eponia feels like it’s a combination of old-school Lucas Arts point-and-click adventure games with a hint of Terry Pratchett’s unique humour. As part one of a four-part story, this initial game introduces us to the characters we’ll interact with throughout the subsequent games as well as explain the lore and backstory. So, as an introduction, it’s great, as a full-on game, it’s not as fleshed out as Chaos on Deponia and possibly the latter two as well. However, if you’re into point-and-click adventure games then this is a perfect starting point as I’m sure you’ll fall in love with Rufus, Goal, and the other zany characters.
Silence is yet another amazing point-and-click game to add to your ‘must buy’ list on the Switch if you like the genre. There’s very little to fault in this Daedalic Entertainment classic, with its excellent voice acting, captivating music, interesting environmental puzzles, and it’s six to eight-hour playtime, you’ll be hooked from the emotional opening all the way to the final choice you have to make. The game is the second in the series yet prior knowledge isn’t required, so don’t let that put you off picking it up either, they simply called it ‘Silence‘ and not The Whispered World 2 for a reason; it’s its own self-contained story.
My Time at Portia is an amazing port of one of the best Farming, Harvesting and Building sims this generation. Whether you’re out in the field tending to your livestock, mining for resources, building items for the community, or just sat in a cafe chatting to your soon-to-be wife, there’s always something to keep you busy and entertained within Portia. Graphically, the game looks like a 3D modelled Studio Ghibli movie with its bright colours, stunning backdrops and detailed character design. Once I really got into it I found myself totally addicted to it, I just couldn’t stop playing!
With a new coat of paint and a shift in mechanics, Earth Defence Force: Iron Rain sets itself above previous EDF games. There have been some major changes within this title, such as the customisations, abilities, unit types, pick-ups, and loadouts, but once you get used to them, it feels like this way is much better than the old way. The visuals have not only had a coat of paint, but they’ve had an undercoat and at least three layers placed on top to make them look great during gameplay. The addition of subtitles made me happier than you can imagine as more people can now enjoy the story, even if it does get a little generic if you’ve played all the previous games.
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey isn't perfect, but it's a really interesting and exciting narrative adventure game with a talking dog! If you're yearning for a more narrative-focused and linear story to play through, in the wake of the demise of Telltale Games, then this is a game which will easily fill that void for you. As you flip between the three protagonists, you'll be involved with murder, sex, prostitution, magic, talking to animals, and getting drunk. Sure, the interaction you'll personally have isn't as much as a standard point-and-click adventure game, with an inventory and lots of puzzles, but the main focus here is the story and I believe the developers have delivered it in a great way.
Ghost Giant is a must-own PSVR title, there are no two ways about it – if you own a PSVR headset, you need this game. Zonik Games have truly modernised storytelling as they not only bring interactive storytelling into the 21st century, they go even further and perfectly recreate the sense of awe and excitement through the means of Virtual Reality. Gamers, both old and young, will instantly fall in love with the beautiful art design, the awesome voice acting, the enchanting music, and the clever puzzles shoved into their eyeballs as each scene lights up for the first time. The story is also held together with the perfect pace and a very good narrative which everyone can enjoy.
The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Remaster is an essential purchase to fans of the series and those who like Investigative Visual Novels. Sure, the game has simply received a new coat of paint over it’s pixelated 4:3 ratio grandfather, but the game looks and feels like something you would expect to see release in 2019 as a new product. I would have liked it if the images and certain characters had greater detail upon them, and less of a filter-like overlay, but that’s just me being picky, the game looks amazing in comparison to the original.
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is the perfect example of how to port a game over to the less-powerful Nintendo Switch. Giving the players the option of if they prefer the resolution or the framerate, and actually having some noticeable differences, was the best decision the developers could have had. Instead of opting for fancy gimmicks or trying to convert the game to utilise the motion controls or touch screen, the game is a perfect 1:1 recreation of the 2016 remaster which was released on other consoles, only with the added benefit of taking it with you whenever and wherever you want.
Roger & James in They Came From Below is a great narrative-driven linear DLC episode for We Happy Few. Sure, it lacks the exploration and big open spaces we saw in the base game, but by compressing the play area and focusing on the combat and puzzles over survival, the developers have delivered a really fun and interesting experience. The stars of the show are clearly Roger and James themselves, their personalities, narrative, interactions, and banter bring this episode to life as it adds comedic elements into the dark and serious undertone of an alien/robotic invasion.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid could have been amazing if they had remembered to put in all the content! As a fighting game with only nine characters on launch, a mechanic where you have to pick 1/3 of the roster for your team per match, a season pass selling four skins for £12.99, and 8x less content than the developers mobile game, it’s unforgivable. The actual fighting, visuals, performance and fun you have whilst playing the game, all help try and redeem it, but it’s not enough to balance out the lack of content you get for your money.
