Latest Reviews
Review Metro Redux - A Compelling Pair Of Amazing Horror Shooters
Apocalypse Now
Metro Redux unites a comprehensively overhauled Metro 2033 and its sequel Metro: Last Light in an excellent first-person survival horror package that's stuffed to the mutated gills with genuinely creepy stealth gameplay and a gripping story that sees protagonist Artyom make his way through the mutant-infested Metro deep beneath...
Review Metro: Last Light Redux - A Big-Budget FPS That's Right At Home On Switch
Half Light
Metro: Last Light Redux sees the first-person survival horror adventures of post-apocalyptic Metro ranger Artyom continue in a sequel that seeks to up the ante in terms of big-budget bombast. There are lots of OTT on-rails sections here and even a couple of traditional boss battles thrown into the traditional Metro mix, but it's when it...
Review Metro 2033 Redux - A Truly Astonishing Switch Port Of A Genre Classic
This is Sparta
When Metro 2033 originally released back in 2010, it was something of a graphical showcase that really put the latest consoles and custom-built gaming PCs through the wringer. Rebuilt from the ground up in 2014 for this enhanced 'Redux' edition in order to bring its visuals and gameplay more in-line with its sequel, Metro: Last Light,...
Review Samurai Shodown - This Blade Is Still As Sharp As Ever
Another 'victoly' for SNK
When Street Fighter II arrived in arcades in the early '90s and turned the one-on-one fighter into the genre of choice for millions of players, it predictably caused a deluge of copycat clones to flood the market, each offering a slightly different take on the concept. Few of these could hold a candle to Capcom's effort,...
Review Kunai - Pacing Problems Undermine This Otherwise Likeable Roguelike
Unleash your inner ninja
You awake in what seems to be a graveyard for robots. Or, more of a room with piles of dead robots filling every corner, piled up to the ceiling. Your rescuers are among them, their bodies blending in with the countless others. This world has been run into the ground by a tyrannical overlord, and you, an anthropomorphised...
Review Speedway Racing - Daytona USA Has Nothing To Worry About
Days of Blunder
For gamers of a certain age, the name Sega is a synonym for arcade racing perfection. From Yu Suzuki’s sprite scaling opus Out Run to the polygonal bliss of Virtua Racing, the company always stood at the top of the arcade racing genre due to on-point game design, ensuring that anyone regardless of skill could walk away with a silly...
Review Vitamin Connection - A Charmingly Unique Co-Op Experience, When It Works
Co-op cure-'em-up is a mostly sweet pill to swallow
It might sound like a health supplement conference, but Vitamin Connection turns out to be one of the zestiest Switch exclusives of the year so far – which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise when you consider that the developer behind it, WayForward, is responsible for the joyful Shantae...
Review Warface - A Perfectly Competent Free-To-Play Shooter For Your Switch
Face for radio
While most of us – this writer included – have given up any hope of seeing a Call of Duty or a similar triple-A multiplayer shooter on Switch anytime soon, some studios have attempted to fill this void with their own take on asymmetrical gunfights. Some have been a success (Paladins being a fine example), while others have ranged...
Review Two Point Hospital - Arguably The Best Version Of An Acclaimed Modern Classic
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
Harkening back to the “good old days” of Theme Hospital from Bullfrog in the '90s, Two Point Hospital wraps the same irreverent humour into a modern game that introduces a whole new generation to the joys of medicine. This is a game about managing expectations. Patients expect to be treated and...
Review Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition - The Best Version Of The Best Devil May Cry
Three is the magic number
After the absolute mess that was Devil May Cry 2, Hideaki Itsuno returned to the fray in 2005 with this absolute banger, righting the wrongs of his previous effort, returning protagonist Dante to his righteously cocky self and letting loose with a no-holds-barred, non-stop action thrill-ride that, to this day, is as good as...
Review Pop'n TwinBee - Konami's Colourful 16-Bit Shmup Shines With Couple Mode Co-op
Colour me glad
The TwinBee series enjoyed relative success in Japan throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Pop’n Twinbee was the sixth game in the series, and the last proper shoot ‘em up entry before Konami took it in a different direction with things like spin-off platformer Rainbow Bell Adventures. Because it was never released in...
Review Brief Battles - A Well-Designed Pair, Though You'll Have To Share
Choose Your Underwearriors!
Juicy Cupcakes' Brief Battles sees you and up to three pals go head to head in a variety of butt-based competitive and co-op duels using powers gleaned from magical pairs of pants. You'll bound around its arenas, clinging to walls and ceilings, jumping through portals, fending off all manner of weird alien beasties and...
Review Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth - A Steampunk Visual Novel With A Literary Twist
Steampunk Hunks
Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth is an Otome visual novel originally released for the PlayStation Vita back in 2015 that sees you assume the role of Cardia, a mysterious young lady with a serious case of amnesia who's been shut off from the world and is living her life in a strange abandoned mansion at the behest of her elusive...
