Nintendo Life
HomepageNintendo Life's Reviews
Despite its lack of musical cues and somewhat varying difficulty levels, Melatonin’s suite of challenges is a delight for rhythm game fans and it’s so satisfying to nail that PERFECT. It doesn’t fill the Rhythm Heaven-shaped hole in the Switch’s portfolio, but instead it creates a dreamy new space filled with cotton candy colour, energy, and, most importantly, fun.
If you're a fan of tight strategy games that don't take themselves too seriously, Kaiju Wars is a short but well-balanced title that sees you defending your homeland from giant monsters. The retro graphics and sound allow the developers to lean into the campest kaiju film tropes, but the gameplay itself shouldn't be overlooked because of the silly packaging. Even without the additional features that the PC version eventually got, there is plenty here to sink your teeth into across the short playtime.
Compared to the unexpected highlight that was Golf Story, Sports Story is damningly mediocre. Although the writing is as good as ever and the visuals have received a nice upgrade, the performance issues, tedious fetch quests, and occasionally confusing gameplay all hold this one back quite a bit. Despite its shortcomings, there's certainly still an enjoyable game on offer here, but you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth the negatives, especially given that the Switch eShop is lousy with great games these days. If you loved the original, you'll likely find Sports Story to be a fun-enough follow-up, but there's no denying that it feels like quite a letdown after years of waiting. Assuming Sidebar can sort out the worst of the technical issues, we'd give Sports Story a light recommendation to anyone looking for a quirky take on a sports RPG, but this one doesn't deserve a spot at the top of your list.
WRC Generations marks the end of a series that has never really hit cruising speed on Switch. Like its predecessors, its look and feel are subpar and while it has a lot of content, it's a struggle to enjoy it fully given how many compromises you have to make. After a lot of time spent with it, you'll finally start to see results, but this is a game that perhaps requires too much compromise on the player's part to appeal to anyone but the most ardent rally fans.
The Punchuin undoubtedly delivers a solid match-three gameplay experience, but one that's let down by little in the way of level variety and a severe lack of overall content. The charming writing and presentation highlight the passion and skill of the developers but, in the end, what is here feels more like a lovingly-crafted demo than a full release. If you are looking for a quick and enjoyable puzzler, The Punchuin will deliver exactly that but no more. It's fine, but we just wish this package packed more of a punch, as there are plenty of other options out there with more bang for your buck.
Please, Touch The Artwork is an excellent little experience that cleverly combines intuitive, pensive puzzle mechanics with art history and humour to create an interactive exhibit you really shouldn't miss. If you've got any interest in modern art whatsoever, you're sure to enjoy this gem, but even puzzle fans who don't know their Picassos from their Pollocks would do well to browse these galleries. There's really nothing else to say. Do what the title says.
Sail Forth isn't the best open-world game for the Switch, but it takes the procedurally generated formula presented in No Man's Sky and gives it a much more approachable (and nautical) feel. The visuals are relaxing and effective, and almost every character has a lot of charm in the way they're presented. Sailing is surprisingly fun despite some distracting bugs, and the fleet-building mechanics have just enough depth without feeling overwhelming. A good way to unwind if you're happy to go with the wind.
Much like a shimmering ghost seen for just a fleeting moment, The Outbound Ghost flirts with taking the corporeal form of a great Paper Mario-style game but it never fully materialises. The heart is definitely there, with some great music and environments to go along with adorable little ghost characters, but a shallow battle system, a meandering narrative, and fuzzy presentation left us wanting in just about every ghostly regard.
In Aka, you get to be a cute hero in a pretty landscape, taking naps and strolling through trees. So dreamy! It's just a shame the game has launched with this many bugs. The frequent stalling of progression and basic tasks is a little wearisome and players need a little more paw-holding to grasp the objectives. At this stage we'd recommend waiting for a few more patches, then playing the game in all its fluffy glory. That way, you get to soak up a red panda's life of luxury. Who wouldn't want that?
The fact that Resident Evil 7 performed so poorly when other cloud entries have been comparatively strong really brings home the fact that, although mileage may vary, these issues are completely out of your control. On our evidence, there’s simply no way we can recommend Resident Evil 7 to Switch owners, even if it’s the only option available. It’s a great game utterly ruined by awful performance, and yet more evidence for cloud gaming skeptics that the tech just isn't yet consistent enough to be viable.
