In the last month I have: renovated my house, developed a relationship with my new girlfriend, enjoyed meaningful walks out in the open air and spent some time quality time with the people that matter most. Oh, and I’ve been tending to crops and looking after the animals on my farm. That’s right; I’ve been playing STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town.
If real-life hadn’t got in the way, I could have quite easily completed the single player ‘campaign’ of Star Wars Episode 1 Racer in a few sittings. Harkening back to the good ol’ days of the N64 (among other consoles), this re-release of a 20+ year old racing game has the potential to transport a player back to a simpler time: a time when 2-player local coop and late nights gathered around a TV were commonplace. The fact that I would have finished it in such a short space of time is indicative of how well it has recaptured that magic, but it is also representative of how easy it is.
There is beauty to be found in boredom and a magic in the mundane. Unfortunately, in the case of Farmer’s Dynasty, it doesn’t matter how hard it tries, it can’t satiate the same sentiments. ‘More than just an agricultural simulation’ is the tagline, and whilst this may be true, it isn’t necessarily a good thing.
There is something special about a game that has been designed and developed by a small group of individuals. No matter the industry, we all know that working as part of a team can come with its challenges, but ultimately, the more team members there are, the greater the pool of resources and potential a project can have.
With such a unique approach to the release of The Wonderful 101: Remastered on the Nintendo Switch, and because it would have been a missed opportunity not to – something you’ll find rather apt as you read on, I have chosen to share 101 comments, considerations and key details about PlatinumGames’ latest game. Enjoy!
When Fire Emblem: Three Houses released in the second half of 2019, it thrust tactical RPGs into the spotlight once again. Named in many Switch owners top three games of the last 12 months, fans new and old enjoyed all that Fire Emblem had to offer. It’s only natural then to see interest rise in similar titles that are subsequently released. Queue Narcos: Rise of the Cartels.
Based in Madrid, Team Gotham are a team of five who have, since 2014, developed four games. Two of these are available free via GameJolt: no ONE and Fidelio, another can be found on Steam under the name, The Guest, and the latest title, SOLO: Islands of the Heart, is now made a home on the Nintendo Switch. With home consoles being a goal of theirs, Solo represents a significant moment for the team, and we were keen to see how it fared.
With Hotline Miami dominating the top-down, over-the-top, brutally violent genre in gaming since its introduction in 2012, it was high time a new game tried to get in on the action and take the steely crown. Having started out in 2014, Krakow based developers One More Level have added another game to their catalogue with God’s Trigger. Promising the opportunity to ‘slay enemies with speed and precision in an over-the-top show of blood and explosions’, I was keen to see just how well this one would hold up. Find out here at Rapid Reviews UK!
When Radiation City appeared on the eShop list of titles ‘Coming Soon’, I was excited. The original mobile port release by Atypical Games, Radiation Island, was one that I spent considerable time with during my early days playing the Nintendo Switch. While it was not without its fault, it offered an open-world experience with simple-to-play game mechanics and a crafting system I quite enjoyed. Fast forward then to my first, and last, hour playing Radiation City, and my thoughts on a promising game experience with bags of potential had diminished from excitement to utter, utter disappointment.
Not to be confused with a phrase Kanye West might use when addressing his eldest daughter, Bad North is a real-time tactical roguelike game designed and developed by Plausible Concept. Now, while Kanye references may be less and less appropriate as I divulge my experiences with this title, some excellent links can be made in the opening.