Review Smash Tennis - One Of The Best Sports Games Of The 16-Bit Era
A stroke of genius
There have been plenty of underrated games over the years, but every now and then you get an entire series that hasn’t enjoyed the level of success and attention it deserves. That’s the case with Namco’s Smash Court Tennis franchise, which has consistently served up (ahem) some top-quality arcade-style tennis action, but –...
Review Darksiders Genesis - Thrillingly Visceral Action Tempered Slightly By Performance Woes
Cores of War
Darksiders Genesis continues the series' penchant for switching up its central gameplay style and influences, this time settling on a Diablo-esque camera angle for its hack-and-slash antics. At first glance, it may seem far removed from the third-person romps that make up the rest of the franchise, but, rest assured, once you jump in...
Review Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate - An Iterative Update For Hardcore Fans Only
Quantity over quality?
Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is here, and it brings with it a host of additions to the vanilla version of the game, adding some much-needed replayability via a brand new Infinity mode, seven new characters, tweaked gameplay mechanics, a slightly refined UI and beefed-up story. It's all pretty much as you'd expect if you're a fan...
Mini Review Tilt Pack - An Accessible Yet Shallow Arena Brawler
Smash Bros. stripped to its bones
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is undeniably brilliant, but there's a fundamental disconnect at the heart of it. Despite its bright, inviting presentation, the series has traded its knock-about couch co-op appeal for an increasingly technical fighting system and reams of esoteric fan service. Don't agree? Start a game...
Review Knights And Bikes - A Zelda-Style Adventure That's Perfect For Couch Co-Op
A Nessa-sary buy
There are few things on this earth as expansive and wonder-filled as the imagination of a child, and there are few games that can communicate this concept as effectively as Knights and Bikes. The latest release from Foam Sword – a studio comprised of some ex-Media Molecule staff – manages to perfectly convey the carefree and...
Review Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha - Great Games Shamed By Horrendous Input Lag
Delayed reaction
At face value, Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is an excellent proposition – a collection of some of the most beloved shmups and arguably the best titles Psikyo ever produced. At the humble price of $39.99, the new owner of the Psikyo properties, City Connection, is offering four must own shmup titles and two solid STG at an average...
Review Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – 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...
Review Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 3 - Mucky Madness On Two Wheels
Scrubbed up
Italian developer Milestone might not have the pedigree of Polyphony Digital or Codemasters – at least, not yet – but the racing specialist has always seen the value in porting many of its games to handheld platforms. Just being able to play the original MXGP – albeit in its ‘Compact’ form – on PS Vita, years before Switch...
Review Code Shifter - This Forgettable Franchise Crossover Is A Missed Opportunity
By the numbers
Though it certainly occupies a niche, it’s tough to dispute the level of clout and influence held by Arc System Works. The studio positively thrives on 2D fighting games, with franchises like Guilty Gear and River City being among its more well-known work, and its 30+ year lifespan has seen the introduction of plenty of new games...
Mini Review EQQO - 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 Ash of Gods: Redemption - A Gorgeous Turn-Based RPG Failure
Scammer Saga
Ash of Gods: Redemption wants to be The Banner Saga so bad it hurts. Everything about AurumDust's turn-based RPG is influenced massively by Stoic's superlative dark fantasy effort, and that's fine. It's got the exact same animation style, dark and brooding story, life-or-death decisions to be made, branching narrative, RPG elements,...
Review Coffee Talk - 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...
Mini Review Skellboy - An Amusing Take On Zelda That's Undone By Sluggish Performance
Don’t lose your head
In the once peaceful land of Cubold Kingdom, life is flipped upside down when the king’s court magician gets well and truly dumped by the princess. In a fit of rage, he unleashes death and destruction on the pixelated world, bringing forth a host of ferocious monsters. Unbeknownst to the magician, however, he has also...
Review Arc of Alchemist - One Of The Worst RPGs To Hit Switch So Far
An unfortunate concoction
Say what you will about the overall quality of its output, but never let it be said that Compile Heart doesn’t love to make RPGs. The studio – best known for its successful Hyperdimension Neptunia series – has always been prolific, to say the least, but alas, it’s also developed a reputation for putting out many...
Mini Review Sinless - A Cyberpunk Point-And-Click Adventure That's Over Too Soon
Sinful lens flare
The Switch most likely won’t be getting the cyberpunk game that everyone’s currently talking about (boo!), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are no examples of the genre available on the platform. Alongside titles such as Observer, Neo Cab and Astral Chain, Sinless is an
Review The Turing Test - A Likeable Portal-Style First-Person Puzzler
The Imitation Game
Bulkhead Interactives' The Turing Test, originally released on PC and Xbox back in August of 2016, sees you assume the role of Ava Turing (yes, we know), part of a team of International Space Agency research engineers sent to one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, in order to carry out a bunch of top-secret excavations and experiments...
Review The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics - Solid But Unspectacular Tactical Action
Puppet Master
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics seeks to recreate the major plot beats and battles from Netflix's recent – and absolutely excellent – Dark Crystal prequel series in turn-based tactical strategy form. An expensive, multi-episode forerunner to the seemingly long-forgotten 1982 movie masterpiece was a somewhat unexpected...