Aliisha: The Oblivion of Twin Goddesses is a bright and colourful co-op puzzle adventure that brings some unique and interesting ideas to the table. There are some decent puzzles, likeable characters, a reasonably engaging story, and we love to see games going out on a limb to incorporate the Switch's abilities into their setup. However, there's an overall clunkiness and lack of polish here, too, with little to no obvious direction in most puzzles, and far too much focus on meticulously studying every inch of rooms, resulting in an adventure that's too often an exercise in frustration. It's a shame as well that co-op mode is only available via local play that requires two consoles and two copies of the game, as going it solo is a much less enjoyable experience. Admirable, then, but flawed.
There is a good game in Paper Cut Mansion, but it would need at least a year polishing and refining what's here to make it worthwhile. As it is, the interesting concept and excellent art direction can't make up for shallow gameplay and clunky mechanics. Nothing in this game is terrible, but there are far better roguelites out there to spend your time and money on.
Chained Echoes is a wonderful mash-up of '90s JRPG tropes, masterfully woven together to produce an experience that feels simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. A well-paced story, unconventional progression system, tactical combat system, and expansive world all come together to make for a game that is shockingly one of the very best RPGs that we've played this year. Really, there's no place where it feels like Chained Echoes drops the ball, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the vast majority of it was put together by one person. If you consider yourself a fan of JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up as soon as possible. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, we'd still encourage you to snap this one up; it stands as a shining example of everything that makes RPGs great.
There are few games out there that successfully capture childlike wonder and imagination better than Lil Gator Game. Despite some minor issues with the writing and how directionless the adventure can feel at times, it's easy to forgive small frustrations when a game is as wonderfully charming from start to finish as this. Lil Gator is up there with the best indie games released this year and comes with a recommendation for anyone remotely interested in feeling like a kid again.
River City Girls 2 is more River City Girls, feeling less like a full-fledged sequel and more like a RCG 1.5. Switch-related performance issues aside, it was still a great time to return to River City thanks to its phenomenal music and voice acting, sharp writing, gorgeous sprite work, fun new characters, and satisfying combo-based gameplay, but at launch it feels a patch or two away from greatness. If you loved the original as we did, you're bound to like this follow-up, and we hope the team at Wayforward gets more time and money to really expand the series for a third entry.
The main issue, however, is the game's performance, with some levels (such as the train) feeling like they play in slow motion at times. We also experienced crashes a few times throughout our post-patch playthrough — and we had to wait for the day one update thanks to the constant crashing of the unpatched version. Hopefully things will continue to improve over time, but if you happen to get a physical copy of the game, make sure you update it.
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is everything that we hoped this remake would be. It takes a great game once shackled to handheld-only hardware and brings it forth to a new generation with a fresh coat of paint. Though some may be put off by its mission-based gameplay structure or the sometimes ridiculous writing, its excellent combat, gorgeous presentation, and heartfelt narrative combine to make this one that no RPG fan will want to miss out on, especially those who were fans of Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a fantastic addition to the Switch's ever-growing library of great RPGs, we'd advise you to give this one a go.
Wavetale is a gentle, easygoing game that suits players who don't want to strain themselves, as its quick runtime ensures the play doesn't dry up. We enjoyed skidding around on the ocean and swinging from great heights with our grappling hook. We only wished the camera movement and other mechanics were a little smoother. The game is nonetheless pretty fun – after all, it's hard not to enjoy surfing through a picturesque, water-filled landscape. While we've played far better games, we felt like this short title was still a good one to dip your toes into.
Papetura is a million miles away from being a blockbuster movie, yet it shares the same sense of intense energy and craft, which it distils into each second of its game time. Every crease and scrunch of its scenery and characters is shining with Ostafin’s passion. Its rudimentary and vague story, very brief running time, and control niggles do hold it back slightly, but nothing can completely overshadow its captivating presentation.
Romancing SaGa – Minstrel Song – Remastered ambitions and achievements still feel fresh today. The open-world system is remarkably well-implemented and the multiple-protagonist approach feels modern even in a game that has been on the market for decades, but control issues, the vague nature of the game, and a slow progression system drag it down. Unfortunately, this is a cult classic JRPG that is less than the sum of its parts.