Tag: Reviews - Page 30
Review The Alliance Alive HD Remastered - This 3DS Classic Is Worth A Second Look On Switch
Back from the dead
Back in 2018, the 3DS was still receiving a slow, but steady trickle of new releases despite the Switch stealing the spotlight with its runaway success. Though many put away the old handheld in favour of bigger and better things, there were still plenty of excellent titles released in this period, one of them being The Alliance...
Review A Knight's Quest - A Pale Imitation Of Zelda, But At Least It Has A Sense Of Humour
Open mic Knight
Ever wondered what happens when you’re the adventurous son of a Mayor and accidentally set in motion the end of the world? Welcome to A Knight’s Quest, a charming if flawed action-adventure from Sky9 Games. You play as Rusty, a brave (if clumsy) protagonist tasked with putting right his rather substantial mistake of setting free...
Review Valfaris - Heavy Metal Mayhem That's Rough Around The Edges
Headbangers brawl
The concept of subtlety doesn’t exist in the world of Valfaris, a grimdark sci-fi realm where a grizzled warrior crashes his ship onto an alien world, shooting, slashing and headbanging everything that dares move in the name of vengeance and violence. You’ll shotgun bugs into red mist, collect guns obsessively named around the...
Review Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince - This Magical Series Is Back On Track
More than just a dream
It’s been rather fascinating to follow the development of the Trine series since its debut in 2009. The initial title was lauded for its fantastic puzzle design and aesthetics, which were honed and improved even further by the sequel that launched two years later. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when Frozenbyte...
Review Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered - Bare-Bones, But A Thrilling Nostalgia Trip
"Why am I drippings with goo?"
Games based on movie licences have a bad reputation, but the idea that they’re universally rubbish is simply untrue – there are plenty of examples of movie-based games that range from 'pretty good' to 'excellent'. Ghostbusters: The Video Game fell somewhere between the two when it launched ten years back, exceeding...
Review BurgerTime Party! - Too Many Cooks Spoil The Burger
Overcooked, or a rare treat?
You can tell BurgerTime originated in 1982 from the state of the burgers you’re building. Nothing fancy: a flat bap, a patty, a limp bit of lettuce and maybe a tomato or cheese slice in the more exotic levels. A true 2019 update should deliver ludicrous towers of buttermilk chicken, smashed avocado and chipotle sauce...
Review Asphalt 9: Legends - Likeable Burnout-Style Racing Action, If You Play The Right Way
Another loot box for the road
The Asphalt series actually started off on Nintendo, many moons ago. It launched on the DS in 2004 as Asphalt: Urban GT, got a sequel and then headed off to (what was then) the new and exciting world of mobile gaming, leaving Nintendo behind. Other than a brief return for the launch of the 3DS with Asphalt 3D, the...
Review One Night Stand - A Unique Journey Through The Morning After
Was it good for you?
You swim into consciousness. Your eyes remain tightly shut, but you’re already far too aware of how bright the world is. It’s quiet, and yet the noise in your head is deafening. Your mouth feels like it’s full of sawdust, and each passing moment brings with it a new aching pain. You lie completely still, knowing that the...
Review Arcade Love: Plus Pengo! - A Unique Bundle Of Japanese Zaniness
Arcade beatings, shooting and Pengos for everyone
Triangle Service's debut title for the Switch is a fairly safe option for the small developer, which compiles three of their previously-published arcade titles – along with a unique 2012 version of Sega's Pengo – into a single package. But is it worth investing in Arcade Love: Plus Pengo!, which...
Review Candleman - A Relaxing And Illuminating Little Platformer (Switch)
Look for the light
On the surface, Candleman might seem like an immediate write-off. An anthropomorphised candle isn’t, after all, one of the most immediately engaging or relatable video game characters – it’s just, well, a candle. But to disregard Candleman without giving it a fair shot would be a mistake, as this is a genuinely enjoyable...
Review Dead By Daylight - Fun Online Horror Action That's Ugly And Expensive On Switch
Daylight Robbery?
Dead By Daylight is an asymmetrical, online-only survival horror game that has been pitting teams of survivors against crazed killers since 2016. The story sees innocent bystanders pulled into the world of the Entity, a supernatural being awakened from its slumber by the horrific actions of the cast of killers you get to play as...
Review Galaxy Champions TV - Smash Up Your TV With This Engaging Twin-Stick Blaster
"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Rewind back to last week’s review of Contra: Rogue Corps and we discussed how not getting the basic building blocks of a twin-stick shooter right ensured that your game – no matter how much bloat, padding and on-trend features you bulked it up with – would ultimately fail to keep players engaged or hooked. This is...
