Trevor Gould's Reviews
Despite its modest handheld origins, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a true console experience. With updated aesthetics and superior controls (especially for inventory), it's shaping up to carry on the Game Boy legacy and be both a critical and commercial hit. An innovative, generally light-hearted installment that's full of surprises, Zelda enthusiasts won't want to overlook this game. Link's Awakening is also an ideal entry for those who aren't Zelda fans.
Quarters, Please! has charm, is entertainingly retro, and replayable. Yes, it has cut a few games, but it's added even more in their place. It's basic but fun, and the latter has become a real rarity on the Nintendo 3DS in 2019.
This action game is aptly named, as it is indeed a mess.
Zen Studios bring a top-notch level of quality that you'd expect from a company established in video game pinball supremacy. Whether you're a casual fan or a pinball enthusiast, you're bound to find enjoyment with Star Wars Pinball. This package is a real bargain on Nintendo Switch too, with replay value as high as Bespin's Cloud City. Zen Studios has done the Star Wars license proud.
If Legend of the Skyfish drops to its app price of $3.99 I'd have an easier time recommending it for its good-looking presentation and fishing pole approach to combat. But even then, my recommendation would be limited to those looking for a straightforward game and willing to tolerate the muffled music and repetition.
I found Headliner: NoviNews entertaining enough to play through multiple times. Yet I still have several concerns with it.
We had quite a bit of fun playing through Fifty Words by POWGI; it's probably my favorite Lightwood Games release on the Nintendo Switch due to its original feel. As an overall package, though, Fifty Words does feel kind of bare-bones and rudimentary. Like all titles from the developer, there's a free demo you can check out.
I even have doubts that Esports aficionados will find this game particularly good, given the inferior accessibility. While the game packs a fair amount, the user interface and complete lack of touch screen support make it feel more like work, seriously weighing down the promise for something addictive. The idea has potential, but it needs to be handled with more care
Creature in the Well excels. It’s launching at $14.99, and considering I’ve sunk nearly a dozen hours into it, that price seems more than fair, even if the difficulty isn’t always.
Mekabolt is quite an enjoyable little game. Yes, it's simple, but there's no shame in simple if a game is fun. I just can't ignore the short length and lack of replay incentive, though. Hopefully, a feedback-shaped sequel can let Mekabolt become fully realized. Meanwhile, you'll have to decide if $4.99 is worth it for 90 minutes of entertainment on your Nintendo Switch.
If you want 99 numberlink puzzles, Lines Infinite delivers a bit of fun, in a strictly linear fashion. But even free mobile numberlink variants offer much more, like achievements and such, for replay value.
Unless recently divorced and/or identifying as non-binary, I have a hard time envisioning that many will get $19.99 worth of fun here. Solo, while having its heart in the right place, would have been better off as a visual novel. As a short game, it just doesn't have enough focus on its aesthetics, camera, puzzles, or optimal porting.
A solid foundation is in Animal Fight Club, but it's a real grind to pick up momentum. The limited animation and inconsistent challenge do no favors either. With missing multiplayer, I'm not sure how many will hang around for the DLC. The game is inexpensive and has some positives, but more work is needed.
Gravity Duck offers an entertaining enough, if repetitively simple, time. But it ends far too quickly. Taking into account what other low-priced Switch titles offer, including those from the same developer, this game is a sizable distance from great. Gravity Duck does nothing to stand apart amidst its crowded genre. Having zero replay incentive is a crucial blunder! It might have been better staying a free flash game or a cheap mobile offering. This Duck needed more time in the oven to reach its potential.
While there are absolutely zero excuses for the missing multiplayer, I suspect Turok 2 might still draw a bit of a nostalgic audience on Nintendo Switch.
Battleship is guaranteed entertainment, and this version has several features elevating it beyond a simple board game. My only concern when it comes to replayability and value is the big glitch I encountered. So, even with things to unlock, I have some real pause concerning a solo recommendation. But it's great in zippy multiplayer, and you don't need to worry about gathering up small pegs afterward. This isn't a "best-case scenario" digital version, but no matter how you play it, it's undeniable that Battleship is still one of the quintessential games.
If model railroads hold any type of appeal to you, I think this is a very good puzzle game. It's one that stands out due to its theme, offering challenging fun, and packed with charm.
With its simple-to-grasp, challenging-to-master gameplay, Perchang held our attention through to the last of its 50 levels. It has a satisfying length, offering a fair amount of content without overstaying its welcome. Finishing a level with just a Bronze medal (or worse, a Pass) also prompts some replay. Perchang manages to stand out amongst the puzzle crowd on Nintendo Switch and I hope it's a sign of more Goldbergian puzzlers to come.
A shorter title, Bitlogic – A Cyberpunk Arcade Adventure will nonetheless likely appeal mainly to older gamers. It successfully mixes genres in a great setting with a good soundtrack. It effectively draws you in with unlimited ammunition, no time limit, and well-spaced checkpoints, to balance the atypical lack of jumping.
Sometimes it's hard to tell how much weight a game will carry once your done reviewing it and have moved on to new titles. In Astro Bears' case, the passage of time has proven my initial assessment wrong to some extent. The game has endured with me and my friends as a multiplayer attraction, and this new iteration is even better. It's dropped part of its original handle, but Astro Bears is more a party now than it's ever been.