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Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space is an OK release overall. This 20-or-so-hour adventure has an admirable quantity of content, but the quality amongst the individual episodes is inconsistent. I found only two of the five to be the sort I'd want to replay. Still, Sam & Max are great characters. Pick up their earlier adventure, Sam & Max Save the World, to get an idea if this one is for you.
My time with Astroneer was a pleasant experience that let me enjoy a more chilled out base building game. It lets you explore these worlds and discover everything it has to offer without ever holding your hand, nor providing challenges to make you feel stressed. That said, the chill gameplay style ultimately is the game's long-term demise. After your first 10 to 15 hours, there's no real reason to continue on to other worlds. Besides the setting changes, there's nothing that new or challenging about going to other worlds. If you're looking for a fun game to play with your friends, then Astroneer can be a good pickup. If you're looking for the next long-term gaming experience, you might want to look elsewhere.
Headland is a simple but cute and well-made action adventure game, populated with cute characters, colourful settings and a surprisingly heart-warming message.
Match Three Pirates II is a solid puzzle game with various difficulty settings. However, there's nothing else to the game, so you might have short gameplay sessions.
6Souls is a challenging platformer with great graphics, music, and gameplay. It can border on frustrating, but if you're a glutton for punishment, have a high level of patience, and/or love a challenge, this one might be worth checking out.
Playing as a young girl named Maya, Ever Forward takes you through a series of puzzles to tell one person's story within a global pandemic. Challenging, fun, and interesting, this adventure puzzle game is worth the playthrough.
Ghost Sync is another solid entry in KEMCO's long line of retro JRPGs. Although the story isn't terribly compelling, its female protagonist and unique battle elements are engaging throughout. Use Ghost Sync when you need a diversion from more demanding, intense gaming sessions.
As an action/rogue-lite hybrid, Tunnel of Doom offers plenty of playtime and random arrangements to provide some uncertainty and challenge (no simple pattern memorizing). It's hurt by little variety, almost no story to engage the player, and limited visuals, but it isn't a bad option if you want a game to while away some time in darkened mine tunnels.
A Year of Springs is the heartfelt story of three young women in Japan, facing issues with love, friendship, and gender. This visual novel is cute yet compelling, and highly recommended.
Aspire: Ina's Tale combines a puzzle platformer structure with a rich magical story and a beautifully designed world to create a fun, if brief, adventure.
While Asteroids is iconic entertainment, this installment (like the Recharged series in general) is too conservative to vouch for at launch price. When I can say versions of these games from 40 years ago are just as fun, if not more, there is a problem. This series is running out of steam and needs a change in approach to revive interest.
What it lacks in an actual narrative, FILMECHANISM makes up for in everything else. With its addictive puzzles, simple yet thought-provoking mechanics, catchy soundtrack, and retro but modern 8-bit world, you have the complete package when looking for a 2D puzzle-action game.
Gardener's Path is a fun puzzle game if you're looking to kill a couple of hours. The graphics and music are charming, and the controls are smooth. However, it might not hold your attention for long periods.
Forgotten Hill Disillusion loses itself trying to be a challenging click-and-point puzzle game. While some of the puzzles are well-designed, the ones that don't provide enough context outweigh the better riddles and thus make for a frustrating experience. The game does offer a help option, but often it feels like you have to rely on the help all too often to figure out the solution.
With Shin Megami Tensei V, Atlus has done a solid job of updating the series over to the Nintendo Switch. The new gameplay elements are mostly welcome, and press turn combat and demon fusing elements are better than ever. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the story, which never even begins to get interesting.
Timelie is a fantastic game that is close to faultless. Despite the strict preciseness needed for some actions, this is the perfect game to introduce several mechanics found in puzzle, stealth, and adventure games. The art style and soundtrack are sublime.
Word Forward is a good palette cleanser between games or when you are looking for a brain teaser. You most likely won't be playing it for several hours in a row (although with the number of puzzles, you certainly can). The puzzles are short, and unlike other word puzzles out on the Switch, it doesn't incorporate any story or gimmicks. Instead, it's a straightforward puzzle game that will provide you with plenty of challenges.
Shapeshooter is an interesting concept for an action shooter. However, it is too repetitive, often, and the difficulty is unbalanced. On the other hand, the controls and graphics are smooth and easy to look at.
Planet Quiz: Learn & Discover is aimed at a specific audience and is aware that it's not going to be topping many peoples wishlist, but if you have a love for all things Earth, animals, and culture, I'm sure you'd be able to have a fairly decent, albeit short, time with this. That said, if you are passionate about those subjects, it's likely that this may not be very challenging at all, and just confirm what you know. Its three quiz modes are the same and do little outside of this to keep gameplay fresh and exciting after a short burst of rounds.
If you own the original, it's well worth the $9.99 update with DLC. At the same time, those on the fence waiting (hoping) for SNES Aladdin, it's finally here to offer the best of both 16-bit worlds. The Jungle Book (Genesis version) is icing on the cakes. Disney Classic Games Collection: Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Jungle Book is an easy recommendation for 16-bit fans.