Considering the long-reaching cultural impact that the SpongeBob cartoon has had on modern pop culture, it’s nice to see that the franchise got at least one solid video game that properly represents the unique draw of SpongeBob and his friends.
We won’t mince words here, Summer in Mara has absolutely nothing to offer that hasn’t been done much better in other games that are easily available right now. If you want a cozy farm sim with a pleasant atmosphere, get Stardew Valley or Rune Factory 4. If you want a thrilling adventure you can take at your own pace, get Minecraft or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Even if you’ve played those and are looking for something new, please don’t waste your time or money here. This is not a 'hidden gem'; the alluring presentation of Summer in Mara only acts as a pretty mask for a much uglier game beneath the surface – one that’s keen on wasting your time with no meaningful payoff.
BioShock: The Collection stands as yet another fantastic port in the Switch's ever-growing library, combining three excellent games and all their DLC into one convincing package. Stable performance, engrossing narratives, fun gameplay, and lots of content make this one an easy recommendation, even if these releases show their age from time to time. If you're looking for a good single-player shooter to pick up for your Switch, look no further than BioShock: The Collection. We'd give this one a high recommendation, it's tough to go wrong here.
At its heart, Minecraft Dungeons is the sort of release that feels like it rides on the coattails of greater games a little too much. If this game did not have the Minecraft branding, it’s not much of a leap to assume that it would scarcely garner any attention based purely on its own merits. The gear system, combat, level design, and presentation is all fine and entertaining in its own right, but there’s little here that we could point to that elevates this game alongside or above peers such as Torchlight II, Diablo III or Path of Exile. Bearing this in mind, we’d give Minecraft Dungeons a very light recommendation to those of you looking for a surface-level introduction to the ARPG genre or for something to play in co-op with the kids. If that doesn’t describe you, then we’d suggest going with either Torchlight II or Diablo III, which both offer a more substantial and fulfilling experience of this genre.
In many ways, it feels like Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the culmination of everything WayForward has learned since that initial release a little less than two decades back. Shantae and the Seven Sirens pulls some of the best elements from the titles that came before it – such as the dungeons and fast transformations – while adding in several cool new ones too, like the collectable cards and lovable new characters. A short but sweet runtime, well-drawn visuals, a catchy soundtrack and a well-designed map make this one an easy recommendation to anybody looking for the next must-have Metroidvania for their Switch.
Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself a fan, we would still strongly encourage you to think about adding this one to your collection, as this is the standard against which most RPGs should be judged.
Indivisible is an ambitious game, and there are moments where it seems to buckle somewhat under that ambition.
Shovel of Hope stands as an example of how excellent retro-themed platformers can be when you have a team of experienced and passionate developers working on them, and still to this day acts as a standard which other, similar releases are judged against.
Picross S4 is more of the same, yes, but that's not exactly a bad thing given what this series is designed to offer.
Trials of Mana proves itself to be a successful revival of a lost classic, smartly infusing new design and content where necessary while still maintaining the spirit of the original.