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It's easy to see why this was such a polarizing title upon release. There's a lot to love here, but Legend of Mana can be tiring in how much it likes to play 'hard to get'. All the ingredients and individual pieces of a strong, impressively innovative RPG are present, but it feels like the developers simply tossed all these ideas in a bag and shook it vigorously, rather than taking the time to lay out all those ideas in a coherent and curated fashion. We'd give this one a recommendation, but only to fans of the genre, specifically those who prefer more experimental titles. If that doesn't describe you, there's still a good chance you'll find something to like about Legend of Mana, but just be aware it may be more of a mixed bag.
We can't pretend this isn't a disappointment. After promises of updates and improvements to this classic title, what we've got is something that we'd honestly not recommend to either prospective new fans or enthusiasts of the original Alex Kidd. We're inclined to think this may have been something of a rushed release, but that's pure speculation based on some of the more lax features (there's a lot of new dialogue but almost all of it is awkwardly written, with typos and errors). Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is not horrible by any means, and you might have fun with it until you run up against its irritating issues - unless you use infinite lives, in which case you'll finish the game in two hours, tops. If this was supposed to be Alex Kidd's big comeback, we're sad to say that we don't think we'll be seeing that Alex Kidd: High-Tech World remake any time soon.
Throughout LEGO Builder's Journey, we found that the aim of the game was to make you feel like a kid - whether or not you are one. Getting back in touch with the pre-manual-following version of yourself is a delight, and having the story be about a parent and a child connecting through child's play is as touching as it is smart. Despite occasional misfires and what can feel like padding, this is a LEGO game which plays with the fundamental philosophy of creativity far more than the average LEGO-branded title, and we hope this is an indication of new games to come.
Where 80 Days was about the broad implications of travelling the entire globe, Overboard! focuses instead on the minutiae of a single day, and the intricacies of interaction. It's a glorious study in how to create a delicate Rube Goldberg machine of dialogue and dependencies, as a cast of mostly terrible people waltz around each other with ulterior motives and pre-existing feelings about everything, including our Veronica and dear, departed Malcolm. It's excellent: play it.
The Persistence is a unique and unsettling sci-fi horror roguelite that does an excellent job of transferring its tense atmosphere and absorbing gameplay loops from its original VR form to the Nintendo Switch. There are tons of weapons and toys to tool around with as you run the gauntlet, the permanent aspects of the gameplay are refreshingly generous and survival mode and New Game+ provide a properly stiff challenge for those who prefer their roguelites to be tough as nails. Firesprite Games has done a fantastic job of porting the entire ghoulish affair over to Switch, with flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes; overall, this is another very strong addition to the console's ever-expanding collection of excellent roguelite experiences.
We were, as you can tell from the body of this review, consistently frustrated with Beautiful Desolation, another ambitious and lovely-looking game whose Switch incarnation just wasn't an acceptable way to experience it - shades of Genesis Noir's port (though that was better). It's especially unfortunate because this is exactly the sort of different that the Switch needs, but it needs to run better than what's on offer here. If you can muscle past the problematic controls, excessive loading and weak performance, you may be able to get into Beautiful Desolation. There is a lot to like in its worldbuilding, gorgeous backgrounds and interesting premise. But we felt like it just asked us to overlook way, way too many problems for the privilege.
With so many games featuring death and destruction, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a breath of fresh air. Much like Pokémon Snap, its focus on observation is a welcome change of pace, and it never feels like the underlying message is being shoved down our throats. At 2-3 hours in length, our only wish is that it lasted a bit longer, but with its relaxing tone and simple gameplay, this is one we suspect you’ll go back to again and again.
This is thoroughly absorbing piece of fiction that manages to justify being a video game by virtue of skillfully integrated choices and missable content, making multiple playthroughs a potentially appealing prospect. The voice acting throughout is extremely impressively performed, the UI and controls are nearly perfect and the art is beautifully drawn, though we felt the characters could use a few more poses/expressions at times. Anyone interested in a ripping virtual novel yarn -. and who isn't tediously prejudiced against any and all 'furry' content - will find a lot to love in Winds of Change.
Ultimately, the gameplay just feels a bit slapstick, with messy movement, erratic ball controls, and shoddy AI. Its simplicity is immediately appealing, with quick matches allowing for short sessions while you’re out and about, but even with its quirky visual style, the liberties taken with its gameplay makes Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe a tough game to recommend.
