Sérgio Mota
Mekabolt on the Nintendo Switch is not a life-changing experience but it is a decent and competent platformer that's accessible to younger and to less experienced players. Those looking for a more challenging experience need to set their horizons elsewhere, though, as Mekabolt doesn't stand to its highest graded peers on the Switch but anyone who's looking for a simple platformer will find a few hours of fun in this work.
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Bitlogic - A Cyberpunk Arcade Adventure has one precise objective: to deliver a 2D adventure-platformer that pays tribute to the MSX, and it succeeds in this exact, if rather limited, purpose. It doesn't venture much further than that, however, and it quickly becomes apparent that other than MSX nostalgics and enthusiasts, very few players will be swooned by the game's simple concept and short longevity.
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Monster Jam Steel Titans on the Nintendo Switch will be welcomed by fans of monster truck racing thanks to its official license and to the rather sharp and enjoyable gameplay. Those who are not into this sport will enjoy the variety of game modes but they will also look beyond that and the game's flaws will stand out more easily: a lacklustre visual detail, glitches and lack of online component. Overall, anyone looking for a good driving simulation will find better offers elsewhere, but those curious about or interested in monster truck racing will no doubt find something to pay attention to.
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AO Tennis 2 presents itself as a realistic tennis simulation and on the Nintendo Switch, that's enough to stand out and set a high threshold. Unfortunately the overall experience turns out to be a disappointment. Despite a well-executed career mode and a helpful player creation tool, the gameplay in AO Tennis 2 feels disproportionately difficult, while its cast of players doesn't make much sense. Adding to that, its visual environment belongs to a previous time and its performance issues harm the experience even more. Players looking for a sharp and exquisite tennis simulation on the Switch will walk out disappointed.
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The Legend of Skyfish has no issues with presenting itself as an adventure game heavily inspired by some of the most recognizable works in the genre and there's nothing wrong with that. What happens with The Legend of Skyfish is that despite its competent delivery of a simple, accessible gameplay welcoming of new players and which easily fits quick gaming sessions, the game lacks depth, originality and involvement and the overall experience feels like it's rather superficial and doesn't go as far as it could.
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Heroes Trials does not hide its references and inspirations, and there's nothing wrong with that. What Heroes Trials does wrong, though, is how to execute those influences and as such, what we end up getting is a rather lacklustre effort where its innovative plot and open world exploration end up being harmed by an overall lack of challenge, an art style which does not dazzle anyone and a level design that does not compare to adventure game classics.
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Swap This! brings a puzzle game to the Nintendo Switch that does a good job at keeping players amused for short gaming sessions, especially when using the system's touch screen. The game loses appeal when played on a television screen, however, and it can feel too repetitive on a short-term basis.
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Super Destronaut DX can bring a tribute to Space Invaders to a contemporary system. Thanks to several game modes and to classic controls, it's nearly impossible to skip. The game does it job right when it comes to intuitive controls, as well as to an updated leaderboard. Unfortunately there is not a lot to do when it comes to the game's lifespan and its price.
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As the Nintendo Switch has no virtual reality capabilities, this means Neverout cannot fully live up to its expectations. Despite its interesting challenges and its good difficulty curve, Neverout feels like it's not at its true level.
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While this helps to make the game very accessible and easy to get into, it also means One Strike suffers from a very low level of ambition and that it doesn't really try to stand out in any other way. Its characters are also designed in a way that doesn't stimulate experimenting and visually, the game would struggle against examples of generations past.
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Featuring simple but effective controls and some repetitiveness-preventing measures, it loses out when it comes to its sound environment, as it could be much better, especially when it assumes such an importance in the puzzle solving component, and it lacks a certain sense of purpose.
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Wanderjahr TryAgainOrWalkAway combines elements of classical JRPG games with large-scale combat to bring a game that features a good strategic component and a simple but fun adventure with a soundtrack worthy of praise. The experience would be much more memorable if the controls were sharper and with a more structured plot, not to mention the too many aspects that are more fitting for a mobile or tablet-based game than for a Nintendo Switch title.
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Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL arrives at the Nintendo Switch exhibiting a lot of traits from its mobile origins, perhaps too much of them as it feels like this is a compilation and recycling of elements seen on previous games of the series. It does feature a good amount of game modes but overall, it's not challenging enough and it feels like its lifespan is being pushed only through repetition.
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Drop it: Block Paradise may not be a monumental masterpiece but it gets the gig right: its amount of levels and simple gameplay mechanics make it enjoyable and its level editor and online sharing will keep it fresh for a long time. Where it doesn't keep up is when it comes to its maladjusted difficulty level and feeling of repetitiveness, which can alienate some players.
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It can be said of Back to Bed that it's a game with a superb visual environment (hard to go wrong with settings from Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher) and simple but entertaining gameplay mechanics. Where it sadly fails is that it doesn't go beyond too easy challenges and a short lifespan, as the game ends before a truly challenging moment confronts the player.
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Aeterna Noctis brings a metroidvania experience influenced by several of the main games of the genre, with a complex level design, a long lifespan, and a well implemented visual environment. If experienced players will feel right at home, those with less time and fewer hours on their back around metroidvania games will find the high difficulty level off putting, and while the game's gentle pacing works great for the exploration it also risks making some players lose their momentum as they move around Aeterna Noctis' long lifespan and maze-like levels.
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Bob Help Them is a fun, no-frills puzzle game that offers a simple and accessible experience which suits the Nintendo Switch handheld format perfectly. At the same time, its simplicity is also the game's Achilles' Heel - while it's possible to obtain more from the game than just solving every task, there's little here that differentiates Bob Help Them from many other puzzle games on the console's catalogue with higher production values.
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For a game in a genre where heavyweights command large legions of fans, Nexomon is simple but its plot works pretty well and there's a wide variety of monsters to catch. At the same time, Nexomon is not original enough to be able to stand up to its more competitive peers, which means that this will mostly appeal to the most dedicated fans of monster capture RPGs.
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King's Bounty II is the sequel to a tactical RPG that came out over thirty years ago, but it does a fine job at keeping a great balance between the original game's formula and the standards that define today's tactical RPGs. This work is a lot more successful in its gameplay than in its execution, however, as the visual performance often falls behind expectations due to technical issues that don't allow it to be the fantastic experience that it could aspire to.
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Short Games Collection is a good format to release five short-length indie games which would go mostly unnoticed if released individually. In this collection we find original games with variable levels of challenge and entirely distinct mechanics, put together by a neat and efficient presentation. A lower price would be very welcome, however, as there are more ambitious collections available on the Nintendo Switch on a similar price range.
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