Tag: Reviews - Page 17
Review Rain On Your Parade (Switch) - A Refreshingly Brief But Saccharine Shower
Cloud strife
Rain On Your Parade wants very much to be the next Untitled Goose Game. It so desperately needs to be that quirky breakout hit, the virtual talk of the water cooler, the “have you seen that cloud game?” game, spawn of a trillion thinkpieces. To be fair, it’s a strong concept. You take control of a rain cloud and, er, rain on...
Review There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension (Switch) - Don't Let The Title Fool You
Follow the white rabbit
What are you doing here? We assume you’ve clicked a link under the assumption that you’re going to find a review of a game, but as you can quite clearly see from the title, there is no game. So we’d like to apologise for wasting your time here, and we’ll catch you on the next one! Okay, we’re joking - obviously. We...
Best in class
Much like Koei’s Atelier series, Nihon Falcom’s Legend of Heroes games are some of the best RPGs that you’ve never played. Engrossing storytelling is one of the cornerstones of the RPG genre, and no other series exemplifies this as well as the Legend of Heroes. The story began with Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes way back in...
Review Battle Axe (Switch) - A Battling Throwback That Doesn't Land All Its Hits
Lord have Mercia
Veteran pixel artist Henk Nieborg's old-school throwback, Battle Axe, seeks to replicate the classic top-down hack and slash action of arcade classics such as Gauntlet, Knights of the Round and Golden Axe. With Nieborg himself on graphical duties and legendary composer Manami Matsumae (Mega Man, Final Fight, Shovel Knight) providing...
Review The Darkside Detective: A Fumble In The Dark (Switch) - A Welcome Return To Twin Lakes
It is happening again
Sequels generally need to accomplish two things: they need to be bigger and better than their predecessors. Okay, if we’re being picky, they don’t necessarily need to be bigger, as such, but certainly better. Released back in 2017, The Darkside Detective was a surprise hit, boasting gorgeous pixelated visuals, a stellar...
Review Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack (Switch) - A Nicely Crafted RPG Marathon
Baby, you've got a stew going!
Practically speaking, the Atelier series is probably among the best collection of RPGs that you’ve never played. This low-key and generally bubbly franchise seems like it hasn’t quite managed to shatter that ‘glass ceiling’ into mainstream appeal, but that hasn’t stopped Gust from lovingly improving upon the...
Review Smelter (Switch) - Strong Mega Man X-Style Platforming Forged With Extract Of ActRaiser
Would you Adam and Eve it!?
Now you’re talking. Indie games have been imitating classics of the past for years and years now, and it’s about time that one of them had the cajones to take a run at the seminal ActRaiser, Quintet’s 1990 genre-melding masterpiece. To be fair, SolSeraph had a crack at combining top-down elements with platforming,...
Review SaGa Frontier Remastered (Switch) - A Cracking Update Of An Infuriating Cult Classic
Only For The Hardcore Frontier Raver
SaGa Frontier, Square Enix’s idiosyncratic JRPG classic, arrives on Nintendo Switch in a lovingly crafted remaster that gives long-time fans plenty to get excited about whilst fully retaining the ability to absolutely infuriate and bewilder anyone who isn’t au fait with its many, many eccentricities. This is...
Review Stitchy In Tooki Trouble (Switch) - Pretty But Painfully Average DKC-Inspired Platforming
Sure to cause a straw man argument
A scarecrow is a creation built to deceive. A visual signifier of something greater. A simulacrum intended to impress, but when approached, the illusion shatters. Conveniently, Stitchy in Tooki Trouble is much the same. At first glance, it’s a rather attractive pillaging of Donkey Kong Country Returns, borrowing...
Review FEZ (Switch) - A Mind And World-Bending Puzzle Platformer That Deserves A Second Look
Like an oblong in a rhombus, like a cube within a cube
One of the original indie darlings in the eyes of many, FEZ is a game steeped in a whole bucket’s worth of history and intrigue. Nine years after its initial release and no sign of a sequel (as promised by its creator before getting abruptly cancelled), can FEZ still dazzle the new generation...
Review Godstrike (Switch) - A Frustrating Time Mechanic Scuppers This Twin Stick Shooter
Not quite god-tier
A little over a year ago, a new bullet hell game called Profane released on the eShop and was swept away almost immediately in the constant stream of other new titles. Due to disputes with the publisher, Overpowered Team decided to have the game taken off the eShop a few months later, while it worked on re-releasing a new version...
Review Poison Control (Switch) - Entertaining To A Point, But Lacking Where It Counts
To Hell and back
Sometimes the only way to get to Heaven is to go to Hell. At least, that’s the case in Poison Control, the newest game from Nippon Ichi Software to make it to western shores. This single-player action-RPG/shooter has a lot of charm and characters with real personality, though they are a bit cliché at points. Poison Control...
