Purely based on its battle mechanics, Puzzle Quest is excellent, but it's held back by the forgettable flourishes.
It's the absurdity and wonder of some Eurovision performances made playable. Like a good record from a band I like, I'll spin this game often. That makes the secrets beneath the surface more appealing as Sayonara Wild Hearts might be one of my favorite music albums of the year in addition to being a killer video game experience.
That makes it such a shame that microtransactions infect the story-driven MyCareer, dragging that down to mediocrity or worse. Fortunately, the intriguing though repetitive MyGM mode and the flexible and engrossing MyLeague mode make up for the online-only options. Throw in the WNBA teams and NBA 2K20 is likely the best iteration of the series on Switch even with its caveats.
It just doesn't go above and beyond, feeling more generic overall. This is a Diablo-like game that feels a whole lot like Diablo, but doesn't carve out enough of an identity on its own to leave a lasting impression. Still, the only games of this genre that do the raw gameplay better are the ones that snuck their way into this review as a modifier to explain the style of game this is.
The periphery is unfortunately a little maddening, with death gameplay loop and general lack of explanation topping the complaints. My advice would be to not go into it fully blind and don't be afraid to ask for help at the outset. It's well worth trotting through the rough opening to get to the gooey center of excellent genre blending.
The order required to succeed with Wilmot can quickly turn to chaos, holding this back slightly from being something I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone. If the concept of sorting items and making your own patterns is appealing to you, then Wilmot's Warehouse is a unique puzzle game right up your Switch alley.
Grandia soars thanks to its charm and battle system, but this port does it no favors otherwise.
This is Space Harrier, virtually the same arcade game from nearly 40 years ago with a couple of tweaks and additions from the original home ports and the 3DS 3D Classics release. M2, as per usual, made a great port and this might be the best version of Space Harrier, but that's all it is.
Quench is at its best when you're working your way through the various puzzles and taking in the sweet, enjoyable scenery. The worst parts show themselves when you move through that scenery, though. The technical aspects sorely drag it down despite some ingenuity in the puzzles and a wealth of charm.
PictoQuest is an endearing Picross-style RPG that might not offer the depth and breadth of similar Picross games, but it makes up for its simplicity with an adorable presentation and smartly-implemented RPG ideas. In some respects, it doesn't go all that far, but being based around what I'd term as a relaxing puzzle game, it doesn't really have to.
I admire Solo: Islands of the Heart for its ambition, but virtually every aspect of the game falls short of the noble goals of making an introspective puzzle game centered on love and relationships. The narrative is limited and mildly antagonistic, the block puzzle gameplay transforms into a disaster once the magic staff is introduced, and the serenity of the islands and graphics are dragged down by a middling port to Switch. If you really want someone to question your decisions on love, go see a therapist. This isn't the game for that.
More than 500 puzzles are present, with the recent series addition of Color Picross returning in a limited but welcome form. Here's the full breakdown: 162 Picross and Mega Picross puzzles, 330 Clip Picross puzzles, and 27 Color Picross puzzles. I do wish there was less focus on Clip Picross and more on the good Color Picross implementation, but my desire for Picross is satiated for now with Lord of the Nazarick. I appreciate the stylistic departure and I hope Jupiter does more adventurous Picross games like this in the future.
Whether you want to play single games against friends, compete in online leagues, or sit back and binge a season by yourself offline, Super Mega Baseball 2 delivers in spades. This is a Triple Crown-winning batter, a multiple Cy Young-winning pitcher, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer all wrapped into one. This is the greatest baseball game I have ever played.
undefined.As someone who is primarily a casual fighting game fan, Fantasy Strike scratches an itch in a different way than Street Fighters and the like do. The simplicity of the control inputs puts it more in the space in between, almost like a less platforming-focused Smash Bros. The overall approachability makes it a great choice for less experienced fighters, but beneath the sheen of less combos and button inputs still lies a deep game with tense strategy, complete with a variety of ways to play it both online and off.
Eagle Island is rife with outrageous promise, but despite its beautiful art and sound fundamental controls, everything else on the periphery falls short. This is an elegant trip that is overburdened by pratfalls and reiteration.
A straightforward and to the point Contra-like experience sums up Blazing Chrome well. With six levels that will probably only take you an hour or three to clear the first time through, it's a tiny bit light on content, but thanks to the co-op and unlockable modes, more mileage can be squeezed out of this short and sweet joyride.
The totality of SolSeraph is a pleasant ride that recalls ActRaiser to a fault. While the platforming and tower defense strategy might have their maladies, they still fuse together to make an interesting and engaging game. It's refreshing to see someone take a stab at such a winning concept, even if they stumble a bit on the way to the finish line.
Wonder Boy: Monster Land is ultimately a weird deep cut for Sega Ages, but it is one I'm glad exists. I'd never seen the arcade version of this game, and I always ignored the console re-releases previously. That said, this is a very enjoyable old-school platformer that is charming enough to warrant some attention more than 30 years later.
undefined.While the roughshod nature of the Switch port doesn't quite make Crash Team Racing a dominant kart racer on the system, the solid single-player mode and finicky yet rewarding boosting and driving still adds up to an enjoyable time, as long as you're fine with a visual downgrade and a long wait between races. I really enjoyed revisiting Crash Team Racing with Nitro-Fueled and it reminded me of how great the single-player component of this game is. I just wish there weren't such large caveats that held it back on Switch.
Boxing Champs has promise, but a lack of depth makes it more fleeting than I hoped it would be. Still, the fusion of boxing and beat-'em-up is a strong concept if you're hankering for a vaguely Punch-Out!!-inspired good time. Just don't expect to be wowed by personality or variety.