By far the most polished and interesting Ace Attorney title to date. It perfects the formula and offers a compelling narrative that bridges not just one but two games. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a masterpiece of "Courtroom drama" and one in which fans and non-fans will find a stunning experience. Heartily recommended to not only Switch owners but to anyone who owns a console on which the collection will release!
Balan WonderWorld deserved to be far more than average, as the final game is a marked improvement over the demo. It's beautiful a lot of the time, character designs are mostly wonderful, the unique ideas that appear in each level are great fun… however the overall execution is simply lacking something important. The repetitive bouts, rough edges, and the sometimes awful physics make this a much harder title to recommend. It is full of bubbly unique charm, and is mostly heart-warmingly fun, but many will be put off by the slow, restrictive design, despite this being designed around it. Hopefully, the game will get some traction.
Control is an amazing experience that is befitting of the next gen consoles. It has killer Ray Tracing features, unfortunately hampered by their implementation, and a rock solid performance mode which feels amazing. The truly twisted dystopian world of the FBC is one that will persist in player's memories for a long time with its strange otherworldly places, alongside its humanising story. Highly recommended to all PlayStation 5 owners looking for an action-adventure with some real depth and fun combat!
World splitter feels like the developers had a vision and managed to nail it. A punchy and challenging puzzle game with a unique mechanic that feels intuitive and simple but adds a great amount of complexity. The couch co-op and numerous levels will keep this interesting for a good long time. For anyone who is a sucker for a challenge or just an avid indie game payer, this game will be perfect.
Monster Hunter Rise is a triumph. It may not have the shiny 4k HDR visuals of its predecessor but the more modest, design-driven visuals are a delight to behold. Gameplay is as solid as ever and features much more freeform with the new traversal tools putting it above many of the other games in the series. The new setting and characters create a much more involved scenario full of charm and fun Japanese influences. For fans of monster hunter this is an absolute no-brainer but for new players, this is a fantastic place to start. Not only will Rise teach everything there is to know about its systems, but it is one of the purest fun experiences currently available on Nintendo Switch.
Bladed Fury is a considered and exciting 2D action game. It lives and dies by its fast-paced, enjoyable combat while also packing in a short but interesting mythology themed story. While not breaking new ground, it does create a great frame for the action. Running with its Vanillaware inspiration as a badge, this game comes out very strong at the end and is a must for 2D action fans.
It is hard to say this is a great Persona title. The combat is fun and punchy, the story cool and on point, and there are some attractive design sensibilities. Unfortunately, the overall experience doesn't feel as cohesive as it could. At its core there is a great Persona story and experience but the move to the new systems and Omega Force's take on the series highlights why it is that Persona needs its turn-based combat and carefully considered character narratives. This is an excellent title in its own right and probably Omega Force's best work yet. It's just lacking that special something that would make it a stellar Persona title. It might have worked better as an expansion to the original Persona 5 as the story is awesome.
It is incredibly hard to put Alice and You down once a session has begun. It's pitch perfect in its execution of a simple but compelling puzzle concept. This is a fantastic title that is highly recommended to anyone interested in retro aesthetic and puzzle games.
An interesting world full of cool ideas sadly hampered by its story and gameplay pacing. Encodya will supply a great variety of content and puzzles to baffle and test players of all skill levels, backed by a great story and world that make the game worth the price of admission. If point and click adventures are of interest, then this title should be on a wish list as it presents a unique experience and story that would have benefitted from a little bit more feedback and a patch.
How Shinsekai: Into the Depths breezed under the radar isn't really a mystery, given it released around the launch of Animal Crossing, but let it be said: this is truly an underrated classic. With a fantastic gameplay loop, intriguing world design, and silent but compelling plot, this proves to be an absolute powerhouse of a title on the Switch. It deserves a hearty recommendation and then some! Capcom once again proves that it makes games of an incredible quality, and can provide a truly unique and wondrous experience.
The Medium isn't an unflawed masterpiece. It's got some performance issues on PC and some jankeyness in unexpected places. However it has got this absolutely unique horror atmosphere, beautifully crafted worlds and some absolute heart-string pulling story moments. This is a successful return of the "horror adventure" game style from those golden oldies everyone fondly remembers. Bloober Team has done an outstanding job making this title and it's one hundred percent recommended to all fans of horror.
A fairly niche experience is here to be had. It is unique, bold and above all pretty cool! When it comes down to it, PixelJunk Eden 2 is an easy experience to get lost in. It is obviously not going to satisfy everyone but for those this title strikes a nerve with it will be a lasting enjoyable experience and memory.
While the premise is great, and it's very polished in execution, sometimes World of Horror can be a frustrating and messy title due to its rogue-like nature. That said, it's so unique, charming, and horrifying, that it's impossible to put down once a good run gets going. It is genuinely gripping, and has just enough intrigue to make players protective of the main characters. Here's hoping this keeps receiving updates, and that the developer rides this success into a new project filled with just as much endearment and love. To conclude, insanely cathartic when luck is on one's side.
Little Hope is a fantastic horror experience that really shows what Supermassive can do with the Dark Pictures series. Though it's a short experience and it exhibited a crash during review, it's a fantastically crafted thrilling drama with amazing characters who are genuinely fun to interact with. If this kind of game is something that seems interesting, don't pass up on this experience!
Dirt 5 is possibly the best Codemasters game to ever be released and can stand on par with its simulation focussed sibling Dirt Rally 2.0. A visual and auditory treat, this game defines the end of the racing games on the Playstation 4 and it's done so with a flair befitting of the Dirt franchise. This is a must have racer!
Going in it seemed like this was just going to be Sniper Elite 3 again but Sniper Elite 4 blows that game out of the water. It's such a complete package and one that feels so at home on much more powerful consoles that the absolute quality shining off this port easily puts it at the top of the war games available on the platform. Further highlighting developer Rebellion's fantastic work on the Nintendo Switch platform. Opening up the series to a completely new group of gamers who will hopefully love the brutal sniping action they have so sumptuously crafted. Don't sleep on this game.
All in all, this feels like a worthy sequel. It takes what made the first game click, and adds to that without feeling superfluous. It is very, very hard to put down once it gets going, and the added replay value means there are many reasons to keep playing after the ending. Robotics;Notes: DaSH is a better game than its predecessor, and a highly recommended science fiction visual novel.
The developers have done their best to offer Queen fans an unmissable experience, but it does mean that if Queen isn't a personal goldmine of song bliss, then it is advisable to steer well clear of this game. It's a serviceable karaoke experience but with the complexity and high notes of Queen this is definitely a hard one to recommend. If Queen are like personal idols, then pick this up without hesitation, otherwise there are more varied and interesting karaoke games out there.
Not the best, not the worst. Its most interesting point is the bizarre world and the way the game approaches the management system. The colour matching battling is a bit too simple, and overbearingly frustrating at times. Despite some downsides, the game has fun moments but is hampered by a lack of focus. It offers a little incentive to play through again with the various factors of the daughter's growing statistics and has some properly endearing characters that help the ride go smoothly. In conclusion, take Ciel Fledge with a pinch of salt, as it's a love it or loathe it kind of deal.
Robotics;Notes Elite is a great story and visual novel. It wraps everything in a very neat and slick package with little systems to keep the players brain from wandering, like the phones and encyclopaedia. This title moves visual novels as a medium forward with its CG and interactive scenes. If visual novels are of interest it would be a disservice to miss this Sci-Fi themed gem.