Switch 2 Game Reviews
Mini Review Stardew Valley: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Almost The Cream Of The Crop
A farm where you'll want a mouse
Note. At the time of publication, the Switch 2 update is not yet live on European eShops. However, it is accessible from the North American eShop if you have a Nintendo Account from that territory. I’ve spent close to 300 hours with Stardew Valley since it landed on Switch in 2018. That feels like rookie...
Review The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Beyond The Horizon (Switch 2) - A Step Up From Daybreak II
One small step for man
The long-running Trails series needs little introduction, as Falcom has been chipping away at this JRPG narrative for the better part of two decades across a variety of arcs and perspectives spread over more than a dozen interconnected games. While newcomers have traditionally been discouraged by the mountain of homework...
A load of pollocks, or did they krill it?
Cast n Chill is one of those games that, the instant I clapped eyes on it, and even with other people telling me that it's real good, I got the feeling I'd just never get around to it. That's not to say fishing isn't for me or anything. I have fished in real life. Oh yes. My dad used to take me when I was a...
Mini Review Layers Of Fear: Final Masterpiece Edition (Switch 2) - Handsome But Humdrum Horror
Tormented souls
Switch owners already have access to Layers of Fear: Legacy and its sequel, but Bloober Team is back with a new port for Switch 2. Utilising Unreal Engine 5 to achieve some truly impressive visuals, Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition is neither a sequel nor a remake, but rather the definitive vision of the series so far,...
Review The Rogue Prince Of Persia (Switch 2) - A Worthy, Approachable Follow-Up To Dead Cells
PoP it like it's hot
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been the better part of a decade since the launch of Dead Cells, though its absurdly long stretch of post-launch DLC expansions and updates certainly helped to keep it in the average player’s consciousness. The original Dead Cells developer, Motion Twin, actually passed the buck in...
Review System Shock (Switch 2) - Performance Woes Tarnish A Classic
What a hack
I absolutely adore the System Shock remake from Nightdive Studios. When it launched on the PS5 last year, this reimagining of Looking Glass' 1994 classic was just about all I could think about for weeks on end thanks to its immersive gameplay, oppressive atmosphere, and stunning visuals that blend pixel-art textures with advanced...
Review Farming Simulator: Signature Edition - A Passable But Lacklustre Port Ploughs Onto Switch 2
Reaping what you sow
My pigs are starving and I do not know how to feed them. The pig feed is ready to pick up at the shop, but I don’t know where the shop is. Once I find the correct establishment, I need to figure out how to pick up the pallets of food and take them back to my emaciated swine. Later, after I purchased a front loader and the...
No mice, no dice?
I'm not sure how many times I've played through the opening hours of Divinity: Original Sin 2, but it's a lot, and it's been across a long period of time via various platforms. What I'm saying is that I've experienced this all-timer during phases of janky performance, and whilst it's a game that still shines, no matter the...
Review Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Switch 2) - A Hard Pass For A Great Game
Sanity is for the weak!
Warhammer, I have to say, is something that I've only come to really appreciate properly in recent times. I was never particularly bothered until I picked up a big starter pack of wee guys and big monsters to paint (y'know, for my kids), and then a proper, no-holds-barred addiction set in. I needed lore. I needed more! And...
Review Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Mega Dimension (Switch 2) - Repetition Takes The Shine Off
I am the Alpha and the Mega
After hopping into my 20th Hyperspace in Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s DLC, Mega Dimension, I realised something. I’ve been doing the same things over and over again for the past few hours. Now, I know the series isn’t exactly known for varying things, but it feels particularly egregious within a condensed DLC...
Start your engines...
A couple of months ago, Sega released Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for the Switch 1, bringing a generally solid kart racer that gave Mario Kart a run for its money. Yet, what held it back from greatness was the overall poor performance, whether you played it on Switch 1 or via backwards compatibility on Switch 2, with each system...
Mini Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition (Switch 2) - Just Hugely Disappointing
"If I had a sister, I'd sell her in a second"
Since this review was originally published, a patch has improved one or more of the issues cited. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should still be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below.
Review Skate Story (Switch 2) – A Laid-Back Kickflip Through The Underworld
An afterlife that looks and sounds divine
“My games are concepts and feelings that I can't describe in words,” solo developer Sam Eng said in a 2024 interview for Chanel, after winning the brand’s prestigious Next Prize. “Everything I encounter, I try to portray in a gameplay or audio-visual experience.” These quotes give a taste of how...
Review Simogo Legacy Collection - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Nothing Less Than Essential
Flipping great
I had a moment of realisation while flipping my Switch 2 around in my hand and tapping at the screen in an effort to solve yet another clever-but-abstract puzzle. I realised that the Simogo Legacy Collection was one of the most unabashedly original sets of experiences I had encountered in a long time. The funny thing was that I had...
Review Octopath Traveler 0 (Switch 2) - A Bit Of A Retread, But Unmissable (And Enormous)
Zero to hero
In 2020, Square Enix released an interesting 'stopgap' in the Octopath Traveler series called Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. This free-to-play mobile game took the gacha approach to design, regularly launching new units and storylines to interact with as the years rolled by. The company wrapped up that initial version in...
Mini Review Red Dead Redemption: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - The Update That This Epic Deserved
"It's wanting that gets so many folk in trouble..."
