Tag: Mini Reviews - Page 7
Mini Review Picross S5 (Switch) - You Know The Drill By Now, Surely?
It's Picross, but now there's a '5' on the tin
There are plenty of excellent puzzle games on the Switch, but arguably the most ubiquitous franchise out there is Nintendo’s own Picross series, which has featured fairly frequently ever since the platform’s launch year. With the launch of Picross S5, we’re now looking at the sixth (!) entry in...
Mini Review The Alto Collection (Switch) - A Breezy Pair Of Smartphone Classics On Your Switch
Cruise Control
Some of the best mobile games are often the most straightforward. By happy coincidence, this also means that they’re especially easy to port over to other systems. The Alto Collection takes two of mobile gaming’s most celebrated titles, Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey, and puts them together in one handy – albeit rather...
Mini Review Five Dates (Switch) - An Amusing Dating Sim That Doesn't Seem To Know Its Audience
“Are you courting?”
Lockdown in 2020 has undoubtedly forced us – as a society – to rethink a few things. Gone are the simple pleasures of attending a concert or a sports game, and even the anxiety-inducing dating scene has largely migrated to the online world. With this in mind, Wales Interactive has concocted a surprisingly funny, authentic...
Mini Review Pure Pool (Switch) - As Close To The Real Thing As You'll Get On Switch
A ball game right on cue
Pure Pool does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a pool game through and through, and a darn good one at that. Developer VooFoo Studios has wisely restrained from flooding Pure Pool with wacky flourishes and overblown physics, instead focusing on delivering an experience that’s as close to the real deal as you’re...
Mini Review Mad Rat Dead (Switch) - A Delightful Mix Of Rhythm Action And Platforming
Rodent rave
There’s one thing that really stood out to us when we started getting to grips with Mad Rat Dead: this game is cool. Everything about it, from the stylish visuals to the sublime soundtrack, screams attitude, and the devs have done a remarkable job in conveying this feeling without going overboard. If you’re a sucker for rhythm games,...
Mini Review YesterMorrow (Switch) - A Time-Travelling Novelty Which Grows Old, Fast
Great Scott!
On paper, YesterMorrow is a really neat concept for a game. A side-scrolling adventure, its main twist is the ability to jump between two separate timelines, spaced several years apart. You play as Yui, a young girl whose life is thrown into disrepair after her home is destroyed and her family kidnapped by ‘Shadows’ during the...
Mini Review TENS! (Switch) - Immediately Accessible Puzzle Action
Get ready for sum fun
For many, maths (or math, for you folks over the pond) isn’t always the most therapeutic of exercises. It can be downright perplexing at times, and if you don’t have a natural aptitude for numbers (like this writer), then frustration can set in quickly. It’s good, then, that TENS! – from developer Kwalee – doesn’t...
Mini Review Touhou Spell Bubble (Switch) - A Puzzle Bobble Sequel In All But Name
Taito hops onto the Touhou Project
The Touhou Project is one of the most noteworthy success stories of independent game development there has ever been. Since 1995, creator Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta has self-published 22 games in the series – and over the course of that period, there have been numerous spin-off games created by fans of the series who want...
Mini Review Vigil: The Longest Night (Switch) - A Grim And Foreboding Metroidvania
They come at night
Developed by Taiwan studio Glass Heart Games and inspired by titles such as Salt & Sanctuary and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Vigil: The Longest Night is a gothic Metroidvania which places you in a grim, horror-filled fantasy world and expects you to unravel various mysteries in the role of Leila, a member of the...
Mini Review Double Pug Switch (Switch) - Not The Greatest Runner, But Still A Good Boy
One for the dog lovers
Switch might be a natural home to platformers but outside of 2018’s excellent Runner3, and the less-excellent Bubsy: Paws On Fire!, we’ve seen little of the runner sub-genre. Targeting the dog lovers, Double Pug Switch from The Polygon Loft seeks to fill that niche. Bringing us a challenging platformer, you play as Otis,...
