Cubed3's Reviews
Aksys has brought across another winner and hopefully, they will continue to do so as the Switch has become a wonderful home for visual novels. Like most Otome games there is drastically different quality between the individual stories, with some feeling like filler to pad out the game. But good stories here are so good, it really sets it apart, with those routes managing to land on every emotional level. Steamy romantic moments, heartbreaking moments, touching tear-jerking, genuinely funny comedy. This combined with a cast of suitors that cover off just about every otome archetype makes for a must-buy for anyone wanting to embrace their inner Fujoshi.
Riders Republic has managed to tweak the majority of small gripes that were in place in an already fun beta release and in its final version, given gamers easily the best extreme sports simulator on the market - ironically done by embracing the craziness of the sports themselves and making events increasingly zanier as progression is made. For purists, they will find the type of experience that will link them in memory, back to the seasons of being out there on the trails and slopes (or in the air if anyone has actually tried that mental gliding thing). For the stay-at-home gamer, this really is as close as it feels to being out there with the added enjoyment of the extreme element pushed to its… well, extreme, all without a scraped knee or full reconstructive surgery in sight.
Highly addictive and packed with personality, Cannon Brawl targets a specific niche being a merger of real-time strategy, funds balancing, and Tower Defence, and will undoubtedly be worth the investment not only for fans of those genres, but newcomers to it as well.
In terms of content, Death's Gambit justifies a purchase, especially now with Death's Gambit: Afterlife, and the new stuff that it has added, along with some refining here and there. Having said that, this is probably a big, nicely designed, fun… ok. It's an ok blend of the exploration found in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, served along a combat philosophy, and an overall vibe that takes its cue from Dark Souls. Nothing is bad, but nothing is great either. Ok. Fans of either "genres" can find better metroidvania/soulslike cocktails nowadays.
Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird's Tale draws elements from point-and-click adventures, visual novels, and turn-based RPGS, blending them with a whimsical world and sympathetic characters to make a wonderful story. The battle system, while at times too difficult, adds flavour and action to the point-and-click formula that some might otherwise find slow, and the characters and their stories pique the player's interest and keep them wanting to dig in more and keep the story going. Where a lot of point-and-clicks feel slapped together to make a quick experience, this is a rare gem that feels like it was designed from the ground up to be exactly what it is. It doesn't try too hard, it doesn't cram in aspects from other genres in ways that don't fit. Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird's Tale is a wonderful story, built into a game that tells it wonderfully.
An utter disappointment, for fans and newcomers alike. For the newcomers, this is more likely to dissuade potential interest in a series that is so much better than this. For fans of the series, this not only does not do any of the adaptations - be it light novel, manga, or anime - justice, but it is a terrible adaptation. Low quality. Low budget. Just embarrassing, especially considering how long this has been in production. It's hard to think of anyone to recommend this for. It's flawed and forgettable in every way.
DARQ: Complete Edition is a very curious and compelling living nightmare. Fans of puzzle adventures games like Myst or Broken Sword will find the alluring mystery and quandaries to solve to be very satisfying. The art direction is impressive, and for a title that was developed by an incredibly small team, it is comparable to mid-level developed indie creations. It is simplicity in a very pure form, and that is why it works so well... at least when it doesn't glitch.
Exit the Gungeon does a charming job at taking the original's core gameplay loop, and flipping it on its head, but the follow up is more glorified mini-game than it is spin-off. The controls are mechanically tight, and the emphasis on dodge rolling compliments the vertical level design well, but losing the dungeon crawling that defined Enter the Gungeon (and subsequently the thrill of finding secrets) is a tremendous loss. An emphasis on RNG also makes it difficult to enjoy the gunplay, as most weapons gone as soon as they appear. Exit the Gungeon may have Enter the Gungeon's chaos, but it lacks its soul.
For the Monster Truck fanatics in attendance, those that know the difference between "Hook Up" and "Hooking Clay" or between a "Slap Wheelie" and a "Sky Wheelie", there's going to be something to enjoy in Monster Hunt Championship. But, while there's some fun to be had, the game just feels lacking. The experience is more fitting with arcade-style mechanics compared to the sim-style elements, and by delivering these sim elements it makes the game feel as slow and clunky as the vehicles.
Curious Expedition 2 offers a customizable gaming experience that can be as casual or as hardcore as players like, with tons of content and options, many of which can be changed on the fly. The game is smooth and solid, and having so much randomly generated content (and so much content to pull from) ensures a different experience on every run-through, even if the gameplay loop gets a little stale sometimes. For a certainly fair price point, players are getting a game they can play a hundred times a hundred different ways. Some of the best games are the ones where developers simply create a space and let players play; Curious Expedition 2 does so wonderfully.
