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Pathway still overall does a great job of feeling like a procedurally generated Indiana Jones adventure, as you take a motley crew of 1930s adventurers on a quest to beat the crap out of Nazis and prevent cultists from unleashing doom. The variety of options, whether it's the lengthy list of characters, possible events, or combat scenarios, help make this game a joy to play and even revisit. There might only be five campaigns, but the well-done procedural generation makes each run unique enough to warrant a repeat viewing.
Another issue is that there's no local co-op option; every player needs to have their own game and Switch console. Regardless, any Bomberman fan should be picking this one up. I can readily admit that I fall into that camp, and I've been having a blast.
I'm floored by how much I enjoy Knockout City. Despite the first trailer for the game being a bad way to sell the concept of the game, I always thought it looked good. I never would have guessed that Knockout City would be excellent. I haven't had this much fun with my Switch or any other game console this year. Velan Studios has made an outstanding experience in Knockout City.
It's debatable as to whether or not playing this remake would trump playing the original, which makes the remake feel a little less special. Luckily, if you go physical, you can make that decision for yourself. Either way, this remake is good, even if it's overall lower in the rankings of Wonder Boy revivals.
Regrettably, the Switch port just isn't up to par. Between long loading and controls that border on unusable, playing it is ultimately frustrating. While I appreciate the effort to adapt from PC to console, in this instance the change just doesn't work with the existing structure.
The idea of Trenga Unlimited seems neat at face value, as it twists the concept of a 3D Tetris game. While it’s certainly cute, the game never meaningfully clicked with me and after wrapping up the short story mode and spending time with the multiplayer and survival modes, I don’t know if more content could salvage the underlying mechanics.
With great visuals, a novel gimmick, and well-designed puzzles, Backworlds is sure to be an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre. Unfortunately, the issues plaguing the drawing controls ultimately get in the way of a fairly solid package. If you don't mind adapting to a slightly awkward control scheme, Backworlds is a very good title that is well worth your time.
While Maneater isn't the best RPG or action title I've ever played, it very well could be the best shark game I've ever encountered. Smooth controls, collectibles and exploration, and top-notch animations make ruling the water as a great white shark all the better, but a middling, campy story with monotonous gameplay and light RPG mechanics sink this otherwise visceral shark-action title.
Online leaderboards would have been a nice inclusion, and it's hard not to feel like the basic premise of the game isn't taken much further in later stages than earlier ones. Still, even playing alone I had a lot of fun shuttling cars around the different stages, and the potential for chaos and uproarious laughter in multiplayer is very, very high. Just be prepared to fight the driving controls as much as you fight for parking spaces.
The Famicom Detective Club has the feel of a modern adventure game, even if the gameplay still dates back to a time when I was in grade school. It's well voiced, looks great, and is a good if brief ride that shouldn't tire you out before we fall back in time about a century and a half in a couple of months.
There isn't anything else beyond the 60 stages, but that doesn't take away from Tiger Trio's Tasty Travels. This is just a super cute puzzle game that does a good job of being gentle while not necessarily letting up on the difficulty. Mirroring the goals of the puzzles, this is a game that figured out the most efficient way to deliver a cute programming puzzle game to the Nintendo Switch.
The Famicom Detective Club has the feel of a modern adventure game, even if the gameplay still dates back to a time when I was in grade school. It's well voiced, looks great, and is a good if brief ride that shouldn't tire you out before we fall back in time about a century and a half in a couple of months.
There are also other small features that I appreciated, such as the ability to turn off the Japanese voice acting for every character or just for the protagonist, which I made use of because while I liked hearing the other characters' voices, for some reason the protagonist's was oddly distracting. I also very much appreciated the ability to switch back and forth between the new arranged soundtrack and the original Famicom chiptunes, as I found myself constantly flipping back and forth just to hear the differences. If you like yourself a fun junk-food mystery, or you're just curious about this game finally hitting western shores after 33 years, you will probably be happy spending your time with Ayumi and company.
Everything about the production, from the pixel art and color selection to the catchy chiptunes, will make you think you're playing a lost Game Boy game. Christophe Galati really knocked it out of the park. I just wish the gameplay was a little more interesting! Despite my misgivings, I really do enjoy Save Me Mr. Tako, and if you're nostalgic for the golden age of handheld gaming, this game absolutely delivers in spades.
Even without online leaderboards, it's a game designed for speedrunning. The distinctive look and feel make it stand out overall. If you're looking for a dope, stylish runner, look no further than this never-yielding game.
The wildly popular Persona franchise likely wouldn't be what it is today without Nocturne's influence, and as a fan of both series I'm incredibly excited to see this classic title be rediscovered by a new generation. I can't help but feel let down by the poor audio compression for the soundtrack, but ultimately that was just as much of a problem in 2003 as it is now. This is the best way to play Nocturne, and I think any fan of classic JRPGs owes it to themself to do exactly that.
Even the optional treasure rooms that are unlocked by engaging in a final duel at the end of every stage fail to provide enough risk for their reward-I went for them on each level and never failed (Did that make me too powerful?). Although I'm filled with questions about the validity of Jetboard Joust's roguelite status, it plays well enough and can likely provide solid entertainment in short bursts. Fans of classic arcade games may dig this new twist on the high-scoring chasing arcade shooter, but after one full run through, I've had "joust" about enough Jetboarding to last a lifetime.
All the pieces are here for an excellent entry level space sim but the horrible economy just drags the entire experience to a halt and makes it feel like much more of a grind than it ought to be. With some very small changes Space Commander could be excellent. As is, it will have some appeal to enthusiasts like myself, but for most there will be other space sims on Switch that will scratch the same itch much better.
Designed around unique mechanics and smart ideas, Shoot 1UP DX is a cut above most standard shooters. Developer Mommy's Best Games has successfully recaptured the magic that older Japanese shmups produced. If you're willing to turn your brain off for an hour, Shoot 1UP DX provides the type of mindless, dumb fun that helped make the shmup genre so popular in the first place.
Subnautica is a survival and narrative experience that stands as a benchmark for the genre. The Switch version itself certainly has its drawbacks, but not enough to weigh down the experience too much. Some of them do admittedly affect gameplay mildly, but the strength of Subnautica still pushes through.