Being one of the lowest of the Mario and Luigi games is still like scoring a C+ in sushi quality in the heart of Tokyo. It’s not that your product is bad, it’s that other products are far, far better. Brothership is decent and has some really fun concepts, but there are others, already in place in other games, that I like far more and detract from my interest in continuing to explore Brothership beyond the end game. I celebrate the return of the series, and hope that the sales and the acclaim from others foster another chance at bat for wherever Nintendo steers its ship next.
This is for the gaming veterans. This is for the folk who had processors that ended in 86 and marveled at how much faster 28.8mbps could be once you upgraded your modem. For the keyboard cowboys who swapped tips on BBSs, for diehards who couldn’t imagine not having a floppy drive, for the survivors of Space Quest, Police Quest, King’s Quest and other Quests. If you have any love for those impossibly, wonderfully frustrating adventures that came before Broken Sword, The Crimson Diamond is a magnificent work of art.
Maid Cafe on Electric Street does its best to veer away from simulation into very, very relaxed adventure game as soon as possible, and then you can experience the treat of Osaka’s geekdom haven in your own time. It’s not a game you should rush to finish, but it’s definitely not directionless. Instead, take your time, figure out what you need to do to succeed, and treat certain deadlines with respect (the issuance on day 33 should not be trifled with). If you do all that, you’ll have a lovely time, even if you just end up walking the streets, collecting figures and eating combini food. Which, to be honest, doesn’t seem like a bad life at all.
So here’s to you, Leo, and to Leo’s Fortune. The game may be older than my children, but it found purpose in coming back to the public eye a decade after release, and now floated its way onto the Switch in the long shadows of the console’s twilight. If you’re remotely curious, the price is right and the Switch is where it should be played, giving players an opportunity to enjoy the mobile aspect but with full console support. You’ll have a good time, even if not a long time, and who knows?
Once again, this is short, sweet and sometimes subtle, but Platform 8 delivers on all fronts what a followup game could be. Players who have come from Exit 8 may discover a bit of an easter egg towards the end, so be sure to stay locked in and accomplish everything in this well crafted, oddball world. If and when there is a third game, I’ll be there. If there’s a VR version, I’ll absolutely jump on it.
I by no means think Nikoderiko is a bad game. On the contrary, I think it’s a lovely little piece with some strange missteps (the voice acting feels unnecessary) but an overall strong presentation. Yet the execution, particularly on the Switch, is just not a spectacular piece. It janks in weird places, the fluidity is ruined by the limitations of the hardware, and sometimes the perspective changes are too frequent and too unexpected. I adore the chances and swings, and, when it works, it works so very well. When it falls, though, you really feel the weight of it all and the legacy it’s trying to carry.
An epic of longtime investment, I was pleased to see that I could pick up and play a handful of turns at a time, blow through an hour or so, and then put down the game to come back to the saga another day. It’s engrossing but not consuming, and it weaves a long, exciting tale like the source material. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut is a game without peers and without comparison. It’s a visual novel for players who want to stay for a long time and hear, feel and grapple with a massive undertaking. It’s not nearly as long as some visual novels, but it has a tangibility and density that makes it a meal with every single interaction. There are so many variations to discover, so many lines of dialogue performed, but you won’t even know how many until you get your first “real” ending.
9 R.I.P. is a sight to behold, and I think that it vibes so well with the tone of the game season and the rapidly fading warmth of a long, cruel summer. The character routes are exciting, dynamic and very different. The choices are usually clear, but you’d be surprised where you can misstep. I never felt lost, bored or confused: I just knew that I wanted to know more about Misa, about those who surrounded her, and about the foundation of all these bizarre happenings that get whispered about in her world.
I doubt I’ll pick up this game ever again when this review is finished. But I put it down. I didn’t hurl it from my sight or blast it into space. I’ll simply realize I’m done and move on. As weird as that sounds, that’s probably the biggest praise I can give MODEL Debut3 #nicola. It’s not for me, and I don’t have friends to whom I would recommend it. But I wouldn’t discourage playing it, and I’ll actively praise it as being “pretty okay.”
