Game Reviews scoring 8/10
Review Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl (Switch) – Gold - Endearing RPG Action With Bags Of Character
It's nacho typical RPG
When you think about it logically, we shouldn’t have been surprised by Snack World. After all, when a game’s developed by the legendary Level-5 and has already enjoyed a hugely popular anime series and toy line in Japan, it really should have been on plenty of gamers’ wishlists. Despite this, it’s fair to say that...
Mini Review EQQO (Switch) - An Engaging Puzzler With A Deep Narrative
Eggcellent touch-based puzzler
EQQO (pronounced ‘echo’) is a touch-based puzzle game in which you take on the role of an unseen narrator, guiding her blind son through a sacred land filled with ancient temples, traps, and mysterious creatures. The game offers up several options for its gameplay, and you can mix-and-match depending on how you...
Review Coffee Talk (Switch) - A Refreshing Brew Indeed
Mean bean machine
One of the brilliant things about Nintendo Switch becoming a new harbour for indie development is the sheer number of unusual ideas and concepts that see the light of day. So, even the most oddball of premises have the opportunity to cultivate an audience when they land on the eShop. It's this inclusive atmosphere that's allowed...
Review SpeedRunners (Switch) - Move Over Sonic, These Guys Have Some Serious Pace
Gotta go fast
Ah, the classic superhero. Humble. Brave. Selfless. A beacon of hope to us mere underpowered mortals. And, as it turns out, massively competitive as well. Because in a city full of other metahumans, there’s only so much justice and glory to go around. So that means any super-powered persona in the vicinity is going to have to move...
The feathered arm of the law
Paris, 1848. Revolution is stirring. Murmurs of civil unrest hang heavy in the drawing rooms of the elite. Worst of all, a frog has been murdered. Enter Jayjay Falcon, a defence lawyer of the avian persuasion. Together with his bird-brained sidekick Sparrowson, he must gather evidence to defend his...
Review Darius Cozmic Collection (Switch) - Swimming With The Fishes
M2 works its magic once more
Editor's note: This review is for the Japanese version of Darius Cozmic Collection. The game has since been released in the west in two versions: Darius Cozmic Collection Console and Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade. Close your eyes. Now think about “classic shmups.” What titles immediately spring to mind? Gradius?
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 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...
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 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...
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 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 Ashen (Switch) - A Welcome Spin On The Dark Souls Formula
Ashes to ashes
Originally released back in December of 2018, Ashen takes the extremely well-worn "Souls" formula and transfers it to an enchanting, beautifully stylised world where you assume the role of a nameless, faceless hero charged with restoring the heart of the Ashen, a great bird God whom, when resurrected, will spell the end of an age of...
Mini Review STEINS;GATE 0 (Switch) - A Classy Follow-Up For Veterans Of The Original Visual Novel
A timey-wimey sequel
Let’s not beat around the bush, Steins;Gate is a very well acclaimed visual novel, and this follow-up, Steins;Gate 0 is a worthy entry into the main series. Adopting the same format, world and style as the original Steins;Gate, those looking for a lengthy time-twisting visual novel will not be disappointed. The story takes...
Review Demon's Tilt (Switch) - A Worthy Successor To Devil's Crush
Pinball wizard
Pinball games have been a part of video gaming practically since the beginning, and many consider mechanical pinball machines to be the precursor to the immersive interactive entertainment we enjoy today. Despite the sheer volume of digital pinball titles, it's striking that one name crops up with surprising regularity whenever you...
Red Dead Resurrection
In the days of the Old West, cowboys and outlaws often had their stories told in dime novels. Radio was still decades away and word of mouth spread slowly, so from the 1860s to the early 1900s, these cheap books printed on pulp paper were the main reason the likes of Buffalo Bill, Jesse James and Billy the Kid gained wide...
Mini Review Arcade Archives In The Hunt (Switch) - One Of The Most Unique Shmups You'll Ever Play
Don't call it sub-par
You could almost be forgiven for mistaking almost any given screenshot of In the Hunt for one of the submarine sections in the much more popular Metal Slug series. They're extremely similar visually, for a very good reason – Irem's cult favourite sub-'em-up was developed by the same team who went on to form Nazca and make the...
Review Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party!!!! (Switch) - Unashamedly Japanese Rhythm Action Brilliance
P-A-R-T-Wai? Because we gotta
The Switch has become the go-to system for all manner of genres, and rhythm action is no different. You can’t move for rhythm games on the system, and even if you could, you would have to move to some sort of beat, because that’s the rule now. Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party!!!! is the umpteenth example to make its...