Mini Review Space Crew (Switch) - Bomber Crew's Sequel Takes Us To The Future
Aiming For The Stars
It’s been two years since Bomber Crew landed on Switch and at the time, we thought quite highly of it. Developed by Runner Duck, it successfully mixed a real-time management simulation with strategy, taking place in a World War 2 setting. It was quite surprising then to see a sequel putting us in charge of an intergalactic...
Mini Review Falcon Age (Switch) - The Closest Most Of Us Will Get To Owning A Pet Falcon
Spread your wings and fly away
We can all agree that falcons are pretty cool. What’s even cooler is the notion that certain folks out there can utilise these majestic creatures for hunting purposes, coaxing the bird into their hand with just a simple whistle. If you happen to see someone with a falcon attached to their hand and rocking a tweed...
Mini Review Macbat 64 (Switch) - A Pitifully Weak Clone Of Those N64 Platformers You Know And Love
An utterly mediocre journey
Nostalgia is a powerful motivator in gaming. Providing a sense of comfort and familiarity, developers often target this feeling through sequels and remakes, but in the last decade, we’ve seen a greater rise in spiritual successors and that’s been particularly prominent for early 3D platformers, Yooka-Laylee and A Hat...
Mini Review This Is The Zodiac Speaking (Switch) - A Murder Mystery Riddled With Technical Hiccups
Gaming can be murder
If you’re not overly familiar with the case of the Zodiac Killer, then chances are you’ve at least heard of it. The titular killer’s identity was never uncovered, and as such has been the focal point of many books, TV shows, and movies ever since. This is the Zodiac Speaking joins a growing list of games to tackle the...
Mini Review Super Blood Hockey (Switch) - Violent Sports Action That Gets Tired Too Quickly
A Gordie Howe hat trick
What’s sport without a bit of blood, eh? Whether we want to admit it or not, we all feel a tad bit of satisfaction when some pansy footballer finally gets a bloody nose after taking one too many dives, or when a boxer gets so messed up his face becomes a physical embodiment of 2020. Hockey is undoubtedly one of the more...
Mini Review Micro Pico Racers (Switch) - Sadly Not In The Same League As Micro Machines
Drifting to sleep
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Micro Pico Racers is the second coming of the classic racing franchise Micro Machines. Indeed, with its colourful pixelated design (and the blatant fact that it has the word Micro in the title), the game is a clear homage to Codemasters’ series of arcade racers...
Mini Review Unrailed! (Switch) - Take To The Tracks With Friends If At All Possible
A light carriage
We’ve seen numerous co-op survival games before, but keeping your train alive is certainly a new one. Having seen an early release last year on PC, Unrailed now jumps to Switch for full release. Developed by Indoor Astronaut, it offers a simple premise and you must stop your train from crashing, guiding it to a nearby station...
Mini Review Mini Motor Racing X (Switch) - A Bite-Sized Appetiser Between Rounds Of Mario Kart
Mini by name, mini by nature
It takes an awful lot for a racing game to stand out from the crowd these days. With so many options available, from realistic sims like GRID Autosport to, well, Mario Kart, there’s pretty much something for everyone. Mini Motor Racing X is a fine arcade racer with smooth gameplay and decent graphics, but it just...
Mini Review Kingdom Rush Origins (Switch) - You're Probably Better Off Playing This On Your Phone
Taking the ‘rush’ out of Kingdom Rush
The Kingdom Rush series is no stranger to the Switch, though it’s certainly more popular on mobile devices. Kingdom Rush Origins follows the footsteps of its predecessors, delivering straightforward, accessible tower-defence gameplay with pleasant visuals to boot. It’s surprisingly engaging once you get...
