Sigi - A Fart For Melusina is a budget title. Its price is a fair entry point and probably worth it for those looking to get a quick retro fix for their nostalgia cravings. There's no hating on $4.99 for 20 levels. Disregarding its price, it's boils down to the quality of the game. Ultimately, it's fun in a very clumsy way. However, you may want to put that money towards another game.
Match-3 is fun. Try it out for that. The art presented here is also nice and enjoyable for fans of comics. Just be sure to put up with boring characters, throwaway lines and the occasional bugs with your short hours on it.
Crimsonland is has a rewarding perk system and fun guns to use on a level-to-level basis. People who care about obtaining the best scores will find more value here than most. Still, its repetitious level design and bland presentation make it a duller experience. Why not add structures to the levels such as walls and maybe some vegetation? Broken down 2-story buildings would be nice. Weapons and Perks are the highlights. If only the rest matched up.
You're either in for it or you're not. Gun Gun Pixies has the right concept and mixture of things to satisfy. It has platforming, shooting and takes the ecchi genre full-on with babes and more babes. The most frustrating aspect of the game are its controls. Platforming and movement is super clunky. Shooting sensitivity is one speed and not dynamic. The gameplay suffers as a result. That isn't to say being miniature running around rooms without being detected and shooting larger than life girls doesn't have its appeal. If one can deal with the controls, there's certainly entertainment to be had. If only the gameplay was as great as the visual novel aspect, it would be a well-rounded experience overall.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is just one of those games from the era where you either have a good time with it or you just don't have a good time at all. For recurring players of the original who knows what they're getting into, they will likely enjoy it. However, they very well may end up disappointed as there is no offline multiplayer and online multiplayer seems convoluted and archaic probably not worth the hassle. Even if we had all the offline and online modes created as wonderfully smooth experiences, the core gameplay didn't get the quality of life improvements it very much needed to have. Check out what others have to say about it, maybe get some friends who are on board with playing, and it could provide a decent time worth the number of hassles.
The Forbidden Arts is charming, colorful, and has its heart in the right place. The 2D portions make up the bulk of the experience resulting in fun exploration and boss fights. The 3D portions are bland and empty making it not the focus if that was one's assumption. That leaves everything else riding on the 2D levels which are fine as they are, being varied and full of enemies, hazards and platforming challenges. It's the poor implementation of the mechanics and design that hinders the experience. What you think should work and doesn't only causes frustration. Toss in a few glitches and you only wish this had more time in the oven. Still, it's a solid effort that's likable. If you can get past the hurdles, you'll be left satisfied with a side of disappointment for dessert.
EarthNight is superb audio-visual experience that has its own style. It just simply looks awesome. The rather short gameplay with no incentive to keep playing is one issue, but can be overlooked if you just like the gameplay for what it is. The convoluted way of padding for upgrades and the procedurally-generated elements that can't commit to one unique playstyle that is player-dependent is what hurts it overall.
Dial (555)-555-5555 for a good time, $4.99 every minute. Or, pay $9.99 upfront and go hands on for as long as you'd like and even see person in front of you. There's a very repetitive gameplay loop for the story mode if you plan to see and unlock everything. There's no "going all the way", but there's actually a decent amount to unlock if customization is your thing. I.... unlocked everything. You also have the freedom to create any scene you'd like with your girl. So there's that.
The Sinking City might be worth looking into for anyone who enjoys using their noggin to solve investigations. It may be even more intriguing if you enjoy getting sucked into Lovecraft atmosphere. You might even say we can never have too much of either of these and that's probably true. This game shouldn't be overlooked at all, but what lies here is potential drowned in a sea of mishaps. If only the optimization and performance on Nintendo Switch was a little better and the controls didn't feel like it was borrowed from a previous console generation, it could've been smooth sailing to a full recommendation.
Etherborn defies gravity in a very elegant way and in-turn becomes relaxing especially when being accompanied by a pleasant score is placed into the mix. The story feels like one version of plenty that's been done before, pertaining to creation, but it's not necessarily bad. It's just not that engaging. The way Etherborn makes each environment one large puzzle to solve by walking on each of its so-called sides and call for your wits is done nicely. Etherborn is an artistic, environmental puzzle-solving showcase that has class and Altered Matter has expressed their creative talent.
