Planetoid Pioneers is a pretty fun and cool little game, made by the same folks that made Cortex Command. The game has no time limits and allows the player to explore and build freely, so you can progress at your own pace. The Primoid can take 10-20 hours or more to complete, depending on how much you focus on progression as opposed to playing around with exploration, building, and physics. The other levels will add to this, and the Steam Workshop can make your play time nearly infinite. Planetoid Pioneers is available on Steam for the higher price of $19.99 now that it’s out of early access (was $9.99 before). The game’s current technical issues drag down the experience significantly, but hopefully the developers will get them ironed out as they continue updating the game. For now, it seems they may have left early access a bit too soon.
X-Morph: Defense‘s blending of shooter and tower defense is a cool idea that works well on its own. However, the game often feels frantic, as it’s not uncommon for it to make the player feel spread too thin and unable to deal with everything that’s happening all at once. You have to watch your map for new attacks, patch your defenses mid-battle sometimes, regularly collect debris of fallen enemies in the heat of battle to get more resources, and also keep an eye on the map for incoming artillery that will destroy your towers and generally be a big pain in your behind. So you’ve got a lot to manage at times! The game can be a blast when its fun, but other times it can feel quite unfair. It took me about 20 hours to get through both the main campaign and the DLC campaign. If you like a challenge, there is plenty more play time to be had on higher difficulties, and even more if you go for a gold victory on every mission. X-Morph: Defense is available on Steam for $19.99, and it is also on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The European Assault DLC campaign is $4.99. Do you have what it takes to hold off the human assaults and secure the resources buried deep in the Earth for the benefit of alien kind?
Without Escape is a pretty short game overall. It makes up for this with a little bit of replayability in the form of five additional endings to get. The game has a handful of achievements on Steam, too. The replayability does suffer since every playthrough is nearly identical, with the exception of some extra areas you can find to get some of the endings. If you know what you’re doing, you can blow through a playthrough in under an hour. I’ve spent two to three hours in the game with one complete playthrough and part of another. The game is available on both Steam and the Windows 10 App Store for $6.99. You can also get the soundtrack for an extra $1.99. It’s entertaining for a while, but it’s not a game you will play very many times. Can you find and solve your way through every obstacle and uncover the bizarre truth of what’s going on in your home tonight?
Hexologic is a simple and enjoyable little number puzzle game. It’s very easy to get into, but beating every puzzle is not so easy. There are a handful of Steam achievements to get in the game as well. There are 60 normal levels and 15 of the harder special levels. I got through all 75 levels in a bit less than 5 hours. That was across multiple play sessions, though. Hexologic is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. You can get it on Steam for just $2.99. The one downside is that the game feels like it’s over too soon, but it’s a fun little game while it lasts. Can you beat the game and defeat all 15 special levels?
The game world doesn’t really come alive as much as it could. Side missions in particular start to become a matter of rinse and repeat, with some bizarrely sending you back to fight at a location that you just recently cleared out in a previous mission or side mission. There are enough places in the world that this shouldn’t be necessary. Defiance 2050 is essentially a remake of the original Defiance on a new engine, including the missions that were themed around the TV series that aired on the Syfy channel before it got cancelled. Defiance 2050 is available as a free-to-play game on Steam, and via Trion Worlds’ own launcher, called Glyph. There are of course in-app purchases as well. Do you have enough bravado to take on hellbugs, raiders, or even both at the same time to save the world?
The environments and especially their backgrounds are very nice to look at, and the story plus lots of lore and vague hints add tons of depth. However, it also creates an information overload problem for players. The first game had this issue too but not as much. I spent about 50 hours in the Eg-Lana ruins on this Indiana Jones-style adventure. La-Mulana 2 is available on Steam for $24.99. The game will also be coming to consoles, with physical editions in the plans, too. Can you survive the very deadly Eg-Lana ruins, or will they be your grave?
Rigid Force Alpha is a fun little game, but it can also be frustrating. It includes controller support, and I played using my Xbox One controller. If you’re up for it, you could spend a lot of time in this game, as it has some truly crazy challenges beyond the main campaign. There are 40 achievements across all three game modes, and some of them will probably have you tearing your hair out! For example, one involves beating the campaign on hard mode without taking any hits! You could spend 10 hours or longer just beating the game for the first time, and far more on everything else. I’ve spent upwards of 10 hours shooting down baddies so far. Rigid Force Alpha is available on Steam for $19.99, and you can also get the soundtrack. Are you an ace pilot good enough to survive this mission and stop the escaped creatures from spreading?
