Justin Nation's Reviews
In the end I had an absolute blast with Slayaway Camp and would heartily recommend it to anyone who is either a fan of great puzzle games or 80s horror movies… if you like both you’re truly in for a treat. The violence in voxel form is utterly comical, the callbacks to horror icons and some of their great kills are wonderful, and the puzzles themselves are thoroughly challenging. Since it also includes every bit of content released for the game to date, all in one, on every level it is a killer deal.
If you’re a big run-and-gun fan there are very few titles on the platform that I hold in as high regard as Bleed 2. The action is intense, character movement is fluid, and there’s something new thrown at you at every turn. Perhaps more critically with multiple skill levels and a pretty lenient continue system the game is also surprisingly fair, and thus accessible, to gamers of just about any skill level. That isn’t to say beating the game on Easy is a cakewalk, you’ll still need to earn it, but with so many games that default only to brutal it is great to see a game that scales down effectively.
While the point-and-click adventure genre flagged and faltered a while back I think it coming back more “lean and mean” in indie form is probably the best way for it to find success again. Thimbleweed Park is simply an excellent game and puts the genre’s best foot forward to help find a new generation of fans. With so many great games on the Switch that ramp up the challenge and tension it is a great move in the opposite direction, providing an experience that you can take your time to walk through and savor… while giggling along the way.
The Switch has been blessed very early on with what is now beginning to take shape as a diverse collection of rogue-likes. While it opened with the well-known Isaac, bringing the rogue shooter to the table, it then veered off into the strategic lane-based challenge of Has-Been Heroes. Tumbleseed goes completely off the board and brings its own unique vision to what a rogue-like can be with an adventure game of sorts, though in general the game feels very much like its own thing and is difficult to put in any known box. I was enthusiastic about the possibilities it could have from the moment it was first shown and having sunk many hours into the game now I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed with the result and, especially at its very reasonable price point, would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a challenge for their mind and reflexes.
Kudos to Bethesda and the folks at Panic Button for, yet again, bringing a true AAA mainstream title onto the Switch with less compromises than I could ever have imagined. Gone are the days of Nintendo systems needing to settle for dumbed down or half-assed ports, Wolfenstein II screams quality and is an outstanding technical accomplishment. While that, in itself, would already be a great selling point it’s then the quality of the story (insane as it is), its characters, and its varied action set pieces that further set Wolfenstein II apart from its own peers. I absolutely cannot wait to see what Bethesda has in store for Switch owners next!
Regardless of some quirks and small issues A Robot Named Fight is plain brilliant and consistently pulls me into a “just one more run” mentality with ease. To a degree feeling like a new Metroid-ish chapter full of exploration and surprises every time you play makes it pretty unique and consistently challenging. Of course people who are less accustomed to the way roguelikes switch things up every time may struggle with this, though since the seed is shown for every run you do you could opt to keep entering it so you could play the same instance repeatedly. Truly taking the Metroid experience to the next level, A Robot Named Fight is easy to recommend to anyone who was ever a fan of the original series.
Considering it is a free download, and comes with a feature-complete, fully-playable table that has no time or play limit, there shouldn’t be much holding you back from checking Pinball FX3 out. With a multitude of available tables to purchase that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes, both in terms of table style and theming (including many popular licenses), you’ll then be able to add to your collection as you choose. As a lifelong pinball fan who has played through the many generations of digital pinball games from the beginning it has been a fascinating evolution to watch. Zen has really hit its stride now both in terms of the quality of its engine and the diversity of the tables it offers to own the crown for the best overall digital pinball option out there on any platform.
Overall I had a blast with Bridge Constructor Portal and because of its very effective, and full, use of a terrific license it really goes to the next level for me. Using practically every element possible from those games it successfully manages not to be stale or predictable, instead there’s generally a new surprise around every corner. Married with controls that are spot-on perfect whether in docked or handheld mode, a sense of humor, and an unlimited budget I’m not positive how it could have been much better. Highly recommended!
All said, Tesla Vs. Lovecraft is probably the best 10 Tons game I’ve played to date from concept to execution. It puts everything they have on the table, looks incredible, plays smoothly, and is simply a hell of a lot of fun. I’m hoping to see just a little more come to the table to make the experience even better but if you’ve got a soft spot for some intense twin-stick shooting action you (and a friend if you’d like) really need to put this at the top of your list.
I’ve personally had a great time playing Steredenn and would immediately recommend it to anyone who enjoys intense shooters and roguelike sensibilities. It’s a combination of bullet hell, crazy power-ups (you can get a sword that lets you stab enemy ships), and risk-reward decisions that most often ends in complete failure but still puts a smile on my face. If you’re up for pushing yourself, and don’t mind the taste of defeat, I heartily recommend it.
