Justin Nation's Reviews
Overall, if you’re receptive to what I would consider a very honest and genuine study of someone going through a difficult period in their lives and being faced with challenging decisions I’d say it is a worthwhile experience. It explores relationships both good and bad, the pain and burden of feeling guilty for decisions you make, and the process of personal discovery. Add in that it is done through an ingeniously clever mechanism of someone’s lost phone and it is a narrative treat unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
All said if you’ve been looking for something on the scarier side for your Switch, Layers of Fear: Legacy serves up a grim story with some disturbing images and jump scares along the way. While it gets off to a very slow start once things begin to change and the truth of what has happened begins to reveal itself in general it’s a fun ride from that point on. In general terms the sense of dread and the feeling you get while walking through the house reminded me most of the classic Eternal Darkness, to the point that I was waiting for a bust to turn and watch me as I went by. While it’s certainly lacking in action the quality of the presentation helps to compensate nicely. There’s currently nothing else as chilling on the Switch.
While it is obvious the effort behind Hollow is there the net result, for the most part, comes up short. Without question people who are thirsting for a horror title that at least has some action and gore will probably find it worthwhile, willing to overlook its various flaws, but from a more mainstream perspective it’s a tough sell. The game’s conclusion promising more in the form of a sequel can hopefully point to a sophomore effort that’s a bit more varied and refined but this first outing is unfortunately tough to love.
Moreso than almost any title I’ve played on the Switch Payday 2 is absolutely only as good as you and the people you’re playing with make it. Stripped to its base experience it isn’t hard to see the issues creep up, and they can be a bit of a bummer. That said, if you and your crew are committed to playing things smart, making effective use of your time, and working together to complete the phases of the mission it can really be a blast and offers an experience like nothing else on the system.
Overall the only gripe may be the somewhat sedated pace of everything, at least for an impatient and twitchy gamer like myself...
With all of its quirks, completely gonzo gameplay, and ability to defy easy (or possibly sensible) description Ace of Seafood is absolutely an acquired taste for the Switch. That said, as I came to terms with everything it was throwing at me on-screen by taking time to slowly set up a foundation to work with it grew on me. There's absolutely some fun to be had with it if you can embrace the insanity and silliness of it all, you just have to be open to its very non-traditional experience in order to get there.
Overall, especially as an English major and true fan of fonts, I found TypoMan to be a creative delight. What it lacks in polish in places it more than makes up for with sheer creativity and doing clever or unexpected things. About the only major disappointment is that it is over all too quickly, but I hope there’s some possibility that we could see more in the future by my exerting one last trick from the game: “SEQUEL”.
Overall, especially as an English major and true fan of fonts, I found TypoMan to be a creative delight...
If you’re not a puzzle fanatic you can work your way through without getting all of the hearts as you learn the ropes and then return later for the challenge of unlocking the bonus levels so you can see and complete everything. If you consider yourself a world-class puzzle fan see how many you can figure out within a few minutes with no help… somewhere along the way you’ll struggle, but that’s part of the fun. All said this is a title that’s friendly to your pocketbook, full of simple charm, and can probably be enjoyed by just about everyone.
I’d say the moral of Old Man’s Journey relates well in a somewhat tangential way to my review thoughts. Your time is precious, so be sure to make the most of it and try not to give yourself things to regret. The further along in your own life and experiences you are the easier it is to recommend it wholeheartedly as its story will likely hit you quite a few ways right in the feels. The younger you are it is probably harder to justify since that shifts more responsibility to the adequate-but-not-incredble puzzle aspects of it. Old Man’s Journey fits well into the Switch library with its own distinct story to tell complemented by outstanding art and satisfying puzzles.
Appreciating the fact that variety is the spice of life WanderjahR has a place on the system and may even find an audience with its novelty. That said, after a while the repetition of it all can begin to set in and your limits of control can become aggravating. If you’re eager to find a new take on strategy RPG gaming it may well be worth a shot, but for most gamers I’d anticipate this will be a pass.
