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Overall, I quite enjoyed the challenge of playing it alone but I do honestly believe that Super Crazy Rhythm Castle would be best played with friends or family as a party game. The Overcooked-esque stressful juggling act is sometimes simply too much for one person to bear. Having other people to share the load would alleviate the stress and make it a much more fun experience. Not to mention, there is a VS area for multiplayer that is available when you need a much needed break from the main game. Regardless of its shortcomings, Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a wonderfully innovative game in the rhythm game genre and I will be keeping the developers Second Impact Games on my radar for their upcoming projects.
Writing that score hurt me inside. I should not have this many negative things to say about a Persona game. I know I shouldn’t expect the heights of quality on these spin off/sequels, I’ve played most of the games in this franchise so I know what to expect, but I didn’t expect this. In short, Persona 5 Tactica is a subpar Persona game and barely a tactical shooter. I only recommend it to the most hardcore Persona fans but let’s face it, they’ll likely just watch someone stream it instead. Psst, I’m streaming the game myself over at twitch.tv/jaxek15, come in and tell me my opinion is wrong ;)
Being honest, Sonic Superstars didn’t really catch me, but I don’t think that’s the game’s fault. It does nothing horribly wrong, and it may be that I’m just not the correct audience for the “Do it again, but faster and better” gameplay loop that it seems to encourage. I didn’t come out of it disappointed, though: It’s a competent game that looks great, can be played in short bursts and keeps up the sense of speed that the franchise has always been known for. Really, I have no reason to complain on the execution front at all. Superstars turned out to not be my cup of tea, but I definitely think that it’s worth picking up for people that are looking for a solid entry in the franchise and already know they’re all about the high-speed world traversal. It’s not for me, but can you blame me for not being able to keep up with the Fastest Thing Alive?
Howl by Mi'pu'mi Games is an enjoyable mix of strategic challenges and folkloric aesthetics, inviting players to immerse themselves in a world painted with “living ink.” For fans of turn-based tactical adventures, this is worth checking out. It may have its share of hiccups, but much like the protagonist's journey, the experience is about embracing the challenges.
Roots of Pacha is a wonderful breath of fresh air in a recently oversaturated genre. Its setting and story development feel like a natural fit, providing a magnificent sense of discovery and intrigue. In addition, the item management and UI are the most intuitive we’ve ever experienced in a farming sim, allowing players to enjoy the game without unnecessary frustration. As Roots of Pacha doesn’t explicitly mention any specific civilisation for its inspiration, the story and setting feel open and relatable. The plot and its cultural elements make the game feel connected with reality, and even on occasion, you may notice some on-the-nose inspirations from a variety of indigenous stories.
Ultimately, if you like WarioWare games, you'll enjoy WarioWare: Move It! because it is just more of what you’re expecting with all the same loveable cast. While there are some micro games that are difficult to work out what you have to do at first glance, there is still a lot of fun to be enjoyed with friends and family. This is a strong recommendation for anyone who has people to play this with on a night of fun together.
If you were excited for this game, you were right to be. Super Mario RPG is a very faithful remake, clearly made by a team with love and respect for the original. The only negatives I could list are edge case issues that the average player is likely not to notice. I personally don’t have nostalgia for the original (I own an original SNES cart, but only got it within the last eight years and have also never played it before the week leading to the remake’s release for research purposes), so suffice it to say that I would be giving this same glowing review if this was a brand new release. If you’re a fan of the original, buy this game. If you’re a fan of Super Mario, buy this game. If you’re a fan of classic JRPGs, buy this game.
Right at the start of the review, I promised more on Halberd Studios, and shortly before this review was published in November 2023, they announced their second title, Mariachi Legends. It’s currently going through a Kickstarter campaign and already has an excited following. In case I didn’t make it clear, 9 Years of Shadows is an engaging, beautiful and well-balanced metroidvania and is up there with some of the best in the genre. If Mariachi Legends is half as good, we’ll be in for a treat!
DAVE THE DIVER is such a fun experience to play and is a strong contender as a memorable title for this year, in a year full of massive game releases. There is so much charm, character, and content packed into DAVE THE DIVER that it's bursting at the seams and is so worth the investment of any gamer. Roll the rice and fish in some seaweed, load up the harpoon and DIVE into the uniquely fun experience.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a fantastic adventure to get absorbed in, with an engrossing plot set in a beautiful, intricately detailed world that offers you so much to do. There is so much packed into the game, and so much optional content, that you’ll likely need a walkthrough if you’re looking to thoroughly uncover everything. This remake manages to modernise and add to the original game while still ticking so many boxes for fans of classic 90s JRPGs.
