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Children of Morta is a huge surprise. Not only is it an outstanding rogue-like game, filled with quality all around. It’s an experience that is probably my favorite in the genre at this point. Combining fantastic story telling elements, engaging gameplay, and a rogue-like loop that actually has me excited to do another run each time. Add on local co-op and I don’t see how it could get any better sans an online update later. What the Bergson’s family endures in combat is only half the excitement as I couldn’t wait to see what story beat hit next. I was concerned, I cared. Admittedly once the game is over, there is no huge reason to replay other than starting the story over, or perhaps leveling up some of the other family members, but that’s so minor. Children of Morta is top notch in the genre, a rogue-like fairy tale nightmare everyone should experience.
Vampyr on the Switch is another quality port in my eyes. It took a game I never expected to be able to have on handheld and transformed it into an experience more players can now excess. The core concepts of the original release are retained here and only expected technically issues arise. While Vampyr seems to be a title that’s always had a bit of mixed reception, I feel the same will follow on the Switch release. Yet I find sometimes these are some of the most interesting games released. Now I can take my vampire skills on the go and in the night. If players can enjoy Vampyr on other systems, I say go for it as it’s a cheaper price. If the Switch is the only system or it’s a one for the road, I still highly recommend Vampyr, its one dark tale worth taking in your pocket.
Tight, responsive controls met with highly detailed environments puts Lonely Mountains: Downhill in a class all its own. I take issue with some of the decision decisions to purposefully block your view, or how hard it is to unlock new bikes, but they’re never enough to take away from my enjoyment. The terrain, physics, visual style, and sound design are deserving of awards. This is a game that’s challenging but fair. Lonely Mountains: Downhill is wonderful, top to bottom.
What we have here is a game that is short. Doesn’t look very good. Plays decent, and is better playing couch co-op. I have to say I had more fun playing this than say the recently released Contra Rogue Corps, but that’s not saying much. The brief gameplay time is both a good and bad thing here. It prevented me from getting overly bored, but the price tag of $39.99 makes this one a hard one to swallow, even for hardcore fans of the genre or zombies. Nothing here is completely broken or offensive, it’s just so lackluster and basic it hurts what could have been a bit of a fuller and funnier experience.
I have adored my time with Witcher 3 on Switch. It’s not the prettiest version, but it retains everything that made the game special. Now there is potential for a whole new audience to fall in love with the franchise. Perhaps some are like me, replaying the game for the third time, and just loving that the game is now portable. Whatever the reason may be, Witcher 3 on Switch is a technical achievement. I’d have never expected Witcher 3 ported to the Switch, but here we are and it’s damn impressive.
With a unique control scheme, Into the Dead 2‘s combat is simple yet compelling. You’ll encounter different zombie types, dodging attacks, and avoiding pockets of zombies as you run from one area to the next that’s always exhilarating. There’s so many levels to play, and ways to experience the game that it begs for “one more run”. Into the Dead 2 is a shining example of a mobile to console game done right.
Stranded Sails I would say fits just right in the genre with its own take. If the intro hours were a little quicker I think the pacing would feel much better and I worry some folks will stop before getting there. It reminded me of the first time I played Harvest Moon 64. I had no idea what I was doing, but slowly and surely I came away feeling accomplished and satisfied. Stranded Sails gave me that feeling of heart and charm with a pirate twist.
The most disappointing part of The Bradwell Conspiracy is the illusion of choice at the ending, where there's only one outcome despite how things are worded to you. I enjoyed a lot about my time: unraveling the mystery, interacting with my NPC partner, and solving puzzles that felt innovative. The game is clever, interesting, full of style, and most of all, flawed. It lacks polish in a lot of areas that I think can be patched, but for the time being I'm reserved to recommend. I liked The Bradwell Conspiracy more than it would let me, and this is an intriguing universe that I hope we haven't seen the last of.
It’s a different kind of EARTH DEFENSE FORCE, but not necessarily a bad one. IRON RAIN carries on the B-movie schlock in a new series, all in good fun. It’s like the newer Starship Troopers movies, they have newer CGI but it’s still not that great, and it has changed many things about it that you’re used to. You still watch of course, because it’s a good time. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN is bug-squashing fun at its finest, with some changes to core systems you may or may not like.
