Arcana of Paradise: The Tower has a fun concept for a roguelike deck builder, but it lacks challenge and tension. #url#
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories has a great aesthetic and can feel like a slice-of-life investigation of seedy situations, but it has a few pits.
The Smile Alchemist is one of those unexpected KEMCO games, as it brings Asobox's pleasant alchemy life simulator to a wider audience.
Aka is a game with a generally sound concept and a laudable goal of a relaxed life sim, but quite a few issues come up along the way.
When you pick up an otome visual novel for your Switch, you figure you are getting a game that will feature intricate romance stories with detailed characters, but Paradigm Paradox doesn’t exactly fit into the typical mold. Which is fine! The problem is, the game as a whole feels rushed, with the world’s lore and characters’ relationships speedrunning their way to good (and bad) ends.
Touken Ranbu Warriors is an odd sort of Musou game. It’s a completely single-player experience, for one. Its cast is small, which is surprising given there are over 200 characters in Touken Ranbu proper. While it focuses on historical battles, it chops things up to focus on parts of a whole. It’s a very niche entry in a series that itself is on the edge of the mainstream. Not to mention it is one that simplifies the situation. Perhaps even excessively!
There are times when Kickstarter projects will involve “bonus games” as stretch goals. For example, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s crowdfunding campaign led to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is that for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. However, while the Inti Creates bonus game is a compelling and rich title in its own right, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is “just okay” and feels like a clunky collection of fetch quests.
Atelier Sophie 2 is an upgrade to the original game, but you really have to love Sophie and Plachta to get the most out of it.
Like its predecessor, The Caligula Effect 2’s greatest sin is that it is entirely average. The soundtrack is incredible, to be certain. Progress is clear, given that the dungeons work so much better. The general story feels stronger as well. But the supplemental elements, generic enemies, and need to only take advantage of the tactical parts of battle when facing bosses leave it feeling a bit lackluster.
Olympia Soiree ends up feeling awkward for many reasons. The class system, the focus on getting the heroine married and pregnant, and the information dumps get to be so much. Once you do finally get to a route, the pacing improves, but before that it is just so much to take in and process.
WitchSpring3 Re:Fine isn't bad, but the Switch version doesn't feel well optimized or especially exciting compared to the mobile release.
Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster is an important piece of JRPG history and, UI issues aside, it's fascinating to finally experience it.
Poison Control feels like the sort of game where lots of different elements are tossed together in a way that hopefully comes together and makes sense. Some parts are fine. Eliminating poison can make you think, though it can sometimes get to be a bit of a chore.
Pretty Princess Party is one of those games where the target audience is definitely little ones, but it falls into a unique position where elements of it might appeal to other people too. Basically, it isn’t only about simplistic minigames and dressing up. It’s about building up your repertoire so you can customize a castle.
I love parts of Mad Rat Dead. The music is incredible. It looks fresh. Even the concept and the questions it asks get you thinking in a good way. But it can really be frustrating.
If someone likes the Genkai Tokki series, I think there is a very good chance they will like and want to own Moero Crystal H. It completes a set, even though it is self-contained. It follows a lot of the same patterns, but then that’s really the goal. For people not familiar with it, well, it’s basically an average dungeon-crawler with a first-person perspective and turn-based battles.
Tembo the Elephant starts strong. It seems peppy and fun, with a protagonist you can't help liking. Then, it shifts gears. That change in tactics takes something that stands out and feels unique and makes it feel more like others in its ilk. It's the last thing it needed, since so many of Tembo's moves are shared with other heroes. It's entertaining enough, but doesn't quite define itself as one of the greats.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a game that leaves you wanting more, for better or worse. You want more loot, or at least confirmation that when you go through the same tedious level again, you'll find exactly the item you need waiting at the end. You want more of a balanced challenge, with a single player that feels like it could be handled alone or a multiplayer that performs perfectly under any condition and is worth replaying. Most importantly, you want a real reason to keep returning to the game and not just a prospect of a pretty new look for the Link-alike. As is, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes feels like something you play, beat, then only return to if you're certain two people you know genuinely need aid to acquire necessary materials.
Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure is a rather rudimentary game. It doesn't have a huge array of fish, and its locations aren't exactly packed with personality. It borrows ideas and looks from games that are much brighter and more engaging, then pales in comparison. It isn't a terrible game, but it feels very bland and eventually feels like you're going through the motions just so you can keep engaging in the same activities over and over again.
The idea behind Umbraclaw and its character designs is amazing, but know going in it can be challenging and demand perfection.