While this isn’t the very best that the franchise has to offer, I sincerely appreciate the massive step up from Super Mario Party and the lessons learned from Superstars. If I had to rank this, I would put it at maybe number four on my list: higher than any of the WiiU, N64 or handheld entries, better than most of the Gamecube titles, but still falling behind 8, 6 and Superstars.
Soapboxing aside, Shiro and the Coal Town is legitimately interesting and has a pretty sizable tail for a game of this style. There’s tons to discover, the jokes that aren’t inherently problematic are funny (and the puns are even better if you know a touch of Japanese), and it runs wonderfully on the Switch. I can easily see this being an investable game for people looking for a marathon, not a sprint, and it’ll be more easily recognizable for younger players.
My Big Sister: Remastered certainly wasn’t what I was expecting, but I was delighted by what I found. The pacing can be slow at times, and the technical issues make interaction on the small screen a chore, but the game flows well when it wants to. I thought the dialogue was well done, the story is smashing and there is such a craft in the visual and aural design that it cannot be overlooked.
It’s far and away not a terrible game, but it’s just simply not that good. The wonder and excitement gave way to repetition and tedium, and I had to fight to make myself play a bit more in anticipation of this review. JRPG enthusiasts should add it to their wishlists, but I can’t see this fast food game leaving more of a mark other than “Huh, that was something.”
All You Need is Help is cute and welcoming, but can be quite repetitive and directionless. It’s the epitome of a party puzzler: incredibly simple to pick up, play and enjoy. It’ll get you a few minutes of joy, and you’ll probably want to get it when you return home so you can recapture that excitement. Yet, if you do, be sure to always have friends on hand or a good online connection, because solo play will simply never be a part of this game’s future. Yes, you do need help, but all you really need is someone else to play with.
Still, it’s an engaging and interesting play. One Last Breath will test your reflexes and your fortitude, and potentially your own constitution for bearing the weight of guilt. This unapologetic and direct accusation of the pollution that plagues this world may not have a solution, but it certainly has a memorable presentation, and it compels me to keep playing all the way to the bittersweet end. Give an indie title a chance to hit you in the heart instead of your mind. While the horror titles of the year slowly roll out, why not take a moment to pick up something that may scare you in a different way?
It keeps calling me back and and I keep going, so something is going right in the design. While I personally feel there’s a lack of long term game investment, not every title needs to consume your waking existence: sometimes a game can just be fun and done.
You won’t end up ripping out your hair with Super Meat Boy-style anguish or develop blisters from Super Mario Wonder moments of precision, but you will have a long-form romp of fun with Crossy Road Castle. If you have family and friends locally or afar, you can all don your favorite silly accessory and head out for some superb platforming that asks you not to be the best, but simply try your best: this game’s got your back, your fellow players do, too, and it’s just so nice to feel like a game is happy you’re there. In truth, it makes me very, very happy as well.
I never quite got over busting myself down to the very easy difficulty, though it actually made the game both fun and attainable while still being shockingly hard. BZZZT takes no prisoners and you shouldn’t expect mercy if you plan to spend any time with this game whatsoever. If you like to bleed, strap in. If you don’t, you might want to find another robot with whom to party.
The presentation, the pixel art, the purposely sparse soundtrack and the compelling tale makes this a game that’s a step above the pulp nature of Bahnsen Knights, but certainly not the caliber of any Phoenix Wright adjacent games. You will be able to enjoy No Case Should Remain Unsolved and move on in a satisfied state of mind. You will not turn this into your new weekend obsession. But, like returning to The Devil in the White City, sometimes you’ll come back to see this tale through once more. After all, the details keep you locked in, and, at the end of the day, it’s always nice to see justice being served.