Overall, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is an interesting, though fairly short game. The campaign took me 12 or so hours to complete, however, the game has a number of difficulty levels, with the highest being Mythic mode. You could spend a lot more time in the game working your way up to, and trying to beat that mode. For the Steam version (which this review is based on), there are 31 achievements as well. Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is also available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. You can get the game for $24.99 on Steam. Can you outwit the Nazis on the battlefield, and put a stop to their insidious plans?
You’ll probably spend at least 15-20 hours or more, depending on how much you get stuck and how badly (and whether you use a guide). The game doesn’t have very much replay value either, and the Switch version does not have achievements like the others do. I greatly enjoyed the charming art style and music during my 15 or so hours with the game, but the gameplay just doesn’t live up to that at all. Candle: The Power of the Flame is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $19.99. Can you help Teku save the world before it falls to greed once more?
Overall, NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a very charming and enjoyable little point-and-click adventure game for the Nintendo Switch. I really enjoyed both the story and the art style quite a bit. It will take you probably 10-15 hours tops to complete your adventure, depending on how much you get stuck here or there on certain puzzles. I spent around 10 hours or so on my adventure and learning about the Tower of Shirin for this review. The game is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $9.99. You can also get it on PC via Steam. Can you solve all of the puzzles and reach the top of the Tower of Shirin?
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories can be a fun game, but its brutal difficulty will turn off many players, especially after you unlock additional characters. There are three difficulty levels, but the game can be pretty brutal at times even on the lowest one. The game’s lack of any way to save at will mid-level (short of finding the new checkpoint machine) will also turn off some players. It can easily take you 10-20 hours to clear one character’s story, depending on the difficulty setting and the character you’re playing as. As the starter character the detective is the easiest, so he may well take you less than 10 hours to beat. I have spent around 30 hours so far with several different characters. There are two more that I still haven’t encountered to unlock yet. It should be noted also that the developers are planning to continue adding to the game now that it has launched (on January 31st). Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is available on Steam for $14.99 or on Gog.com for $12.99. Do you have what it takes to survive the hellish nightmares that await you in Lovecraft’s Untold Stories?
Dark Devotion was a game I didn’t think I’d like at first, but then it drew me in. Still, I think that overall it’s not really a game for me. A lot of players will have a hard time with it because of it being a Souls-like with rogue-like elements. So many players might get stuck unable to make progress, or eventually quit as the game wears down their desire to keep playing. I definitely like the dark story, though. I’ve got well over 30 hours in the game at this point, but there is a lot more gameplay than that if you try to unlock everything in the forge or go for all the achievements! Dark Devotion is available on Steam and the Humble Store for $19.99. It is also coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 this year. Do you have what it takes to make it to the deepest depths of the fallen temple, or will its dangers and secrets be too much for you?
Bubsy: Paws On Fire! is a simple, but fun game. If you’re a completionist, this one will probably keep you busy for quite some time. You can beat the game in under 10 hours, but it’ll take you much longer if you go for 100%. In most levels, getting the majority of collectibles is fairly easy, but getting them all can be pretty tricky in many cases. This is especially true since you have to get them all in a single run for it to count. Bubsy: Paws On Fire! is available on Steam for $24.99. It is also available on PlayStation 4, and will be launching on the Nintendo Switch on August 29th. Do you have the skills needed to stop Oinker P. Hamm and nab all the shiny collectibles?
Rolling Gunner is a Japanese bullet hell shoot ’em up. The game may have limited staying power, as it only has six stages. The four difficulty levels and three ship variants can certainly keep you busy for a while. If you like going for high scores, it will probably keep you busy much longer. I’ve beaten the game on three of the four difficulty modes, and that took two to three hours of total gameplay. The game is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $19.99. There is also a PC version, but it is only available through two Japanese distributors, which you can find out about on the official website. Can you survive the grueling onslaughts of bullets and stop the BAC computer?
