October2017
Review Tower of Babel (Switch eShop)
Ups and downs
Not a great deal has been said about Tower of Babel; the game seems to have found its way onto the Switch’s eShop without anyone noticing where it came from. There isn’t even the slightest mention of the game on the official website or Twitter feed of its publisher, EnjoyUp Games, which is very odd indeed. EnjoyUp published...
July2016
Review Hurry Up! Bird Hunter (Wii U eShop)
One dead duck
Let's be upfront about this, Duck Hunt knock-offs never do very well. Hurry Up! Bird Hunter is disappointingly no different from the rest. The title by EnjoyUp Games aims to recreate the practice in a fun arcade manner, and all it does is fall flat on its face. It's hard to tolerate what is presented in this game, because every aspect...
June2016
Review Run Run and Die (Wii U eShop)
As fun as running straight into a brick wall
'Runner' games similar to the likes of Bit.Trip Runner have been a popular choice for quite some time now. Popularised by mobile titles and best enjoyed for their addictive "one more try" gameplay, the genre often strips the medium down to its very basics - just one button to press and a top score to aim...
May2016
Sssimple
Anyone who longs for the days of playing classic Snake on their Nokia phone will be happy to know the game still lives on in EnjoyUp's updated version - Sssnakes. Unfortunately, Sssnakes doesn't offer much that the classic didn't do already, and considering there are a lot of easily accessible games to download, both for console and mobile,...
April2016
Review Grumpy Reaper (Wii U eShop)
Death by a thousand lawn cuts
The Grumpy Reaper opens with a storyline so absurd that developer Drakhar Studios should receive kudos for (presumably) shoe-horning it in to provide some context to a game that doesn't really need it. The set-up is thus: Death's granddaughter has made off with the keys to the Underworld and is releasing zombies out...
January2016
Review RV-7 My Drone (3DS eShop)
An unmanned excursion
We live in an age where cars can drive themselves, robots are slowly preparing to overthrow their masters, and drones can be programmed to do anything from delivering vital supplies to filming botched attempts at BMX stunts. "Drone" in particular is the buzzword du jour, and for all you know this review could have been written...
September2015
Review Rock 'N Racing Off Road DX (Wii U eShop)
Quantity over quality
EnjoyUp's top-down racer Rock 'N Racing Off Road, released in February, was a disappointing, frustrating experience that left much to be desired. Now, just months later, Rock 'N Racing Off Road DX aims to improve upon the formula and offer a more robust set of features, tracks, cars, and modes. Yet while there's certainly more...
July2015
Review Fantasy Pirates (3DS eShop)
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Let's welcome Fantasy Pirates to the Nintendo eShop – yet another pick-up-and-play, bite-sized title from EnjoyUp Games. Arguably best known for 99Seconds and 99Bullets, EnjoyUp Games is slowly gaining a reputation as a go-to company for budget titles on the Nintendo 3DS. Its latest title to appear on the shores of...
June2015
Review Funk of Titans (Wii U eShop)
Funk off, Titans
On the surface, it seems like Funk of Titans might be crazy enough to work. Take a jive-talkin', funk-lovin' interpretation of Perseus, toss him in a Mount Olympus setting occupied by an Aretha Franklin-inspired goddess, add a dash of hop-and-bop auto-running and stir vigorously. This project had the recipe for cheesy goodness, but...
Review FullBlast (Wii U eShop)
A blast from the past
Fullblast is the latest indie title to make the transition from mobile platforms onto Wii U, having been available on iOS and Android since the end of last year. Harking back to the days when arcades were king, Fullblast is an old school vertically scrolling shoot-em-up presented with modern 3D graphics. The gameplay remains...
February2015
Review Rock 'N Racing Off Road (Wii U eShop)
Not-So-Super Off Road
EnjoyUp was clearly inspired by the classic arcade racer Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road when developing Rock 'N Racing Off Road, an old-school, top-down racer. But while the game looks like a modern update to Super Off Road, it's not nearly as fun or memorable. Unfortunately, Rock 'N Racing Off Road is a disappointing...
January2015
Review Toys vs. Monsters (3DS eShop)
Manufacturer refurbished
If you've ever been disappointed that you can't play a recent and improved version of the hugely successful Plants vs. Zombies on your 3DS - aside from the DS release - you may be intrigued by the shamelessly similarly-named Toys vs. Monsters on the eShop. All of the information about it points to a fun little experience...
