A clunky jump mechanic meant to be used in poorly designed platforming sections; a crowded HUD made so simply for the sake of looking more “16-bit;” enemies that are either easier to fight standing still or are designed purposely to be annoying, unkillable obstacles; and a map made entirely of dead ends and corridors all come together to make a boring and fractured slog largely not worth playing. If the final mechanic had been the core mechanic the entire way through, perhaps Anodyne would be worth the time investment it asks of you. Hopefully some of the lessons learned making it will be applied for its upcoming sequel, and the small bits of potential it does have can shine.
This is made a bit worse by the fact that the game hits the point where most stories of this type usually end, and then keeps going for upwards of an hour, doggedly refusing to roll credits in favor of a drawn out series of epilogue scenes. I really wanted to like Decarnation–it was near the top of my list in terms of most anticipated indie titles for the year–but sadly it just did not deliver the experience I had hoped. It is not what I would necessarily call a bad game, but it is one held back by its multiple missteps along the way.
Despite having the usual farming game loop that was able to suck me in easily, I felt less and less like I was having any fun as time went on. While there is funny writing and cute little collectable creatures to be found in Ooblets, it just wasn't enough to leave me with a satisfied feeling by the end of my time with it. It's a shame because there's obviously a lot of heart put into this game, but heart alone cannot sustain a game like this for an extended period of time.
Its art style, based on the overly detailed gross out humor of 90s cartoons, may vibe well with some people, though I truthfully am not one of them. It's a game that is clearly trying, but sadly misses the mark, making it feel very much like a career that isn't really going anywhere. What do you call that again?.
I think the developers of Hamsterdam are on the right track, and I look forward to any future games they make using lessons learned from this one, but I cannot see myself returning to the streets of Hamsterdam any time soon.
It does some interesting things such as using bullets for currency, causing the player to have to weigh the options of fleeing from or killing a threat. The sanity effects caused by being in disturbing situations or using Reed's investigation abilities too much are cheesy but mainly unobtrusive and add a charm to the game I did not expect. Nonetheless, even with these fun aspects, the significant technical problems and boring traversal of Oakmont make me hesitate to suggest the Switch be your chosen platform for visiting this doomed town.
undefined.It Takes Two is a very fun game that should honestly be about half its length, but the Switch very much does not feel like the place you should go to play it. The major graphical downgrades and added loading screens make it hard to recommend no matter how good the gameplay feels or how clever the writing is. If you're looking for a fun game to play alongside your significant other or a friend, It Takes Two is among your better options in general, but you'd likely have a far better experience on PlayStation or PC than on Switch.
The issue is that this is not enough to get around a general clunky feeling to gameplay and a story that doesn't feel all that unique or memorable in the end. If you enjoy a slower paced, more text-based approach to horror, or just want to feel some nostalgia for DOS era games, it may be worth giving Mothmen 1966 a look. However, without these very specific desires, I find myself struggling to enthusiastically recommend it to anybody else.
Well, except David, he'd fit in Greenvale pretty well. If you like the first Deadly Premonition you likely already know what you want and what you're getting into, and you'll likely be pretty happy with this sequel. Your everyday average player should probably weigh how much jank they're willing to put up with before giving this game a shot, though.
The town of Moonbury is charming with a massive cast of varied and fun characters, and the resource gathering gameplay loop has the usual ability to keep you sucked in for hours, but there's just something there that made me feel like it wasn't scratching the itch as well as it could have. Add to that the various technical issues and the inexcusable crime of not allowing me to romance Helene, and it is difficult to imagine recommending this game to someone before pointing them towards many of the other options popping up around it. Despite all it does well, Potion Permit doesn't quite do enough to stand apart from the crowd.
In the end, the story ends up being incredibly cliche and uninteresting, the setting is not all that fun or even all that frightening to walk around in, and the graphical downgrade is just another unfortunate brick in the wall that kept me from really enjoying my time with the game. If these things don't sound like deal breakers to you, Blair Witch may still be worth your time to at least try out. Even then I don't think I'd recommend the Switch be where you do so.
If you liked Fallout, you would likely enjoy this game, but once again I don't think this is the place to play it. Even if your biggest factor would be the idea of being able to play it portably, sadly nearly every technical problem listed above is exacerbated a great deal in handheld mode, with the added issue of the game becoming a blurry mess on top of all of it. For some, the world of Halcyon will be a welcome place to visit, but unless you are super attached to the idea of a portable Fallout game, it is likely better to look to one of the other platforms for which this game is available.
While its character designs are overall cute (I love The Idol the most) and the gameplay has obvious potential, in the end it just sort of feels bland and samey the whole way through.
But these are overshadowed by the thin layer of frustration caused by the loose controls and overly restrictive camera. There is potential here and if you enjoy more artful puzzle games like the ones this game has been heavily compared to, it's at least worth a look. Just be ready for a few hangups along the way that might take you out of the experience.
The game may be fun in some ways, but after an hour of having the instruction manual read at you, you're likely going to stop caring about this game and decide to move on to the next.
Despite all its flaws, however, I cannot completely count out Fairy Fencer F. It is dated and may not be a great game or even a good game all things considered, but overall I would consider it a pretty okay choice if you're simply browsing the eShop in search of a quick “junk food” JRPG. There's not a lot of substance to it, but it will at least keep you busy and entertained in some form for the twenty or so hours it will take you to complete a single route.
Many of the problems I ran into have been or will soon be patched according to the developers, but unfortunately it was a tad too late to not paint my experience at least a little bit. Overall, Curse of the Sea Rats is a game I think has a lot of potential, but the samey characters and bugs hold it back from being what it seems like it really could be. If you're really itching for a new metroidvania experience, or just really like rats for some reason, you could definitely do a lot worse than this one, but I sadly cannot say I would recommend you dash to the eshop as fast as you can for it.
The occasional tedious puzzle and slow movement speed are frustrating at times but never really felt like they fully broke the experience for me. It's not perfect nor is it what I would call great, but the things it excels at lift it slightly higher than your average 2D horror game. Just not much higher.
In a world where games like Planet Coaster exist as a more modern take on the exact same formula with many of the same features, I don't even know if nostalgia is a justifiable position on this one. If all you're really interested in is the idea of a portable park management sim this one is still a pretty alright entry into the genre, but it definitely still feels and looks like a game that came out in 2004. Add to that the clunky gamepad controls and I can say for sure that if you're dead set on buying Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, the Switch is probably not the place to do it.
Its writing can be fun for its short duration, the voice acting is pleasant to listen to, and the music by Shantae and Shovel Knight composer Jake Kaufman is at the very least catchy. However, if you're not already a fan of the genre or even if you prefer more meat on the bones of the ones you play, this game likely isn't going to get you what you want. Its slow pace and short runtime may turn some players off, but if you're looking for a way to kill an hour or so it may still be worth a look.