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Sometimes Nintendo puts out distinctly 'B-list' games, and Kirby Battle Royale falls into that category.
While it has its brief moments of fun, Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers is a mediocre side-scrolling beat ‘em up that doesn't do the genre or its license justice. While its visuals pop, the lack of plot or voice acting - along with a tepid control scheme - make the game feel more like a cheap cash-in and less like a competent gaming experience to all but the most ardent fans of the cheeky stable of Cartoon Network properties.
Heroes of Monkey Tavern will certainly scratch your dungeon-crawling itch, especially if you're a fan of the seminal Dungeon Master, the game's biggest inspiration.
Whether you're a monster truck nut or not, you should avoid Monster Jam: Crush It! at all costs. It lacks a lot of polish, has a lackluster presentation, poor controls and no semblance of progression that can in any way be construed as satisfying. It feels like a slapdash attempt at riding the wave of Switch goodwill, but doesn't join the growing list of games on the system that are worth playing.
All told Splasher is a smartly designed, tight platformer that offers up hours of replay value on top of the creative ideas it delivers. It takes the Super Meat Boy template and builds upon it in a notable way, creating an experience that feels just the right amount of familiar and fresh. Though there isn't a whole lot to write home about when it comes to the presentation, the core gameplay is more than enough to keep you engaged.We give this one a strong recommendation, especially to those who are looking to dip their toes into the twitch platforming genre. Splasher is easy enough to pick up, yet difficult to master, and stands as a worthy addition to the Switch eShop.
Take this game for what it is, not what it is enevitably become compared to and you'll have an engaging story and pleasant exploration-based experience - for the most part. During your travels it's really up to you how much you want to discover, catalogue and upgrade. Morphite isn't a bad little first-person adventure but thrill seekers looking for a stop gap before Metroid Prime 4 could end up feeling short changed; rather than cause your pulse to race this jaunt through the uncharted regions of the universe is quite laid back and curiously lacking in excitement. It ranks as an enjoyable - if sometimes pedestrian - adventure that you will ultimately get as much out of as you are willing to put in, but we fear a great many players will simply lose interest.
If Monopoly is your thing, you can't really go wrong with Monopoly for Nintendo Switch. It performs exactly how you'd expect it to – offering an almost exact, neatly-executed copy of the experience that you can get from the board game. This is its main problem, though – it does so little to offer anything new that it almost seems pointless having it in the first place. Call us old-fashioned if you like, but we'd play the board game version over this one any day.
Characters would continue to turn up in the King of Fighters games, but this was the final instalment of the Art of Fighting series - and it goes out on a high. Despite the limited three attack button setup there's a lot of enjoyable and fluid fighting provided thanks to the rush attacks combining well with special moves. Juggling and dodging attacks adds to the fun and the animated look of the game works well. The low number of fighters included is disappointing, but trying to set a new fast time is addictive, particularly with the standard ACA online leaderboards. The first game may have been one to skip, but Art of Fighting 3: Path of the Warrior is a welcome fighting option for the eShop.
Chess Ultra is a welcome arrival on the Nintendo Switch; it's a visual treat, while also soothing you with pleasant music as you engage in a tough match. There are plenty of options and variety for online and offline matches, with the former being particularly enjoyable if you're able to get into a real-time contest. With Tournament play and some well constructed Challenges on board, along with Tutorials for newcomers, it ticks most boxes. It's another checkmate for the Switch eShop.
King Oddball joins the increasing number of mobile titles making their way onto Switch; it is a competent, quirky yet basic puzzle game. It highlights the type of titles that the Switch can attract, for better or worse, and as cheap, whimsical fun, it will probably consume more time than you'd care to admit.It's not a bad game, but the hard to ignore mobile origins - and seeing what else is available and what the Switch can do - makes King Oddball a fun little distraction and nothing more. It's worth picking up if you have a yearning for a quick, simple palate cleanser, and whether you've previously become addicted to the projectile flinging / destruction puzzle genre, avian or not, there is nothing here that will change your mind either way.
