Game Reviews from 2022
Review Portal: Companion Collection (Switch) - A Nintendo Debut For Two All-Time Greats
This was a triumph ♫
When it was announced that Portal and Portal 2 would be making their way to the Nintendo Switch as part of the Portal: Companion Collection, fans collectively choked on their cakes. Two of the best puzzle games of all time on the go, you say? Yes, please! Naturally, when certain games get ported to Nintendo’s hybrid system,...
Review Wreckfest (Switch) - An Absolute Banger (In A Good Way)
Wreck and ruin
On paper, Wreckfest is one of those games that should never really be possible on the Switch, at least not in a sufficiently playable state. When it came to PS4 and Xbox One in 2019, even though it was widely praised, many noted that it suffered from some technical issues and extremely long loading times. Surely if you’re bringing a...
Review Roller Champions (Switch) - Passable F2P Action, But Barebones And Sorely Lacking On Switch
Rocket... Beague???
Everybody has to have their own, right? Once a breakout game becomes a huge sensation, everyone scrambles to have their own version. PUBG did it for Battle Royales and Overwatch for Hero Shooters; these are a dime a dozen now, with series like Call of Duty and Resident Evil having their own takes of varying quality (or sometimes,...
Review Sonic Origins (Switch) - A Fine Collection For New Fans, Less So For The Hardcore Sonic Crowd
COPE
One particularly bright spot in Sonic's recent history was the release of Sonic Mania. One part sequel and one part reimagining of the 2D classics, that retro revival proved to be one of the best-rated and best-selling Sonic projects in recent years. In the (frankly baffling) absence of a true follow-up to Sonic Mania, Sega has instead opted to...
Review Steve Jackson's Sorcery! (Switch) - One Of Switch's Very Best Narrative Games
Steve Jackson will remember that
Way back in the day, long before video games were any good, the cool new narrative mechanic was Choose Your Own Adventure books. Wildly popular back in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, the CYOA genre died off sharpish with the invention of point-and-click games, text adventures, and video games with vast, sprawling...
Review AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative (Switch) - Another Very Fine Murder Mystery
An AI in your Eyeball
It is hard to beat a good murder mystery. The classic battle of wits between the detective and killer makes for perfect tension and AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative takes advantage of this established formula to give players a fun mystery with plenty of twists and turns, keeping them engaged through the closing...
Mini Review Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition (Switch) - Tough To Recommend At Launch
Cyberflunk
The final entry in Harebrained Schemes' delightful Shadowrun Trilogy sees players thrust into the shadowy underworld of 2056 Hong Kong in a game that doesn't take many risks, sticking closely to the formula of Shadowrun: Dragonfall, whilst serving up another intriguing slice of cyberpunk/fantasy action that's packed full of strong writing...
Mini Review Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut (Switch) - A Cracking Game That Deserves Better
Cyberjunk
Originally released as the first slice of DLC expansion sweetness for 2013's Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall sees players return to an all-new adventure with a brand new set of protagonists taking to the deadly streets of near-future Berlin, where a botched data theft has left one of your team dead as a legendary dragon, the...
Review Shadowrun Returns (Switch) - A Fine Game Scuppered By A Poor Switch Port
Cyberjank
Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun Returns first released back in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw its intriguing cyberpunk-meets-fantasy world drop onto PC and mobile devices, indeed we first played through this one and its superior sequel on our phones and they were an absolute delight. Set in the same universe as the...
Review Shadowrun Trilogy (Switch) - A Fantastic Trio Utterly Let Down By Shoddy Ports
Run down
Harebrained Schemes' superlative Shadowrun Trilogy first released back in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw its intriguing cyberpunk-meets-fantasy world drop onto PC and mobile devices. Set in the same universe as the long-running Shadowrun tabletop RPG series, this is a trio of games that take place in a delightfully...
Review Capcom Fighting Collection (Switch) - An Essential Buy For One-On-One Fighting Fans
It’s a Graveyard Smash
Capcom was a king of the nascent arcade industry back in the 1980s. An innovator, a game-changer, its invention within the fighting game genre remains unsurpassed. The company isn't new to releasing retro collections, with close to 30 compilations across various platforms. With newer hardware, however, there’s a more...
Review Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch) - Musou Magic That Ranks Among The Best
Dynasty Worriers
With the success of the likes of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Persona 5 Strikers and, of course, 2017's Fire Emblem Warriors on Nintendo Switch, it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that Omega Force, the developer behind the long-running Warriors franchise, is intent on continuing to serve up more zany crossovers
Review Fall Guys (Switch) - The World’s Most Chaotic Game Show Lands On Switch, Now F2P
Beyond Blunderdome
Fall Guys was a surprise hit back in 2020. The then-indie developer Mediatonic’s take on the battle royale genre starring those funny little jellybean characters took the world by storm during the height of the COVID pandemic. After an almost two-year wait and coinciding with its free-to-play launch, Fall Guys has finally landed...
Review Final Vendetta (Switch) - A Violent Love Letter To '90s Arcade Brawlers
Those fists were fast as lightning
Do you wake up each morning with a desire to beat the living hell out of street-roaming criminals? Don’t do it, we implore you. Prison isn’t worth it. While Final Fight and Streets of Rage may have been the violent video games that made you the addict to barbarism that you are today, take heart in the knowledge...
