Its narrative driven focus gives it time to breathe and even during combat segments I never felt like I was playing anything less than a full game that was looking exceptionally pretty on my Switch's screen. I have no problem recommending the Cloud-version of The Forgotten City, but as with any streaming version your mileage may vary. What will probably not vary is your enjoyment of this game, because as far as narrative driven adventures are considered, The Forgotten City absolutely deserves to be remembered for a very long time.
Each time you make some good progress, the game throws in a combat scenario that just takes all the wind out of your sails. It made me actively want to play the game in slower chunks, just not to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of these combat segments. Lost in Random definitely can hold its own against other titles and feels like a premium experience, but on it's way there the balance between randomness and thought out design may have gotten a bit lost.
Still, in some cases I'd argue that the journey is the destination. When it comes to TOEM the journey can be a little tedious and sometimes even a bit repetitive. But if you're looking for a slow paced game to relax over a weekend there's still a lot of charm and enjoyment to be found here.
But as the Switch has no internal achievement system, I don't think players here will derive much enjoyment from Alveole's core gameplay. However, if you're looking for something to drift away with and maybe get some of your thoughts in order, I think Alveole could be a meditative experience that may present you with some new insights or relief. That particular wheel may keep on spinning long after the experience is over.
I wish the controls were a bit more refined and that some buildings came with a few more tips on where to place them. But for this small package, it has quite a lot of content that kept me satisfied. If you were to send me off to a deserted island and I could only bring one game, this one would certainly be on my list of choices.
Its free form but open level-design makes exploration fun and gives me such a satisfying feeling after completing each level to sometimes retry them again and again to optimize my route and get that three-star rating. If you want a game that is easy to learn, emphasizes arcade-like replayability and just feels great to play on Switch, Cyber Hook should definitely be on your radar. I can't say anything else except that I'm completely hooked on this one.
If this was a free-to-play title, I may even be a bit more lenient with it, but at half the price of a full retail game, I honestly can't even recommend it for a laugh. I'm calling it. It's time to abandon ship.
I can't describe Beasts of Maravilla Island as anything less than a disappointment on the Nintendo Switch. While performance on the console absolutely breaks the experience, what little is there to begin with feels lackluster and basic. The creatures and its world are without a doubt the highlight of the game, but even so interaction and creativity in your photography is limited from every angle. I've been a huge proponent of photography video games, but with its surge over the recent years I've realized that I've also become more critical of games wanting to evoke that feeling of photography, but don't seem to fully understand how it can be both a tool for gameplay and creativity. If you're looking for a creative photographic experience I'd recommend titles like Umurangi Generation and (New) Pokémon Snap. Heck even other games that have non-essential photo-modes like Blue Fire, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate allow you more creativity than Beasts of Maravilla Island. This unfortunately makes Beast of Maravilla Island an Island I don't ever plan on revisiting.
It's still enjoyable to play on Switch, but you do have to deal with compromises in both handheld and docked mode. However, look past these issues and you'll find a unique indie photography game that stands on its own and tackles a story that goes beyond the basic photographer-experience. It's definitely a game that should be preserved for future generations.
The levels are pretty repetitive and lack a lot of player agency. While the style, atmosphere, themes and story are very good I don't think I will return to Say No! More in the future. Not because I think I shouldn't say no more, if anything this game made me realize that I do say yes too many times in my life, but because like a good self-help book, the real change begins when you're finished reading the story.
But combined with the frustrating controls and repetitive music, Root Film becomes a drag to play through. I sincerely hope that this story will be adapted into other forms, because there is a lot of potential here. A video game simply shouldn't have made the cut.
This metroidvania-like approach really clicked for me and made this 3D platformer feel special, which few others have over the past decade. While performance on Switch is definitely not fantastic, with constant suffering through crashes, I still wanted to go back every time to discover what else was hidden in this world. I certainly cannot wait to see what these developers have in store next, because Blue Fire has definitely awoken a burning passion in me to see what lies ahead.
Something that isn't there to satisfy people that ship in-game characters or gives them additional stats, but two characters that live together and struggle together. They each have a complete personality and to see that flourish, to see them flourish together, is something I have rarely if ever experienced in a game. Haven is not perfect, certainly not on Switch, but I would follow these characters to the edge of space and beyond.
The visual design harms the experience, and there are frequent framerate stutters and hiccups while playing the later levels. I enjoyed the premise and the ideas the game presents, but within this context the Switch version does not do the game justice. There is nut much to be gained here.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition is still an incredibly polished and fun beat ‘em up that has truly stood the test of time. While it’s slightly annoying that playing with the other characters requires you to replay entire levels and that the online features and a full playable fighter are currently locked behind Ubisoft’s ridiculous server sign-in, in the end this is still a great title deserving of its re-release.
It's a better Wii Fit, in the sense that Fitness Boxing 2 trims the fat (ha!) that were the slow exercises and loading times. But much like Wii Fit, I cannot guarantee that it will maintain your interest for long or present enough new features over time. At the very least, you won't have to stow away a balance board in a closet somewhere after punching out.
Overall, Ghostrunner is one of the sleeper hits for this fairly empty winter season on the Switch. Where the foundation of titles like these was laid down by games such as Mirror's Edge, Ghostrunner improves the combat systems and uses many tricks to keep you on your toes. Complemented by both the cyberpunk aesthetic and gameplay, this title will keep you coming back to perfect your ninja-skills.
Knowing that even now, in a year where everything feels like a hazy wave of terrible events, sadness and darkness, we can strive towards making a brighter future. It might've been a short experience, but If Found… made me experience something that I have missed over the last few months. For that I can only be grateful.
I'm pretty sure that underneath these performance issues there is an interesting world ready to be explored. But the game's problems run deeper than it's graphical shortcomings. The pacing feels slow and doesn't give the player many options to fully explore the world that is being presented. If Cloudpunk looks interesting to you, I'd highly recommend you look into other possible versions you might be able to play, because the Switch simply isn't the place to explore the city of Nivalis.
The combat has plenty of options for all sorts of playstyles and puzzles make you feel clever for solving them. For players young or old, veterans or newcomers and hardcore or casual players, this game is enjoyable for everyone to play and to watch. There are a few titles on the Nintendo Switch that I'd consider as must-haves, but I am happy to add Ori and the Will of the Wisps to that list.