Review TY The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD (Switch) - An Enjoyably Old-School Aussie Romp
Da doo rang rang rang, da doo rang rang
We have to admit, it’s been something of a surprise to us that Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, of all franchises, has sustained the limelight for so very long. That the series made it to six (six!!) games was a shock in the first place – three main GameCube entries, a fourth game for PC and two excellent GBA...
Review Moorhuhn Kart 2 (Switch) - A Poultry Offering
Needs to offer moor than this
Metroid Prime Trilogy? Garbage. Super Mario Galaxy 2? Forget it. There’s only one Switch remaster this world needed, and that’s Moorhuhn Kart 2. And when we say “this world”, we clearly mean Bizarro World, where cats chase dogs, cows milk humans and seventeen-year-old PC racing games get ported to Switch for...
Review Cozy Grove (Switch) - A Great-Looking But Flawed Animal Crossing-Alike, With Ghosts
Animal Crossing over to the other side
Back in the Wii and DS era, Nintendo tried something new: telling its players to take breaks. We're no strangers to the Animal Crossing all-nighter, and it seemed like Nintendo was finally starting to worry about our health, but very few people actually heeded the gentle warning. You're not our mum, Nintendo...
Review RetroMania Wrestling (Switch) - A Faithful But Limited NostalgiaFest
Here comes the plain
The search for a truly wonderful wrestling game on Switch has been one fraught with disappointments, and one that’s still yet to result in an absolute gem. WWE 2K18 was such a shocking, glitch-riddled port that 2K Sports declined to bring the 2019 and 2020 offerings to Nintendo’s console. Its arcade-style spin-off WWE 2K...
Review PAC-MAN 99 (Switch) - The BR Formula Freshens Up Another Timeless Classic
Waka waka eh eh
The crusade to make all of gaming's tentpole titles into battle royales continues and following Tetris and Super Mario Bros., what classic game is more iconic than PAC-MAN? Perhaps we should have seen this one coming. What makes the "99" series ingenious is it takes the foundation of games that have proven their timelessness over...
Review Star Wars: Republic Commando (Switch) - Not An Elegant Weapon, But Still A Blast
Super Troopers
A long time ago...well, in 2005, LucasArts took a bit of a risk and threw us all a curveball with a Star Wars offering that eschewed Jedis and lightsabers, the Force, epic dogfights and much of the fantastical heroics that fans expect from the series, in favour of a dark and gritty tactical take on everyone's favourite space opera...
Review Genesis Noir (Switch) - This Indie Gem Deserves A Better Switch Port
Shouldn't that be Mega Drive Noir?
The Switch is a truly marvellous machine. The first ever hybrid console, it's the handheld capability of the system that makes it so irresistible. Its versatility and convenience are such that even when a game is technically better on the more powerful home consoles, we'll often wait for the Switch version just to...
Review Arcade Archives Haunted Castle (Switch) - The Worst Castlevania? Quite Possibly
Sucks to be you
Back in the early '90s, Castlevania was mostly known for being a console series, with three entries on the NES, three on the Game Boy, and four total across the 16-bit platforms (assuming, of course, you consider the PC Engine to be a true 16-bit system). But early in the series’ life, Konami released an arcade game, known as...
Review Doshin The Giant (GameCube) - A Chilled-Out Cult Classic That's Still Fresh
Sorry America
God simulators were a big deal back in the day, but it has to be said that in recent years they’ve not been as prevalent. That's not about to change with this game either, because Doshin the Giant is a GameCube game from the space year 2002 exclusively released everywhere except the US. As this rare and oft-forgotten game reaches its...
Review Bladed Fury (Switch) - A Pretty Yet Bland Hack-And-Slash Platformer That Lacks An Edge
Muramessy: The Demon Blade
NEXT Studios' Bladed Fury is a side-scrolling hack 'n slash platformer set in the Warring States period of ancient Chinese history, an era characterized by endless warfare and high political drama that's been nicely infused here with a hefty dose of mythology and the supernatural. This is a game with a few good ideas up...
Review BIG-Bobby-Car - The Big Race (Switch) - Chugs A Bit, But Fine For A First Little Runabout
Life in plastic, it's fantastic(ally average)
We’ve seen some odd licensed karting games in our time but the BIG Bobby Car is certainly one of the most left-field ones we’ve come across, even though it does make sense when you think about it. For those not in the know, the BIG Bobby Car is a plastic ride-on car for young children that’s been...
Review Tales From The Borderlands (Switch) - A Story Worth Telling That Thrives On Switch
I will name my first born, Loader Bot
The tragic demise of Telltale Games really is quite a bitter pill to swallow when you take a step back to fully consider the brilliance of its multi-award winning back catalogue of choice-based adventure games. From The Wolf Among Us to Batman: The Enemy Within, The Walking Dead to Guardians of the Galaxy, this...
