Marvelous Inc. Game Reviews
Review Story Of Seasons: Grand Bazaar - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - The Series' Best Remake Yet
This bazaar adventure is a real diamond
Sometimes the lines between remaster and remake can be blurred. Metroid Prime Remastered seems much more like a full remake, and a few games called remakes don’t quite live up to expectations. For Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar - based on Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar - even the term remake doesn’t quite...
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,...
Review Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma (Switch) - A Bold Reinvention That Pays Off
It'd be rune not to
Rune Factory’s first entry arrived to a welcoming fanbase almost 20 years ago, and players have signed on for the adventures of a string of amnesiac protagonists, equal parts fighter and farmer, ever since. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma delivers on the promise of the series with another hero mysteriously connected to the...
Review Farmagia (Switch) - A Lighthearted Anime-Style Romp With Monster Crops
Guess how many days take to grow a dragon in your farm?
When Marvelous revealed Farmagia during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, we saw a familiar concept wrapped in an intriguing package: an action RPG with farm sim elements, like those so fundamental in two of the publisher's biggest series, Rune Factory and Story of Seasons, but wrapped up in a...
Review Doraemon Story Of Seasons: Friends Of The Great Kingdom (Switch) - Familiar Farm Sim Fun
Planetary exploration has never been so chill
The first Switch Doraemon: Story of Seasons launched in 2019 and was praised for harmoniously combining the cast of the much-loved children's anime with the relaxing gameplay of one of the most well-known farm sim franchises, and while it may not be the most obvious combination, its beautiful art style...
Review Doraemon Story Of Seasons (Switch) - A Charmingly Slow-Paced Life Sim
Wrap up with this winter warmer
The tale of Story of Seasons is a bit of a strange one. Originally conceived under the series name Harvest Moon, developer Marvelous enjoyed relative success with titles like Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life and Back to Nature. However, in 2012, the licensing of the name lapsed, and owner Natsume reclaimed...
Review BurgerTime Party! (Switch) - Too Many Cooks Spoil The Burger
Overcooked, or a rare treat?
You can tell BurgerTime originated in 1982 from the state of the burgers you’re building. Nothing fancy: a flat bap, a patty, a limp bit of lettuce and maybe a tomato or cheese slice in the more exotic levels. A true 2019 update should deliver ludicrous towers of buttermilk chicken, smashed avocado and chipotle sauce...
Review Fate/Extella Link (Switch) - One Of The Best Musou Games On Nintendo Switch
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love
Musou fans have been a bit spoiled this generation, with many great releases in this niche genre coming out for the Switch, some of which are from the Big N itself. One of the more middling Musou games from the early days in the Switch’s life was Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, which married that...
Review Senran Kagura Reflexions (Switch) - Cheap Titillation Masquerading As A Love Story
A massage simulator that’s strictly NSFW
With so many unique hardware features at its disposal, Nintendo Switch has given developers plenty of inspiration when it comes to using the HD Rumble and gyro-controls of the Joy-Cons. We’ve aimed down imaginary sights with triple-A first-person shooters, pulled off many a routine with dancing simulators...
Review Assault Gunners HD Edition (Switch eShop)
Barely meching it
Niche genre Switch owners have had a rough first year attending to their unique appetites, yet slowly but surely several releases have been filling those tricky gaps. The potential for a Switch mecha game has remained untapped bar the odd eShop and SD Gundam re-release title, but we all know that
Review Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (Switch)
The Emperor’s New Clothes
If you’re unfamiliar with the Fate/ franchise, you’ll certainly be forgiven; this long-running series from doujin developers Type-Moon started with a 2004 erotic visual novel (Fate/stay night), and has flown largely under the mainstream radar since, while steadily expanding into a massive media collection of RPGs,...
