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While its presentation is in some cases downright lacking, the Irem Collection Volume 1's essentials are at least in order, delivering three great games, several port variations, and enough adjustable options to satisfy. That said, both Image Fights are utter taskmasters that require a hardened disposition, and that limits their broader appeal. X Multiply makes up for this by being a lot more accessible, with a visually superb aesthetic, but also feels like the odd one out because of it. We can't help but feel an Irem Collection combining eight to ten titles would have been something worth shouting about, but with further volumes in the pipeline, this does feel like yet another exercise in squeezing a niche consumer base over several releases. Despite our appreciation of the games on board, it's hard to get too excited.
The Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection serves up seven slices of old-school dino action in a package that suffers from its focus on the 8- and 16-bit eras. Yes, it's great to have these old games all gathered up and available to play with some quality-of-life additions, you can't knock them too hard for being clunky by today's standards, and nostalgia may add a few points to the overall score below if you're an Isla Nublar mega-fan, but there's no avoiding the fact that the experiences here haven't aged particularly well.
Bluey: The Videogame successfully emulates the look and feel of the iconic TV show, but unfortunately it fails to recapture the same family magic. The gameplay is incredibly repetitive across the one-to-two-hour experience, relying on locating items dotted around the five core environments. Minigames break up the monotony somewhat, but even these fail to maintain attention for too long. That said, young children are going to get a kick out of simply existing within this world and playing as their favourite Bluey characters. If that's all you're looking to get out of this game, this does a decent job. But when you compare it to the all-ages magic of the show itself, and other family-focused games on Switch, this falls well short of the source material.
Worldless attempts to differentiate itself from its peers by adding satisfying turn-based combat to the usual Metroidvania loop. It largely succeeds, helped by an intoxicating art style and varied puzzle mechanics. Some difficulty spikes interrupt the flow and knock the dreamlike exploration off balance, but you'll feel compelled to overcome them.
In Stars and Time can be unforgiving, but if you're a sucker for story-driven RPGs with roguelite mechanics and tricky puzzles, you won't find many better options out there. It's a difficult game to beat quickly, with our initial run taking us just over the 45-hour mark. Aside from the small problems like some unclear visual cues and minor lag issues, the game plays brilliantly. The characters are loveable and feel incredibly authentic, and the story is deeply engaging. Just be warned - almost every item becomes important at some stage. There are heaps of rooms, hidden passages, and corridors, and you'll need to remember where everything is if you want to progress. Keep a pen and paper handy.
When analysed individually, the six waves included in the Booster Course Pass have sometimes been a mixed bag, and it's easy for thoughts to linger on the past tracks that weren't revisited. However, the overall package is a generous and exciting one that's absolutely worth the asking price - we have zero qualms in recommending the Booster Course expansion to fans and newcomers alike. It doubles the number of tracks already available in the base game and adds in some excellent new racers, making it a near-essential purchase for all who own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Spirittea serves up a creative and addictive (after)life-sim loop of attending to bathhouse spirits and helping townsfolk. The tools and menus don't offer the most fluid experience, and the minigames are often overwhelmingly complicated, but there's enough to do here that means you can dip in and out of things when you don't like them. Anything you do like, you can soak in for hours.
Super Mario RPG is here in all of its weird, wonderful glory for a new generation to experience, and sets a new standard for how to do a faithful remake right. Delivering a beautifully preserved, pure experience for fans of the original and an accessible entry-point for genre newcomers, the game's infectious charm, writing, and polished gameplay do so much to elevate this beyond what might have been merely a simple RPG starring Mario.
Persona 5 Tactica is a thrillingly varied tactical RPG that fans of the Phantom Thieves and the genre should take note of. It's a little on the easy side, but the varied gameplay, excellent soundtrack, striking visuals, and lovable characters all make for a very easy recommendation here.
Astral Ascent is a prime example of a game that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Its strong character design, hi-bit visuals, tight combat, memorable bosses, and broad build variety have all featured in games you've probably played before-there's nothing 'new' here. But to write it off as just 'another one of those' in a crowded genre would be to miss out on one of the most delightful and surprising releases of the year. Astral Ascent is comfortably one of the best roguelites available on the Switch today, and we can easily recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in the genre. Don't miss it.
