Switch eShop Game Reviews
Review Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted (Switch) - The Best Home Release Of Toaplan's Final Shmup
The Iceman Cometh
Toaplan, a shooting game developer that flew high in the '80s with titles like Twin Cobra and Truxton, possesses a formidable resume. Batsugun, the company's swan-song shooter, and one of its most historically significant works, spearheaded an evolution of the genre that remains prevalent today. Programmer Tsuneki Ikeda joined...
Review We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie (Switch) - Yes, We Still Do
It's hard not to!
We Love Katamari might be the perfect video game sequel. Dialing just about every beloved mechanic and detail from the first game up to 11, all while ditching some of Katamari Damacy’s less beloved aspects, it’s no surprise that this entry is the fan favorite. For better and worse, its re-release, We Love Katamari REROLL +...
Review Dordogne (Switch) - A Watercolour Wonder, Imperfect Yet Touching
L'eau life
Zut alors! Splish-splashing its way onto Switch in stunning watercolour is Dordogne, a nostalgic kayak trip down the metaphorical river of life – and also down the literal river of Dordogne in the south of France. Umanimation, the production company behind the game, specialises in “transmedia universes”, its previous works including...
Mini Review Bleak Sword DX (Switch) - A Surprising, Stripped-Down Soulslike
A grimdark pixel world full of detail
If you’re looking for something grim, dark, and pixelated, then Bleak Sword DX is here to scratch that itch. It is difficult to pin down exactly what genre this game belongs to. It takes the core mechanics of a Soulslike and strips it back to its bare essentials. The deceptively simple graphics betray a...
Review Convergence: A League Of Legends Story (Switch) - A Fine (But Framey) Metroidvania
It's rewind time
It’s been fascinating to observe the kind of variety coming out of Riot Forge, as the publisher has worked tirelessly these last couple of years to produce spin-off games based on the lore of its enormously popular League of Legends MOBA. Since the publisher’s inception, we’ve seen a rhythm game, a JRPG, and a top-down action...
Review Star Gagnant (Switch) - Takahashi Meijin Tests Your Trigger Finger With A Simple Shmup
Shooting Watch
In the 1980s, Takahashi Meijin was a supermarket clerk turned home programmer, eventually picked up by Hudson Soft to work as a software salesman. This, however, was only the start of his journey into 8-bit stardom. In 1985 he co-presented a TV show in Japan that hosted tournaments, usually for Hudson Soft’s shoot 'em up catalogue...
Review Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (Switch) - Bold, Bleak, And Bewildering Boomer Ballistics
For the imperium!
Fun fact: origins of the term ‘grimdark’ can be directly traced back to the original Warhammer 40k tabletop game. Suffice it to say, the cynical and nihilistic world of Warhammer 40k sucks. Despite the highly advanced and amazing intergalactic society that mankind has built, to live in this universe is to live in a bleak place...
Review Maquette (Switch) – A Heart-Breaker Of A Puzzler That Will Make You Cry And Cry Again
Breaking hearts and minds
Break-ups suck. There are no two ways about it. You spend so much time feeling confused, desperate to make things work, and even a little trapped. That’s kind of what it’s like to play Maquette. Annapurna’s latest release (developed by newbie Graceful Decay) uses puzzles to tell the story of a relationship breakdown...
Review Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection (Switch) - Divine Dungeon Crawling But Not Definitive
Back from the dead
One of the unfortunate casualties of the end of DS and 3DS eras was the death of games that were uniquely suited to the quirky dual-screened devices. The Etrian Odyssey series, the first three games of which are represented in the new Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection (also available separately) was a good example of this bespoke...
Violently political
If you think the title is little more than a healthy pun, think again; Pulling No Punches means what it says. Politically charged, littered with incendiary themes, and crammed with expletives, this Brazilian indie title is quite the surprise, combining combat with combative opinion. A scrolling beat 'em up in a retro style, its...