Hurt only by the Switch's take on its visuals, Mundaun delivers above and beyond its appearances and offers a robust, constantly compelling adventure game. It isn't particularly scary, but it is rich in atmosphere and hosts plenty of gameplay variety and good ideas. We found that it never compromised its tone or fell foul of any gameplay glitches, although as mentioned the visuals aren't quite up to snuff. It's a minor thing, though, as Mundaun should keep your attention from beginning to, well, one or more of its multiple endings.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection gets off to a promising start on Switch with a decent port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma that performs well in both docked and handheld modes. However, as soon as you boot up parts two and three it's all downhill, with dynamic resolution resulting in a pixelated mess in places as the frame rate consistently struggles to keep up with the action. All we needed here was a solid, no-frills port and this collection would have been an instant recommendation. As things stand, it's a disappointing experience that needs patching ASAP and should be the last version you opt for if you've got the choice to play elsewhere.
Game Builder Garage is a frighteningly powerful game creation tool dragged down by a few limiting factors. The lack of an object creation tool (and pyramids) means that most games are going to look like they were made in a game creation suite, but the sheer scope of what's possible helps to take the sting out of the tail. This will actually teach you how to make games, the tutorials that lead you through are by-and-large excellent, and the inclusion of USB mouse support is a godsend. We're probably unable to even conceive of half of what Switch owners will be able to create using this software, but we're certain this is going to help propagate the next generation of game developers.
This game didn't need to be a roguelike, and the quirks of its structure cast a bit of a pall over the entire product. There's an abundance of content here, with multiple campaigns per faction and plenty of scope for tactics... but enough of it falls into the category of "luck of the draw" that it's somewhat outrageous just how much essentially unchanged content it makes you play through over and over again when you fail - or even when you succeed. Warhammer fans will likely enjoy the lore drip-feed and typically portentous writing, but everyone else should probably steer clear of Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground. An impressive game for sure, but not in the way that counts most.
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power could have easily been a disaster; a cheap cash-in with little or no merit. Thankfully, it's actually a surprisingly comprehensive and satisfying experience that fans of the show will absolutely love. There are plenty of characters to interact with, an excellent shopping feature, and lots of fun little tasks to keep you occupied. Don't get us wrong, the game knows its target audience and caters to that younger demographic, so older gamers may not gel with the overall tone and simplistic gameplay. However, kids who might not yet be ready for the 'grimdark' ("MARTHA!") DCEU, this might be the perfect alternative.
World's End Club has some good ideas and a lot of heart, but it ultimately doesn't come together as anything particularly notable. Though World's End Club looks and sounds great, the monotonous platforming sections and hit-and-miss storytelling really drag the overall experience down. We'd give this game a light recommendation to fans of visual novels, but otherwise you're better served playing the various better visual novels and puzzle platformers already on Switch. This is the very definition of 'okay'.
Other than the overly chaotic nature of the action, Mighty Goose is a visual treat, oozing style with its character and environmental design. The companions are also well realised, and can actually be played by a second person via co-op, although their abilities are arguably far inferior to Mighty Goose itself. Regardless, whether you play on your own or with a friend, Mighty Goose is a blast, and while it’s a bit short-lived at three-to-four hours, it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re up for some over-the-top run 'n' gun action.
With a great variety of environments, simple gameplay, and a strong line-up of enemies, Astalon: Tears of the Earth turns out to be one of the more successful action platformers we’ve seen in recent months. It will likely only last a handful of hours, but there’s a lot here to love, and it's a relative no-brainer if you’re a fan of high fantasy Metroidvanias.
Ultimately, Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash is a fighting game fan's fighting game - its primary audiences are 'refugees from Street Fighter V' and 'people who have nostalgia for Street Fighter EX'. Players in these two groups will find themselves very much at home with this game, especially since the fighting engine is so solid, and some of the characters are just offbeat enough to make it interesting. But considering it's so dependent on online play, with barely existent single player content, it's difficult to recommend to more casual players. It is, however, free to download, so you've got nothing to lose by giving it a try.
Exploring Sludge Life's perfectly-sized world simply doesn't get old and the game runs well enough to make you forget about its occasionally-finicky first-person platforming sections. There's plenty to see and do, find and utilise, and multiple endings to seek out. It won't outstay its welcome and we've got no doubt you'll want to return to Sludge Life just to vibe inside its fascinating little world again - when it's done, you won't feel like you've seen enough quite yet. It's certainly not perfect but it's a life, alright, and an enjoyable one.
Super Bomberman R Online joins many of its peers as the latest classic franchise to receive a battle royale twist. It's not entirely successful, with technical issues including freezing during gameplay and awfully long waits to get into matches alongside a battle pass and microtransaction system that just doesn't fit in with the nature of the game. Underneath all the added padding, however, is the same classic Bomberman gameplay that's tweaked to fit 64 players, making it an experience that you should, at the very least, download and try out. It's free Bomberman, after all.