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 Jump & Run with surprisingly long levels that, due to its low difficulty and straightforward level design, is particularly suitable for younger players and genre newcomers. Apart from a few cosmetic flaws, the whole thing is presented in a successful manner, making Dracamar a quite recommendable genre representative.
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Haste is an interesting experiment that is genuinely fun at its core, but it suffers from randomly generated levels that lack creativity and simply feel arbitrary. In my view, the standard difficulty is set a bit too high, because repetition is already a considerable problem in the game without even having to replay entire runs. The high luck factor with items compounds this issue painfully. However, you can manually adjust the difficulty, which at least makes for an interesting, if unusual, gameplay experience.
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Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a creative and well-designed genre-mix game that only has some minor flaws in the polish. Specifically, there are some shadow interactions that the developers evidently did not consider, which can lead to erroneous behavior – whether glitching through walls or sliding along geometry that has little to do with the represented geometry. These rare errors only marginally affect the gaming experience.
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What truly makes Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze an absolute must-play title for every Jump & Run fan is the again absolutely outstanding level design. Playing through the game normally, the levels are packed with secrets, tricky traps, and creative ideas.
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Here Comes Niko! is a decent, though occasionally somewhat boring 3D platformer with a cute protagonist and some quirky humor. The somewhat excessive number of trivial in-game tasks leaves a bit of a sour taste, yet overall solid fare is provided. Those who enjoy platformers and cozy games should find Here Comes Niko! well-suited to their tastes, even if considerably better games exist within the individual genres.
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Donkey Kong Country Returns is a magnificent 2D Jump & Run for all player types except newcomers to the genre. The thoughtful level design and thoroughly improved game mechanics compared to the SNES games make the game an excellent choice. In the end, however, you can't go wrong with any of the versions.
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Cocoon is a fresh, imaginative action-adventure game with a focus on creative puzzle-solving. It’s very well executed, and the core concept is explored in a way that’s both varied and, for the most part, thoroughly covered. In that respect, Cocoon offers a well-rounded gaming experience, though it could show a little more confidence in the player’s abilities and resilience to frustration.
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Donkey Kong Bananza is a fresh and accomplished 3D Jump & Run that from my perspective cannot keep up with the team's Mario games. However, those who particularly enjoy wild destruction might view it somewhat differently.
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Chickenhare is a solid 3D platformer, but due to its flawed drop shadow and somewhat uninspired level design, it is not worthy of a general recommendation. For fans of the source material or genre fans, the game can certainly be an adequate choice, but it is by no means a must-play for platformer fans.
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Glover is an inventive but slightly frustrating platformer that was faithfully recreated without addressing any of the original's criticisms or offering anything more technically than just a higher resolution. Anyone who enjoys experimental 3D platformers should give Glover a chance—either in the current remaster or the nearly identical Nintendo 64 original. However, everyone else undoubtedly has numerous better alternatives to choose from.
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Ashes of Elrant is a well-crafted piece of downloadable content that adds further narrative depth to the characters – particularly Lenne – and shines with its well-designed boss battles. The DLC’s greatest strength is, of course, inherited from the main game – the combat system is varied and strategic, and offers a wealth of options. As it is set towards the end of the main game, the system is able to shine here in all its glory.
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Dungeons of Hinterberg is a relaxed Zelda-like action-adventure that shines with well-crafted puzzle design and an unconventional game structure offering great freedom in dungeon selection. Those who miss the classic Zelda formula and are inclined toward Social Sim elements—or can at least live with skipping them generously—will undoubtedly find their match here.
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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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Frogun is an interesting game concept that unfortunately suffers from an unreliable aiming mechanism, which severely affects the second half of the game.
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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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Hook Complete Edition offers a simple, yet gripping puzzle concept without running the risk of intellectually overwhelming the player. The solutions are always reasonably localized, and strategic depth is limited to a single move by the resolution mechanic. However, the numerous small refinements to the concept over the course of the game prevent one from feeling under-challenged or bored. Towards the end, considerable concentration and a practiced eye are certainly required to successfully complete the final puzzles.
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Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled is a fun racing game with an interesting boost mechanic and intense track design in the final third of the game.
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The Smurfs 2: Prisoner of the Green Stone starts off extremely disappointing, but recovers significantly around the midpoint and ultimately becomes a decent 3D platformer by the end.
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