Your enjoyment of Astronite will almost entirely rely on your patience for retreading the same paths again and again while taking unfair damage from hazards that blend in with the scenery and enemies that shoot much further than you can. Good grief!
As a long-time fan of the series, I'm delighted that FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake is available for Switch as it's great fun and looks superb to boot. With that being said, it's definitely not for everyone and I can easily see modern gamers being perplexed by this SRPG classic.
RWBY: Arrowfell is a solid stage-based Metroidvania-lite that offers enough 2D fun to please most fans of the genre. With that in mind, a lot could be done to make it a more fulfilling experience when it comes to its stiff gameplay and underwhelming bosses.
Playing Ship of Fools will have you intimidated at first and shortly after the fun starts to sink in, you'll realise just how repetitive it all is. There are still good times to be had, though, so you may only want to take short excursions on this ship.
I had a very good time with Trifox and its large variety of weapons and abilities to work with. It can be rough around the edges at times but there's still no denying that there's something special here that more games could take inspiration from.
The Knight Witch is a beautiful game that holds a lot of promise with its blend of twin-stick shooting and Metroidvania exploration. I just wish that its gameplay was finer-tuned to not be as clunky and disconnected as it currently is.
If you love grid-based SRPGs as much as I do then you owe it to yourself to play Tactics Ogre: Reborn. It may have laid much of the genre's foundation but it's impressive just how well it has held up over the years. It's still rather beautiful, too.
I wanted to enjoy NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 a lot more than I did because I love retro game compilations. However, with a line-up that's sure to perplex and bore as opposed to entertain; it's tough to recommend this collection.
Sonic Frontiers is obviously a love-it-or-hate-it sort of game so thankfully, I love it. The fact that there are just so many fun things that you can do at any given time makes my brain happy and I'm looking forward to a sequel. Please make it happen, Sega!
Lunistice provides a wonderful trip back to the golden era of 3D platformers and it features an impressive amount of replay value. It certainly isn't perfect but if you want to enjoy a solid throwback to the PS1 period then definitely give it a go.
Garfield Lasagna Party is an overall fun party game with an impressive collection of entertaining mini-games. Of course, there are some clunkers in the mix but if you can avoid those, you and your feline friends will certainly have a yummy feast of multiplayer treats.
I'm happy to say that Escape Academy: Escape From Anti-Escape Island isn't just more of the same as it offers some truly innovative and brain-melting puzzles that are great fun to solve with a friend. Throw in a captivating premise and you're left with escape room gold.
When it gets down to it, DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS has a clever premise that makes its gameplay occasionally fun but that often feels like the stars have aligned because otherwise, it's a generally repetitive and monotonous affair.
As a long-time gamer who's stuck in the past, I must say that Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is one of the best compilations ever produced. From its expansive museums to its wide variety of classic games and hidden gems, it really is the cat's pajamas.
Ghost Song does some things quite well but as a complete package, it remains a tedious and patience-testing experience. With so many Metroidvanias out there, it's probably a good idea to look elsewhere for some exploration-based action.
Radiant Silvergun remains one of my favourite shoot 'em ups of all time with its mind-blowing array of weaponry, steep challenge, and clever mechanics. It's been a long time since it released, though, so I was hoping there would be some new content included here.
Everything in God of War Ragnarok is carefully crafted to create a superb experience both cinematically and when it comes to gameplay. It may not break any new ground in the world of gaming but what's here is still undeniably awesome.
As an old-school gamer, I'm delighted that the PS3 buried treasure Shatter has returned and this Remastered Deluxe edition brings back its brick-breaking fun in an impressive way that'll keep you hooked as you suck and blow your way to the top of the leaderboards.
LEGO Bricktales masterfully combines rewarding exploration with clever construction-based puzzles to make for a highly entertaining formula. The controls can be annoying when you're building things but once you see it all come together, you'll have a great time.
I enjoyed my time with The Pinball Wizard but it's certainly lacking when it comes to variety and excitement. If you decide to play it, keep in mind that it's best to play it as a game to relax with and not as some sort of skill-testing challenge.