Tadpole Treble (Wii U eShop)
Pretty sharp
Fans of video game-themed webcomics have no doubt seen or are familiar with the Nintendo-inspired Brawl in the Family strip. Though the comic has concluded now, its creator – Matthew Taranto – went on to create a music themed game featuring the art that made his comic so popular. Tadpole Treble is a wonderfully charming experience...
Review Tallowmere (Wii U eShop)
Deeper into the dungeon we go
Roguelike games — where you journey through procedurally generated levels with the risk of losing everything if you die — can be a hard sell to some players. While some gamers live to get just a bit further in each subsequent playthrough, others are turned off by the idea of having to start from the beginning every...
Review Tetraminos (Wii U eShop)
Now with new shapes
Tetris was created by Russian game designer Alexey Pajitnov and originally released in 1984. It wasn't until the title's debut on the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989 that the tile-matching puzzle game became a truly global sensation and established itself as one of the most popular video games of all time. To date, Tetris and more...
Review Axiom Verge (Wii U eShop)
Welcome to the Minus World
"It's not a bug, it's a feature." This is a phrase that's often thrown around in a lighthearted manner, but there's some truth behind the words. Programming errors can often lead to fascinating results that were never intended, creating a sense of excitement when one stumbles across a curious glitch that's obviously not...
Review PANDA LOVE (Wii U eShop)
A short-lived romance
Nintendo's eShop has become a home for aspiring indie developers; admittedly, the situation on the Wii U and 3DS is not much different on any other rival digital platform. Since the inception of mobile app stores, Valve's Early Access & Greenlight programs on its Steam platform as well as the likes of Kickstarter, releasing...
Review Shadow Archer (Wii U eShop)
Follow the arrow
So many games today are focused on being jam-packed with content that it can sometimes feel like a chore just to play through one. When you feel overwhelmed by big games, a classic pick-up-and-play retro arcade experience is the perfect antidote. Shadow Archer is the latest eShop title that aims to bring you back to that arcade...
Review Letter Quest Remastered (Wii U eShop)
Words are your weapon
It's not uncommon to detest the idea of a video game designed to educate. This may sound like a huge generalisation, but take a moment to consider a time when you played even a mildly educational computer game. Maybe it was a complete mistake on your behalf, or somehow was a sense of relief from your regular schedule. Either...
Review Surfin' Sam - Attack of the Aqualites (Wii U eShop)
No waves today, dude
If you were around for the 16-bit era, you surely remember the influx of mascot-driven platformers at the time, such as Bubsy and Awesome Possum. Most of these games were nothing more than copies of popular games like Sonic the Hedgehog that wanted a piece of the popularity pie. Surfin' Sam: Attack of the Aqualites feels like it...
Review Collateral Thinking (Wii U eShop)
Let's think about something else
Games used to be a lot simpler back in the arcade days, and that's the idea behind Astrosaurus Games's first foray into the Wii U eShop, Collateral Thinking. Taking cues from the simpler games of yesteryear like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. and Wrecking Crew, Collateral Thinking gets back to the basics as a new...