Review Spy Chameleon (Wii U eShop)
Incog-neato
Spanish developer EnjoyUp games has had a steady stream of titles arrive on Nintendo's digital platforms in recent times, including Darts Up, 99Moves and Rock Zombie, although arguably these games have yet to set the eShop alight. However, this port of Unfinished Pixel's PC game, Spy Chameleon
Show me your 99Moves
Hot on the heels of October's 99Seconds comes a Wii U eShop version of 99Moves, which like its predecessor had origins as an EnjoyUp Games DSiWare title. For the most part, this is a simple port, but what changes there are offer mixed results — some of them are definitively positive, such as the improved resolution and frame...
November2014
Review Football Up Online (3DS eShop)
The life of lag
Amidst the clamouring hands of football fans over the next entry in the FIFA series, EnjoyUp Games saw a gap in the market, namely the 3DS eShop, and so decided to release its original Football Up 3D. Not content with simply remaining a sub-par local multiplayer experience, Football Up Online has since been released to little...
Review Rock Zombie (Wii U eShop)
B movie beat 'em up
It's always a pleasant surprise when a game surpasses your expectations. Suffice it to say, this reviewer's expectations were modest going into Rock Zombie — the goofy synthesized guitars, expressionless character models and mangled English dialogue all seemed to lead in one direction: pain. But you can't go into every game...
October2014
Review 99Seconds (Wii U eShop)
A twitch in time saves 99
Time is a very valuable commodity. At least that’s what people say, but there always seems to be time for sneaking a quick little game of something between tasks. 99Seconds seeks to fill those blips in your life, and perhaps a few more, with a classic dodge ‘em style of gameplay. The Wii U version of 99seconds is...
September2014
Bully for you
Many reading this may be aware that this title was previously released on the 3DS as Darts Up 3D, and you might be expecting a more fleshed-out experience on the Wii U’s considerably more powerful hardware. As it stands, this version of the pub-game simulator is largely the same as the portable instalment. You aim with the...
June2014
Review Van Helsing sniper Zx100 (3DS eShop)
No, Hugh Jackman's not in this one
Barcelona-based developer EnjoyUp Games got our hopes up for this – after the surprising success of its atmospheric Abyss on the Wii U eShop last month, the trailer for EnjoyUp's new 3DS-exclusive Van Helsing Sniper Zx100 demonstrated a first-person gallery shooter set in a neon sci-fi dystopian future London;...
May2014
We all live in a cyclops submarine
Abyss is perhaps exactly the sort of game the Wii U eShop needs in greater numbers: adventurous little indie titles with strong artistic vision and a focus on core game mechanics. With a budget price tag, you can't afford not to try out Barcelona studio EnjoyUp Games' HD re-release of its attractive 2012 DSiWare...
January2014
Not ungood
So you know how it goes: you’re playing a tabletop RPG with your friends. They poke fun at you because you, the Modern Gamer, want to try something that tends to work on a screen but doesn’t jive with the “realism” of high fantasy. Whatever. You excuse yourself to 'observe nature', but the lights go out and suddenly you’re not...
September2013
Review Darts Up 3D (3DS eShop)
Throwaway or bullseye?
EnjoyUp Games' latest eShop release moves the party into the pub with Darts Up 3D, a motion-controlled iteration of the classic tavern target-toss game. While not a deep or polished experience, it's a fun little game that will appeal to fans of darts and simple multiplayer games in equal measure. There are three modes to...
July2013
Review Cute Witch! Runner (DSiWare)
Magical Nights
With last year's Dress to Play: Cute Witches!, developer Coder Child channeled both Cotton and cosplay into a unique mix of dress-up and side-scrolling flight, a solid concept that we felt was let down by poor execution on the fashion side of the equation. We found plenty to like about the airborne action, however, and that's the main...
May2013
Review Dress To Play: Magic Bubbles! (3DS eShop)
Mix and match-three
Late last year, Coder Child's Dress to Play: Cute Witches! flew onto the 3DS eShop with a unique blend of dress-up and side-scrolling soaring, a promising premise that we felt it didn't quite live up to. Dress to Play: Magic Bubbles! follows the same format of combining character customisation with simple gameplay, this time...
Review Armageddon Operation Dragon (DSiWare)
Armageddon outta here
The year is 2037 and there's an asteroid as large as the moon headed directly for Earth. Since there is no weapon known to man that is powerful enough to eradicate such a massive rock, salvation can only be achieved by harvesting an all powerful energy that resides outside of the solar system. No need to call Bruce Willis,...
