Justin Nation's Reviews
What makes Epic Loon stand out, and work at all, is that the various screens you end up in that are tied to each movie are so utterly odd and creative. There’s a real method to the madness in this game and for me the element of the unexpected and the legitimate challenges in making effective use of such limited controls pays off. It’s absolutely not a game that will work for everyone, and if you’re only going to play solo it may not be a great match, but if you’ve got a bunch of geeky friends who love iconic movies and weirdness Epic Loon may just provide for some really unexpected entertainment while you’re all trying to prove who’s the best.
The baseline key to games of this kind is to get the physics and feel of it right and they’ve absolutely nailed it...
You’ll play as either Jack or Jill, with your goal of saving your friend by making your way through 7 different worlds with 20 levels apiece...
It’s more when you get rolling that the problems begin to materialize...
Let me say very clearly that I’ve never been a Dragon Ball Z fan, so I won’t be able to comment on any of the nuance for the characters themselves...
Elena, searching for some answers to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her father, learns early on that an amulet in her possession will allow her to take on a ghostly spiritual form...
Another adventure game that takes its own path when it comes to resolving conflicts in this title you'll play as a bard who ends up using his vocal talents to try to help save the day...
Each major set of levels includes 10 total stages and in order to unlock additional ones you’ll need to complete the majority of those you’ve unlocked with gold medal ranks...
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.