Overall, Dead Cells is a fantastic game. Some great visuals, smooth controls and satisfying gameplay that I’m sure most people will enjoy. It’s not for the faint hearted though and the difficulty may be a bit much for some so be warned of that. But it never feels impossible and the constant, drip fed progression is rewarding enough to keep playing and unlocking things. Dead Cells is great and if you’ve sampled the plethora of excellent Switch indie games like Hollow Knight, Iconoclasts and Salt & Sanctuary, then you will feel very much home with this release too. It stands shoulder to shoulder with indie game giants thanks to its visuals and fantastic, addictive gameplay. For me it’s an essential purchase whether from the eShop, the standard physical edition or the Signature Edition, I think any fans of action platformers owe themselves to play this excellent game. Buy it.
Overall, Blazblue Cross Tag Battle is a good fighting game. It’s not great however which is a shame considering there’s actually a fair amount of competition on the Switch these days. I found the story mode to be fairly poor unless you’re really invested in the characters and my rough experience online did notch it down for me. Still, there’s a decent, approachable fighting game here with a nice tutorial for newbies. It looks outstanding and sounds great too, so it does have plenty going for it but it’s probably not going to be a top tier fighting game for fans of the genre especially because of the simplified nature of it.
Overall, if you are a fan of Punch Out!! or nostalgic for that sort of arcade experience then look no further than Pato Box. It’s weird, wonderful and looks as whacky as it plays. The adventure mode is a hugely welcome surprise despite a couple of rough points and a questionable frame rate. Pato Box delivered the unexpected and gave you something you didn’t know you actually wanted until they gave it to you. The standard fighting is of course up to scratch and more polished than the adventuring and the fact you can just concentrate on that if you want to is welcome. It delivers fun and challenge in equal measure. It looks and sounds fantastic too which makes it into a very solid, quirky package.
Overall I think Yesterday Origins is a great experience for point and click adventure game fans. It presents a solid package very reminiscent of the second era of adventure gaming. If you liked Microids other efforts like the Syberia series, you’ll do well to pick this one up too as it’s more of the same, but potentially even better. Sure, a few presentation issues mar it a little as well as bizarrely sluggish controls but adventure fans will still enjoy it, even if it’s not going win any more people over to the genre. Still, if you want to settle down with a nice coffee or tea and play this one, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, as long as you don’t mind checking a guide once in a while.
Overall, Runner3 represents a welcome return for Commander Video, especially in his best form. Runner 2 was one of the best rhythm games on the Wii U and, although there is much stiffer competition on the Switch, Choice Provisions have done it again. Providing a fun, personality-filled musical running experience, Runner3 is a no brainer for rhythm game fans. Its a pity there are only 3 worlds, and the extreme difficulty will not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. Even if I wanted to throw my controller out of the window a couple of times.
Overall I think Goetia is a very nice experience and a nice return to form for the publisher. It’s certainly the creme of their crop so far and I think it’s a game many gamers will enjoy. Of course it comes with the caveat that you’re into slow paced point and click adventure games with slightly obtuse puzzles. If not, then you probably won’t get anything from Goetia aside from the nice visuals and music. So it’s not for everyone, but for those who do enjoy this style of game, then you probably want to pick it up especially with the nice pricing.