Elisha Deogracias's Reviews
Majotori has some very good ideas with how to handle a unique trivia game, but unfortunately botches them in execution. While it's good for a playthrough or two, in the end you'll feel a bit disappointed at the whole affair.
Bye-Bye Box Boy! is a fitting farewell to a beloved sleeper hit. Its minimalist charm and some great puzzle mechanics grant a feeling of excitement for which all puzzle games should strive. I would love to see Qbby star on the Switch, but until then, this game marks the end of an amazing series.
Graceful Explosion Machine is the perfect arcade style shooter, and one of the best Switch games available right now. Its fluid, addictive gameplay and flashy yet minimal visuals pair well with a variety of challenging enemies, and it’s great for sessions lasting for a few minutes or a couple hours.
Snake Pass is a weird, wacky, and wonderful platformer with rewarding controls and great atmosphere. While there are a few minor issues holding it back, the game is a great throwback to the 3D platformers of the 90s, and a great indie title for the Switch.
The Franz Kafka Videogame is a unique adventure game experience, filled with unique art style and accessible puzzles. However, a baffling story that goes nowhere and a dreadfully short length make the game simply adequate rather than surreal.
The first simulation title for the Switch, New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers is a mixed effort with a barnyard full of blusters. It’s a decently priced romp at $9.99, but its lack of customization and odd control scheme may turn off those who want a quality farming game.
A re-imagining of the 1988 NES title, Blaster Master Zero is a great game for anyone looking for classic 8-bit action. Its accessible difficulty and superb retro graphics make for a wonderful addition to the Switch’s library.
It may need some more polish in its modes to race with the big leagues, but Fast RMX is a great title with challenging difficulty and beautiful locales that are matched with its nose-bleeding sense of speed and arcade-inspired mechanics.
Aliens Go Home Run is a title that packs a punch and has the balls to mix Breakout with shoot-em-up action. It’s a game that aims to be a fun little diversion, and accomplishes that goal quite well. At $4, it’s a must buy for anyone looking for a palate cleanser in the sea of AAA games.
Poochy and Yoshi’s Wooly World remains a solid platformer and a little added content will make newcomers who experience the game for the first time happy. However, the same problems are prevalent in this port, and while it’s a great experience, does lose some of its luster next to its console counterpart.
A love letter to the 16-bit era, Arelite Core is a great indie addition to the JRPG library. With its excellent battle system and colorful cast of characters, this game is a great trip down memory lane.
Stereo Aereo is a functional music game. While it has a very cool scoring method and control scheme, it’s ultimately plagued by unforgiving and frustrating gameplay plus a generic soundtrack. Play this one if you’re looking for a fun time-waster, but there are better titles to which you may rock out.
An eccentric cast of villains and zany action make Teslapunk a decent bullet hell shooter, but a terrible soundtrack and performance issues mar an otherwise enjoyable title.
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is everything you love about J-pop. Its infectious music, snazzy visuals, and accessible yet challenging gameplay will have you shouting for an encore.
While it’s a decently fun time for 5 bucks and easy to pick up and play, Mini Golf Resort is an unremarkable 3DS port of a game with generic design choices and some strange physics.
Mario Party: Star Rush can be a charming title at times, and definitely shows some promise. However, the game tries too hard to separate itself from its predecessors which causes its mechanics to fall under the pressure of trying something drastically new.
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers could have been the crossover that fans have been waiting for. However, with the game including nothing that makes any of the series represented great, it ends up as another title in the pile of countless generic licensed games.
At the end of the day, Gurumin 3D does what it needs to, and does it well. A charming throwback in form and function to classic PS1 RPGs, this re-release is a fun romp down memory lane.
While addictive in short bursts, Pirate Pop Plus doesn’t have the staying power to compete with the new retro classics in the market today.
River City: Tokyo Rumble is an unapologetic love letter to the beat-em-ups of yesteryear. While simplistically accessible and filled to the brim with nostalgia, it’s brought down by very limited options and some clunky controls.