The 3DS had limitations on performance, and this has come to negatively impact the remake of Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, especially in consideration of having their younger brother on the same system. While it's only showing up in how the levels are played and ghost designs, it's just enough to hold it back from an exceptional level. However, in saying that, there's still a really fun game here to explore, with a solid foundation of gameplay mechanics that were expanded on in Luigi's Mansion 3. I can't help but recommend picking up Luigi's Mansion 2 HD if you enjoy the franchise, even more so if this title would be the entry point for you.
Paper Trail is an adorable story that unfolds into being about making your own path in life and seeing things in a new light. Every little detail leads into adorable environmental storytelling that slowly unravels Paige's backstory in-between each area. While I am not usually a fan of puzzle games, Paper Trail enamoured me with its humorous characters and accessibility, providing the folds you have to do without giving you everything.
Intelligent Systems has knocked it out of the ballpark with their quality of life changes, updated music for each chapter, incredible humour, and an all-around perfect experience for Mario RPG fans. Truly, this is the definitive edition of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and an exceptional entry point for younger gamers to explore the world of RPGs while providing enough ways for experienced gamers to give themselves a challenge. I can't recommend Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door any more than this and it’s a must have for any switch owner or RPG fan.
Tamarak Trail has a unique take on the deck building roguelite genre; however, with the use of dice, you trade strategic choices for randomness. The campaign doesn't help keep you interested, and ultimately, it feels like a chore, especially when you come across the same enemies. Yarrow Games rolled the dice with Tamarak Trail and they ended up with a promising structure that lacks meat on the bone.
Rising Lords has an interesting world to explore, but it is for the most part locked behind a highly difficult campaign. With the struggles that come from just putting the game in sleep mode, the mediocre tutorial, and the overall poor performance, there's a feeling of an early access game given a full release too early. The bones of Rising Lord's are strong enough; with some effort and improvements, there's potential for new additions to the genre; however, the switch port just doesn’t hold up.
Ultimately, if you like WarioWare games, you'll enjoy WarioWare: Move It! because it is just more of what you’re expecting with all the same loveable cast. While there are some micro games that are difficult to work out what you have to do at first glance, there is still a lot of fun to be enjoyed with friends and family. This is a strong recommendation for anyone who has people to play this with on a night of fun together.
DAVE THE DIVER is such a fun experience to play and is a strong contender as a memorable title for this year, in a year full of massive game releases. There is so much charm, character, and content packed into DAVE THE DIVER that it's bursting at the seams and is so worth the investment of any gamer. Roll the rice and fish in some seaweed, load up the harpoon and DIVE into the uniquely fun experience.
Ultimately, Wargroove 2 is the perfect sequel, changing nothing important about the original gameplay, expanding on what worked well, adding additional factions, and adding a fresh new game mode to soak hours into. While there are complications, they are miniscule and redundant by the time you learn everything about the game. Wargroove 2 is a shining gem in the Tactical RPG genre and well worth anyone’s time to invest in the world and experience the fun.
The Teal Mask is an interesting addition to Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet that at the moment doesn’t feel worth the cost of entry. However, with the addition of another set of DLC which looks to be larger and continues the story from both base game and wave one, the initial investment may hold up yet. The story and character really carry the DLC however, the performance struggles to hold up and the map just feels lacklustre. In the end, we can’t wait to see what the entire DLC package brings to the game.
Gunbrella has solid gameplay with some of the most fluid controls I’ve encountered in a while, which just makes the whole experience a fun one. While lacking a good story or expansive exploration, there are still well designed levels and interesting NPCs to chat with as you work your way through the towns. This is one of the most accessible titles in the metriodvania genre and works perfectly as an entry point into the genre while still allowing for a challenge for the veteran in the form of difficulty options and omitting the use of the pill system.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is chaotic, over the top, very funny, and has an incredible story, however it can get a bit over the top with this energy if you’re not used to it. Shinigami is a prime example of this and is very overtly sexual, so if that makes you uncomfortable, it could ruin the game for you. But if you’re a fan of the Danganronpa series, you’ll enjoy Master Detective Archives: Rain Code as it’s taken the formula and fine tuned everything. You’ll also enjoy the game if you like mystery solving challenges, that’s for sure!
Ultimately, Advance Wars 1+2: ReBoot Camp is a faithful remake and, dare I say, the definitive experience for this GBA classic franchise that people can finally place their assist trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and 4. While there are some improvements that would be welcomed for accessibility, and maybe a bit more of a dynamic soundtrack that varied, especially on those longer matches, there are still plenty of features to love here for fans of the tactical genre. So go train up those units, capture some cities and push out those forces as you march your way into Advance Wars for maybe the first time, or return to the franchise after a very long delay in releases.
While having each character’s story told individually tends to pull you out of the immersion, the actual stories being told are captivating and well paced. Levelling across individual stories on the same chapter seems to fluctuate, implying a set path to take, but it remains difficult to follow without having to go all over the map and wasting time. But the beautiful visuals, the clever combat system and great storytelling make Octopath Traveller 2 a must-have for RPG fans.
Ultimately, Fire Emblem Engage is a mixed bag. If you’re coming in just for the story, you’ll be sorely disappointed but if it’s for the tactical gameplay, then there is a plethora of entertainment to be discovered here. The Emblem system is one of the most fun and unique ways to add a secondary class to your units, while making them feel unique and special on the battlefield. If you love Fire Emblem as a series, there are a lot of nice interactions to discover, even though there are still plenty of characters that haven’t been released in English and having the writing feel designed to be funny in the moment rather than focusing on driving the characters’ personalities.