Thirsty Suitors is a great example of what happens when a developer's ambition outstrips the ability to fully realise that vision, for whatever reason. The story and visual style here are top-notch, but the actual mechanics lack the depth needed to make this one of the best indie games on Switch. Despite its flaws, the heart and humour of these characters still make it one of the most fun narratives of the year.
Halberd Studios has crafted a Metroidvania with a really encouraging number of unique elements. We have no issue in declaring it A Good Game™ and a great time thanks to its careful crafting and implementation of a number of original ideas that elevate the gameplay, rather than stifle it. It is just another Metroidvania at heart, yes, and it doesn't revolutionise the genre; but, while there are a few scrappy bits where you can see a thinning of the budget compared to works by larger studios, it holds its own as an inventive, pretty, and consistently enjoyable adventure.
Unless you're one of the biggest DreamWorks fans on the planet, you'll struggle to fall in love with DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing. Its attempts at authenticity and its numerous references are admirable, but it really lets itself down on the track with frustrating design choices, unstable performance, and a forgettable range of power-ups.
Judged on its own, the final wave for the Booster Course Pass is another perfectly fine, if slightly uneven addition to the expansion. The Tour courses remain reasonably good fun, but are ultimately forgettable, while Daisy Circuit stands as one of the most boring tracks in the entire game. Nintendo could have just adapted Airship Fortress instead, y'know? That said, there's still a lot to enjoy here, including four great new character additions, making Wave 6 a solid finale to the Booster Course expansion.
Fashion Dreamer's main focus of creating outfits is enjoyable, but there isn't a whole lot else going on in the game. Some players might be able to spend hours just collecting clothing items and putting together different combos for their muse and other avatars to show off. However, those who enjoyed the more mechanics-heavy and story-influenced elements of the Style Savvy series aren't going to find the same charms in Fashion Dreamer. Either way, it's probably worth waiting for the price to drop before trying this one on for size.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 has the potential to be a strong platform fighter, but on Switch it's wrapped up in a frankly incredible amount of poor performance and presentation. Fighters feel weightier, and the new campaign adds context and charm to the package, but it'll take a miracle patch to save it from being a choppy, blurry, flat-looking barrel of disappointment on Nintendo's console.
While we were desperate to love Air Twister, it feels like an undernourished Space Harrier homage full of missed opportunity. For Sega fans who want little more than a Space Harrier experience in new clothes, there's little to complain about… except maybe that soundtrack. But, while the extra modes expand the game's longevity and encourage a clear, they feel tacked on. It's fine to go back to for a quick blast now and then, but sit with it for a day or two and its lack of inspiration starts to gnaw. The arcade hardcore are most likely to reap the greatest rewards, but even then there may be a nagging feeling of uncapitalised promise.
It's impressive just how AstralShift has managed to weave together all of these different parts so effectively in Little Goody Two Shoes. The atmosphere is unmatched and the story is genuinely intriguing, with Elise making a great protagonist who – despite appearing selfish and bratty – just wants a better life for herself and whoever she falls in love with. We're so close to being in love with this game, but a few frustrations just hold this game back from having a fairy-tale ending for us. Still, for the unique ideas alone, we'd recommend checking this out.
World of Horror is one of the most unique roguelites we've seen on the Switch eShop to date, its expert fusion of text-based adventure, survival horror, and roguelike mechanics makes for a difficult, harrowing, and spooky adventure that we'd recommend you give a shot. Not everyone will be charmed by its extremely retro aesthetics, but if you can get into the right mindset for giving this one a playthrough, you'll find there's a lot to love.
Alien Hominid Invasion's setup won't appeal to everyone. We were disappointed to find the mission objectives recycle far too often, and their random nature seems to rob the stages of any real individuality. But in terms of its handling, execution, and additions, Invasion feels much superior to the original. And, while ultimately repetitive, its chaos is fun for brief single and multiplayer arrangements, and we enjoyed dipping in for a quick bout of raucousness.