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Whilst it has its fair share of frustrating moments, it didn’t take me long to find myself addicted to Summer Catchers’ charming endless-runner style gameplay. There was enough variety to be found across its quests and mini-games to ensure that the overall gameplay never grew stale, whilst the delightful world and its characters were always a treat to encounter. Sure, it has its share of flaws and the random nature of the gameplay (and dependence on luck) could cause some irritating moments here and there, but the addictive nature of Summer Catchers kept me coming back for more each time. It won’t be for everyone, but those looking for a quick and satisfying title to enjoy on their Nintendo Switch in short bursts really ought to give it a try.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising – A New God offers an enjoyable way to continue Fenyx’s adventure thanks to its clever puzzle design and charming new world. It’ll really test both your puzzling and platforming skills too, with the challenges here easily surpassing those found in the main game as far as difficulty is concerned. Thankfully, none are ever frustrating in design, with the innovative ideas each one brings offering a satisfying sense of triumph upon completion. It’s worth noting that puzzle-solving and platforming is very much at the forefront here though, so those hoping for some challenging combat or deep exploration might be disappointed. There were a few niggles here and there with the physics during some puzzles too, whilst the fact that unlockables don’t carry over to the main game felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. Still, there’s a heck of a lot of content to enjoy in Immortals: Fenyx Rising – A New God and its puzzling-focused romp will certainly be an entertaining one for player to dive into. It might not always hit the satisfying highs of the main game, but it’s still a worthy addition to the world of Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
Blue Fire features some great platforming antics and solid level design, but the mediocre combat-mechanics see it falling short of the titles that inspired it. The camera could be a little bit guilty of feeling clumsy in places too, though the instances of it are few and far enough between that it never feels like too big of an issue. There’s no doubting that nothing ever feels awful in Blue Fire and if you’re looking for a game that really excels with its platforming, then it will definitely be for you. If you were hoping for an adventure that offered a bit more depth and nuance in its design though, you might find that it doesn’t always hit the same highs across the board.
UnderMine offers a rogue-like experience that’s both entertaining and addictive, with each run through the titular dungeon making for an exciting (and dangerous) romp. There’s a satisfying sense of progress to be found with the collection of gold and improving your character between runs, whilst the solid level design ensures there’s always something new to overcome or discover during each run. It can be a little bit guilty of lacking originality in places and it didn’t do anything I hadn’t seen done in the genre before, but its great sense of exploration and competent design across the board ensures that UnderMine stands out as a must-play rogue-like.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood offers some brutally satisfying combat, but everything else in-between feels a little half-baked. It’s not that any of it is bad, but the stealth mechanics are inconsistently utilised, the level design can lack variety, whilst the visuals feel very dated – especially by PlayStation 5 standards. Despite this, I did enjoy my time playing through the game with the murderous rampages offered in Cahal’s werewolf form offering enough to make the ten-hour adventure worthwhile. Players might just want to keep their expectations in check if they were hoping for an adventure that really embraced a blend of stealthily sneaking around and all-out action fruitfully.
Wildfire’s clever use of elemental powers and intuitive level design come together nicely to make for a satisfying stealth-escapade that emphasises player creativity. I loved tinkering around with my abilities and seeing how they could be best utilised to evade my foes, whilst the fact that you genuinely have to think your actions through carefully and strategize adds a satisfying sense of tension to each scenario you face. It’s just a whole lot of fun. It is guilty of seeing the frame rate stutter in busier sections which could be annoying, whilst fans of the genre might argue that the stealth mechanics could be a little bit simple in places too. If you can look past those flaws though, you’ll quickly find that Wildfire offers a genuinely enthralling adventure that certainly adds a unique (and often destructive) sense of flair to sneaking around.
Destruction AllStars’ chaotic vehicular-based combat makes for an exhilarating (and surprisingly strategic) experience that I’ve had a blast playing – I just hope that it gets enough post-launch content and support to keep players coming back for more. As it stands though, it’s certainly a heck of a lot of fun to play. Sure, there’s some inconsistencies in its scoring here and there and the arenas themselves lack imaginative flair, but between its colourful cast, it’s satisfyingly destructive driving, and its slick visuals, there really is a whole lot to like about Destruction AllStars frantic showdowns.
NUTS offers a unique and memorable experience that kept me completely hooked in from the get-go – who would have thought that tracking squirrels would be so fun? Whilst I have no doubt that its peculiar gameplay premise and slow pace probably won’t be for everyone, those who like to play something a little DIFFERENT really ought to give it a try. With its intriguing story, impressive visuals, and cute squirrel-tracking antics, it’s clear that NUTS is a special little game.
The Medium is another thoroughly enjoyable psychological horror romp from the experts at Bloober Team, even if it could have done with a little bit of tweaking here and there. Exploration could be a little cumbersome thanks to the fixed camera angles for example, whilst the stealth sections felt like they broke the pace of the game as opposed to adding to the excitement. Everything else though? It was of the same high quality you’d expect from Bloober Team. With its harrowing yet engaging narrative, fantastic visuals, and great sound design, The Medium really has all of the most important pieces in place to offer a memorable horror experience.
