Switch eShop Game Reviews
Review 9 Years Of Shadows (Switch) - Unique Ideas Elevate This Scrappy Metroidvania
Dark crystals
The hallowed Metroidvania has gone from an original, curiously enticing one-off concept, to a highly consumable once-monthly product fit for devouring at speed. If you’re now, as we are, extremely seasoned in the format pioneered by Symphony of the Night in 1997, you’ll likely rip through 9 Years of Shadows like a '46 Ford through...
Review Thirsty Suitors (Switch) - A Heart And Humour-Filled Ex-Battler, Stylish But Overly Ambitious
And we thought our love lives were a disaster
If you play enough video games, you can see when developers are playing it safe, but that isn’t the case for Outerloop’s Thirsty Suitors. If anything, it is trying to do too much, its ambition reaching to heights that its budget simply can’t deliver, but we found ourselves not minding. So much love...
Fine finale
It feels like a lifetime ago since Nintendo announced that it would be expanding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the Booster Course Pass, adding a total of 48 courses made up of revamped classics and brand-new additions. But does the expansion end with a bang or a whimper? Well, much like prior waves, we’d say this one lands somewhere in the...
Review Little Goody Two Shoes (Switch) - Cute, Compelling Horror With Some Frustrations
The Red Shoes
Fairy tales are never really what they seem. Growing up, we’re all exposed to these moral stories – often based on fable and myth – which have been adapted multiple times and, in many cases, softened too, whether it’s through a beautifully drawn picture book or a sanitised Disney adaptation. But as you get older and more...
Mini Review Alien Hominid Invasion (Switch) - An Explosive, Superior Sequel
Chaos reassembled
Admittedly, we never dug the original Alien Hominid. First released on consoles in 2004, it had its fanbase, sure, but the Newgrounds art style, slack animation response, and aggravating rather than enjoyable difficulty curve just turned us off. Enter Alien Hominid Invasion, a 2023 sequel that blasted out of nowhere, ready to...
Review World Of Horror - One Of The Most Unique Roguelites On Switch
"I am a horror maniac who prefers to stay at home"
These days, it feels like every other indie game released is a roguelite of some kind, and while there are a lot of good ideas brought to the table, the barrage of releases can feel like they start to blend together. Not so with World of Horror. This is a roguelite RPG styled after the basic...
Review Ebenezer And The Invisible World (Switch) - A Good Metroidvania Launched In A Ghastly State
(Bah, hum)bugs abound
Of the hundreds of versions of A Christmas Carol that we’re all bombarded with in the lead-up to the Holidays, very few give any thought to what comes after Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The focus is firmly on how he becomes a changed man and not what he actually does with his...
Review My Time At Sandrock (Switch) - A Farm Sim Sequel That Plays It Too Safe
Not exactly the cream of the crop
Since this review was published, an update has reportedly improved one or more of the issues cited. Unfortunately, we cannot revisit games on an individual basis, but it should be noted that the patched game currently available may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. Fans of the farm sim...
Mini Review Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Still Outstanding On Switch
What a thrill
Originally released in 2004, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is widely considered to be the finest entry in Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus. And almost 20 years later, it’s still easy to see why, even though some aspects of the game haven’t aged particularly gracefully. For Switch owners who have never delved into the Metal Gear...
Mini Review Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty - A Solid Switch Port, But Fans Deserve Better
I need scissors! 61!
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has long been considered one of the weaker entries in Hideo Kojima’s stealth franchise, nestled between the iconic PS1 original and the critically acclaimed prequel, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Yet playing the game in 2023 is, quite frankly, a revelatory experience. The story once...
Mini Review Metal Gear Solid - A Faithful Switch Debut For An All-Time Great
Kept you waiting, huh?
Going back to Metal Gear Solid in 2023, it’s undoubtedly clear why the game created so much fuss when it originally launched on the PS1 back in 1998. What’s also obvious, however, is how much the title has aged in the decades since. For its release on the Switch, Konami has opted to retain as much of the original’s...
Walking in a winter wonderland
It’s been a busy year for Riot’s new Forge publishing arm, aimed at expanding its League of Legends Runeterra universe in games beyond the popular MOBA. In April, we got The Mageseeker, a hi-bit brawler set in the austere kingdom of Demacia, and in June, we got Convergence, a traditional Metroidvania set in the...
Review Dave The Diver (Switch) - One Of The Best Games In A Year Of Greats
If nautical nonsense is something you wish
Dave the Diver is a game about a diver named Dave. It's also about a restauranteur, archaeologist, marine researcher, and social media genius — also Dave. Poor ol' Dave has to wear all these hats in Dave the Diver, and living out his toilsome existence makes for one of the best games of the year and...
Review VISCO Collection (Switch) - A Well-Presented Neo Geo Arcade Set With Online Play
A magnificent seven?
Unless you’re a Neo Geo diehard, Visco isn't as recognisable as Namco, Konami, Capcom, or the other big hitters they used to roll with in the early '90s arcade scene. And, although the company made strong impressions with the likes of Vasara, the majority of its work was for SNK’s Neo Geo hardware, as represented by the...
Review Gordian Quest - An Engaging Deckbuilder, But A Poor Switch Port
Knot the best port
Gordian Quest, like many games of its ilk, is bogged down by dense, cumbersome menus and volumes of small text. But unlike a lot of other games in the strategy and deckbuilding genre, it's much easier to wrap your mind around and isn't mired in frustratingly long tutorials and steep learning curves. Weaving tabletop inspirations...