Ebenezer and the Invisible World looks great and has a difficulty level that has been perfectly balanced to stand up to some of the best metroidvanias out there without going down the overly trodden route of making it Souls-like. Sure, there’s not a whole lot original on offer here, but that feels like a harsh stick to beat the developers with in a very crowded genre. Ebenezer and the Invisible World won’t be for metroidvania purists, but if you're a fan of Christmas and anything Dickensian, you will not be disappointed!
I'm really enjoying the Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed experience, even with its issues. Even though I've completed the story mode, there’s still plenty to unlock. I really love playing as the ghost characters, mainly because of the havoc you can cause other players; it makes matches quite thrilling. Even though the online is great fun with real players, I have encountered a few disconnects, which can be frustrating. The story isn't very long, but unlocking everything else will lengthen your time with the game, so there's plenty of potential to add further content in the future.
WORLD OF HORROR is a fantastic game but an absolute nightmare on the Switch (badum-tish), its aesthetics do a lot of the heavy lifting. While I do not recommend playing WORLD OF HORROR on Nintendo Switch (or other consoles in general assuming they have the same problems), if you can, I’d highly suggest trying the game out on PC only.
Mail Time is a thoughtful achievement for a single developer working with a miniature team. The whimsical game will delight cottage-core enthusiasts who want to venture – and literally float – around in a 3D-platform landscape. But the title’s lack of map and depth, and its brevity, may put off other players.
For fans of the Bomberman series, this entry is easy to recommend. It balances a nice combination between the series’ roots being translated into a top-down isometric 3D world. With interesting innovations and challenging bosses, Super Bomberman R 2 succeeds at what it sets out to without losing any of the traditional fun from its rich history.
Did you know that vanilla is my favourite ice cream flavour? And even I think that Silent Hope needs more to it. It’s like vanilla without any sugar. It has a good presentation and looks great, but it’s so bland. There is nothing to really sink your teeth in. It’d be perfect as a 5-minute phone game, but that’s not the ballpark that it’s in, being a full release for the Switch. I don’t feel like it’s a bad game. It’s pretty, pleasantly inoffensive and accessible to all. But the only urge I have to play it again is because I feel upset that these cuties are all so forgettable and keep asking myself if there’s maybe something more that it can offer, even though I know the answer. I want to like it just because I have no reason to hate it, and I don’t think that’s a good place for a game to fall in.
Ultimately, Wargroove 2 is the perfect sequel, changing nothing important about the original gameplay, expanding on what worked well, adding additional factions, and adding a fresh new game mode to soak hours into. While there are complications, they are miniscule and redundant by the time you learn everything about the game. Wargroove 2 is a shining gem in the Tactical RPG genre and well worth anyone’s time to invest in the world and experience the fun.
Paleo Pines is a very cosy farm sim in a sea of hundreds of other farming titles. The game stands apart from its competition thanks to its dinosaur taming and the unique abilities each creature brings to the table. This provides new ways to complete mundane tasks that other sims would make you do at nausea. While there’s still the standard farming, planting and growing crops to do, there are a wealth of quests and side quests on offer to complete and well over 30+ dinosaurs to find and tame, including some special rare breeds. Take a trip to Paleo Pines; creating a dinosaur ranch where farming has never been so jurassic!
Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness tells an eerily disturbing tale with brilliant scriptwriting and fantastic world building. Indiesruption proved that they can tell a fantastic story with Nine Witches: Family Disruption and followed it up here spectacularly, proving that it wasn’t luck the first time around. However, where Vlad Circus struggles is in its adoption of illogical puzzle solutions that are frequent complaints that circulate the genre; cap this off with a pointlessly frustrating item management system and it’s a shame that these aspects hold back what could have been another hidden gem. But if you’re looking for a captivating psychological horror game with marvellous storytelling and captivating worldbuilding, then Vlad Circus ticks every box boldly and emphatically.
This right here is what I wanted the original Hot Wheels Unleashed to be. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged is exactly what a sequel needs to be; it builds on what people enjoyed in the first game while removing the stuff that people didn’t like. I’m very glad I stuck around to see this franchise improve for the better.