Review LEGO 2K Drive (Switch) - A Fun, Colourful Racer But Not Quite Open-World Mario Kart
Follow the yellow brick road
The trouble with kart racers on Nintendo Switch is, well, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It's the best one, and it's not close. The challenge for developers, then, is not to create clones, but instead to diversify. LEGO 2K Drive makes a valiant effort to set itself apart, making great use of its titular licence to provide players...
Review Cassette Beasts (Switch) - An Inventive Monster Battler That's Far More Zelda Than Pokémon
We'd die for Traffikrab
There’s something that feels right about a monster-battling creature-collecting game coming to a Nintendo console. Originally released for PC on 26 April 2023, Cassette Beasts has made its way to the Nintendo Switch where it belongs. At first glance, Cassette Beasts clearly draws quite a lot of inspiration from Pokémon,...
Review Fights In Tight Spaces (Switch) - A Fresh-Feeling Roguelike With Turn-Based Tussling
Wham, bam, thank you ma'am
There are an almost infinite number of roguelikes on the Switch, so it could be easy for you to miss the release of Fights in Tight Spaces. First released on PC and Xbox in December 2021, this is a tactical deck-builder that offers visceral violence and surprisingly deep strategy. The concept of one person against a room...
Mini Review Nightmare Reaper (Switch) - A Roguelite, Boomer-Shlooter Bloodbath
Psychoactive
Nightmare Reaper’s procedurally generated stages are as rawly aggressive as the thrash metal motifs that drive it. Coined a looter-shooter, it’s a roguelite that revels in retro visuals, blazing speeds, and the ensuing spectacle of its bloodbath. In a novel move, it procedurally generates levels, meaning each time you die or start...
Review Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! (Switch) - Bubbles Over With Charm (And Useless Bots)
PAYONPAH!
One of the biggest games to dominate the scene of the golden age of arcades was Bubble Bobble, a cute Japanese action platformer centered around little dinosaurs that could shoot bubbles out of their mouths. While that original game eventually went on to spawn a ton of sequels and ports that iterated on the concept, it also led to the...
Positively shocking
Confusion abounds with this one. This isn’t the same Shockman that was originally released for the TurboGrafx-16 back in 1991, which was a localisation of Japan's Shubibinman 2. This, Cyber Citizen Shockman, is a new 2023 translation of the original Shubibinman game from 1989; and frankly, that’s the most special thing about...
Review Bat Boy (Switch) - 'Mega Man With A Baseball Bat' Is Fun, But Not Quite A Home Run
Shohei Ohtani meets Rockman
There’s something refreshing about playing a Mega Man-like action platformer in 2023. Instead of expansive open worlds to explore, you get a handful of themed stages to leap through. There’s no deep narrative or lore to invest in, yet the colourful cast of bad guys and allies draws you in all the same with their fun...
Review Molly Medusa: Queen Of Spit (Switch) - A Frustrating, Wind Waker-Inspired Throwback
Didn't float our trireme
Molinike is in a bit of a pickle. All she wanted was to learn how to be the best sculptor ever, but instead, she’s got snakes in her hair and turns everyone who gets close to her to stone. Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit starts with a fun concept but it strains against its own ambition in almost every direction. Coming from...
Review Super Dungeon Maker (Switch) - A Promising 'Zelda Maker' That Needs More Time In The Oven
Prematurely hatched
Ever since Nintendo gave players the tools to develop their own levels with Super Mario Maker, there’s been talk about the Big N expanding the concept to other franchises, especially Zelda. This was allegedly discussed at greater length behind the scenes and eventually led to the addition of the Chamber Dungeons concept in the...
Mini Review Wild Dogs (Switch) - Solid Contra-Style Running And Gunning
Contra addiction
Wild Dogs borrows almost everything from Konami’s classic Contra series, and this is a good thing. Initially glowing in perfect shades of monochromatic green and formed like a beautifully detailed Game Boy title, it’s both visually pleasing and successful in its nostalgic reimaginings. Playing as mercenary Frank Williams and...