All that said Super Daryl Deluxe is a pretty substantial (easily in the 20+ hour range), challenging, action-packed, boss-filled, weird and wild adventure-action-rpg-metroidvania. Its hilariously odd soundtrack is a labor of “Daryl”-filled love, its art is like something straight out of a trippy comic book and yet looks great in motion, and it has more jokes and feel-good nods than you’d believe. Just like its title character there’s much more to Super Daryl Deluxe than some video or this review can fully convey, and its a trip (perhaps acid?) well worth taking.
Overall, Bombslinger is one of those titles where it feels like a crime if the world isn’t shouting from the rooftops about how much fun it is. Seeing only a few screenshots and a short description the possible impression would be that it’s merely a pixel art Bomberman clone and that’s a pity. Flat out, Bombslinger absolutely puts all attempts at the single-player Bomberman experience to shame, and confirms the sneaking suspicion I’ve had for years that the potential was always there for it to be much better than it was. Throw in a great generally classic multiplayer mode and the package is a real winner!
Overall, Flipping Death is an outstanding title that is among the most outright entertaining games I’ve played. Rather than use its humor as a crutch to prop up some convoluted puzzles and messy gameplay elements it instead tackles those issues with care and what I think is a great new direction others should look to emulate. If you like a good laugh, even if Adventure games typically don’t work for you, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Overall, assuming you don’t mind the variations on a theme, this is a remarkably deep and well-made package for what amounts to being a budget price per title. Each major mode takes the same base elements and then adds a unique layer of its own, making the challenges feel quite different. There’s an enormous amount of punny humor in the dialogue that prompted some laughs, and it’s pretty incredible how well the mix of platforming, action, and puzzles blend together into one package. If you’ve somehow held off on Shantae until now this Ultimate Edition is an incredibly good place to start.
When it comes to arcade racing there’s simply nothing out there as impressive or as complete as Horizon Chase Turbo. Not only does it look and perform great, aside from a lack of online multiplayer it really offers up everything you could ask for and more. Incentives to return to unlock new areas, tracks, sweet rides, and upgrades is fair motivation, matching your times against buddies or the world are icing on the cake. While it may offend the sensibilities of more modern racing fans who have a taste for realism, I’m happy to say the spirit of Out Run and its contemporaries is alive and well in this outstanding title that’s chock full of terrific content.
Overall, even on a system that has a great selection of casual and puzzle games FRAMED Collection absolutely stands out as something special. At all levels from its presentation to its simple and intuitive controls to its consistent creativity it's an experience well worth checking out. Throw in the fact that it is launching with a very reasonable asking price and it is effortless to recommend it as one of the best games of its kind on the system.
Overall, it’s extremely hard for me not to smile while playing Just Shapes and Beats, even when some of the boss battles are absolutely kicking my butt. With some experience under your belt or simply some practice through remembering the major patterns in general all levels can be conquered, just some are definitely harder than others. An absolutely game-changing revelation I had while playing in Online mode, and would watch players who were obviously much more experience than I was, is that in many cases life can be easier simply staying still if you know the right spot in the right map. If done successfully this can mean simply hitting the button to dodge periodically rather than trying to move and keep track of everything going on around you. It takes some practice and discipline but there’s no arguing with the results they got. If you enjoy great music, a load of surprises, and just a bit of craziness Just Shapes and Beats is a unique and very worthwhile experience on Switch!
In particular at its very budget-friendly price, Miles & Kilo is a wonderful and rewarding bite of intense and satisfying platforming fun. It makes you work to pass each level, you’ll generally be able to figure out how to be successful after a few tries, and the control is spot-on so when you fail you never feel like you have anyone to blame but yourself. The addition of the Kilo segments and the pretty well constant shifts in play style keep it from getting bland and overall I’d say its length feels perfect and satisfying. An absolute must-have for playforming fans!
While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my trip through the somewhat mad minds of the developers I’ll admit that I can see where not everyone may appreciate it. If your approach to the game is to try to master it, insisting on trying to get all of the trophies on each level for completing them quickly, making no mistakes, using a minimal number of shots, and clearing the table you’ll likely want to throw your controller. While pool is generally a game of precision in Pool Panic everything is relative, mainly because you’ll need to make many shots on the move. Throw in balls that will avoid you, throw you around, attack you, or that have a short window of time where you can hit them and if you’re seeking perfection you’ll inevitably be disappointed. The good news is that in order for the level to count as complete you don’t need any of those trophies, simply working out the main puzzle and sinking most of the balls will let you then knock in the 8-ball and move on. In a sea of titles that are laser focused on the destination, Pool Panic is refreshingly instead all about the simple joy of the journey itself. Strap yourself in, load it up, and let the madness wash over you… there’s simply nothing else out there quite like it.
All said Flat Heroes is a complete and deep package whose unassuming appearance belies a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for fun. Even if you’re unable to get some friends together the massive 300 levels of the single-player campaign, Survival levels, and pretty competent bot support for Versus mode could keep you occupied for quite some time. If you’ve been looking for something that’s satisfyingly different and impeccably crafted you’d be making a mistake by overlooking this indie gem.