Review Narita Boy (Switch) - Pay Homage To The '80s In This Marvellous Metroidvania
A digital utopia
It’s 2021, yet it somehow still feels like we’re in the 1980s. We’re at a point in time where those who were born or grew up in the ‘80s are now expressing their love for the decade through the arts, resulting in cultural behemoths like Stranger Things and Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. Unfortunately, nostalgia has often...
Review Balan Wonderworld (Switch) - A Charmless, Confusing Fossil From The Creators Of Sonic
A relic of another age
Balan Wonderworld is a strange game. Mascot platformers were all the rage around the turn of the century, but that fad has long since died off. Yet here comes a brand-new seemingly high budget entry in the genre that feels straight out of 2001 (not in a good way) and it’s produced by Square Enix no less. Unfortunately, Balan...
Review Renzo Racer (Switch) - An Abysmal Mario Kart Clone That Should Be Avoided At All Costs
With Renzo like this, who needs enemies
When you first see Renzo Racers’ main menu, it’s clear that it makes no bones about the fact it’s taking on Mario Kart. The game’s logo is a shameless imitation of Mario Kart 8's, right down to the light blue ‘RR’ design that looks suspiciously like the 8. The problem is, by the time you’ve...
Review Root Film (Switch) - A Surprisingly Grown-Up Visual Novel
A murder mystery through a different lens
Like any good story, it starts with a death. We don’t know why someone is laying on the street or why people are taking pictures of them with their phones, but the world is dark and getting darker until it all fades to black. Root Film starts out grim and a little bit frightening, but the shock soon fades...
Review Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1 (Switch) - SNK's Handheld Classics Come To Switch
Bigger, Badder, Better
You’ve got to wonder what on earth SNK is thinking, sometimes. Releasing six individual Neo Geo Pocket Color titles on the Switch eShop was a fine idea, and Samurai Shodown! 2, The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, SNK Gals' Fighters, SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium,
Stub it out
It would probably be the most clichéd thing in the world to make this observation, but Stubbs the Zombie In Rebel Without a Pulse is something of a zombie itself; a game that wouldn’t die, despite widespread apathy. It has something of a reputation as a “cult” hit, but we’re not entirely sure that’s justified. The main selling...
Review Story Of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town (Switch) - Enjoyable, But Unremarkable
Is POOT a fart in the wind, or a glorious trumpet?
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town might not bear the Harvest Moon title that would identify it as a continuation of the beloved series, but that's all down to copyright, Japanese-to-English translation, and a schism between XSEED and Natsume. It's not very interesting, so to summarise: Story...
Review Overcooked! All You Can Eat (Switch) - Stuff Your Face With This Awesome Multiplayer Marvel
Seconds, please
Team17 has just released Overcooked! All You Can Eat, which pulls together the two Overcooked! games as well as all of the related DLC. By the same token, we've compiled this mega-review which covers all of the content. Enjoy! Overcooked: Special Edition: Part of the draw and charm of the Nintendo Switch is the increased focus that...
Review Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville Complete Edition (Switch) - Dig For Victory
A bountiful harvest
It’s been a long and weird road for the Plants vs. Zombies franchise. What began as a simplistic and quirky tower defence title eventually led to the creation of a surprisingly high-quality shooter spin-off series. The latest release in this series, Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville, originally saw its debut on other...
Review Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) - A New Apex For Capcom's Beastly Franchise
A new Nintendo Switch classic has risen
This encounter felt fated. Written in the stars. Ever since the Nintendo Switch was revealed in late 2016, one pervasive thought has been: “How great is Monster Hunter going to be?” While we saw the release of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate in 2018, it was just a port of the 3DS title that was...
Review Sea Of Solitude: The Director's Cut (Switch) - Fun While It Lasts, Which Isn't Long
Sea by name, C by nature
There are simply not enough games where you get to ride around in a boat. It was the best part of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, formed the pulse-pounding backbone of Hydro Thunder, and it’s everyone’s favourite bit in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Cars, planes and humans are cool and all, but boats? They really...
Review A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism (Switch) - Switch Tracks With This Complex Business Sim
You'll be chuffed to bits
Choo! Choooo! All aboard! Land ahoy! Now, we’re not train experts but we know a good game when we see one – and A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism signals (pun intended) the first-class return (intended again) of a unique management sim on the Switch (again) platform (yep). Coupling (that’s five) railway construction with...