Review Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns - A Worthy Upgrade Of A Solid Match-Three RPG
A tile matching quest for the ages
Originally released back in 2007 for the Nintendo DS, Puzzle Quest was something of a surprise hit. Expertly blending the tile-matching mechanics of Bejeweled with more traditional RPG mechanics like turn-based battles, you could almost argue that it pioneered a completely new sub-genre. Of course, in the years...
Review Hexagroove: Tactical DJ - The Thinking Man’s Rhythm Action Experience
Too many DJs? Not around here...
If you’ve ever had the desire to stand before a baying crowd on the sun-kissed beaches of Ayia Napa and spin them into a state of unimaginable euphoria through the power of your DJ skills, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ from Swedish-based developers Ichigoichie might just be exactly what you’re looking for. The key...
Revisiting a visual novel trendsetter
Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World might not be a catchy title for a Japanese visual novel, but this remake of the beloved PC-98 classic is an important watershed for the genre as a whole. Originally released in 1996, Yu-No tells the tale of Takuya, revealing the nature of his father’s...
Review Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair - A Delicious Mix Of Donkey Kong And Zelda
Lair today, Kong tomorrow
It’s possible to beat Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair in under half an hour. Now, hold on a minute. Before you make a beeline for Amazon to start pricing pitchforks (it’s about £25 for a good one, if you’re asking), let us clarify. We said it’s possible. But there’s no way you’ll be able to manage it right...
Mini Review 80 Days - A Wordy But Wonderful Jaunt Around The Globe
The road goes ever on
We’re going to assume you’ve not lived under a rock your entire life and are at least vaguely familiar with the concept of Jules Verne’s literary masterpiece, Around the World in 80 Days. It’s inspired a number of real-life imitations, movies, musicals, and – in this case – an incredibly well-written adventure from...
Review Fight'N Rage - Who Said The Side-Scrolling Brawler Is Dead?
Golden Act
As Fight'N Rage loads up, it mimics the boot sequence of an old arcade cabinet, going through its various system checks, verifying and okaying its RAM before throwing up its ROM number and region version. It’s a nice little touch in a game jam-packed with nice little touches. With a heavy (and totally optional) CRT post-effect that...
Hardware Review Big Hands, Meet The Hori Split Pad Pro for Switch
Not just for Daemon X Machina
The Switch’s Joy-Con controllers are incredible pieces of hardware. Packing a Gyro Sensor, NFC Reader, HD Rumble, IR Camera and a battery into such a tiny device – while keeping portability in mind – couldn’t have been an easy feat. However, some find the Switch’s Joy-Con a little too small and cramped for...
Just deserts
Fans of Rebellion’s period sniper simulator often look to Sniper Elite V2 (which also got a Nintendo Switch re-release earlier this year), with its campaign through the ruins of Berlin, as the moment the series really found its groove, but it’s the sequel that followed two years later that truly took all the things we love about...
Review Amnesia: Collection - A Masterclass In Horror That Has Aged Better Than You'd Think
Deeper down
Horror isn’t easy. Anyone can throw together enough blood, guts and gore to make a butcher green at the gills, but proper, unsettling terror is a rare thing indeed. There are countless films, books and TV shows out there that claim to conjure blood-curdling chills, but very few of them really stay with you, like a splinter burrowing...
Review Ori And The Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - An Unmissable Experience
A light shining the way
There was a time when a platform holder publishing games for a rival format would have been completely unheard of. Unthinkable, even! Yet, a bizarre chain of events has seen Microsoft Studios release a handful of games for our beloved Switch, including the likes of Minecraft and, surprisingly, even Cuphead. While Microsoft...
Review FIFA 20 - A Shamelessly Cynical Attempt To Swindle Switch-Owning Footy Fans
This can't Coutinho happening
When EA released FIFA 18 on the Switch, it was missing a number of modes and features. Given that the game was being handled by another studio in Bucharest – and given that one of the game’s producers gave the (rather fishy) excuse that they didn’t want to overwhelm Switch players with every option at once – we...
Review Pilotwings - 16-bit Flight Simulation, The Nintendo Way
Mode 7 is the wind beneath my Pilotwings
Now that SNES games are available on Nintendo Switch Online, we've decided to revisit each of them in a fresh review. Expect to see updated reviews for all of the titles currently available over the next few weeks. Upon introducing its new Super Famicom console in late 1990 it wasn't just critical for...
Mini Review Button Button Up! - A Perfectly Fine Platformer, And That's It
Stitch-em-up
Button Button Up! is one of those platformer games that can be described as being just ‘fine’. It’s not going to compete with some of the more accomplished games on the Switch like Celeste or Super Mario Maker 2, but nor should it be completely glossed over. It’s a perfectly serviceable platformer with cute visuals and fun...