Mini Review Party Hard 2 (Switch) - This Stripped-Down Hitman Clone Is A Fun Time
Let’s get a party going
Remember parties? Before 2020, these loud, obnoxious gatherings used to happen quite a lot. Back in the day, we loved a good party, but as the years go by, the prospect of sitting under the lampshade with a stiff drink and a good book is much more enticing. Party Hard 2 stars a poor chap who just wants to get a good night's...
Mini Review Minoria (Switch) - A Short But Sweet Metroidvania With Great Combat
Sister Act
Coming off the back of its previous game, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, Bombservice’s Minoria feels like a natural evolution in many ways. It’s a fast-paced Metroidvania with a sharp focus on aggressive combat, but also contains many staple tropes of the genre, including collectable items, hidden passageways, and unlockable...
Mini Review MO:Astray (Switch) - A Grim And Gory Game Which Deserves A Look
Please sir, can I have some mo’?
If you’re not familiar with MO:Astray beyond its utterly weird name, then it's high time you start paying attention. Originally released on Steam back in October 2019 to little fanfare, MO:Astray is a 2D puzzle-platformer boasting unique gameplay mechanics, meticulously designed environments, and gorgeous...
Mini Review Paradise Killer (Switch) - A Murder-Mystery Case You'll Definitely Want To Crack
Paradise Is You
Much has been previously written about Paradise, a promised land supposedly filled with luxury and personal fulfilment. Everyone pictures it differently, but like many stories before, trouble has once again reared its ugly head inside it. Developed by Kaizen Game Works, Paradise Killer brings us a murder-mystery with a gorgeous...
Mini Review OkunoKA Madness (Switch) - A Fine Rival To Super Meat Boy
A meaty alternative
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, chances are you’ll be quite familiar with Super Meat Boy, even if you haven’t necessarily played it. Renowned for its slick controls and brutally difficult gameplay, it was one of the most prominent games to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade back in 2010, and...
Mini Review Ary And The Secret Of Seasons (Switch) - A Cut-Price Zelda With A Unique Mechanic
Not to be confused with Ori
Jumping into Ary and the Secret of Seasons – an action-adventure title – we’re immediately reminded of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. We’re introduced to our heroine Ary, who, by playing with her toy figures, recounts an ancient story of an evil mage vanquished by a legendary warrior. Before too long, Ary is...
Mini Review Best Friend Forever (Switch) - A Hybrid Dating Sim That Doesn't Quite Work
Ruff around the edges
The dating scene can be an unpredictable, anxiety-inducing beast. What better way to alleviate this, then, than by introducing one of the most cheerful, loveable creatures on the planet to the mix: the beloved doggo. Best Friend Forever is effectively a hybrid game, splitting your duties between looking after your own pet dog...
Mini Review Boomerang Fu (Switch) - Light-Hearted Chaos That's Great With Friends
Throwing sticks shouldn’t be this fun
The Switch is home to a lot of party games. This seemed like a given when the very first trailer for the console dropped nearly four years ago, and indeed it can often feel a bit overwhelming trying to find a decent party game in such a crowded space. Thankfully, then, we can heartily recommend Boomerang Fu if...
Mini Review Bite The Bullet (Switch) - Looks Delicious, But Lacks Fine Flavour
Hunger pains
If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all overindulged in food at some point in our lives (heck, 2020 has done a number on this writer’s belly alone). But could you imagine being able to consume literally anything and everything? You could argue that Pac-Man got there first, but Bite the Bullet is a run-and-gun action game...
Mini Review Spitlings (Switch) - Great With Friends, But Not So Much Fun On Your Own
Teething difficulties
Spitting is a bit gross, isn’t it? Indeed, the notion of spitting in someone’s face is widely considered one of the most disrespectful and downright revolting things anybody could do. But could you imagine being able to spit out your teeth on demand? Most of us will only come close to such a scenario in our weirdest,...
Hammerwatch on steroids
Back in 2017, Hammerwatch released on Switch, and we thought it was pretty darn good. It delivered accessible combat and progression that anybody could jump into whilst also catering to those who were after a bit more of a challenge. Heroes of Hammerwatch is set in the same universe, and sees you scale the Forsaken Spire,...
