Switchaboo
HomepageSwitchaboo's Reviews
If you’ve been itching for a more traditional Zelda adventure instead of Echoes of Wisdom, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by The Plucky Squire. The game is fun and beautiful, but it feels a little safe. Like All Possible Futures didn’t really trust its players to be able to figure out its puzzles. Still, I think it’s worth the cost of admission. There are some lessons to be learned here for the developers, though, and I hope they take those into consideration when making their next title. This game is ambitious, but it is held back by that same ambition. If the game’s structure could be made less linear and I held my hand a little less, I might have given this another point or two.
The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an instant recommendation for Ace Attorney fans and a strong recommendation for visual novel fans. Finally having an official translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit is the equivalent of Mother 3 for us Ace Attorney fans and having access to the additional content with the art, cutscene player, and the ability to switch between updated 3D models from the original character designer and the original pixel art makes this release just perfect for fans. If you’ve never played an Ace Attorney game, you’re missing out, and with Ace Attorney Investigations Collection completing the remaster of the franchise, you have no excuse to not give it a try.
So my favourite things in Wild Bastards were the 13 playable characters and their unique designs and quirky personalities. But sadly, Wild Basterds doesn't quite reach the heights Void Bastards did. The shoot-out sections were okay, but the less than stellar turn-based sections just weren't a great inclusion or idea in my opinion... If you want a fantastic rouge-like gem, go play Void Bastards instead; it's priced the same; enjoy it hell of a lot more than this!
Marvel VS Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is everything Marvel VS Capcom fans have been wanting for years. Even as a more casual fighting game fan, I cannot recommend this game enough. If you’ve never played any of the Marvel VS Capcom games before, this is the perfect place to start. In addition, there's a physical version coming November 11. Exciting times!!
While Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland looks good on the surface, ultimately it is a game trying to be Super Mario Brothers 2 and is nearly forty years too late to scene. It’s short, strict and just not worth the price tag they’re offering it at.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club had me smiling from ear-to-ear. While that may sound a little ominous, the game itself has a gripping murder mystery narrative that can rival the best within the detective genre. This entry gives me a lot of hope for the future of the series and I’d love to see more entries in the years to come.
Sure, there are some things that made me do a double take, but Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is still a really good game! There is more than enough to sink your teeth in and really enjoy your time with this version. It’s so chock full of little details, interactions and possibilities that I had a blast playing it and taking my time. Playing it for the first time was amazing, and I’ll be going back for more very very soon. I truly feel like I want to experience everything the game has to offer in as many ways as possible, and I fully believe the developers did not disappoint.
In my opinion, Crypt Custodian certainly deserves a 9 because Kyle Thompson has crafted a smorgasbord of fun, adventure and emotion, all of which is perfectly balanced. There are some slightly more basic elements, such as the environment art, but overall, any fans of Zelda games and/or metroidvanias should definitely pick this up!
Bakeru scratches the Goemon itch that I've had for many years now. It's so charming with it's setting in a mythical alternate Japan that after I publish this review, I'm going to be checking flight prices pronto. While I do wish that some of the characters had some actual depth to them, this is easy to shrug off and bask in the wonderful gameplay and setting.
MARS 2120 has some great ideas and executes them well, but the lack of story and some technical issues on the Nintendo Switch sadly hold back the rest of the experience. That being said, the soundtrack is great, the combat works well and some of the visuals are stunning, so there will be a market for any metroidvania fans who enjoy these elements of the genre!
Even though the game was over with the flash of a camera, the story stayed with me like a Polaroid photo. This atmospheric and emotional puzzle adventure is one that should be talked about more and given more attention. Make sure to get your hands on The Star Named EOS and prepare to have your heartstrings pulled.
For a brief moment, I felt like I was six years old playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening again, and for that Johan Vinet deserves immense credit. But when I say brief moment… You’re talking less than an hour of gameplay on offer for the main game, though The Tower provides some replayability. Castaway will of course be priced accordingly and that’s fine, but if you’re looking for something more substantial to get your teeth into there are plenty of other options out there!
I really enjoyed Just Crow Things on the Nintendo Switch; it's just as much fun as Rain on Your Parade, made by the same developers. Pooing on hoomans’ heads never gets old, and there are a lot of fun quests and quirky game-related moments that had me smiling. And even when it's all done, the ability to go back and play the entire game again in a sort of simulation is pretty caw!
SteamWorld Heist II is a splash of unique colour for tactical shooters that generally aim for a more gritty tone. Plenty of light-hearted humour, player agency given complete control, and the musical talents of Steam Powered Giraffe add so much character and charm that you can't help but love the down times as well as the tactical action. Thunderful Games has kept the heart of the SteamWorld series and released an almost flawless entry that I can't help but recommend to any fan of turn-based combat, robots, or the steampunk aesthetic.
Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona is a truly great effort. Expansive, fun exploration and hard as nails boss fights will please most metroidvania fans. Sure there are some presentation issues which make it a little rough around the edges, and this means it’s not in the same echelons as other gothic metroidvanias such as Blasphemous or The Last Faith, but it’s priced at less than 15 quid which represents great value for what’s on offer!
While Darkest Dungeon II is a fantastic game at its core, everytime I sat down to play it, I kept catching myself thinking "Boy, I wish I was playing the other Darkest Dungeon”. There's nothing really wrong with the game (outside of the freezing problem, which could be fixed by the time this comes out); it's just that its change of direction into a more Slay The Spire roguelike style didn’t really sit well with me. But that's ok, as stated prior, Red Hook Studios didn’t want this to replace the original and I think they’ve succeeded in that; they just now have to deal with a divided fanbase.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a fun new way to revisit some of the NES’ classic library. Playing speedrunner is a good time no matter your usual play style, and the scale of challenge is there for the hardcore who want to take it on. It’s slightly limited online functionality and the restrictions of what you can’t access in these retro games do cast a shadow, as well as some doubts on its longevity.
The 3DS had limitations on performance, and this has come to negatively impact the remake of Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, especially in consideration of having their younger brother on the same system. While it's only showing up in how the levels are played and ghost designs, it's just enough to hold it back from an exceptional level. However, in saying that, there's still a really fun game here to explore, with a solid foundation of gameplay mechanics that were expanded on in Luigi's Mansion 3. I can't help but recommend picking up Luigi's Mansion 2 HD if you enjoy the franchise, even more so if this title would be the entry point for you.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure scratches an itch that many won't know they had. It perfectly encapsulates the dreaded word "unique" in a market where we see every third game incorrectly use the word. Making a game where your sole form of movement is akin to a pseudo-sokoban style is risky, but it's paid off in spades. Get ready for Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure to grace many top indie games on Switch lists.
At the end of it all, I’ll look back on SCHiM fondly—not for its puzzles, but for its satisfying shadow platforming and unique presentation. I’m happy to have been given the chance to experience it, but once the credits roll, I can’t see myself ever wanting to go back to it. It’s a quick, one-and-done romp that’ll have you smiling for the majority of its time, and rolling your eyes in frustration in between.