Justin Nation's Reviews
Games that are so clearly terrific and special in many ways, but that have a degree of difficulty that makes me concerned not everyone will get a chance to appreciate it, always pose a scoring challenge for me. Unlike, say, a roguelike where some mild progression and sheer luck can give you good runs every once in a while here there are no tricks, shortcuts, or luck to be had. Your options are merely to “git gud” or to stop playing. It’s an approach I find admirable, and given the generally generous spacing of checkpoints I think it’s as fair as it can be without completely compromising. If you’re up to the challenge, or to give it a serious try, this is absolutely a rewarding experience and one that pays off more and more the further in you’re able to go. The evolution of its visual style and gameplay are something I’ve simply never seen before and I think will inevitably be copied, they’re so impressively done. What will be far tougher to have any hope of replicating, and what really sets The Messenger apart, is the game’s tremendous sense of humor and poking fun at itself. The result is one of the most deserving titles of “the hype” I’ve seen in quite some time.
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.
All in all, even years into its life, Diablo III is an amazingly strong title that may have had a rocky start way back at launch but has course corrected and improved substantially over the years. It offers a ridiculous degree of variety in how you can approach combat, a tremendous menagerie of monsters and bosses to contend with, and the variety of things to do after you’ve “beat the game” is staggering if you enjoy grinding to get that ideal build. Even if you’re just planning to play through the story with a class or two that will take you quite a number of hours and with a wide array of skill levels to set the game to you can push yourself hard or opt to slaughter everything in your path. The fact that all of this can now be taken anywhere you go and plays practically flawlessly is a true testament to what the system and the development team who converted the title are capable of.
GRIS manages to blend everything together to deliver one of the most powerful experiences I’ve enjoyed all year. While its runtime is only a handful of hours rushing through it would be a shame, as it really is worth taking the time to savor all along the way. Once you complete the main game you’ll have the opportunity to return and try to track down the optional objectives you missed, those things that were on the periphery you either missed or may have not been able to figure out how to get to. This is a journey I’d very much recommend to just about anyone, it is highly approachable, meaningful, and satisfying on pretty well all levels. It may not be a terribly long game but it is one that will stick with you and encourage a periodic playthroughs in the future to experience it all once again.
This is simply a nautical adventure that continues to surprise, somehow both placid and often tense, routine and yet full of nasty surprises
It Takes Two is simply a big step above the co-op competition, earning a pretty rare Hall of Fame rating
Among the indie games I've greatly enjoyed on PC over the years and have wondered when they would make their way to Switch, The Stanley Parable was one of my last holdouts, so I'm thrilled it is finally here...
Having spent far more time with Rainbow Billy than I would have expected, I’ve become a big fan of its unique mix of adventure, platforming, relationship building, and mini-game driven combat...
While I’ll admit that when you mention a game with the name “dodgeball” right in the title you already have my attention, bear in mind that doesn’t make me an easy guarantee for positive feelings about the result...
There’s nothing I like more than a surprise game that shows up, slaps you around a bit, and leaves you thirsting for more...
While mostly staying true to the formula of the original, there’s just enough new polish and fun to make it worth a fresh look
While not a game I formally reviewed for the system this is one of those titles that can't be omitted since it is both terrifically challenging and very accessible with loads of options to make the difficulty more within your reach...
While many gamers enjoy blowing away enemies, racing through hairpin turns, or guiding their team to victory there’s a growing contingent of gamers who either prefer or enjoy more soothing experiences...
If you're up for a challenge, tons of power-ups, and bullets everywhere...
Getting right down to it there’s just something about the Super Mega Baseball series that taps into what love and nostalgia I have for baseball as a sport, particularly in video game form...
While the Overcooked series is famously (or is it infamously?) known to many fans of local multiplayer I'll admit that I consider one of its weaknesses to be broad approachability...
Another one of the titles I didn't originally review for the system, this is another one of those games that would be criminal not to include on top lists, especially given its difficult-but-addictive nature...
While I have played (and generally enjoyed) a ton of roguelikes of all flavors on the Switch I can’t say any of them has been quite like Children of Morta...
While deck building games would usually fall into the category of titles I’d file under “an acquired taste” the Switch now has 2 rock solid titles with that style of play that have proven mainstream friendly this year...
With a mix of brutal boss battles and challenging run and gun sections Cuphead is notorious for being a tough game...