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The Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion never lacks in the sheer spectacle of its creativity. It’s Nintendo at its best, for sure, taking what we have come to expect from Splatoon 2’s core experience only to throw the rulebook out the window to astound with freshly inked ideas. More, please.
The games in the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle may be short, shallow and repetitive by nature, but these arcade classics are an important slice of gaming history and still make for a perfect high score wager between friends. In any case, for £17.99, it is an affordable catch up for those that are either interested in the history of the beat ’em up genre or fancy an interactive trip down memory lane.
The Adventure Pals may not be the deepest or most challenging game in the platforming genre. Nonetheless, it still manages to stay fun thanks to its topsy-turvy plot, accessibility and the neat ideas that are sewn into the charm of its art style.
BAFL: Brakes Are For Losers delivers a chaotic, messy multiplayer experience sure to provide a few laughs even if more often than not it’s down to watching others trying to deal with the wild handling of its vehicles. An overall lack of both variety and content, however, prevent this title from reaching its full potential relegating it to a short and shallow distraction.
I am not going to mask it, the only real reason you would actually buy Senran Kagura Reflexions is so that you can look at scantily clad women and see them in seductive positions. However, let us be completely honest here, if that really is your sole reason to play, there are many better and cheaper ways of doing such things.
The Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Vehicle Kit is easily the best all-round experience that I have had so far with Nintendo’s new line of interactive make, play and discover kits. Remarkable to build, fascinating to learn how it all works and, importantly, content rich compared to the last two kits, this could be the start of a cardboard revolution.
Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition may very well gain a few new fans based solely on its narrative. Unfortunately, the tedious ordeal of having to traipse around the planet for half a dozen hours like a clumsy jelly baby just doesn’t make the plot strong enough to be worth the hassle. While it may not sound like it, I do appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to independently craft an environment of such scale. However, it really doesn’t excuse the fact that this is an incredibly poorly made game, regardless of how interesting its premise may be.
Small flaws like the lack of customisation and differing styles in enemies can be overlooked if you treat the game as it comes. Bad North is a game that manages to balance the fine line between puzzle game and simulation delivering a tactical roguelike which constantly feels refreshing.
With the recent news that Diablo III Eternal Collection will release on Nintendo Switch in the coming months, Haemimont Games will have cursed their luck. But, for those wanting to scratch that same itch, this Gothic-themed romp is easily the best alternative on the portable home console. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition comes packed with more than enough content to justify the price of admission, just don’t expect your demon hunting to be an easy ride.
It is thanks to its tremendous character, tongue-in-cheek puns and quirky charm that The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1 – A Dreadly Business starts off on the right foot. The story is a humorous one even if not every joke lands as intended and the puzzles need a little more breadth in approach, but the start of these new “Adventurings” are promising.
If you enjoy a slower game with a brilliant and touching story or stories in which, to get the most out of it, you have to give it your full attention, then The Lion’s Song may very well be a game that you will love and think about for months to come.
All in all, Jumping Joe and Friends is your typical smartphone experience – shallow, repetitive and lacking any real hook to keep you playing. Even the multiplayer wears out its welcome in a matter of minutes. The list of excellent or just fun Switch titles is already a long one and continues to grow with every passing week. Any one of those would be a better investment than Jumping Joe and Friends.
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.