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The Adventures of Elena Temple does a solid job recreating a certain era of platform gaming, despite minor problems linked to level design. What's unfortunate is how more time, effort and focus seems to have gone into the fictional history of the game and the machines it can be played on for the sake of nostalgia, rather than the gameplay. It's nice there is reasoning behind the visual filters, but this and the silly story comes across as overbearing when the actual gameplay perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia. It's a pity the developer didn't just release the game in its rawest form, cutting out the excess trimmings and adding in more playable content.
Fox n Forests can't be faulted for its fantastically accurate portrayal of 16-bit platforming; very few indie games have managed to nail the look and sound of the SNES so well. Its season-changing gimmick also makes for some inventive moments. Where it lets itself down is in its fiddly controls and its short length, which combine to make a game that's merely good when it could have been great.
The bright, flashing lights - and admittedly catchy thumping club music - coupled with an eye-watering amount of modes and game/bot customisation isn't quite enough to dress up what essentially feels like a promising idea that's vastly undercooked. A little more time in the oven - and with a more appetising and interesting main course - and Disco Dodgeball could have been a much stronger option on the small, but rapidly growing menu of online-focused games for Switch.
Runner3 is wonderfully creative and funny, relying on a style of play that belies the challenge at its heart. A few moments of unbalanced control or obstacle design can frustrate, but this will pass when Commander Video finally nails a sequence of movements and makes you feel like a fast-fingered expert.
Little Nightmares boasts some superb character and environment design, and exceptional sound too, with parts of the Maw screaming as if the ship was a gigantic bionic seafarer. Its story is compellingly told, and the way the main game connects with the DLC is immensely rewarding. But you never really feel like you have full control of Six, and the long breaks between restarts can dump you into a painful loop of spending less time in the game than you do in loading screens. These problems were present in the game's initial release back in April 2017, and Switch owners can be forgiven for feeling disappointed that Tarsier wasn't able to fix them for this port. If you can overlook them, though, Little Nightmares is an occasionally moreish puzzler with an exceptionally creepy cast capable of turning any stomach.
Fairune Collection is a deliciously big slice of brain-teasing RPG fun with a sprinkle of shmup action on top. None of the games will require a huge amount of time to complete, solving many of its puzzles feels truly rewarding and both graphics and sound will take you back to a simpler time in this industry. If you were a fan of the original outings, you will certainly like this ‘upgrade' but if you are venturing into the realm of Fairune for the first time, heads up: you might have just discovered the perfect lazy summer afternoon game of the year.
With multiple updates planned for the near future this issue could soon start to be addressed so, unless you're entirely sold on the concept alone, we'd recommend holding off until these new features have landed.
InkSplosion could have been so much more, but it's ultimately let down by a sheer lack of variety (and a frustrating lack of replay value once you've swiftly bagged all of its in-game achievements). As a top-down shooter it's certainly competent, but it's unlikely you'll hang around for long with so many other fuller packages on offer on the Switch eShop.
Ice Cream Rider Is far from being a terrible game, but several alarm bells ring when you get down to playing it. While delivering all the classic tropes one would expect from a cute-'em-up, it resembles Commodore Amiga games where western developers attempted to mimic the Japanese arcade offerings found on the arcades to varying degrees of success.
Arriving almost four years after the Wii U version, The Fall still manages to offer one of the most engaging takes on the age-old 'robot starts to feel alive' concept without feeling tired or rote. Sadly, the limitations of its gameplay haven't been addressed for this port, so while there's a great story to be experienced, the game itself remains a forgettable miasma of genres.
All told, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is a great time-sink game, featuring mindless but fun action gameplay that offers up the potential for dozens - if not hundreds - of hours of content. Though it certainly feels like a game that's too bloated in places, it manages to balance the Zelda and Dynasty Warriors elements well. Group all of that with stellar presentation and impressive portable gameplay, and you've got a game that does a great job of doing something new (and weird) with a classic Nintendo property. We'd give this one a recommendation, especially to fans of the Zelda series who have always wanted there to be some sort of 'anniversary' game. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition may not have a ton of depth, but it's way more fun than it has any right to be, and you'd be missing out by not picking up this complete edition.
