Tag: Mini Reviews
Mini Review Pine: A Story Of Loss (Switch) - An Evocative But Oddly Anti-Immersive Tale
Pining for the fjords
'Game' is a funny word. On its face, it describes lighthearted, fun, frivolous things. Even a very serious game of snooker, in which people wear waistcoats, is 'just a game' on some level. But of course video games can be very different, and Pine is one such game. The subtitle gives it away – A Story of Loss – and it does...
Mini Review Victory Heat Rally (Switch) - Great Looks, But Can't Quite Make The Podium
Scaled back ambition
When Victory Heat Rally first appeared on Kickstarter back in 2020, the game appeared set to pay homage to Sega's wonderful Super Scaler range of arcade games from the 1980s. In the four years that have followed between that Kickstarter launch and this Switch release, something appears to have been lost along the way. Rather...
Mini Review Debris Infinity (Switch) - Retro-Styled & Addictive Twin-Stick Shooting
Infinity repeating
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 twin-stick shooter with oodles of...
Mini Review Heroes Trials (Switch) - A Solid Little RPG (Emphasis On The Little)
Trial of the sentry
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. Sometimes, simplicity and a healthy...
Mini Review UTOPIA 9 - A Volatile Vacation (Switch) - Not Bad, But Hardly A Holiday
We're all going on a run-based holiday
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. Utopia 9 is a...
Mini Review The Raven Remastered (Switch) - A Decent Return For A Decent Murder Mystery
Quoth this
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 bizarre choice for a remaster, The Raven...
Mini Review Inops (Switch) - A Cute & Creative Puzzle-Platformer
Inops-rative
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. Note. This game has, unfortunately, been...
Mini Review Airheart - Tales Of Broken Wings (Switch) - Charmingly Layered Twin-Stick Shooting
Learn to fly again
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. Taking us to the skies, Airheart –...
Mini Review Bad Dream: Coma (Switch) - Nightmarishly Immersive Point-And-Click Horror
Bad times good
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. Horror and point-and-click adventures go...
Mini Review Bleep Bloop (Switch) - A Fun Little Puzzler For A Lazy Afternoon
Don't bleep on it
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. Don’t let looks fool you; despite its...
Mini Review Pumped BMX Pro (Switch) - Bland, Forgettable Biking
Flat tyre
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. Pumped BMX Pro is an arcade sports game and,...
Mini Review Big Crown: Showdown (Switch) - Good, Clean, Party-Gaming Fun
Turn that crown upside down
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. Note. This game has,...
Let battle commence
With the release of The First Console War, the second DLC expansion for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, developer Digital Eclipse has seemingly completed its mission to present the most comprehensive interactive documentary on Atari possible. Much like the previous expansion, this latest release lacks some of the cohesion...
Mini Review Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania (Switch) - Divine DLC Is Absolutely Essential
Finally, some vampire killers
Ode to Castlevania is a full-circle moment for Vampire Survivors. Heavily inspired by the franchise, and originally built with assets influenced by Konami’s whip-cracking series, Luca Galante and Poncle have blown all of their other excellent DLC out of the water. If your jaw isn’t on the floor by the time you roll...
Mini Review RetroRealms: Halloween (Switch) - A Fun & Faithful Slasher Romp
Everyone's entitled to one good scare
The Halloween franchise is a complicated beast. You’ve got the original timeline, the Thorn timeline, the H20 timeline, the Blumhouse timeline, the Rob Zombie remakes and, finally, the adorably weird loner that is Season of the Witch. It’s all a bit overwhelming at the best of times, so thankfully,...
Mini Review RetroRealms: Ash Vs Evil Dead (Switch) - A Gorgeous & Gory 16-Bit Throwback
Groovy
Given the sheer absurdity of the Evil Dead franchise, it’s a wonder we haven’t received anything quite like RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead in the past. Yes, there have been a handful of video games featuring everyone’s favourite boomstick-wielding drunkard Ash Williams, but this latest effort from developer WayForward and publisher Boss...
Mini Review Black & White Bushido (Switch) - A Great, If Limited, Party-Game Premise
It's black, it's white
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 unique concept that provides some...
Mini Review Necrosphere Deluxe (Switch) - A Short, Simple, Metroidvania, But Brutally Frustrating
Sphere-ry hard
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’re someone who suffers from déjà...
Mini Review At Sundown: Shots In The Dark (Switch) - A Fun Little Hide-And-Shooter
One step away from you
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 hide-and-seek multiplayer...
Mini Review Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes (Switch) - A Poor Plot Dulls Some Shiny Strategy
Ashes to caches
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. Strategic RPG Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes...
Mini Review Solstice Chronicles: MIA (Switch) A MIA-xed Bag
Mamma MIA
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. Solstice Chronicles: MIA is a twin-stick shooter...
Mini Review Atari 50: The Wider World Of Atari (Switch) - More Of The Brilliant Same
How deep does the Atari hole go?
Dubbed The Wider World of Atari, this first entry in what will ultimately be a two-part DLC expansion for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is essentially developer Digital Eclipse digging even deeper into the Atari vaults. The result is a new timeline that, while possibly not as cohesive as those found in the...
Mini Review The Shrouded Isle (Switch) - A Great Management Sim Let Down By Its Visuals
Chernobogged down
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 Shrouded Isle has a unique premise;...
Mini Review JackQuest: Tale Of The Sword (Switch) - Simple But Effective Questing
Jack's hit
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. Note. This game has, unfortunately, been...
Mini Review My Memory Of Us (Switch) - Powerful WW2 Allegory With Patrick Stewart & Robots
Engaging
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 unconventional cocktail of a World War 2...
Mini Review Apocalipsis Wormwood Edition (Switch) - Surprisingly Engaging, If A Little Depressing
C'mon Harry, we want to say goodnight to you
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...
Mini Review Bedtime Blues (Switch) - Sub-FNAF Fodder, But Just About Serviceable
Survival fodder
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 static horror adventure that takes the...
Mini Review Wild Bastards (Switch) - Void Bastards' Follow-Up Is A Bland Misfire
Rio Blando
2019's Void Bastards certainly fulfilled its developer's goal of "unusual, original games that always have a strategic twist." In fact, it fulfilled it so well, and with such style and confidence, we just assumed that Blue Manchu's follow-up was going to be more of the very satisfying same, if not even better. However, what we got with...
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...
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...
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...
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...
