Game Reviews scoring 9/10
Review Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) - Absolutely Smashing, But Can It Beat Mario Odyssey?
Big DK energy
Even though it confirmed my suspicions, the reveal that Donkey Kong Bananza was coming to us from the team behind Super Mario Odyssey couldn't help but strike a little bit of fear into my heart. We know that the group within Nintendo EPD is a talented bunch, but how was I ever going to be able to fully throw myself into another 3D...
Sow much fun
When I reviewed Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for Switch before its release, I said the newest entry was a "must-play for Rune Factory fans and would be well-enjoyed by newcomers to the series as well". Now, having played the game on Switch 2, I can safely say that Guardians of Azuma is still an inventive twist on a beloved series,...
Sci-finery
What comes to mind when you think about BioShock? The remarkable sense of place? The Plasmids? The creepy atmosphere and unsettling enemies? The audio logs? Whatever it may be, chances are that it probably cropped up first in the 1999 sci-fi horror FPS System Shock 2. Written and designed by Ken Levine, who would go on to lead the...
The best life
I absolutely adored the original Fantasy Life on the 3DS, and thankfully, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has proven to be a worthy successor, sinking its claws into me all over again. Kate Gray reviewed the Switch 1 version and said, “It's beautiful, it's robust, it's got multiplayer, it's got three fully-fleshed-out areas...
Review Split Fiction (Switch 2) - Peerless, Visually Stunning Co-op Adventure With Boundless Variety
Co-authored
In many ways, Split Fiction feels like the culmination of everything Hazelight Studios has accomplished in the co-op space. The journey began with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a charming fantasy that required solo players to coordinate both thumbs to control two characters simultaneously. The studio then progressed to A Way Out, a...
Review Mario Kart World (Switch 2) - The Perfect Introduction To A New Console Generation
Highway to Shell
True story: Not long before Switch 2 launched, I passed my driving test in America. A new Mario Kart game perhaps isn't the best game to start after getting a licence in a different country, nor do I recommend taking lessons from a game that puts a cow in the driver's seat, but that's besides the point. Driving around Mario Kart...
Review No Man's Sky - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Hello Games' Classic Without Cuts Or Concessions
Atlas(t)
When was the first time you played No Man's Sky? For me, it was right back at its initial launch in 2016, a launch that, for reasons that have been recounted ad nauseam by now, left me fairly miffed overall. Here was a game that was very obviously a huge task for its small (and, as it turned out, phenomenally determined) dev team, a game...
Come on and join the Kohga
It felt weird coming back to Tears of the Kingdom, one of my favourite gaming experiences evz, so soon after I had wrapped it up for the first time. Time has sped by unfathomably quickly, and I wasn't sure whether a performance boost and an additional mobile app would be enough to let the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition get its...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) - A Timeless Treasure
Cel-da? Is...is that you?
In honour of the game's arrival on Switch 2 as part of the Nintendo Classics GameCube lineup, here's our new retro review of one of Link's most memorable adventures... If I were to put together a list of my favourite pre-Switch-era Zelda games, those that came before the
Review Yakuza 0: Director's Cut (Switch 2) - A Series Highlight That's Never Looked Or Played Better
I'll be damned, the punk kid's finally turned into a true yakuza
Yakuza 0 was the first Yakuza game — after many, many attempts on my part — that finally and fully opened my eyes to the magic of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's long-running (and entirely bats**t) franchise. This was the one that finally did me in. And from the moment its incredible...
Review Fast Fusion (Switch 2) - The Most Accomplished Entry Yet, And A Visual Showcase
Fuuuuusion, haah!
Some of my favourite memories from the Switch 1 came from those opening few weeks following the launch in March 2017. Like everyone else, I was utterly glued to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but I also poured a huge amount of time into Shin’en Multimedia’s Fast RMX. It was the game to showcase what the console was capable of in...
Review Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Switch 2) - A Superb Port Of An Incredible RPG
Here comes the choom-choom train
It’s more often than not these days that a game released in an underwhelming state is left abandoned in a pool of its own minor updates. On occasion, though, we have a redemption arc like that belonging to 2020's Cyberpunk 2077. Originally released in a state that was barely functional and riddled with more bugs...
Review Pipistrello And The Cursed Yoyo (Switch) - A Masterclass In Retro, Zelda-Style Game Design
Check out this next trick
Though the latest 3D Zelda releases have unmistakably taken the already popular series to all-new heights, there are still some fans who miss the ‘old’ way Nintendo used to design its popular green-hatted protagonist’s adventures. Such fans will want to pay attention to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo from...
Larger than (Fantasy) Life
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time knows which side its bread is buttered. The original Fantasy Life on 3DS is a cult favourite, but not a bestseller by any means — yet its dedicated fanbase has been proselytising about the game for well over a decade, and it's those fans that have been hoping for this sequel for...
Review Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma (Switch) - A Bold Reinvention That Pays Off
It'd be rune not to
Rune Factory’s first entry arrived to a welcoming fanbase almost 20 years ago, and players have signed on for the adventures of a string of amnesiac protagonists, equal parts fighter and farmer, ever since. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma delivers on the promise of the series with another hero mysteriously connected to the...