Mini Review Monster Prom: XXL (Switch) - A Silly, Knockabout Experience That's Perfect For Parties
John Hughes' worst nightmare
While going back to school is certainly not a desirable concept, it would certainly hold more appeal to find it populated by literal monsters, rather than the lousy figurative ones who made school life so difficult. Thankfully, Monster Prom: XXL offers a welcome opportunity to right those wrongs and ask a fantasy...
Mini Review Neversong (Switch) - A Lovingly-Crafted Metroidvania Which Sadly Ends Too Soon
Nightmares and dreamscapes
Neversong is an atmospheric adventure game from developers Atmos Games and Serenity Forge, in which a young boy by the name of Peet is searching for his kidnapped girlfriend, Wren. Set in various mysterious locales, the game is primarily a Metroidvania in design, but one which strikes a nice balance between narrative and...
Mini Review Rez Plz (Switch) - Not Quite A Game To Die For
In need of a jolt
Searching for a dose of that old Lost Vikings magic on your Nintendo Switch? We'd love to push Rez Plz forward as a blood-soaked candidate, but unfortunately there are just too many sore points for our liking. In this co-op puzzle platformer, you'll find yourself guiding a pair of wizard twins through a SNES-era fantasy world...
Mini Review Kuso (Switch) - An Accessible Yet Challenging eShop Gem
The least appropriately-named game of all time?
The sheer purity of kuso is almost disconcerting. A simple 2D platformer with no major traversal mechanics besides running and jumping, it's quite a difficult sell to the seasoned platform veteran. You have the ability to drop checkpoints instantly (a little like Ori and the Blind Forest), which means...
Mini Review Superliminal (Switch) - A Mind-Bending Visual Puzzler With A Powerful Message
Well seasoned perspective
Ever since Valve’s iconic puzzler Portal launched back in 2007, we’ve seen a number of developers put their own spin on the genre, including ChromaGun, The Witness, and The Talos Principle. Superliminal is one of the more successful efforts; a mind-bending jaunt into a mysterious facility that turns out
Mini Review The Almost Gone (Switch) - An Abstract Experience You Won't Be Able To Put Down
When life flashes before your eyes
The Almost Gone is a point-and-click puzzle game in which you investigate a variety of different locations presented as miniature dioramas. The story plays out as you piece together clues and examine objects, and it’s one that doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, such as alcoholism. It’s an abstract...
Mini Review Across The Grooves (Switch) - A Time-Travelling Tale That's All About Relationships
Time after time
Across the Grooves is an interactive graphic novel that puts you in the shoes of Alice. Having lived a relatively normal existence thus far, Alice’s life is turned upside down when she receives an odd package from her ex, Ulysse. A vinyl record is contained within, and when Alice plays it, she’s launched back into the past to...
Get it locked in
Taking inspiration from the likes of Eighting's Soukyugurentai and Taiti's 'Storm' series of shooters, Missile Dancer is a vertically-scrolling shmup with simple yet addictive mechanics; holding down your shot button causes a targeting circle to expand around your craft, and any enemies caught in this circle will be considered...
Thou shalt blast a fishy on your little Switchy
Having covered the coin-operated portion of the acclaimed Darius series of shmups (with the exception of G-Darius and Dariusburst, which are on the upcoming Darius Cozmic Revelation), we now come to the console side of the franchise, which is represented almost completely here. Unfortunately, that...
The REAL sushi striker
Taito's beloved Darius series took its sweet game to appear in a dedicated compilation. Until now, only 2006's jam-packed Taito Legends 2 package represented the series with the latter titles Darius Gaiden and G-Darius, but with the release of Darius Cozmic Collection, we finally have a near-complete museum of this venerable...
