Though its narrative leans more towards humor with a few sparing and surprising character moments, this first run at the Role-playing genre shows that the developers are more than capable of striking gold by pairing their SteamWorld characters with solid and balanced mechanics.
Get ready to slash through swaths of enemies in the definitive time-attack-character-action-role-playing-game.
Don't let this game's looks fool you – you might be genuinely surprised by what it has to offer.
Looking for classic dungeon crawling action? Perhaps turtling in a doorway is more your style? Maybe Warhammer Quest is the title for you.
If you're a fan of the genre, this game offers its own unique twists as well as all of the features that you love. Don't sleep on this "action platformer without jumping," because it's an ARPG with so much more.
As an alternative to Persona with writing and style very much seeped in Japanese culture, the Caligula Effect: Overdose is worth consideration. However, you'll need to ask yourself whether or not you can enjoy the idea of a game that only reaches its potential on a handful of occasions, and whether or not any of what you've read so far sounds worth checking out.
If unlocking multiple weapons and enhancing every aspect of the game via a constant experience grind sounds like an enjoyable prospect, then I would strongly recommend the title. In terms of how forgiving its experience and currency system is, it is easily one of the more accessible rogue-lites out there. This doesn’t mean, however, that the game isn’t difficult – maybe on its normal difficulty, but its harder settings will put your understanding of the title’s mechanics to the test. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys putting limitations on themselves and seeing where a randomizer can take you, then RemiLore might have the magic that you’re looking for.
I don’t know if I can recommend Away unless I say this, so here it is: If you find rogue-lites to be too unforgiving or are looking for a beginner rogue-lite for your child, Away is a suitable choice. It allows the player a great deal of freedom, but one they realize how broken the robot with the missile launcher is, the illusion of difficulty is wiped clean. The narrative is bizarre and certainly unexpected, with the final… “boss…” being unlike anything the game has yet to offer, but players might feel cheated by the lack of options present. It’s a game that has so many good ideas individually, but fails to put them together to form a cohesive and substantial challenge. If you’re not really looking for challenge, though, and you love the game’s aesthetics as much as I do, you might be able to find something to love here. While I love the way this game looks, I cannot say the same about the way it plays, and that’s an unexpected disappointment.
If you’re looking for an impressively varied strategy simulation title, there’s little else on the Switch that compares to Thea. Its mechanics take a solid amount of time to pick up, but once you have a good grasp on things, you can settle into a nice and comfortable gameplay loop. Your ultimate goal might be a large town, or a dedicated group of high-level warriors. Whatever it is, Thea gives you a great deal of freedom to do it, as long as you trust and prepare for the unexpected. For fans of simulation titles, Thea is an easy recommendation – for Role-playing enthusiasts, it might be a bit of a risk. If you’re willing to submit to the gods and take risks, you’ll find a game with satisfying depth, mixed presentation, and a lengthy and fun campaign loop.
For some, these performance issues will be a bit too much to handle. While they didn’t entirely ruin my experience with Halcyon 6, I could see it being a problem for others. The addictive “one more turn” aspect of the gameplay was enough to get me hooked, as you are almost constantly making micro – and macro – management decisions in order to improve the efficiency of your dealings, as well as keep your galaxy safe. If it weren’t for these technical hurdles, I would go as far as to say that Halcyon 6 is a must-own for the Switch, but you’ll have to watch some gameplay in order to see if those hiccups are worth the entry price. Either way, I can’t recommend it enough, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.
All in all, if you’re a big fan of the source material, whether Lovecraft or the board game, there’s something to appreciate in Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, but for those looking for a bit more complexity or variety, your time is best spent elsewhere.
I’d personally recommend giving the lower difficulty a good try, but if you’re finding things a bit too easy within the first hour, it would be best to restart on the higher difficulty. The game’s Hard Mode does not pull punches, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If you are looking for a more straightforward Metroidvania experience, Momodora achieves what it sets out to do very well. Despite a good half of its boss fights involving cute girls, they’re all varied and require different approaches. While it doesn’t break the mold with any of its abilities, battles, or narrative, it is a solid and enjoyable title that is well-worth a look.
