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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition is a worthwhile remake of a somewhat obscure puzzle classic. Its clever integration of light RPG elements on top of the puzzling action gives it an impressive amount of strategic depth, while the rotating cast of characters and factions offer plenty of variety in unit types and playstyles across its run. Add this to a strong multiplayer component, and you have a game that easily justifies the cost of entry. Though we were put off a bit by its difficulty spikes and the woes of RNG, this is ultimately a game that we'd give a strong recommendation to anyone looking for an interesting new puzzle game to add to their Switch library.
Yes, the co-op is disappointing, and the campaign's not gonna be challenging enough for some diehard fans, but overall Nintendo has nailed it here, serving up a magical Pikmin adventure that we reckon could see the series finally getting all of the attention it fully deserves.
Despite the graphical issues and the most bare-bones of tutorials you'll find in a historical simulation sandbox, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening offers plenty of great moments. We loved the historical vignettes that played out as events unfolded and certain conditions were unlocked. Even on Easy mode, the game will make you surrender and start over multiple times before you can achieve Nobunaga's dream of a united Japan. The Switch version is far from perfect, but if you're willing to work with it, there's a rich, deep, addictive strategy sim to get lost in here.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is an excellent sequel that takes the story in a significantly different direction without losing what made the original such an essential piece of storytelling. The sharper focus on fewer characters makes for a much better-paced experience without the need to juggle multiple relationships. Pacing issues do crop up if you happen to take a wrong turn but, in spite of that, Oxenfree II still provides an intriguing, suspenseful mystery that fans and newcomers will both adore. Be sure to play the original first, though.
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is an impressively well-realized revisit to a long-lost RPG classic. What it lacks in length or complexity, it makes up for in charm and quality; this is the kind of game that you can get sucked into for an hour or two at a time without even realizing it. Its laid-back atmosphere, open-ended gameplay, and lovely visuals all combine to make this a must-buy for fans of the series, and a highly recommended title for those who want to see what Atelier is all about.
Overall, Wave 5 is another good wave, though not a great one. Squeaky Clean Sprint, while perfectly decent fun in itself, can't quite match the heights of something like Yoshi's Island, and tracks like Moonview Highway and Sunset Wilds make us feel like Nintendo just isn't quite giving its all when it comes to this DLC. Still, the positives outweigh the negatives, and we're confident that once the final wave lands later this year, the Booster Course Pass will prove an essential purchase for Mario Kart fans.
Switch-bendingly tough though it is, Gimmick is a salient example of what made the 8-bit era so wonderful: a razor-sharp, thoughtfully illustrated action adventure full of creativity and imagination. Just be warned that when people talk about 'old-school difficulty', Gimmick is a cut above what they usually have in mind, and to that end may prove frustrating for those unable to steel themselves to the challenge.
Crime O’Clock adds a smart twist to the hidden object concept. By showing the characters in its lively scenes going about their business as time passes, Bad Seed has found a way to build masses of detail into the little worlds you explore. However, the minigames are very weak and we never escaped the extremely repetitive gameplay typical of this type of game. As a result, it’s one for genre fans only.
Everybody 1-2-Switch! is a perfectly serviceable party game when playing through one of the mini-games that offers something new, but those moments are few and far between. The rest of the games are not by any means bad, but they fail to stand out on the already-loaded table of Nintendo party titles. Combine this with the noticeable step-down in quality when playing with fewer people, and we are left thinking that this is a game which will only be brought out in very specific circumstances. It's a perfectly harmless party game, but it doesn't come close to what Nintendo has achieved in the genre in the past.
Your enjoyment of Everdream Valley will depend on how you like to play the farm sims already on your Switch. If your primary goal has been about raking in the gold, beautifying your farm, or finding The One, you might not dig it. If you’ve never played a farm sim before, and want to till your first tile, we don’t recommend starting here. However, if you love caring for your animals, and want to see life through their shiny eyes, Everdream Valley could be right in your paddock.