Review Nuclear Blaze (Switch) - A Neat Little Action Platformer, Small And Cool
I don't want to set the world on fire
In April of 2021, the beloved Ludum Dare game jam took place with the theme of 'Deeper and Deeper'. Participants had 48 hours to throw together a game, and Sébastien Benard—known for working on Dead Cells—decided to give it a shot by making a firefighting game called Nuclear Blaze. After the competition was...
Review Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (Switch) - A Stunning Denouement, Utterly Essential
We're really feeling it
Nine months on from the release of the stunning Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and, true to form, Monolith Soft has once again delivered a hefty chunk of story-based DLC for fans to sink their teeth into, this time in the shape of Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed. We’ve already had a bunch of fun new heroes and an all-new...
Review Strayed Lights (Switch) - A Genuine Surprise, Imperfect But Enchanting
Colour us impressed
As soon as we booted up Strayed Lights, we were rooting for it. The sights and sounds were beautiful and haunting, making this freshman offering from developer Embers one of the most enchanting games we’ve played all year. Unfortunately, a string of visual bugs and long loading times marred what was otherwise a glorious...
Review Desta: The Memories Between (Switch) - Dreamy Dodgeball That's Surprisingly Emotional
Balls well that ends well
There’s an approach to relationship counselling where there’s a ball, and whoever is holding the ball gets to speak. Having said your piece, you toss the ball to another person and they get their chance to express themselves without interruption. But here’s an idea: what if you just threw the ball as hard as you could...
Review Afterimage - An Attractive, Sprawling Metroidvania That Struggles On Switch
Don't walk away, Renee
There’s nothing quite like a good Metroidvania. Dense labyrinths to traverse, many kinds of demons/undead/monsters to slay, new equipment to find, hazards to leap, and, most importantly, abilities to acquire that allow you to explore even more. We’ve gotten quite a few stellar genre entries in the last decade, but now we...
Review Castle Of Shikigami 2 (Switch) - A Fine Version Of The Best Game In The Bullet-Hell Trilogy
Something familiar
Shikigami no Shiro, or Castle of Shikigami in localisation, is a shooting game series by Alfa System, a studio that once upon a time pitched in on the likes of Wonder Boy III and several Ys ports for the PC Engine CD-ROM. Castle of Shikigami’s main series spans three games, and, despite the third entry’s intriguing Hi-Tension...
Review Tin Hearts (Switch) - An Engaging Little Puzzler That Tugs On Your Heartstrings
Heigh ho, heigh ho
Remember when Lemmings was all the rage? It’s hard to imagine that the studio that would go on to develop the monumentally successful Grand Theft Auto franchise made such a quaint little puzzler. Lemmings was a darn good game, spawning multiple add-ons and sequels over the years. It’s honestly a little surprising that the...
Review IGS Classic Arcade Collection (Switch) - An Excellent Selection, Poorly Presented
Romance of the Arcade Kingdom
IGS, or International Game System Co., Ltd — not to be confused with '90s Japanese developer IGS (Information Global Service) — is a dedicated arcade developer hailing from Taiwan. Still going strong after 25 years in the industry, it maintains an incredibly strong foothold in both Taiwan and China, producing...
Review The Mageseeker: A League Of Legends Story (Switch) - An Enthralling Hack-And-Slash Spin-Off
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me
It’s a shame that League of Legends has become such a meme for being a source of toxicity, as Riot Games has consistently shown that the world of Runeterra has quite a bit more potential than the MOBA lets on. Through its Riot Forge publishing arm, the company has enlisted...
Six not-so-final Final Fantasies
Few series are as beloved as Final Fantasy, and given how many re-releases, remakes, and remasters we’ve gotten over the years, Square Enix knows this. Often these remakes and re-releases have questionable quality and design choices that diehard fans lament. Enter the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster, which...