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Postal Redux lives up to its reputation of ultra-violence, but its dated gameplay mechanics means it’s not always all that fun to play. I’ll admit that it certainly isn’t an awful game and the revamped visuals and controls go a long way in modernising the experience for new players, but outside of the initial shock value there’s nothing about the game that’ll keep you hooked in for hours on end.
Amnesia: Rebirth marks a triumphant return to form for the series, with the horrifying story and eerie atmosphere sure to send plenty of chills down gamers’ spines. Whilst there’s no denying that it doesn’t feel as innovative as it did back in 2010, there’s still scares aplenty as you embark on Tasi’s unnerving journey to not only survive but maintain her sanity at the same time. If you’re eager for an eerie treat this Halloween, you needn’t look any further than Amnesia: Rebirth.
The Red Lantern may not be for everyone, but its hands-off narrative driven survival escapade through the Alaskan wilderness certainly kept me entertained. Sure, the reliance on luck could prove frustrating at times and the graphical hiccups could be a little weird, but the tension that comes with your preparation and decision-making ensures that each attempt to survive brings with it plenty of thrills. Plus, I love snow and lovely doggies… The Red Lantern delivers PLENTY as far as those aspects of the game are concerned.
With its tantalising world, epic soundtrack, and relaxing gameplay, Cloudpunk has the recipe to be a pretty special experience – it’s just a shame that it’s also riddled with bugs. I’m sure Cloudpunk’s gameplay won’t be for everyone, but I really enjoyed soaring through its cyberpunk world. There’s something genuinely relaxing about it, whilst the intriguing stories interwoven across the city through its colourful cast of characters means there’s always something to invest yourself in along the way. Did I mention that Nivalis itself is beautiful too? It’s always a plus. As it stands though, it’s hard not to be disappointed by the stuttering frame rate and the odd glitches with the quests repeating – it could be argued that the draw distance isn’t quite as impressive as on the PC version of the game either, but that’s neither here nor there. Whilst Cloudpunk is certainly an enjoyable game right now on consoles, it needs a few fixes before it will be able to fully live up to the potential that’s clearly there.
Cake Bash is a wonderful and varied party game that is fun to play with both your family in local play and complete strangers online. Who’d have thought that the grand battle to determine the best sweet confectionary would be so entertaining?! With its varied blend of objective-based battling and silly mini-games though, Cake Bash will certainly provide hours upon hours of sugary sweet enjoyment for players to chomp away at.
ScourgeBringer offers a fast and frantic roguelite adventure that’s a blast to play – it’s just a shame that it doesn’t bring anything new to the genre. Between the slick combat, solid level design, and satisfying sense of progress though, there’s plenty here to keep players completely hooked into Khyra’s adventure. Even after spending an hour dying over and over, I kept coming back for more, which really does show the level of depth offered by the gameplay mechanics. Still, with the roguelite genre a crowded one, it is a bit of a shame it couldn’t offer that ONE unique hook. It shouldn’t be a problem for most and if you’re a fan of the genre you’ll definitely want to play it – it does make ScourgeBringer feel more like a ‘very good’ game as opposed to an ‘unmissable’ one, though.
I Am Dead is a wonderful and vibrant experience that gives players a different look into the afterlife, with its delightful world hosting some truly heartfelt tales. Exploring the island of Shelmerston and using your x-ray ability to closely examine every object around you never stops being satisfying, whilst learning more about the ghosts you are seeking remains touching throughout. It is guilty of being a bit simple in places and you won’t come across any real challenge during your journey, but it doesn’t make the experience any less compelling. I Am Dead is simply a special game and one that should definitely be experienced if you like to play something that feels a bit different.
Ikenfell offers a wonderful journey for players to embark on, with the charming narrative and creative combat mechanics coming together to make for a memorable escapade. There’s plenty of variety to be found across the game world too, whether that’s when exploring the countless dungeons, battling the monsters that run rife throughout the magical school, or just when tinkering with your party setup – there really is plenty to uncover in the game and it ensures that you definitely won’t grow bored as you see the lengthy tale through to its conclusion. It does have its flaws, most notably with the easy-to-solve puzzles and the learning curve of the battle mechanics, but for the most part Ikenfell’s adventure is a charming treat that RPG fans are sure to enjoy.
