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SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy takes the spirit of Neo Geo Pocket’s Gal Fighter and spices it up into something very different on the current market. While it’s not clear at the moment on what corner of the market it is actually aiming for, there’s still a good chance that this game will conjure up its own following.
While it never emotionally enticed me quite as much as games like Journey or Embers of Mirrim did, I still found Planet Alpha’s Pandora-inspired world a mesmerising and interesting place to explore.
Road to Ballhalla is a simple idea with enough neat additions of its own to keep you engaged throughout its twenty-plus levels. Filling that Super Monkey Ball sized gap nicely, this fiendishly difficult ball rolling experience may be a little on the short side but should please those after a challenge they can easily jump in and out of.
Now that the dust has settled from the successful trailblaze left by Sonic Mania, Freedom Planet gets to have another crack at filling the withdrawals left behind by the blue blur. In this regard, Freedom Planet does enough to serve that cause while presenting a decent amount of gameplay changes to stand on its own feet. It’s just more unfortunate that its core gameplay style is so inevitably comparable to the classic formula.
All-Star Fruit Racing is a decent enough kart racer that offers a few interesting ideas of its own but unfortunately suffers in a few areas whether it’s the awkward control scheme, confusing weapon system or even a general lack of online features. There’s fun to be had from this fruit-inspired title, sure, but perhaps a little ripening could have helped sweeten this uneven racer.
Blade Strangers does a decent enough job at building the bridge between the simplicity of Pocket Rumble and the anime flair of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. The lean towards concentrating on core fundamentals makes this all-star brawler an approachable but enjoyable throwdown for those that are keen to make their mark in the genre.
The Messenger is a prime example of how to study the fundamental rules of a genre that has been replicated a million times before. To then follow these rules, bend them and eventually break them into something of its own calibre of quality is something quite special indeed.
Gunhouse never lacks in spectacle, but it won’t take long before you recognise that the gameplay loop that it looks to hook you on is a shallow one. This collision of genres can still entertain, but it needed a few more ideas that remixed its own concept to keep the player’s interest from waning too quickly. It’s good in short bursts, but lacking in depth.
Games have certainly moved on. You don’t find many games that are this punishing, and I can certainly see why a lot of people would be put off by the trial and error style gameplay. You have no doubt played many titles over the years that were inspired and influenced by Another World. Sure, it may have lost its magic over the last 27 years but that is only to be expected. For what it did for gaming in the early 90’s, it deserves to be experienced nonetheless.
I love a good teamwork-focused party experience and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes easily ranks among one of the best examples out there. The puzzles are satisfying to solve for everyone involved even fifty or so bombs in and the use of a physical manual outside the game is an ingenious idea. Sure I might have fun blowing things up in video games but Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes has proven I can have just as much fun doing the opposite.
The focus on a younger, much more adaptable generation of survivor seems a fitting plot to kick off The Walking Dead: The Final Season. With AJ learning the ropes of how to adapt with his peers and Clementine’s life experiences set up to be put to the test, it looks to be a promising farewell for the popular corner of the franchise.
If you loved Limbo then do not hesitate, just grab your Switch and buy Inside. For such a simple game, it is remarkable how much variation there is. Puzzles are expertly thought-out, the atmosphere is top-notch and its crammed full of memorable moments. It’s a stunning but desolate adventure that I urge you to try out. Even though it’s a short experience, it makes you consider what you have just gone through long after completion. It is one of the standout games in the Switch’s ever-growing library.
Hello Neighbor could be fun, within the right parameters. The neighbour would hold a lot more terror if his actions carried any weight. The puzzling aspect of switches, hidden doors and traps would be more enjoyable were they staged within an inspiring world or using interesting concepts. But the game fails on all of these points, not holding attention, not really projecting any fear beyond the first few encounters, and the world feels as flat as the polygons used to build it.
Ultimately Mecho Tales is derivative, borrowing tried and tested ideas rather than coming up with anything that ever surprises or astounds. It fails to leave a lasting impression to result in another forgettable platformer that is unable to compete with far more memorable and groundbreaking games in the genre that are available on the Nintendo eShop.
I would argue that Hammerwatch is best experienced with a group of like-minded adventurers. There’s far more fun to be found in the chaotic mayhem of heroically charging down a corridor together, slinging spells at your enemies, cutting them down to size and knocking back an arrow or two, compared to when having to endure the game’s repetitive design alone. There are enough successes to consider a purchase, and even more so once online support arrives.
Overcooked 2 much like its predecessor is a fun and chaotic experience that truly excels when played with a group. While you might argue this is just more of the same, there are enough tweaks and changes to the formula that help keep things fresh for returning players. A hard recommendation if you’re looking to operate your own kitchen, but gather some friends and you’ll be hard pressed finding a more exciting co-operative time on Switch.
Long after money has exchanged hands, Penny-Punching Princess will be remembered for the pun-packed, zany adventure that it casts you out on. The game’s inherently repetitive nature will mean it’s best chipped away at over time, but, while some imbalance with the difficulty can irritate, bribing everything in sight with the magical calculator allows it to leave a lasting impression than others on the portable home console.
Bomber Crew is increasingly difficult and often frustrating, but it has bags of charm and completely suits the Switch. Playing portably is a great way to experience the game; it looks lovely and contains some wonderful nuances within the sound and features. I loved the little homing pigeon, decaling my plane with garish pictures of Yoshi and solving problems, if only there weren’t so many problems to solve at the same time.
Jupiter has delivered another satisfying slice of Picross bliss. While Picross S2 might be just more of the same, its hard to imagine a way in which the developer could shake things up without ruining what makes the puzzler so addictive in the first place.
This isn’t just a Roguevania with Dark Souls elements clasping it together. Dead Cells is a modern-day classic that absorbs the knowledge and spirit of the games that originally coined the terminologies in the first place.