Tag: Reviews - Page 36
Review Azure Saga: Pathfinder Deluxe Edition - A Largely Forgettable JRPG Romp
Off the beaten path
If there’s one thing Nintendo Switch already has in abundance, it’s JRPGs. There are classics from yesteryear, Triple-A odysseys from some of the biggest developers in the word and a healthy smattering of independently-made offerings. As Switch owners, we’re spoiled for choice, so if you’re bringing a Japanese-style...
Review R.B.I. Baseball 19 - An Improved Showing, But Still Sadly Lacking In So Many Areas
Batter up!
It’s been a quiet baseball off-season this past Winter. A few players went here, some went there. Then it went quiet. Nothing much happened. Then Manny Machado signed for a lowly $300million to go to the San Diego Padres. The once damp squib of a Hot Stove was now absolutely napalmic. Not wishing to be undone, and desperate to smash the...
Review The Princess Guide - A Rewarding Action Title Ruined By Obtuse Mechanics And Poor Design
"Just because you're beautiful and perfect, it's made you conceited"
Should you scold your warrior-princess because she keeps turning her subordinates into frogs and you think it is a bit extreme as far as disciplinary measures go, or should you praise her because she just survived being double-teamed by enemy mechs without any squad support? This...
Review Fate/Extella Link - One Of The Best Musou Games On Nintendo Switch
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love
Musou fans have been a bit spoiled this generation, with many great releases in this niche genre coming out for the Switch, some of which are from the Big N itself. One of the more middling Musou games from the early days in the Switch’s life was Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, which married that...
Review Motorsport Manager For Nintendo Switch - A Winning Formula For F1 Fans
Pedal to the metal
Motorsport Manager for Nintendo Switch will grind your hope into dust and feed you a balanced diet of disappointment for the first few hours of every playthrough. You’ll languish at the back of the pack, race after race, as you choose the wrong tyres for certain conditions or fail to keep your drivers in a positive working...
Review The Red Strings Club - A Brilliantly Told Cyberpunk Tale
Do androids dream of the perfect cocktail?
The all-wise, all-knowing barkeeper has become something of a narrative archetype. There are countless stories out there that feature an improbably wise drinks server who can get even the most uptight customer to relax and talk about their troubles. Donovan, the suave barkeeper and owner of The Red Strings...
Review Golf Peaks - A Hugely Enjoyable Puzzler That's Sadly Over Too Soon
Golf tricks and chill
Golf games, much like the real-life sport, tend to elicit two very different emotions. For some of us, they're the ultimate cross between relaxation and competition, but for others, they're an exercise in abject frustration that often lead to hacked up fairways and bent clubs. Of course, we'd all prefer to be improving our...
Review Turok - A Slice Of FPS History That's Still Worth Hunting Down In 2019
Everybody shoot the dinosaur
Nintendo 64 games living a second life on handheld is nothing new, certainly not if you've owned and loved a 3DS at some point in the last eight years. But there's something about that mid-to-late-'90s heyday of shooters – an era that gave us GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark and Quake II among so many others – that still...
Review DELTARUNE Chapter 1 - A Welcome Successor To Undertale That Plays It A Little Too Safe
A strong opening to a promising adventure
Toby Fox had certainly stumbled onto something special when Undertale was released in 2015; the seminal post-modern RPG garnered quite the cult following for its quirky humour and disarmingly dark themes, which went a long way towards cementing its unique identity. Now, a few years and several ports later,...
Review Valley - A Refreshing Take On A Tried-And-Tested Genre
Platforming Perils and Government Secrets
Which is more fun: trekking into unfamiliar territory or walking a more familiar path? Valley released in 2016 for PC, Xbox One and PS4, and has now landed on the Nintendo Switch. On a platform that’s already rich with indie delights, can this blend of first-person platforming and environmental...
Review RICO - A Great Tactical Shooter That Truly Comes Alive In Co-Op
Breach and cheer
‘Kick doors, kill men.’ These four seemingly simple words, which appear on-screen while you patiently wait for one of RICO’s procedurally generated levels to load, might seem like a throwaway line – and yet they perfectly sum up its bombastic simplicity. For all the extra objectives and features, everything boils down to...
Review The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame - Accessible And Enjoyable Action For The Whole Family
Bricking it
In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and LEGO video games. On every platform, seemingly since time immemorial, the good folks at TT Games have been taking those humble Danish toy bricks and turning them into a successful – if not particularly groundbreaking – series of titles. Of course, having access...
