Latest Reviews
Mini Review Patrick's Parabox - An Exemplary Puzzler That Thinks Outside The Box
Boxed in
Patrick's Parabox is the kind of game you have to play to truly understand. This brain-bending puzzler deftly reinvents itself dozens of times over without deviating from its very simple, programmatic rules revolving around infinitude and recursion. Chances are, you've heard of this premise before: push an object around a grid-like playing...
Review Pokémon Sleep - A Snore-Fest In Mostly The Right Ways
Is this a game to sleep on?
Pokémon Sleep has been a bit of an enigma ever since its reveal in 2019 and nobody quite knew what to make of it or even how it could possibly work. After years of silence, finally, in 2023, we have the game so we’ve fully got to grips with what's on offer, and it is definitely an interesting one. We’ve spent over a...
It's a kinda magic
The Might and Magic series is about as ‘old-school RPG’ as it gets—it’s been around since the distant, ancient days of the 1980s. As the series has changed hands a couple of times over the decades, plenty of spin-offs have been generated, with Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes being the one Nintendo fans are likely most...
Review Pikmin 4 - Relaxed, Refined Real-Time Strategy, Ready To Crack The Mainstream
Dandori glory
Nintendo’s Pikmin franchise, as favourably as it’s always been received by the gaming media, and as much as it has a very passionate fanbase, has never quite managed to establish a proper foothold in what could be considered the mainstream gaming space. The original Pikmin adventure arrived perfectly formed on GameCube, serving up...
Review Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening - Rich, Addictive Strategy That Scrapes By On Switch
A united Japan is within your grasp
The Sengoku period of Japanese history is as fascinating and dramatic as any soap opera. There was treachery, romance, and conflict in every corner of the nation; even historical accounts of the period read like a dramatised version of events. Few series let you dive into this fascinating period of Japanese...
Review Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 5 - A Good, But Not Great, Penultimate Lap
Bidet boost
Gosh, the end is actually in sight now, huh? Yes, Wave 5 for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is finally here, bringing us one step closer to the grand finale with another batch of new and remade Mario Kart content. In addition to the usual mix of revamped courses from Mario Kart games of yore, Wave 5 introduces a brand new...
Review Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist Of Salburg - A Concise And Cosy JRPG That Fans Will Love
Turning lead into gold
The Atelier series has expanded at an impressive rate over the past couple of decades. The most recent game — Atelier Ryza 3 — is the 24th mainline entry in a series that has had a new release almost every year since 1997. However, due to the franchise's more niche appeal, not every entry has made it out of Japan due to...
Review Oxenfree II: Lost Signals - Even Better Than The Essential Original
Tuned to perfection?
Playing through Oxenfree II: Lost Signals will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s experienced the original. Developer Night School Studio hasn’t gone out of its way here to create anything wildly different to its debut title, but has wisely opted to implement everything it's learned over the past seven years or so to...
Mini Review Gimmick! Special Edition - A Rare And Wonderful 8-Bit Gem
Shoot for the stars
Gimmick! is one of the most valuable after-market titles for the Famicom, and even more so for the NES, where it only received a limited release in Scandinavia as Mr. Gimmick. Sunsoft, the publisher, was an unsung hero of the 8 and 16-bit gaming eras, with titles like Batman, Gremlins 2, Panorama Cotton, and Waku Waku 7 to its...
Mini Review Crime O'Clock - 'Where's Wally' With A Temporal Twist, Clever But Repetitive
Playing for time
Crime O’Clock is a stylish-looking, screen-searching detective game that was featured in Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase back in April. The latest game from Milan-based development team Bad Seed, it promises to blend time travel with crime solving across large, densely populated hand-drawn maps. A hidden object game with a...
Review Everybody 1-2-Switch! - Family-Friendly Fun That Lacks Longevity
Horace the Horse is no prized pony
Many of us will have seen the meme format that goes "If I had a nickel for every time [X happened], I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?". It's a phrase that we could apply to a wide range of gaming scenarios, but having played Everybody 1-2-Switch!, the successor...
Review Everdream Valley – A Cute Yet Clunky Farm Sim That Tries To Till Differently
Things that go ‘baa’ in the night
Farming games are well-tilled territory. It’s near-impossible to play a new one without comparing it to the many predecessors on Switch. Everdream Valley knows this, and uses it to both its benefit and detriment. Released on PC and PlayStation last month from newbie developer Mooneaters and publisher Untold...
Review Ray'z Arcade Chronology - M2 Delivers Fine Ports Of Taito's Trilogy
Confounded by the Rayz
The limited edition retailers are getting out of hand again. The Ray'z Arcade Chronology, originally released in Japan back in March, and published by Taito for Switch and PlayStation 4, is receiving a European release courtesy of ININ games. Bizarrely, ININ Games are releasing two different compilations: this, the Ray’z...
Review The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie - A Refreshing Entry In The Kiseki Series
"Thought is the labour of the intellect, reverie is its pleasure"
Movement is such an integral part of the Trails/Kiseki series – both in a literal and figurative sense. The focus on transportation, walking, and familiarising yourself with the geography and inhabitants of Zemuria is paired with moments of political navigation, those who refuse to...
Review Akai Katana Shin - One Of CAVE’s Very Best Horizontal Bullet Hells
Live by the sword
Update: Now that the game is available on North American and European Switch eShops, we're republishing this review of the import version from February 2023. CAVE Co. Ltd, the pioneering, god-tier arcade developer that reignited the shooting game genre in the '90s, has a portfolio to die for. After 17 years of cast-iron quality...
