Game Reviews scoring 9/10
Review The Mummy Demastered (Switch eShop)
A run 'n stunning monster mash-up
There are a few different ways this review could have started. Lamenting that officially licensed video games based on blockbuster movies have had a rough history (to put it politely), or the even more disappointing tales of movies that have used gaming franchise IPs as source material. Whichever way you cut the...
Review Oxenfree (Switch eShop)
Under The Skin
Oxenfree is one of gaming’s greatest ghost stories. Granted, they’re a rare breed, the genuinely spooky video game, experiences that aren’t so much played as permitted to crawl across your skin, cooling the blood and yet quickening its flow. But Californian indie studio Night School’s debut production, originally released in...
Review Stardew Valley (Switch eShop)
Star of the show
Stardew Valley is a universally acclaimed farming simulator that was initially released on PC in February 2016, before eventually arriving on other consoles later that year. The last few months have seen little other than pure hype and excitement from Switch players, however, as they finally get to see this Harvest Moon-inspired...
Review Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (3DS)
A classic for the ages
Nintendo's portable gaming has a special place in the industry, a challenge the company will need to tackle in the years to come should it stick with a single 'hybrid' device in the form of the Switch. Nintendo's dedicated handhelds have consistently had games unique to that on-the-go space, with the Mario & Luigi series...
Review Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (Switch eShop)
Lovely stuff
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a multiplayer experience that finds itself sitting somewhere between the action and party genres. Developed by Toronto-based indie studio Asteroid Base, the game has received a lot of love and attention across its PC and other console releases with its use of colour, imagination, and pure fun often...
Bravo
Taiwanese developer Rayark may best be known for its music games on mobile platforms, but it was also responsible for one of the best surprises in the Switch’s launch lineup with VOEZ. Brought to the Switch by publisher Flyhigh Works, this colourful title showed how well once-free-to-play rhythm games could work on Nintendo’s handheld...
Review Golf Story (Switch eShop)
A hole-in-one
One would not think that an RPG centered around golf would really make a whole lot of sense, but Camelot managed to nail the idea back in the '90s when it released Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color. Though it’s a rather niche release in the plumber’s past, it clearly inspired the developers of Golf Story to expand on the concept,...
Review Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (3DS)
The Boos are Back in Town
Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch drew plenty of comparisons to Pokémon when it first came West, thanks to its monster-gathering mechanics and playground appeal, but it really started to resemble Nintendo’s Pocket Monster powerhouse with the split release of its 2016 sequel: Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy...
Review Pokémon Gold And Silver (3DS eShop / GBC)
Golden oldies
Pokémon Gold and Silver are the second generation instalments in the Pokémon series; released at the turn of the millennium, the games arrived just a few short years after their predecessors, Pokémon Red and Blue. Boasting a whole new world to explore, 100 new monsters (bringing the total to 251), and an entirely new cast of...
Review SteamWorld Dig 2 (Switch eShop)
Full steam ahead
As Image & Form often reminds us, its now-familiar core IP began with SteamWorld: Tower Defense on DSiWare, a thoroughly decent tower defence game. It was SteamWorld Dig that was transformative for the studio, however, achieving well-earned success on the 3DS and a range of other platforms. That allowed the team to up the ante...
Review Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
Nintendo used Double-Dip!
The unholy lovechild of Tekken and Pokémon, Pokkén Tournament caused quite a stir when it was first announced, yet Bandai Namco's one-on-one fighter exceeded expectations when it eventually arrived on the Wii U last year following a successful run in arcades. Given that almost all Pokémon games focus on...
Review Monster Hunter Stories (3DS)
Pocket Monsters
Capcom’s Monster Hunter series has become something of a runaway success since its 2004 debut on the PlayStation 2, reaching millions of players on various platforms, and spawning an explosion of similar games in the ‘Hunter’ mold. Action RPGs with a focus on multiplayer teamwork and lengthy battles against massive monsters,...
Review Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition (Switch)
Everybody Loves Rayman
It’s funny how things come full circle. It may be hard to remember now, but way back at E3 2012 when Rayman Legends was first revealed, it was declared a Wii U exclusive. Any Wii U owners who were eagerly awaiting Legends will recall the frustrating events that took place over the year that followed: originally planned as a...
Review Retro City Rampage DX (Switch eShop)
Ultimate chaos
Retro City Rampage was years in the making for Brian Provinciano and a small team through his studio Vblank Entertainment, but came up against bumps in the road. It eventually made its way to WiiWare, and in time Retro City Rampage DX arrived on PC, consoles and the 3DS eShop as an enhanced version of what was an excellent game...
Review Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)
Bwang Bwang
When Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was revealed to the world through a leaked image of a selfie-taking 'Rabbid Peach', it's fair to say that not all reacted with joy. It seemed like a horrific bit of fan art, especially once follow-up artwork showed Mario and company targeting guns at foes; yet when the game was revealed plenty of...