The Ninja Warriors is reborn in this latest installment and I couldn’t be happier. I would have loved to see some new levels or bosses. Maybe even a boss rush mode. Yet I feel like that’s just being greedy. The fact this new release has come with its already added features is a treasure. This was a game I played at the very tail end the SNES life. I recall just thinking it was an amazing arcade like experience transferred to my home console. While it might not have the same impact for players today, it’s great to see it preserved and enhanced. We could all do with more old classics re-vitalized just like this one.
The formula of this game is excellent for so many other applications in game that just isn’t John Wick. Slowing down a film series known for violence, speed, and momentum to thoughtful violence doesn’t work. John Wick Hex is far from a bad game, it’s just not as well… executed. Dissonance aside, the game offers a challenge through to the end, and isn’t insurmountable. The replay mode should be the highlight of John Wick Hex, but the stilted movement makes it a gag reel instead. So, if you can get past its issues and oddness, you’ll find an engrossing game of strategy and tactics where every bullet counts, and actually matters.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is absolutely worth the play, even though there systems and mechanics in it that are dated, and the remastered updates on PC aren’t as significant as I would have thought. For the moment, this is the closest we’re going to get to Ghostbusters III, and it’s just really fun experience. There’s some genuinely spooky moments sprinkled throughout that make the comedy the perfect mix the films were. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is a rare kind of game that should be played, owned, and experienced despite its flaws.
Killer Queen Black is more or less everything you'd hope it to be. It's a faithful adaptation of the original arcade release, properly scaled for home play and with all of the tools necessary to play it and find your match ups however you want.
Ori and the Blind Forest is a truly beautiful game that plays amazingly, features an excellent musical score, and is fine-tuned down to the absolute tiniest details. It's a masterclass in game design, and its presence on Switch in the form of Definitive Edition only adds to the long list of compelling reasons to buy into the platform. If this is any indication of Microsoft's plans for releasing any of its first-party back catalog on Switch, then the future looks extremely bright.
A Knights Quest started off a bit rough for me and I thought perhaps my expectations were set a bit too high after having watched the trailers. Luckily over time, the best elements of its world, exploration, and it stellar music won me over. The combat is so close to feeling good, but just can’t quite get there. Overall I’d still recommend fans of this genre to check it out. A Knight’s Quest has a great adventure in store, only missing the mark just barely.
GRID (2019) is a game where you have to play both defensively and offensively, more so than in any other racing game. Races feel rather aggressive, especially from other drivers. Attacking drivers has consequences, like spinning you out. When these systems are fully in play, it makes each race feel like it matters. GRID doesn’t take too many risks this time, but the racing is intense, beautiful, and a lot of fun.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a fantastic adventure top to bottom. There’s collectibles to find, a prince to save, and a lot of puzzles to solve. While combat is the biggest damper, it does break up the puzzle-solving enough to warrant its own existence. This has been the case for the combat in every entry so far, but it’s always been the weakest element. If you can get past that, you’ll find a really great game that surpasses all of Frozenbyte’s games before it. Do not sleep on Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince.
AER: Memories of Old makes a strong first impression with its lovely art style and lofty goals, but the experience often has its wings clipped by a shallow premise, serious performance issues, and not enough content in the areas at which it excels.
Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair is such a surprise hit. Featuring challenging platforming, the pacing of it keeps up. It’s allows players to consistently push against the challenge. The design of no traditional lives counter really keeps things flowing. Meanwhile the exploration aspect of the hub world offers a totally new experience all on its own, even if it’s not the focus, it’s an addition I ended up loving. While some spin off games from franchises come off feeling like an incompletely experience or lesser experience of the original, I find The Impossible Lair an excellent addition to the franchise. A platformer that clearly takes inspiration from one of the best side scrolling games ever, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, and molds it into its own. As a side scrolling fan, this is one I recommend folks not pass up. Charming, colorful, and runs extremely well on the Nintendo Switch, a perfect companion piece to the original game.
This expansion uses many retired philosophies about adding landmasses that wasn’t there before. The expansion feels too isolated from the main game in a lot of ways. It doesn’t really add anything to the experience, and the time away has not done the game good, despite its updates. With Borderlands 3 now out, and DOOM Eternal around the corner, RAGE 2 doesn’t quite fit anymore. It’s still a really fun game, but it’s starting to feel like it has worn out its welcome. I wouldn’t recommend you go out of your way to pick this up, but if you bought the Deluxe Edition or have the RAGE coins, Rise of the Ghosts is an okay way to spend your time.