What I love about Darkest Dungeon is that it knows it’s difficult and it knows it’s going to challenge you. My biggest concern is that by the nature of what it sets out to be, it will put a lot of people off before they even play as it does require the player to put effort into it to understand all of the nuances and general aspects that simply isn’t there in most other games.
If you’re a fan of platformers, adventure games or Metroidvania style games, then this will be a great title for you. With a lengthy playtime, plenty of variety in its gameplay and has so much about it to enjoy, it is a title that does very little wrong and outdoes the game that it set out to emulate. It wasn’t on my radar in the build-up to release, but I love it now. It comes highly recommended.
If you loved Limbo then do not hesitate, just grab your Switch and buy Inside. For such a simple game, it is remarkable how much variation there is. Puzzles are expertly thought-out, the atmosphere is top-notch and its crammed full of memorable moments. It’s a stunning but desolate adventure that I urge you to try out. Even though it’s a short experience, it makes you consider what you have just gone through long after completion. It is one of the standout games in the Switch’s ever-growing library.
Disgaea 5 Complete keeps all the fun and charm of the series while making it somewhat easier for newcomers to jump in, which is never a bad thing to do. Just try and take the time to learn the fundamentals. If you already have the game and all of the DLC for PS4 then I would question whether you should jump in again purely for the convenience of portability, but that is a question you have to ask yourself. I genuinely hope that NIS bring more Disgaea games over as I feel the series can find a new home on the Nintendo Switch, it is absolutely perfect for this system.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a great remake of a game that quite frankly, needed an upgrade. MercurySteam has done a grand job at bringing a game that was made for a black and white 8-bit handheld, and completely recreate it from the ground up for a brand new generation to enjoy. If you are a fan of the 2D Metroid series then you know exactly what you’re getting. If you are new then it is a fantastic entry point to the series and it is more than worth a playthrough. It certainly isn’t the best Metroid game in my opinion, but it’s a fine one nonetheless. Samus has returned and it puts the series well and truly back on the map.
You can’t really go wrong with N++. The floaty controls will put some off to start with, but given time, you get used to them and they don’t really become much of a problem.
Considering Nintendo fans don’t have Hotline Miami to fire-up on their Switch, 12 Is Better Than 6 cocks its gun and shoots its way up towards the top as one of the best in its genre. You don’t want to miss out.
I have to say, I enjoyed Death Road To Canada much more than I ever thought I would, which is bad on my part. It isn’t meant to be played as some epic journey that you play for hours at a time and that’s not a bad thing. Every run in the game is different, meaning that it doesn’t get as tedious or tiresome as other games that require you to start over from scratch when you die.
I had a number of incredibly funny moments during my time with the game. The presentation is spot on, it has some funny writing and it allows you to quite easily play an eight-player game because of the use of a phone as a controller, which isn’t something that you can say about many games out there. Just make sure you do have a stable internet connection, as it is required. Overall The Jackbox Party Pack 3, as a package, is certainly a compelling one and undoubtedly is a great addition if played with the right crowd.
Detention is a game that deserves your attention. It may not be the most gripping gameplay wise, but everything else that encompasses it is undoubtedly top-class. The chilling atmosphere and just overall tension the game presents to you, coupled with the excellent and original story helps eliminate its overly simple gameplay problem. It seems like horror games are finding its feet on the Switch now, so if you have finished Layers of Fear and The Coma and are itching for more top-notch horror experiences, then you need to play Detention.
Outlast 2 is a fantastic technical achievement on the Nintendo Switch with a good story and a setting that is impressively and increasingly atmospheric. It isn’t for everybody though, as some of the stealth mechanics used will grow increasingly tiresome for some. As such it isn’t perfect but it improves upon a lot of things that Outlast did wrong and is a better game overall than that title. If you’re a horror fan then it’s a must play, it is as simple as that. It is one of, if not the best horror game currently available on the Switch. Get your headphones at the ready.
I simply have to commend Lizardcube for the effort they have put into Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, even if it is a remake. A lot of other companies that remake older games can learn a thing or two from this developer. It looks great, sounds great and still plays wonderfully too. It was a great game in 1989 and whilst maybe some of that greatness has now gone, because games have simply moved on since then, it is still certainly a really fun game and one that I did not want to put down from start to finish.
I have to be honest, I was going to score this game much worse based on performance alone. It really was that bad and at times it was almost like watching a slideshow. But in its now fixed state, it’s hard to pick many issues I had with the game to be brutally honest. It won’t be the most exciting game you’re ever going to play but it is well worth its five-hour playthrough. I’m not fully convinced that the style of game will suit everybody and I think it is quite a divisive game, but I would urge anybody to give this a try, because if it clicks with you it can easily be one of your favourite games of this year. There aren’t many games like this around and that needs to be changed.
After the exceedingly sub-standard Mighty No. 9, you can understand feeling a bit uneasy playing a game using the same character in the same universe. But I have to say that I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed playing through Mighty Gunvolt Burst. It’s not the longest game in the world, sure, but it’s a fun one. The controls feel really tight, platforming, shooting, it feels good, it feels as if it was a Mega Man game, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give it. So if you’re a retro fan and are itching for a Mega Man-type experience to play before the actual Blue Bomber comes along himself then you can do mightily worse than Mighty Gunvolt Burst.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is yet another solid port by the people over at Panic Button and it really is excellent what they are doing. It allows Nintendo gamers to experience these types of games which have, in truth, been missing for such a long time.
All in all, though, FIFA 18 on the Nintendo Switch is a really good football game and probably the one we realistically hoped we'd get when it was first announced. Those coming from the other systems might be a little put off because all the bells and whistles aren't there but most of the important things are, and that's what matters most.
A highly recommended game if you grew up with point-and-click adventures of yesteryear and whilst it won’t be for everyone, even if you’ve never experienced one of those types of games before you can do a lot worse than choosing this one as your first. The Darkside Detective was yet another surprising indie title on the Switch in terms of quality. A really funny and quirky adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed playing from start to finish, it just doesn’t last anywhere near as long as I wanted it to. So my advice would be to treasure it and hope this isn’t the last we see of The Darkside Detective as a series, as there is so much potential in any future sequels.
The game is decent in length and it’s roughly the same as those that influenced Cursed Castilla EX. There are plenty of secrets to be found and you’re definitely not going to find them all during your first playthrough and there are also four different endings to unlock so it’s definitely worth replaying, especially if you are a completionist. If retro-inspired games are your thing then this is well worth the time and effort and you’re going to really enjoy the challenge this will bring. A really, really good game that deserves to be on your 3DS console.
Ultimately, The Coma: Recut’s biggest problem might be that it is a bit too simple in design and maybe having a few other gameplay elements would have pushed it a level higher. But in the end, I never expected to like it as much as I did and I thoroughly enjoyed my five or so hour playthrough. With a sequel teased, I’m eagerly awaiting what is to come because they have a base already there to make something truly wonderful.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana is a title that takes a while to get going, maybe too long, which may be enough to put some people off early and the story is rather sub-par. Those that stick with it will see where the game truly shines.