Leonardo Faria's Reviews
Not a lot has been added in WRC 9 when compared to its predecessor, but what’s new in here is still very welcome. Its online interface is a bit better than before, its graphics have been improved by a significant degree, its framerate is more stable, and its controls, while still punitive towards newcomers, feature some new assists to make the adaptation process a little bit less traumatizing to the uninitiated.
Witcheye feels right at home on the Switch. By no means a revolutionary game, much less a lengthy one, it still features a wide assortment of enemies, sceneries, and secrets to unfold. It would have certainly been a bonafide hit, had it been released back in the SNES days.
The premise had so much potential. Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story is a survival horror game set in feudal Japan, full of yokai and oni to deal with. This could have been, nay, SHOULD have been great. However, it completely misses the mark due to its absolute mess of a gameplay loop. It tries to be old school Resident Evil, Onimusha, and a point-and-click adventure all at the same time.
I wasn’t expecting a lot from Nexomon: Extinction, given its mobile origins and overall “pre-Gen III Pokémon clone” vibe, but it ended up being quite decent. Sure, it forces you to grind so much that it becomes a hassle pretty quickly, and it does feel way too derivative, but you can still have quite a bit of fun with it.
Behind a questionable amount of fanservice and forgettable anime plotlines, lies a surprisingly decent mix between Wave Race and Mario Kart: Double Dash. Kandagawa Jet Girls is a legit fun title with interesting strategy mechanics in its gameplay loop, some colorful graphics, and passable soundtrack.
If anything, it’s a very unique concept, mixing downhill cycling, a Skate-inspired dual-stick trick system and some roguelike elements. Sure, it’s a bit ugly and a bit janky, but considering the disappointing lack of extreme sports games being released over the past few years, this is a very welcome breath of fresh air. You don’t even need to be a cycling enthusiast in order to enjoy it. I sure as hell am not one of those.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time feels like a relic from a bygone era. It’s almost like I’ve just unearthed a previously unreleased licensed title from the Gamecube and PS2 era. Don’t get me wrong, if this had been released back in the day, it would have been considered a classic. This is a surprisingly well-put licensed title that won’t simply just please fans of the source material, but anyone who’s into a good old hack n’ slash title.
Sure, it’s just an above average beat ’em up when you analyze it technically, but it won me over with its animations, soundtrack, and sense of humor. It knows the franchise has never been that good to begin with, resulting in a neverending barrage of self-aware jokes and meta humoristic situations that made me smile at all times.
Ever heard of the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none”? That’s Giraffe and Annika in a nutshell. It tries to be a Zelda clone, a rhythm game, an exploratory 3D platformer, and even a mini slice of life game all at the same time, without ever truly focusing on one aspect to make it truly stand out.
While I’m glad that some publishers are still keeping the licensed title flame alive (an Achilles’ heel of mine), a source of inspiration like Peaky Blinders deserved a much better product than what we ended up getting.
I really wanted to like Post Void, as in theory it features so many elements I love. It’s fast-paced, arcadey, and completely over-the-top. With that being said, I just can’t stand playing it for more than a minute or two at a time due to its horrendous flashing effects, as well as some of its gameplay design choices. It’s just an unpleasant experience. But they, at least the soundtrack is quite good…
Zero Strain is an absolute mess of a game, with its metric ton of particle effects and initially confusing control scheme. But don’t get me wrong, it’s the fun kind of absolute mess. It nails the most important aspect of a bullet hell shooter: the great feeling of mowing down hundreds of enemy ships with overpowered weapons, as if you were a god of destruction.
This is far from being the worst game I’ve played in recent memory and I respect the hardships of having to develop a game by yourself, but Prehistoric Dude really needed more time in the oven.
“Forgettable” is the word I’d use to describe The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines as a whole. It’s not a bad game, but it’s absolutely uninteresting. Its time manipulation mechanic alone does not make up for how bland and generic its visuals, sound, and overall gameplay are. There are just way better twin stick shooters out there with better graphics, performance, and gameplay gimmicks.
It’s a masterpiece of incompetence, a game so devoid of redeeming qualities to the point that its ineptitude ends up being its greatest selling point. You can have a blast with this game, not by actually having fun with its mechanics or set pieces, but by laughing at how bad it is.
Hellbound is a very fun game, but I can’t see it being appealing to anyone other than hardcore old-school shooter fans. It succeeds at providing players with a Doom-esque experience that is a bit more faithful to the 90’s originals than Id Software’s more modern iterations, all while featuring more modern graphics and physics. However, it’s short, unpolished, and frankly, not very innovative.
Relicta is a good game with some really clever and thought-provoking puzzles, but it overstays its welcome with its extended length. Not to mention the absence of additions of new features throughout its campaign and an overall uninteresting story filled with uninteresting characters and unskippable cutscenes.
I loved Fall Guys. It is exactly what I expected from it: a brand new, family-friendly take on the battle royale genre that is really easy to pick up and play, and almost impossible to master. This is a game that will please any kind of gamer, regardless of age, gender, or skill level. It’s simply impossible not to smile while playing it.
Cubers: Arena is fun and functional, with some interesting ideas and an acceptable level of replayability, but at the end of the day, it’s an uneventful game. You’ve seen the same boring art style on countless games before, you’ve heard the game Banjo-inspired gibberish on countless games before, and you’ve played dozens of similar hack ‘n’ slash games before.
It’s poorly designed in some areas and it’s stupidly unfair at first, but its bite-sized length and engaging score system make it a very replayable game that ended up being a perfect fit for a portable like the Switch. It becomes a lot more enjoyable once you finally start unlocking new levels and ships in order to add some extra variety to your runs.