So mysteriful
Following up on the Danganronpa series was always going to be a tricky proposition. With its deceptively simple 'Killing Game' premise, its huge cast of eclectic characters, and its often overwhelmingly macabre atmosphere, it’s no wonder Spike Chunsoft’s visual novel franchise became such a hit with players worldwide. Naturally,...
Review The Lara Croft Collection - Two Well-Preserved Tomb-Raiding Treasures
Lara's back on our raiders
First announced back in 2021, and originally due to arrive as part of Tomb Raider's 25th-anniversary celebrations before being delayed, The Lara Croft Collection has finally rappelled its way onto Switch. This pair of spin-offs may not carry the main series' full moniker, but they are resolutely full-blooded Tomb Raider...
Review AEW: Fight Forever - The Spirit Of WWF No Mercy Lives On In The Ring
Penta plays
Ask any long-time grappling fan what the best wrestling video game of all time is, and they’ll give you one of two answers, both published by THQ: WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain, developed by Yuke’s (which is incorrect) and WWF No Mercy, developed by AKI (correct). For decades no wrestling game has touched No Mercy when it comes...
Review Sonic Origins Plus - Not Bad, But Sonic Still Deserves Better
Here we go again...
About this time last year, Sega released Sonic Origins—a compilation release that aimed to collate the first four (five if we count Sonic & Knuckles as a totally separate game) Mega Drive/Genesis Sonic games in one ultimate package with a bunch of extras thrown in. Though it wasn’t without its issues, Sega more or less...
Review Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - A DS All-Timer Returns In Stunning Form
Trick time!
Is there such a thing as a perfect game? Yes, and it's this one. Listen, you are going to get to the end of this review and think to yourself, "Isn't a 10/10 score, like, Zelda: Breath of the Wild? How can this 12-15 hour game that doesn't even have Hestu in it possibly match up?" You are thinking that because you have not played Ghost...
Review Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope: The Last Spark Hunter - Fun But Safe DLC Lacks Spark
Not enough reason to spend more time with Rabbids
To the surprise of pretty much everyone, the original Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle became one of the best tactics games on the Nintendo Switch. We loved its tight, puzzle-like missions and vibrant world that somehow presented Ubisoft’s Rabbids as less-than-annoying – even, dare we say,...
Review Fall Of Porcupine – A Prickly Hospital Game That Needed A Little More Care
A test of patients
The past few years have reminded us that many countries’ healthcare systems are not in good shape. Even so, it’s hard to appreciate the challenges that healthcare workers face if you’re not one. Fall of Porcupine aims to do this in an approachable way by putting players in the scrubs of 2D animal doctors. Unfortunately, the...
Review Pikmin 2 - Still A Sublime Time, Even Without The 7-Up Bottle Cap
Pik of the bunch
Not content with dropping an HD port of the original Pikmin during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, the platform holder also saw fit to furnish us with this slightly revamped version of its sequel, the very excellent Pikmin 2. Hooray! Yes, Nintendo has planted us firmly in the Pikmin 4 hype zone prior to that game's launch and, if...
Review Pikmin 1 - A Bare-Bones Port, But A Joyous Adventure
Pik it out
Nintendo gave Pikmin fans a couple of lovely surprises during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, prepping players for Pikmin 4's debut by stealth-dropping the original Pikmin and its wonderful sequel in HD remastered form. Exciting! Yes, if you've played these two beauties before, you'll know they're among some of Nintendo's loveliest work,...
Review Fire Emblem - The Blazing Blade Is Still As Sharp As Ever
So much to love Lyndis game
This review originally went live in 2015, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack GBA library. Before Fire Emblem: Awakening kicked off 2013 (the Year of Luigi, you'll recall) with a bang, there was a great deal of concern at Nintendo regarding its...
Review Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine - A Bit Of A Grind
Punishin' Puyo-like puzzlin'
Super Meat Boy changed the game when it released in 2010, as one of the first ‘big’ indie hits of the decade and one of the creators of a subgenre of hard platformers. One would think that such a legendary release would spawn a broader franchise, yet it never got a proper sequel, and Meat Boy only recently received...
Mini Review Skautfold: Usurper - Doesn't Live Up To Its Castlevania-Inspired Key Art
We have Castlevania at home
If nothing else, you’ve got to give the Skautfold franchise credit for being unafraid to mix things up. After Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity introduced the series as a retro-style survival horror, its sequels went on to span the Metroidvania, shooter, and RPG genres. Skautfold: Usurper, the latest release in the series...
Review Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life - Slow, Old-Fashioned Yet Fulfilling Farming
A Wonderful Life, or A Terrible Remake?
What is the value of a remake? That's something we found ourselves asking as we played Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, a remake of the 2003 Harvest Moon game on GameCube, and a surprising addition to Marvelous/XSEED's catalogue of games. Should a remake of a game bring it up to today's standards, with...
Mini Review Hatsune Miku - The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes - Fragments Indeed
Turquoise tragedy
Hatsune Miku fans have been fairly well served on Switch, with the excellent Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix giving Vocaloid devotees a generous helping of over 100 super cool tracks to dig into in one of our favourite rhythm games on Nintendo's console. Seriously, listen to the absolutely nonsensical pop masterpiece 'PoPiPo'...
Review Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted - The Best Home Release Of Toaplan's Final Shmup
The Iceman Cometh
Toaplan, a shooting game developer that flew high in the '80s with titles like Twin Cobra and Truxton, possesses a formidable resume. Batsugun, the company's swan-song shooter, and one of its most historically significant works, spearheaded an evolution of the genre that remains prevalent today. Programmer Tsuneki Ikeda joined...
