Justin Nation's Reviews
While Milanoir offers up something very different on Switch, and manages to avoid repeating itself too much, the overall unevenness of the experience can be hard not to be frustrated by. Some sequences play well, and will give you some push back, but others can prove to be maddening and seem to only get cleared through an element of luck on top of your skills. If you’re determined to you’ll get through it but for mere casual fans without a patch it will probably aggravate more than entertain.
Shift Quantum was a very pleasant surprise of a quality puzzle game, and it delivered quite a bit more than its modest presentation would imply. More than just a collection of pretty rote puzzles, which is something that happens a bit too often in this genre, Shift Quantum has some great ideas and it makes the most of exploring the challenges that can be concocted around them. If you’re a puzzle fan who has been looking for something that veers off the normal path a bit and throws in some intrigue to boot it’s a quality choice.
Overall I was surprised how positively my family reacted to Invisiballs. They’ve become pretty jaded with mutliplayer action games so when their initial skepticism melted away quickly to be replaced by whoops and yelling about who got who it was a sure sign the game was onto something. That said there’s also no getting around the limitation of really needing 4 people to be an optimum experience. A 2 or 3-player match can be done but it is far more of a cat and mouse game followed by quick bursts of attacks until someone gets a kill. Only when you have a full roster do you have enough going on that you begin to see a wider variety of strategies in play and the game hitting its stride. A great option if you regularly have some friends or family around to play with though.
For the most part it’s this sense of fun and discovery that is meant to prop the game up, since having gone a less traditional route there’s not a compelling overarching story, your characters are intentionally simple and lack story arcs, and the combat system is pretty bare bones. What helps drive you is the desire to try out some of the fun choices for changing things up, find out what weird things you may be fighting next, and to explore new places to see what surprises there may be. That said, if this lighter style and lack of a meaty story aren’t what you typically would look for, or if the pop culture references don’t connect for you, what’s left is a pretty bare bones RPG experience beneath it all so it is vital you’re sure this is an experience for you.
In the end I really appreciate what Smoke and Sacrifice set out to do and how well it generally executed that vision. While survival games typically have played out, for me, as being merely for their own sake the added purpose behind your character’s survival being for the sake of finding the truth about the fate of her child I found compelling. Each step I’d take to get closer there would be more demands and the drive to overcome those obstacles felt much more personal than it typically does. While there’s some tedium, which is somewhat common to the genre, and handheld mode isn’t ideal it is still a compelling game that plays quite well.
Depending on what you're looking for Legend of Kay Anniversary could be worthwhile. If you played it in its original form and have a touch of nostaglia for it or you're simply a big fan of 3D platformers, even ones that haven't necessarily mechanically ages well it has its strengths. That's not to say there's not some baggage along for the ride though, with the voice acting being a surprise out of left field. Be sure to check out some video of gameplay and read up further on it to be sure it's a good fit for you.
All in all I enjoyed playing Die for Valhalla for its relative simplicity that really does bring me back to the classic arcade quarter-pumping experience. Paired with some friends it can be a blast to simply maul your way through enemies and then fight for the glory that spews onto the screen at the end of each level. As long as you keep your expectations in check, and don't count on it to deliver a very deep experience, it can be some good fun for at least a handful of hours of hacking up bad guys and bosses.
All said, Yoku's Island Express is a breath of fresh and creative air on the Switch and just what this jaded gamer needed to get out of a pretty serious "more of the same" funk. As a life-long fan of pinball I'm thrilled with the result and enjoyed the many ways mechanical concepts from physical machines managed to get integrated into this adventure-style format. Even if you're more of a pinball novice, in general the controls are pretty friendly and approachable, you'll just need to develop a sense of timing and pay attention to certain patterns to determine what you'll need to do to progress. If you're down for something with boatloads of charm and heart mixed with a style of play you've likely never experienced before it is well worth picking up.
While Punch Club isn't a bad experience by any means there's no way to get around its limitations. If you enjoy its somewhat relaxed "play it on the cough while you watch TV" style and haven't already indulged in it by all means give it a look. If you've dabbled before or are looking for something action-oriented it likely won't be worth considering though.
