Justin Nation's Reviews
If you have an ability to think spatially and plot things out in your mind CubiKolor will be a worthy challenge to consider. There are times when the camera can be tricky as you try to get a good position and depending on how things are oriented you can sometimes move in the wrong direction but for the most part this is a well-implemented, if simple at its core, puzzle experience. If you’re been looking for a puzzle challenge quite different from what’s already available on the Switch, CubiKolor definitely stands out as unique.
While it can be fun recommending it is a tricky proposition. Overall I’d say spending some extra money and getting a full-on party pack would be your best bet, whether it is the one that includes Drawful or not. The relative price difference isn’t large and having some variety is really a better option. For people who may enjoy the original Drawful already whether you really need this one is probably most dependent on whether you think you’ll use the custom prompts or not. If not the value proposition dwindles a bit. There’s nothing wrong with the game, it’s just a very hit or miss proposition.
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!
Even with the game’s other failings, compelling and tight combat could have been a real saving grace...
In the game you’ll play as Violet, a teenage girl who is in a hurry to grow up...
This is a world defined by a very different turn of events from World War II, one where the Nazis defeated the United States and dropped an atomic bomb on New York among other things...
As with all roguelikes I would imagine there will be a crowd that finds the mix of gameplay in Paranautical Activity entertaining and challenging in some way. Once you get into your groove you can certainly move through multiple levels and find success, with some random elements thrown in along the way so you’re never quite sure how things will shake out. That said in terms of FPS action this is a very shallow and generally dull experience reminiscent of unevolved gameplay from the same era that inspired the game’s visuals. Oddly-themed enemies and being different aren’t enough to save what’s ultimately uninteresting play.
In the end I see Figment being the sort of game that may vary wildly in how people feel about it. If you’re in tune with its themes and embrace everything it has to offer it’s really a beautiful and brilliant title, daringly doing everything its own unique way. If some of the elements just don’t pull you in it may play out very differently though. On the strength of its creativity and earnestness I happen to be a big fan and I’d encourage everyone to at least give it a look, it’s a pretty unique experience on the Switch.
Overall, though there’s a fair amount of content between both games and the production qualities are decent on the whole I found Anima: Gate of Memories to be aggravating in both of its forms in this edition. It’s possible I may not somehow be in their target audience but instead I choose to believe that despite whatever lofty goals they had for the title it just isn’t executed very well against its contemporaries. On multiple levels this feels like a game that could have found success one or two generations ago but as titles have broken through and proven what’s possible it now comes up lacking. If you’re interested in the property or are itching for some decent slashing action it has its moments but be warned it can be a bumpy ride.
In it you’ll play as a young boy who is hoping to save his lost family, and the rest of his village, after they’re all overcome by a mysterious illness...
All in all I was very pleasantly surprised by de Blob and its light style and creative play. Even though I wouldn’t consider the vast majority of it challenging, making it pretty ideal for kids, everything still felt fresh and fun along the journey. While I’m hoping the sequel, which I suspect will make it to Switch as well, is able to address some of my relatively minor concerns I’d still consider it a platformer well worth checking out for gamers of all ages and skill levels.
All in all the somewhat light and silly tone of the game, its puzzles, and characters make for an entertaining few hours and the stage seems to be set well for the rest of the story to unfold. I wouldn’t say it is the best example of the genre on the Switch, and people who typically don’t enjoy these sorts of games would be unlikely to find this one to be any different. However, if you’re looking for some humor, some oddball puzzles, and the start of what could be a light but interesting story The Journey Down: Chapter One seems to get things off to a promising start overall.
As an exploration of artistic expression Lost in Harmony is a gorgeous and fascinating feast for your senses, blending great music with visual flourishes throughout. I suppose you could find the story of Kaito and Aya to be a touching one but it’s also only used as a vehicle for driving Kaito’s dreams and not much more for the most part. If you’re someone who really wants to master levels and nail their execution, or even tend to get frustrated by unfair or sloppy sequences it’s the controls that will absolutely grate on your nerves. I appreciate what they’re trying to do but the controls simply don’t hold up to the action on the screen. You can work through it and progress but there’s no denying they’re aggravating. All of this makes Lost in Harmony tough to recommend over better-executed genre titles, though there’s nothing else quite like it on the system so that does make it novel.
Overall, if you’re down for some very challenging play and an absolute avalanche of tracks to play through MUSYNX is a fair choice. It’s greatest strength is going a more traditional route and nailing the implementation, but if you’re looking for something a little different it may disappoint. Regardless, it is a well-implemented and polished title that will offer hours of enjoyment to music and rhythm game lovers.
Without a doubt Lanota was a massive surprise for me, as its unassuming presentation and opening levels completely gave me a different impression of what to expect than what was delivered. Keep in mind, I’m considering that a very good thing though as the gameplay is refreshingly different and sometimes hectic, with the playfield exhibiting a somewhat crazy mind of its own at times moving around the screen and making your life even more challenging keeping up with what it’s throwing at you. If you’ve been feeling like the genre’s in a bit of a rut and are willing to overlook its weaknesses Lanota is a fabulous rhythm game worth checking out.
With the exception of the issues with control INK provides a great combination of platforming and puzzling to a degree, offering a fair amount of content for a pretty reasonable price. It isn’t an incredible game but it knows what it wanted to accomplish and, for the most part, executes it well outside of the somewhat wonky controls. If you’ve been looking for something a little different that you can play for a few minutes to clear a new level and then put down for a while it’s not a bad fit.
Unfortunately, even with its provisions for variety in the nature of the battles you’ll engage in and the opportunity to discover over 180 different skills, it all ultimately feels about the same so the core loop really needs to be appealing to you to keep grinding through. I give credit to the developer for finding a new way to utilize the base alchemy game model and apply a new concept to it, all with some very cute animations and cool discoveries along the way, but even when you change up the battle modes with some variety their somewhat slow and methodical pacing can feel slow. Granted, there are times when you need to carefully consider what to deploy after your cooldown has expired to try to either defend yourself or try to get a leg up on your opponent, but on the whole the head-to-head portions end up involving quite a bit of waiting. However, if you don’t mind the very casual pace and enjoy relatively light strategy mixed with periodic opportunities for discovery you may find it appealing.
Overall, if you’ve been searching for a terrific game to play with a non-gaming partner Pode may be among the best options on the system. For people who aren’t hardcore gamers the more casual pace will probably be welcome and as long as one person has at least moderate gaming skills the ability to shift control back and forth will come in handy. Certainly aesthetically it’s delightful, the sense of discovery is a consistent joy, and the generally fair but challenging puzzles have some air of originality to them that’s welcome. Pode is a wonderful game for couples and general puzzle fans alike.
Given the extremely budget-friendly pricing Hexologic is a satisfying way to spend a few hours if you’re a big puzzle fan. I enjoyed the fact that there were multiple methods to make the puzzles more challenging used in different cases. Certainly sheer scale can be intimidating but having the grid broken into multiple pieces and more than one set of shared spaces kept things from feeling too repetitive throughout. I’d love to see even more variations and further substantial puzzles in the future, if the ability to lock space/lines were added I’d be all the happier. Highly recommended for puzzle fans!
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...