Digitally Downloaded
HomepageDigitally Downloaded's Reviews
This won't be remembered as a particularly good remake, and it's tragic, because by itself, outside of the shadow of the game it's a remaster of, Secret of Mana has its charms.
I can see myself playing Premium Pool Arena a lot while on trips or during short breaks. It's a clean, efficient, and largely no-frills take on the game, and in all that it's pleasant and enjoyable. And that's really all that can be said about a game like this.
For every positive thing that Kingdom Come does with its storytelling, setting, and themes, it then lets itself down with childish writing, and then doesn't help itself out by being so ambitious that, even beyond the bugs, the game has structural issues that are difficult to ignore.
This is an intense, clever, thoughtful and intellectually challenging JRPG that should remind people that when it comes to this genre, visual presentation and even the gameplay itself aren't the drawcard. It's that story that counts, and Radiant Historia manages to achieve something truly remarkable in giving players a time travelling plot that is genuinely interesting and worthwhile.
The game's not going to draw the attention or community of "proper" fighting games, but Slice, Dice & Rice is distinctive, intelligent, rhythmical and, more importantly, intense.
Tesla vs Lovecraft is enjoyable enough for what it is: a simple, energetic twin-stick shooter fat doesn't push any boundaries but gets most of the fundamentals right. At the same time, there's so much untapped potential in the idea of Lovecraft/Tesla crossover, and that leaves me wanting so much more from this game than it actually delivers.
It's a testament to the development team that the game feels fresh and exciting after hours of play, where every subsequent upgrade still feels like a milestone achievement and each victory still feels like a demonstration of skill rather than avatar strength.
It's never fun to play a game that's so fundamentally uninteresting that you really struggle to even watch the screen as you're playing. Fantasy Hero: Unsigned Legacy is a painfully generic and completely forgettable action JRPG, and there's just so much better stuff out there that deserves a port to this console that I'm almost offended that this one, somehow, was singled out for a release on the Nintendo Switch.
The developers haven't messed with the content. Because almost no one bought the Wii U, few people had the chance to play Bayonetta 2. With Bayonetta 3 on the horizon, giving people a chance to catch up is a really good idea on Nintendo's part. That's why these ports have been released, and they're that good that, even if you were one of the few with a Wii U, you may as well buy them again.
Wulverblade is a game about killing things in all sorts of manners, except on occasion your fallen enemies drop elegantly written pieces of history. The historical setting, the devotion to detail and colourful artstyle are sure to draw its share of fans, and the gameplay is also a perfectly functional modern reimagining of 80's era beat-em-ups. It is my dream that there forms a devoted fanbase who appreciate both of those things, but for now this is a game divided between two aims.
Koei Tecmo has done a remarkable job of telling the many stories of the many people that make Romance of the Three Kingdoms such a compelling book and period of history, and the beautiful cinematic consistency makes it the most perfect realisation of everything Koei Tecmo has been aiming for with this series since way back on the PlayStation 2.
There's so much raw content in this package that, as long as you're a fan of the standard tactics JRPG formula, you won't be able to help but get plenty of value out of this trilogy. And the standard tactics JRPG formula is so damn good that it's timeless. Making Mercenaries Saga itself functionally timeless.
All said, The Seven Deadly Sins is a fun anime franchise, and that sense of fun does translate to the game. It's not a perfect game by any means, and has some genuinely aggravating elements, though, and that means it is going to be one that only fans of the franchise are going to enjoy.
There are aspects of the game that are really annoying, but I don't think that they ultimately get in the way of what is a really good game. If you enjoyed either Digimon or Pokémon way back 18 years ago, there's a lot to discover in this game, particularly if the more child-friendly shows have become a turn off over the years.
If the developers were to take the tower defence sections and spin that into an entire, dedicated game, Aegis Defenders could be really something worthwhile. That side of the game is truly enjoyable. But it's let down by trying to be something more than that, and the platforming and "exploration" elements just don't gel well with the good stuff to make this game as cohesive as it needed to be.
There's so much love and creativity gone into the roster, and that, more than anything else, will make or break a fighting game.
This is quite simply the best Monster Hunter game I have ever played.
A good detective novel can spellbind its readers with only words. A Case of Distrust can too, if you have the patience and concentration to make it through the whole way.
The Men of Yoshiwara is a really interesting little visual novel about the idea of the "floating worlds" of old Japan's night life, the people that participated in them, and what people got up to there. You may well baulk at first at the idea of a game about "dating male prostitutes," but really, this is a strong bit of storytelling that goes a long way to describe the differing understanding that Japan and the west have about what a sex worker is (or, at least, once was in Japan), and that makes it interesting.
If you are someone who really enjoys puzzle games and is happy to repeat levels numerous times until you've discovered the solution than Vesta is the game for you. Otherwise, the gameplay isn't enough to carry the simple story and Vesta shouldn't be played in anticipation of the engrossing dystopian tale that it initially promises.