Justin Nation's Reviews
When reviewing things that are less "games" in the sense you'd normally think of them, and that focus more on ambiance or storytelling, it's always a bit of a challenge...
Overall, I found Mugsters to be a fresh breath of fun, both solo and in co-op mode. Certainly adding another person to the mix amps up the fun, but it also opens the door to more complications as control in these sorts of games is always a bit relative. If you’re patient, take in the challenges before you, and are willing to experiment to find the best way to deal with your problems it can be a rewardingly silly experience.
It isn’t terribly surprising that the storyline is plain bizarre and that the motivations and behaviors of pretty well all of the characters are hard to follow for a newcomer...
In pretty well every way Hand of Fate 2 has run with everything that made the original work and has made it better. The scenarios all test you in unique ways, the number of unique event cards has greatly expanded which allows for far more versatility as the game progresses, and the trials in both combat and gambling have diversified greatly. The result is a very challenging and thus satisfying package that blends a degree of chance, skill in building and effectively using your deck, and becoming proficient in the game’s combat. It’s a combination that is really without an equal on the console and is highly recommended if you’re looking for a sustained challenge on the Switch.
If you’re looking for an entertaining way to play some arcade volleyball Super Volley Blast does a pretty good job of delivering the goods. While it isn’t souped up with special attacks, meters, and the like it covers the bases of actual play pretty well, with the only major omission being the ability to block at the net. Throw in a Story mode that will make you work to unlock some increasingly silly and strange characters and if you’re a fan of the sport it sets you up pretty nicely for some fun.
In the end I’m very torn on Super Destronaut DX because so much about it works very well but given its simplicity just a few major problems really drag it down. It looks and sounds great, is pretty well ideal for play in handheld mode, and the multiple modes and online leaderboards are great touches. However, the constant stream of incoming grey ships that you can’t shoot and must keep track of to dodge on top of the main action just feels a bit cheap as a distraction. The worst is really the lack of consistency in the otherwise excellent Challenge mode when you get down to the last handful of stages. But if you’re a big fan of arcade action, even with these issues it is still probably well worth picking up.
Overall I was entranced by the stories in The Lion’s Song and their themes. The interconnected nature of the characters, both in terms of how they find their inspirations and even intersect in small ways with one another is well-planned and executed to help deliver its point. Though it doesn’t have much gameplay to speak of for its price it offers a unique and introspective experience on the Switch I was glad to have the opportunity to enjoy.
If you’re a massive Punch-Out fan who enjoys the thrill of figuring out your opponent’s moves and taking them out there’s no question Pato Box is for you. Every bout is unique, varied, challenging… and some could even say brutal. Timing and recognizing each fighter’s various tells is essential to victory. The touch of getting your meter back once you’re at critical health, if you can avoid taking a hit for a few seconds, is essential and really what saves package as a whole. If you’ve been looking for something that’s both challenging and very different from just about anything in the Switch’s line-up Pato Box absolutely delivers a knock-out punch.
Props to the folks at Lightwood Games for putting together something both familiar and different with Fill-a-Pix, it’s absolutely something different and the scale of the puzzles is pretty incredible… though at times intimidating as well. The implementation of the tools and helpers is both thoughtful and impressive, and really helps you keep from completely drowning as you contemplate the substantial grid of numbers and spaces everywhere. Help is always there if you need it, but if you’re insistent on doing it yourself you can always opt not to use it. If you love pixel puzzles and are up for a new challenge it’s well worth checking out.
Taking the silly premise of a bomb-laying chicken and then milking it for all its worth Bomb Chicken is an unusual mix of platforming and puzzling...
Another World is a pretty fascinating look back at gameplay and presentation elements from another time. Its influence on how games were presented is easy to see and appreciate but its mechanics are undoubtedly aggravating by today’s standards. I’m very happy to see its arrival on the Switch, as milestones in video game history like it need to preserved and appreciated but you’ll need to be mindful of its dated nature if you decide to take the plunge.
As a non-fan of Mega Man the roguelike nature of 20XX at least appeals to me more than that series as a whole. The quick pick up and play nature of it, and never quite knowing what to expect, is fun and I appreciate the inclusion of the two base characters who play out very differently. If you happen to be both a roguelike fan and someone who appreciates the Mega Man X series I’d say it is a pretty easy title to suggest, if you’re only into one of the two your mileage will likely vary. Even with quite a bit of competition in this genre on the Switch 20XX is a pretty unique package, making it noteworthy if you’re a fan of challenging platforming and boss fights.
Bomber Crew is absolutely not going to be a game for everyone, as it swings away from direct action and into more passive strategy and people management of sorts. Its learning curve can be rough, and the path to success will likely be established over the wreck of a few planes and bodies of the unfortunate crew you weren’t yet capable of saving. The result is an engaging challenge and when you somehow manage to complete your mission with your plane shot to hell and barely remaining in the air it can be quite a thrill. If you’re looking for something completely different than anything you’ve likely played before and enjoy testing your people and situation management skills Bomber Crew could be a great fit.
The value proposition for The Wardrobe leans heavily on how much frustration you’re willing to endure for the sake of the enjoyment of the ride. If you’re up for something fun and simply plan to hit a walkthrough when things get too obtuse (which will happen often) there’s certainly fun to be had. In addition, given the game’s price, the adventure takes a while to get through and has a lot of funny beats along the way. That said, not acknowledging how poorly the puzzles and flow of the game are designed would be a disservice, it’s sloppy at best and that makes recommending The Wardrobe a challenge.
Overall, if you’re feeling the need to mech up and have some destructive fun Assault Gunners HD Edition could be a good match for you if you temper your expectations. In terms of both presentation and overall action this feels like a last-gen game at best, but probably even further back than that. Its sensibilities simply aren’t very evolved, you’re going out to destroy everything in sight and doing so feels far more vanilla than you may expect. That said, for the moment there aren’t many options anything like it on the console for now so depending on the fix you’re looking for it could be a good fit.
In the end you’ll either embrace what Neverout is looking to offer with its more than 60 levels of first-person puzzling or you won’t. I can absolutely say that I’ve never played anything quite like it in general, let alone on the Switch, and though there are levels I was able to pretty easily work through there were others that gave me pause. Working through some solutions takes some trial and error as you work out how everything needs to be arranged but completing those levels then tends to be quite satisfying. If you can deal with the odd controls, and would like a new perspective on puzzling (literally), Neverout is a welcome change of pace.
Whether as a party game or a solo experience Runbow has an incredible amount to offer. Its controls very much fall under the simple to learn but tough to master banner, especially if you’re going to tackle the likes of the Bowhemoth mode. Small touches like the collection of indie darling characters included as unlocks are very much appreciated and offer a motivation to explore the game’s modes to find them all. Especially if you’ve got some friends or family with a competitive streak Runbow can be a lot of raucous fun!
For its novelty alone on the RTS-starved Switch Mushroom Wars 2 has some merit to it, and will no doubt make strategy fans who’ve felt poorly represented a bit happier. That said, this feels more like a stripped-down strategy experience overall, making the origins of the series coming from the mobile space not a great surprise. As long as the online community gets rolling it should be a worthwhile investment, but the more you’re likely to find yourself playing it in single-player mode the more likely you are to get a bit bored with the repetition.
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!
As a whole Pocket Rumble stands up very well as an extremely budget-friendly fighter that has few frills but delivers what is most crucial. Looking and playing great whether in docked or handheld mode it’s light, easy to get into, and has a surprisingly-diverse roster with some very unusual characters. Throw in Online support that even competitive games with higher prices have been known to lack or implement with higher instability and it very much delivers a fair value for its humble price tag.