Review Aero Fighters 2 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Awesome Shmup action
Aliens are causing trouble all over the world and it’s up to you to stop them. There’s a variety of colourful characters for you to pick from including a baby, a head-in-a-Jar and a dolphin (no, really) as you take to the skies to save the day. With frantic play, some great music and a dose of the quirky, Video System’s...
Gain the upper hand
From Canadian developer DrinkBox Studios – the creative force behind Metroidvania brawler, Guacamelee – comes Severed, an action-adventure game with RPG elements, real-time combat and a whole lot of slicing the body parts from various creatures onto the floor. The game was initially released on PlayStation Vita back in April...
A Most Adventuresome Little Probe
When it comes to independent studios, Metroid-styled games are like opinions – everybody has one. While it’s easy to jest, the template is solid and the amount of nostalgic cachet they have is very strong. Exploratory games are a dime a dozen these days, so to get your lock-and-key, ability discovering...
Review Sonic Mania (Switch eShop)
Sonic is back to his best
In certain circles of chatty online gamers, Sonic the Hedgehog is often a hot topic. SEGA and Sonic Team has taken its mascot on some wild rides over the past 20+ years, stepping into 3D 'modern' Sonic, attempting a return to 2D with Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and dividing opinion, and blurring the lines (with some success) in...
Review Slime-san (Switch eShop)
It's not easy being green
If there's a lesson to be learned from Slime-San, it's that looks can be deceiving. Glancing at screenshots reveals a grungy, pixellated style, some weirdly gooey environments and what would appear to be a fairly straightforward 2D platformer, but scratch just beneath the slightly viscous surface and you'll find...
Review Ironcast (Switch eShop)
More than meets the eye
At E3 this year, this writer got the chance to demo an intriguing game called Ironcast, which initially sounded like it was trying to do a bit too much all at once. A match three puzzler that’s also a roguelike, that’s also a strategy RPG with permadeath? Even so, we came away feeling that it just might have what it takes...
Review Cursed Castilla EX (3DS eShop)
A blessing, not a curse
For a series which takes an almost sadistic delight in frustrating those who play it, Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins garners a surprising amount of adoration from gamers - but the company doesn't seem particularly interested in resurrecting Sir Arthur for any new adventures, so thank goodness we have games like Cursed Castilla EX...
Happily Ever After
Ever Oasis might be a new IP, but it comes from a long and storied pedigree: the brainchild of Secret of Mana creator Koichi Ishii, and developed by Grezzo (of the 3DS Zelda remakes and StreetPass Garden/Flower Town fame), while it certainly reflects the influence of its creators’ earlier works, as a full package it feels fresh...
A catchy Quote?
Nintendo consoles have, as of late, become a safe haven of sort for indies looking to publish their wares on home consoles. It makes sense, then, that the Switch would receive its own port of one of the most popular indie titles of all time, Cave Story+. Originally released in 2004 on PC, Cave Story gained popularity and...
Mostly armless
For a company that is so often accused of relying too heavily on its existing franchises, Nintendo has been refreshingly open to creating new intellectual properties of late. Splatoon famously came out of nowhere back in 2015 and established Nintendo as a key player in the online shooter genre, and now ARMS is attempting to perform...
Review Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Switch eShop)
Your wish has been granted
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was a standout release on the Wii U late last year, bringing an excellent and whimsical Metroidvania adventure to the platform which we deemed to be arguably the best entry in the Shantae series yet. Given the game’s pedigree and WayForward’s great relationship with Nintendo, it seemed a...
Heart pounding
Thumper provides a stern test. Actually, to be clear, Thumper tries to crush your spirit and beat you, and it often succeeds. If gruelling - but fair - difficulty isn't on your wishlist for a prospective new game purchase, Thumper fundamentally isn't for you. If you do like to be pushed to the edge of your reflexes by games and have a...
Review Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)
Alms for the War
Nintendo has a habit of switching things up in sequels, and especially in the NES days that tendency resulted in some gloriously divergent sophomore installments. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link famously swapped overhead adventuring for side-scrolling action, Super Mario Bros. 2 (in the West, at least) exchanged running-and-jumping...
Review Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (Switch eShop)
Block Party
Minecraft is a game that needs no introduction; the quirky block building game has been a pop culture sensation for many years now, and has a port available on just about every modern platform one can name. Given the existence of Minecraft: Wii U Edition and the hybrid nature of the Switch, it was only a matter of time before...
Review Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Only winners And losers here
Out of all the critically-acclaimed one-on-one fighting games produced by SNK over the decades, Garou: Mark of the Wolves has to rank as one of the most beloved and revered. Released at time when 3D visuals were taking the industry by a storm, it was seen by some as a companion piece to Capcom's equally gorgeous Street...