Review Devil May Cry 2 - The Series Nadir Isn't Worth Bothering With On Switch
Dante's Inferno
By now we all know the story of how Devil May Cry 2 was subject to a rather troubled and fast-tracked development. Hideki Kamiya, the director of the first game, was not involved and his replacement – whom, to this day, has remained unnamed – was dismissed deep into development, replaced by Hideaki Itsuno for the remaining few...
Review Mario Kart Tour - Steer Around The Gacha For A Fun, Free Take On The Series
Please ride and subscribe
It’s fair to say that Nintendo’s forays into mobile gaming have been a bit of a mixed bag, partly because none of its fans can really agree on which of its efforts have struck the best balance between fun and funds. Originally reluctant to even get into mobile gaming in the first place, Nintendo has struggled to settle...
Review Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX - Short-But-Sweet, Mega Man Zero-Style Action
Shining light
Inti Creates have become synonymous with action platformers over recent years, even beating Capcom at their own game with their excellent Mega Man Zero series. The Ichikawa-based outfit challenge their former masters once again with the first original Switch entry in their acclaimed Gunvolt series. Can they make their mark among the...
One for the ages
It’s fascinating to see how much the JRPG genre has changed over the years, as countless new studios and designers have come up with a seemingly bottomless amount of ways to riff on battle systems, narrative styles, and world designs. In many ways, one could say that a JRPG is judged by how well it subverts genre expectations, but...
Review Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition - Death’s A Fine Way To Make A Living
Link and Kratos, sitting in a tree...
There’s something to be said for how the Switch became the go-to console for remasters; titles that have already seen the light elsewhere and are getting a new lease of life thanks to Nintendo’s console. It’s something to be celebrated when a port appears as if from nowhere, nearly four years after its...
Review Habroxia - An Old-School Shmup That Fails To Excite Or Entertain
Er-Type
Developed by Lillymo Games and published by EastAsiaSoft, Habroxia is an old-school shmup that sees you face off against waves of alien invaders across fifteen short levels, hoovering up various pickups in time-honoured shoot-em-up fashion and grabbing credits which can then be used to purchase a variety of upgrades for your ship. Levels see...
Review Paper Dolls Original - A Horror Wannabe That Fails To Raise A Scare
Yōkai Botch
Ever since Amnesia: The Dark Descent first gave gamers the heebie-jeebies back in 2010, we’ve seen a number of games try to imitate its success. Some, like Outlast and Alien: Isolation, have been remarkably well-received, whilst others, like Slender: The Eight Pages, haven’t been quite so successful. The latest attempt to meld...
Patience you must have
The Switch is finally getting itself some Star Wars games! With last week’s release of the rather excellent Star Wars Pinball being very quickly followed by this, a barebones port of 2002’s Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Quite rightly regarded as one of the very best Star Wars games – certainly in terms of its...
Review Rebel Cops - A Bland Setting Gives Way To Challenging Tactical Action
Cop this for turn-based tactics on the go
Developer Weappy Studio has enjoyed some notoriety as the developer of This is the Police, and now it's firing right into its own spinoff, Rebel Cops. Set in 1994, Rebel Cops is centred around a rogue faction of ex-police officers who are sick of the system and seeing their town overrun by mobsters, and...
Mini Review Ritual - A Nice Setup Let Down By Boring Gameplay
Set gameplay to 'auto'
Just in case there’s any confusion, Ritual is not an adaptation of the fantastic horror novel by Adam Nevill, though we’d almost prefer it if that were the case. Instead, Ritual is a top-down action RPG in which you play as a powerful Sorcerer who partakes in a quest of revenge after a failed sacrificial attempt from a...
Review Overland - A Survival Roguelike That's Often Too Frustrating For Its Own Good
Go west
For all the vast and far-reaching open worlds out there – of which there are plenty on Nintendo Switch alone – there’s something acutely intense about exploring something on a far smaller scale. Without being burdened with the chore of filling a large virtual land mass with ‘stuff’, even the smallest design decision can have a huge...
Review Castle Crashers Remastered - Addictive Brawling Action That's Best Enjoyed With Friends
'Tis but a flesh wound
Long ago, during the ancient times of the early 2000s, the cesspool that was the online Flash game community acted as something of a precursor to what would go on to become the modern indie gaming scene. A site called Newgrounds soon rose to prominence as the go-to place for quality Flash games, and one of the most popular...
