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Shape of the World is a very different offering on the Switch's eShop, and one that we are glad to have experienced despite its shortcomings. Describing it as a video game doesn't feel quite right; it's more of an interactive playground that lets you take a couple of hours out, switch off, and be treated to some thought-provoking aesthetics along the way. It's definitely not for everyone, and it's all over a little too quickly, but Shape of the World is a nicely put together piece of art that deserves the attention of those most intrigued.
Super Sportmatchen deserves some praise for including online leaderboards to help prolong the replay value of the individual experience. A lot of games of this calibre fail to add this feature. Competing against the A.I. will definitely get old, fast, so this is a great way to sustain interest. For some, this still might not be enough. The main contest here is the local multiplayer. Provided you have friends or family around, this is another one of those titles that is fun for brief sessions in between more prominent multiplayer titles.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Edition is a wonderful example of a licensed adaptation doing just about everything right; if you've ever read or watched One Piece and thought, "this would make a great video game!” this is that game. While it doesn't spend nearly enough time on its story beats to fully immerse new players into its world, we'd still recommend it even if you're new to the Straw Hat Crew — there's plenty of rollicking fun to be had throwing elbows (and swords, and staves, and…) with Luffy and co., and longtime readers will have a blast revisiting their earliest days. A recommended romp for One Piece and Warriors fans alike.
Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is a solid side-scrolling brawler. We were unsure of what to expect from this whole 'Settle the score of '94' tagline, but were pleasantly surprised with the amount of fun it offers. While it lasts, it serves up a fun-filled ride with silly dialogue, politically incorrect humour and excessive amounts of 'Shaqness'. You might even be entitled to get this game for free but those who must part with their money and are on the market for some mindless brawling, you could do far worse than this Shaq attack. It's official then: Shaq-Fu: A legend redeemed.
The sheer verve of Just Shapes and Beats is infectious. True to its name, the elements are simple, but Berzerk Studio explores and executes on its modest premise with an exceptional level of polish. It injects pure joy into the oppressive, pulsing panic of Super Hexagon and creates a celebratory explosion of the audio-visual in video games. Challenge mode and the hectic multiplayer will keep you occupied after you've conquered the refreshingly breezy story. Grab some decent headphones or, better still, some friends and hook your Switch up to the hi-fi. The neighbours will love you.
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a crazy, over-the-top experience that gets better the more you play. The game feels incredibly polished, with a mostly satisfying battle system that gets surprisingly deep, and beautifully presented cutscenes that progress the story along nicely. The focus here is definitely on the lengthy campaign, although we can imagine top online players becoming intensely competitive with practice. It might not be able to completely blow you away, but our playthrough has left us with a pleasingly satisfying aftertaste. Make sure to give this a go if you're intrigued.
Battling your way through screens of mechanical enemies to reach the final boss won't take very much time at all, but exploring the compact yet detailed world around you is enjoyable. Hidden are some thought-provoking snippets of narrative that touch on the hardships of developing games, for example, and the clever delivery of its storytelling is, at times, ingenious. However, the simplistic approach to battle and a confusing and convoluted story plot could prove bothersome for some who are looking for something a little more in-depth. ICEY does, however, succeed in providing quick, tight blasts of fun that's sure to please fans of the genre that are looking for something a little different.
With a sci-fi twist on an old formula, Songbringer is almost a breath of fresh air. Occasional stereotypes aren't as welcome as all of the new ideas the game brings forward, including a tongue-in-cheek style of humour to accompany a truly unique experience and a gorgeous visual style. With so many options and routes through the story, this is a game begging to be replayed for months to come.
Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory is an action-RPG with a snappy, timing-based combat system and well-written dialogue. However, it's a little messy and repetitive in both gameplay and narrative terms, and the game could do a lot more to explain itself.
Given its simplicity and bright presentation, it's best recommended for a younger audience.
