Latest Reviews
We don't want any adventures here, thank you
A Lord of the Rings cosy game? Made by Weta Workshop, who made the sets, costumes, and props for the beloved Peter Jackson movie trilogy? Say no more, right? Unfortunately, Tales of the Shire is not the perfect mashup of hobbits and hygge we've all been waiting for, but is instead emblematic of the kind...
Review Pokémon Friends (Switch) – Pretty Plushies, Puzzling Pricing
A PokéPuzzle a day keeps the Nurse Joy away
It seems like every Pokémon Direct spends more than half its runtime detailing updates for or announcing casual Pokémon spin-offs. From Pokémon Café ReMix to Pokémon Sleep, we’ve gotten so many Pokémon-themed experiences that any new announce
Review WWE 2K25 (Switch 2) - The Best Wrestling Game You'll Find On A Switch
Holy smooth frame rates, brother
Now that we've got over the excitement of the initial wave of Switch 2 games (well, just about), we're entering an interesting phase for the new console where certain types of third-party titles — stuff that's either been pretty awful or non-existent on Switch 1 — is now starting to drop. We haven't had a big...
Review Patapon 1+2 Replay (Switch) - A Pleasing Return For Some PSP Charmers
Drumroll, please
Ever since I was a kid stomping his feet to pop songs in Dance Dance Revolution and getting pep talks from PaRappa the Rapper about how I gotta believe, I’ve been a fan of rhythm games. And while I love popular juggernauts in the genre like Guitar Hero, I’ll always prefer something with more originality than just simply holding...
Review Wild Hearts S (Switch 2) - Monster Hunting That's Satisfying, If Unspectacular
Take a ride on the wild side
Capcom effectively created a new genre with its famed Monster Hunter series back in the sixth generation of game consoles, and though many challengers over the years (such as Dauntless and God Eater) have since tried to get a piece of its pie, nobody has quite managed to recreate its distinct magic. Koei Tecmo's Omega...
The motion-controlled air hockey will be televised!
I wasn't expecting to give Super Mario Party Jamboree a big juicy 9/10 when I sat down to play it for its initial release on Switch. Not by a long shot, truth be told. And returning to the game for this Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV edition (that's the last...
Roll for initiative
Dungeons & Dragons has had a long and checkered history with video game adaptations, with every ascendant Baldur’s Gate 3 being matched by an equally disappointing Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft. Then there are the games that fall firmly in the middle, like Neverwinter Nights. After the success of the first game in...
Review Monument Valley 3 (Switch) - A Beautiful Piece Of Work In Need Of A Touch Up
Please, don't touch the artwork
There's something nostalgic about going back to Monument Valley. Ustwo's indie hit debuted on mobile in 2014 and helped establish (at least for a mainstream audience) that the mobile space could include the artistry of the wider indie games scene with thoughtful, immaculately presented, perspective-bending puzzlers...
It's a date
No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is the newest entry in Spike Chunsoft's AI: Somnium Files series and is actually a spin-off of the first two games. As a 'mid-quel' between both stories, No Sleep for Kaname Date is a good companion piece for fans of the series but not so much for those unfamiliar. Its visual novel...
Review Shadow Labyrinth - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Sometimes 'Good Enough' Is Just That
For Puck's sake
Pac-Man, as iconic as he is, has felt like he’s been in a bit of a rut in recent years. The rather delightful PAC-MAN 99 aside, there’s an undeniable sense that the series has simply been unable to break away from its core concepts. So, regardless of what gimmicks are chucked in to justify a new entry — Battle Royale in Chomp...
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...
Movable feast
The world is an unpredictable place, full of strife and economic instability. So, there will always be room for another cosy city builder. Swiss developer Stray Fawn Studio sticks to the genre formula but delivers a charmingly fresh thematic twist. The Wandering Village casts you as the steward of a tiny community, striving to survive...
Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 (Switch 2) - A Welcome Reminder Of The Series' Glory Days
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie, Oi, Oi, Oi!
I have to admit, I was really nervous about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. I played the first ‘1 + 2’ collection back in 2021 and absolutely loved it, but my early teenage years were shaped by the Birdman’s third and fourth console outings. So to say that a lot was riding on Iron Galaxy’s remake would be an...
Review Misc. A Tiny Tale (Switch) - A Charming Chibi-Robo Tribute
Aye, Robot
With Switch 2 now hosting Wind Waker, SoulCalibur and the like, have you got a case of GameCube fever? If so, Misc. A Tiny Tale might be just the soothing ointment you need to apply generously all over your body. Lead developer Michael Pearce has said it was inspired by the games of his youth, and it only takes a glance at the trailer to...
