Fire Emblem Mystery of the Emblem is a good mix of remake and sequel which offers a tremendous amount of content and features some really nice map designs. The game can at times be rather invoncenient, e.g. because of not offering a combat effect erstimate when on the offense (meaning you have to compute the expected outcome by hand), restricting the movement of the cursor by the movement range of the character you want to move and the unnecessary difficulties choosing a starting formation. This diminishes the enjoyment to be had with the game a bit, when compared to more modern sequels. Nevertheless, it is a very well-designed SRPG that will keep you occupied for a long time and offers a few great ideas in its map design, particularly in Book 2.
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Four Swords is an interesting experiment with some ingenious design ideas that, however, were only fully unfolded in the great follow-up game Four Swords Adventures. Nonetheless, it is undoubtedly worthwhile to play the first tentative steps of a multiplayer Zelda and to insert one or more entertaining rounds for two to four players. By the way, the single-player variant in Four Swords Anniversary also works surprisingly well, although its availability today is difficult to manage.
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Echo Isle is a successful homage to the GBC Zelda games, with compact level design that effectively conveys the gameplay experience, but does not develop the concept in any way. In this respect, it is worthwhile primarily for a short nostalgia trip for longtime Zelda fans.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a brilliantly designed action-adventure that has had a lasting influence on the Zelda series and has not been surpassed to this day. The overworld is one of the best in the series, and the dungeons offer an excellent mix of puzzles, exploration, and exciting boss battles. An essential title, not only for fans of the series.
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The Disney Afternoon Collection is a successful collection of several genuine classics that, despite their age, are still worth both the time and the money today.
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Bubsy 4D is an enjoyable 3d platformer with a somewhat crude humour, that does not feel remminiscent of its predecessor Bubsy 3D, but that is probably for the better. Compared to the rest of the Bubsy series, Bubsy 4D clearly is the best game, but even when taken on its own as a 3D platformer, it is a well-made game. Demon Turf's influence on the game design is pretty apparent and I would rank Bubsy 4D in between the slightly better Neon Splash and the weaker original Demon Turf.
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Arcade Archives 2: Arkanoid is a successful adaptation of a thrilling arcade game; while it has a few minor quirks, it faithfully recreates the original experience on the Nintendo Switch 2. The optional mouse controls—provided you can get used to the ergonomics of the Nintendo Switch 2 mouse—are a welcome bonus that significantly improves the gameplay experience on the Nintendo Switch 2.
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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is an unusual entry in the series, combining structural elements of the Zelda formula with action RPG gameplay. In my view, however, Zelda II is unfortunately a significant step backward compared to the first game and, due to its at times absurd difficulty level, can really only be recommended as a curiosity for dedicated fans of the series. I’m honestly glad that the third installment perfected the original formula and continued to explore it across many future titles instead of further pursuing the ideas introduced in the second game.
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Dracamar is a solid 3D platformer featuring surprisingly long levels and a generally grounded level design. Due to its low difficulty and straightforward structure, it is especially well suited for younger players and newcomers to the genre. Aside from a few minor technical imperfections—particularly in relation to culling—the game is presented in a generally well-executed manner, giving Dracamar a polished enough overall impression. This makes it a recommendable entry in the genre.
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Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer is a successful implementation of the arcade classic at a fair price, which can be wholeheartedly recommended to arcade racer enthusiasts who are aware of the game's limited scope.
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Tatake! Big Fighter offers intense arcade action with varied enemy and level design, making it a solid choice for arcade shooter enthusiasts. The ability to switch between the two forms is unusual but gives the game a successful individual touch.
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Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a playful, lovingly designed 3D Jump & Run that sometimes gets a bit too lost in its own gimmicks and thereby loses comfort.
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Astro Bot is a focused, idea-rich and carefully designed 3D Jump & Run that feels constantly fresh and energetic throughout the entire duration. With its clear emphasis on interaction and playfulness, Astro Bot sets a welcome accent to the majority of Sony's rather bombastic lineup, and according to my personal ideas of a video game, Astro Bot is not only a celebration of Sony's history [...]
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Axiom Verge 2 is an excellent Metroidvania that focuses heavily, gameplay-wise, on its clever exploration mechanics and strong level design. Although the idea of two parallel worlds certainly won't win an innovation prize, the implementation of the concept may indeed be understood as a unique selling point.
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The design achievement is indeed impressive, but essential achievements of Banjo-Kazooie, especially regarding the ease of navigation and intuitive playability, are lost in a gigantism and a penchant for outright boastful design. As a result, Banjo-Tooie is still a great game, but one that gets in its own way far too often unnecessarily.
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Banjo-Kazooie is a brilliant masterpiece that, while not surpassing its predecessor Super Mario 64 in every respect—the pure game mechanics are still slightly finer in Mario—yet manages to set its own accents and standards in many areas. Banjo-Kazooie is the best collectathon and Rare's absolute crowning achievement.
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a very entertaining game that provided a lot of fun over approximately 20 hours. The return to old virtues was convincingly successful, although in my eyes Mirage places itself rather in the middle field of classic Assassin’s Creed games, rather than storming straight to the top.
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Bayonetta 3 is, in my opinion, one of the best action games out there and can best be described as energetic, fast-paced, intense, and fresh. Anyone who can appreciate character-action games and is not particularly sensitive regarding resolution and moderate framerate instabilities will be entertained first-rate here and will likely soon find themselves unable to free themselves from the grasp of the Umbra Witch.
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Airoheart is a decent Zelda-like clone, but it struggles significantly with navigation, suffers from technical rough edges, and unfortunately brings very few fresh ideas to the table. Anyone looking for an indie experience in the style of classic Zelda games is arguably better served by the two Ittle Dew titles, the two Blossom Tales games, or Oceanhorn. It’s a shame, because the initial impression from screenshots and videos was quite solid.
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Back Again is an entertaining, quite short, yet affordable Jump & Run with an unusual atmosphere. Although it has some mechanical flaws, it features good level design and adequately addresses the central challenges of the perspective within the genre.
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