Justin Nation's Reviews
Starting out with a pretty thorough and helpful tutorial you’ll have the core understanding you’ll need to get started but this is definitely an experience that reveals itself to you in waves...
In the end if you don’t mind the wonky controls and get into the different stages, and the variety they offer, A Gummy’s Life may not be a bad fit. Unfortunately, I’d say there are simply better-implemented games of this kind out there, even if they may lack the variety in stages or even the number of simultaneous players. The flaws here feel very core and fundamental and I’m not positive they can even be patched away, my family and I just didn’t find much joy or excitement in the experience.
As a whole Retimed does a good job of hitting the targets it was aiming for and providing a pretty unique experience, unfortunately it’s impossible to not also note that the whole package is a bit thin. Most critical is that without online or bot support the opportunities to enjoy the game can be a bit limited, relying on the availability of family or friends to play it at all. While I really like the art direction it’s also a bit disappointing that there just aren’t that many stages or even character options to work with. If you regularly have some people available who are down for some multiplayer fun, and you can overlook the somewhat skimpy overall content it provides, Retimed can be an absolute blast and shows off some clever ideas. It’s just hard not to note that it has some real limitations all the same.
In the end if you’re looking for a unique experience to share with some family or friends the primary board game mode in Light Fingers is refreshingly different and looks incredible as a whole. The control shortcomings are a frustration, especially if you can only play by yourself, but as long as everyone is roughly on the same page at least it’s generally fair. While it may not have nailed down everything perfectly there’s enough to discover and enjoy that it’s worth checking out to enjoy with some friends.
Games like MagiCat are absolutely one of the things that makes covering the indie space so special. A bit cute, but generally unassuming, and extremely budget-friendly, MagiCat is a title that far exceeded my expectations for it. It’s an exceptionally tight and competently-made platformer worthy of your consideration on the Switch, especially if you enjoy quality 2D action.
For its budget price Debris Infinity is an incredible deal of an arcade-style space shooter, mixing some classic elements of Asteroids with modern sensibilities and polished presentation. Much more than the Geometry Wars clone people could suspect at a quick glance, it stands apart with its own rules, flow, and challenging play. See you on the global leaderboards!
On the whole there’s a lot of game here, and since both genres are well-represented it’s almost like a double bargain. The impressive thing is how well it all blends together with neither style clearly shining over the other and both genres being well-represented. The action is quick, smart, and often intense, making Velocity 2X memorable even in the wave of indies hitting the system every week. If you’re a self-respecting fan of action, it’s well worth checking out.
Local multi-player is available and viable (though the more restricted view isn’t ideal, at least everyone is on the same page), and you’ll also have the option to play online though finding someone random to play with wasn’t terribly fruitful. I’d hoped that touchscreen support would be in place since that could have been a quicker means of control, but while oddly you can select which unit you’d like to build no other touch controls work, which was a little disappointing. Playing through both of the main campaigns will thankfully take a while though, so if you’re itching for some strategic play that’s not quite like anything else on the system Siegecraft Commander does have some worthwhile play to offer up.
The game’s main weakness is really that as a single-player experience it’s a bit too hard to progress as a whole. Playing with up to 3 friends makes the fact that kids will get into trouble at different corners of the screen simultaneously less hopeless, and you can then shoot for more of a zone defense approach to be successful. I’m not sure if the game intended to emphasize the wisdom in there being 2 parents, or even better that it takes a village to raise a child, but while the extremes the game goes to are pretty ridiculous (and generally entertaining) the aggravation of parenting comes through in Think of the Children with some authenticity.
Aside from that mode probably Hover’s worst problem is an overall lack of meaningful structure and motivation. There’s a ton of stuff you can choose to do, whether trying to find posters to spray your grafitti on, taking out powered signs, or even finding what are essentially small Gameboy units hidden about. You’ll be able to unlock new areas and characters by completing missions and diligently moving through things. You do have opportunities to then level up and enhance your character but this is all done very incrementally, improving your stats in some key areas but it's mostly number crunching, tweaking up by a few percentage points, rather than something truly of interest. The problem is that after a bit no matter how great the movement in the game may be or having access to a new area to do tricks around there’s not much that’s compelling aside from just randomly moving around and having random fun. I suppose that could be the point, and it can be entertaining in bursts, but overall Hover just doesn’t quite feel fully realized when it comes to purpose. If you’re really jonesing for something that has elements of the classic Jet Set Radio Hover will no doubt help satisfy your itch, just understand that for the most part the satisfaction is only temporary.