We didn't "sea" this coming
In case you haven't noticed over the past few years, the Switch has become home to a wide variety of karting games, and the vast majority of them are a bit rubbish. For every Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, there’s a Hello Kitty Kruisers, Garfield Kart Furious Racing or
Review WRC 9 The Official Game (Switch) - The Best Rally Game On Switch, But That's Not Saying Much
Still not rally what we're looking for
Over the past few years, the WRC series of rally games has gained a reputation for providing arguably the most accurate depiction of the sport. While the Colin McRae Rally series has over time evolved into Dirt – which tends to focus on more over-the-top racing (not that it’s on Switch anyway) – the...
Review Kaze And The Wild Masks (Switch) - A Brilliant Homage To Donkey Kong Country
Kaze ni nare
Despite being a) beloved and b) hugely successful, the Donkey Kong Country series feels a little… well… under-rated. Offering a weighty yet fast-paced alternative take on the side-scrolling platformer, it’s always been second fiddle to Nintendo’s flagship Super Mario titles. It’s a surprise that such an overt love letter to...
Review Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning (Switch) - RPG Action That Really Shows Its Age
Combat is King
Some six months on from its initial release on PS4, Xbox and PC, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, THQ Nordic's "remaster" of 2012's action-RPG epic, finally arrives on Nintendo Switch, bringing with it a solid hundred hours'-worth of high-fantasy shenanigans. While it's more than showing its age in many respects – and certainly...
Review Harvest Moon: One World (Switch) - A Poor Imitation Of A Once-Great Series
Time to take this old horse out to the back of the barn
Harvest Moon: One World, to summarise the next few hundred words of complaining, is a badly-paced, unattractive, hollow facsimile of a Harvest Moon game. And yes, we're well aware of the Natsume/XSEED schism, and that Story of Seasons is the "true" Harvest Moon game, but even still, how the...
Review Everhood (Switch) - A Mad Mix Of RPG, Rhythm Action, Kart Racing And Bullet-Hell Shmup
If music be the food of love, play on
The RPG genre can be incredibly daunting for many people. This can be for any number of reasons; games like Xenoblade Chronicles and Bravely Default II can be pretty lengthy experiences, filled with dozens of characters, a wide range of stats to keep track of, and – sometimes – an awful lot of grinding. Of...
Review Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (Switch) - Better Late Than Never
Worth taking for a spin
In one sense, it should come as no surprise that Crash Bandicoot 4 has eventually made its way to the Switch, albeit five months after it came to other consoles. When the N. Sane Trilogy came to the Switch a full year after launching on the PS4, it was hugely successful despite that 12-month gap – both critically and...
Review Apex Legends (Switch) - A Great Game Hamstrung By A Compromised Switch Port
A Royale Mess?
Respawn's Apex Legends, to our minds one of the very best free-to-play Battle Royale shooters currently available on PC or console, finally makes its way to Nintendo Switch and it is, unfortunately, a real mixed bag of a port. This is at its core the same fast-paced, ping-tastic game we've been enjoying since 2019, but here the...
Review Gnosia (Switch) - A Deceptively Deep Experience Hiding Behind A Simple Premise
We're doing the time warp again... and again... and again
Tell us if you’ve heard this before: a bunch of characters on a space ship, constantly on edge because at least one of them is not who they seem. They hold meetings and vote off the one they think is the fake while the actual fake tries to hide their identity and kill everyone off one by...
Is it dominating the race or about to blow?
Note: Lost Vikings 2 and RPM Racing have both been added to this collection via an update, along with several other features, including a Design Documents gallery, a Streamer Mode for Rock N Roll Racing and various other quality of life improvements. Blizzard Entertainment turns 30 this year and, to mark...
The Life Aquatic
Editor's note: G-Darius HD and Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX + are currently available individually on the Japanese Switch eShop, but are also part of the Darius Cozmic Revelation physical package. For a guide on how to download games from the Japanese eShop,
Review Citizens Unite!: Earth x Space (Switch) - Two Mid-Tier RPGs For The Price Of One
Ambassador, with these RPGs you are really spoiling us
Comedy in video games is an extremely difficult prospect. As everyone well knows, the truest comedy in the medium comes from the stupid jokes and antics of you playing with your friends; scripted yuks are generally hamstrung by the inherent repetition and player-controlled pacing of any given...
Review Skyforge (Switch) - A Disastrous MMORPG Cursed With Technical Faults And Dire Gameplay
Godawful
Editor's note: The developer claims that a patch is currently awaiting certification with Nintendo which aims to improve the performance of Skyforge on Switch. However, it would seem the availability of this patch is still unknown at present. With that in mind, we're publishing our review ahead of the patch going live, so please keep in...
Review Lawnmower Game: Racing (Switch) - The Worst Game On Switch? Quite Possibly
Because nobody likes a grass
You know that video (which eventually became a GIF) of the news reporter asking the little boy if he’s going to miss his mum when he starts school? The one where the kid laughs at first, then suddenly realises what’s happening and starts crying? Lawnmower Game: Racing is that video in game form. In case the title...