Overall, Fox N Forests truly feels like a lost game from the the Early 90s that you could plug into your SNES and it would seem right at home on all levels. Of course for people who aren't looking for that hit of nostalgia or are generally unfamiliar with that era this may not be a great fit. However, if you've been itching for something satisfies your sense of nostalgia and can dig in to the total experience it's a welcome reminder of how beautiful pixel art games can be.
There's almost as high a degree of memorization to Ikaruga as skill as you can only improvise your way through challenges like this so much. True success will only come from having familiarity with where to go, what to do, and then almost a degree of muscle memory to help you perform ballet between bullets flying everywhere. If you've been looking for a game that's somewhat light on total content but that compensates with a demand for approaching perfection Ikaruga is as tough as they come. But, if you were hoping for something a bit more light and fun you can absolutely pass, this is a game that revels in its brutality.
If you're a die hard twin-stick shooting fan Atomine is a bit of a breath of fresh air among the offerings already available. Its more arcade-like sensibilities make it a bit more friendly to pick up and play and the runs tend to be on the quicker side, though if you get rolling it can take a bit. More mainstream gamers who're in search of a shooter to check out may find there are better examples of the genre on the Switch but could find the relative simplicity of it all appealing, especially in handheld more where its more chunky look works well on the smaller screen. If you're looking for a very cyberpunk-looking twin-stick experience it is worth a look.
The object in the game is pretty simple, you just want to jump right or left to go up platforms, slowly taking you higher and into more challenging zones...
The classic hidden item puzzle game genre has made some real strides over the past few years...
Overall, if you're looking for a pretty budget-friendly diversion that doesn't take itself too seriously and has quirky surprises of fun Animal Super Squad isn't a bad deal. The core levels present a fairly consistent and enjoyable experience, there are some silly unlockables to be found hidden about, and if you want to amp up the difficulty the hidden challenge levels will make you work hard to succeed. While the inclusion of a level editor and community support are always a plus for some people walk in with the understanding that it won't have you quickly making good stuff, it's a bit cumbersome and there's simply a lot to do in order to tune a level for a crazy game like this. All said it's fun, different, pretty weird, and reasonably affordable.
In the end Disco Dodgeball Remix is unapologetically what it is, for you to take it or leave it, and I respect that. In terms of total content and options for play both alone, with a friend, or online the game is absolutely stacked. Exhausting the Arcade and various Challenge modes will take time for people who enjoy chasing leaderboards and with so many varied arenas and play modes online matches are generally surprising and crazy. There's no getting around its quirks, and if you're expecting pinpoint precision control you'll be disappointed, but if you're up for some chaotic play that's very unique Remix has its charms.
With that in mind seeing a title like Super Sportsmatchen, and perhaps even more vitally hearing it, really put me into a good place mentally...
If you’re an RPG fan I’d say there’s no doubt Battle Chasers: Nightwar is well worth picking up. Even for casual JRPG fans there’s enough content, character, and beauty in the game that if you’re intrigued it should be well worth the plunge. For RPG novices it may all feel a little busy but if you’ll take the time to work through the menus and get to know all of the elements you have at your disposal it should be accessible, just a bit overwhelming. For whatever minor flaws the game may have it is well worth the ride.
Taking it all in, scoring the game for a general audience is a challenge. On the one hand it has a ton of very cool content, with a terrific funky design, creative levels, exciting new elements, surprising unlocks, and a soundtrack that sticks with you. On the other it's not hard to see where mainstream audiences are likely to get too frustrated with the game to bother to see a lot of it. Score-chasers and speedrunners will no doubt revel in the challenge, but the thing is that regardless of whether the game was made more mainstream-balanced those elements would still be strong. With a patch to tone things down I could easily see the game jumping up a point as it became more inviting, just right now it's much more of an acquired taste and that's a shame.
While I can appreciate the effort that went into making Where Are My Friends?, even if you’re thinking a budget title with a couple of different genres has to have some merits I’d still encourage you to exercise caution. Not only are almost all of these genres far better represented by other titles already on Switch (many of them indie titles with fair prices as well), if you really love a given genre it can be painful to endure a bad example of it. Without any particular segment standing out as clearly superior, or remotely on par with the efforts of other titles’ gameplay in similar genres, this is a title I can’t recommend to pretty well anyone.