Mini Review Garden Buddies (Switch) – A Relaxing Sim That’s A Little Green
Sow-sow
Gardening in game worlds is relaxing – more so than its real-life counterpart, where plants wither no matter what you do. Garden Buddies from Dutch developer JamPics joins the many cosy Switch games where you can grow plants without wondering if you’ve under- or over-watered them. Unfortunately, it’s not the pick of the bunch. Garden...
Mini Review Just Dance 2024 Edition (Switch) - Just More, Now With Added Miley
May I have this high-score challenge?
2024 is on the horizon, which means it’s high time for Ubisoft to step onto the dancefloor with its latest Just Dance offering, Just Dance 2024 Edition. If you look back on our review of 2023’s entry, we mentioned that it significantly improved the tried-and-tested formula, boosting the visuals nicely while...
Mini Review Suika Game (Switch) - Viral Sensation 'Watermelon Game' Is A Ripe Little Puzzler
Ripe and ready
A couple of years ago, a Japanese company called Aladdin X released a digital projector, and it included a fun little fruit game called Suika Game as part of its software. Suika Game was so well received by people who bought the projector that the company decided to port a version of it to Switch, but the game launched there to almost...
Mini Review Witchy Life Story (Switch) - Lots Of Potential And Charm, But Lacking In Execution
A cup of something cosy
Cottagecore fans, this one’s for you. Witchy Life Story is a visual novel packed full of sweet characters, magical charms, and cozy rituals. Coming from Sundew Studios, it has already been around on Steam for a while, and it’s now available on Switch. The story puts you in the pointed shoes of a witch who has been sent...
Review Gargoyles Remastered (Switch) - One For Cult Disney Die-Hards Only
"We are defenders of the night! We are Gargoyles!"
Back in the mid-to-late '90s, Disney produced a cartoon called Gargoyles that stood out quite a bit from other shows in the animated landscape. Featuring a serialized storytelling format, rich lore, and a rather dark tone, it quickly gained a cult following across its run, though it never garnered a...
Review Front Mission 2: Remake (Switch) - Serviceable, But With Some Seriously Rough Edges
RNG my bell
It takes a lot to make a game about giant robot battles feel dull, but somehow Front Mission 2: Remake manages it. While it improves on some of the shortcomings of Front Mission 1st: Remake, the combat system isn’t fun enough to fully salvage this tactical RPG. While it might be worthwhile for strategy fans eager to test out G-Craft's...
Great gameplay never goes out of style
Great games are great no matter how much time has passed, and that remains true of Company of Heroes. The RTS classic that robbed us of our evenings and weekends back in 2006 has returned to the Nintendo Switch in the form of the Company of Heroes Collection and despite an updated control scheme for the...
Review Dementium: The Ward - A Safe Switch Return For A Creepy Cult Classic
Before the Lobotomy
Bringing cult classics to a more modern, updated platform can be a risky proposition. What, if anything, do you change, and what do you keep the same? When the game you happen to be porting originated on the DS, a certain degree of change is inevitable given the shift from a two-screen to a single-screen format, so naturally, a...
Mini Review Escape Doodland (Switch) - A Tricky, Tongue-In-Cheek Runner, With Dash Farts
Dood for thought
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. An unexpected gem, Escape Doodland is an...
Mini Review RocketsRocketsRockets (Switch) - Simple But Surprisingly Addictive With Friends
Triple threat
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Well, you can’t say it doesn’t do what...
Mini Review The Bug Butcher (Switch) - An Enjoyable But Forgettable Shootathon
Time to call in the bug guns
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. A standard arcade...
Review COCOON (Switch) – A Unique, Worlds-Within-Worlds Puzzler That Left Us Buzzing
Into the hive mind
2023 has swarmed us with quality games. So many that there aren’t enough hours in the day to play them all — and now, Cocoon has crept onto our screens to buzzing acclaim. Fortunately, if you’re busy as a bee, and can’t dedicate time to a marathon game, this is a nice quick one. Jeppe Carlsen, lead gameplay designer of...
The jump hasn't been smooth
The Dragon Quest series is no stranger to spin-off titles, but few are as confusing as Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai. This action RPG is based on an anime adaptation of a manga based on the world of Dragon Quest, but it is never clear who the game is designed to appeal to. The few things it does well...
Mini Review Super Adventure Hand (Switch) - Uncanny Platforming With A Flip-The-Bird Button
Gripping
It feels like 3D platformers have come back in a big way these last few years, and some of the most memorable entries have been the most unconventional. Demon Turf utilized a fascinating hand-drawn 2D art style. Tinykin had you leaping and exploring bedrooms and kitchens while commanding a small army of not-Pikmin. Snake Pass tasked you...
Review Horizon Chase 2 (Switch) - More Arcade Racing, With Some Bumps In The Road
Follow the speeder
Horizon Chase 2 isn't the most interesting racing game out there, but damn, if it isn't hard to put down! It may not match the high-speed hijinks of kart racers starring Mario, Crash Bandicoot, or Sonic the Hedgehog, nor does it hit the same destructive highs of Burnout or the high-fidelity, simulative thrill found in other...