Trevor Gould's Reviews
I give kudos to Ryan. He's a cute kid, a millionaire before he's reached double digits, and I wish him the best. But while this title might work as fan service, as a game it's just poor. With only six tracks and numerous other problems, why spend $39.99 when Team Sonic Racing is the same price (or less) on Nintendo Switch? Kids deserve higher-quality than what's presented here.
With a serious lack of unique content and not much gameplay variety, Petoons Party feels like a primitive offering. It's too limited, in real need of further attention to detail and polish.
It's pitched as “refreshing and peaceful,” but the one hit fails, broken checkpoints, and rough camera, are more likely to agitate than anything. However, I am curious about the sequel, which sounds more promising.
"Ultimate" in terms of content and options but not in enjoyment, Ultimate Racing 2D 2 makes a poor first impression and fails to recover. If it looks interesting to you, I'd suggest its predecessor for half the price. This game has more to it, but it's a case where less would've been more. I hope the devs take a prolonged pitstop before the third entry.
Paradise Marsh seems less concerned about being an "adventure" and more about delivering feelings. Some will no doubt appreciate its efforts. Others, like me, might feel it needs to work harder at providing what's advertised. I feel bad knocking a solo dev's first release, but I sincerely enjoyed little of my short time with this game, same as our contributor with whom I sought a second opinion. The visual and gameplay repetition combine with other shortcomings to make a forgettable title. Next time.
Townscaper offers little to keep players engaged and seemingly never will. I have to call it what it is, an early access Steam experiment trying to pass itself off as a full-fledged Switch release. Since the developer admits no DLC's on the horizon to address expected features that are MIA, this incomplete title's one to skip, even at just $5.99.
Loopindex, while not bad through and through, simply feels rough around the edges. Throw in a potential game-ending bug, and this is a small virtual world I won't be returning to any time soon.
Excalibur Games has serious work ahead if they want to make Tracks – Toybox Edition a good game for the Nintendo Switch, especially if targeting whole families. Having a proper tutorial, improved UI, and touch screen support are some of the fundamentals they should revisit.
The foundation is here, but, like The Simpson's orphanage, it needs more walls – "three is not enough." With subpar controls, music missing the mark, and a disappointing map, Two Parsecs From Earth's great visual style remains, but it's not enough to keep me playing.
Given my fondness for hidden object adventures, I found a smidge of entertainment with The Last Days' story elements. It's a bit of a bush-league release overall, though, and the port has some evident issues. So, unless it gets a patch, I struggle to recommend to all but big genre enthusiasts.
Golf Zero has an unexpected twist on familiar gameplay, but the execution isn't in a manner that I found enjoyable. This physics platformer is a bogey on the Switch. Try the mobile version (with touch support) instead.
Despite many positive elements that Dodo Peak has to make it satisfying, I must admit that I genuinely didn't have much fun playing it. It's challenging, but not in a way that held my interest beyond a few minutes at a time. Further, the familiar three-star setup is weakened by an emphasis on speed and random enemy placement. This Dodo might not take flight on the Nintendo Switch.
Playing Fledgling Heroes, it's hard to shake the feeling that I haven't somehow time-traveled to the past. It feels like the sort of game I might've enjoyed reviewing seven years ago as a mobile port to the 3DS or Wii U eShop. Except it's 2020, and this is an original game on the Switch. Runners have come a long way, and players expect more from the genre's console counterparts.
Marooners has some conceptual curiosity that translates into decisions not working in the game's favor. I don't see this one having any legs on the Nintendo Switch.
Just a Phrase by POWGI is a no-frills game that would've worked much better as part of a collection than a standalone release. It misses the mark in several key ways. I expected better than a quick game beaten with minimal effort.
JigSaw Solace is a small game that doesn't seem to be a good fit for the Nintendo Switch. The poor controls sizably hampered my enjoyment.
I can't say Incredible Mandy is a bad game per se, but it is underwhelming and less than the sum of its parts. On sale, this might be an okay title for those who can embrace its mechanics and pacing. But I didn't enjoy most of its puzzles, and puzzles are its main offering.
Despite admirable claims to be "designed with the busy gamer in mind" the unfortunate irony is that Little Town Hero's battles are so tediously time-consuming. Combined with their especially repetitive nature, and tendency to rely on "luck", this RPG is a snooze fest. I mean that literally – I almost dozed off I was so bored.
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
I really wanted to enjoy Attack of the Toy Tanks. But I found the AI poor, something the repetitive level design only emphasized, leading to tedium. Meanwhile, the multiplayer is disappointing in its limitations. Replay incentive is low, due to strict rating time limits, and the fact that you don't seem to unlock upgrades or anything else.