Railway – Train Simulator is a brilliant pick-up and play puzzle game. It has all the right ingredients on the tracks to give you hours of enjoyment. After all, who doesn’t like to play with trains, no matter your age? So if you like your puzzle games, I recommend you try Railway – Train Simulator. Now, step aside and mind the gap, all aboard as the fun train leaves the station!
Beasties is a very casual and easy game offering little challenge that reminds me of a mobile game. While playing it for review, I kept waiting for something fantastic to happen in the game. Say, for instance, a surprise twist in the storyline or an extra area to explore as there is only one area, a forest. Sadly that never happened. I battled and caught a few beasties and visited all three stalls in the village: a beastie trainer, a blacksmith to mend your only tool and a healer. After nearly three hours of play, I finished the game and watched the credits roll. For the game’s price you don’t get much for your money, and it is over in a flash. Unfortunately, the game’s storyline also isn’t that great, and like the game itself, it ends abruptly.
Overall I enjoyed playing Ruggnar. Even the platform jumping was pleasant to play and not frustrating. I would have liked to have more of a challenge in the game, especially in a game that centres around how dark it is meant to be. But I like that the game’s main focus is exploring the enemy-free dungeons, not everything revolves around combat.
While I played through the fifty levels of Cube Decider, I did enjoy the game for a while. It is not the worse game out there, but on the other hand, it is not the best game either. However, for a couple of pounds in the eShop, I’d still be hesitant to recommend it as it left me with a feeling off…. well, that it was kind of pointless after finishing it.
Autonauts is packed with adorable animations and a deceptively simple premise. Controls could be better on the Switch, as I do think they let the game down. Apart from the controls, the game premise and execution of the tutorial are well done. The game is enjoyable, with plenty to keep you up until the wee hours of the morning, commanding your bots to craft and build the colony of your dreams.
Overall, Freshly Frosted is a delightful game and has all a puzzle fan would need in a game. Decent puzzles that aren’t frustrating, chill music, and the narrator’s soothing voice make this one of my favourite puzzle games I have played this year. Though the game should come with a warning as it does leave you with a craving for doughnuts.
Please Fix The Road is a brilliant game; it gives the player enough help to get through the levels without it becoming frustrating. It is a great game to dip in and out of for short play sessions after a stressful day. Added to that the game is beautiful to look at, puzzle fans will love this game, it is definitely worth checking out.
Dungeon Village 2 is a management game with several different subsystems that reward and encourage you to keep playing. In addition, it’s a great relaxing time sink where you can spend many hours building up your town to five stars.
While playing APICO, it’s clear that the developers have put a lot of love into their game and bees. It’s littered with bee puns and humour throughout the game, and it is educational as well. Four-player online co-op is available to play, which I didn’t get to try. However, the enjoyable and chilled gameplay will keep you buzzing for hours and coming back for more. Gotta go and check on my bees!
My Time at Sandrock is a standalone game; you don’t have to have played Portia to be able to enjoy it. The game takes new characters to a new location and updates some mechanics for the better. However, if you have played the previous game, it will feel very familiar, like returning home to see an old friend.
Playing Old World feels like you have an entire nation interacting deeply with other real civilizations covering a much smaller slice of history. It adds complexity and dimension to the 4X genre by taking the Civilization templet and adding to it to involve you in an epic story. I love it, as I enjoy the deep strategy it offers and the added relationship dynamics!
All in all, Lost Nova is a wholesome sweet chilled-out game that’s a delight to play. Of course, it won’t suit all gamers as the relaxed atmosphere, and the gameplay wouldn’t suit players that are heavily into combat since it combats free. However, it’s a fun, enjoyable trip to a distant planet with beautiful artwork and cute characters with wholesome vibes. If all of that looks good to you, I definitely recommend playing Lost Nova and helping Mia return home.
Unfortunately, As Far As The Eye felt like work playing it. For me, strategy games tread a line between letting you execute a satisfying plan and responding to surprise threats. However, with As Far As The Eye’s constant violent natural disasters and the need for upkeep on every game element, it gets quite tiresome to always be on the defensive and rush to the next Halt. A strategy game should encourage long play sessions with lots of deep planning of your next move and not having to rush because of some threat you have no control over. Apart from that, when you die, there isnt any post-game analysis, recorded stats, or even the ability to scroll the map and see where you went wrong and learn from it. All of that makes me think that hex-based strategy and roguelike genres should not be mixed together in a game!
Winkeltje: The Little Shop is fun to play. It’s an enjoyable gameplay loop, open the shop in the morning, sell items, and close the shop at the end of the day. Once the shop is closed for the day, you can rearrange the stock and take care of the crops you are growing, ready for another business day. It can get repetitive if you play for long sessions. However, Winkeltje’s specialisation system does help to keep it feeling fresh and interesting.
Bugsnax is a certainly different take on the adventure puzzle genre. Catching the Bugsnax is fun at the beginning of the game, but after 8 to 10 hours, the repetitiveness of the game’s main task drags it all down, which is a pity. Overall, Bugsnax was fun while it lasted, but it wouldn’t be a game I’d be rushing to play again.
Arise: A Simple Story – Definitive Edition is a bittersweet tale of an old man’s life and the memories he shared with a partner. It relays a tale of love, heartbreak, hardship, and an emotional journey through his life. It’s a story that stayed on my mind well after the closing credits. The platforming sections may prove fiddly; however, the storyline, narrative and visuals make up for the platforming shortcomings.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a blast to play. I’ve had an enjoyable time with the game as I giggled at some of the clever sight gags that the LEGO series of games is well known for. While the game isn’t perfect due to the framerate, it is a brilliant romp through the Star Wars universe.
If exploring a beautiful world and helping folk out and listening to their stories is what you enjoy in a game then Dragon Caffi is the game for you. It is a delightful, charming, peaceful (no combat) and relaxing game to play, one that keeps you smiling as you play it.
Cafe Cat Manager is an enjoyable addition to the simulation genre on the Nintendo Switch. While playing the game, you can tell that the developers have put a lot of love into the game’s development and are cat lovers. It is a relaxing business sim with no pressure to hurry you along, and who could resist all the cute cats while you find them forever where they can live happily.
BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land is a brilliant little puzzle game. It offers just enough of a challenge to the player without it getting frustrating. It would be a great game to play with children as it is family-friendly and suitable for all ages. Though younger children might need help from grown-ups with some of the levels. For all those puzzle fans out there, this is one to add to your library on the Nintendo Switch.