Sleep Tight has the structure and form to be an absolutely fantastic game. Its impressive visuals, delightful music, and endearing concept make it easy to recommend to all ages. A little bit of variety such as additional environments and maybe a co-op mode hold it back from greatness.
What I appreciated most about My Memory of Us was the positive overtone and message of the power of friendship during the worst of times. It takes courage to tell a story that mirrors the holocaust, and developer Juggler Games does a fine job of highlighting the hope and determination of two friends fighting against all odds.
The 2nd Williams pack has officially created a pinball fanatic out of me.
Robothorium is a terrific Switch title if you're looking for that casual dungeon-crawler that you can play in cruise control.
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a terrific option for fans of the tactical RPG genre who are looking for a title with a more retro feel. It provides that feeling of nostalgia while still making its own unique mark. Wonderfully written dialogue and a plethora of customization options will provide hours of entertainment for those who get sucked into its world.
The Collection of Mana does a fine job of providing faithful recreations of 8 and 16-bit classics for a modern portable system, but make no mistake: all three games show their age. For those who had their formative years during the Super Nintendo era and those that simply prefer 2D sprite-based gaming, this package will serve you well. For everyone else, having the first three Seiken Densetsu entries in one package may not be enough incentive given that the flagship title's re-invention is just around the corne.
The themes, mechanics, and aesthetics are all so similar that I was convinced it had to be the same developer. As a publisher, Devolver Digital has a deep understanding of its market and what their fans are looking for. If you think Katana Zero is a Game of the Year candidate, than you should have a real fun time with its inspiration.
To really get the most out of it, you'll want to be a fan of Gwent, a card game that often gets ignored even by the most hardcore of Witcher fans. The story is worth the price of admission, but if you're not a fan of card-based combat mechanics this title is probably not for you. Thronebreaker certainly is fun, but it might be worth trying out a few hands of Gwent with Geralt back in Witcher 3 to make sure your interest can be sustained for 30 or so hours.
the complexity of the dungeon crawling and the challenge of trying to make it out alive overshadow its shortcomings. Each turn within a dungeon feels meaningful, and nothing feels as good as becoming overpowered on a particularly good run. With no shortage of roguelikes and dungeon crawlers available on Switch, Void Terrarium still manages to provide an experience that stands out from the crowd.
Underhero even replicates the same goofy humour that Paper Mario fans are accustomed to. Dialogue between characters is well written and plenty of laughs are to be had. Underhero is a perfect example of an indie game that can fill the void left by an old favourite, and fans who’ve been waiting patiently for Paper Mario to go back to its RPG roots should definitely take notice.
A few minor complaints aside, Atom RPG does a wonderful job of bringing the classic feel of CRPGs to the Nintendo Switch. It would be reasonable to expect a number of bugs to be present in such a complicated title from a group of indie developers, but the team did an exceptional job putting everything together.
Unfortunately the timing of its release couldn’t be worse. With the runaway success of Hades still fresh on the minds of Switch owners, the classic mystery dungeon crawling of Shiren comes off feeling much more older than it actually is.
Gnosia on Nintendo Switch successfully creates a single player experience from the elements of the Werewolf style, social deduction genre that typically requires a group of people to play. The need for other human beings is made irrelevant by utilizing layers of randomly generated mechanics to control the actions of each individual character. A focus on an overall narrative and character development helps to keep the experience fresh during each subsequent playthrough, so long as the minimal variety of responses don’t grate on your nerves.
With its beautiful visuals and solid combat mechanics, Star Renegades provides a solid strategic combat focused roguelite experience. With any roguelite, mileage will depend on the satisfaction gained from restarting each new loop. With story progression being minimal at best, figuring out how best to stagger an opponent is the main fuel that determines whether it’s worth sending that robot back in time, or just taking the first win and letting the rest of the multiverse deal with the Imperium threat on their own.
Rise of the Third Power succeeds in both presenting a combat system that’s worth exploring, and a group of characters worth getting emotionally invested in.
Taro follows in the footsteps of Shakespeare by following his masterful comedy with a breath-taking tragedy.
Young Souls is definitely a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy playing games like Final Fight or Streets of Rage. Finishing up at around 12 hours seems like the perfect amount of time for a game of this nature. Long enough to experiment with different weapons and load ups but not overstaying its welcome. Young Souls is an impressive success and I look forward to what the future may hold for this up and coming indie development tandem.
The biggest takeaway from my playthrough of The Ascent definitely has to be the amount of polish that went into the game. The Neon Giant team is made up of a number of AAA developer veterans and it really does show in the final product. The experience is fairly similar between the Xbox and PlayStation versions though the extra immersion via the DualSense controller makes this the definitive version of the game.
For a game created by just three people, Fixfox really does sparkle in so many ways. The pixel graphics are warm and beautiful, and the western themed soundtrack really captures the essence of the wholesome adventure. The story is a wonderfully written tale but the open world also has enough character for those who just want to take a look around. If you’re looking for an experience that’s comparable to drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies, this is it.
Based on the developer name I went in assuming the writing would include top notch humor and I wasn't disappointed. The dialogue between Flux and Juicebox is well written and a wonderful reward for completing tasks. As long as you don't mind the slower pace and simplistic combat, Crashlands is a fun way to help a space trucker reach retirement.