Game Reviews from 2020/1000
Review Stories Untold (Switch) - A Chilling Horror That Toys With '80s Nostalgia
Stranger things have happened
Stories Untold is a chilling collection of four interconnected vignettes that make up a twisted little journey exploring the true nature of nostalgia and the very fabric of memories we all hold so dear. It examines how we remember and reconfigure things from our pasts and how digging down into what we, on the surface,...
Review Ember (Switch) - A Lightweight RPG That Burns Itself Out Faster Than We'd Like
Neverwinter Lite
N-Fusion's Ember, first released on iOS and PC back in 2016, is just about as generic as RPGs get. A love-letter to the classic isometric RPGs of the 1990s, it manages to pretty much nail the looks and sounds of your Baldur's Gates and Diablos, but it also strips away almost all of the depth, discovery and complexity of those titles...
Review SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone (Switch) - Classic Cute-Em-Up Action With A Great New Mode
Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
Bet you don’t know who Sega’s mascot was for a brief time during the '80s. No, we’re not talking about Alex Kidd – we mean Opa-Opa, the slightly bizarre living spaceship from Sega’s oft-overlooked classic shooter Fantasy Zone. And that game is exactly what we have here, thanks to those gurus at Tokyo-based M2...
Review Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Switch) - Despite Its Rough Edges, This Is Still Worth A Look
Hunting outlaws in backwater towns never felt so odd
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath originally released for the Xbox in January 2005. Fifteen years on, we now have a Nintendo Switch version that feels like a fresh and interesting look at the Oddworld franchise, and one that’s aged extremely well. Not only has the game ported nicely to the console,...
Review SEGA AGES Shinobi (Switch) - A True Arcade Classic Comes To Switch
Ninja skills
Arguably one of the most eagerly-awaited entries in M2’s acclaimed Sega Ages series, Sega’s classic ninja side-scroller Shinobi has pounced from the trees like a sneaky ninja to finally hit the Switch in its glorious arcade form. However, is one of Sega’s most beloved games still as awesome as we remember it? We're about to find...
Review Puzzle & Dragons Gold (Switch) - Sadly, Not Everything That Glitters Is Gold
An unfortunate misstep in a beloved series
The Puzzle & Dragons series has been a juggernaut in the mobile gaming space for close to a decade now, due in no small part to its distinctly satisfying blend of RPG elements with match-3 puzzle action. Even today, the series still routinely pulls grosses well into the billions, which has naturally led...
Mini Review Lydia (Switch) - One Of The Most Emotionally Impactful Games On Switch
Some monsters can’t be seen
Lydia is a powerful game. It’s the kind of experience that, while very short, will make you stop and think about its story long after the end credits roll. It’s tense, funny, and heartbreaking all in one go, and with the option to purchase additional DLC in support of the Finnish A-Clinic Foundation, its underlying...
Review Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times (Switch) - Passable Fantasy Role-Playing Action
Dungeon brawling
The Warhammer licence has spawned countless games over the years – from surprisingly decent shooters to god-awful tactical offerings, and everything in between – but it’s when developers attempt to emulate the tabletop gaming that things can get really interesting. The original 1995 version of Warhammer Quest was recreated in...
Review 198X (Switch) - A Fabulous, If Fleeting, Celebration Of Arcade Gaming's Golden Era
Short, but definitely sweet
There's no denying that for many people, video games offer a means to escape the hum-drum of their daily lives and enter a world that promises plenty of excitement, as well as a stern challenge. For the young protagonist of 198X – known only as 'The Kid' – there's something more than that; video games are how he deals...
Small and deadly
The Switch’s ever-expanding library of games is slowly but surely bringing more and more FPS titles into the fold. Juggernauts like Overwatch and Alien: Isolation rule the roost, but there’s definitely a conspicuous gap in the market for a true co-op FPS game, and that’s where Hypercharge: Unboxed comes in. Channeling the...
Review To The Moon (Switch) - A Powerful Interactive Story You Really Need To Experience
Memories are made of this
Kan Gao's To The Moon is a game whose genesis was, according to Gao, the illness of his grandfather and how that event led him to consider that, when his time came, he might end up regretting decisions he'd made throughout his life. It's a consideration we'll surely all have at some point or another about a situation that...
Review AO Tennis 2 (Switch) - A Decent Tennis Sim Ruined By Woeful Performance On Switch
Cue a backhanded compliment
Despite the fact that there are now officially more games on the Switch eShop than there are people living on the planet (citation needed), it’s fair to say tennis fans have severely limited options when it comes to games on the system. Sure, Mario Tennis Aces is great and all, but those looking for a more serious...
Review Super Crush KO (Switch) - The Only Issue With This Superb Side-Scrolling Brawler Is Longevity
Cat lovers, unite!
Vertex Pop, developer of Graceful Explosion Machine, is back - and it has shifted from 2D shooter to a brawler with impressive results. If you’re a pet owner, you’ll know the very unique bond you have with your animal. They’re your best friend, your pride and joy, and you’d do anything for them – just look at John Wick...
Review Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack (Switch) - Three Solid JRPGs In One Package
Season of the Witch
Originally released on PS3 and then again on PS Vita in 'Plus' form, the Atelier Dusk Trilogy arrives on Switch in this DX collection that packs in all DLC, upgrades and updates made for their Plus versions alongside a host of new features including the ability to fast-forward through exposition, speed your way around the game...