Review Hard West - Conquer The Wild Frontier In This Likeable But Flawed Tactical Adventure
West side story
If there's one thing Hard West absolutely nails, it's the way it retains the palpable danger and lawlessness of the Wild West and infuses it with a noir-ish supernatural edge. Thanks to some excellent voice acting and a soundtrack that captures a unique take on this formative period (courtesy of Marcin Przybyłowicz, he of The...
Review Awesome Pea - A Retro Platformer That Lacks Colour In More Ways Than One
A little mushy
Awesome Pea is described as "a classic run-and-jump platformer," which is about as plain and simple as the game itself. Here indeed is a platformer that looks like an old Game Boy game, and that features a whole lot of running and jumping – and precious little else. At this point, we suspect the developer would like nothing more...
Review Hell Warders - A Hellish Experience That Really Needs To Be Played With Friends
To Hell with this
While the Tower Defence genre might not be quite as big as it once was, there’s still room for more additions if a developer can bring something new and innovative to the mix. Or, at the very least, do the job competently enough to represent its compatriots on Nintendo Switch. Hell Warders, from Hong Kong-based developer...
Review Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn - A Timeless Classic That Feels Right At Home On 3DS
A quality port cut from the same cloth as the original
Much like its infinitely versatile mascot, the Kirby series has always been comfortable in taking many forms; Kirby has starred in several roles that diverge significantly from the copy-ability platforming of the mainline series. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn – an enhanced re-release of the...
Review Rad Rodgers Radical Edition - Fun, Foul-Mouthed And Forgettable
Not so radical
Rad Rodgers is a walking, talking ’90s cliche. A wisecracking kid who clashes with his parents while boasting a love of video games so deep it’s burgeoning on a clinical addiction. He’s perpetually glued to the CRT TV in his room and the blocky grey console (called ‘Dusty’, naturally) sits beneath it. Then, one day, the TV...
Review Swords & Soldiers II Shawarmageddon - A Goofy But Charming Take On Real-Time Strategy
Till Valhalla!
It could be argued that no developer has yet managed to successfully translate the traditionally complicated gameplay of the RTS genre to consoles, all due to the lack of available buttons and a mouse to quickly navigate menus and units. Still, that hasn’t stopped many developers from trying, and the experiments performed in pursuit...
Review ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove - A '90s Throwback That Might Be Too Random For Some
Party like it's 1991
In 1991, a strange new game released for the Sega Mega Drive: ToeJam & Earl, a title that defied conventions of both genre and style. That original spaced-out adventure became known as a classic of the era by way of its distinctive presentation and roguelike gameplay. Could a similar formula work as well in a revival 28...
Review Ape Out - A Short But Oh-So-Sweet Action Title That Every Switch Owner Should Play
Ape escape
It’s interesting how modern times have created something of a renaissance in game development, with more developers than ever now producing new games, yet these games, in many ways, feel like they’re becoming gradually more homogenous. Ape Out pushes back against this trend in the best kind of way, crafting a distinctive identity for...
Review Fimbul - An Atmospheric But Unforgivably Flaky Norse Adventure
Hitting a Thor spot
It might sound like the name of a cute character from a generic platformer, but Fimbul is actually the final, brutal winter before Ragnarök – AKA: Norse Armageddon. Which tells you an awful lot about Fimbul the game, both in terms of its icy northern European setting and its grim, violent gameplay. You play the part of...
Review RemiLore - An Endearingly Sweet RPG Experience That Might Leave You Wanting More
Got a sweet tooth?
In the modern game industry, it feels like there’s quite a continuous push for ‘event games’, like the sorts of action titles you see plastered over advertisements and social media just about everywhere you go. What doesn’t often get talked about is the market for less intense games; the sorts of experiences more geared...
Review Modern Combat Blackout - Call Of Duty Has Little To Worry About
Out for the count
By now, we emphatically know that first-person shooters can work on Nintendo Switch. The console’s positioning as a semi-handheld platform – and the realistic limitations of its hardware – simply aren’t an issue when an FPS is developed in the right way. Heck, even PS Vita got a great shooter in the form of Killzone:...
Review Devil Engine - A Brutal Yet Rewarding Tribute To The Likes Of Thunder Force And R-Type
The devil is in the detail
Long before 'bullet hell' shooters became the flavour of the month, Technosoft's Thunder Force series took an almost perverse delight in humiliating players who foolishly believed they had the skills to beat even the toughest shmup challenge. Titles like Thunder Force III, IV and V were the pinnacle of 2D shooting...
Review Trials Rising - Death-Defying Stunts On The Move
On the rise
Very few games as close to marrying sheer frustration and abject joy as Trials. From its earliest days as a browser game in 2000 to its breakout success on XBLA, RedLynx’s 2.5D racer has always been a tough cookie to crack thanks to its physics-driven stunts and high difficulty curve, and as such, it’s boxed itself into a...