Whether or not you feel The Shrouded Isle is worth your time mostly depends on two considerations: the first is how much mileage you’ll be able to get out of viewing the same ten or twelve screens and playing the same style of simulation, the second being how much of your time you feel like taking notes on your video game. The game itself does very little to keep individual family member information transparent, and once you’ve learned the ins and outs of each of its relatively few mechanics, the rest of the game is attempting – and failing – to make things work out for as long as you can, with the eventual hope that you’ll get a winning combo. There are important choices to make, but the game lacks depth in characterization and variety too much for me to recommend it.
If it wasn’t already obvious, I think YIIK is a game that everyone should play. It is not a perfect game – rarely do titles come along that feature wholly agreeable mechanics – but it manages to use fabulous music, voice acting, and addictive combat in order to tell an extremely original story. This is one of the rare titles that has challenged me to rethink what I believe is possible in the medium, let alone the Role-playing genre, and for that, I give it my healthiest and most adamant recommendation.
While Don’t Sink does have a rogue-like difficulty that erases a save file upon failed naval excursion or combat, a part of me doesn’t feel that bumping up the difficulty is worth the risk, as a great deal of the gameplay has to do with waiting and saving resources rather than actively engaging in the kind of swashbuckling gameplay one might expect. If you are looking for a more laid-back, resource-management-oriented sort of title, I might recommend Don’t Sink, although a great deal of its challenge can be circumvented by playing the game relatively safe. Perhaps its the savvy, overconfident nature of piracy that I lack which caused me to shirk from its more adventurous choices. Still, the idea of wasting more time saving money and resources on the high seas didn’t make the prospect all that enticing.
If you are looking for a definitive rogue-lite experience on the Switch, there are other options out there that will give you a bit more bang for your buck, but BEHEMUTT’s title is an admirable take on a genre that can often be a bit too exhaustive for its own good.
While not invalidating the previous title, the developers at Noio have created a sequel that shines as an independent title on the Switch, even during the holiday scene.
This board game RPG has complex mechanics and smooth gameply, but it stumbles in one key department.
While it satisfies all of the hallmark aspects of the first-person dungeon crawler- the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies a large mapping session, the loot-gathering nature of repeated cyclical visits, and turn-based combat with its own unique flair, this first attempt has both the good and bad elements of the subgenre. Its wacky narrative and the impact it has on the design of the labyrinths is certainly unique, but the game never rises above its contemporaries, rather offering an experience just as full-featured and lengthy. For a full-retail title, there is plenty to see and do in Labyrinth of Refrain, but it still comes with a strong warning: if other first-person dungeon crawlers aren’t your thing, this game won’t do much to change your mind. Like Disgaea, it serves as its own unique entry into its subgenre, doing so with competence, flair, and even a few unexpected delights. It may not be a masterpiece, but it is well-worth a look.
Firetop Mountain is a quaint title. Straightforward and simple like the series it was based upon, its tone is never too serious that it breaks the illusion of playing a tabletop game. There are several moments of genuine humor to be found, and there is a consistent sense of whimsical, swashbuckling adventure throughout. There’s nothing here that is particularly offensive, rather a few elements that an attentive player must keep their eyes upon. The result is a satisfying experience that features loads of variety in a deceptive manner, encouraging experimentation just as often as it pulls the rug out from underneath the player. While the combat is never too deep, it makes sense as the kind of mechanic one might see in a physical game. The writing is never too grandiose, nor does it need to be, but the loads of text and the illusion of verbal storytelling is a huge drawing point. If one prefers gameplay and active exploration over a more passive and strategic title, this likely won’t be the best fit. If you’re looking for an RPG that is approachable and entertaining, however, there are very few other options on the Switch that present as faithful and fundamental a look at the genre as The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.