Review Jamestown+ (Switch) - Yet Another Fine Addition To The Switch's Shmup Stable
If you've got it, vaunt it
Originally released back in 2011 as Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, Final Form Games' superlative shmup received almost unanimous praise as a slick and stylish shooter with engaging – and easy to understand – core mechanics. Playable in both solo and four-player local co-op, Jamestown+ is a beautiful,...
Review Shovel Knight Showdown (Switch) - A Smash Bros. Challenger That's Perfect For Switch Parties
Have at you!
After completing its record-breaking Kickstarter run for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games had its work cut out in terms of keeping the promises it made with stretch goals. The much-lauded three additional campaigns were what drew the most reaction from press and fans, but one other mode was announced which didn’t seem to grab nearly as...
Ship Shape
Back in May this year, we reviewed Assassin's Creed III Remastered for Switch and didn't have a great deal good to say about it. It's been patched since – and plays a considerably better game for it – but upon release, it was pretty much a buggy, blurry shambles with a stuttering framerate and a pretty big disappointment for...
A free-to-play a day keeps your money away
The gameplay and progression in SuperEpic might feel familiar to begin with, but what starts out as a simple Metroidvania quickly becomes much more. Themes from throughout the history of games are used to tell a story with very real and extremely worrying implications; that big-name developers are just out...
Review EarthNight (Switch) - A Rewarding, Well-Presented Auto-Runner Lacking A Long Tail
A roaring good time
The auto-runner genre is one that’s typically associated with the mobile gaming space, where microtransactions and shallow gameplay are an expected burden. Indeed, some examples—such as Super Mario Run—have shown there can be a little more depth to the concept than one might assume, but nonetheless, these games have...
Review Farming Simulator 20 (Switch) - Fine Farming With Some Serious Simulation
Keep farm and carry on
While reviews of any sort can only ever be subjective, sometimes writers have to don a different 'hat', so to speak. Games often have particular tempos or ways of doing things that may not marry with your mindset at the time, with other work and deadlines looming. Farming Simulator 20 requires a very particular hat – a...
Review Black Future '88 (Switch) - A Frantic Cyberpunk Classic
Cyber delight
Everybody’s been bitten by the cyberpunk bug recently, with CD Projekt Red’s long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 finally being unleashed on the world next year. There’s no word as of yet regarding whether the futuristic adventure will be following The Witcher 3's leather-booted footsteps over to Nintendo’s machine, but those waiting...
Review REKT! High Octane Stunts (Switch) - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Meets Rocket League
Big stunts with tiny cars on the cheap!
The eShop’s virtual shelves are getting ever more crowded with each passing week. Can the extremely inexpensive game REKT! possibly be anything other than another putrid attempt to break into the Switch Shovelware Hall of Shame? Get ready for a shocker: good things sometimes do come in cheap packages. There...
Review Monaco: Complete Edition (Switch) - Thrilling Heist Action That's Perfect For Couch Co-Op
"I love it when a game comes together"
Breaking out of prison is easy, but staying out is something else entirely. When your face is on every police poster in the country, there’s only one place to go – Monaco. That’s the goal for the gang of criminals who make up the ensemble cast of top-down stealth-shooter Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine...
Review Sparklite (Switch) - An Enjoyable Roguelite That Pays Homage To Zelda In The Best Way
Spark lite, spark bright, you must play Sparklite
Sparklite is a charming action-adventure game that channels the Zelda franchise whilst satisfyingly differentiating itself and establishing its own quirks and nuances. Players will find something both familiar and new here, but what everyone will definitely agree on is that this is an instant...
Review Pokémon Sword And Shield (Switch) - A Solid Start To Gen 8, Despite The Hate
Dynamaxing expectations
If there’s one thing everyone knows about Pokémon Sword and Shield is that they have been talked about. They have been talked about a lot. Whether it’s the controversy surrounding the omission of individual Pokémon or a tree that looks a bit too low-res for people’s tastes, chatter about these games has been incessant...
Review Bubble Bobble 4 Friends (Switch) - A Timely Update That Proves Classic Gameplay Never Ages
One of the great arcade classics makes a welcome return
Since the release of the original arcade classic Bubble Bobble by Taito in 1986, the core of the series has pretty much stayed with its well-proven formula. The biggest deviations being Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars, two sequels which returned Bub and Bob to their human forms. However, it's...
