Switch eShop, Switch Game Reviews scoring 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6/10
A great game to play elsewhere
Note: This Cloud Version of A Plague Tale: Requiem was tested on 450Mb AT&T Broadband over WIFI, with the router directly adjacent to the Switch dock. On paper, it sounds like offering a ‘cloud version’ of a game is a good idea. The Switch’s hardware was relatively underpowered when it was new, so getting...
Review Oddworld: Soulstorm (Switch) - Ol' Abe Still Intrigues, But He's Shackled To The Past
Still stuck in the '90s
The Oddworld series has never quite evolved past its late 1990s roots; the grimy puzzle-platformer was a unique take on the genre for its time, yet hasn’t really made a mark with the handful of releases and ports since its debut. A shame, as Oddworld, with its Mudokon slaves, the half-mechanical Sligs, and industrialist...
Still life in the old dog
Chapter 1 - An Overdue Return In the pleasant, reasonably well-kept living room of my small, comfortable home, I sat down on the sofa with a warming mug of strong, milky coffee and booted up my Nintendo Switch. As the main menu flashed into existence before me, a new icon caught my eye. It was bold in its simplicity; a name...
Review Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway (Switch) - Slams The Series Into Reverse
"No sir, I don't like it"
Usually when a licensed karting game is released, it’s a one-and-done affair. Cram a load of well-known characters into tiny cars, fling them around a bunch of courses, collect the money and punt them out the door. In that sense, you’ve got to give credit to developer Bamtang and publisher GameMill for holding firm and...
Mini Review The Battle Of Polytopia (Switch) - A Gentle Introduction To Turn-Based City Builders
A simplified quest for world domination
We all have big dreams of world domination, but not everyone wants the full Civilization experience. Sometimes, we just want to take over the planet without having to try too hard! For those times, there is The Battle of Polytopia, a scaled-back version of the usual 4X gameplay that we’ve all grown to know...
Review LEGO Bricktales (Switch) - A Refreshingly Creative Yet Awkward Build
Everything could be awesome
Though the late '90s and early '00s saw a variety of Lego video games released across all genres, the launch of LEGO Star Wars kicked off a 30+ game run of co-op action platformers based around myriad popular IP that’s still going strong today. It’s a formula that’s worked well and evolved somewhat over the years,...
In need of a re-remaster
When a studio looks to remaster an older title from its repertoire, the absolute minimum expectation is that the new version looks and perhaps plays better than the original, making the most of modern hardware and, where appropriate, integrating new features to align with modern gameplay sensibilities. Granted, the results...
Review FIFA 23 (Switch) - The Final Whistle Blows On A Legacy Of Disappointment
Don't waste your Sterling on this
If you’ve been keeping tabs on EA’s hugely popular football franchise, you’ll have heard that FIFA 23 marks the end of an era. As the final game to carry the FIFA licence before EA parts ways with its partner of 30 years, most multiformat sites have been discussing FIFA 23’s importance as the finale of a...
Review Various Daylife (Switch) - A Simple Yet Repetitive JRPG Best For Bite-Sized Sessions
Another day in the life
At this point, it seems almost certain that Square Enix is using an AI to randomly generate new titles in its “Underlined Serif Title” RPG series. Triangle Strategy already felt like it was pushing the limits, but we’ve now been graced with the delightful Various Daylife. After an initial exclusive launch on the Apple...
Review Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris (Switch) - One For Forgiving SAO Fans Only
This link takes a long time to get started
Anime fans around the world will be familiar with Sword Art Online. The light novels and the sprawling media empire that they spawned follow the exploits of Kirito as he stumbles from being trapped in one online video game to another. Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is the latest game to follow...
Review Hokko Life (Switch) - An Animal Crossing-Like That Lacks Charm And Originality
Horsing about on island life
In recent times, life sims and 'wholesome' gaming have taken almost every platform by storm, and now developer Wonderscope Games presents Hokko Life, a colourful community simulator encouraging you to take life at your own pace. This intriguing animal-filled life sim echoes one of Nintendo's most popular titles but...
Review Airoheart (Switch) - Adequate Adventuring For Link To The Past Obsessives
"We have 2D Zelda at home"
It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if that is indeed the case, then Airoheart is one of the most sycophantic releases on the Switch today. There's certainly no shortage of 'Zelda-likes' available on the console, but this is a game that stretches the term “inspired by” to its absolute...
Mini Review Little Orpheus (Switch) - A Whimsical Tale That Left Us Wanting
Absurd tales straight from the centre of the Earth
Developed by The Chinese Room of Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture fame, Little Orpheus sheds some – but not all – of the studio’s reputation for making games with a focus on engaging stories rather than gameplay. Fear not, the studio's flair for an intriguing setup remains...
Review Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness (Switch) - Makes You Work For The Good Stuff
Insert obligatory Nietzshe quote here
Made in Abyss feels like an anime/manga ripe for a game adaptation, especially given its almost Happy Tree Friends-esque combination of cute visuals with incredibly disturbing violence. We finally got that adaptation in the laboriously named Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness, which manages to be...
Mini Review BPM: Bullets Per Minute (Switch) - A Ripping Roguelike FPS, Metal But Muddy
Rip and Shred until it is done
If there ever was a genre that was perfect for Switch, it has to be roguelikes. The pick-up-and-play nature of them is perfect for getting a game in on your commute or on your work break. Another ironically great genre for a Nintendo platform is the First Person Shooter, thanks to the inclusion of gyro-aim. Mash these...
Review Circus Electrique (Switch) - Repetitive Turn-Based Battling In A Gripping Steampunk London
Roll up, roll up
Circus Electrique is quick to pique the interest of any fans of a turn-based tactical RPG, especially those who loved Darkest Dungeon. However, its unique design raises the question of what Darkest Dungeon would be like if it were filled with mechanical mimes and pretentious police officers, all while being set in a gritty,...