Mini Review Behold The Kickmen (Switch) - A Gloriously Silly Take On The Beautiful Game
"What a big lovely match!"
Behold The Kickmen is a football (or soccer, if you prefer) simulation for everyone who hates the sport, or, at the very least, remains totally clueless to its global appeal. Created by Dan Marshall of The Swindle fame – who readily admits he knows nothing about football and thought it would be fun to see what kind of...
Mini Review Jump Rope Challenge (Switch) - A Noble Attempt To Get Switch Owners Active
Jump up in lockdown
Reviewing and putting a score on a free game that’s been created in a limited environment with the sole purpose of helping the public improve their physical well being during a global pandemic is… well, it’s a tough one. Do you critically analyse it and pick apart its faults and limitations? Or do you simply view it for...
Mini Review Pokémon Smile (Switch) - You've Gotta Brush 'Em All
"Mee-outh, that's white"
Brushing your teeth is boring. It’s dull when you’re an adult and it’s even worse when you’re a kid, because you’d really rather be playing with your Thunderbirds toys or Cabbage Patch Dolls, or whatever cross-media property young people are into these days (look, we don’t know, we haven’t been kids for a...
Mini Review Poopdie - Chapter One (Switch) - Like Poop, Butts And PewDiePie? Then You're In Luck
Everyone else, not so much...
At first glance, Poopdie - Chapter One is an enormous rip-off. Every aspect of its presentation calls to mind Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl's seminal roguelike The Binding of Isaac. Taking a step back, we gave it a second glance, and yep – this game wants to bite Isaac's style so hard it's on the verge of drawing...
Mini Review Super Toy Cars 2 (Switch) - A Cute Racer Saddled With Technical And Balancing Problems
Diminutive returns
Racing around everyday domestic environments in dinky toy cars isn't a fresh concept for Switch owners. Not only have we already had the original Super Toy Cars, but Table Top Racing: World Tour - Nitro Edition, too. Super Toy Cars 2 doesn't exactly have novelty on its side, then. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an awful lot else...
Mini Review Awesome Pea 2 (Switch) - Old-School Challenge With Vintage Visuals To Match
Tricky petit pois
Awesome Pea 2 is a simple game. In an effort to pay homage to retro titles, it’s a 2D platformer from developer Pigeon Dev Games that completely lacks any semblance of plot, but more than makes up for this with immediately engaging, addictive gameplay and fun visual effects. You play as, well… a pea, and must navigate a series...
Mini Review Potata: Fairy Flower (Switch) - A Welcome Change Of Puzzle-Platforming Pace
Potato, Potata
Potata: Fairy Flower is a whimsical platformer in which you take on the role of a novice witch who must venture away from the safety of her home and into the dangerous surrounding woods. There, you’ll encounter creatures big and small, procure weapons, fruit, and keys, and solve a variety of different puzzles as you explore...
Mini Review Game Tengoku CruisinMix Special (Switch) - Jaleco's Answer To Parodius Flies Again
Mix and match
Jaleco might not be as well-known as the likes of Capcom and Konami with today's gamers, but it was big enough company back in the '90s to create its own parody shooter, taking inspiration from the likes of Parodius and Star Parodier. The result was Game Tengoku – or Game Paradise, as it's also known – which hit arcades back in...
Mini Review Indiecalypse (Switch) - A Deeply Unpleasant Game About Games
That joke isn't funny any more
Humour is highly subjective, so we're quite willing to concede that you might – might – find Indiecalypse hilarious. We only wish we could say that you'll find it fun to play with the same level of confidence. This bawdy adventure sees you taking control of three nerds as they bid to make a video game. It's a...
Superpowered Smash Bros.
You're not ready for Fly Punch Boom. No really, you're not. You might think you were born to play a game that essentially throws you into an anime royal rumble, but neither your eyes nor your reactions are up to the task. Not yet. It's going to take time to acclimatise to Fly Punch Boom's level of madcap hyper-kinetic...
