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When it comes down to it, Agatha Knife takes an interesting topic that is rarely explored within the gaming world. The short, sharp, and witty narrative do provide a certain unapologetic personality that fits very well in this day and age. It's unfortunate that it all starts to become pretty stale quickly as the game's repetitive loop of generic point-and-click fetch quests rides alongside a script that is spread far too thin to retain your interest. There are some good ideas to be found here, but it's all spoilt by the lack of meat on the bone and not enough seasoning.
Beneath the hue of its pulsating neon glow, Neonwall constructs itself around an interesting concept but struggles to find a way to make it as engaging as it needs to be. It will boggle your mind in ways unlike any other Nintendo eShop release, but lacks the staying power to maintain your attention for long beyond completion.
During my time with South Park: The Fractured But Whole, I have been attacked by hillbillies for being cisgender, trapped in a dark room with two randy priests, and somehow managed to bend time and space with my own flatulence. To top it off, these moments are mild in comparison to what else the game has in store.
I feel like I’m misleading readers by using the word ‘game’ or ‘play’, because really, this is closer to a visual novel or a comic book in motion. I created bonds with those on the screen, I laughed, I gasped in shock and I missed the sense of the game when I wasn’t within the world. Burly Men at Sea is very much a folktale exploration of the world and relationships that surround us.
If you don’t happen to be a billy no mates, then Super Rocket Shootout is a buzz to play in small bursts. It’s the sort of game you will itch to stick on for 10 minutes when you have enough friends over to fill the slots. It may be light on single player content, but it’s a game that’s simple enough to get to grips with, fun enough to have a laugh with, and cheap enough to buy for these sort of occasions. Just remember to beat the Story Mode first. Overwise you will be very limited on your gameplay options.
I guess Ninja Striker! is a platform game, with rhythm mechanics. It could also be a title that just requires you hit the attack button at certain points to breeze through levels before reaching the real fun in the boss fight. If you don’t care about scores or stars, the game loses so much appeal, because the ‘story’ is non-existent. This will appeal to perfectionists and maybe speedrunners who want to showcase skills, but it left me wanting so much more.
You won’t lose your soul to Coffin Dodgers, mainly because there’s little reason to linger for long in Sunny Pines. The premise to this race for your soul does more than enough to catch your interest, but the game lacks enough content to keep it alive.
Woodle Tree Adventures has potential but fails to ever realise any of it. The paint-by-numbers approach that has been taken to make this 3D platformer results in a game that feels more like a proof of concept or prototype rather than something that you would happily pay for. The greatest insult is that it had promised to “take you back to the good old days” when we were running around collecting Jigsaw Pieces in Banjo-Kazooie and Power Stars in Super Mario 64. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It isn’t the complete package version of Football Manager, no, but it is the version that best suits the Switch. Touch screen controls mixed with the good use of the Joy-Con and on the go playability make it a winner. It may go unnoticed but being able to play for 5-10 minutes at a time to continue to progress through a season is a godsend.
I, Zombie is a decent if short distraction that offers you the chance to play as a zombie and get your own back on the trigger-happy human race. Its gameplay may be overly simplistic but it’s fun enough to keep you engaged to the end. Unlike a zombie, this game is no rotting mess but it could certainly be a little fresher.
It’s in these moments that charm of Aegis Defenders rises to the top. The visuals are sumptuous and eye-popping with colour. The design of the worlds and characters could have played into the tropes we’ve seen a thousand times before, but each feels wonderfully original. This accompanies a gentle and subtle soundtrack that perfectly fits the overall style and package. This is definitely a game worth exploring, more so if you have a second person to grab a Joy-Con and join in, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the two styles of gameplay differ wildly and while they’re both steeped in quality, should one of them not appeal, it might lose some of its shine.
Rogue Aces is an excellent little game that works incredibly well however way you play it. The quick, convenient menu system ensures you snap right back into the action for some sweet on the go gaming. I would love to see a split-screen multiplayer added at some point as it’s clearly begging for it, but as a solid, satisfying solo-focused shooter that’s only 123MB in size, it is a Nintendo Switch necessity that will barely make a dent in your storage.
Word Search by POWGI isn’t going to that’s blow you away with its ingenuity nor is it a particularly exciting experience. Instead, it’s 300 plus word search puzzles with a four-player element thrown in for good measure. It’s an easy way to pass the time sure, but one that’s also devoid of any real substance. Exactly what you expect it to be, no more, no less.
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut is ridiculous fun, but more so if you’re a fan of the old school horror films it imitates. Nothing here is taken seriously, except for the puzzles themselves which are often fiendishly difficult, but always fair. As a package, it manages to evoke an odd nostalgia on top of genuine laughs, a wealth of unlockables and head-scratching puzzles. There’s a killer soundtrack to boot, which fits nicely into the background of each movie, punctuated by outlandish cartoon sound effects. This is bite-size puzzle gaming at its finest.
The Bethesda Pinball collection is a decent addition the Pinball FX3 library. Sure, the DOOM table trounces over the other two with a BFG 9000, but that doesn’t mean that they’re disappointing by any means. Each one really does emphasise the game that it is based on, while the sound and visuals to all three are top notch. It’s just that the DOOM one looks, sounds and plays so well, it’s easy to ignore the others as a result.
BINGO for Nintendo Switch is tedious, repetitive and just plain dull. None of the four available games offer anything close to fun, the constant focus on searching for numbers wearing out its welcome quickly. Bottom line, there are so many great ways to spend your time on the Switch and BINGO isn’t one of them.
Even the game knows how crazy this is stating the mode is “totally unbalanced – just for fun.” I think that sums much of the game, although the balance elsewhere is on point, Bleed 2 is simple, unadulterated fun.
As for myself, I do love a bit of retro gaming, and Lode Runner Legacy does a great job at supplying plenty of content around its basic gameplay structure. If you want to experience a bit of gaming history, then this little title may very well be up your ladder. It plays great on the TV and its quick fix gameplay works perfectly for a handheld. Sure, it may not tickle the taste buds of those seeking complexity, but with a great building mechanic and tons of levels to play through, there’s plenty here to keep you occupied under a tight budget.
Most of my time with Devious Dungeon saw me walking through levels destroying everything in sight for coins, then buying the next best gear I could get, before grinding through the next batch of levels.
The Bunker was a game I really wanted to enjoy. I love the idea of mixing movies and video games as they are two things I am massively passionate about but this just doesn’t work. It doesn’t work as a video game and it doesn’t work as a movie. While it looks great, the acting leaves a lot to be desired and there just isn’t any involvement for the player as you’re just pressing the A Button a couple of times here and there without ever really having to make choices. It had potential and any future games can certainly learn a lot from this, but my advice is to stay well away unless you’re absolutely desperate for something to do for an hour or two.