Wreckin’ Ball Adventure is a simple and straightforward title that provides entertainment for only a few pounds in the eShop. I think it would make a great game to play with the family, its easy enough for children to be able to pick it up and play. Even if you can only play Wreckin’ Ball Adventures in single player, you will find this a decent puzzle game to while away a few hours on.
Kingdom Rush is very well balanced, charming and with enough difficulty in it to even keep the veterans of Tower Defence games coming back for more. And with the extra modes and challenges Kingdom Rush offers the player a lot of content for replayability. Kingdom Rush is a classic example of tower defense, it combines elements of old and new and brings it to the Nintendo Switch as a very fluid battle simulator. Really, if you’re looking for a solid, amusing and satisfying Tower Defense game you should pick this one up.
Mittelborg: City of Mages has a pretty interesting premise, it’s a real pity that that is all it is. It plays like a straight port from pc or mobile. What art there is in the game looks well, I just wish there was more of it instead of a static image of the city. The translation of the text needs work to help the game story along and help to make it more interesting for the player. There are bigger and better simulation, strategy games to choose from on the eShop sadly this isn’t one of them.
You can control Brightstone Mysteries: Paranormal Hotel either by the touchscreen or the joy-cons. I played the game using both control systems and they both work well. My personal preference after trying both controls was to use the touchscreen controls and these I found to be intuitive and responsive. While the story is quite intriguing and some of the puzzles can be a little challenging to complete you won’t find anything new to the genre in Brightstone Mysteries Paranormal Hotel. That’s not to say that it should be overlooked as it does offer a decent puzzle game for fans of the genre to pass a few hours of time with.
Merchant of the Skies is a neat trading simulation game, with relaxing game play. Though I don’t think the game allows for much of a replay after you have finished the campaign mode. There is a sandbox mode to play around with, but once I’d played and completed the campaign mode I’d basically completed everything the game has to offer. There isn’t anything particularly new in the game, however, the gameplay that Merchant of the Skies offers is engrossing and an enjoyable experience all the same.
I do think Skully has lived up to my expectations. I will leave my frustration behind as I find most platform games frustrating at times while playing them, it’s the nature of the genre. Skully is a very enjoyable game and the puzzles are a lot of fun. Set in beautiful environments, with great voice acting and humour. If you are a fan of the genre, Skully is definitely a game you should consider adding it to your Nintendo Switch library.
Giraffe and Annika is packed full of charm, a little childlike innocence, and a few rhythmic battles that break up the questing. They make up the unique title that Giraffe and Annika is and though I enjoyed the game I didn’t find it much of a challenge. Which bring me to the conclusion that Giraffe and Annika would be a fantastic game for a family with younger children to play-through together to discover the Islands of Spica. Alternatively, an adult can enjoy the game as well but don’t expect much of a challenge in any part of the game, just a chilled out experience.
The focus in Windbound is definitely more on the survival side, with you keeping protagonist Kara alive in this rogue-like game. The game also takes the survival genre in a new direction by providing endless replay-ability options thanks to the procedural world, and dynamic because of the modular craft you can build. As each time you play the size of your boat changes depending on what resources you can find on the islands, these dictate the type of boat you can build. There is something quite satisfying about building your own boat and setting sail across the sea into unknown territory in Windbound. I’ve found the game to be very entertaining and a lot of fun to play.
I had been looking forward to playing Ary and the Secret of Seasons since the game was announced. Unfortunately, I’m left feeling disappointed in the game. I do like the swapping of seasons mechanic to solve the puzzles. Once the game is updated and if the glitches are successfully removed I do think Ary and the Secret of Seasons would make a great family game for the whole family to play together. As the game is at the moment with its frequent framerate drops, stuttering and glitches which actually put you off playing the game. I can’t, in all honesty, recommended it as a fun and entertaining experience currently.
The game is built to the POWGI standard, very plain and the focus, as it should be, is the puzzle in question. The rules are laid out clearly at the beginning and are easy to get back to if you’re not familiar with this type of puzzle or have left the game for a while and need a reminder. Alphaset by POWGI does what it’s good at effectively, a simple enjoyable word puzzle. If word puzzles are your go-to genre, I recommend Alphaet by POWGI has a spot on your Nintendo Switch.
Spiritfarer is a positive look at death as all the characters make peace with both their life and death in their own time The characters are charming, all have depth with stories to tell. While some mini-games may feel tedious the more you do them, there are plenty of other tasks in the game to balance this out. Playing Spiritfarer at this particular time in the mad and crazy world we live in is something everyone should do. As well as being entertaining and enjoyable to play Spiritfarer is hopeful, comforting, and positive and certainly big on delivering the ”feels”!
It was a pleasure to spend time with The Last Campfire: a world filled with charm and wonder. The details of the world, and the characters in it, play like an interactive storybook. Poignant and charming, The Last Campfire is an adventure puzzle game that developers Hello Games should be very proud of. It deserves a spot on everyone’s Nintendo Switch.
While I have a couple of niggles as I stated above with Here Be Dragons, I do like what the game developers are trying to do. Though I think the game could do with some sort of sandbox mode, where you could tinker around and build up your ship’s skills. When you get deeper into Here Be Dragons, it does offer an enjoyable slice of strategy, and fans of the board-game genre would probably find Here Be Dragons to be entertaining.
Fantasy Tower Defense is a simplistic take on the standard Tower Defense games. There are 20 levels to defend your way through, which will keep you busy for a while if you can work out the strategy to make it to the end without any help from the game. I do think you could find a much better TD game on the eShop to purchase and spend time with as there isn’t much to Fantasy Tower Defense or any replayability in it.
Kingdom Rush Origins keeps the familiar and fun game mechanics from the first two installments in the series. And with so many heroes to choose from with different skill sets to try out and challenge of the different modes, there is plenty to keep you busy. I think that Origins feels more balanced than the others in the series and it’s also the best one. Kingdom Rush is quite possibly the most iconic Tower Defense game out there in the market. If you’re a fan of the series like I am there isn’t any reason why you wouldn’t love this edition to Kingdom Rush, just like I do.
Deleveled offers addictive and challenging gameplay throughout the 120 levels in the game. It is a simple concept of momentum in action, but don’t let that fool you. As Deleveled certainly delivers lots of puzzling enjoyment and hours of bouncing fun.
As Death and Taxes is quite a short game its definitely worth your while to play through the game a few times to make the most of it and its different endings. I found the game to be enjoyable and funny. On my second play through I made different choices and got a completely different ending. While playing as the Grim Repear and dealing out death to unsuspecting humans may not be to everyones taste, Death and Taxes is a sarcastic, humorous take on a mundane office job with a twist!
Her Majesty’s Ship feels like a direct port from PC with little or no conversion work carried out on it for its release on the Nintendo Switch. Playing the game for this review proved to be a frustrating experience, to say the least. Her Majesty’s Ship, in my opinion, could be a decent game if the control and menu problem where fixed to make it a less frustrating experience. As it is at the moment I can only say my score is….
I had fun with Flying Soldiers, it’s an entertaining puzzle game with hints of strategy in selecting where to place the objects to help the budgies reach the end of the run. It’s not a long game but it is a pleasant enough to get a few hours of fun out of in-between something more serious and little more challenging.
Mattis Folkestad, the developer behind Embracelet, has written a unique adventure story, with a gentle difficulty level. It’s a heartwarming story about setting out on your own and taking your first long journey from home. With themes of love, loss, friendship and family. Embracelet is a game where its story shines throughout the gameplay and pushes you with Jesper and his friends to discover the island of Slepp.