March2018

  • Review Tesla Vs Lovecraft (Switch eShop)

    The Fall Of Cthulhu

    Whether it's Holmes outwitting Moriarty or Danger Mouse defeating Baron Von Greenback, most of us have had an adversary or two during our lives. 10tons latest release on Nintendo Switch pits two pioneers of their respective fields against each other in a conflict of literature vs science and pen vs sword in their bizarre,...

January2018

  • Review Baseball Riot (Switch eShop)

    I predict a riot

    Wii Sports and 1-2-Switch both brought the noble game of baseball into the homes of many a family, probably grazing a few vases and TVs in the process. The sense of satisfaction felt when timing your swing perfectly to score a home run against a parent or sibling was arguably as good as nailing a power serve in Wii Tennis or a...

  • Review Azkend 2: The World Beneath (Switch eShop)

    Charted territory

    It might be becoming increasingly difficult to choose between the slew of board-based, connection-style puzzles titles on Switch, as their simple mechanics combined with lower price points make them a good option for casual players. Whether spinning in 360-degrees or siding from left to right, the continuous flow of colours and...

December2017

  • Review Sparkle Unleashed (Switch eShop)

    Lose your marbles

    In a time where the eShop is flourishing, more than a dozen games are launching every week with no let up in sight, and prolific Finnish developer/ publisher 10tons continues its long run by bringing puzzle game Sparkle Unleashed to Nintendo Switch in time for the holiday season. The premise is a simple one: in an attempt to save...

  • Review Tennis In The Face (Switch eShop)

    What the deuce?!

    Ever since the tennis in Wii Sports stole our hearts, entered our minds and (sometimes literally) TV screens, the virtual representation of the sport has taken on a new lease of life in the home. Sure, Top Spin and Virtua Tennis have scratched that realism itch on other systems (as well as Rockstar's Table Tennis on the Wii), but...

  • Review Xenoraid (Switch eShop)

    Four's company

    Another week, another indie shooter drops on the Nintendo eShop. While it would be rude to complain about the number of games coming to Nintendo's newest console, the roguelike shooter has been more than popular among developers and publishers on the machine. With that in mind, there is a balance to find between tapping into a beloved...

November2017

  • Review Spellspire (Switch eShop)

    Worth its weight in words

    Put down those pens; when it comes to traversing dangerous towers it's the wand that's mightier than the sword. Blending together Scrabble and sorcery, Spellspire is the latest title from prolific indie developer 10tons. Light on story and setup, it relies on its central concept to hook the player in for...

  • Review Crimsonland (Switch eShop)

    Hopefully not doomed...

    It was once said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and with the icon / box art being a homage to a certain hellish current-gen first-person shooter, 10tons' most recent port - Crimsonland - tries to establish its similarly savage tone and style right from the off. It's such a brazen reference that you'll feel...

  • Review King Oddball (Switch eShop)

    Swing when you're winning

    As ports of mobile games take up more and more online marketplace space, it's easy - if not completely fair - to dismiss them as competition with first party or even console-specific indie titles. Viewed by some as shallow and disposable time killers at best, and at worst... well, you get the idea. The phenomenon that...

October2017

  • Review Time Recoil (Switch eShop)

    Step back in bullet time

    For all the different genres of games that indies are releasing on the Switch eShop in the last few months, the rogue-like (or 'rogue-lite', on some occasions) has become particularly popular. Randomly-generated levels, upgradeable stats and permadeath are becoming staples of modern gaming, regardless of whether you're...

  • Review JYDGE (Switch eShop)

    Enforce law and order on the city streets of Edenbyrg

    Imagine a bleak dystopian future where crime is rampant and multiple citizens are being held as hostages by dangerous people. JYDGE, recently launched on Steam  and now available via the Switch eShop, explores this exact scenario. When all goes to hell in the cyberpunk city of Edenbyrg, the...

  • Review Sparkle 2 (Switch eShop)

    Modernising a niche genre

    If you’ve ever played an entry from PopCap’s ZUMA series, or the late '90s Puzz Loop game by Mitchell Corporation, Sparkle 2 by 10tons falls under the same banner. For the uninformed, Sparkle 2 is a bit of a blast from the past, providing marble madness in the form of a puzzle match game. The fact this entry is a...

  • Review Neon Chrome (Switch eShop)

    Minor oversight

    Finding a home on consoles is an ongoing challenge for games that have seen success on Steam and smart devices. While free-to-play or relatively inexpensive titles are becoming available on digital marketplaces thick and fast, it could be argued that there is a degree of stigma that comes with titles making the shift from mobile to...