Game Reviews scoring 9 or 10/10
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...
Review Blazing Star (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Get it more!
Whenever horizontally-scrolling Neo Geo shooters are discussed, two names inevitably dominate the conversation: Pulstar and Blazing Star. Both were developed by the same core team (Aicom, which then became Yumekobo) and both rely heavily on pre-rendered sprites rather than hand-drawn visuals. Neither title was ported around the time of...
Shrine Get!
eShop veterans CIRCLE Entertainment have kicked off the Switch era with a bang, starting with the excellent rhythm game VOEZ and continuing with the colourful overhead action of Kamiko. Developed by Japanese indie team Skipmore — responsible for Fairune and its sequel on the 3DS eShop — Kamiko sports a gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic,...
Review Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Hitting top gear
Opting for enhanced and expanded deluxe / director's cut / remastered / Game of the Year editions of last-gen games is a well-worn tactic in the early days of a new console. Some of the most enjoyable games on PS4 and Xbox One are high quality re-releases, taking a top-notch title and sprucing it up for a new generation with all of...
Review Graceful Explosion Machine (Switch eShop)
Quite a GEM
Nowadays, it seems to be rather common for developers to lose focus of what they set out to do when they start making a particular game. In an attempt to include "something for everyone" or to make the gameplay as diverse and interesting as possible, a game can often get bogged down by unnecessary distractions and additional content that...
As goo'd as ever
It's hard to believe it's been nearly a decade since World of Goo first glopped its way onto the then-new WiiWare service. A smart, squishy puzzle adventure from indie developers 2D Boy — with some of that team now known as Tomorrow Corporation — it raised the bar on downloadable Wii games and ran off with the hearts of puzzle...
Review The King of Fighters '98 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
The return of the king
While many associate the one-on-one fighting genre with Capcom's legendary Street Fighter franchise, there was a point in the '90s when SNK was arguably at the vanguard of this particular game style. Its King of Fighters series became a firm favourite in arcades all over the world, with yearly updates satisfying the desire and...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U)
Link's latest adventure in its natural home
We've been playing a lot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, mostly on Nintendo Switch. Yet not everyone is buying into Nintendo's latest hardware yet, and there have been plenty of fair questions around how this game shapes up on its original home - the Wii U. After all, this title was announced...
Review Fast RMX (Switch eShop)
FAST just got BETTER
FAST RMX was a lovely surprise for the launch of the Switch, and one that this reviewer was very excited for. With a number in our team having played FAST Racing NEO to death on the Wii U, we were intrigued by Shin'en's promises of 1080p and 60fps performance. But could it live up to these expectations? There's only one way to...
Review Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Switch eShop)
Triple threat
There isn't much one can say about Shovel Knight that hasn't already been said. We at Nintendo Life universally love the game and its two expansions, Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, so when a collection of the three in one download on the Switch was announced, we were quite excited. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the...
Review Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (Switch eShop)
Hauntingly good
When Shovel Knight launched in 2014 it was already an indie darling. In our review we called it "utterly satisfying and wonderful." Shovel Knight became a massive critical and commercial success for Yacht Club Games, which is now a household name among gamers all over the world. Not content to rest on their laurels following Shovel...
Review Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D (3DS eShop)
Go go go
Tanukii Studios' overlooked DSiWare gem, Go! Go! Kokopolo, came at the tail end of the DSi's time on the market, and as a result very few people played the unique action game. While a simple re-release on 3DS would have been acceptable, Tanukii Studios instead crafted a full sequel in Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D. The result is a jam-packed game...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Switch)
A breathless experience
The Legend of Zelda has always been a franchise that best typifies Nintendo's desire to create memorable, substantial adventures. If Mario is all about precise mechanics and pure enjoyment, Zelda is a series that focuses on storytelling, world-building and classical tropes of good against evil, Hero against returning villain...
Review Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World (3DS)
Spinning a good yarn
There have evidently been occasions in recent times when Nintendo started looking at sales figures and picking out projects that deserve a second chance on the 3DS. Yoshi's Woolly World, for its part, is one of a few elite-level 2D platformers on Wii U that stand out as top-notch exponents of the genre. Gorgeous visuals,...
Review Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS)
Return of the King
In addition to a steady stream of top-quality games, the 3DS' RPG library is filled with the sort of lifetime achievements most consoles can only dream of: a hat trick of Monster Hunters, two to four Fire Emblems (depending on your perspective), scores of Shin Megami Tensei titles, and enough Etrian Odysseys to field a curling...
Review Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Wii U)
Genieus
Immediately upon seeing the title screen and hearing the game's main theme, you know that Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is another step forward for this series. Back in 2002, Shantae made her debut on the Game Boy Color to rave reviews but disappointing sales — hardly a shock when you take into account the GBC was on its last legs — but the...
Review Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
Super Mini Maker
Though it never had much of a chance of matching its predecessor in sales, the 3DS has nevertheless proven to be a valuable hardware hit for Nintendo. Its solid sales have not only defied many gloomy early expectations, but has ensured that it's been a strong platform for vital franchises, from sure-fire hits like the Pokémon main...
Review Pokémon Sun and Moon (3DS)
The difference is night and day
The Pokémon series has been through a lot, and a casual observer would be forgiven for assuming that the developers must be out of fresh ideas after twenty long years. Thankfully people who spend far too much time playing video games, like us and many reading these pages, know better. Enter Pokémon Sun and Moon,...
Not your average Joe
It is not uncommon for a game's critical appeal to far outweigh its selling power. Throughout the history of gaming there have been many cult hits that now go for ridiculous prices on the second hand market, EarthBound and the original Shantae being a couple of notorious examples. However, few games can boast the extreme rarity...
Review Pirate Pop Plus (Wii U eShop)
Let's rumble, bubble butt!
In an industry focused on creating increasingly complex games and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the gaming medium, it can be nice sometimes to take a step back and play something that's just… simple. Pirate Pop Plus is one such game; there's not much to it on the surface, but it's one of the most...
Review Super Castlevania IV (3DS eShop / SNES)
The (Belmont) Boys Are Back in Town
The Super NES is, for many, Nintendo's greatest console. It boasted a software library that was an envy of competitors and had more than enough power to stave off unfavourable comparisons to arcade games of its age. Unlike many of Nintendo's more recent home consoles, the SNES is remembered just as much for its...
Review SteamWorld Heist (Wii U eShop)
Now in steamy HD
Though Image & Form's most notable sales and critical breakthroughs have been on the 3DS, its games often cry out to be played in HD. The SteamWorld titles evoke an utterly charming steampunk aesthetic, with clunky and scrappy robots shining at full resolution on a TV. SteamWorld Heist was another hit for the studio on 3DS, but...
The game touch screens were made for
A little while after the Metroidvania-esque Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, developer Drinkbox Studios has returned with its latest title, SEVERED. Released earlier this year on PlayStation Vita, does this unique title reach must-buy status on the Wii U eShop? The story of SEVERED is light. You...
Review Gotta Protectors (3DS eShop)
You've gotta download this
Here's a typical snapshot of a battle in Gotta Protectors. Hundreds of enemies are hammering on the defenses from four different sides, the turrets and barricades are slowly but surely succumbing to the hordes, you and the Princess desperately attempt to beat them back with magic and arrows, and for every felled enemy four...
Review Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS)
Waiting for the End of the World
Whether you know it from its earliest Famicom days, the immensely popular PlayStation-bound Persona spinoffs, or crossover efforts like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, ATLUS' Shin Megami Tensei is one of gaming's most enduring and recognizable series, full of top-shelf JRPGs with deep combat systems and intriguing...