Mini Review Super Space Serpent SE / Perpetuum Mobile Bundle (Switch) - A Minteresting Pair
Seriously Mintered
Remember Jeff Minter? Both Perpetuum Mobile and Super Space Serpent SE are heavily inspired by the likes of Tempest and Polybius, and this is no bad thing. There’s always room for more wireframe, purple, and nice liquid trance beats in the gaming world. Although Perpetuum Mobile sounds like an iPhone game, it’s actually a...
Mini Review LEGO Brawls (Switch) - Disappointingly Basic Brick Battles That Stutter On Switch
All minifigures, except the price
Originally released back in September of 2019 on Apple Arcade, Lego Brawls is a Super Smash Bros. style fighting game that sees you jump into eight-player action as one of over 200 unlockable Lego minifigures. You'll battle it out here across a slew of Lego-themed arenas in free-for-all fights or cooperative...
Mini Review Restless Soul (Switch) - A Minimalist Adventure With An Overabundance Of Banter
Signed, souled, delivered
Having helped many an indie developer reach a broader audience, Canadian publisher Graffiti Games has an impressively diverse catalogue of titles, with last year’s Blue Fire being particularly well-received on Switch. Restless Soul, from developer Fuz Games, is a visual blend of Tamagotchi-style sprites in a Kindle...
Mini Review Yars: Recharged (Switch) - A Relaxed, Repetitive Reinvention Of An Atari Classic
Yar she blows
The most recent in a line of Atari ‘Recharged’ re-imaginings, succeeding the likes of Gravitar and Breakout, Yars: Recharged sets about updating what was once the best-selling game on the Atari 2600. Originally released in 1982 and designed by Howard Scott Warshaw (also responsible for Atari’s infamous E.T. the...
Review Dusk Diver 2 (Switch) - An Anime Hack 'N' Slash That Misses The Mark
Livin' La Viada Loca
After launching on PC earlier this year, JFI Games’ Dusk Diver 2 has made its way to consoles three years after the original game. While Dusk Diver was seen as a solid foundation, it lacked in several departments. Sadly, while Dusk Diver 2 makes some steps in the right direction, it comes with a host of its own problems that...
Review Thymesia - Cloud Version (Switch) - A Soulslike That Shows Some Promise, Just Not On Switch
Does Hermes deliver?
Note: This Cloud Version of Thymesia was tested on 100Mb Superfast Broadband using both a 5G WIFI and wired LAN connection. The Kingdom of Hermes has fallen into an age of calamity. In a world where the use of powerful alchemy was once widespread and welcomed, things have gone terribly wrong. The now blood-soaked streets are...
Review Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (Switch) - An RPG Classic That Time Hasn't Been Too Kind To
Old, but gold?
Back in the early 2000’s, the Dark Alliance subseries of the Baldur’s Gate franchise was created as a means of bringing the Baldur’s Gate experience to console players. Either due to hardware limitations or a simple lack of audience interest at the time, the computer RPG design of traditional Baldur’s Gate wouldn’t work for...
A stumbling sophomore outing
After the launch of Wave 1 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass, everyone and their nan turned their attention towards Wave 2; specifically, when on earth it would be coming out. Excitment reached fever pitch (just check out the comments section of any Mario Kart Tour related content if you don't believe us!), so...
Mini Review Redout 2 (Switch) - A Fast-Paced Blend Of F-Zero And Simulation Racing
Big Red
Futuristic racing games haven’t had the easiest go of things over the years. It’s been ten years since the last new Wipeout game, and the newest F-Zero entry, F-Zero Climax, is almost old enough to buy a pint. Luckily, independent developers have been carrying that torch a bit in recent years, with games like Fast RMX filling the void...
Review Bright Memory: Infinite (Switch) - A Chaotic, Crysis-Style FPS, But Messy And Very Short
Micro-Crysis
Everyone has that movie, album or game that despite how objectively flawed it is, you can’t help but love it. Sure, something like Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny isn’t by any means a masterpiece, but that didn’t stop us from watching it countless times. Bright Memory: Infinite fits into that guilty pleasure camp so well. We...
Review XEL (Switch) - Promising Zelda-Style Sci-Fi Adventuring That Falls Short On Switch
Taking the Zelda formula into space
Zelda games have laid out a comfortable roadmap for developers to follow when making action-adventure games, and there's no shortage of Zelda-likes to enjoy on Switch and elsewhere. Tiny Roar evidently took heavy notes from Nintendo’s storied franchise when putting together XEL, which takes cues from both...
Review Rabbids: Party Of Legends (Switch) - A Polished Party Game Journeys To The West
A party of mythological proportions
The Rabbids have come a long way since their first appearance in the Rayman series back in 2006. Since then, they’ve featured in numerous party games, all starring the titular little bundles of chaos. Rabbids: Party of Legends, previously a China-exclusive release, now comes to the West to help tide fans over...
Review F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (Switch) - Frustratingly Close To Metroidvania Greatness
And here comes a giant fist!
Let’s get it out of the way. FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch on the Nintendo Switch is a frustrating game. Not in the sense that it’s difficult, but rather that it is so frustratingly close to being something great and doesn't quite make it. Like doing a pole vault and you crack your ankle on the pole. There’s a lot...
Review Zero Tolerance Collection (Switch) - A Significant 16-Bit FPS That's Hard To Take These Days
Virtual neutrality
Thanks to ray casting, an early form of graphics processing that allowed the rendering of a 2D map as a pseudo-3D environment, Zero Tolerance, a true First-Person Shooter, arrived on Sega’s Mega Drive in 1994. What makes Zero Tolerance Collection significant — particularly for fans of the original — is its boast of...