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Despite its shortcomings, The DioField Chronicle is still a solid tactical RPG experience with enough JRPG tropes to interest fans of both genres. The unique gameplay provides plenty of challenge, though it can require a lot of grinding to keep pace with the difficulty curve. The art style is beautiful both in and out of combat but the characters and plot fail to live up to the same standard. In this case, its ambition outstretched its means and it fell just short of where it wanted to be.
Still, these aren't major issues. In fact, we can’t think of a legitimate reason not to recommend OneShot: World Machine Edition to anyone with a passing interest in point-and-click adventures. There are, after all, much worse ways to spend an afternoon or two than guiding Niko through one of the most endearing and creative indie titles available on the Switch.
In a series renowned for its stellar writing, twisting plots, and wonderful characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a stand-out RPG. Narrowing the focus of its story to one state, and honing in on a smaller cast of characters, makes for a fantastic and engrossing adventure that is about both intimate relationships and huge, secretive scandals. The fact that this is just one half of a duology means that, while the story wraps up nicely here, we have tons of questions that we're itching to get answers to in Trails to Azure. If you haven't played Trails, it's time to overcome that barrier, because there's no better place to zero in on this fantastic series than in Crossbell.
Clarifying Radiant Silvergun's place in the genre is trivial in light of its achievement. It remains, despite its uncompromising nature, deservedly celebrated. The game wears its hardcore credentials on its sleeve, and its depth in both technical and artistic terms is astonishing. As stimulating and rewarding as it is exhausting, it's a labour that has transcended not only the genre but the medium to some degree. Regardless of its difficulty - and in that difficulty, its lack of immediate connection - those who learn to fell the game proper can say they truly lived Radiant Silvergun. That's an experience worth fighting for.
Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is an excellent entry in this quirky new franchise, pulling together a darker story, a new battle mechanic, and that ever-present cozy atmosphere to make for a hypnotizing and immersive experience. Though some may be miffed at this being yet another one of these games in a relatively short window, we feel that Yoko Taro and company have moved the series forward another (single) step with this new entry. If you enjoyed the last couple of games or are just looking for a new JRPG that doesn't require a ton of investment, we would certainly give this one a recommendation; it's easily worth both your time and money.
It may not last terribly long, but Jack Move manages to pack in all the important elements needed for an excellent cyberpunk JRPG adventure. The inventive battle system, enchanting world, and appealing graphics all come together to make for a perfectly paced, gripping, and memorable release that no RPG fan will want to miss out on, and that goes double for time-poor genre aficionados. It's not often that you see a JRPG that leans so hard into science fiction tropes, and Jack Move makes the most of every minute of its runtime. Highly recommended.
NBA 2K23 makes the inevitable downgrades and cuts that we see every year with this franchise on Nintendo's console and, just like other last-gen versions of the game, it's also missing both The City and the brand new MyNBA Eras. Loading times can be frustrating, and 30fps basketball feels noticeably stodgier than the 60fps found in other versions. However, if you can put up with these necessary downgrades and slight technical shortcomings, this is still a solid port of a superb basketball sim that's stuffed full of enough content to see fans through another season.
Even without the endgame content, Temtem is worth a look for anyone who has enjoyed a Pokémon game in the last two-and-a-half decades, especially those who have wanted a steeper challenge to go along with their critter collecting. It's a familiar, imitative experience in so many ways, yet we came away satisfied with just about every tweak made to the well-established formula. Sure, the main quest becomes a bit of a slog, and yes, the Nintendo Switch does struggle to keep up at times. Despite these qualms, Temtem's engaging battles enshrine it as one of the most innovative additions to the genre in recent memory.
As much as we adored the charming back-and-forth between Ivan and the General, we also began to lose interest in Ivan’s predicament near the end. There’s no narrative payoff here, no greater meaning or memorable conclusion that sticks with you. In Little Orpheus, The Chinese Room flirts with providing a more engaging experience that never quite materialises, made all the more apparent by the lack of puzzles intuitive enough to give us the barest hint of a dopamine-laced ‘aha!’ moment or a chase sequence or two with enough challenge to make us sit up on our sofa. That aside, the richly detailed worlds and superb presentation provide just enough reason to see Ivan's tall tale through to the end, but we ended up wishing there was more on both the puzzling and narrative fronts.
As a whole, Tinykin is more than just a wholesome, stress-free 3D platformer or 'Pikmin Lite'; it's a lesson in appreciating the simple things in life, including the help from those around you. Even with a mass of collectables and a free-flowing storyline to follow, Tinykin never feels cluttered or overwhelming. Despite feeling a lot like a certain Nintendo series when you first pick it up, the game has enough of a unique identity to separate itself from the pack, offering a pleasant, pure platforming spin on Pikmin.
