Latest Reviews
Mini Review NBA 2K25 (Switch) - Sound The Buzzer And Call For A Sub, This Baller's Washed
Slam dump
There was a time when the yearly NBA 2K Switch entry was something to look forward to. Each year was a step back from the next-gen counterpart, of course, but the Nintendo port offered a near-full-fat experience with the added bonus of portability. Those were the days, eh? Anyone who picked up NBA 2K24 will have realised this is no longer...
Review Yars Rising (Switch) - A Stylish, Ambitious Revival Of An Atari Classic In Metroidvania Form
Qotroidvania
Over the past few years, Atari has been revisiting its storied history with compilation titles, remakes, reboots, and surprise sequels. So while a revival of Yars’ Revenge really shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, we have to admit to being a bit taken aback by Yars Rising. After all, what was once a stylish, yet basic...
A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do
That Rugrats has somehow managed to remain in the public consciousness for so long is impressive in its own right. This is in part down to Nickelodeon continuing to screen it for younger generations, and that the show ran for 13 years across 172 episodes and spawned two feature films. The most important...
Wanna take you for a ride
There was some deserved hype surrounding Capcom’s first Fighting Collection, preserving the best of Street Fighter and Darkstalkers, and including a delicious Red Earth bonus for good measure. The furore across the internet upon the announcement of the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, however, seemed...
Here comes the Sun
Despite the energetic title of this collection, the legendary Japanese development house Sunsoft never really went away. It's been steadily cranking out original titles, ports, and remasters on arcade and console since 1978, although it will likely never recapture the glory days of the 8- and 16-bit era. So prolific was its output...
Review Shogun Showdown (Switch) - A Turn-Based Roguelike Masterclass
To the left, to the right, slash em'up, dodge and cut, s'alright
Listen. If you're fed up with roguelikes, deckbuilders and the like, we feel you. In the indie sphere in particular, there are an awful lot of games in these genres right now, enough to have us auto-glaze over anytime we see the words mentioned, and even though there are plenty of good...
Review Pizza Tower (Switch) - An Ingenious Platformer That Beats Wario At His Own Game
Wario would be proud
Nintendo’s Wario Land series has always occupied a unique niche in the company’s extensive catalogue with its weird humour and unconventional approach to platforming tropes, which is why fans have been greatly let down by the fact that there hasn’t been a new entry in over 15 years. To fill the gap, an indie team called...
Mini Review Hive Jump (Switch) - Solid Four-Player Action Platforming
Hive and take
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Hive Jump is a 2D shooting platformer that...
Mini Review Stellar Interface (Switch) - An Addictive, Though Not Quite Stellar, Roguelike Shmup
In yer Stellar
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. At first glance, one might groan at the...
Mini Review Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight (Switch) - Another Marvellous Metroidvania
Moonlight serenade
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. The fourth in this series of 2D...
Mini Review Neko Navy - Daydream Edition (Switch) - Good Bones But Undernourished
Feline 'em up
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. If you love the shmup genre and feline...
Mini Review Clock Simulator (Switch) - The Perfect Tool To Kick Off An Existential Crisis
Tick tock
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Certainly one of the more bizarre titles we’ve...
Review Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (Switch) - File This With The Series' Finest
Best case scenarios
In the Ace Attorney games, Edgeworth has always been a bit like an outdoor cat. He drops in every now and again, does his job, then disappears for weeks, sometimes months at a time. Later on, you'll find out some cool tidbit of information – he was in Europe doing Important Lawyer Things, or chasing an Interpol lead in the deep...
Mini Review Gunman Clive HD Collection (Switch) - A Cracking Run-'N'-Gun Duo
Clive's handy, son
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. It’s two for the price of one with...
Mini Review Samsara: Deluxe Edition (Switch) - A Satisfyingly Outside-The Box, Upside-Down Puzzler
Friends don't lie
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Samsara is a puzzler with a unique...
Mini Review Horizon Shift '81 (Switch) - A Fast-Paced Shooter That Oozes Enthusiasm & Passion
Shifty
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Paying homage to the Atari days, we have the...
Mini Review The Keep (Switch) - Mid-Tier Dungeon Crawling
Keep on crawling
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. A dungeon crawler with a retro influence,...
Mini Review Snowboarding The Next Phase (Switch) - An Easygoing But Entertaining Boarder
Seven out of TenEighty
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Red Bull has taken another dive...
Mini Review Feudal Alloy (Switch) - A Hearty, Hand-Drawn Metroidvania
Tank controls
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Feudal Alloy is a really good indie...
Mini Review Unicornicopia (Switch) - Nope, Not Even For The Kids
Nah, you're alright
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Unicornicopia is a maddeningly simple...
Mini Review Animus (Switch) - Satisfactory, Small-Scale Souls
Blinded by the lite
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. From the very first screen it’s...
Mini Review Bury Me, My Love (Switch) - A Tough But Well-Written Text Message Tale
Nour is typing...
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. An intensely personal and deeply moving...
Mini Review Cake Laboratory (Switch) - Mind-Numbing, Mobile-Style Filler
Tiering up
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Ah, the food-based mobile arcade game. When...
Mini Review Wondershot (Switch) - Simple, Skill-Focused Battles With Friends
Wondershotter's nation
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Simplicity is key here, as...
Mini Review Oxyjet (Switch) - Frantic Fun For Four Players (But Only Four Players)
Joy-Con jumper
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. A multiplayer experience in the truest...
Mini Review Julie's Sweets (Switch) - Basic Cooking Sim With Soul-Sucking Visuals
Look into my pies
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. A typical arcade-style time management...
Mini Review Overdriven Reloaded: Special Edition (Switch) - Ebullient Bullet Hell
Manic gunday
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. A port of a shmup that originally started...
Mini Review Catastronauts (Switch) - Overcooked & Star Trek Collide In Engaging, Chaotic Co-op
Coolant leak! We've got a coolant leak!
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Playing in a...
Mini Review Can Of Wormholes (Switch) - A Very Worm Welcome For This Ingenious Puzzler
Roll tape
Greetings, worms! Finally, for all you readers who are worms, scouring Nintendo Life for worm-related content, here’s a game that puts annelids front and centre. Wiggling onto Switch from solo dev Munted Finger, Can of Wormholes dares to open that proverbial can and launch squiggly bird food – if we may call you that – straight at a...
Mini Review Castaway (Switch) - A Fine-Looking But Very Thin Piece Of Zelda Flotsam
A quick link to the past
We almost set ourselves the challenge of writing this review without mentioning Link's Awakening. But as sure as a retro-styled 2D RPG includes hackable bushes, Castaway had so many similarities to the Nintendo classic that it would have been impossible. Despite our preference for a fresher take on the formula like the...
