Switch eShop Game Reviews
Review The Star Named EOS (Switch) – A Sparkling Puzzler With A Sincere Story
Starry-eyed
Photos capture a moment in time with full objectivity. They can defy our version of events, and settle ‘that’s not how it happened’ arguments. In these cases, you could say fitting a photo into one’s memory becomes a…puzzle. For this review’s sake, please think about that metaphor, because it's the premise of The Star Named...
Slide it over
There isn’t another puzzle game like Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. It makes sense that a game about celebrating the differences between humans and the world would be so different. With Arranger, Furniture & Mattress – the studio formed by the lead writer on Carto, the artist of Braid, and the puzzle designer on ETHEREAL...
Review SCHiM (Switch) - A Chill, Shadow-Hopping Platformer That Prioritises Aesthetics
It's Frogger, but emotional
Though 3D platformers often go down the collectathon route to varying success, it can be interesting to see new entries in the genre try something a little different. SCHiM is one such fresh title, eschewing a focus on cartoonish characters, wacky levels, and mountains of things to grab in favor of a semi-narratively...
Mini Review Toree's Panic Pack (Switch) - A Third Pop Of 99¢ Platforming Pleasure
The only moral Toree
Toree's Panic Pack costs 89p. 99¢. That’ll probably either perk up your ears, or make your face twist in reasonable scepticism. Luckily, as with all the previous Toree games, it’s absolutely worthy of the former and certainly not the latter. Previous games in the series of short and colourful 3D platformers have had a...
Mini Review Conscript (Switch) - A WWI-Themed Love Letter To Resident Evil, Minus The Scares
Atten-hut!
When you think of survival horror, chances are you think of zombies, monsters, ghosts, and other fantastical, supernatural creatures. Conscript tries something a bit different. Set during World War I, you’re faced with something more feasible and realistic than any of the aforementioned beasties: the horror of war. Yes, the enemies here...
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate (Switch) - Hades In A Half-Shell
Roguesteady
From the outside, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate looks a lot like Hades. The room-based gameplay, upgrade and power-up systems, approach to storytelling, and hack-and-slash combat will be no stranger to those who have played the award-winning god-like roguelike. But this is no bad thing. Imitation is the sincerest form of...
Review Let's School (Switch) - A Solid Management Sim In School Uniform, But Lacks Soul
Class is in session
Everyone’s school days were a gauntlet of different challenges. From exams to social drama to the occasional run-in with a schoolyard bully, everyone had a bit of a hard time, but spare a thought to the poor headteachers who had to keep a building full of hormonal teenagers from descending into utter chaos. Let’s School from...
Review Darkest Dungeon II (Switch) - An Uncompromising Sequel That Isn't Afraid To Try New Things
Prepare to die
Upon booting it up for the very first time, Darkest Dungeon 2 greets you with a message that plainly informs you that you’re going to fail… a lot… while trying to overcome its many challenges. It does this not to discourage you, but to set expectations. Keeping with the precedent set by the first Darkest Dungeon, this sequel is...
Review Princess Maker 2 Regeneration (Switch) - A Solid Return For Simulator Royalty
Needs more dad jokes
Before Super Mario Maker, there was Princess Maker. Yes, these two series have absolutely nothing in common beyond a shared naming convention and we’re definitely being more than a bit cheeky, but it’s technically a true statement. Back in the early ‘90s, Neon Genesis Evangelion anime studio Gainax took its biggest swing...
Review Fading Afternoon (Switch) - An Ambitious, Absorbing 'Yakuza' In Kunio-kun's Clothing
The gang's all here
Technos’ Kunio-kun titles, a 42-strong series dabbling in various genres, began in 1986 as a simple arena brawler. Its most popular entries, however, were those that incorporated non-linear role-playing elements based around soap operatic high school thuggery. Anyone familiar with those titles, specifically on Famicom, Super...
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Blood-meltingly beautiful
Tsukihime is responsible for a lot of things. Back in 2000, Type-Moon’s classic visual novel captivated audiences with a story crammed full of occult mystery, thrilling action, and heart-pounding character drama. Like jagged lines splintering out of a unified core, its success spread out in many different directions:...
Review Frogun Encore (Switch) - A Sure-Footed 3D Platforming Throwback
A ribbiting new adventure
Though the heyday of the 3D platformer is long past, modern indie developers have done a pretty good job of keeping the spirit alive through dedicated efforts in titles such as Lunistice, Mail Mole, Cavern of Dreams, and Demon Turf. Frogun was another decent new entry to the genre back in 2022 and now the developers at Top...
Review Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch) - Beyond Good, Still
Turning a new Pey'j
Considering the lengthy ongoing development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 and the subsequent grilling from eager fans that Ubisoft has brought upon itself over the years, it’s easy to forget just how darn good the original game is. First released on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube at the end of 2003, Beyond Good & Evil was one of the...
Review NeoSprint (Switch) - Atari's Pricey But Revved-Up Retro Romp
Burnin' rubber
If you had visited an arcade in the late '70s and ’80s, there’s a good chance you’d come across a bustling Sprint cabinet complete with crowd-pulling steering wheels and pedals. Atari’s once ubiquitous overhead racing classic is now making a comeback on modern consoles with NeoSprint, and we’re happy to report that it...
Review Metal Slug Attack Reloaded (Switch) - Tower Defence In Its Goofiest, Gacha-iest Form
Sluggish
Once again, the world is on the cusp of being taken over by the evil General Donald Morden and his Rebel Army. Only the Peregrine Falcon Squad, led by the heroic Marco Rossi, stand in the way of the Rebels establishing their New World Order. This could be the plot of just about any entry in the Metal Slug series, which is at its best when...
