Beyond Blue's educational approach to studying sea life and learning about the various effects humanity has on life is outstanding. While marine biologists look to tag and consider these precious creatures' habits, learning about their behavior, family development, health, diseases, etc., some seem to disrupt and cause harm. The experience is relatively short; however, I genuinely enjoyed learning and scanning all of the inhabitants.
As an interactive Goosebumps experience, Cosmic Forces has successfully recreated the beloved children's series with Goosebumps Dead of Night. However, the game only lasts a handful of hours, and a small chunk of my time was spent replaying sections because I wanted to collect achievements along the way for dying to each monster.
Moonlighter: Between Dimensions adds new content to an already enjoyed experience without changing the formula. The new enemies, customer types, and mini-bosses are the highlight, especially when returning to the latest dungeon each night. The DLC is priced right for the amount of content included; make sure you are aware the majority of the substance requires you to complete the base game.
Get Packed is a charming cooperative game with wacky physics-based mayhem for up to four players offline or online. There are outfit pieces for the starting four characters and a couple of new characters to unlock. At least three new levels are coming soon, but it only gives the game 15 co-op stages. On a couple of occasions (during local multiplayer) I've experienced failure of both grab buttons for the entirety of a level, while other players were not affected.
Monster Train is a highly addicting deck-building game, with multiple clan(deck) types, and higher-level difficulties that'll have you playing for quite some time. The inclusion of online multiplayer mode provides further value, as you compete to see who can defeat heaven the fastest. If greater difficulties don't entice you, there are daily global challenges and custom challenges that let you design your own challenge and share it with friends. Not to mention, there are over 200 cards to unlock, and unique tactics to deploy based on your chosen clan combinations.
World War Z: GOTY Edition is the best way to experience the technically impressive and enjoyable online cooperative shooter.
SnowRunner's realistic depiction of driving through thick mud and dense snow across a vast sandbox is quite admirable. It is, without a doubt, a far better game than its predecessor, complete with a ton more content, and future planned DLC. The three main regions feel distinct, and while beautiful, there are plenty of frustrating moments ahead. Now, if you excuse me, I have a big rig stuck halfway up a mountain in a couple of feet of sludge.
Shred! 2 is a decent take on mountain bikes with the trial and error gameplay from the Trials series. Differentiating between pumping and jumping may take some getting used to, but after some practice, the mechanics start to make sense, although pulling off multiple tricks can feel clunky.
Filament features over 300 cleverly designed puzzles, providing plenty of challenge, in an entirely relaxed environment. Some have multiple solutions, however, seemingly, the more complex the task, the more likely there is only a single workable solution. The backstory is told through the optional objects you find and by listening to Juniper.
There just isn't enough feedback to the player to get a better grasp of the necessary mechanics.
Profane is a devastatingly frantic boss rush bullet-hell twin-stick experience that looks and plays nice on the Nintendo Switch. While you lose the Twitch and Mixer integration that the PC release has, it still includes the rogue-lite challenge mode, leaderboards, and daily challenges to keep you returning for additional runs. The timer-based currency and health system are unique, but some may have a hard time getting past the opening encounter in story mode. Thankfully, the arena mode lets you select from any of the bosses and mess around with all of the abilities already unlocked.
Shinsekai: Into the Depths may have started as a mobile title, but has found a new home on the Nintendo Switch. The sound design is simply incredible and immersive, and the game even recommends you playing while wearing headphones. Its an atmospheric side-scrolling adventure game that'll roughly last 8-9 hours on the standard difficulty.
Good Job! is an intriguing and charming title, complete with two-player local co-op. The open-ended nature of the puzzles allows for multiple different types of gameplay solutions and mechanics.
Animal Crossing is a bonafide amazing single-player experience, especially for those that haven't played the series since the Nintendo GameCube, which was a remaster of the Japanese only N64 title. The awkward shared island implementation and limitations put a damper on those playing on a single Nintendo Switch.
Yakuza 5 Remastered proves that great games are timeless, as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has gone all out, expanding the number of playable characters and locales to explore. As expected, the voice acting is still superb, and the newly re-translated English dialogue is excellent. There are so many substories and minigames to enjoy, such as idol performances, hunting in snowy Hokkaido, fishing, batting cages, snowball fights, and more that truly brings a fantastic close to The Yakuza Remastered Collection.
Yakuza 3 Remastered may not have received the Kiwami treatment, but still features one of the strongest and emotional narratives in the series. Some may not enjoy the focus to be on Kiryu's "softer" side by taking care of the kids at the orphanage. The mini-games are still great at cleansing the palette, with golfing and karaoke as the highlights, but overall they aren't as strong as previous titles. Shame that the narrative pacing doesn't quite deliver in the second half of the game.
Darksiders Genesis may be one of the best games in the Darksiders franchise. The banter between War and Strife works on so many levels, and the added co-op support is the icing on the cake. Yes, I would have preferred to see matchmaking and positioning on the map, but neither are deal-breakers. The camera doesn't always cooperate with some of the platforming sections, but I mostly enjoyed the 15 hours spent playing through the campaign. You are free to replay any of the 16 chapters to collect any missing items/cores. The arena mode lets you take your characters into battle against ten grueling waves of enemies.
Nom Nom Apocalypse resurrects the fear of mutating food; however, the game lacks substance. A single run can be completed in an hour or two, and I fail to see anything to keep me wanting to play through a second time. The different areas are overly large and empty, and yet, the destructible parts of the environment don't appear to do any splash damage to enemies. I do feel the game mechanics are really tight and responsive.
7th Sector's atmospheric and immersive puzzle elements add a unique spin on the puzzle-platformer genre.
It came from space and are our brains is an enjoyable local multiplayer twin-stick shooter. The gameplay mechanics are very smooth, with responsive controls, and a unique visual style that I adored. It is a bit strange that the game supports drop-out, but not drop-in, especially with the length of the levels. A wave-based survival mode exists outside of the campaign, with double the number of levels that the campaign contains. It does hurt that there is no online multiplayer, especially on PlayStation 4.