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Though it's an improvement on its predecessor, Fairy Tail 2 is still the epitome of a middle-of-the-road licensed game. It doesn't do anything exceptionally great or innovative, nor does it have any issues or shortcomings that significantly drag it down. Despite poor plot pacing, shallow mechanics, and some lacklustre performance, the lively combat system, rewarding exploration, and heartwarming character interactions ultimately make this one worthwhile. We'd recommend Fairy Tail 2 to franchise fans who played the previous RPG, though newcomers should be more wary of jumping straight in. It isn't a 'run out and buy it immediately' release, but you likely won't be disappointed if or when you do get around to it.
The Thing: Remastered is another splendid remaster from Nightdive. There's absolutely no issue with the enhancements, control tweaks, and other work that's been done here; it's the game itself, unfortunately, that for well over half of its running time leaves much to be desired. A good start, one that digs into the paranoia and fear of the classic movie with a handful of unique mechanics, is all too soon wasted as tension gives way to sloppy gunfights that aren't fun, no matter how smooth they now play or nice they look. It's certainly still a curiosity, and fans of the movie or returning players will enjoy the nostalgia. But beyond that, it doesn't warrant a hearty recommendation.
Though its expressive fix-'em-up modules and its detailed manual made us want to love the game, we left Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop feeling frustrated, having been beaten down repeatedly by punishing, sadistic mechanics and unfriendly controls. It's not a great sign when you come away from a roguelite not thinking "One more go," but rather, "Please, no more."
This remaster treatment faithfully cleans up the visuals, adds some quality-of-life improvements, and stuffs the package with bonus materials, presenting the games at their best, notwithstanding some minor visual bugs.
It's the kind of game that's tailor-made to the tastes of a specific and narrow group of players - if you happen to be the kind of person for whom it ‘works’, you’ll be thrilled at the experience here and probably won’t be able to put it down.
Fantasian Neo Dimension is Hironobu Sakaguchi and Mistwalker at their boldest and bravest, culminating in a JRPG love letter that both delights and frustrates. The stunning world and exploration are a true highlight, and the challenging and rewarding combat will enchant some, but it lacks some of the magic that the game is aiming for and the pacing is uneven. Normal difficulty makes things more accessible for the curious, but make no mistake, this is an RPG for those who want to lose themselves in the mechanics.
The awful music aside, Fitness Boxing 3 brings some much-needed variety to what could have been another by-the-numbers release with new songs and not much else. The Sit Fit Boxing and Mitt Drills modes give options to those who want to be less or more active respectively, and the extra trainer options are ideal for players who like to pretend they're dealing with an actual person. And even better, because Mitt Drills isn't rhythm-based, you can put your headphones on and listen to your own tunes.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a perfectly enjoyable narrative adventure, but one which we'd strongly suggest you play elsewhere unless Switch is your only means. Timeline-hopping antics, a compelling murder mystery, and a cosy atmosphere all work strongly in this one's favour, but the Switch's hardware limitations lead to an experience that feels notably blunted due to the various visual cuts that had to be made to fit this one on the humble handheld. The story itself is a fine adventure that fans (especially of the first entry) may find worthwhile, but the value proposition on Switch makes it harder to justify that $50 price tag. We wouldn't say to outright avoid the Switch version, but we'd suggest you wait for a deep sale before diving in.
Overall, as a port to the Switch, the Raven Remastered is a great introduction to the mystery adventure genre. Minor graphical quirks and nasty-looking faces aside, this is a well-developed story with well-integrated gameplay.
There isn’t a huge amount to dislike about Debris Infinity. Being limited to three similar modes may mean that it has the potential to become stale, but we found the variety in gameplay elements pushed us to beat our own scores and strive to progress further, with repeat playthroughs.
In review, Heroes Trials is criminally short, but cuts the fat of many RPGs and gets straight down to the action. If you’re looking for a game to storm through that has solid combat, puzzles, and exploration, you might just find it here.
Overall, Inops offers great puzzle-platforming action. Its creative style, mixed in with some decent platforming and an intuitive way to solve environmental puzzles makes it a bit of a gem.
In review, Utopia 9 offers a volatile experience, indeed. The roguelike elements are fun, and on a good run can lead to some decent action, but with a weak aesthetic and somewhat slow combat, this won’t be for everyone. Good for multiplayer co-op, though.
Divine Dynamo Flamefrit's Pinnochio-esque journey from a throwaway internet joke to a full-fledged real game is commendable in itself. However, the fact that it's as enjoyable as it is may be an even sweeter victory. It doesn't reinvent the wheel in any respect, and its limited action-adventure game mechanics are just about as basic as they come, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is more than satisfying and flashy enough to make up for it. Couple that with a keen sense of humour and a flurry of nostalgic aesthetic callbacks to classic anime and old-school RPGs, and you have quite the gem of a title. Just try to savour those fleeting few hours of runtime as much as you can.
Combat and progression are the best parts of Nine Sols, and they manage to rub away the blemishes occasionally found in the game's map design and exploration. It's a really great blend of systems from other games with a fantastic revenge narrative. While aspects of the world design and 'Taopunk' style feel mismatched, there is always another enemy around the corner to fight, reminding you just how good the core gameplay is.
Loco Motive combines wit, charm, smarts, and its own brand of pixel art perfection to provide a point-and-click murder mystery that's well worthy of its predecessors. The game's state at launch is a little too marred by bugs for an unqualified recommendation on Switch, but give it time and we think it'll be right back on track.
Though it isn't much of an upgrade over its predecessor, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 offers an enjoyable and simple puzzle gaming experience which cleverly links with the first game's story and feels well worthwhile. Satisfying gameplay variety and well-drawn, 32-bit-style graphics are the strong points here, though its relative simplicity and occasionally frustrating puzzle solutions are minor drawbacks. There's lots to love here, though, especially if you're a fan of the first game, and it feels like it fills a niche in the Switch library that few other puzzle games occupy.
8-Bit Adventures 2 is an exquisitely crafted RPG epic that any fan of classic (and we mean classic) RPGs will appreciate for its adherence to the conventions of games of the era. With gorgeous pixel art, a satisfying battle style with as much challenge as variety, and a story that both honours and subverts RPG tropes, there's so much to love. However, it doesn't always respect your time and the lack of some modern conveniences - auto-battle, an auto-scroll for dialogue, any real way to point you towards your goal or remind you of the story so far - could make this a journey that many get lost on before reaching the end.
Little Big Adventure was always a charming and eccentric game. In modernising it, 2.21 had to ditch the trademark control scheme and revamp the wonderful isometric graphics – two major selling points. What remains is still charismatic, but bugs and a general lack of polish hold it back. Both for new players and for original fans, this is a quirky adventure game – but not one that will be remembered for another 30 years.
Stray won't challenge you, frustrate you, or take up too much of your time. Perhaps that's why we enjoyed it so much. It plays like an open-world point-and-click paired with largely on-rails action sequences. Some minor gripes and expected disparities between the Switch port and versions elsewhere aside, as we sauntered around its post-apocalyptic environments on all fours, Stray did an impeccable job of making us want to talk to everyone and explore everything it had to offer – and we had an appetite for more once it was all over. To us, that's the mark of a compelling adventure.