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning is the best Dungeon-Crawling RPG I’ve played to date, you need to buy this game! As soon as you begin to play this masterpiece, you’ll become absorbed by the beautiful environments, addicted to the combat, obsessed with uncovering 100% of the maps, and in love with the banter being thrown about within the narrative. For a game with so many parts to it, such as survival, combat, exploration, puzzles, and narrative segments, every aspect is presented perfectly to create a rock-solid experience.
Where the Bees Make Honey is an interesting narrative puzzle game about childhood memories. It’s not the best looking or mechanically advanced game I’ve played this generation, but you can tell that the developer has put a lot of love into creating this game. I had fun throughout the whole experience, even though a few of the segments did frustrate me due to their control schemes and the lack of subtitles.
I and Me is a fun, yet very frustrating, puzzle platformer which will keep you puzzled for more than a few hours. The saying is true, don't judge a book by its cover, despite I and Me looking rather cute, the later levels are very sadistic as one wrong move and you'll either become hedgehog food or get a spike rammed into your face! With a little perseverance and a lot of patience, you should be able to pass all of the seasons on your own, without any form of guide or help. The relaxing, and season-specific, music will also help you stay focused throughout your adventure as well.
If you're looking for a logic-based puzzle game to eat up a few hours of your time, Access Denied is perfect for you. Although it lacks instructions or exposition on what you're doing and how to do it, as long as you're good at problem-solving, you'll have no issues working out the solution to each of the puzzles presented before you. Don't let the low number of puzzles put you off either, some of them will take 30-60 seconds and some may take upwards of ten minutes due to their complexity and crypticness. I do believe the game would most likely control better on a device with mouse or touch though, such as the PC and/or the Switch/Vita.
Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists ~Ateliers of the New World~ is the perfect 20th anniversary special for the Atelier franchise. Despite the game simplifying the combat and almost eliminating the exploration segments, the strategic and puzzle-like city building mechanics more than satisfied my enjoyment of this new take on the series. If you didn't particularly like the city building aspect of Atelier Meruru ~The Apprentice of Arland~, you most likely won't enjoy this game either as it's more of the same only more advanced, deeper, and the focus is now set on the building aspect first.
If you’ve ever wanted to live out the corruption, guilt-trip ridden, and hard work of an ’80s cop, Beat Cop is for you. It’s a simulation encased in a tale of murder, smut, comedy, and the mafia – pretty much all in a days work for an America cop thirty years ago! Sure, your main role is going to be parking violations, but your case isn’t going to solve itself, is it?! With its ’80s soundtrack, detailed pixel art design, and very dark humour, Beat Cop is a very original and challenging game where you must juggle police corruption and bribes around your wife’s alimony and the money you need for your mistress to relieve your stress! Great for short bursts or long sessions (so is the game…).
Although it’s not as big as other roguelike/lite games, Bard’s Gold is lots of fun and challenging. The game looks great, with its pixel-based retro-inspired visuals, and it controls just as well as the bigger budget titles out there with it’s pixel-perfect precision and fast-paced action. Bard’s Gold is an addictive title – I’ve picked it up and played it four times whilst writing this review – it calls out for ‘one more try’ every time you die as it dangles the possible upgrades in front of you and promises you’ll do better next time.
For a game about death and murder, Death Coming has rather comical and upbeat gameplay. No two playthroughs will be the same as each NPC has their own set agenda which could change based on the weather that kicks in or become altered if you failed to activate a trap in time. This game is basically one giant logical 'trial and error' game in which you must think a few steps ahead in order to perform genocide and emerge the victor. I doubt you've played anything quite like this within the last few years (at least).
Fate/EXTELLA LINK has taken the top spot on my list of non-Musou; Musou titles thanks to its fluid gameplay and interesting story. As you use each of the Servants your bond with them will grow, this leads to new conversations, costumes, and attacks which can be used in battle against the onslaught. With a total of 26 playable characters, there’s bound to be one for everyone out there as each one lies within one of the eight combat categories. The story isn’t as long as we’ve seen in previous games like Dynasty Warriors 9, but the timeline aspect with multiple choices is interesting and offers a new take on various situations.
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is back where it belongs, on a Nintendo Console, after a seventeen-year hiatus! Although it’s only a remaster, and not a new game, it’s still very welcomed and something we should celebrate. Sticking to the original aesthetic and design, the developers have kept the overall look of Turok whilst implemented updated control methods, lighting, textures, visual effects, and audio in order to please those who grew up with the game. Turok is a game in which you shouldn’t judge it by its looks alone, the action-packed nature of the gameplay truly makes this a game you shouldn’t pass on if you own a Nintendo Switch.