Ultimately, while Life is Strange: True Colors may have a weaker story than past entries had, its strongest elements may outshine anything I've played in the prior games. I'm particularly fond of Alex as a character and even more so of the idea of empathy as the core mechanic, since empathy is something we can all utilize in our daily lives. Regardless of whether this is my favorite Life is Strange or not though, True Colors was an absolute blast of an experience to play though, and I would absolutely recommend it.
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 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.
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.
All in all, Minecraft Dungeons is a lot fun. Coming from more of a Diablo background, I wasn't sure how well the simplified mechanics would jive with me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everything about Minecraft Dungeons, from the enemies to the environments to the increased emphasis on higher-quality items, oozes a charming Minecraft feel. A few minor performance issues hold it back slightly, but not enough to keep me from coming back for a lot more.
Overall, both Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux are great shooters that you should certainly play if you're a fan of the genre. While almost nothing about these titles is game-changing, the content they provide is still worth the price of admission. Most of the few gripes I have become non-issues once you figure out how to work around them, and those that remain aren't too disastrous. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your ticket and come along for the ride!
Steins;Gate 0 is a fantastic continuation of the Steins;Gate franchise, which science fiction fans should not miss.
If you’ve never experienced Amnesia before, there’s never been a better time to dive into it than now!
All in all, Never Give Up is a fun, unique take on the platformer genre.
In spite of these faults, Corpse Party is an excellent horror adventure title that fans of the genre should not miss out on. If you were to do everything correctly the first time, the main story would take 6-7 hours, but realistically it'll be longer as you piece together the correct actions needed in each chapter to progress the plot. The repetition mechanic may seem to be a little gimmicky, but it adds a bit of responsibility to your actions, giving some charm to what would otherwise be an incredibly linear story. I've not played anything quite like Corpse Party before, and as such, it firmly stands near the top of my list of favorite horror games.
As a big fan of Diablo II to begin with, I found in this review that Diablo II: Resurrected hit all my buttons and truly brought me back to my childhood. Gameplay-wise, it's as faithful an experience to the original as you can hope to get, and while the modern graphics are dazzling, I'm here for one reason and one reason only - to kick some demon butt. Newcomers may be a bit put off by some dated mechanics, but for fans of dungeon crawlers or those who just want to relive one of the best PC games of all time, Diablo II: Resurrected won't disappoint.
After reviewing Quake, I feel it's still an incredible game that holds up well even today. You get a ton of content for the price, and on top of that, there's so much replayability between the various difficulties and multiplayer options. While I wish some effort would have been made to modernize some archaic elements, they don't take away too much from the overall experience. If you're a fan of shooters at all, Quake should absolutely have a place in your Switch library.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.