Switch 2 Game Reviews
For Dead Spies
How does a studio follow an era-defining masterpiece without the original creative forces behind said masterpiece? The answer, for better or worse, is to emulate the experience almost completely. ZA/UM emerges from a controversy far too storied to cover here with a follow-up to existential crisis simulator
Review Stellar Blade: Complete Edition (Switch 2) - Perfectly Playable, Despite Drawbacks
Razor sharp, but a little unrefined
Though the genre has evolved and deepened over time, gacha games have historically not been praised for their depth and complexity, often being criticised for being thinly veiled gambling machines. People were understandably incredulous, then, when Shift Up — the studio behind Goddess of Victory: Nikke —...
The cloudy skies have cleared
While cloud streaming has its benefits, nothing beats having a native version of a game. Guardians of the Galaxy launched on the first Nintendo Switch as a Cloud version, and that experience wasn’t really recommended. Now, the game is having an Encore Edition on Switch 2 with an actual port. It’s the same fun...
Plus One
Godzilla fans are eating well. At the time of writing, we are on the brink of a new Toho release, a direct sequel to Goji’s first Oscar-nominated film, Minus One. There's also the next entry in Legendary's MonsterVerse to sate fans of the Western arm of the franchise (even though they have been a little Kong-heavy of late). Now, Tokusatsu...
Review The Séance Of Blake Manor (Switch 2) - A Special Game, And A Perfect Halloween Treat
Medium rare
Are you a fan of that genre? You know, the one that hasn’t quite settled on its name yet: mystery games… discovery games… information games. We’re talking The Case of the Golden Idol, The Roottrees Are Dead, Her Story, Blue Prince, TR-49, Type Help… If you are, you too will be able to rattle off quite a few titles by now –...
Croft-repeated
Announced as a shadow-drop by Aspyr, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition concludes the ports of the Survivor Trilogy on Switch 2 following the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider, showing Lara Croft's development into the sassy, bombastic adventurer we know and love her to be. Originally
Mini Review Minecraft (Switch 2) - A Satisfying Upgrade Overall, But Where's Mouse Mode?
Another day, another Minecraft port
Minecraft has received around 20 different ports and versions since 2011. It was only a matter of time before one would show up for Switch 2, and while there aren't any big new features, it's a solid upgrade over the now-creaky Switch version. At its core, Minecraft is still just as infinitely deep and...
Review Village In The Shade (Switch 2) - A Farm Sim That Plays With Cosy Tropes In Clever Ways
Tricks of the shade
The farming-sim genre needed Village in the Shade. The horror-tinged cosy game plays all the right beats to slot seamlessly into the library of farming adventures that seemingly come out every month. In fact, its visuals, mechanics, soundtrack, and overall feel would make it one of the better cosy titles to come out in the past...
The Price you pay
It's been a while since I played a Call of Duty, but Modern Warfare 4 felt all at once familiar and refined to the Nth degree. Basic movement in this game is just majestic. Infinity Ward has had plenty of practice honing the fundamentals, of course, but there's a balletic precision to CoD's locomotion that feels elegant, 'natural'...
Review Steins;Gate Re:Boot (Switch 2) - The Timeless Visual Novel Gets A Fresh Lick Of Paint
El Psy Kongroo
Want to know why life in a world without time travel is such a bummer? No matter when you decide to take the plunge or how many other games you play, you can only ever experience Steins;Gate for the first time once. Even more than 15 years on from its debut, it is no exaggeration to call 5pb and Nitroplus’ quirky little character...
Review Final Fantasy Resonance (Switch 2) - Plays Like A Lost Entry From Earlier In The Series
Good to have you back, old friend
Over the years, Final Fantasy has been nothing if not inventive, as its largely anthology-based approach has led to a variety of JRPG game design experiments. Yet in more recent years, it feels like the franchise has strayed from its roots, with more old-school fans pining for a return to the days when Final Fantasy...
Review Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (Switch 2) - A Winning Return To Wuhu
Woohoo Island
I awake, fist contorted into the shape of a Joy-Con 2, with a sharp pain in my right shoulder from a night of strenuous Table Tennis. There must be a new Nintendo Sports game out. Like everyone else in the world, I poured days into Wii Sports back in 2006, and spent an ungodly amount of time taking to the skies of Wuhu Island in its...
Not Trailing Behind
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter released last year to near-universal acclaim from critics and fans. It was a lovingly crafted, ground-up remake of the first game in the Legend of Heroes franchise, originally released in 2004. The remake brought full 3D visuals, nuanced combat and a range of quality-of-life additions that made it...
Review The Witch's Bakery (Switch 2) – A Cosy Narrative Sim That Rises To The Occasion
Pain and pain au chocolat
Is there a scent more heartwarming than freshly baked bread? French developer Sunny Lab and publisher Silver Lining Interactive don’t think so, if The Witch’s Bakery is anything to go by. This narrative-led adventure sim is filled with cute characters, emotional stories, and pastries. And although you can’t smell the...
Review Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival (Switch 2) - A Hellish Adaptation, In Several Ways
We have such bugs to show you
Back when I was a lad, I spent quite a lot of time at my local video store – remember those? It was located smack bang between my childhood home and high school, so my friends and I would often stop by and pick up a few snacks while perusing VHS tapes and DVDs. It was here that I first glimpsed the horrific visage of...