Review Into The Restless Ruins (Switch) - A Marvellous Meld Of Dungeons, Deckbuilding & Auto-Combat
Celtic connections
It's possibly becoming a bit of a hard sell these days, the old roguelike dungeon-crawling adventure, replete with retro/pixel visuals. We know it. However, as busy and as overstuffed with pale imitators to the greats as this genre is, it's still well worth keeping an eye out for the odd gem. And here we have an example of said...
Review Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Switch) - A Cracking Collection Of Top-Class Arcade Fighters
A Dream(cast) collection
We love Capcom Fighting Collection 2! There, that's the review done. Seriously though, this is a particularly strong lineup of actual arcade Bangers (yes, with a capital B), that doesn't have anything approaching a full-on weak spot across a stellar roster of classic titles, so it's not really a surprise, is it? Indeed,...
Review 1000xRESIST (Switch) - A Sci-Fi Narrative Masterpiece, Hair To Hair
You can (not) Resist
We know. We’re pretty late with this one, but this bears talking about. Cast your mind back to 9th May 2024 and "Indie Game Day", with multiple outstanding games dropping simultaneously, demonstrating the variety, beauty, and necessity of independently-owned game studios. We covered several of them
Review Shotgun Cop Man (Switch) - Move Over, Meat Boy, There's A New Sheriff In Town
Devilishly good
Gun recoil (or kickback) has often been viewed as a negative in gaming; something that, through the application of unlockable perks, can be lessened or even eliminated entirely. Yet with Shotgun Cop Man, recoil is fundamental to both combat and traversal. Created by Swedish developer DeadToast Entertainment (Victor Ågren), Shotgun...
Review Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) - The Series' Second Western Release Still Hits Hard
Worth fighting for
This review was originally published in March 2015. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance library. While Fire Emblem is a franchise with a long history in Japan, its track record in the West is far more condensed; in fact, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones...
Sirei-iously good
Back in 2018, a new studio called Too Kyo Games was formed, with the main creatives behind it being Kazutaka Kodaka (the creator of Danganronpa) and Kotaro Uchikoshi, the director of the Zero Escape games. Four projects were unveiled as part of the studio’s reveal, and while three of them saw release over the following years,...
Review Donkey Kong (GB) - One Of The Game Boy's Very Best
It's on with the King of the Kongs
This review was originally published in June 2011. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy library. In 1994, Nintendo had a great idea; why not make a true sequel to the original Donkey Kong arcade game? The result is Donkey Kong for the Game Boy,...
Review Sorry We're Closed (Switch) - An Ethereal, Colourful Survival Horror Like No Other
Love is hell
To call à La Mode's Sorry We’re Closed a survival horror is certainly accurate in many ways, but it also does a disservice to just how unique and fresh this debut title really is. While it absolutely borrows a few elements from genre classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill (including the obvious PS1-inspired visuals), Sorry...
Mini Review Momodora: Moonlit Farewell (Switch) - This Exquisite Metroidvania Is The Series' Best
A fitting farewell
We love it when a studio demonstrates significant growth and improvement with each of its subsequent projects. With Bombservice specifically, the team has always boasted a strong understanding of what makes Metroidvanias ‘click’, and with Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, it’s delivered what may well be its finest game yet. The...
Review Laika: Aged Through Blood (Switch) - A Supremely Unique Motorcycling Metroidvania
What a lovely day!
In a market inundated with Metroidvanias, Laika: Aged Through Blood does something remarkable: it actually tries something new. That’s not to say that recent examples haven’t had a good crack at standing out amongst the crowd — Animal Well is certainly testament to that — but many largely stick to the same rulebook. Laika...
Review Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Switch) - The Sci-Fi Hit Gets A Brilliant Follow-Up
Pay it starward
A few years ago, a little tabletop-RPG-inspired visual novel called Citizen Sleeper arrived on the eShop, expertly crafting an experience that tied together dice-rolling mechanics with a player-driven science fiction narrative. It quickly gained a cult following, leading to a short series of free DLC chapters and the announcement of...
Review ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom In The Mist (Switch) - An Incredibly Polished, Downbeat Metroidvania
One that shouldn't be mist
A few years ago, developers Adglobe and Live Wire (which, fun fact, also developed Harvestella) released a Metroidvania called Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights to high praise. Combining a heavy atmosphere with tough, Soulslike combat in a dark fantasy world, it stood out as a notably quality addition to a genre that...
Mini Review Taito Milestones 3 (Switch) - Third Time's A Charm
Getting better all the time
The Taito Milestones series has already witnessed two collections (the '3' at the end of the Taito Milestones 3 is a bit of a giveaway), but the odd thing with this series is that the quality has arguably improved with each offering, rather than diminishing as the best games are featured early on. As we noted with the...
Review Sutte Hakkun (SNES) - An Addictive Curio You Should Definitely Check Out
One of the most unique video game experiences ever crafted
This review was originally published in April 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online SNES library. Every so often a game comes along that makes you take your thumb off the fire button and don your thinking cap. But who wants...
Review Blade Chimera (Switch) - A Ridiculously Fun, Combat-First Metroidvania
Slice to kill
The problem with the term ‘Metroidvania’ is that it’s a far broader genre classification than some give it credit for. Depending on where they fall on the spectrum between the exploration-heavy Metroid series and the combat-centric Castlevania series, it’s possible for two games to both be considered Metroidvanias while...
