Undermine is a rogue-lite that doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to other games in the genre. But this wheel is of high quality and made to such a high standard it’s hard to ignore. If you’re old or new to the genre Undermine is a title that you can sink hundreds of hours in long or short bursts. Undermine is easily up there as one of the best titles in the Rogue Lite genre. Excellent stuff
Overall, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is a highly entertaining game that can be enjoyed alone but just feels a bit more alive if you’re able to play it in co-op. A few niggles and odd pacing issues pop up but don’t totally deter away from the entertainment on offer here. Whether you want to play in long or short bursts Rogue Heroes is a delightful adventure worth investing in. It sure takes a lot of inspiration from Zelda but that doesn’t mean it’s not just as entertaining. Nice job. If you want to try the game before you buy there’s a free demo available on the eShop. And for those who have completed their epic quest….. 8!
Bugvasion TD feels like a pretty standard tower defense game, which is unlikely to win over new fans to the genre. It’s a hard genre to really reinvent but the developers clearly put a lot of care and attention into this project. The game keeps you interested by making use of the environment and firing off skills at the right time to keep you engaged with the tower defense experience rather than sitting back and just watching. If you don’t mind your insects then there is a solid gaming experience here. I sure won’t be able to look at bugs in my garage the same way again for a while.
Halloween Forever is a retro treat on Switch. It reminds me of the days when developers came up with wacky but original ideas and somehow made them work on the hardware. But while Halloween Forever has the originality and retro charm it also brings retro warts; like one-hit kill spikes and sending you back to the start of the game when your two lives are spent. If you love your retro titles this one comes highly recommended. Halloween Forever is a game that can be enjoyed all year round and not just for Halloween.
Cyber-Shadow feels a bit like that guy/gal at a party you didn’t get a chance to talk to because they blended in too well with all the other retro looking games, I mean party guests. But if you take the time to talk to them, get to know them. There really is an entertaining game here. Cyber-Shadow’s stand out features are easily; it’s fantastic soundtrack, its cyber ninja aesthetic and its tough but ultimately enjoyable gameplay. The game is tough but not to the extent that I wanted to fling my controller into the PC. If you have room in your life for another retro inspired classic Cyber-Shadow won’t disappoint.
If you played and liked Boot Hill Heroes, its sequel Boot Hill Bounties is a must buy. It takes the RPG formula from the first game, refines it as well as adding a plethora of additional content. This is an example of how to do a game sequel well. Boot Hill Bounties stands out as one of the retro-inspired RPG greats making the developers, Experimental Gamer Studios, a studio well worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Georifters feels like the last chocolate in a selection box that people don’t eat, like the orange truffle. It’s not that it tastes bad, it just isn’t the first thing people are going to gravitate to. It has some cool ideas with the puzzle platforming but the formula gets dull quickly. If you are able to persist through the experience there are some well designed levels, with plenty of content on offer. However, with the title sometimes crawling at a slow pace it feels like some gamers might drop off before this. It’s better in co-op but with the Switch having many local co-op options these days this one doesn’t stand out as much as other titles. Definitely one to consider on sale or if your looking for a decent co-op experience.
Project Starship X is a wild and wacky space shooter that is enjoyable to play in small bursts. It sometimes feels more time was given to making the game funny than making it a more solid shooter. Some will get the joke but if you lean too heavily into this design some will certainly not. If you’re looking for a game to play in short bursts with some rough edges then Project Starship X is sure to provide an enjoyable and hopefully funny experience for you.
Overall, I enjoyed reviving the fallen enemies to aid me in battle and the score for this game is pretty good. Sword of the Necromancer has some interesting ideas but it doesn’t quite come together to stand tall against other titans in the roguelike genre. The combat lacks satisfaction and the game feels a little light on items in the build I played. It feels like there is more to come though with potential future updates. Maybe with time, it will become more than just a good roguelike experience.
Turrican Flashback is a great way to enjoy four fantastic retro games. The extra features and various display options and rewind are most welcome and each game runs great on the Nintendo Switch. Some titles are sadly absent in this collection but what is present is solid. Whether you’re new or old to the Turrican series, this is a great place to jump in, rather than hunting down the original copies of the games and hardware. Because where Turri-can…you can!
If you like your 2D hack and slash games with challenging gameplay Golden Force is well worth picking up. But if you’re picking this up for co-op I’d say be careful. Also, additional difficulty settings and less gold grinding to get new items would have made this experience more accessible for a wider audience. That being said, Golden Force does have that retro old school feel of pattern recognition that will appeal to some gamers. Plus it has the coolest old man character I’ve played as in a video game in recent memory. Nice work.
When you look at a game like Bonkies it’s hard not to smile. Cute graphics, sounds and a puzzler that is highly enjoyable to play particularly if you can enjoy it with someone else. No monkey business here, the developers have created a wonderful experience which is sure going to bring smiles to many people’s faces, who I’m sure could really do with it in these challenging times.
Umihara Kawase: BaZooKa! is a spin-off of the Umihara Kawase series. This series has actually been floating around in the gaming ether for quite some time all the way back to the Super Famicon. In the main series, it’s a colourful little platformer where you use a fishing hook to navigate around platforms and defeat various fishy enemies. If you want to look into the series further the easiest way to play the old games is on Steam but there was also a recent title Umihara Kawase: Fresh released on Nintendo Switch in 2019. BaZooKa takes many of the ideas of this series and turns it into more of an arcade title. Let’s explore in more detail.
Otti the House Keeper may not be the biggest looker but its gameplay has some interesting ideas that make for an enjoyable blend of tower and defense and puzzle. Sadly the Otti port to Switch is not as strong as PC. Control issues, both touch and button based, make the experience more frustrating than it should be. Look at the PC version which seems like it could easily run on most laptops. It also has a free demo on Steam but be careful with the Switch version.
Ziggy the Chaser is a game that is a bit like Pac Man if it had ugly 3D character models and gameplay that feels slower and lacking the additive feel of an arcade title. There is room here for a better experience but what is on offer feels a little too plain to recommend fully.
At the end of the day Loot Hero DX is a very basic game at a cheap price point. For some the experience will be an enjoyable distraction for a few minutes. The gameplay lacks depth but there is something kinda fun about just moving down enemies and watching the gold fly towards your character. It is understandable that many gamers will be expecting much more. To me Loot Hero DX is like a stress ball. You play it for a bit to blow off some steam. Put it down and get on with your day.
Four in a Row isn’t terrible, but it’s not exactly a title that’s going to grab gamers’ attention on the eShop. There are cheaper games that you can spend hours playing, when all Four in a Row has going for it is one mode you may want to play with the AI, or your grandparent, I guess. Though I would suggest calling your relatives instead and just letting them know you’re thinking of them. I felt more compelled to play a real board game than play more of the video game version.
War Truck Simulator should not be for sale in the state that it is in. There was a huge missed opportunity here to make something different and original but all the game ends up being is an awful PC port. It’s a reminder of why quality control is essential for game development. Do not buy this.
Double Dragon Neon is a surprisingly deep brawler that is very tough to play alone but excels if you’re able to enjoy it in co-op. The upgrade system feels a tad too grindy but with an excellent soundtrack I found it very difficult to put this game down. If somehow you missed this back in 2012 then the Switch version is a very welcome addition to any brawler fans collection. It’s also hilarious and lord knows we all need a good laugh these days.
Charge Kid may have a simple graphical design but its design its quite unique if you’re looking for a good head-scratcher and have the reflexes to match. This is not a game that will appeal to everyone but at a cheap price point, it may be worth a try if you’re looking for something different.