At Sundown: Shots in the Dark gets mostly everything right. Responsive controls, a variety of weapons with their own gimmicks, plenty of matchmaking options for any type of player and all the good modes you want in a multiplayer shooter. The stealth mechanic where players can take advantage of the dark certainly adds tension to the fight. It's not the best looker. Maps are themed, but feel rather bland and uninspired in their design. Still far from bad, however. What may separate players are those who got the gameplay down to the meta with not as much wiggle room to show off versus anyone who just wants a good time. In the end, having a good time is what it's all about.
This game is meant for people looking for top-down arcade shooting and people who don't mind having their reflexes tested.
God Wars The Complete Legend is a solid strategy RPG. Following the turn-based mechanics of classics and incorporating a jobs system with many different skills makes for a good time. The characters can also be fun. The story is alright enough. The graphics are outdated, but the art design does a good job of standing out. Overall, it's pretty by-the-books when it comes to the genre. With a wealth of content, it's definitely recommended for the strategy purists.
Pool Panic's level of weird creativeness and silly humor is commendable. Not knowing what you'll see around each corner of the map and within the levels themselves is a huge factor in its enjoyment. The "pool" aspect is not as good as it could be and there are some control issues hampering the enjoyment which get in the way of your proficiency or getting the best score, but the levels presented almost make you not care. Over 100 levels and weird scenarios to put yourself in, regardless of a couple of flaws, puts Pool Panic in a league of its own.
SpiritSphere DX is a retro callback, both visually & audibly, and feels like a lost gem from an old era. It takes any old tennis match and uses magic to spice things up, resulting in matches to play out in a multitude of ways. It's straight up a great local multiplayer game and one that's great for playing in the backseat of road trips if there's only one Nintendo Switch around. Plus it's $10 which isn't too shabby, either. Still, with no online functionality and being a game that is best with friends, the single player doesn't add much replayability. However, if you got the peeps around and Mario Tennis Aces is a stretch to your budget, this should be a good fix.
Mega Man X lovers should rejoice when it comes to nailing down how the game feels because 20XX absolutely nails it. The tight controls and platforming feel great. Adding to that the various upgrading and online play, there's plenty of fun to be had here. Taking your Switch anywhere and X'ing through a different stage each time is kinda cool. It's too bad there's not much of a story and while the procedurally-generated levels offer limitless replay value, predictable layouts with only 4 themes wears out the novelty. If you're in it simply for the endlessness of it and fantastic controls, then you're in for a good time.
If you're looking for an RPG with robust customization and a deep battle system, Heroland won't offer that. Without it, Heroland is still fun. If you are looking for sharp writing and charming characters, then Heroland will offer that plenty. Hilarity ensues. This game is all about taking on something a little lighter in scope and still wanting to be entertained throughout your 20 hour journey. You can see the passion and fun that went into creating it. Heroland's creators is an ensemble with credible pedigree and it is a success.
Shadow Bug is a fun, arcadey platformer which is very simple to pick up. The level design is decent. Some enemies and ideas keep it fresh along the way. That's good, because the game isn't that long.
One indie gem that I thoroughly enjoyed was 2018's Moonlighter. Sparklite is the "outdoor" version of that game, but doesn't succeed as well as it. This is a 2D Zelda roguelike that implements so much for its own good that it turned out a bit underwhelming in the end. The pixel graphics hit the spot, the music is soothing and evokes previous eras of gaming, and the controls are responsive. There's so much here, however, that no one particular element feels exceptional to another or as a whole, leaving many features of Sparklite feeling like they can be ignored. Red Blue Games is talented and sparked something good, but one should take the "lite" for its word.
World to the West deserves to be praised for its charm and personality. The varied characters all bring something to the table in terms of gameplay and some personalities are easy to love. The music compliments your journey very well. The aspect of character switching is more of a problem than it needs to be and a certain scavenge hunt, while integral to the back story, feels like a shoe-in. It could use more polish, but it's a good game worth checking out.