Mini Review Arcade Archives Track & Field - Timeless Button-Bashing Fun
Old 'un athletic
Sometimes you just get it right the first time you try. This was the case when Konami released Track & Field in arcades and completely nailed its mechanics right away, then spent decades trying (and arguably failing) to better them. Now that original arcade title has made it over to the Switch as part of Hamster’s ever-growing...
Review Super Mario World - Phenomenal Platforming Perfection
It's-a Mario masterpiece
Now that SNES games are available on Nintendo Switch Online, we've decided to revisit each of them in a fresh review. Expect to see updated reviews for all of the titles currently available over the next few weeks. Impressive software is vital for a console's launch, and the powerful one-two combination of the Mode 7...
Review Deadly Premonition Origins - The Marvellously Bizarre Cult Classic Comes To Switch
The Grand Ol' Mind of York
There’s always been something about Deadly Premonition that has resonated with a gaming audience. Whether it be the quirky cast of characters you meet along the way, the B-movie sentimentality the pours through every scene or the fragmented nature of its mechanics, the phrase ‘cult hit’ has never rang truer. Those...
Review Untitled Goose Game - Short But Most Definitely Sweet
Metal Geese Solid
For a game that sees you controlling waterfowl and doesn't feature any robots, guns or tortured subplots, it's incredible how much attention Untitled Goose Game has garnered since it was revealed way back in October 2017. Thanks to its unique visual style, whimsical setting and instantly relatable protagonist, House House's...
Mini Review Golazo! - Knockabout Soccer Action Straight Outta The 1990s
A coin-op kickabout
It could be argued that the arcade football genre is more or less dead at this point. While these days FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer take part in a constant two-horse race – the Celtic and Rangers of video games, if you will – the days when we were swimming in less realistic arcade-style football games are gone. Many...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - A Magical Remastering Of A Series Highlight
Re-awakening
Originally released way back in 1993 for the good old Game Boy, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening has always been a little bit of a curio in the history of the long-running Zelda franchise. Originally planned as a straight-up port of the Super Nintendo’s monstrously successful A Link To The Past, this very first portable Zelda...
Review GRID Autosport - Finally, Switch Gets The Serious Racing Game It Deserves
Getting into the GRID
Since this review was originally published, both local and 8-player online multiplayer modes have been added via updates. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. The Switch may have a bigger...
Review Sayonara Wild Hearts - A Marvellous, Music-Driven Masterpiece
Pop goes the gleeful
The Switch isn’t exactly lacking in short, artistic games that grab your attention for a scant couple of hours, unleash all ‘the feels’ (as the kids say) then wander off into the sunset, leaving you dumbstruck at what you’ve just played. Gris, Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch are just three examples of Switch...
Review LEGO Jurassic World - A Recooked Package That's Right At Home On Switch
That is one big pile of bricks
Back in the day, handheld platforms were where you took a new LEGO game and hacked it to be bits in order to make it fit. From missing multiplayer modes and chopped-down level sizes to outright performance issues, it felt like you were getting punished for daring to smash Danish bricks anywhere other than a home...
Review Jet Kave Adventure - A 2.5D Platformer That Doesn't Reinvent The Wheel, More's The Pity
Little rocket (cave)man
Not every game has to be revolutionary, you know. While it’s always nice when a developer tries to push a genre further and break new ground, there are times when all we want is something familiar, something solid, something safe: a warm, cosy jumper in a world full of attention-seeking t-shirt slogans. Jet Kave Adventure...
Review Gun Gun Pixies - A Pitiful Perv-Fest That Also Fails As A Video Game
Space Oddity
Originally released for PS Vita in Japan back in 2017, Gun Gun Pixies tells the story of two intergalactic hornballs, Kame Pon and Bee Tan, otherwise known as Pixie Team, who are sent to earth on a secret mission to observe the interactions of a bunch of teenage girls living in a dormitory. Pixie Team’s home planet Pandemo is in the...
Review Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch - Level-5's RPG Classic Will Bewitch Your Switch
"It's flippin' finally on the Switch, en't it?"
In 2008, Level-5 was coming up on its tenth anniversary and wanted to produce a project that its staff was passionate about, regardless of how well it would sell, and the world was introduced to Ni No Kuni: The Another World. A two-pronged project, one version of it came to the Nintendo DS as the...
Review Star Wars Pinball - A Silly Yet Authentic Ode To All Things Star Wars
I am a pinball wizard, like my father before me
Do you like Star Wars? Do you like pinball? If your tastes happen to fall into one of these categories, you’re likely to get some enjoyment out of this themed collection of tables from virtual pinball wizards Zen Studios. If you happen to like – nay, love – both, well, you’re about to receive a...