Review RIOT - Civil Unrest - A Fantastic Idea Undone By Some Sloppy Execution
I predict a riot
Ah, the strategy game. Once a stalwart of the PC gaming scene, the genre has bloomed on console in recent years as developers re-approach the genre in new and exciting ways. And it's those titles that break away from the traditional military concept that's gripped its mechanics for so long, taking the principles of an RTS and...
Review Final Fantasy IX - A Strong Entry In The Classic Series Despite Some Rough Edges
PRINCESS!?!?
In January of 2000, Square (not yet merged with Enix) made big waves in the industry with the official announcements of its next three main Final Fantasy projects, each of which was being developed with different audiences in mind. Final Fantasy X was to continue pushing the series towards new horizons by releasing on a next gen...
Review BlazBlue Centralfiction Special Edition - Well Worth The Wait For Fighting Game Fans
Don't be Blue
In the world of virtual fisticuffs there are 2D fighting games and then there are 2D fighting games, those series and franchises that are often the richest in mechanics and delicately-balanced subsystems, filled with equally convoluted plots and backstories. On the flip-side, that usually means said games are super-niche in their...
Review Away: Journey To The Unexpected - A Colourful Roguelike Plagued By Bad Design Choices
Go away
On paper, roguelike game design sounds like a fantastic idea. Most small developers don’t have access to the finances or resources of big studios, so it takes considerably more time to produce a quality, lengthy video game. The shortcut, then, is that smaller developers can utilize procedural generation to make a little bit go a lot...
Review Q.U.B.E. 2 - A Well-Engineered Tribute To Valve's Physics-Based Masterpiece, Portal
Opening a Portal to fun
It's something approaching a tragedy that no Nintendo platform has ever played host to one of Valve's two Portal games. All platform allegiances aside, these are two of the finest first-person physics puzzlers ever committed to ones and zeros. Fortunately, they're also two of the most influential. Nintendo fans were able to...
Review Tetris 99 - A Revolutionary Take On A Puzzle Classic
Apex who?
If you’d have asked us, just a few days ago, for a comprehensive list of video game series which we could imagine in a 'Battle Royale' format, Tetris would have been right at the bottom. Splatoon could be a good shout with a lot of tweaking, and maybe even an ultra-cruel Pikmin showdown – heck, we’d even put
Review Aragami: Shadow Edition - What We Do In The Shadows
Sadly not about a ninja folding up paper
Stealth is a difficult thing to get right in gaming, and it’s something developers have been trying to nail for decades. Do you go down the GoldenEye route and encourage the player to sneak around while still giving them the option to go all guns blazing should they so desire? Or do you go for a strictly...
Review Goat Simulator: The GOATY - A Mildly Amusing Waste Of Time, But Not Much Else
Gruff around the edges
Goat Simulator: The GOATY is the kind of game you'll either get or you won't. It's either a hilarious way to kill time and affect some form of skill amid the chaos, or it's just a jumped up joke that's outlived the laughter. Wherever your thoughts might ultimately land, there's no denying that Coffee Stain Studios has produced...
Review Iron Crypticle - A Smashing Tribute To The Twin-Stick Shooters Of Yore
A real thriller
Last year, Tikipod graced Switch users with the seminal Aqua Kitty UDX, a silly and extremely enjoyable take on the classic arcade game Defender which had that perfect blend of old-school design principles and modern game standards. Now, the developer has chosen to do a modern take on another arcade shooter classic, Smash TV, and the...
Review OlliOlli: Switch Stance - A Grind In The Best Possible Sense
Fail faster
Remember OlliOlli? Its addictive 2D take on the trick-combo formula that fuelled the Tony Hawk franchise for a good fifteen years launched on PS Vita back in 2014 and then got ported to pretty much everything else, including Wii U and 3DS. For a game so suited to portable play sessions, it’s taken a remarkably long time to come to your...
Review The King's Bird - A Crafty Quest For True Challenge-Seekers
Taking flight
Some video games gently pull you through a narrative experience, offering the player everything they need along the way without any barriers or fuss. Movement is unrestricted, the environment is an ally, and there are no pressures of failure or time in sight. And then there is The King's Bird. Developer Serenity Forge has thrown their...
Moving up through the pack
Such is Nintendo Switch’s popularity as a platform, that within two years of its launch we have no less than three motocross and supercross-related games. For such a niche corner of the racing simulation genre, the world of two-wheeled mud shenanigans has been scoring holeshots and podium finishes on handhelds for quite...
