Mitch Vogel


428 games reviewed
72.3 average score
80 median score
70.2% of games recommended
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Mar 19, 2024

Rebel Transmute is probably the best Metroidvania you've never heard of. Though its visuals are just okay, its skillful blend of high difficulty, obscure narrative, and rewarding exploration all make for a thoroughly great entry that no genre fan should miss out on. New Metroidvanias are certainly a dime a dozen, but releases like Rebel Transmute demonstrate that there's always room for one more good one. We'd recommend you pick this game up if you're a big fan of the genre, particularly if you want something that scratches that Hollow Knight itch-Rebel Transmute has got it where it counts and is certainly worth your time and attention.

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The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered is a decent, though unspectacular, dungeon crawler that does a good job of defying some traditional RPG tropes. Mechanics like the elemental system and the randomized character progression help this stand out from the pack, while its simple dungeon-crawling format carries the basic, but satisfying gameplay for dozens of hours. Still, it doesn't take very long for this one to feel like it's overstaying its welcome, and more could've been done to sand its rougher edges. Legend of Legacy may not be the best example of this genre, but it's still an enjoyable release for the dungeon-crawling cognoscenti.

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7 / 10 - A Void Hope
Mar 4, 2024

A Void Hope isn’t Elden Pixel’s finest project yet, but it is certainly its most interesting one. Even if its gameplay and story feel shallow, it does a great job of immersing you in its creepy and dark world—this is the kind of game that you’ll probably never play again after you finish it, but you’ll always remember it. It's worth picking up if you’re at all a fan of this studio’s previous work or if you’re interested in trying something that deviates from the norm a bit.

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Feb 29, 2024

Penny's Big Breakaway is a tremendous achievement by Evening Star, expertly combining tight controls, excellent level design, and a raft of creative ideas, all while throwing in a hefty dose of pure speed. Though the Switch version can feel a little rough around the edges at times, this is still an easy recommendation to make to anyone who considers themselves a fan of Sonic, 3D platformers, or both. Penny's inaugural adventure has got it where it counts, and if you're looking for a challenging, yet approachable new 3D platformer to add to your library, it doesn't get much better than this.

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It may have taken over ten years to finally come out, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a new high-water mark for the storied roguelike franchise. Its masterful blend of uncompromising difficulty with a wealth of content to overcome makes for a game that'll easily keep you satisfied for dozens of hours as you learn its tricks. Combine that with some cool online features and a charming art style, and you've got a game that's an easy recommendation for any roguelike fans out there. This is a tough nut to crack, but the experience is well worth it.

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Feb 23, 2024

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons may not be the greatest nonogram puzzler available on the Switch, but this is certainly another worthwhile and enjoyable entry in the genre-especially for fans who also love a good farm sim. This is ultimately little more than a nonogram puzzle pack themed after Story of Seasons, but really it doesn't need to be anything else, even if it would be interesting to see how farm sim gameplay elements could be more directly integrated into the gameplay. As long as you're not too bothered by a game experience that feels a little less polished than the Picross series, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons is an easy recommendation to any puzzle enthusiasts out there.

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Bandle Tale is a solid crafting RPG with some really interesting ideas, although it doesn't always execute these ideas as well as it feels like it could have. An expansive crafting system, stunning art style, and hilarious writing all work in Bandle Tale's favor, but the gameplay can sometimes come off as overly frustrating and tedious. As the (unintentionally) final entry in the Riot Forge project, Bandle Tale serves as a decent capstone to a really great idea, and we'd recommend it to anyone out there looking for a chill and immersive new life sim to add to their collection.

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8 / 10 - Eastward
Feb 7, 2024

Eastward: Octopia may not bring many new ideas to a crowded genre, but this is an impressively well-executed expansion that nicely ticks all the boxes for a satisfying and relaxing farm sim. Although it has some rougher edges, the decent gameplay variety, interesting story, gorgeous visuals, and surprising amount of content all come together to make this one an easy recommendation to any fans of the original Eastward. Even for those of you who fell off your playthrough of the original for one reason or another, we'd encourage you to consider coming back for Octopia-this is a much better-paced game and, some performance issues aside, it's lost none of the charm that made the original so popular.

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Mameda no Bakeru is a sweet, snappy, and satisfying linear 3D platformer that feels like a wonderful callback to a genre that doesn't get a ton of representation these days. Although it's really easy and has some performance problems, the gameplay variety, snappy combat, oodles of collectibles, and gorgeous art style all come together to make for an adventure that you won't want to miss out on. As long as you don't mind trawling through a bit of Japanese, we'd recommend you give this one a shot if you're willing to import it.

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Jan 8, 2024

If you’re looking for a simple, fun, somewhat shallow arcade-like game for your Switch, Knights of the Rogue Dungeon is definitely something that’ll satisfy that need. It's over quickly, but this is an overall enjoyable experience—though we’d recommend you try the iOS game first to see if this is really for you.