Made in Abyss is an odd game to recommend; the gameplay is great once you unlock the mode that actually features it, but until then you're stuck having to trudge through a stripped-down, too-long-for-what-it-is easy mode that isn't actually easy. If you aren't willing to do that, you won't get to play the actual game that makes the price tag worth it. For those who do make it past that hurdle, the survival mechanics are well-implemented, the character progression is satisfying, and this is overall a perfectly enjoyable release. We wouldn't necessarily recommend you pick up Made in Abyss, nor would we say you should pass on it outright; it's an interesting game with plenty of redeeming qualities, but it's gonna make you work to see them in ways that feel unnecessary.
We really like BPM; it’s a great game, but perhaps it’s one best experienced on another platform — especially if you play in docked mode.
Splatoon 3 is more of the same, but refined to borderline mechanical perfection. It's the most fun we've had with an online shooter in years, and for series veterans it makes Splatoon 2 feel entirely redundant for all but its unique single-player content. It feels like the development team has solved every problem the Splatoon community was bleating on about, and then fixed some more that we didn't even realise were problems until they were fixed. There's nothing revolutionary about it compared to its predecessors, and it's perhaps missing a Big New Idea™ that you might expect after five years, but Splatoon 3 is the pinnacle of the series, and the pinnacle of shooters on Switch.
Beyond the ability to collect minifigs and customise your character — something that does nothing to really change up the actual battling at the heart of it all — there's very, very little here to sink your teeth into. It all ends up feeling like a rather poor free-to-play mobile game, and one that doesn't perform very well on Nintendo's hardware.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a frictionless, relaxing spin on life sims that manages to remain heartwarming and charming, despite a few Switch-related rough patches. Dreamlight Valley's unique identity relies heavily on fresh interactions with your in-game friends, and Gameloft will need to continue supporting it with regular updates to keep the Night Thorns from creeping back in. However, what's here at launch is surprisingly touching and thoughtful, and cleverly plays on the nostalgia of anyone who's ever been a Disney fan.
Although Circus Electrique has its intriguing quirks, with the reliance on devotion and the occasional circus-management opportunity, too many flaws accompany them. With most of its story revolving around combat, it soon becomes an annoyance rather than an enjoyable element. The game does offer refreshing and unique twists on the genre; still, there's a lack of drive to keep you wanting to fight through London's steampunk streets. The story grips you initially, but it takes a while to develop and a lot of the initial dialogue is wasted on family feuds which offer no real substance. To fans of turn-based strategy and those who loved Darkest Dungeon, Circus Electrique may be more enjoyable, but it's a little too disjointed and repetitive to recommend wholeheartedly.
While you won't find an Evo-calibre fighting game here depth-wise, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R is miles ahead of your typical 3D-arena anime fighter affair. It would be a hard game to recommend to someone unfamiliar with the franchise, as without the fan service aspect you're left with a basic fighter with some barebones modes. However, for those who adore JoJo, it's an excellent example of how to do fan service right, and one where you can feel the love and adoration of the franchise's 35-year history flowing through every part of the package.
At $12.99, this package could have been slightly cheaper, primarily because Super Space Serpent SE is the main attraction and Perpetuum Mobile feels like a B-side bonus. Neither title is going to redefine your expectations of what an indie game can achieve, but if you enjoy classic score attack arcade games like Robotron, and can’t get enough of Minter-esque trippy audio-visual combinations, you’ll enjoy sinking a couple of hours into climbing the leaderboards — but probably not much more.
Though it has some flaws, City Wars proves itself to be an impressive and immensely enjoyable roguelike deckbuilder that stands out well from the pack. The interesting track system for card placement creates gameplay mechanics you can't find in any other card battler while the persistent progression system ensures that you're always getting something out of every run. Though the low enemy variety and sometimes weak AI can dampen things a bit, and it's not exactly a looker, the depth of the strategic gameplay keeps City Wars feeling fresh and interesting as you go back for yet another run. We'd recommend anyone with an interest or inclination towards card games add this one to their Switch library; there's lots to love about City Wars and it's worth both your time and money.
While the banter has a certain amount of charm, for us it became wearisome somewhat quickly. There’s almost too much of it. You can’t ignore NPCs entirely — there are times when you need pointers — but most offer no useful information whatsoever, and are only there to serve up yet another ba-dum-tss moment. Developer Fuz, who appears in-game as a townsperson, clearly thinks of themselves as a witticist, and that’s fine — just be aware that if you tire of the humour, you’ll tire of the game.