Monster Prom: XXL may seem pretty strange, but it's precisely this strangeness that elevates it to greatness. It was clearly designed with multiplayer in mind, as this mode stands as the strongest experience in the game. Even in single-player though, Monster Prom is sure to capture you with its quick wit and charming art style. There's a lot to love here, and I hope that there's a place in your heart for that special monster.
As someone who has grown tired of the ever increasing emphasis on competitive multiplayer games, I really wasn’t expecting to like Spellbreak. However, I was pleasantly surprised after I tried it. The combat is simple, yet provides enough depth for on-the-fly strategy changes. Despite the unique concept, much of Spellbreak is rooted in traditional battle royale mechanics, so ultimately the game's success will rely heavily on future content updates. For now though, Spellbreak is definitely worth a try.
All in all, Witcheye is a cute little platformer. Its movement mechanic can be a little annoying at times, but overall it is a nice change of pace from what you would expect from others in the genre. Though short and simple due to its mobile origins, there's a lot of extra content to unlock to add to the replayability if you feel inclined to keep going. Even if you don't though, for the price, Witcheye could certainly do a lot worse.
It's not often that I review a game in which I want to dive right back in after I finish with it, but Ys Origin is one of those rare exceptions. With the exceptional boss fights, the copious amount of unlockables, and the short runtime, I can already hear the game calling to me to return. However, if there's one thing that really stands out to me about how good this game is, it's that it makes me want to check out the rest of the series.
All in all, I think The Crown Tundra is the better of Pokémon Sword and Shield's two expansions. It's yet another step forward over improving the Wild Area, so much so that I think it could serve as a really good foundation for creating a full open-world Pokémon title. It's not without its faults, but I haven't been able to stop playing since I started it and don't see myself voluntarily letting up any time soon.
Despite being largely well-made, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia gets stale and repetitive after the first few hours. Everything outside of the main story is incredibly tedious and feels like it was added solely to pad the game's length. Younger Bakugan fans will likely enjoy the game, but for older fans or those not already interested in Bakugan, it's a much tougher sell.
That said, Disc Room is a fantastic game. When I was playing, I got completely absorbed into the experience, so much so that the night I started I put four straight hours into it without realizing. It can be a little on the difficult side (rarely unfairly so), but this really added to the sense of accomplishment and progression that kept me locked into the game. I'm completely blown away that, for a game with such a simple concept, there's so much variety in design and so much content to discover. The team behind Disc Room obviously put a lot of love and effort into making it, and it shows. If you're even the slightest bit interested in it, you should give Disc Room a try.
Though I still think it's a bit strange to put Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory on Nintendo Switch, given that there are currently no plans to bring others in the franchise over, there's almost no better home for it. The short bursts of gameplay mesh well with the pick-up-and-play nature of Switch. No matter whether you're a longtime fan of Kingdom Hearts or a newcomer looking to get in before the next main game, you'll find a lot to enjoy in Melody of Memory. It may not be the Kingdom Hearts game we wanted, but this is one love letter that definitely deserves to be read.
Evolution Board Game is one of the overall best digital board game experiences I’ve had, out of the many I've played. Evolution's strategic gameplay is easy to pick up and fun to master, earning itself a guaranteed place in future game nights.
Ultimately, Sniper Elite 4 not only carries on a tradition of excellence for the franchise, but elevates it to new heights. The focus on stealth and long-range combat provides for a rather unique experience among shooters. Larger levels and multi-use items provide even more freedom over past entries to tackle missions in whatever way you want. The biggest complaint is that finding an online multiplayer match may be difficult without friends, but if you can find one, it works well. If you're looking for a new shooter to dive into, Sniper Elite 4 should be at the top of your list.
There's not enough here for me to feel comfortable recommending Tohu at full price. If you're really itching to play a point-and-click adventure and can get a great deal on it, it's worth a look. Outside of that, you're not missing anything if you choose to skip it.
All in all, I think Capcom Arcade Stadium is generally worth picking up, especially if you're a fan of older Capcom titles. For those less familiar with these offerings, I would instead suggest that you look at each pack to see what interests you. If you're only interested in a small subset of the included titles, there's not much of a reason to fork out for the entire collection when you can get a single pack for about a third of the cost. There's certainly potential for a great gathering of games here, but given all of the collection's faults, it falls just short of hitting that high score.
If you’re looking for a soul-crushingly difficult platformer, look no farther than Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection. It retains a lot of what made the original such a classic, while also updating it with some more modern mechanics. Despite a few areas that felt a little unfair, with patience, you should be able to complete a single run within a few hours, allowing the game to never feel like it overstays its welcome, even after completing it three times over a single weekend. Whether you’re a newcomer to the franchise or a long-time veteran, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is one hauntingly good time.
At best, Forward to the Sky is extremely unpolished; at worst, it's unfinished. It's one of the most generic games I've ever played, with almost no redeeming factors to it. Even Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia had a few things I enjoyed, and I would much rather be playing that than spending any more time on Forward to the Sky. It's almost bad enough to make me want to wish I had that time back, and I would strongly advise anyone to give this a wide berth, especially at its current price point.
Overall though, these complaints are pretty minor and didn't do much to detract from the overall experience Chained provided me with. Over my roughly three-and-a-half hours, I had an absolute blast with the game. The core gameplay mechanic seems like such a simple concept, yet Studio Digital Caffeine found a way to make it incredibly engaging. If you're into short puzzle games, Chained is definitely worth a try.
If you're in the mood for a mobile-like puzzle experience, I highly recommend Sokodice on Nintendo Switch. Conceptually, it's easy to pick up, new mechanics are regularly added to increase puzzle variety and difficulty, and it's practically designed to fit perfectly in those little gaps in your day when you only have a few minutes to spare. A hint system would've been a nice addition, though it works well enough without it. One thing's for sure though - I'll definitely be coming back to this one off and on as I try to clean up them missing gold medals.
Overall, Rip Them Off is a pretty unique take on the tower defense genre. While there aren't a ton of maps, there's plenty of room to revisit them to try to improve your scores. Further, the later maps are incredibly difficult, so you'll probably be playing them for a while. Thankfully, the game accounts for these factors and provides an effective way to tinker with your setups. If you want a game that's easy to pick up, yet hard to master, Rip Them Off is well worth your time.
Rain on Your Parade is an excellent little game and is well worth anyone's time. It's cute, it's funny, and I've not played anything quite like it before. For me as a speedrunner, I'm always looking for new games to throw in my arsenal, so it says a lot to me about the quality of a game when I find one I seriously want to dedicate countless hours to. But I've certainly found such a game here. I believe just about everyone would be able to get some enjoyment out of Rain on Your Parade, and I might even go so far as to say it's my favorite indie I've played thus far this year.
A code for There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension review was provided by the publisher.
By today's standards, there's nothing revolutionary about Famicom Detective Club, but that doesn't stop both games from being really solid experiences. Despite a bit of predictability in the plots, both stories were incredibly engaging and nothing short of a complete joy to play through. It's easy to see that Mages really took a lot of pride in crafting a quality remake here, since every little detail shines through. If you're at all curious to see what these games are about, you owe it to yourself to give at least one of them a look.