The core mechanics of This is the Zodiac Speaking and the mystery that it offers are intriguing, but the ugly visuals make it extremely difficult to recommend on the Nintendo Switch. I can’t deny that actually enjoyed investigating the case and seeing how it affects Robert does add a neat personal touch to proceedings, but the fact that it has such a blurry resolution, dark environments that are difficult to make out, and terrible pop-in that springs objects into your viewpoint from out of nowhere just soured the whole experience for me. This is the Zodiac Speaking is certainly playable on the Nintendo Switch and in fairness it does have its moments where even the graphics are passable (even if they are few and far between) – if you really want to enjoy the clever concept of the game though, I’d implore you to try it on a platform where the awful visuals won’t ruin the experience for you.
The adventures offered in Prinny 1•2 Exploded and Reloaded are bizarre yet fun to venture through, even if they are held back by slightly cumbersome controls. Don’t get me wrong, they can be pretty tough and certainly aren’t for platforming newbies, but each level offers plenty of enjoyable moments and they never feel unfairly difficult – just slightly frustrating when you end up losing one of your valuable Prinnies because the game didn’t offer enough precision with your jumping. You do get used to it the more you play though and, whilst the controls are never perfect, they’re adequate enough to get through both of the unusual but ultimately entertaining escapades featured in Prinny 1•2 Exploded and Reloaded.
Game Dev Tycoon offers an addictive and enjoyable taste of what game development feels like, with plenty of thrills to be had as you establish your own (hopefully successful) studio. There’s a whole lot of depth to be found in how you build your games thanks to the experimentation you can dive into when mixing up different genres and topics, whilst actually managing your studio and bringing improvements to the team adds a rewarding sense of progression too. It really is a lot of fun, even if it can be guilty of getting a little repetitive at times. With its balance of accessibility and depth though, there are enough mechanics to play around with in Game Dev Tycoon to keep both simulation veterans and those new to the genre happy as they build their own repertoire of ‘amazing’ game releases.
Whilst The Walking Dead: Onslaught’s showdowns with zombies offer plenty of thrills, the repetitive nature of its mission design could grow a little tiresome after a while. Having to grind supply grinds to progress the story could be a bit of a drag, especially since they often consisted of the same tasks in the same areas over and over again. The way that the zombie horde is represented by a red cloud could be a little lame too, even if there wasn’t really a shortage of bite-happy zombies around you looking to get a chunk of your flesh for lunch. Still, with intensely satisfying zombie-killing action and an authentic world based around the TV show, there is plenty here for fans to enjoy. Just be ready to do a lot of the same things over and over again as you progress through its gruesome escapade.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a brilliant and wild platforming romp that is sure to please series veterans thanks to its fun nostalgia-fuelled gameplay. That’s not to say that complete newcomers won’t enjoy the ride too though, with everything in the game feeling finely crafted – each level offers satisfying platforming challenges, a good mix of kooky enemies to defeat, and plenty of variety thanks to the use of additional characters and the Quantum Masks. It’s just a really, really, REALLY fun game. It’s tough though, which may be off-putting to a number of players (particularly younger ones) who were hoping for an easier time. With an array of settings to make life easier though (including a landing indicator and the option to play with unlimited lives), even the most frustrating levels won’t see you rage-quitting this exquisite platforming adventure. There’s simply no doubting it: Crash Bandicoot is back and he’s better than ever in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. The future sure looks bright for gaming’s mightiest marsupial… and who knows, maybe we’ll see a little purple dragon make a grand re-appearance soon too?