Pawarumi has an interesting combat system that takes a little getting used to, but it’s fun once you do. Having to always restart from the beginning of the game upon death makes it certainly more repetitive, though. However, its greatest flaw may be that it handles difficulty in a much more punishing way than Rolling Gunner does. That game is a bullet hell, and yet much less grueling than Pawarumi. If you don’t like punishing difficulty, then you will likely want to pass on this game. If you’re a fan of the genre and harder games in general, then it may be a good fit for you. I’ve spent about 4-5 hours blasting through foes so far across two difficulty levels. The game is available on the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Xbox One for $14.99. Do you have what it takes to get all three story endings, and uncover a dark secret?
Overall, Out There: Ω The Alliance can be a fun little exploration game, though it is at times overbearing. The latter will be especially true for players new to the genre. The game started life as a mobile title (Out There: Chronicles), and later got a PC version that can be found on Steam (Out There: Ω Edition). The new Switch version is the definitive version, with three new ships and some new bits of random story text added in. Survival is not easy as you drift through space. You are pretty much at the mercy of the random number generator. I’ve spent more than 10 hours flying through randomly generated galaxies and reached one ending so far. I’ve been close to getting another one several times, but my luck keeps running out a bit too soon. The rest of my journeys saw me die much sooner. Out There: Ω The Alliance is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $14.99. Can you survive the perils of space, or does death await you in the next star system?
Overall, I’ve very much enjoyed my time with the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I’m glad for the addition of the Chamber Dungeons mode, and that the hidden Color Dungeon returned. I also think it’s nice to go back to a more standard Zelda experience after Breath of the Wild. There are plenty of proper dungeons (plus custom chamber dungeons) here. The main game’s dungeons give you the satisfaction of finding new items and abilities, and using them to access new areas. Some will be happy this time that Link doesn’t have to deal with annoyances like not being able to climb because of incessant rain, or annoying breakable weapons (some of which make the weaponsmiths of Hyrule look bad). The smaller world in Link’s Awakening also means the core Zelda gameplay is more condensed compared to Breath of the Wild (where it is comparatively more diluted). I have spent 30+ hours adventuring on Koholint Island so far. In that time I’ve completed everything in the game except for a few of the gold tier challenges in Chamber Dungeons mode at this point. The game is available both at retailers and in the Nintendo Switch eShop for $59.99. Can you acquire all eight Instruments of the Sirens and make it to the Wind Fish?
I spent just shy of 25 hours in the sleepy town of Clocknee, and I loved it. The developers put a lot of love into this game. The story is touching, and makes up for the minor flaws in the game. The characters are endearing and the emotional soundtrack breaths depth into the world and its characters. It is a story of youth, friendship, regret, pain, love, and triumph. There may be some terrible prices to be paid, but all is not lost yet. Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $39.99. Just don’t expect it to have the difficulty, scope or depth of something like Final Fantasy. In my opinion, this game is a bit of a hidden gem in the Nintendo Switch library (and it’s also on PlayStation 4). Can you untangle the ravaged timeline of Clocknee to undo the terrible wrath of fate?
Overall, Heroland is a fun little game. After a while it starts to become a bit grindy, though. You need engaging gameplay when things get grindy, and I feel like this game falls a bit short in that area. The tours feel more bland when you are just replaying them, and they take a bit too long due to the relatively slow pacing. The story dialogue only happens the first time you do a tour, which makes subsequent runs a bit faster. There are lots of hero characters to unlock and level up. The game also has tons of treasure items to collect (plushies, weapon replicas, and furniture for your room). So there is definitely plenty here to keep you busy for a long while. Heroland is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $39.99. You can also find it on PC (Steam) or on the PlayStation 4 store. Can you uncover Heroland‘s dark past, or will you be forced to work here for eternity?
Sparklite is a fun little game lifting inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past and Rogue Legacy. It’s not a particularly hard game unless you’re not strong enough for something just yet. After a while, you’ll have seen most of the screens the game can generate in the world, and then the world will start to become a bit less interesting and repetitive. I’ve had a fun time with Sparklite anyway, though. It is an interesting spin on Zelda-esque gameplay. I say Zelda-eque, because this is not really a Zelda clone. It just borrows a few core design ideas from that series rather than trying to be that series. It basically melds some bits of the classic Zelda formula with a bit of rogue-like and other elements. I’ve spent nearly 20 hours in Geodia at this point, and have mostly completed the game (minus a few side quest things and achievements). Sparklite is available on Steam for $24.99, or you can get the Deluxe Edition for a little more if you want the soundtrack and digital art book. You can also get Sparklite on Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. This review is based on the PC version. Can you overcome the obstacles ahead and save Geodia from the greedy baron?