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With an interesting story and attractive art style, it's hard to get tired of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. Even if you've already read the novel or seen the miniseries, being able to interact with the characters, explore its 12th Century English setting, and shape the narrative provides a new thrill. As far as visual novel adventures go, this one is hard to put down.
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell is simultaneously new and nostalgic. The arcade gameplay will be familiar to fans of NES-era titles, but the game's modern features and obvious love for the source material elevate it above your typical 8- or 16-bit throwbacks.
Tiny Troopers Global Ops is a fine and simplistic twin stick shooter. It's a far more enjoyable experience with friends than playing on your own. That said, it doesn't do anything really special to make the experience standout. Its short overall length, even shorter missions and lack of replayability makes Tiny Troopers Global Ops a mixed bag to recommend.
Overall, Caverns of Mars Recharged is a fun reimagining of 1981 Atari classic. Rather than a rehash or a simple port, a lot of effort has been put into extending the original premise and giving players more to do. This score-chaser is likely to provide arcade fans with an addictive and engaging time despite some minor interface flaws.
Rytmos is a fun puzzle game. Regenerating the different planets, and making songs give the player a satisfying feeling. A little more of a challenge or maybe some different modes would have been great. But overall Rytmos is a great addition to any puzzle fans library.
The Legend of Gwen presents a fun world with a lot of potential, but there are too many issues with controls and difficulty of the game itself.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key adjusts the JRPG series' gameplay formula in numerous ways-some subtle and some dramatic. Not all of the changes work, but the end result is still a very fun and satisfying conclusion to Ryza's summer adventures.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is a great turn-based JRPG that holds up exceptionally well against its modern competitors. The story and combat system are equally deep, allowing the game's bigger moments to carry players through a fair amount of combat repetition and prolonged narrative dumps.
Planet Cube: Edge isn't just another platformer; it's pure delight for genre fans. The simple graphics belie an addictive romp through a challenging world. And don't be fooled by the cute cuboid hero; this is a tough title that will appeal to anyone looking to keep busy for some time.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe takes our pink puff out for another platforming romp. While it's not a completely new game, there's plenty of content on offer to make it a worthwhile purchase.
Meg's Monster tells the story of a big, mean monster who stumbles across the responsibility of caring for a little girl; if she cries, she brings on the end of the world. Playing as the monster, Roy, it is your job to help Meg find her way back home from the underworld by protecting her from other monsters, and playing with her to keep her happy. This unlikely pair forms a sweet relationship in this cute and heartwarming story that is definitely worth a play.
While there's a relaxing tone to putting bikes together and I'm sure someone absolutely obsessed with motorcycles and motorcycle repairs could be intrigued by the title, Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 is such a broken, poorly optimized experience to find much fun in. I spent most of my time incredibly angry at the controls that constantly fought me and the ridiculous loading times to get into those controls. There are a lot of really great experiences to play on Nintendo Switch but Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 isn't one of them.
Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder feels unfinished in parts, but fans of card-based battle games will be intrigued by the ingenious combat mechanism that forces you to balance your attacks against the threat of the enemy's retaliation.
Wave 4 delivers more of that sweet racing goodness to this near-perfect game. It's hard to criticize something so fun and fresh; in fact, the only obvious negative is that we're now down to the final two waves. Let's see what's next!
When it comes to RPGs, we have the classics to remind us of how far video games have come. Ninja JajaMaru: The Lost RPGs includes two retro JRPGs that will certainly have you feeling nostalgic. Even if you're not a fan of older games, the amount of customization available makes this bundle accessible to everyone from beginners to pros. While both games do feel a little outdated, and one is definitely better than the other, it's nice to see these two finally get their worldwide debut after 30 years.
Demolish & Build Classic takes you on a tour of the "exciting" world of construction contracting. The big problem is that the world of construction and contracting is more of a mundane job with a lot of hard work and very little excitement. Performance issues and a disheartening beginning lead to lots of work and little fun. But if you can get past that, you do get to drive bulldozers, cranes, and the like.
Colossal Cave was a classic text adventure, but whether this reimagined take is "the adventure you've longed for" might boil down to your tolerance for dated elements. So much has changed in the decades since the original title, and the developer and Roberta Williams were household names in the gaming community. Going through the passages of this non-linear adventure can still be a mysterious, secret-filled romp. But it's likely best tackled with a good dose of nostalgia.
Despite great ideas at its foundation, Roller Drama has limited sports management features, minigames that drag and a mysterious dystopian setting that gets glossed over all too often.
Gunscape is an attempt to recreate the oft-loved world of '90s first-person shooters. Although it reminds me of the '90s, it doesn't inspure to keep playing. In short, while there is some nostalgic value to be had here, this one is for diehard fans only.
The Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse remaster is a constantly creepy, often infuriating survival horror game that has the misfortune of following the superior Maiden of Black Water on the Switch. Fans of the series and Japanese horror in general should be glad they finally get to play it, but those with low patience thresholds will do better to not step foot on Rogetsu Isle.