Review Tamagotchi Plaza Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Well, At Least It Looks Great
A rotten egg
Back in the mid-to-late '90s, Tamagotchi virtual pets were a massive fad, with kids around the world eagerly raising and interacting with cutesy animals on their tiny pea-green screens. Though the fad inevitably died out, Tamagotchi continued to exist in various forms across the next couple of decades, including a handful of video games...
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...
Review Arcade Archives 2 Air Combat 22 (Switch 2) - A Top Gun Origin Story
You can be my wingman anytime
Namco's Ace Combat series is one of the company's most enduring hits, and has been a solid part of its lineup for decades, selling over 20 million units in the process – yet the origins of the franchise are somewhat murky and certainly not as well known as, say, the Ridge Racer lineage. This is somewhat ironic, as...
Review Missile Command Delta (Switch) - Good Foundations Lost In The Narrative Rubble
Debunker'd
Missile Command Delta, from developers Mighty Yell (The Big Con) and 13AM Games (Runbow), is an experience of two halves. The first is a turn-based strategy take on the classic Dave Theurer-developed arcade game Missile Command; one that shouldn’t work in theory, but genuinely does. The second is a misguided attempt to add context to...
Review Chronicles Of The Wolf (Switch) - A Spot-On Castlevania Tribute That May Test Your Patience
A Metroidvania with claws
Chronicles of the Wolf is a tough game to review. A decade or so ago, 2D Metroidvanias were rarer, but they now represent one of gaming’s most enduring and best-developed genres. But how do I assess a production like this that purposefully ignores many of the design changes that made the genre more accessible? This meaty...
Review Front Mission 3: Remake (Switch) - Didn't Get The Love & Time This Tactical RPG Deserved
Wanzer more unto the breach
Every time I pick up the Front Mission series, I am rooting for it. Mechs (wanzers, in this case) are always cool and I always love a good tactical RPG. However, Front Mission 3: Remake doesn’t just manage to put me off with its deeply frustrating combat mechanics; it feels like a haphazard and even insultingly bad...
Mini Review Until Then (Switch) - A Relatable Yet Ethereal Narrative Adventure
Glitch in the Matrix
Until Then is a visual novel that tells the story of Mark Borja, a high school student who grapples with the usual day-to-day of teenage life while trying to figure out why he’s experiencing weird cases of déjà vu. It’s a slow burn; one that relishes in the quieter, mundane aspects of life that many TV shows and movies...
Mini Review Locomoto (Switch) - On The Right Cosy Track, But Has A Few Train Faults
Tickets, please
I thought Locomoto would be the perfect game for me amidst the Switch 2 chaos. With all the excitement of opening new games and speeding around the track in Mario Kart World, I needed something much slower, calmer, and cosier. And, for the first five hours, Locomoto slotted into that role perfectly. You're the conductor of your own...
Review Tron: Catalyst (Switch) - A Repetitive & Forgettable Time On The Grid
Needs more time to compile
No matter how much I learn about the workings of computers, it will always be Tron in there. Little programs, running around on the Grid, trying to keep the whole system from falling apart. So, Tron: Catalyst felt right up my street. It does a great job of visually replicating that digital world and there is a great idea...
Review Ruffy And The Riverside (Switch) - An Inventive Platformer That's More Than Copy-Paste
The right Ruff
Sometimes I'll get asked to review a game that doesn't immediately feel as though it really falls within my wheelhouse. At all. And I have to admit, as much as I do love the look of Ruffy and the Riverside, with its 1980's kids-TV-show-styled characters, replete with visible marker strokes from having been coloured in, I definitely...
Review Deltarune (Switch 2) - A Superbly Subversive RPG That Defies All Rules
A worthy follow up to Undertale
It’s going on seven years since the first chapter of Deltarune became available and after the release of Chapter 2 in 2021, we’re now finally past the halfway mark of the story with the simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4. To mark the occasion, Toby Fox has decided to give the game an ‘official' paid...
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...
Nothing soulless about this one
Never let it be said that Atlus is afraid of finding new ways to capitalise on its flagship Shin Megami Tensei franchise—for quite a while now, there have been significantly more spinoff ‘SMT-adjacent’ games than mainline entries. Still, that’s certainly not a bad thing, as the company has clearly come up with...
Review Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster (Switch 2) - A Solid Refresh For A 3DS RPG Gem
Have we been here before?
In 2013 (!), Square Enix released a game in Japan for the 3DS called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, which (after a modest update) eventually received a Western release as just Bravely Default. At the time, the company had been focusing development resources much more heavily on games it believed would appeal more strongly...
Review Gex Trilogy (Switch) - A Happy Throwback That Couldn't Be Any More '90s
Enter the '90s
Note. Gex Trilogy isn't playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility at the time of writing, although a patch has been submitted to Nintendo for review, according to Limited Run. We'll update this note when we hear more. Dimitris Giannakis’s Carbon Engine is back on behalf of Limited Run Games, and, despite some previously...