The first time I played Red Dead Redemption was, of course, the day it launched. 2010 really doesn't seem all that long ago at all, but there was a level of expectation and excitement to those opening moments in Rockstar's utterly wild West that I do feel I haven't experienced in a very long time...
Review Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2) - Samus Returns In Prime Form
Sy-luxurious
I’ve been waiting a long time for this. Ever since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ended on a slight cliffhanger (provided you obtained the 100% completion rating) back in 2007, I’ve been wondering where exactly Nintendo and Retro Studios might take the series next. 18 years would follow, and that’s an awful long time to formulate an...
Review Assassin's Creed Shadows (Switch 2) - An Ambitious Port Of A Captivating Series Refresh
Without a Shadow of a doubt
Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft’s flagship series, has delivered two decades of time-hopping adventure. Over the years, it has spawned a glut of expansions and spin-offs, building a franchise with a legion of faithful fans. Moving away from the Hitman-like structure of working through a target list, the series reinvented...
No more delays
If you’ve spent years of your life waiting for Metroid Prime 4, Silksong, or one of the many other highly anticipated games that spent substantial time on the horizon, just remember that it could always be worse — you could be an Inazuma Eleven fan. Developer Level-5’s RPG-tinged take on football (or soccer, if that’s your...
Review Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted (Switch 2) - An Imperfect Specimen, But Still Bloomin' Good
The need for seed
When you think of platformers, you likely think of Super Mario Bros. When you think of JRPGs, you likely think of Final Fantasy. When you think of FPS, you likely think of Call of Duty. Some games are just synonymous with their respective genres. And when it comes to tower defence games, what comes to my mind immediately is Plants...
Review Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Switch 2) - A Serviceable Port Of One Of Lara's Very Best
Gloom & Tomb
As a person who grew up on the original Tomb Raider games back on the PS1, I eagerly anticipated the ‘new era’ of Lara Croft promised by publisher Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics for the 2013 reboot. Seemingly inspired by the success of the Uncharted franchise (which itself was inspired by Tomb Raider), the first game in...
Splash of the Titans
Developers Purple Lamp Studios are single-handedly keeping the dream alive for the continuing adventures of everyone's favourite sentient sponge. 2020’s Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated was a fine update to a cult classic and a huge success to boot. The studio followed up with a solid sequel in The Cosmic Shake, making...
Review DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO (Switch 2) - A Brilliant Brawler With A Colossal Roster
The spark that lights the fire
When Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero launched last year on non-Nintendo platforms. I was taken aback at how much time had passed since the last entry in this series. I was a teenager still in school! With the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, a flurry of ports are coming to the updated console and handheld system, including...
Mini Review Arcade Archives 2 TOKYO WARS (Switch 2) - Another Polished But Wafer Thin Hamster Port
Tanks for the memories
Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series is back with another cabinet classic on Switch 2. I got to check out Jet Ski racer Aqua Jet back in August, which was a lovingly crafted port. This time I'm revisiting the destructive tank combat of Namco's Tokyo Wars, which served as inspiration for The 3DO Company's N64 classic...
Review Kirby Air Riders (Switch 2) - Incredibly Chaotic, But Satisfyingly Deep & Rewarding Racing
Air force one
Kirby Air Ride, I think it's fair to say, didn't receive all that warm a welcome when it launched back in 2003. With lucky GameCubers already marinating in the delicious driving juices of Mario Kart: Double Dash and F-Zero GX, Kirby's cute and chaotic style of racing just didn't seem to stick with the mainstream, and, as a result,...
Mini Review Yakuza Kiwami (Switch 2) - Kiryu's Debut, Smoother Than Ever
Majima magic
It only feels like yesterday that Yakuza Kiwami finally made its way onto the Switch, and yet here we are with a beefed-up Switch 2 version. This new release is effectively the same game, but Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have taken advantage of the newer console’s specs for a much smoother, crisper experience. Crucially, the frame...
Review Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Switch 2) - One Of The Series' Very Best
Kiwami-likey
Sega and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio are seemingly on a mission to bring as many Yakuza games to the Switch 2 in as short a time span as possible. With Kiwami and Kiwami 2 joining Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, we’re already at three within five months of the console’s release. Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties next February will make it four...
Review Goodnight Universe (Switch 2) - A Supernatural Adventure, Quirky & Heartwarming
Don't blink
In 2021, publisher Skybound Games put out Before Your Eyes on PC and Mac (later on mobile and PSVR2), which offered an innovative control mechanic in which you primarily interacted with the game through eye movement and blinks. Alongside this cool gimmick, Before Your Eyes was lauded for its gripping emotional story, quickly turning it...
You Korok my world
Back in 2014 when I picked up the very first Hyrule Warriors on Wii U, my expectations were set somewhere around 'Give me mindless musou action wearing its best Legend of Zelda costume and I'll be a very happy boy.' A simple boy, for sure, but a happy one. And I was a happy boy. I played through Hyrule Warriors in a delirious...
Get over here (and fix it)
Digital Eclipse doesn’t do things by halves. It’s already proven this with the likes of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and Tetris Forever, and yet I’m still blown away by what the studio has accomplished with Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection. For years, fans have been begging for a compilation of the original...