In a strange twist for a series that you would expect to be built around drawing in new consumers, Just Dance 2018 feels like a perfect match for those who already love the games and are really serious about their dancing, yet does nothing to draw in newcomers. In some ways, this year's edition feels like it is almost a ‘greatest hits' for its hardcore fans – the one entry that you'll always fall back to just to play through the best stuff. Yet with such a hefty cost needed to access all of the game's content, only the most serious will get true enjoyment here.
A larger character choice would be good, but there's a solid range of enemy attackers to deal with during your playthrough. A number of moves (including the sometimes tactical use of specials) keeps the fighting entertaining whether playing alone or with a friend. There are some decent character designs for the mutants and robots, with some nice touches in their animations such as a transformation or the way a seemingly human foe's face is punched off to reveal the robot inside. Once cleared there's not a lot of immediate replay value, but you can always try and improve in the Hi Score and Caravan modes; whenever you do boot it up, Mutation Nation provides a great scrolling beat 'em up fix.
As a visual novel, Wheels of Aurelia is a lacklustre experience. As a driving game, it's even worse. However you wish to identify it, this title lacks genuine substance; it's a solid idea executed poorly. The key themes and settings are deceptive, making the title seem like it is built on strong foundations when in reality, it's made up of a series of convoluted verbal exchanges between characters who forcefully touch on an array of dicey topics relevant but not always central to the time. The historical-links also suffer as this information is often overridden by an aggressive sense of agenda-setting that robs the exchanges of impact. Then there's the main narrative focused on a person you're likely to not even care about due to the concise nature of each road trip. It's simply not on par with the best titles this genre has to offer, and although you could argue that the esoteric nature of the game means it will illicit wildly different emotional reactions from different people, the core package just isn't compelling, challenging or appealing enough to back up that line of debate.
Time Recoil feels like the most refined of 10tons' three top-down shooter titles on Switch, and while initial frustration and slightly unspectacular visuals are drawbacks, it is the crux of the game that makes it both more enjoyable and immediately more satisfying. Having a more fleshed out story - as well as quick missions, the time manipulation mechanic and twin stick arcade thrills - sets this game up to be a more layered take on the now familiar genre. While there are some technical drawbacks still present, progressing through Time Recoil and achieving high combos of slow motion kills makes for an enjoyable experience.
At its heart Violett is a classically designed point-and-click adventure, warts and all. It tells an interesting tale in a world filled with oddity and excitement, but it's told in an unintuitive manner that only the most stalwart fan of the genre will likely stick with. It tries to cast its net wide by offering a clever hint system to help players survive its obtuse nature, but nevertheless only the most patient will try to come back out of the rabbit hole.
Visually unspectacular, Zombie Gold Rush is saddled with very repetitive action. The game is not devoid of entertainment as there's some fun in figuring out how best to take out as many zombies as possible for a bigger score, and trying to move up the online leaderboards adds some genuine replayability to the package. Ultimately though, while Zombie Gold Rush could be seen as a quick gaming fix, you'd probably be better off doing a Picross puzzle instead.
This Is The Police asks players to step into a career that's already on the rocks, in a city beyond saving, and then demands that you try and make things right regardless. It's a mature, compelling experience that combines elements of strategy, resource management and text adventure games, while telling a gripping story of corruption and withered hope - albeit with some muddled attempts to deal with real world issues. The meat of the game is solid, if extremely repetitious after some hours, so we can't help but feel if it was a shorter, more tightly focused game with a bit more variety, it would have felt more satisfying overall. As it stands there's hours of gameplay here for any budding cop, it just outstays its welcome a little.
All told, Moon Hunters is a wonderful roguelike RPG that is quite unlike anything else available on the Switch, offering a bite-sized, engaging adventure that is extremely replayable and can be enjoyed both alone and with friends. Though there are some issues with the easy difficulty and the occasionally heinous load times, we still give this one a strong recommendation. Moon Hunters offers a lot with a relatively small amount of content, and you'll likely find yourself revisiting this one for quite some time.
Poi: Explorer Edition is a great platforming adventure in its own right.
If you love games like Zelda II, and feel at home in front of any dungeon-crawling RPG, you'll undoubtedly get some fun out of this game; for others, though, there are better alternatives in the genre that you could try first.