Review Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (Switch) - A Pitch-Perfect, Feel-Good JRPG
A perfectly Chrom-ulent port
The number of big Wii U exclusives that have still yet to receive Switch ports is well into single figures now, with Nintendo seemingly all too happy to continue queuing up its back catalogue and giving each title another chance at success (rightly so, in our opinion). Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is the latest game to get...
Review Atelier Shallie: Alchemists Of The Dusk Sea DX (Switch) - A Fine End To A Fine JRPG Trilogy
Dawn to dusk
The third and final part of the Dusk trilogy of Atelier games, Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk DX is another generous helping of light JRPG action with the series' trademark deep alchemy system at its core. Telling the story of two very different young alchemists, Shallotte and Shallistera, it sees you choose from one of these...
Dusk to Dusk
The second game in the Dusk trilogy, Atelier Escha and Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky DX continues to take part in the same universe as Atelier Ayesha, with some returning characters popping up here and there – but, for the most part, this is very much its own tale and one that, unfortunately, gets off to quite a stilted start. The...
Review Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist Of Dusk DX (Switch) - A Great Introduction To The Series
Witch Time
Hot on the heels of November's Switch release of the excellent Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, Koei Tecmo treats fans of this long-running JRPG franchise to re-releases of the Dusk trilogy, presented in DX editions which incorporate the extra content and changes found in the "Plus" versions of the games found on PS...
Mini Review Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters (Switch) - Plays Like Smash Bros. After A Few Too Many Drinks
You wanna take this outside?
Fighting games are generally known for their slick, precise gameplay. Even something like Super Smash Bros., well known for its accessibility, boasts a remarkable level of depth, perfect for competitive play. Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters doesn’t quite match up (in fact, it really doesn’t), but its bizarre, physics-based...
Mini Review Gigantic Army (Switch) - A Cybernator Homage That's Almost Over Before It Starts
Rocky robot
If you are a hardcore shooting game fan, three-man "dōjin" developer Astro Port might ring a bell. This small team has a clear love for the genre and have produced several shooters based on classics from the 16-bit generation over the past decade. It was a bit of a surprise to see an “old friend” pop up on both Switch eShop and in...
A Gundam 40th anniversary party, SD style
It takes a certain type of western gamer to be a Mobile Suit Gundam fan. You probably got hooked into mecha anime and spent your youth glaring at import gaming magazines, making lists of Gundam games you would either never play, or end up doing so decades after their original release after some brave fans...
Review Princess Maker (Switch) – Faery Tales Come True - A Lazy Update Of An Often Boring Life Sim
Tangled
Princess Maker - Faery Tales Come True, otherwise known as Princess Maker 3, was first released all the way back in January 1997. A simulation/management game, it sees you take the role of parent to a ten-year-old fairy whose been transported into the body – and complicated social life – of a human. Over the course of eight years it's up...
Review Blacksad: Under The Skin (Switch) - Technical Woes Make This A Tough Case To Crack
Feline rough
Detective games can be an unpredictable sort. Their quality often comes down to A) how engaging the core mystery is, and B) how well its mechanics blend with the traditional features of their chosen genre. At their collective best, Telltale and LucasArts really nailed this delicate balance, but some of the recent Frogwares Sherlock...
Review Dr Kawashima's Brain Training For Nintendo Switch (Switch) - Not Quite As Smart 14 Years On
Doctor Why
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the original Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (or Brain Age, if you’re based in North America). Even though these days many credit the Wii with bringing gaming to non-gamers via the likes of Wii Sports, it’s crucial to remember that Brain Training was doing it first, shifting countless DS...
Review Princess Maker Go!Go! Princess (Switch) - A Painfully Dull Spin On A Cult Series
Princess Maker No!No!
CFK's Princess Maker Go!Go! Princess takes the premise of the Princess Maker series – to guide a young fairy-turned-human through her formative years by planning all of her social interactions, classes, work and leisure time in order to make her into the best princess she can be – and turns it into a board game. Instead of...
Mini Review Ultimate Racing 2D (Switch) - Accessible Action Which Sadly Isn't Much Fun
Stuck on cruise control
Top-down racers, whilst never boasting the same level of depth as their 3D counterparts, are reliably accessible. They tend to put a playful spin on what is otherwise an often daunting gameplay experience for newcomers, allowing almost anyone to dive right in immediately. Ultimate Racing 2D succeeds in this respect, boasting...
Review ESP Ra.De. Psi (Switch) - The Best Shmup On Nintendo Switch, Period
M2 ShotTriggers' Switch debut is a thing of beauty
Before we begin our review of ESP Ra.De. Psi, M2 ShotTriggers' latest triumph, here's a little history for those who may not be intimately familiar with ESP Ra.De. and its place within the pantheon of shooting games. In 1998, the blossoming shmup developing studio, CAVE, just finished delighting and...
Review LastFight (Switch) - A Weak Clone Of Capcom's Legendary 'Power Stone'
Power Nap
Piranaking's LastFight attempts to recapture the crazy multiplayer chaos of Capcom's classic Power Stone series, lifting its signature chaotic gameplay wholesale and transplanting it into the world of cult comic book Lastman. All of the most recognisable elements of Power Stone – small 3D fighting arenas, numerous objects and weapons...
