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Review Klonoa: Empire Of Dreams (GBA) - One Of The System's Best Still Plays Like A Dream
Wahoo!
This review was originally published in May 2014. We're updating and republishing it in honour of the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Classics GBA lineup. Starting life on the PlayStation in 1997, at a time when Super Mario 64 had just brought the gaming world triple-jumping headlong into the era of 3D platforming, Namco's...
'N Synx
When it comes to music games, Switch owners are already a bit spoilt for choice, with VOEZ, Deemo, Lanota and Superbeat: Xonic all pumping out plenty of rhythm action across multiple genres, playstyles, and aesthetics. The latest debut hoping to ascend the system’s charts is Musynx, from Superbeat publisher PM Studios. Originally a mobile
Review Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch)
Ysy to love
Though Nihon Falcom’s Ys (pronounced 'ease') has been sending gamers off on action-RPG adventures since 1987, you’d be forgiven for not being familiar with the series, with the last mainline release on a Nintendo console being the Japan-exclusive Ys V in 1995. Since then, Ys has seen something of a renaissance on PlayStation...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Edition (Switch)
A Pirate's Life For Mii
In terms of sheer longevity, it’s hard to beat Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The long-running adventure started out as a manga in 1997 — still running today! — and along the way has picked up every form of cross-licensing known to humankind, with anime, video games, novels and even theme parks retelling the tale of Monkey...
Review Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS)
A Place Further Than the Universe
By now, ATLUS’ long-running Shin Megami Tensei series should be a familiar name for 3DS owners; from the Sega Saturn-remake of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers to Shin Megami Tensei IV and its direct sequel Apocalypse, these darkly stylish, demon-collecting JRPGs have...
Review Asdivine Hearts (Switch eShop)
Shock to the heart
Kemco’s prolific JRPG output was a staple of the 3DS and Wii U eShops, and continues apace on the Switch, with the initial release of last year’s Revenant Saga followed by Dragon Sinker and now Asdivine Hearts. A port of a 2014 mobile release by Exe Create, Asdivine Hearts is an old-school JRPG that’s entirely competent but...
Review OPUS: Rocket of Whispers (Switch eShop)
Ghost-thrusters
One of the more unique adventures to arrive on the Switch eShop in its first year was OPUS: The Day We Found Earth. A charming, story-focused stargaze-‘em-up from indie studio SIGONO, it delivered a shining example of narrative gaming and left us searching for more. Happily, publisher Flyhigh Works/CIRCLE has brought a follow-up in...
Review Earthlock (Switch eShop)
Locked on
While the ‘J’ in ‘JRPG’ ostensibly stands for 'Japanese', it refers to a style of role-playing game rather than country of origin; strong, often linear stories and turn-based combat are the calling cards of the genre, and Western-made games such as Child Of Light and Cosmic Star Heroine follow its conventions just as much as...
Review World Conqueror X (Switch eShop)
Everybody wants to rule the world
While wartime strategy games are one of the evergreen genres of both board and PC gaming, they’re much less of a presence on console; outside of steadfast staples like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, historical takes on the turn-based formula are particularly scarce. CIRCLE’s Conqueror series brought...
Review The Men Of Yoshiwara: Kikuya (Switch eShop)
Kimono Friends
While we’ve seen all sorts of titles make their way to Nintendo systems in recent years, one genre that’s been distinctly underrepresented - and largely confined to PlayStation Vita - are otome games: romance titles starring female protagonists and marketed to women. D3 Publisher’s The Men Of Yoshiwara: Kikuya is the first title...
Latest Feature Articles
Hands On Catching A Curveball With The Poké Ball Plus, The Switch's Latest Must-Have Accessory
I Choose You!
Since my first playthrough of Pokémon Blue back in 1998, I’ve had a bit of an on-again, off-again relationship with Game Freak’s monster-collecting magnum opus. I certainly consider myself to be a fan, but I haven’t finished a main game since SoulSilver, and a 2016 summer spent scouring the countryside for Kanto critters in...
"I think you can call it a spiritual successor to Gals Fighters"
Of all the titles announced in January’s Nintendo Direct, one of the biggest surprises was SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. An all-female fighter featuring 2-vs-2 action and a cast of some of SNK’s best-loved characters, wrapped up in over-the-top costumes and candy-coated style, SNK...
