sterix & Obelix XXL 3: The Crystal Menhir lands on the Nintendo Switch with some of the best elements of the Astérix comic series, such as a marvelous visual environment and fun dialogues, as well as an additional top-notch vocal work. Its gameplay doesn't rise up to the same threshold though, as its very simplistic and repetitive mechanics and flat plot make this an experience that doesn't go higher. As such, The Crystal Menhir is mostly recommended for players who want a simple game, rather than a complex experience.
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Doughlings: Arcade brings an experience based on Space Invaders under a contemporary visual presentation and it does a decent job at that. Where things go a bit off track is when the game prevents us from simply enjoying some quick, simple gaming sessions and when it imposes a staggering and merciless difficulty level, which ends up harming the experience and turning what could be a perfectly fun Space Invaders descendant into a game that can be dropped in favour of other titles available at the Nintendo Switch eShop.
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The Princess Guide feels like a mishmash of ideas that involves some creative concepts, characters with a good deal of personality and visually appealing, but the game mechanics are not properly explained, there's several examples of incoherence in the plot development and the combat is rather repetitive. Overall, this experience ends up becoming disappointing.
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Our World Is Ended does several things right. Its presentation is certainly something to look at, the work of its voice actors is laudable and the game has some potential but unfortunately, some key elements of the game were not implemented that well: the plot and characters turn out to be a disappointment and the game's sense of progression feels very erratic. Its humour also feels very exaggerated and repetitive, which ends up hurting a game part of a genre that relies so much on story and plot.
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Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix cannot be criticised for what it's not and it's certainly not a bad game - it's artwork is pleasant enough for the eyes and all the game mechanics work. The problem is, it doesn't do anything to rise above the mere threshold of functionality and it sticks to generic and worn out formulas for its plot and dialogues, it's riddled with clichés all over and the gameplay just feels shallow and unrewarding.
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Coffee Crisis on the Nintendo Switch is full of absurd and fun elements, with a plot that doesn't take itself too seriously and a memorable soundtrack that fits perfectly with the game's purpose. This would be perfect if the game could deliver on everything else with the same quality, and while Coffee Crisis certainly is enjoyable, its short length, difficulty problems and poorly roguelike elements mean that it falls short of breaking into the instant classic category, making this a mostly competent effort but which could have done so much more.
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Mario Sports Superstars means well but ultimately fails in delivering a title that is on par with previous sports games of the Mario universe. While the rich visual environment will keep the eyes fairly satisfied, most of the sports included feel empty and fall behind the threshold of fun, thus not justifying a long term investment in the overall game.
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Momonga Pinball Adventures offers something different and unique mechanics compared to other games of the kind. Its simple and effective gameplay mean that the player can get into it immediately but at the same time, it clearly does not go beyond the limits of a game designed for the mobile devices market.
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Temple of Yog has some interesting mechanics and it presents a gameplay that is simple, yet effective for a game of its kind. Unfortunately its levels fall into repetition and the lack of depth of its exploration means that it will quickly lose appeal to anyone other than the most determined players looking for a retro-style game that involves fighting within dungeons.
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Suffering from technical gaps, imprecise controls and a predictable and clichéd plot, Rodea still manages to display an interesting concept and gives the player a degree of freedom that is unusual in similar titles. Pity that its qualities don't weigh enough to redeem its flaws.
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Roving Rogue departs from a unique and refreshing concept – what in the world happens when videogame heroes end their quests? It doesn't go much further than this, though, and quickly becomes a repetitive and unappealing generic platformer, which is a pity as there was a great potential to explore with such an original premise.
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Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical consists of a visual novel (despite what its name suggests) based around music and its main characters are modern interpretations of Greek gods. All of this, plus its visually appealing graphics and art style, is very much worthy of praise. Where Stray Gods strays from its qualities is when players who are less keen on visual novels find themselves limited by the available choices, as the plot allows for little deviation from the main story. As far as its execution is concerned, some of the singing moments feel inconsistent, due to the voice actors' different renditions.
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We Are OFK does not propose the dynamic kind of gameplay that most games do. Rather, We Are OFK is more akin to a biopic where the player follows the tribulations of a burgeoning music group, and it knows how to deliver on that. Its characters are fun to follow, and the dialogues are well written to keep the player's attention focused. Coupled with a stunning looking visual environment and art style, We Are OFK is certain to appeal to those willing to embrace an experience that's not based on interactive gameplay. Even so, more ramifications and consequences for the few plot choices available would be very welcome.
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The greater focus on the development of vehicles and characters is a very welcome improvement, as it makes the exploration and overall gameplay more enjoyable, and helps consolidate this as the ultimate version of Metal Max Xeno. On the other hand, it's less clear why several plot elements were sacrificed, and the game's performance could use some work, but that doesn't stand in the way of Reborn's overall qualities.
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Rune Factory 5 marks the first new chapter of the simulation RPG series after a long hiatus and this new arrival on the Nintendo Switch brings very appealing characters, a good combat system and some interesting gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately its biggest weaknesses are difficult to overlook, namely when it comes to its performance and poor graphics, as well as to repetitive spaces to explore. While it is possible to get used to these shortcomings, they remain impossible to understand and in several cases make the experience less enjoyable than it should be.
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Pac-Man World Re-Pac brings back the 1999 original and successfully adapts its visual world as well as control mechanics to our day, thus making a great effort at modernizing Pac-Man's platformer effort. While these are very welcome steps the game's foundations remain steeped in their time and as such, the levels are rather similar and with no links between them, while the camera is somewhat limited, in elements that are reminiscent of the original game's era. All in all, Re-Pac is a fun if by no means profound experience that will please fans of one of gaming's most iconic characters and of 1990s platformers.
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Lamplight City is a point and click adventure that tries a novel approach with regards to its exploration, as the player can take the main events in any order and is allowed to fail specific objectives as the game's very flexible plot will adapt to such choices. In that regard, as well as its attractive art style, Lamplight City is an interesting game. Its puzzles suffer from a level of difficulty that ends up making them too simplistic though, and as such the challenge can get too repetitive but it nonetheless remains a game very much worth exploring.
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Monark presents us with an experience that draws inspiration from landmark RPG series while also hinting at a survival horror experience. It does a good job when it comes to its attractive art style, a flexible and smooth character development system, a challenging combat, and its plot with themes related to the human ego. Unfortunately the game's execution stands on the way to delivering a fine experience, and the frequent slowdowns that happen even more often during combat, as well as a simplistic level structure make this a game that's unable to stand up to its peers, even if it should not be disregarded by RPG fans.
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Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is a competent re-edition of the two original games that gives some of its elements a more modern flair while keeping the series' main characteristics intact. While it's inevitable to find that some of the elements feel outdated, this is still a fun and creative experience, and one that will make long-time fans of these cult classics very glad to have them on a Nintendo Switch.
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ISLANDERS: Console Edition is an exercise in relaxation. Unlike most of its peers, the experience here has no set challenge or competitiveness, it's rather based on laying down buildings in certain patterns and getting points for it on procedurally generated islands. While this is certainly very appealing for players looking for a game that offers nothing but a relaxing time, those hoping for something more challenging will have a hard time finding that in ISLANDERS.
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