Designed around unique mechanics and smart ideas, Shoot 1UP DX is a cut above most standard shooters. Developer Mommy's Best Games has successfully recaptured the magic that older Japanese shmups produced. If you're willing to turn your brain off for an hour, Shoot 1UP DX provides the type of mindless, dumb fun that helped make the shmup genre so popular in the first place.
With roughly eight modes to choose from, Swimsanity can be a blast to play with a group of friends. It's just unfortunate that it never reaches its full potential due to bland visuals, unbalanced difficulty and lackluster single-player options. Nonetheless, it should still have some appeal to anyone who's even remotely a fan of the genre.
Moon Kid's Witcheye is a very fun, unique twist on the platformer genre, but it could also be described as a one-trick pony. Based around a single gimmick, the gameplay gradually wears thin over the course of its brief length. And truth be told, the unique controls won't be everyone's cup of tea. However, Witcheye is still a very solid recommendation if you're seeking a kid-friendly, Halloween-themed game to play this October.
I would have been willing to forgive the lack of options if the PvP content wasn't so limited and the framerate had been a little smoother. Young children will enjoy Bake 'n Switch's cartoonish presentation and casual gameplay. However, older experienced players may quickly lose interest in the simplistic, repetitive gameplay loop after a few hours.
Featuring a variety of multiplayer and single player modes, there's plenty of value being offered in this tiny package. For the past two decades, Nintendo has tried to make the case that dual screens – DS, 3DS, Wii U, GCN/GBA connectivity – were necessary to create unique multiplayer experiences. But Invisigun: Reloaded makes a convincing argument that innovative multiplayer experiences can still be created with only a single screen.
The lack of online multiplayer would be easier to excuse if local multiplayer had a little more meat to it. With that said, it's still a very competently made indie game that's fun to play in short bursts. Just don't expect too much depth from the gameplay.
Despite a frustrating camera system and some minor technical issues, Steven Universe: Save the Light is still a highly enjoyable role-playing game that will appeal to both fans of the TV series, as well as fans of the genre. Thanks to some assistance from Rebecca Sugar, the show's creator, it perfectly captures the television show's colorful tone and optimistic spirit. Steven Universe and South Park are both examples of licensed games adding their own unique spins on the Paper Mario RPG formula – and succeeding admirably.
When Pinstripe focuses on emotional storytelling and rich atmosphere, it presents a haunting-yet-beautiful adventure game that's worth playing. But when it tries to artificially pad its length with backtracking, that's when the game begins to drag itself down. With a unique setting and memorable characters, Pinstripe is an extremely short but unforgettable experience that will continue to linger in your mind long after it's over.
Although Debris Infinity lacks originality and creativity, it's still a competently made game with solid controls, addicting gameplay and high replay value.