The 19 (plus four) characters provide a good variety of options for the fighting and the battles are as fun as ever thanks to the usual range of offensive options and evasive manoeuvres. The fun out of bounds victories from the first Real Bout game have gone and there's been a change to the multi-plane system, but there's still plenty of fighting thrills to be had here. Real Bout 2 is ultimately a better game, but Real Bout Fatal Fury Special is still a solid fighter that can provide plenty of entertainment.
There's fun to be had in Suicide Guy. There's a nice variety of situations and environments and exploring each stage can be a blast. The technical problems are what ultimately drag Suicide Guy down. Still, if you can get past the bugs and glitches, there's a nifty little puzzle game waiting for you on the eShop.
Despite a title that suggests it came out of a name generator, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a satisfying slice of JRPG that forges a confident, colourful character of its own from formulaic ingredients. The approachable comic style, plus a couple of neat mechanics that encourage experimentation, give it a freshness that belies the age-old systems at its core, and it doesn't waste your time with filler. Depending on your skill, you'll probably spend around 30 hours on the critical path – comparatively breezy in RPG terms – though there's plenty of side content to occupy you beside the main quest, plus a trio of heroes you'll probably shun on your first playthrough. Disappointing performance dips aside, it feels at home on Switch. Ultimately, it's the same old story – numbers go up! – but it's shot through with an infectious exuberance and attention to detail that reinvigorates old tropes.
Wizard of Legend has some novel concepts. Being able to swap and mix spells to create a seemingly unlimited amount of combinations keeps the action fresh and encourages you to experiment on each run. What's also likable about this game is how polished the entire package appears to be. It's these aspects that make it more favourable than the average offerings that frequently pop up on the Switch. If you are looking for yet another dungeon crawler with rogue-like elements, Wizard of Legend is a step above the competition.
Super Chariot is a fitting metaphor for life – you can journey alone and endure all hardships as you struggle to make your way to the end, or you can share the burden with another person and help each other reach new heights along the way. Brilliantly designed, beautifully crafted and one of the finest co-op experiences on Switch this side of Sniperclips. It's not hard for us to recommend you embark on this journey, even if you have done so before. May the King rest peacefully for his chariot is made of sturdy stuff indeed.
Dripping with charm and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, Animal Super Squad is a good example of when physics-based gameplay is done right. There are some elements such as boss battles, multiplayer and HD rumble that aren't in this game and the lack of these features will be bothersome for some Switch users. However, this little gem is a formidable first entry into the indie scene for the YouTube personality and positively paves the way to what's looking to be a successful new venture for DoubleMoose.
Samurai Shodown III feels like a step back compared to the second game with characters dropped and some fights ending quickly; strange compared to the slower (but exciting) pace of before.
The comparisons to Nintendo's much-loved Metroid franchise might seem excessive, but A Robot Named Fight makes little effort to differentiate itself from the source material it has been inspired by. What it does manage to do is provide endless replay value with its procedural generated platform action, unique items and large variety of enemies. The co-op mode is also a welcomed inclusion. The trade-off here, as mentioned, is no real story or character development beyond the basics to motivate you to save the day and the repetitive nature associated with permadeath. If you can look past this, what's on offer is a satisfying alternative to the space adventures of Samus.
Raging Justice isn't going to win any awards for originality or narrative depth, but it succeeds in picking up the often neglected scrolling fighter, dusting it off and sending it out with a fresh pair of clothes and some new ideas. The extra buttons are put to good use, giving you a wide array of offensive options when you're in the thick of things, and the ability to arrest enemies adds a layer of strategy to the otherwise mindless action. When played solo the game is perhaps a little too unforgiving to recommend to everyone, but when you rope in a second player it becomes one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences on Switch; working together to clean up the streets is fun, but you won't be able to resist occasionally stabbing your ally in the back, just for old time's sake.