Alwa’s Legacy is a whole lot of fun to play, with the enjoyable level design, varied assortment of abilities, and wonderful world coming together to make for a memorable adventure. I had a really good time exploring my surroundings and using my ever-improving abilities to uncover secrets, whilst the battles with bosses always made for neat showdowns too. It does have some imperfections, most notably with the easy to beat enemies, the back-tracking, and the water level (a personal pet peeve… *shudders*), but these are minor issues in what is otherwise an exceptional and very well-designed Metroidvania-style adventure.
Budget Cuts is a frantic and fun stealth-fuelled virtual reality romp that will keep your PlayStation VR headset firmly glued to your head until you beat it. It’s so much fun lurking around the offices of TransCorp and trying to sneak your way to safety, with the clever level design and flexible gameplay mechanics coming together to make for a really entertaining experience. Admittedly, the controls could feel a little fiddly when you get into the middle of a fight with the robots and the short length was a little disappointing, but they’re minor hiccups in what is otherwise a stellar PlayStation VR title.
Lost Ember offers a beautiful and unique adventure that’s unfortunately held back on the Nintendo Switch by some technical issues. Are these issues problematic to make the game feel terrible to play? Certainly not, but you won’t be getting the same compelling experience with the game that you can get on other platforms. Outside of these issues, Lost Ember has its share of special moments. I loved discovering its open-world and switching between creatures felt great, with the game offering this genuine sense of freedom that just makes exploration so enjoyable and liberating. Here’s hoping that a patch with fixes is released sooner rather than later then, because as it stands this gem of a game is a little too flawed to make it essential for Nintendo Switch owners.
Mafia: Definitive Edition offers a thrilling action-packed gangster tale that is only really let down by some occasionally clunky controls. The remake itself is top notch, with the story delivering the same gritty tale but adding additional sequences to flesh it out, the mission design more tightly refined to offer more excitement and a balanced difficulty, and the visuals outstanding throughout with Lost Heaven feeling more believable and lived in than ever before. Hangar 13 have done a really great job in re-imagining the game whilst maintaining its roots and it’s sure to please both series veterans and complete newcomers. It’s just a shame that the controls are so fiddly, with both the on-foot segments and the driving feeling pretty cumbersome throughout. It’s not a game-breaker by any means, but it’s certainly noticeable – especially during your early hours playing when you’re getting used to how the game feels. Still, these issues won’t ruin your time with Mafia: Definitive Edition and there’s no denying that it’s up there with Final Fantasy VII Remake and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 as one of the finest remakes that has released over the last few years. If you’re a fan of modern open-world adventures or appreciate a good gangster flick, you won’t want to miss out on Mafia: Definitive Edition.
Serious Scramblers is a simple but fun experience, with the low price-point giving an extra incentive to invest in it on your Nintendo Switch. Sure, it might not be as ideal for quick plays as it is on mobile devices, but the satisfying gameplay loop and assortment of characters to unlock will still keep you coming back for more in this entertaining little escapade.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is a whole lot of fun to play on the Nintendo Switch – even if the controls can feel a little fiddly to begin with. There’s a ton of depth to the park-building aspects of the game thanks to the sheer number of attractions available, whilst fine-tuning the business side remains mighty satisfying too. Every decision you make will have a positive or negative effect on the park, with the buzz of each success you have making the experience all the more addictive. Or you could go bankrupt and start over fresh… who knows? Either way, there’s no denying the fun offered by RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition, even IF it is sixteen-years old now. I certainly won’t deny that it’s probably better played with a keyboard and mouse, but those excited to play it on console or on the go will definitely enjoy their time with the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
Hades is as close to perfect that a rogue-like is going to get, with its engaging story, robust and enjoyable combat, and satisfying sense of progression coming together to make for a breath-taking experience. It absolutely looks the part too, with Supergiant Games’ trademark beautiful visuals on show across the entirety of the game. It does have the occasional technical hiccup here and there on the Nintendo Switch, but it wasn’t enough of a problem to even slightly hinder my experience with the game. Hades is simply gaming perfection that both newcomers and veterans of the rogue-like dungeon-crawling genre are sure to adore… just do yourself a favour and buy it. Immediately. What are you waiting for?!