Connor Nichols's Reviews
No game is truly perfect, as the game’s challenge level may put off some folks who aren’t used to RPGs in general, but I still firmly believe that this game should be in your 3DS library without hesitation, mainly due to how accessible it is thanks to the amount of strategies you can come up with for clearing those dungeons.
Somehow, someway, Renegade Kid struck gold with the difficulty balance, making the game challenging, yet rewarding, while also being accessible to new fans by teaching them the value of patience. This is how video game difficulty should be, and I’m very pleased to say that Renegade Kid made this title worth the wait.
Steamworld Dig 2 is by far the biggest surprise from 2017, and while it took a while for me to get to this title in the queue, I’m really happy I eventually did, as this quickly became one of my favorite games to come out during the entire year of 2017! Expanding a concept that I saw great potential in three years ago, and letting it grow into a behemoth of a Metroidvania with lots of love and polish makes this game an adventure that everyone really should give a shot, even if you haven’t played the first one.
Newcomers and fans of metroidvania titles, or the old days of going through games like the original Metroid without a guide and finding your own path need to owe it to themselves to check this adventure out at all cost. Either through the physical bundle with 2, or the standalone $15 eShop method, this is a no brainer pickup, and is in all honesty, probably my new favorite metroidvania to ever grace this earth. Do not miss out on this adventure of a lifetime, and I do hope when I spend more time with 2, that lives up equally as well!
Truly, this game ended up being the best surprise gem for me in years, and when it contains all the aspects of my favorite games of all time, with great characters, world building, soundtrack, writing, and addictive gameplay loops, Fuga creeped up from behind and led to an unforgettable adventure, where the saddest part for me was when it all came to an end.
Outside of the unavoidable roadblock of no Warner Bros titles, Atari 50 is a godly compilation that couldn’t have been more lovingly curated, and just like how I sung the praises of SNK 40th for years to come, I’ll no doubt be doing this for Atari 50 and hoping this is a template for future compilations, from all over the world.
Even when I initially thought of Shiren 6 as a very good Mystery Dungeon game that focused on gameplay over story, I was quickly blown away by just how much depth there was to this island, and the sheer amount of extra stuff there is to do after beating that main dungeon is just proof that addictive, well-balanced gameplay is the best quality a game can have.
When my only major gripe with this game comes from the stupid save file limitations, that’s a testament to how solid this game is, and I honestly even feel it’ll be one of the Indie classics people will look back on a decade from now.
Alwa’s Awakening is an incredibly accurate throwback to the NES games of old, and despite it focusing a lot on authenticity rather than trying anything new, it manages to hit all the right notes for a Metroidvania. With a lovely soundtrack, several routes to take on your journey and more, Alwa’s Awakening managed to engage me more than I was expecting it to, and for the $10 price tag I can easily recommend this without hesitation to fans of Metroidvania titles.
Still, for RPG fans looking for a fun strategy game with LOTS of content, or just someone wanting a long Switch game after having enough of Zelda, Disgaea 5 Complete is a must own, especially if you’re new to the series, since the story doesn’t connect with any of the prior games and you won’t need to worry about getting lost if you start here, or jump from an earlier installment like I did!
Still, this port isn’t flawless, and there are still dips and even resolution downgrades from time to time, but overall, this port is an excellent second-place to the PS4 version of the game, and Switch owners are in for the best action RPG experience out of the entire Nintendo Switch library to date.
Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a really fantastic loveletter to the Classicvania era of the series, including seven fantastic games (and one bad one) emulated well for a new generation.
Contra Anniversary Collection is easily one of the higher quality gaming compilations to come out as of late. With seven fantastic games and a few more regional differences, there’s a lot of fun to be had, whether it’s from score chasing, co-op fun, or trying to 1CC each game to save a replay for, every game in this collection has at least one version that’s super enjoyable.
Regardless of how you choose to play this, Psyvariar Delta was a shooter that absolutely surprised me with how addictive it is while also getting so much right about score chasers. As a re-release, it’s fantastic, and as a new remix it’s equally as good.
It’s a game I recommend with no hesitation, but I also won’t act like the battle system may seem like a jumbled mess to outsiders even after all I described. The game does mandate helpful tutorials that made it easy for me to pick up and understand, but even when you know what to do the battles are super reliant on strategy, so if you end up losing to a boss then you only have your own strategies to blame and need to plan another course of action.
The Alliance Alive was a game that I was very surprised by, as it’s of really high quality! Containing some of the best aspects from the SAGA series with some handy quality of life improvements, and you have one of the best pick up and play RPGs that I’ve seen on the Switch in a long while.
Mutant Mudds Collection is a fantastic collection of two high quality platformers, both in one package. While the original Mutant Mudds Deluxe lacks the high quality level design that its sequel has, both games are lengthy, enjoyable experiences to 100%, and are well worth purchasing the Collection for that alone.
River City Girls is easily one of my new favorite games in the Kunio franchise, right behind Super Dodge Ball. Made great thanks to an outstanding variety of battle moves, good level design, clever pattern-based boss battles and an outstanding co-op experience, this is one of the best belt scrollers in recent memory, and considering how many of them fall into the same trap of being a repetitive bore nowadays, it’s very refreshing to see a new one that nails all the right notes that make a belt scroller addicting to begin with.
Mighty Switch Force Collection is a fantastic compilation of Wayforward’s puzzle platformer series. Containing the two major games, along with a remake and a spinoff, this is an almost complete collection, only missing that aforementioned puzzle game, which I honestly wish was added to supplement Academy. The controls are incredibly tight and just as responsive as they were in the original games, and with some of the best level designs in puzzle platformers.
Guilty Gear ACPR is a really enjoyable fighter, despite being a bit older than some of the more entries in the franchise. It’s a strange choice having this one ported over a more recent one such as XRD, but ACPR still holds up extraordinarily well, with a bunch of single player content to unlock, great fighting mechanics, and a great game balance that make this worth revisiting whether you’re a newcomer or a big fan of the series.