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Morphite does a lot of things right. It’s just a shame that it also does a lot of things wrong too. It does a good job in giving the impression that you are visiting many different worlds, but sometimes these areas feel quite empty which is something that has been said many times for a game of this type. My biggest gripe is the combat and aiming system and if that’s something that you can get over, then you will find a surprisingly deep and enjoyable game here.
With America’s future in your hands, I never wanted the action-packed mayhem in Aces of the Luftwaffe: Squadron to end. Bursting with character and more than enough enemies to mercilessly shoot from the skies, it is in the skill trees that let players tweak the pilots to match their own playstyle and the chance to recruit your friends as wingmen that it scores the most success.
There is much that Tallowmere gets right, with one of the game’s mightiest battles seeing you work hard to slay a three-headed hydra that’s sat in an acidic pool. It’s a shame, then, that these moments are outweighed by the game’s shortcomings, the patchwork level design and randomised enemy placements resulting in an experience that’s never balanced in your favour – faltering as both a rogue-like and platformer. But, slaughter some kittens to lend your character more health, and there’s rib-tickling fun to be found in mucking around with the weapons that you accumulate.
There are more than 100 levels in Tennis in the Face and while their bite-sized design playing is a perfect match for playing Nintendo Switch on the go, it isn’t long before your enthusiasm for slamming tennis balls into foreheads starts to waver. There’s no chance of rain cutting play short though, and those that keep their rally going are sure to find this quirky game entertaining.
Energy Cycle is a relatively forgettable puzzle experience. While the general idea is a passable one, a lack of substantial content and straightforward presentation result in a game that feels like it would be more at home on a smartphone than a games console.
Imperfection does not readily detract from the successes that Lumo achieves, a heartfelt love letter to the revered golden era of gaming that has been created with thoughtful ingenuity. The isometric camera angle can frustrate in how it can lead to imprecision, but it’s hard not to come away charmed by the game’s enchanting design.
This passion project has evidently been created with a modest budget, but Heroes of the Monkey Tavern is unremarkable in execution. It is the painting by numbers approach that leaves an overriding impression that the developer was arbitrarily ticking boxes as to what is expected in a first-person dungeon crawler, rather than making their own mark on modernising the genre. Instead, we’re left to brave a distinctly average experience that doesn’t hide many riches.
Super Meat Boy is one of the toughest platformers I’ve ever played. What starts out as challenging quickly transforms into a series of nightmarish playgrounds that had me cursing with frustration but more importantly always returning for more. With the inclusion of an all-new race mode, the Switch version of Super Meat Boy is one of the best yet and even worth a try for those who might already be familiar with this demanding game.
For the price that RXN -Raijin- costs, you could easily buy a handful of much better arcade shooters instead. While its eastern flavour attracts to some degree, it doesn’t substitute the sluggish performance and cheap presentation that this game provides. If you want a moderately easy arcade shooter with tiny levels that you can grind to death, then RXN -Raijin- may very well be something you’re looking for. Otherwise, you may be best saving your pennies.
While games such as Golden Axe and Final Fight lie fondly in many of our hearts, it’s hard to deny that unless it contains a killer feature, modern games trying to take on such a vintage genre may fall victim to the nostalgia that it’s trying to recreate. This is most certainly the case with Bloody Zombies. Despite the developer’s efforts to slightly extend the combat system from such arcade classics as these, the game’s overall repetitive nature just doesn’t bode well enough to be interesting in the modern day. I could imagine that even purest would easily rather play something like Cadillac and Dinosaurs over Bloody Zombies, and, to be brutally honest, I felt a bit like a bloody zombie playing it.
There’s variation in the areas as winding paths and multiple lines of marbles are introduced. There’s an extra hard difficulty if you want a challenge or to grind your teeth into dust with frustration. It’s not a bad game at all, it just does what it says on the tin and while that’s fine, it doesn’t stand up above other games – many of which flood the Nintendo eShop each week – to steal your attention away.
If any of the references above tickle your taste buds, then Furi is a no-brainer. It’s a high octane blast of a game that will leave you feeling like a space samurai with a force to be wrecked with. It certainly isn’t for everyone, and by Odin, it can be quite the challenge, but its simple controls and fair but brutal learning curve definitely provides a rewarding learning experience. And, once you finish it for the first time, play through it again and see how far you have come. It may even tempt you into speed running the Furier mode.
There’s no doubting the enjoyment that’s possible in Crawl. I would love to have seen a proper story mode that allows the unlocking of items, etc, because the universe the devs have created is intriguing. There’s a lot here to love, but a lot that can lower the experience. It doesn’t have the draw of an Isaac or Gungeon and it won’t beat out ARMS or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when you have friends round, but it’s worthy of time because it does so many things differently.
Mom Hid My Game! is a weirdly wonderful experience that goes to some truly unpredictable places. Despite its simple presentation, there’s still a quirky layer of charm that you can’t help but gravitate toward. The fact a version of this game is free on smart devices isn’t an easy fact to ignore, however, if you’re in the market for something brief, super strange and fun for under a fiver on the Switch then Mom Hid My Game! might fill that void.
Crimsonland is a fairly forgettable experience hindered further by unattractive audio and visuals. While you have to admire its retro-style arcade feel and gameplay, sadly it’s not enough to keep you engaged for long. Survival mode has the longest legs but even then it’s not something I found myself wanting to return back to long term.
Splasher‘s brilliance is clear to see, and it is not hard to come to understand why it has become so popular with speedrunners – especially thanks to the chance to switch to Time Attack mode on the fly, challenging you to complete each level as fast as possible in competing in the online leaderboards. The Nintendo Switch may already be home to a fair few platformers, but Splasher will long linger in your memory for all the right reasons. Slick and tuned to perfection, it’s another Nintendo eShop release that’s not to be missed.
The game is decent in length and it’s roughly the same as those that influenced Cursed Castilla EX. There are plenty of secrets to be found and you’re definitely not going to find them all during your first playthrough and there are also four different endings to unlock so it’s definitely worth replaying, especially if you are a completionist. If retro-inspired games are your thing then this is well worth the time and effort and you’re going to really enjoy the challenge this will bring. A really, really good game that deserves to be on your 3DS console.
Pic-a-Pix Deluxe is another Picross-style game for Switch that plays exactly as you might expect. Unfortunately, it also lacks the same level of polish as other attempts like Picross S. If you’re hungry for more pixel shading puzzles though, Pic-a-Pix Deluxe delivers a reliable if somewhat clumsy option.
King Oddball readily entertains with its quirky demeanour, putting an entirely unexpected body part to work to unleash wanton destruction upon the world. It may have riffed on someone else’s concocted formula (and with less breadth at that) but, especially for those longing for an alternative to Angry Birds on Nintendo Switch, it’s hard not to come to appreciate the game’s warped nature.
This is what Slain: Back From Hell suffers most with. While it’s blatantly attractive to look at, the reliance on being too old-school in the hack ‘n’ slash department makes the game struggle to feel anything above mediocre. This doesn’t mean that I found it terrible by any means. There are a few decent surprises present and I am sure Slain: Back From Hell can be that guilty pleasure for some in its own right. I just didn’t find it nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be, especially considering the potential that can be seen within the half a dozen hours it takes to beat it.