Review The Hand Of Merlin (Switch) - Roguelite Strategy That Grabs Hold Of You
These hands are rated E for Everyone
A couple years ago, a small Croatian development team called Room-C set out to create a new game set in Arthurian mythology called The Hand of Merlin. Following a roguelite structure and based around high-difficulty, tactical gameplay, the release quickly gained a passionate fanbase that eagerly awaited each new...
Review Neon White (Switch) - A Thrilling, Hilarious Genre Hybrid That You Simply Must Check Out
Neon dreamin'
Ben Esposito has become somewhat of a star in the indie game scene over the last decade. From his work on Giant Sparrow’s The Unfinished Swan and What Remains of Edith Finch, to his part in Arkane Kids’ bizarro titles like Sonic Dreams Collection, you’ve likely come across him somewhere. However, Esposito is probably best known...
This is serious, so give me a quarter
The energy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the biggest crazes of the '80s, has endured for 35 years. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s initially dark comic creations — later given a kid-friendly refashioning — spearheaded Turtlemania: a toxic-waste fusion of martial arts and mutant teen reptiles that...
Mini Review Cloud Gardens (Switch) - A Low-Key, Rich, And Satisfyingly 'Chill' Game
Green thumbsticks
Cloud Gardens places itself in the rapidly expanding game genre “chill”. It ticks the critical boxes: open-ended, low-pressure gameplay; wistful ambient music; and graphics in colours muted enough and pixels chunky enough not to overcommit to anything. This sort of thing can be a bit meandering, but Noio has installed some...
Devilishly good
Though the manga only started in 2016, Demon Slayer has gone on to become one of the most successful media franchises in existence—even passing up the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft in raw sales. Despite this, Demon Slayer has had shockingly little presence in video games; aside from a Japan-only mobile game that still...
Review Metal Max Xeno: Reborn (Switch) - A Welcome Rebirth Despite Its Flaws
Don't get mad, Max
Editor's note: This review, originally published on Saturday 14th May 2022, was based on the imported Japanese version of the game. However, you can find updated comments relating specifically to the English language release at the bottom of the page. Metal Max fans in the West are not what you’d call spoiled for choice,...
Review STAR WARS: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Switch) - Always Two, There Are
No more. No less.
After Bioware's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic wowed audiences with its in-depth storytelling and RPG mechanics in 2003, publisher LucasArts decided that a sequel would have to be made as soon as possible. Much akin to how Majora’s Mask came out barely a year after Ocarina of Time changed the game, Star Wars: Knights of...
Review Mario Strikers: Battle League (Switch) - Simply The Best Sports Game On Switch
Violence is apparently the answer
Name a sport. Go on, name one. Now presumably you’ve chosen some obscure sport that Mario hasn't played because you saw where this bit was going, but that doesn’t change the fact that our red plumber chap has been in a hell of a lot of sports games. Mario Strikers: Battle League attempts to carry on the legacy...
Review Lost Ruins (Switch) - A Survival-Focused Metroidvania With Fantastic Pixel Art
Pixel punishment
In anime, there is a popular genre called isekai, which means “another world” and is characterised by the protagonist travelling from their normal, boring world into one filled with magic and monsters. Normally, it is a light-hearted affair, with the main character settling into their new life and eventually managing to save...
An art game we can get behind
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery is the first game from Taiwanese developer Silver Lining Studio. Released on Steam and mobile last year, it has collected its fair share of rewards and strong user reviews. With its launch on console this month, it gains an additional epilogue to play through, offering a new slant on...
Review Biomotor Unitron (Switch) - SNK's Mech-Builder Is Heavy With Arms And Retro Charms
Cool robots and nostalgia can only do so much, though
Biomotor Unitron has a wicked name. We’d forgive you for assuming it refers to an obscure power metal band or maybe the title of a 1990s mech-based anime. In reality, Biomotor Unitron is a mech-building role-playing game originally released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color way back in 1999 –...
Review Souldiers (Switch) - A Potent Metroidvania And Soulslike Blend, But Not Without Issues
Die another day
These days, it feels like you can hardly go a week without seeing another handful of games that are inspired by any combination of Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, or roguelikes. Souldiers—the first release from a new development studio called Retro Forge—is an in
Review Card Shark (Switch) - A Wonderfully Witty WarioWare-Esque Affair, With Cards
It's not about a shark
They say cheaters never prosper, but clearly they’ve never played Card Shark, a wonderfully tense, goofy little game that’s all about keeping your cool under tremendous pressure as you basically rob people blind. The act of pulling off the con is shockingly simple, but maintaining one’s composure to ensure that...
Review PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ (Switch) - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
Who let the ghosts out?
Pac-Man Museum+ follows Pac-Man Museum (2014), a collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This updated compilation includes some of the titles in the previous release, and adds several new ones, bringing the total count to 14 (although Pac-Man Arrangement is featured twice with arcade and home versions). It comprises...
Review Wonder Boy Collection (Switch) - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
Strictly Limited fun
Wonder Boy has a convoluted gaming lineage. Initially a platform arcade game featuring a squat caveman-boy in a grass skirt, and developed by Westone (then Escape) for Sega, the sequels quickly splintered off into action role-playing territory. Oddly, there are two chronological entries for Wonder Boy III — Monster Lair...
Review Kao The Kangaroo (Switch) - Rough Edges Can't Ruin This 'Roo's Return
Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up
In the late '90s and early '00s, mascot 3D platformers were all the rage and… well, not all of them were great. For every Super Mario 64, you had a… Bubsy 3D, eventually leading to the genre becoming oversaturated and tired. One franchise that was a casualty at the tail-end of the 3D...