Considering the series has been dormant for so long, credit has to be given to the developers for their foresight: what we have here is not only a loving tribute to a cult classic but a thoughtful revisiting of one of gaming's most formative genres. Anyone who had fun with 3D Platformers in the 1990s and 2000s is going to enjoy KAO The Kangaroo; although the difficulty may leave something to be desired for die-hard fans, I'm sure they'll still have a blast.
Cotton Fantasy is a great choice for any shmup fan or anyone new to the genre: the carefully balanced difficulty modes and option for unlimited continues mean that anyone can enjoy it, but there's also ample scope for would-be experts to hone their graft and gain their bragging rights. It's also a game testimony to the Nintendo Switch as the ultimate platform for the genre. These games may have been born in the arcade, but given their pick-up-and-play nature, they were made for a system like this.
A remake of the second game has already been confirmed and with that game being my personal favorite, I’ll certainly be picking it up, but I’ll be the first to admit this setup isn’t perfect. As with all games, there are things you like and things you don’t, but not having a Light Gun in a Light Gun game is always going to be a problem. Let’s hope we see a VR release later on down the line.
Rogue Legacy 2 is built to be played for hours at a time or for ten minutes; it’s welcoming to Rouge-like newbies and PC veterans; It’s uncomplicated yet with a suitable amount of depth. Cellar Door Games have undoubtedly outdone themselves again, setting a new bar for the Rogue-lite gameplay style they helped kickstart.
Metroid-Vania-style games are two-a-penny these days, so does B.I.O.T.A stand-out amongst the pack? B.I.O.T.A is a faithful, action-packed blast through a series of satisfying levels and cool bosses, and really, that’s all you need from these sorts of games.
Whether or not this new version of the game is worth the money will be up to you, but there’s no doubt that Grand Mountain Adventure: Wonderlands is a highly enjoyable, highly relaxing, and novel take on an age-old genre.
No Place Like Home epitomizes the relaxing nature of the farming game genre, but does it offer anything we haven't seen before? It just didn’t give me much reason to keep coming back after I’d reached a certain point.
It’s a game that relishes in its proclivity for ridiculous violence and over-the-top set pieces, and considering you can mostly ignore the superfluous additions, what we have is another highly entertaining entry in one of the genre’s most iconic series.
FILMECHANISM is a game with a strong conviction in its own style and ideas. It’s a great little puzzle game, and something I’d urge any Switch owner to check out.
Clid the Snail’s six-hour romp through the miniaturized wasteland ultimately feels like an endeavor lost in translation. A painful irony for a snail, assuredly.
DEEEER Simulator is entertaining to see what bizarre boss concept is up next, but when the whole game hinges on surprise there’s nothing to come back for.
Cotton Reboot! spoils itself with several stupid decisions: the playability of the original is superior, but you miss out on the new mechanics of the reboot.
There are a fair few issues with A Tale of Synapse: The Chaos Theories and it’s not perfect, but the ideas here are unique and well set up.
Flowing Lights failed to hook me at first, but the more I played, the more I grew to appreciate it.
The Chivalry 2 closed beta is now over. Did it deliver?
Evil Genius 2 presents as a faithful reimagining of the classic PC sim genre, but does the style hold up today?
Now that three major patches have been released, Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth your time on PC?
El Hijo excels at boiling down stealth's gratifying core mechanics into an enjoyable pick up and play, with a collection of relatively simple, but clever levels.
A graphical feast that seamlessly blends a multilayed, psychological horror narrative with heartpounding and intimate gameplay; Observer: Sytem Redux is an exquisite piece of cyberpunk fiction.
Doom 64's remaster is essentially the same experience players got back in 1997. After nearly 24 years, does it still hold its own against contemporary shooters?