Super Dodgeball Beats stands tall among the sheer glutton of Switch eShop games available, as a singular experience unlike any other; a fun, sports-themed, rhythm title backed by a virtuous narrative, and plenty of unlockables. A lack of online support and leaderboards will likely call time on this match before long, however.
The SEGA Ages line of classics expands its puzzler repertoire with another top tier title, and one that is well worth considering over its Switch Online SNES Counterpart. Lively and full of charm, despite being restrained to Japanese character dialogue, the Ages extra features both expected and new make this the defining version of Puyo Puyo 2.
FMV games were never that great to begin with, so there was never much hope for American Hero, especially since it was actually an unfinished project. Even worse, the joy in low-budget movies (interactive or not) is their unintentional comedic side, and frankly, this doesn't have much cheese. Pick any bad action flick from the '90s you want (start with the filmography of Jean-Claude Van Damme), and it will be much funnier and corny. This is extremely forgettable, and it only has value as a piece of history that would otherwise be lost to the black void of abandoned video games.
Beautiful Desolation is a very unique and different kind of adventure game. It has a tremendous amount of respect for the player to figure things out, but also has little respect for their time too. The writing is very engaging, and the acting is surprisingly exceptional. The South African flavour of the cast adds a ton of personality to the experience; Mark and Don's chemistry feels very real, and their slang and colloquialisms make them very unlikely video game characters. They're both schlubby guys in their '40s, and even POOCH manages to have a great deal of humanity to her character, despite being a robot dog.xploring a post apocalyptic cyber-nightmare South Africa, while solving puzzles and talking to religious robots and using diplomacy to diffuse warring factions without any combat sounds like a fun time, then Beautiful Desolation is that kind of game. The experience is held together with amazing looking backdrops, freakish cyborgs to converse with and movie quality CGI cutscenes. This is not an RPG, but it is a highly creative and imaginative adventure game that has some spotty controls and overly cryptic puzzles.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic port. Sure, it's graphically inferior and not as pretty to look at, but that's the only noticeable concession made to get it to run on Nintendo's beloved hybrid console. That's not to say it's being rendered in "potato mode," by the way - it still looks great for what it is, with each real-life skater clearly distinguishable despite the lower pixel count. With the outrageously impressive amount of content and extremely rewarding gameplay loop, there's nothing to stop this port being a solid recommendation for Switch owners.
Despite Harold himself being the most enchanting creature that has ever graced your monitors, Harold's Harem: The Neckoning doesn't do him justice. It's a decent-to-good visual novel, which makes fun of Date Sim tropes, and it will give you about an hour and a half of laughs. It's a unique specimen for sure, with a pretty quirky sense of humor and overall design, but in all honesty it's nothing special.
RPG Maker MV has everything it takes to make an RPG. However, the complexity makes it unenjoyable and often frustrating, especially for players that are not well-versed in the ways of creating RPGs. It is simply too much effort to create a single map, not because of the work needed to design it, but because of endlessly trying to figure out how to achieve certain goals. While the simple portability of this title, due to the nature of the Nintendo Switch, is definitely a positive, this title cannot easily be recommended to newcomers in RPG creation.
It's hard to think of a better example of what VR does so well than Pistol Whip. An immensely enjoyable soundtrack that directly feeds into the core gameplay loop and some wonderfully vibrant visuals all add together with addictive gameplay to make this a fantastic experience. For a great workout it's perfect but with the modifiers allowing more relaxed gameplay, it also can appeal to those who just want some escapism. 2089 adds a new layer on top with an actual narrative tying together the gameplay, adding to what is already a pretty great package. The fact that all the content was added as free updates also goes to show not all VR games need to be extortionately priced.
In Death: Unchained might not be one of the fanciest or idea-rich experiences in VR, but this is definitely one of the most fun to step into and play. An addictive gaming loop of meaty and satisfying bow-play, mixed with the rogue-lite incentive to keep playing, makes this title one that is easy to just keep coming back and playing time and time again. With a really impressive visual style, some fantastically scary moments, and some great AI, as well as developer being so committed to adding ever more content, In Death: Unchained is one that comes highly recommended to Oculus Quest users.
Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is a fundamental shift in how this operates - literally. From space to the ground. Taking those first steps on a planet's surface after having landed there is simply awesome, and is decades in the making for fans of the Frontier franchise. The unfortunate reality however is that the performance is currently letting it down. Serious optimisation work is a necessity to iron out a multitude of issues - albeit it's probably not as bad as some are portraying in the immediate aftermath of release. While the new gameplay mechanics come with some variety for those bored of simple space combat, the shooting on the ground also needs a good deal of attention, with AI, and the general standard of combat, alongside the amount of different locations generated on planets, all in need of work. The thing is, this is a journey; a road map, and this is just the first staging post. Hopefully there's a lot more to come down the line.