Nindie Spotlight
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For the most part the concepts here are simple: Take your humble troops, claim territory, multiply their numbers, utilize opportunities to upgrade them to better units whenever possible, and overwhelm your enemy...
If your goal when playing 1979 Revolution is escape and fun you’ll be sorely disappointed, but not all experiences have to have that purpose...
The first thing you’ll notice is that aside from the somewhat unusual style of play the game has a wicked sense of humor at times...
Rather than just rest on their laurels and deliver only more of the same Picross S first introduced the Mega Picross style that will sometimes show numbers representing 2 adjacent columns or rows...
Another sequel that took what worked in the original and then made it better on all levels, this side-scrolling zombie-blaster is terrific fun whether you're solo or playing with friends...
The challenge of making due with what you get (there’s no ability to change weapons aside from alternating from the 2 you currently possess) I suppose helps to keep up some variety...
All games in this genre struggle to varying degrees with “the grind”, and throwing out a bunch of options of who to fight with was definitely the focus in this title...
When it comes to gameplay there’s a creative aspect to it, just rather than the intent being for you to create elaborate worlds to explore the goal is really to design your own levels to shoot people in...
Taking everything into account, including its surprisingly high asking price, and considering the title’s age, Titan Quest on the Switch is simply not a very good deal. I’m trying not to be cynical but given the lack of anything from this general genre on the console this feels like little more than an attempt to capitalize on Diablo fans starved for a shot at even a facsimile of that play in a portable form before something less dated (and hopefully showing more care) arrives. Despite my misgivings with the care and quality of the port this is still a very playable game that offers a reasonably good experience considering there currently are no alternatives. Regardless, given at least one other competitive title that’s planned for Switch in the coming months I’d be more inclined to advocate a “wait and see” attitude and hold out little longer before taking the plunge.
Iro Hero isn’t a particularly bad shmup, it’s just a thoroughly uninspiring one. Given the abundance of classic Neo Geo shooters, Ikaruga itself, and a hodge podge of others on the Switch already it really doesn’t distinguish itself. If you’re a genre fan you’ll no doubt be able to get some hours out of trying to get through its increasingly-challenging stages. Unfortunately, for anyone who isn’t intent on proving their chops on every shooter possible there’s no compelling reason to recommend Iro Hero over its competition.
Overall, I wouldn’t say there’s anything terribly flawed about Star Story but at the same time, especially in light of the strength of the Switch lineup, it’s just not terribly notable. People searching for action won’t find it here, its role playing elements are pretty limited, and the variety offered with your choices simply doesn’t carry enough consequence or interest to be compelling. There are worse offenses, certainly, than being a bit dull, but there’s just nothing here than stands out to generate any enthusiasm over.
Where the problems begin is that within the confines of the game itself there’s pretty well no direction, hints, or clues to what it is you’ll need to do...
The glue that would ideally hold this experience together is a thorough understanding and love of 80s pop culture, though there are some scattered modern references to be had as well...
You’ll play as Teku, a somewhat curious-looking fellow who is trying to rescue his village’s shaman who has been captured by an aggressive and evil tribe...
For anyone who’d choose to try to throw shade for this being a release that does nothing more than drop more puzzles into a new package rather than simply adding more puzzles to the existing release that would be unfair, as they’d already released multiple updates for the original game and when you’re dealing in a number like 500 new puzzles (the original initially came with 200 and has had at least 4 or 5 updates since that time)...
Overall, the handful of hours I spent getting to Semblance’s conclusion were rewarding and well-spent. Having played so many indie titles on both the PC and Switch I’m always taken aback when I run into something so fresh and new, and from its terrific visuals and music to its continuously evolving challenge this game manages to check just about every box I can think of. When you throw in its extremely reasonable price I consider Semblance to be an absolute steal and a title anyone who enjoys puzzle platforming should be looking to pick up.
For the most part that’s Spheroids biggest problem, it faithfully takes some ideas from a variety of influences (including foreground/background action that specifically feels straight out of Mutant Mudds) but it really doesn’t do anything new with them. The platforming never really feels satisfying or inspired, it just breaks up the arcade Pang! action. Unfortunately, the majority of play inspired by that arcade classic also stays safely within the lines, never really breaking out and doing anything of note to stand out in that area either. While Spheroids offers up a reasonably good experience it never does anything to get out from the shadow of the games that inspired it.
While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my trip through the somewhat mad minds of the developers I’ll admit that I can see where not everyone may appreciate it. If your approach to the game is to try to master it, insisting on trying to get all of the trophies on each level for completing them quickly, making no mistakes, using a minimal number of shots, and clearing the table you’ll likely want to throw your controller. While pool is generally a game of precision in Pool Panic everything is relative, mainly because you’ll need to make many shots on the move. Throw in balls that will avoid you, throw you around, attack you, or that have a short window of time where you can hit them and if you’re seeking perfection you’ll inevitably be disappointed. The good news is that in order for the level to count as complete you don’t need any of those trophies, simply working out the main puzzle and sinking most of the balls will let you then knock in the 8-ball and move on. In a sea of titles that are laser focused on the destination, Pool Panic is refreshingly instead all about the simple joy of the journey itself. Strap yourself in, load it up, and let the madness wash over you… there’s simply nothing else out there quite like it.
Putting it bluntly getting the hang of racing in this game is brutal...
The game really breaks down into a gauntlet of different types of challenges that you’ll need to complete with a variety of characters...