Review Hell Is Us (Switch 2) - Thought-Provoking, Admirable, And Frustrating By Design
I (don't) want to hold your hand
Of all the discourse to hit the gaming industry in the past month, the conversation around AAA game design has been one of the most interesting. Insomniac’s Wolverine has been the final straw for a lot of gamers, turning the public tide against claustrophobically linear games that spoon-feed progression, whether...
Mini Review Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition (Switch 2) - Finally Gets The Treatment It Deserves
RPD-elightful
Capcom’s decision to release a bunch of modern Resident Evil games on the Switch via the cloud was controversial, to say the least. While I personally had a pretty positive experience with Resident Evil 2 - Cloud Version, it wasn't an ideal solution for RE fans on Switch. Thankfully, with the release of RE2 Deluxe Edition on Switch...
Mini Review Resident Evil 3 (Switch 2) - An Impressive Port Of A Subpar Remake
Stars don't shine
It’s generally accepted that Resident Evil 3 is the worst of the series’ modern remakes. While RE2 and 4 both expanded upon their respective originals, RE3 made several cutbacks to environmental design, campaign structure, and the behaviour of the main antagonist, Nemesis. The result is an undeniably disappointing experience,...
Review Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition (Switch 2) - The Gold Standard For Remakes
Leon top form
The original Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite games of all time – if not my number one. I remember soaking in every detail before its release, with magazines chronicling its troubled development alongside Capcom’s shaky promise of GameCube exclusivity. When it launched in 2005, it devoured my every waking moment for the rest...
Review Ratatan (Switch 2) - Patapon-Style Rhythm-Action Strategy Returns, With A Roguelite Twist
Ratamatazz
Released at the height of the rhythm-action boom and following the march of peripheral-based music games, Patapon was a visually unique treat. The result of a collaboration between game designer Hiroyuki Kotani and French artist Rolito Giuli, this curio had you control a tribe of tiny eyeball creatures by tapping out rhythms on face...
Mini Review Bluey's Happy Snaps (Switch 2) - A Light, Breezy Photography Adventure
Here come the grannies!
Following an impressive entry from Halfbrick with Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen, developer Gameloft is taking a crack at the beloved IP with Bluey’s Happy Snaps. After Gold Pen's more fantastical approach, this latest adventure brings things back to basics, making for a charming, lighthearted experience that kids will...
We loves it, precious!
Few games have had as lasting an impact on the overarching gaming space through one mechanic alone as the Nemesis system presented in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War. First released in 2014, it's hard to believe such innovation has been stuck locked away for over a decade since Monolith...
Review Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen (Switch 2) - An Action RPG Great Returns In Fine Form
Wolves hunt in packs, Arisen
While travelling the frigid wastes of Norgan, my Pawns and I were assailed by a band of Hobgoblins, and due to my poor leadership skills – causing multiple groups to aggro at once by running by instead of dealing with them then and there – we were overwhelmed. The tide was finally turning as I swung my great axe...
Review Order Of The Sinking Star (Switch 2) - Intense, Sometimes Gruelling, But Always Inventive
What a puzzler
Order of the Sinking Star is not for the weak-willed. The latest puzzle adventure from Jonathan Blow (Braid, The Witness) makes the player earn their wins, rewarding them with an intriguing, slowly unfurling story set in a mystical plane beyond comprehension. My many hours spent staring at these puzzle boards with steam blowing out of...
Mini Review KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC) - A Fair Switch 2 Port Of An Enjoyable 'Conclusion'
The end of the beginning
There was a lot of hype and excitement in the lead-up to 2019's Kingdom Hearts 3. It promised to finally conclude the Dark Seeker Saga that had kicked off way back on the PS2 in 2002. Expectations were sky-high and the final product didn't quite stick the landing, but it did manage to deliver plenty of that sincere Kingdom...
Mini Review KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (Switch 2)
A bit of a sleeper
In the lead-up to Kingdom Hearts 3, Square Enix needed some fresh content to rebuild interest in the franchise after it had been dormant for years outside of mobile games. After porting over the collections of most of the earlier games to more modern platforms, the company then decided to squeeze out one last collection to hoover...
Mini Review KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX- (Switch 2)
Not a cloud in sight
The Kingdom Hearts series has a long and storied history with Nintendo handhelds dating back all the way to the GBA, though (debatably) there have never been any mainline titles developed for them. The ultimate monkey's paw then curled with the Switch, when Square Enix answered fan wishes to port over remastered collections, but...
Review The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Remastered (Switch 2) - A Huge Upgrade For An All-Time Great
Rivi-awesome
Getting The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to run on the original Nintendo Switch was an achievement in itself. Some obvious concessions had to be made, especially surrounding the visuals. Character models looked rather murky and the foliage around our protagonist Geralt had to be drastically toned down. With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -...
Review Minecraft Dungeons II (Switch 2) - A Fun But Flawed Dungeon-Crawling Sequel With Great Co-Op
Creepers, Skellies, oh my
A traditional adventure format seems an ill fit for something as freeform as Minecraft. The Markus 'Notch' Persson-created global phenomenon is an experience built on creativity with endless scope for experimentation, so constricting it within the boundaries of genre seems misguided. That said, the franchise has enough...
Phr33 st00f pl0x
A few years ago when I tried Old School RuneScape for the first time, I spent hours puttering around the starting area taking on basic quests, chopping down trees, and slaying goblins in the surrounding wilds. After each lengthy session, I would exit the game, lean back in my chair with a contented smile, and realise that I had...