Review Dicefolk (Switch) - An Incredibly Fresh-Feeling, Monster-Catching Roguelite
Want to be the very best, like no one ever was?
These days, roguelites and deckbuilders are a dime a dozen, but it seems like developers are finding ways to get creative with the genre mechanics to produce something that sticks out from the glut of releases these past several years. Dicefolk offers one such creative take on the roguelite formula,...
Stranger stuff
Developer Cococucumber has established itself as a dependable indie studio over the past few years. Specialising in accessible throwbacks, it adds a fresh spin on old genre formats. Although its latest title Ravenlok is (pun intended) locked away behind Xbox exclusivity, Switch owners can finally try the second in the dev's...
Unsung hero
‘Underrated’ is a term too often applied recklessly, but for Rocket Knight Adventures, a series that struggled to reach global stardom despite Konami’s three-pronged stab, it’s appropriate. Its initial entry resides in the upper echelons of everything 16-bit and is one of the finest titles on the Mega Drive. Yet, Sparkster,...
Review Monster Hunter Stories (Switch) - Showing Its Age But Still Worth The Hunt
Portable monsters for the kids (and kids at heart)
When Capcom released Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on Nintendo Switch back in 2021, there may have been some that said, "Wait, there was a first game?" It's worth remembering that the original outing of Monster Hunter Stories came towards the end of the 3DS era; in fact, it was released...
Review Star Wars: Hunters (Switch) - A F2P Hero Shooter That's Fast, Fun, And Force-ful
Drop it like it's Hoth
You would be forgiven for having a bad feeling about Star Wars: Hunters. This free-to-play, class-based, hero shooter was announced by FarmVille developer Zynga in 2021, but a duo of delays and its appearance in the already stacked genre of '
Review Overmorrow (Switch) - Intriguing, But Assumes Too Much With Its Save-Wiping Setup
'Morrowind you up
Overmorrow, the debut release from solo developer PixelManta, manages to be philosophically interesting, is evocatively written, visually distinct, and lovingly crafted. Yet, the notion of re-playing it – which you’ll effectively need to do by design – is a tall order, and therein lies the unfortunate problem with this...
Review Picross S Namco Legendary Edition (Switch) - Picross Gets Pac-Man Fever
A nest of Namco nonograms
It’s been rough out there for poor Picross fans during this generation, as they’ve been cruelly starved for content with only 23 game releases on Switch (if you count the 'e' series) that offer up a paltry sum of over 5,000 puzzles to solve. Those puzzles aren’t even all original either—if you really want to be...
Review Hauntii (Switch) - A Beautiful Tale In A Bad State
This ghost has unfinished business
Since this review was originally published, patches have reportedly addressed or improved one or more of the issues cited. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. What do you get when...
Review Capes (Switch) - Solid Superhero Strategy That Channels XCOM
Not all heroes wear them
In a dark, futuristic world, being a superhero has been outlawed. Not by the government, but by the only force in King City that matters – The Company. Capes takes the turn-based strategy genre and gives it a comic book feel, putting you in the control of a fledgling group of superheroes trying to dish out justice in a...
Review Wizardry: Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord (Switch) - A Grand Remake Of An Iconic Game
Trebor SUX
You don’t get ‘lucky’ in Wizardry, not like you can do in other games. You might run into an easy enemy once in a while, but if you decide to take a chance during an expedition and descend a floor ‘just to see’ how it goes, it will not go well. "Your entire party has been slaughtered." Again. This remake of Sir-Tech's formative...
Review Paper Trail (Switch) - A Storybook Puzzler That Folds Up Beautifully
Turn the Paige
Though plenty of Paper Mario fans are eagerly awaiting the return of one of the greatest games in the series at the time of writing, there’s another new game set in a papery world that we’d suggest you pay attention to. Newfangled Games’ Paper Trail is the debut release of the boutique London-based studio, and its smart mixture...
Out of the frying pan and into space
Following up the sublime Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster was always going to be tough. Rather than tackle another well-known franchise, Nightdive Studios has wisely chosen to revisit one of the weirdest forgotten gems of the ‘90s with PO’ed: Definitive Edition. Utilising the same principles as Dark Forces,...
Review Slayers X (Switch) - A Fun But Basic Boomer Shooter That Lacks An X Factor
The video game equivalent of Limp Bizkit
Fans of unconventional narrative-driven games may be familiar with Hypnospace Outlaw, a cool project from a few years ago that aimed to simulate an alternate take on the social environment of the late '90s internet. Though Hypnospace Outlaw will be receiving a proper sequel with the upcoming Dreamsettler,...
Review Lorelei And The Laser Eyes (Switch) - An Excellent Puzzle-Filled Homage To Resident Evil
The Eyes have it
It’s fair to say at this point that Annapurna Interactive has one hell of an eye for a good game. A laser eye, if you will. The odd stumble aside – Twelve Minutes was a bit rubbish and the likes of Last Stop and Open Roads were perfectly fine, but not quite masterpieces – for the most part, Annapurna has an exceptional track...
Review Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs (Switch) - Pac-Man 99’s Successor Is A Flop
First as tragedy, then as farce
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” said former US President Teddy Roosevelt. The gist is that sometimes a comparison can negatively skew our perceptions or diminish our appreciation of individual qualities. Roosevelt didn’t have multiplayer Pac-Man in mind when he came up with his oft-quoted consolatory aphorism,...
