SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition is nothing short of strategic perfection, and a game that I’m glad to have seen board the Nintendo Switch so soon. Those looking for their tactical fix on the portable home console needn’t look any further than this, and it’s the best chance that you’ll have to conquer the stars with your motley steambot crew.
It is the game’s adorable demeanour, the chance to experience it cooperatively, and the accessible single-button approach that can be recognised as the strengths that help Tales of the Tiny Planet to overcome this complaint. However, the continuous reliance on trial-and-error, which is compounded by inconsistencies in how the physics engine reacts to your input, can readily frustrate. It’s never enough to dampen your enjoyment too much, especially when thinking each puzzle through with another player, and I will continue to hope that it can find an audience on Nintendo Switch in spite of its misjudged pricing.
Ambition of the Slimes will successfully upend your view on what’s recognised as the weakest monster to have ever graced a video game. The twists that it makes on what we have come to expect from a turn-based RPG are clever and well considered, even if the game’s general design has as many quirks as the concept that it has been built around.
Where The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild broke free from the long-held conventions that the green tunic-clad hero’s adventures had been built around, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King pays an irrepressibly charming tribute to them. This quest to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness is a standout addition to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch, and one that I’m certain many will enjoy sinking hours into.
Your quest to become the filthy, stinking rich CEO of Vostok Inc. is an entertaining ride that’s never short on humour-laden dialogue. Using wormholes to warp to other solar systems lends constant surprise in the species that you encounter who will oppose your financial pursuits. It is the relentless grind that is ultimately the weak point, letting down the successes that the game scores in other areas.
Entertaining but lacking the challenge that many will crave, it’s hard not to come away from playing Kirby Star Allies with a mixed opinion. With impeccably polished visuals but uncomplex stages to overcome, this short-lived adventure in Dream Land has much room for improvement which we can only hope the pink puffball’s next outing will deliver on.
Fear Effect Sedna has suffered from an internal conflict over whether to stay true to the originals or start over. There is an authenticity in approach that lifelong Fear Effect fans will no doubt appreciate, but, taking a step back to look at the game as a whole, even they may come to lament the many flaws that it is riddled with. It’s a shame, therefore, that it can’t outrun its demons.
Slickly presented, striking in design, and thought-provoking in the conversations that it unravels, Subsurface Circular marks another welcome addition to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Its narrative focus makes it a little different to everything else that has hit the digital storefront and that’s by no means a bad thing, as the game’s shorter format makes it the perfect distraction between games that demand more of your time.
There can be no doubt that 60 Seconds! ranks among the more hilarious and unexpected additions to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. But it’s also a game that isn’t without its shortcomings, whether that be ever so awkward button input or worries around its longevity. There’s still fun to be found in surviving a world now ridden with mutant cockroaches, but your enthusiasm to exist in it is likely to last for as long as the family survives in the shelter before giving up.
As you continue to cross off Explorer Medallions in your Explorer Book, it’s hard not to come to the realisation that Poi: Explorer Edition is a great introductory platformer for those that are new to the genre. This grand adventure may never achieve the dizzying wonder of the early 3D Mario games that it looks to for inspiration, but PolyKid has built a solid enough experience that stands on its own merits – even if the simplistic presentation and sound design needed a little more imagination.
There are achievements to hunt down and unlock which incentivises your time with the game, which have presumably been carried across from the Steam version. But, in speaking to the broader issue that I found with One More Dungeon, I never really felt entertained nor engaged by the experience. The idea to fuse old-school first-person shooter and roguelike genres is sound, but the developer perhaps needed more time and player feedback to refine their vision. As it stands, we’re left with a game that is packed with enough character but lacks an addictive enough gameplay loop to keep you hooked.
As a newcomer to Payday 2, my time spent descending on Washington DC to start a crime spree has been filled with as much genuine laughter as it has with successful heists. While the whole experience can feel more than obtuse, those that take the time to learn the gameplay mechanics that underpin it will soon find this a game that’s worthy of the endless hours that they will spend with it. It’s a shame that performance niggles readily detract on occasion, but with a little more spit and polish, I am sure that anarchy can reign once more with hindrance.
For every thrilling moment that you experience from the game’s cinematic aspirations and standout puzzle design, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood fumbles soon after. It’s an uneven adventure, but one that can still celebrate many successes – even if it fails to rival some already strong competition on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch.
Fe is unlike anything that I have played in a long while, rekindling memories of the games from which it has openly drawn inspiration. As brave a creation as it is emotive, it’s an experience that I won’t soon forget and a world that I will forever long to explore once more.
Your road to becoming a master of the piano in Frederic: Resurrection of Music is entertaining, but one that is riddled with shortcomings. While you may rally against the soulless music labels and mass-produced popstars that have hindered all creativity, more conviction is needed to deliver a more rousing performance. That, and more content is needed, because Chopin bows out long before the curtain call.
I will always applaud developers that try to make learning languages more entertaining and accessible, but Hiragana Pixel Party isn’t the right answer this time around. Japan is a truly beautiful country with an equally fascinating language, and if you want to start learning it I’d easily argue that flashcards or an introductory lesson would be a more productive way to spend your money.
That’s why Caveman Warriors is best played with others, muffled laughter carrying you through the experience as you rally around to topple Undine, Lodrack, Cavernator v2.0, and the game’s many other bosses. There are still moments that can entertain like riding atop a triceratops as you helplessly shoot enemies that are chasing you and when you are transported into the future, but the game largely feels underbaked and leans too heavily on its inspirations rather than looking to make its own mark on the Nintendo eShop. For that reason, it’s a little too prehistoric for its own good and perhaps belongs in a museum.
There’s no business like the cleaning business, and that’s certainly the case with Serial Cleaner. Distinctly unique from anything else available on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch, as you steadily accumulate evidence for your trophy collection, it’s hard not to recognise a job well done.
With hundreds of rooms to invert gravity in and a freely open-world environment in which to search for your crew members, even failure and repeat deaths never detract from just how enjoyable VVVVVV is to play. Whether that’s thanks to the smile that’s (nearly) permanently etched on Captain Viridian’s face, the minimalistic but effective 8-bit graphics, or the magnificent chiptune soundtrack that has been penned by Swedish composer Magnus Pålsson, the game is just as brilliant now as it was eight years ago.
Dragon Quest Builders is a game that more than deserves your attention on Nintendo Switch. Your character may not be a hero, but the chance to rebuild ruined towns is not only brilliantly executed, but lends a sense of accomplishment that other games in the genre haven’t achieved as successfully. For once, we can leave more obvious heroics to one side and bask in our creative wonder.