Capping off the Crossbell and Cold Steel arcs with a nice little bow, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie hits some high highs – such as with C and the True Reverie Corridor – and when it does, it's an RPG fan's paradise. But as an overall package, it feels like an easy excuse to get a huge number of characters together rather than do something meaningful with them. It's far from the series' best, but fans will find a lot to love here, even if we'd recommend seeking it out on another platform for the best experience, or waiting for a patch.
This is the best of it in regards to home ports of the Ray series, spit-polished by M2's dedicated commitment to quality. It offers very accurate arcade ports of three superb, nuanced shoot 'em ups, famous for their fantastic soundtracks, engrossing gameplay mechanics, and visual showboating. Lag is minimal enough to have no impact, and the HD upscaling is wonderful. With no training modes, historical bonuses or rearrangements, however, it falls shy of being the ultimate package. But only just.
The Lara Croft Collection sees two excellent Tomb Raider spin-offs hit Nintendo Switch in an excellent package that offers up plenty of puzzles, slick combat, and fun local co-op action. There are a few performance issues in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, and the lack of online co-op for both games is a shame, but overall this is still a great double pack that we recommend picking up. They may initially look like watered-down takes on the main franchise but make no mistake, these are two of Lara's very best outings.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a solid follow-up to the Danganronpa franchise that demonstrates a heap of ambition from its developers and mostly lives up to its predecessor's impressive reputation. But while the game delivers an excellent cast of characters and some truly intriguing mysteries to solve, it also stumbles in its methods, introducing mechanics and locations that outstay their welcome and become frustratingly repetitive. Still, for fans of Dangaronpa and those who enjoy a good gruesome crime or two, it's definitely worth checking out.
As a self-proclaimed spiritual successor to WWF No Mercy, AEW had big wrestling boots to fill. While it doesn't quite surpass THQ's classic N64 grappler in terms of pure gameplay, it's nevertheless a highly entertaining wrestling title with a pleasantly silly story mode and some frankly ridiculous weapons-heavy match types. Performance on the Switch leaves a lot to be desired, but it's still the best wrestling game on the system for now.
In keeping with tradition, Sonic Origins Plus is a bit of a mixed bag. The new playable characters, Game Gear games, and other content feel just barely worth the upgrade fee, but there's no escaping the sense that Sega could've done a lot more for this update and chose not to. While the overall package is a strong one, we'd give the new content of this expansion a very light recommendation as it does ultimately feel worth the price tag (for existing owners). But how much value this will hold to you depends heavily on how much nostalgia you have for the Game Gear and how badly you want to play as Amy in the classic games. Here's hoping that Sonic Superstars provides an old-school Sonic experience that feels less underwhelming.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was one of the best games on Nintendo DS. Now it is one of the best games on Nintendo Switch. If you're a fan of Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, AI: The Somnium Files, any of the games we've mentioned, or just of having a good dang time with a brilliant story and stunning art, then why are you still here? Go and get the game. Now. Go!!!!
Fall of Porcupine has a lot of potential, but our diagnosis is that it's fallen short. The cute art style and evocative soundtrack are its main drawcards, and while the wide-eyed animals can mask the dark themes of an unhealthy system, they can't quite cover up the haphazard story or keep players engaged. We felt the game needed either a stronger narrative thread or more involved gameplay to improve its condition. Performance bugs can be treated with patches, but it'll take more than a band-aid solution to cure the ailments in Fall of Porcupine.
Pikmin 1 remains a delightful puzzle adventure that sees Nintendo at its most charming and inventive. Yes, this Switch port is a little bit underwhelming, with just a higher resolution and some new controls to get excited about, but with a core game this good, it's still an experience that comes highly recommended. Over two decades on from its original release, Pikmin's unique brand of magic remains undiminished.
Pikmin 2 is a fantastic follow-up to the 2001 original that expands upon its predecessor's core gameplay in some neat and well-considered ways. This is a bigger game, with more areas and dungeons to explore, a larger variety of Pikmin to work with, multiple protagonists to control, and a few extra modes thrown in for good measure. It may be a bare-bones port, and we do really miss those Duracells, but this is a game that's aged remarkably well and, with foundations as delightfully entertaining and inventive as this, it's still an experience that we highly recommend checking out on Switch.