As a whole that’s the gist of what’s most crucial to know about Broken Sword 5, that its production values are top notch, it’s story is an interesting ride, and that it has its own sense of humor that’s more reserved than the typical genre fare. If you’re not much of an adventure fan I don’t think it will cause a change of heart since it is unapologetically a member of the genre in a classic way, reminiscent of earlier classic titles in many regards. That said, among its brethren on the Switch it does an above average job at remaining interesting, not relying solely on silliness to keep you engaged, and helping you avoid getting stuck in trying to figure out what you need to do next. For genre fans it’s a quality pick-up.
While some may not be fond of the game’s conclusion (I personally thought it was appropriate and touching) the journey in The Gardens Between is absolutely a special one. While mechanically a puzzle game, and one that can be tricky in places, as an overall experience it has a remarkably universal quality that I think anyone can appreciate. In a sea of indie (and even AAA) titles it stands out and is deserving of both praise and your attention.
Aside from the pacing and lack of things like active combat that may not be for everyone the up and down of being at the mercy of the RNG gods would probably be the most frustrating aspect of the experience. While you can get on a hot streak one critical skill roll missed can also snowball into disaster. You will have the opportunity to resurrect your character 3 times at least, spawning at the last bench you sat and rested at, though in the latter half of the game you’ll find their frequency gets to be pretty limited. If you’re down for a challenge, and find the prospect of exploring the many branching paths the mountain offers across various characters, each altering the experience a bit, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain delivers an authentic digital tabletop experience.
If you’re looking for something full of thrills and excitement that you can play for hours upon end REIGNS will disappoint you. If, however, you’re looking for something pretty light and fun with an average play session lasting less than 10 minutes (sometimes much less) REIGNS is absolutely a terrific option. With enough humor, variety, and surprises to last you some time it may not have the appearance of a game with great depth but after just a few runthroughs you’ll likely see the brilliance that helps make it interesting and unique on Switch.
If you’re looking for something that has a clever base premise and some pretty engaging dialogue to work through Stay is a fresh experience. If, however, you’re not much of a fan of philosophical discussion and exploring someone’s regrets it may end up instead feeling tedious. While Stay is hardly perfect it seems well-suited to playing on the Switch and dares to be different among much more familiar and safe titles in the eShop.
What it comes down to in the end is that Wasteland 2 is an excellent RPG that plays completely differently than anything else on the system. The degree of control you have over dictating the skills and perks tied to each of your squad members goes far beyond what can be done in other titles and though this can be overwhelming it also guarantees that nobody is likely to experience the game in quite the same way. Just understand that this is a bit of a compromised experience, and while the developers have done an admirable job of trying to make it as viable as possible on the Switch the interface can be cumbersome at times and even aggravating. However, if you thirst to explore a post-Apocalyptic world and all of the challenges and violence that can entail it’s still well worth checking out.
Overall, while I can appreciate some aspects of what the developers set out to do Defunct seems to be rushed or possibly just given up on. When everything clicks, you get your speed up, and you’re jumping around it has its moments of fun. Unfortunately, those are few and far between with the bulk of your time spent trying to slowly get around, cursing the weird movement and jumping physics, and hitting performance hitches. Perhaps with more work Defunct could have been a better game but in its current state the title can practically double as a one word review.
Putting these two halves together The Spectrum Retreat is a surprising treat, with both elements of the gameplay motivating me to get further so I could understand or solve more. While I wish there were more room for discovery in the hotel sequences I suppose the deliberate and slow doling out of clues keeps the revelations around what’s happening at a specific pace. I will say that some of the backtracking through the hotel got tedious when there wasn’t anything of value to do along the way, but it usually didn’t waste too much time. Right through the game’s conclusion I was pretty satisfied with the experience and would love to see more titles with this pairing of gameplay styles in the future.
At the end of the day this is an electronic version of a game you could already play anywhere at any time with just a deck of cards handy. That said, the pre-made nature of the game’s 100 sets removes the randomness and when combined with an ability to undo your moves the game takes on a feel of a puzzle game at times as well. A lack of touch support is disappointing but not necessarily crippling, the result is a title that’s nice as an option but not obviously something most gamers are likely to be thrilled to check out.
Taking a crack at improving a classic can always be a tough business but finding a smart way to combine two takes some creativity. For the most part I’d consider that effort a success and for the right crowd Doughlings: Arcade should be a fun and even somewhat challenging ride. A mix of skill and strategy is necessary, especially as you get on in levels, and small but smart touches like the level coming to an end once you’ve cleared the majority of pieces remove the classic frustration of trying to get rid of the last 2 or 3 bricks on the screen. If you’ve been looking for a fresh take on some classics it’s a solid choice.