Perhaps if you’re a big fan of action puzzles and don’t mind its minimalistic looks you’ll find enough fun in TorqueL to fully explore its branches, discover the key to its secret path, and exhaust everything it has to offer. For everyone else I would imagine it will serve as a nice temporary distraction and then results will vary in terms of how quickly the novelty and interest wears thin. TorqueL takes a good stab at providing variety but different isn’t always exciting in and of itself.
Overall I only have positive things to say about Aqua Kitty UDX. It has a focus on a specific experience, delivers it effectively, and provides a reasonable progression of challenge across its diverse modes. While it won’t likely have much appeal outside of people who are arcade-style shooting fans it is also probably more friendly for acting as an introduction to the genre than other more hardcore choices on the Switch. Well worth checking out and it has a very reasonable price to boot!
Overall I had a fabulous time playing through Owlboy, and the fact that it surprised me with some regularity was a huge bonus. While most indie titles tend to move in the direction of a very specific style of play it manages to be a little more diverse, helping it stand out among its peers beyond its good looks. Throw on a non-traditional story and hero and you have a game that doesn’t get everything right but that, without question, invested a great deal of effort in being notable.
I'd say that Darkside Detective isn't the best adventure game on the system but it holds up well in the middle of the pack. The greater the breadth of your pop culture appreciation the more likely I'd say the jokes and references are to connect for you. In general, the game is riding on that understanding. It's a worthwhile romp for genre fans who'd like a chance to enjoy five chapters with a reasonable length, have a few laughs, and not being quite as frustrated as with other games in the genre on the Switch.
What it comes down to for a game like this is whether you’re a fan of the genre and what your expectations are for the length of the experience. I’d say that Darkside Detective isn’t the best adventure game on the system but it holds up well in the middle of the pack. The greater the breadth of your pop culture appreciation the more likely I’d say the jokes and references are to connect for you, and in general the game is riding on that understanding. It’s a worthwhile romp for genre fans who’d like a chance to enjoy 5 chapters with a reasonable length, have a few laughs, and not being quite as frustrated as with other games in the genre on the Switch.
The hook of Dandara is most certainly its unique control style and whether or not you can master and enjoy playing that way. For people craving something different and who want to be challenged it throws quite a lot at you that you’ve never seen before and it can be thrilling. For anyone expecting things to be more traditional and perhaps a bit casual-friendly unfortunately it likely won’t be a great match unless you’re willing to push yourself. I’d be very curious to see what would come out of a sequel and how its style could be refined further. The bones of greatness are very much there, but to enjoy it you’ll need to be willing to put up with some rough edges.
While I wouldn’t say there’s anything truly remarkable about this collection for genre fans I’d also say it is also not a bad collective investment. If you’re unfamiliar with the series and have been wanting to recapture some of that classic genre feel it is sure to give you hours of content to help satiate yourself. If you’re not a genre fan, or have only been a recent fan of modern tactical games, it would seem to be a bit of a risk as it could deliver a substantial amount of content you could find tedious. Mercenary Saga Chronicles is a throwback to tactical RPGs of the previous era, for good and bad, and for its price it does a fair job of delivering, even if it is a tad generic.
Sporting an extremely reasonable price in the eShop arcade shooting fans of all skill levels can likely get some solid hours of enjoyment out of Black Hole. It doesn’t aspire to change the world or be a revelation, but it delivers a varied challenge that I enjoyed. Playing through with all 3 available ships proved to be worthwhile as they each had their own feel and I enjoyed trying out different upgrade paths to find what worked best for me. It’s a great riff and improvement on a classic formula at a fair price point.
While Earth Wars isn’t a high concept title the level of quality it manages at its price point still makes it well worth checking out. If you don’t mind grinding away a bit to improve your gear to then take on some slightly tougher enemies and slowly make your way through missions and bosses it can be pretty satisfying. As long as you keep your expectation in check and fair it’s a pretty decent game to kill some time with in handheld mode while doing something else, and I can generally get behind that.