Russell Archey
If you're looking for a fun simple shooter that has a nice difficulty curve and a bit of strategy in how you play (namely in how you spend your coins), Fantasy Zone is worth checking out.
Sega Ages: Shinobi is still a great game more than 30 years after its initial release
If you're not worried about a major story or a lot of strategy but still want to see what the monster hunting genre is like without shelling out a lot of money, Dauntless is a nice free-to-play game to ease you into things.
The game isn't bad by any means, but it feels like more could have been done to enhance the multiplayer experience and to just add some replayability.
Whether you’re experienced with the series or if this is your first time, Trine 4 is a simple and relaxing puzzle-solving adventure that anyone can enjoy.
Borderlands 3 is a great game, but it's definitely got some technical issues with sadly brings the score down a bit. While my issues weren't as bad as others I've heard about, they're still annoying at times. However, if you can get past that you'll find a game that's more of the same as previous games (especially 2 and pre-sequel), but that's what made Borderlands great to start with. A great story, reuniting with old friends, and some pretty interesting villains ensures I'll be coming back to open any more vaults that are found on any planet Gearbox wishes to travel to.
Torchlight II is as fun on the Switch as it was back when it launched on PCs seven years ago. The controls on the Switch feel pretty good and eased my worries about transitioning from PC to console. While a lot of the game is basically fighting enemies, collecting loot, and repeat, if you're into games like the Diablo series you should enjoy Torchlight II, and at a third of the price of Diablo III (at least on the Switch), Torchlight II is a great alternative.
Damsel is a fun arcade-style platformer/shooter/speedrunner/whatever genre you want to call it. The comic-style motif is a nice concept that I haven't seen for a long time and the gameplay is pretty fluid. The darkness of the stages and the similarities between the three game modes kind of bring the game down a little, but it's still an enjoyable outing for the Nintendo Switch.
Million to One Hero is a well-polished game in the "custom level creation" genre (is that a genre…well it is now). The controls are fluid and you'll have to employ a lot of skill to finish some of the creations players can come up with. The level creation itself is pretty robust, though it would have been nice if some of the icons were a little bigger on the screen, and combining levels into a mini-adventure is a nice touch. If you're a fan of 2D platforming and level creation, you'll find a lot to do in Million to One Hero for a satisfying price.
Blazing Chrome is a great throwback to games such as Contra; simple run-and-guns with swarms of enemies, awesome boss fights, special weapons, and a great soundtrack to go with it. With fluid controls, multiple difficulties, and a stage select so you can pick which stage to tackle in any order, Blazing Chrome is definitely worth picking up if you’re into Contra-style games.
Warlocks 2: Godslayers is enjoyable for the most part, but the difficult and tedious combat can take the fun out of the game for some people. The game is definitely geared for multiplayer as the combat can be overwhelming during solo play. Beyond that there are a few minor performance hiccups though it doesn't normally affect any major gameplay. If you can get past that and the difficult-at-times combat, you'll find an enjoyable and humorous game with some interesting gameplay mechanics and even more interesting writing.
I was hoping that Shards of Infinity would get a digital release and it didn't disappoint…mostly. Newer players to the game might find that even the easiest difficulty can still be quite challenging and that may prevent them from fully enjoying the game, at least against AI opponents. Once you've learned some basic strategies and have gotten used to how some of the cards work, you'll find a challenging deck building game that keeps you on your toes and is just as enjoyable as its physical counterpart.
Team Sonic Racing does a pretty good job with the new team mechanics, but the difficulty can still be a tad rough at times. While not as bad as prior entries, it can be easy to fall behind after you've spun out, only to catch up again using a Team Ultimate, only to drop back a few spots when the opposing team does the same thing and cost you the race. Still, Sonic Team Racing is enjoyable alone and even more with friends or while playing online.
Silence is a great game with some quirks. The artwork is beautiful and the animation is pretty good for the most part, and the story definitely takes center stage for me. However, the puzzles are rather simple, most of the dialogue (and puzzles for that matter) have no real consequence for choosing a wrong option, and the forty dollar price tag might be off-putting to some, especially since you can find it for half of that on other platforms. Silence is definitely worth checking out and it makes me want to play through The Whispered World, but I'd recommend waiting for it to go on sale.
Katana ZERO is a game I've been interested in from the moment I saw the trailer for it and once again Devolver Digital and Askiisoft didn't disappoint. From the nice graphics and awesome music, to the fluid controls and the engaging story with different ways to respond to dialogue and take out enemies in each area, Katana ZERO was an enjoyable game from start to finish, even with the story getting a little bonkers after several stages. Then again, it's that bit of craziness that kept things interesting throughout the game and I'm perfectly okay with that.
It had been several years since I had played Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon so I was a tad worried about doing the series justice in this review, but I can definitely say that outside of a couple of issues with giant insects blocking my camera view, repeatedly getting knocked down when surrounded by the critters, and the sensitivity of clicking L3 to turn around when moving backwards, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a solid entry into the EDF series and one that anyone wanting to blast the heck out of giant insects should enjoy.
The Prometheus Secret Noohra is an interesting mix of ideas and concepts, but it kind of falls flat a bit.
If you’re into hack-and-slash RPGs and don’t mind having to play through the game three times to experience the full story, give this game a shot.
Braveland Trilogy is a fairly solid set of games, simplistic as they may be. You can adjust the difficulty during the game so you can make it as easy or as difficult as you wish at any time. While it would have been nice if the games were at least a bit more complex, keep in mind that these are ports of mobile games so the simplicity makes sense here. Even still, if you want a complex strategy game, you might want to look elsewhere but if you're okay with simple, Braveland Trilogy is worth checking out.
I went into Tangledeep expecting to enjoy it and it didn't disappoint. The game looks and sounds great, the gameplay mechanics aren't too difficult to learn, you can hang out in lower levels to grind a bit if need be, and the myriad of optional modifiers means you can tailor the difficulty to your liking. If you're looking for a roguelike dungeon crawler to keep you entertained and possibly challenged depending on your settings, Tangledeep should have you covered.