David Lloyd
The amount of polish that went in and the lack of bugs that can often plague titles developed by small teams truly demands applause. The issue though is that a single person development team isn't capable of matching the same quality of similar titles like Mario + Rabbids that are developed by a large team. Had ACORN come out prior to Ubisoft's release, I think it would have been a nice preview to the tactical RPG genre on Switch, but trying to play it now just reminds me of how good Kingdom Battle was and that you would be better suited to investing your money into a big budget game that will provide better gameplay and much more replayability.
While there certainly will be a market of people that will enjoy Yodanji I think that selection of people will be fairly narrow.
I also ran into a few glitches that ranged from strange to game breaking. The worst glitch was a boss that I somehow defeated prior to his dungeon, only to have him partially reappear in the dungeon with no health and undefeatable. For the action-platformer fan, this title would be low on my list of recommendations.
If you're new to the indie scene and looking to get your feet wet this is the perfect game to get you started.
The car design is beautiful, the racing is smooth and fluid, and the inclusion of the performance workshop is a welcome addition. While it does fall short of becoming a viable replacement for Forza fans, it does provide the Switch with a fun racing game for enthusiasts looking for a more realistic racing experience.
Any additional time you can spend sneaking in dungeon crawls while at work, carrying out Dark Brotherhood assassinations at family dinners, and crafting new equipment when you probably should be sleeping is the best addition to enhance the experience. I'm overjoyed that Bethesda has been able to bring Skyrim to the Switch without any compromises to the quality of the original game. After playing Skyrim on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, I can easily say that the Switch provides the best experience possible. Bethesda is more than welcome to bring all their games over to Switch now, especially if each game is brought over with the same winning effort of Skyrim.
undefined.We certainly need developers willing to take risks and experiment with different ideas to move the industry forward, but unfortunately not every new idea is going to work. As with every niche I'm sure there is an audience that will appreciate the beautiful visuals and pleasant soundtrack, but for me I just couldn't get past the uninteresting back stories and repetition of playing through the same experience to get slightly different endings.
Time Recoil is the perfect follow up for anyone that enjoyed Neon Chrome. It takes the structure that made Neon so great, but replaces the RPG and roguelike elements with the time mechanics, creating a whole new experience. Time Recoil is my third experience with this line of games from 10Tons and although I do still enjoy Neon Chrome more, this one comes in at a close second.
Most of the tracks included are from the past two years so if you've been a fan of music lately, then it's worth the purchase. Personally I preferred what was offered on Just Dance Unlimited as it included lots of old favorites and a wonderful collection of Halloween-themed songs that my kids thoroughly enjoyed. No matter the reason you enjoy Just Dance, whether it's on the on go or in the privacy of your own home, you're likely to enjoy the 2018 version in any environment.
Even with Elliot Quest being a homage to my least favorite Zelda game, I still found it to be an enjoyable experience. If you have a version of it already, don't expect to find something new. The release on Switch seems meant for a new audience that weren't Wii U owners, as opposed to a new experience for existing fans. Elliot Quest has a familiar feel that makes it a great title if you're looking to dip your toes into the Nindie experience on Switch.
After getting over the fact that Hans walks too slow, I really started to get captured in the mythos surrounding the castle. The story was engaging and the puzzles were satisfyingly difficult, the only issue being it really is only a one and done experience. A worthwhile experience, but you can really only be shocked by a decapitated head surrounded by dancing goats once.
Not since my teenage years have I experienced the sheer anger I went through trying to complete 88 Heroes. The saddest part is that I actually think there was a good game buried deep beneath the unnecessary time limits and bland level design. The heroes are the most interesting part of the game, but by design, you never get the opportunity to fully explore them.
Of the different kinds of Nindie titles that have come to Switch this is definitely my favorite genre. I've started to become picky about what I play though as there's been a lot of roguelike titles released, almost to the point of saturation. Initially it didn't feel much different from some existing games I played until I started to realize how much freedom the levels allowed. After discovering new power ups and developing new strategies I became addicted to dethroning the Overseer. If you've been initially turned off of the genre because of the permadeath nature and potentially low replayability than Neon Chrome is a great title to get your toes wet with as it's probably the least roguelike Shooter/RPG released so far on the Switch.
undefined.Sparkle 2 is a perfect example of a title that was originally designed for mobile but just feels better on the Switch. Even though it shares the same touch controls as its mobile cousin, the ability to use the joystick to control the direction of the Orb Slinger feels better than trying to use your finger alone. If you're the type of person that would play Candy Crush waiting for the bus then I can recommend Sparkle 2 as a much better alternative to the same types of games on your phone.
I don't expect to come back to this title in the future, but if you're in the market for a quick experience where you don't need to think too much and just have some silly fun then Conga Master Party might be right for you.
From the design of each Pokemon to the detailed landscape of the battle arenas, no detail went overlooked. Although Pokken is accessible enough for fans that don't want to get into the weeds it's clear who the intended audience is. From the detail of the fighting mechanics down to the rewatchable replays, Pokken Tournament DX was expertly designed for the advanced fighting genre fan.
As a fan of the RPG genre, I love how strategy based thinking has been perfectly mixed with heart pounding action. The biggest concern with Rougelike permadeath is avoiding the feeling of staleness and there is no concern of that here. For one of the best Indie experiences on the Switch so far, the small investment into learning the complexity of the inventory system is more than worth it.
My brain got a workout plotting courses on 2-dimensional paths that don't exist in the 3-dimensional world but the reality warping experience was worth it.
Besides Tetris, puzzle games have had a hard time keeping my attention. As we're finding out with the Switch, games I wouldn't have previously enjoyed are finding new audiences with its ability to play quick snippets of games anywhere you go. Piczle Lines DX is a perfect example of a game that works great in any situation and provides so much content that only the most puzzle-obsessed fans will be able to get through them all, maybe.
The story is great, the acting is top notch and Telltale did a great job of capturing the spirit of Minecraft. If you're a fan of the Minecraft universe and enjoy kids movies with humour to satisfy adults then you will enjoy this—what I will continue to call an "interactive movie".