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Dec 29, 2023

Chico and the Magic Orchards DX is an excellent callback to simpler days, featuring authentic retro visuals, tight level design, and a surprising amount of variety for such a small package. It’ll only last you a couple of hours at most, but anyone who misses the days of the OG Game Boy will want to give this one a look. It’s lots of fun, plenty charming, and a great use of a fiver.

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Unscored - Palia
Dec 20, 2023

Palia isn't really anything special, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. There's a fun gameplay loop to engage with here that fans of farm sims will be sure to enjoy, and though the MMO elements feel rather underbaked in this pre-1.0 release, the microtransactions don't feel overbearing and there's enough solo-focused content here to make it worth trying out. It would be tough to recommend you pick this one up were it a full-price retail release, but you're sure to get at least an afternoon or two of good fun if you choose to try it out. At the end of the day, it costs nothing but time and storage space to give Palia a shot; we'd suggest you download it and see if it's for you-especially if you can't get enough of farm sims. We'll be back to see how this shakes out in 2024.

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7 / 10 - Born of Bread
Dec 12, 2023

Born of Bread is a fine spiritual successor to the Paper Mario games of old, with a lighthearted story, hands-on combat system, and charming characters all coming together to make for a worthwhile experience. That said, it can feel kind of rough around the edges with a long list of bugs (at least at launch), confusing level designs, and occasionally oddly paced story. We'd recommend Born of Bread to any fans of Mario's traditional RPG adventures, as the positives here do outweigh the negatives, but just bear in mind that this loaf feels like it could've spent a little more time in the oven.

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Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is an enjoyable monster-catching RPG that combines charming visuals with addictive gameplay to make for a genuinely gripping experience, making it feel like the long wait since the last entry to leave Japan has been worth it. Even so, its general lack of ambition and struggles with performance issues hold it back from greatness-it's very good, but it's also definitely got its issues. If you're at all a fan of Dragon Quest or monster-catching RPGs, we'd suggest you pick this one up, though perhaps wait a few months to see if Square can sort out the worst of its performance issues.

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Nov 28, 2023

Though it has its issues, The Last Faith feels like an overall welcome addition to the Switch's overstuffed Metroidvania and Soulslike libraries. Its tough combat, gothic aesthetic, and labyrinthine world all feel engaging, even if some of the upgrades feel underwhelming and performance can be rough. We'd recommend this to anyone who enjoyed either of the Blasphemous games or fans who can't get enough of the Soulsike formula-The Last Faith isn't the best example of this kind of gameplay, but it's an overall solid effort. However, we'd recommend investigating other platforms that can deliver better performance than Switch, if that's an option for you. Performance drops can really hurt the experience, so we've got our fingers crossed for further updates.

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Nov 23, 2023

Astlibra Revision may not be a truly great game, but it is most certainly an interesting one. At the very least, it is unafraid to challenge JRPG conventions in unique ways while also demonstrating mastery of the genre's most basic tropes. It can feel a little too archaic in its design and haphazard in its pacing, while the vaguely Flash game-esque visuals are a bit of a letdown. On the whole, though, it proves to be a worthwhile experience, one that we would especially recommend to fans of older RPGs. If you can look past its faults, there's a lot to love about Astlibra; we'd suggest you investigate if your interest is piqued.

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Nov 14, 2023

Persona 5 Tactica is a thrillingly varied tactical RPG that fans of the Phantom Thieves and the genre should take note of. It's a little on the easy side, but the varied gameplay, excellent soundtrack, striking visuals, and lovable characters all make for a very easy recommendation here.

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9 / 10 - Astral Ascent
Nov 14, 2023

Astral Ascent is a prime example of a game that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Its strong character design, hi-bit visuals, tight combat, memorable bosses, and broad build variety have all featured in games you've probably played before-there's nothing 'new' here. But to write it off as just 'another one of those' in a crowded genre would be to miss out on one of the most delightful and surprising releases of the year. Astral Ascent is comfortably one of the best roguelites available on the Switch today, and we can easily recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in the genre. Don't miss it.

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Nov 5, 2023

World of Horror is one of the most unique roguelites we've seen on the Switch eShop to date, its expert fusion of text-based adventure, survival horror, and roguelike mechanics makes for a difficult, harrowing, and spooky adventure that we'd recommend you give a shot. Not everyone will be charmed by its extremely retro aesthetics, but if you can get into the right mindset for giving this one a playthrough, you'll find there's a lot to love.

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Nov 1, 2023

In a year overflowing with outstanding new RPGs, Star Ocean: The Second Story R is among the very best of them. This revival of a PlayStation classic does a thorough job of mixing modern game design and artistic elements with old-school sensibilities to make for one of the most impressive RPG releases of 2023. A lengthy, player-driven story, thrilling combat system, gorgeous new visual style, and remixed soundtrack all come together to make this one of the easiest recommendations we can make to any RPG fan. If you're even vaguely interested in picking this up, we'd encourage you to do so as soon as you can; Star Ocean: The Second Story R is comfortably the best entry in this series.

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