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Having come from playing Stray on the PlayStation 5, you can tell that the Switch version tests the system’s limits from time to time. If you don’t mind the visual and performance downgrade, playing on the Switch is fine. Though I would wholeheartedly recommend playing on another platform to get a deeper experience of what the game has to offer graphically. Regardless of the platform you play on, Stray is the cat’s meow, and something I feel everyone should experience playing at least once.
Speaking as a fan of the franchise, despite some of its more disappointing moments, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is the most fun I’ve had with a Power Rangers game in a long time. On top of that, this might be the most faithful Power Rangers game since Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. You can really feel the love the developers have for the franchise and it had me grinning ear to ear the entire time.
I’ve never played The Maze of Galious and I find myself wondering if some of the limitations in Pampas & Selene are just inherent of them being overly faithful to the design of a game released in the late 1980s. That being said, the nostalgia value should override this concern for most fans of the era. There are of course better co-op metroidvanias out there, but reviving late 80’s action games is a niche that Fran has thus far perfected, and Pampas & Selene is no exception.
Yakuza Kiwami highlights the Switch’s ever-growing age; a game this iconic should not be running this poorly. Don’t get me wrong, I gave the game a high score because I still believe Yakuza Kiwami is an amazing experience that everyone should play, but if you can, play it on anything other than the Switch.
So what can I say about LEGO Horizon Adventures? Well, it’s all, sort of, meh. Perhaps my view is tainted somewhat by having played the originals first? Or maybe I was supposed to do that? I’m not sure. But while this could be a good entry point for younger audiences to familiarise themselves with when they’re old enough, it feels like many kids seeing their parents play the actual games would feel a tad insulted by this watered-down iteration. It’s hard to say who this game is for, but it’s certainly not for me.
Dragon Quest III HD 2D Remake is a wonderful reimagining if you know what you're getting yourself into. It's a beautifully stark contrast that demonstrates just how far the series has come, for better and for worse. Having this remake feels like walking into retro-themed arcade in 2024; you have a lot of respect for how far games have come and are really excited to play them, but after a surprisingly short amount of time, you find yourself wanting to go back to playing the newest entry released in this decade.
When a dormant series returns after almost a decade of silence, it's understandable to be nervous, especially after some wide-ranging review scores. While it may not stand up to the series’ peaks, it sets a wonderful framework for what we fans can hope to be the long-term resurrection of the franchise. I also wish that the game was 5-10 hours longer, but perhaps that's a consequence of entering my 30s; I just don't have the spare time that I once had.
Despite not having played any Broken Sword games before, playing Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged has made me incredibly excited for Parzival's Stone and hopefully there are plans to 'reforge’ Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror as well. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged is a timeless classic that has received a lick of paint. Sure, it feels a bit outdated in some respects but there will always be a place for games like this with modern gamers. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged remains a masterpiece and makes me proud to be British!
As a Mario Party title, Jamboree does exactly what it needs to do by providing a platform for friendship destruction while adding in a few new features to test them. While definitely more of a party game, the majority of its features are able to be played online if you have a stable enough connection. For any fan of Mario Party, I’m sure you already have this title in your library, but if you’re on the fence, I can personally recommend it’s worth picking up, especially if you have kids in your household.
While there are a lot of negatives, they’re all tied to only one aspect of Farmagia; the rest is quite enjoyable. Due to the complexity and fuzziness of the mechanics, players may find themselves bashing their heads against a brick wall, but at least the fun characters and farming make up for its shortfalls. The thing is, even if they fixed the combat and made it tighter, I think it would only ever become a good game, not a great or amazing one.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a welcome addition to the Switch’s library. It's not for everyone, but if you like your JRPGs, then you will have a good time. It’s open-ended nature and generation-skipping gameplay make for a novel and entertaining wrapper to some classic turn-based battling. A high-quality and considerate remake, which hopefully paves the way for more.
Japanese action RPGs are a dime a dozen and I can say from experience that most of them are pretty average. REYNATIS is no exception. At best, REYNATIS is an okay game with a boring story but at worst, it is an excruciating experience. I’m sure my experience would’ve been smoother if I played REYNATIS on anything other than the Switch but we review Switch games here, so my hands are tied. As an aside, I’m also a little annoyed that this game just took the same plot I wrote for my first Dungeons & Dragons campaign and made something so bland with it.
Speaking as someone who doesn't usually enjoy Sonic games, this game is phenomenal! It combines so much of what makes Sonic The Hedgehog great, with a wide range of classic Sonic, early 3D Sonic, and the franchise's future. Shadow Generations is so masterfully crafted that, with the recent successes of the Sonic The Hedgehog movies, the franchise truly is experiencing a renaissance era that suggests a bright future ahead of it.
Being replayable, having the freedom to play as you want to, and facilitating a stress-free environment, Refind Self: The Personality Test Game has all the makings of a perfect game to play when you need a break from your hectic life. I am definitely going to keep replaying it to collect all of the different personalities’ information. I absolutely adored this game, and I hope that you feel the same way when you refind yourself!
I’m really easy with platformers—I just really love them! Even when I’m very bad at them, the way that I was at The Meating. I had a great time chewing through this game, and finding out how challenging it truly was when I, at first, didn’t think it would be such a prime cut was very rewarding. I’m not what people would call an OG gamer from the NES era, so I have no nostalgia for the console. That wasn’t what attracted me to The Meating; it was the good humour and fun-looking gameplay, and I’m happy to report that it meats my expectations.
Doomscrolling complaints aside, I had an absolute blast playing Echoes of Wisdom. I’ve been a fan of the previous open-world Legend of Zelda games, as you can tell by my other reviews, but there truly is something else about the old style games that was missing, and this game brought them back in a familiar yet refreshing way. I hadn’t realised how much I missed this style of gameplay until I was hours deep into Echoes of Wisdom and caught myself grinning ear to ear!
Neva is another great game from Nomada Studios, managing to take the formula of Gris and add in new gameplay elements, a beautiful art style, and a story and characters to match. When the main complaint is you wish it were longer, you know you’re onto a great game.
I recently helped Switchaboo compile a Top 10 Lesser Known Metroidvanias video and I honestly think if Voidwrought was out at the time of making it, then I would have included it. Voidwrought’s strongest traits are its exploration, game design and combat, all of which I feel are the true archetypes of metroidvanias. When all three are executed so well, you have something like Voidwrought—a fun and challenging tableau full of exploration. Bravo!
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports is a fun romp for a while, especially in local multiplayer. The challenge mode and campaign modes will provide some solo fun even though the AI can be a little dumb sometimes. I just wish there were more Looney Tunes and online play, as that's the only thing that it falls short on.
Gori: Cuddly Carnage feels like a game you’d find in a bargain bin during the 360/PS3 era and I mean that in the nicest way possible. You just don’t get games like this anymore—low-budget games with a gameplay first mentality that isn’t afraid to be out there and weird. Gori: Cuddly Carnage really reminds me of games like Lollipop Chainsaw, MadWorld and No More Heroes, just to name a few.