Pirate Pop Plus does a fine job of emulating the laser-focused Game Boy games of 25 years ago. It owes a massive debt to Pang and a whole host of other single-screen highscore chasers, but with a couple of subtle twists of its own. For some it will be too brutally straight-forward, and it's arguably a little too in thrall to the past for a modern Switch game. For those after a no-nonsense retro challenge, however, it's a budget-priced treat.
While the central conceit sounds promising as an FMV experience, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker fails to find a consistent tone or fully engage the player in its story. It offers a couple of nice ideas and the odd smile, but if you don't care about the central mystery, you're left with madness, and the disparate threads never weave together in a satisfying way. The two ominous notes of the soundtrack (only a mild exaggeration) are left to supply tension, and with The Bunker and Late Shift showing how the genre can be relevant and entertaining in 2018, it's hard to recommend this over the alternatives.
All told, Yonder is that kind of game that has value, but only a very specific kind of gamer will be able to find it. Yonder isn't a bad game by any means, but it's clear that it tries to do too much at once and doesn't stop to make sure that anything is that fun in practice. Mediocre gameplay mechanics aside, it's a relaxing game to play with your coffee in the morning, and the presentation value is a definite plus. We'd recommend this to anyone looking for a relatively shallow game that doesn't take a whole much of a time investment; for what it is, Yonder is a decent game, though it's hardly a must-play.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is an utterly accomplished 2D fighting game. Bursting with content and featuring the visual spectacle of combat that uses up every single trick in the book while doing so with the possibility of calling up a second character into the fray on demand sets Arc System Works title as the de facto current generation game fighting game to own on the Nintendo Switch. While we certainly appreciate the likes of Capcom and SNK (via HAMSTER) safely releasing previously proven hits of the genre, we were beginning to wonder when companies would notice that Switch is more than able to accommodate current generation titles as well. A few strange decisions aside it is very hard for us not to recommend you make this title a priority among your future acquisitions if you're a fighting game fan. Even if you never heard or are a fan of any of the franchises represented in this game because by the time you are done with this game (something we wonder is it is even possible with a strong online community) you will most certainly be.
Samurai Defender: Ninja Warfare may not bring anything new to the table among the castle defence genre, but it does so in a charming feudal Japanese cartoon wrapper. Despite not setting the video gaming world ablaze (unlike the poor fools rushing at your door) anyone looking to blissfully slaughter wave upon wave of enemy cannon fodder soliciting at your castle gate need not look further.
Legend of Kay felt dated in 2005, back when the PS2 platforming renaissance was already fading, so its transition to Wii U - and now Nintendo Switch - brings with it all the same tropes that were already out of fashion long before its inception. Anniversary's combat offers something of a saving grace, with plenty of depth to be found with its combos and warping, but you'll have to contend with camera issues and poor voice acting while you're at it.
The saccharine visuals and bold colours will easily attract the eye and when new species appear you'll be begging for a photo mode. But that's only if you aren't looking at the endless lists or stats, or charging the ever-depleting energy banks. Interesting, educational and pretty, but ultimately soulless and a little boring.
Pokémon Quest is a fun little time waster that will satisfy your collect 'em all urges until the real deal launches on Switch in November. This is, for all extents and purposes, a free-to-play mobile game though, so you will have to splash the cash if you want to get the most out of it, but it's far from a money sink. You can get everything you need in a single purchase, or unlock most of it slowly by playing for free. It's one of the most generous freemium systems out there. Overall, it's a great jumping off point for new fans of the series, and the cutesy art style just might win over veterans. Give it a shot.
Yesterday's Origins doesn't attempt to change the formula of the point and click adventure and that's okay. The story is delightfully bonkers and it looks pretty, but if you dig deep there's some repetition, some odd stylistic choices and you might not recall it in years to come, but it's nice to see such a game on Nintendo Switch.
Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon is undoubtedly aimed at a very specific audience, and you'll know if you're part of that just by looking at the screenshots. If those, combined with words such as these, make your heart sing, however, it's definitely worth your time. It's like Castlevania just decided to come soaring back into all our lives, and how can that ever be a bad thing? Exactly.