Gods Will Fall certainly has its enjoyable moments and the boss battles themselves were fun, but some frustrating design choices saw me tire of the game quite quickly. Sure, it has some clever ideas on show and it tries to do something unique with its setup, but the unpredictable nature of the game and punishment for failure saw me getting more and more annoyed with each playthrough. It’s a shame too because there were occasions where I was having a really good time battling through each realm, especially when I would finally slay a boss that had been causing me trouble. The times in between though? I don’t necessarily hold such fond memories for those…
Sword of the Necromancer has some neat ideas on show in its dungeon-crawling gameplay, but it felt a little bit too basic to offer that much excitement. What doesn’t help is the restricted item limit, which often made it difficult to justify reviving monsters and having them fight beside you… you know, the coolest feature of the game. It’s certainly not a bad game and I can’t say that I didn’t have fun playing, but I just wish that it did a little bit more. With a bit of extra work I could see Sword of the Necromancer offering a genuinely unique and engaging dungeon-crawling roguelite experience, but as it stands, there are too many better games to play in the genre instead of it.
Silver Chains is far from the best horror game that I’ve played, but it offers an intriguing narrative and enough scares to make it a worthwhile venture for horror fans. Don’t get me wrong, it has its share of moments where it can frustrate due to a lack of direction and the game’s finale saw it end on a bit of a low point, but the overall experience of exploring the eerie mansion and uncovering its secrets did enough to keep me entertained. Silver Chains might not be an exceptional example of the horror genre, but that doesn’t mean there’s not fun to be had playing it.
Olija’s adventure might be a short one, but it’ll certainly prove memorable for players thanks to its fun harpooning-action and its minimalistic yet impressive visual style. Add to that an intriguing narrative that’ll keep you hooked in until the very end and it’s clear that Devolver Digital and Skeleton Crew Studio have a winner on their hands here. Admittedly, the combat mechanics were a little underwhelming and the lack of challenge did feel like low points of the journey, but Olija still did more than enough to ensure that its harpoon-fuelled escapade is one that fans of 2D adventures won’t want out miss out on.
Disjunction offers an intriguing narrative and some genuinely thrilling stealth action, but it is guilty of being a little repetitive in design. The enemy AI is pretty easy to exploit too, with their limited cones of vision and predictable patrol paths making it easy to take most of them out with minimal fuss. Despite this, I still had a good time playing through the game, with the diverse skillsets of the protagonists and the open level layouts making for some satisfying scenarios in-game. It always felt rewarding when I cleared a room of enemies unscathed, whilst the choices I made during the story genuinely felt like they had repercussions. I just wish that Disjunction had that little bit more variety to the experience – it’s the one real thing that makes it feel like more of a ‘good game’ as opposed to a great one.
Whilst Shing! is guilty of feeling a bit repetitive in places, the slick and intuitive combat mechanics do enough to make it a worthwhile venture in the beat ‘em up genre. Don’t get me wrong, your thumb may ache after a couple of hours of play and it doesn’t do much to evolve upon the genre outside of the controls, but there’s enough charm on show with the story and enemy variety to keep players invested in Shing!’s perilous ninja-fuelled escapade.
I’m not going to pretend that Red Colony is a good game, because between the flawed gameplay and the bugs, it really isn’t. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining, with the absurdly intriguing story and character interactions (as well as a pretty short length) doing more than enough to keep me entertained during my playthrough. It’s weird, it’s kinda crappy, and it’s buggy, but it’s charming too. Red Colony DEFINITELY won’t be for everyone, but if you do decide to give it a try, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised…
Rhythm Fighter is a unique and anarchic roguelite escapade that’s both addictive and satisfying to play, even IF it can get a little repetitive in places. Thankfully, the constant unlockables you earn and rewarding sense of progress with upgrades will keep you coming back for more, whilst the fun and unique rhythm-based battling always brings with it a sense of chaos that never gets boring – especially during the tougher later levels and boss encounters.
WRITHE might not be the most intricate of shooters and it does lack a sense of progress, but that doesn’t stop it from being a whole lot of fun to play. Sure, it’s tough as nails and you’ll die a LOT, but there’s something pleasantly addictive about trying to survive the wrath of the endless hordes of grubs and blasting them to smithereens with your souped-up weaponry. Add to that a really neat old-school aesthetic and you’ll quickly find that WRITHE is a cool little shooter that does enough to keep players coming back for ‘one more go’.
Ghostanoid certainly has some charm thanks to its cutesy ghost-hunting setup, but a lack of level variety and some frustrating design choices see it feeling like one of the weaker Arkanoid-style titles that are available. Still, with its low price point, it might be worth a punt if you’re interested in this type of game – just expect a few frustrations here and there…
Monster Sanctuary is a clever amalgamation of the monster-catching and Metroidvania-style genres that works really, REALLY well. I had a good time exploring the world and uncovering its secrets, whilst catching monsters and then using them in strategic battling made for some really enthralling showdowns. It does have the occasional issue here and there that can slow your progress down, but it doesn’t stop the game from being a whole lot of fun to play. If you’re looking for a monster-catching adventure with a unique little twist, you really ought to give Monster Sanctuary a try.