Feature Throwing Shapes With Floor Kids' JonJon And Kid Koala
"Pure, uninhibited (funky) joy"
There are plenty of dance-based games out there - with the likes of Just Dance 2017 and Just Dance 2018 having already moonwalked their way onto Switch - but the classic art of breakdancing is yet to have its proper time in the virtual spotlight. Well, one little indie is about to change all that, and with style, too...
First Impressions Traversing Titans in Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Arts of Fighting
Of all the big Switch exclusives due this year, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 might just be the biggest; Splatoon 2 may be racking up big sales, and Super Mario Odyssey may hold more space in the collective imagination, but there’s no arguing with the vastness of Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles series. The Wii original
First Impressions Finding Our Way in Lost Sphear
Not all who wander…
Along with the open-world intrigue of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the retro goodness of Hamster’s ACA Neo Geo releases, the Switch’s launch lineup included I Am Setsuna, a retro-styled JRPG from Square Enix subsidiary Tokyo RPG Factory that delivered an old-school adventure in a snowy modern package. It’s...
Feature Talking Trade With Bonnie Gordon, Voice of Fire Emblem: Echoes' Silque
On being Silque and singing Mother Mila's praises
Modern Fire Emblem games have been a real cornerstone of the 3DS’ library, with Awakening, Fates, and Echoes each excellent examples of the series’ endless tactical RPG appeal. They’ve become fan favourites not only because of their satisfyingly strategic gameplay, but also because of the...
First Impressions Dropping in on Soldam: Drop, Connect, Erase
A Jaleco Jam of Falling Fruit
The launch of the Switch was an especially exciting one because, for the first time on a Nintendo system, a region-free eShop meant gamers everywhere had access to content from outside their home territory. North American gamers could grab VOEZ from the European or Japanese shops a week before its release in the region,...
Feature Puzzling Over Dragons with GungHo CEO Kazuki Morishita
On puzzles, dragons, Switch support, and (not) beating Breath of the Wild
As one of the most successful — and addictive — mobile match-threes of all time, GungHo Online Entertainment’s Puzzle & Dragons needs no introduction. Lighting up smartphones from Japan to Europe, North America and beyond, it’s also made quite a splash on...
First Impressions Showing our Hand in Culdcept Revolt on Nintendo 3DS
Of dice and decks
Of all the games we got to try out at E3 this year, one stood out as having perhaps the least likely origin story: Culdcept Revolt. This 3DS title, published by Nintendo in Japan but brought Westward by NIS America, is the latest game in a series that started with a Japan-exclusive game for the Sega Saturn. Combining board game...
First Impressions Going Medieval in River City: Knights of Justice
Sir Crash ’n’ the Boys
Natsume’s E3 showings have always included some sort of farming goodness through their evergreen Harvest Moon games, but for the last two years running we’ve also been treated to fresh installments in Arc System Works’ hard-hitting Kunio-kun series. Previously localised under such varying titles as River City Ransom,...
Latest News Articles
Feature Rocking Out With Gal Metal Producer Tak Fujii
“What is music about? Is it just pressing a button and turning knobs?”
While the Switch’s region-free setup means it’s easier than ever to sample experiences from across the gaming globe, Nintendo’s new policy can’t help us overcome the language barrier involved in imports — and that’s one reason we were so excited to see the...
Hands On Turning Back Time With The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
Be kind, rewind
While the Virtual Console may not be making a comeback on Switch, we’ve seen plenty of publishers step up to fill the retro void, with wide-ranging efforts such as HAMSTER’s Arcade Archives Neo Geo eShop series sitting alongside curated collections including Capcom’s Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Not to be...
Live Blog Watch the ARMS & Splatoon 2 Nintendo Direct - Live!
Also featuring other 3DS and Switch games
Ladies and gentlemen, we...are...live! This is the main event of the day, this is the moment you've all been waiting for... It's time! In the blue corner we have the undefeated, undisputed, freshest champion, Splatoon 2! In the red corner we have the rookie, the new challenger, the new kid on the block,...
Impressions Brain Age: Concentration Training Demo
Fiendishly focused
Inspired by the work of famed neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, Nintendo's Brain Age games aim to keep players' minds sharp through daily mental exercises, and have proven popular since the DS original, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!. The first 3DS entry in the series, Brain Age: Concentration Training focuses its...