Review The Liar Princess And The Blind Prince - An Alluring Fairytale With A Sad Ending
Cool story bro
Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. Once upon a time there was a game called The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. When you looked at a screenshot of this game, or perhaps a brief video of it in action, it seemed the fairest Switch game in all the land. Alas, that beauty hid a mortal ailment, for The Liar Princess and the...
Review City Of Brass - An Action-Packed Roguelike That's Worth Its Weight In Gold
A diamond in the rough
City of Brass is all about greed. Naturally, you love pilfering shiny and sparkling trinkets, but just how close will you tread into the unknown to sate your desire for wealth? Will your avarice help break an age-old curse and claim limitless riches, or condemn you to an eternity of torment? It's an intriguing premise, and one...
Review Observer - An Ambitious Cyberpunk Horror That Overcomes Its Faults To Provide Solid Scares
Tears in game
Here at NL Towers, we’re partial to a bit of Blade Runner. We love the original 1982 film, in all its guises, and we adore the 2017 sequel. Oh yes, we can recite the C-beams speech verbatim, and more besides. However, we must concede that we probably don’t like Blade Runner quite as much as Bloober Team does. References aren’t...
Review Gelly Break - A Unique Co-Op Platformer That Will Make Or Break Friendships
Don't be gel
When is a platformer not a platformer? When it’s a shoot-’em-up, of course. That’s the dual nature Gelly Break presents you with. A puzzle-platformer that requires you to flip between two different colours while jumping and shooting copious numbers of enemies all at once. To say it’s challenging would be an understatement, but...
Review Etrian Odyssey Nexus - A Stellar Send-Off For A Beloved RPG Series
And for the 3DS itself?
Long before games existed as we know them now, ‘video games’ consisted of text-based adventures that demanded just as much imagination from the players as they did input. Dungeon crawlers were a popular genre at the time, one in which you guided a protagonist room by room through sprawling, confusing castles guided only...
My first Diablo
It’s fair to say most licensed tie-in games these days – with the exception of TT Games’ LEGO output -– tend to fall somewhere between ‘awful’ and ‘meh’. Usually developed and shipped out in double-quick time to save money and hit a theatrical release deadline, these sorry bits of software are more often than not...
Review Thea: The Awakening - A Flawed World-Builder Which Tries To Do Too Many Things At Once
Diet Civ
Games developers love a bit of survivalism. We’ve helped solo protagonists endure dangerous asylums. We’ve guided grizzled duos through zombie apocalypses. We’ve even kept entire households alive in more pedestrian fashion. But Thea: The Awakening takes a very different approach to the whole concept, casting you as a god who must...
Review Tangledeep - A Challenging Roguelike That's Best Appreciated By Grizzled Genre Veterans
Tangle tamer
On the surface, Tangledeep might seem like yet another very generic addition to Nintendo Switch’s vast eShop offerings. 16-bit graphics? Check. Turn-based combat? Check. A vast RPG-driven world to explore? Check. Myriad subsystems and mini-games scattered throughout? Check, check and check. But Impact Gameworks' pixel art adventure is...
Review Unruly Heroes - If You Loved Rayman Origins, You'll Love This
Born to be wild
Ubisoft made big waves in the industry when it released Rayman Origins, a triumphant return to the company mascot’s 2D platforming roots. Blending goofy humour with thrilling platforming sequences, it captured the hearts of millions, but perhaps the most stunning aspect of the release was the flash new engine that it ran on. UbiArt...
A bit of a drag
Inti Creates has made quite a name for itself on the Switch with quality titles like Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Blaster Master Zero, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, and Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack all offering up some excellent retro run ‘n’ gun action. Going back further, however, the company put itself on the m
Review Downwell - The Ultimate Version Of Everyone's Favourite Potholing Roguelike Shooter
Get down and TATE
Imagine for a moment that you’re taking a stroll in the countryside and you happen upon an old well – what do you do? At the very least, you wander up and take a peek; you might drop a pebble down there, or even a cheeky loogie if nobody’s around. Why? It’s tough to say exactly, but Downwell taps into that human fascination...
Review Wargroove - A Turn-Based Strategy Classic That Intelligent Systems Would Be Proud Of
Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war
Intelligent Systems has always been known for its strategy game IP, with Fire Emblem naturally being the most popular, but that esteemed series might never have made it West were it not for the more colourful and militaristic antics of the Advance Wars franchise. Unfortunately – despite its similarities to...
Review New Star Manager - Football Management At Its Most Tactile
The Jurgen Klopp of football management games
Leicester City (in 2016) and Manchester City (in 2018) are two recent Premiership-winning teams that went about their footballing business in completely different ways, and there's a neat parallel to be drawn here with New Star Manager and Football Manager 2019 Touch. Both are ostensibly playing the same...
