Switching Worlds
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Match-3 is fun. Try it out for that. The art presented here is also nice and enjoyable for fans of comics. Just be sure to put up with boring characters, throwaway lines and the occasional bugs with your short hours on it.
Toki Tori is classic puzzle-platforming at its best. Levels are never cheap in design and solving them feels rewarding. The occasional "ohh yeah" moment may happen. The music and visuals bring out the charm of this series and with the amount of levels for you to challenge yourself, it's one the best deals on the eShop. 5 dollars or euros gets you a polished gem.
Shadow Bug is a fun, arcadey platformer which is very simple to pick up. The level design is decent. Some enemies and ideas keep it fresh along the way. That's good, because the game isn't that long.
Penny-Punching Princess has a lot of charm. The pixel art of the characters look good. The music is good. The gameplay is addicting. Anyone looking for mindless fun will get something out of this. Anyone who wants a little more than that and enjoys the visual flare of earning experience points on the fly (in this case coins flying out of enemies) will surely get a kick (and punch) out of it. The bribing element of gameplay is uniquely implemented, but it could be improved. The entire charade of capitalism is a bonus. Certainly a beat-'em-up with style.
Toki Tori 2+ for Nintendo Switch is the definitive console version. It's a puzzle-platformer that uses the environment in clever ways even though it's tied around two simple mechanics. The pacing is all for the player, making this a relaxing game, yet challenging them at the same time. Puzzle games that use the environment in brilliant ways are not a dime a dozen of eggs and Toki Tori 2+ just pecks it down.
Old Man's Journey is without a doubt quite the charming game with emotional undertones and stunning artwork. The memories alone are worth seeing. This is the type of game that anyone can play and relate to even if some the events shown aren't any that one has gone through personally. It's about 2 hours, but depending on how you view that, it's the price of movie ticket, but you also get to keep the game in your library. It's a good one to play with family and friends just about anywhere and the art alone is worth to keep. I would love to see another type of this game expanded on in the future.
So it looks like Bridge Constructor and Portal got married. I hope it's going well. They look nice together. I hope they add more members to the family.
Mulaka is an ambitious title coming straight from Mexico. Lienzo managed to bring the long living Sierra Tarahumara culture into the forefront and created a solid game around it. All of the elements come together in a complete package that is fun to play. The only downside to it all is that some of those elements aren't fully realized. Still, I stand by calling this game Okami-lite. The painterly textures on humans and enemies, an ancient myth of demigods and saving the world, the Zelda-esque gameplay. For those seeking the tidbits of the Tarahumaran culture, it's a slight education; at the very least, an awareness worth the venture.
Anyone who's looking for a narrative driven experience dealing with character development or just like point & click games in general should give this a look. Luckily, it does both fairly well. What's been said about The Fall Part 2: Unbound leading up to its release is the heavily coined term "Metroidvania" being applied to it. Sure, there are bits of that to be found, and bits they are. It's more like sprinkled on top for a bit of flavor. Despite a few issues relating to bugs and controls, if you're seeking sci-fi, narrative and point & click puzzle solving... it's a solid package.
Nine Parchments doesn't go out of its way to add anything new to the genre. It could actually do more by being less linear and freshen up enemy encounters. What it does do good, makes it fun, however. Dungeon crawling with friends makes for a great time especially when everyone has to work together and play off each other's strengths. Nine Parchments certainly meets the players expectations more than half the way, just not the full nine yards.
SteamWorld Dig 2 takes the blueprint of the first game and injects more adrenaline. It plays as beautiful as it looks. This game can cause an addiction. It's definitely highly regarded for multiple reasons. A fresh take on metroidvania with smart platforming and puzzles into the mix. Just moving around doing what you need to evolves into its own reward. Just buy it.
SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt may not be good as SteamWorld Dig 2, but it's still good. Getting to know the characters and even having different moves is enough to warrant playing it if you haven't already, but it's fun anyway. If this game is your introduction and you are into the metroidvania genre, you will also enjoy this. It has a pacing that never dulls and you're constantly being rewarded. It's about time you dig in.
InnerSpace started off with me not knowing what to expect, but continued to get better and better. It's not perfect. It feels clunky when you keep crashing into walls when you don't want to. Flying around feels satisfying, though. It's beautiful to look at and relaxing to play while maintaining a fun factor. It's a unique game that is well executed and we need more of these.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood's presentation and creative use of puzzle-platforming are really well done. It has a difficulty curve that is accessible for all ages and remains fun. It looks beautiful despite running at a lower resolution and its appeal can be good for both parents and children to play together.
World to the West deserves to be praised for its charm and personality. The varied characters all bring something to the table in terms of gameplay and some personalities are easy to love. The music compliments your journey very well. The aspect of character switching is more of a problem than it needs to be and a certain scavenge hunt, while integral to the back story, feels like a shoe-in. It could use more polish, but it's a good game worth checking out.
I like seeing love letters to games many people enjoy. Furi looks, sounds & plays good and it has some known names to back that up. It draws heavy inspiration, sure, but Furi is its own art worthy of standing alone. Some players may find it short if they're wanting more than just battling opponents, but it does have style and is satisfying from start to finish. This is a badass indie gem that reminds me of something I should have played on Nintendo's GameCube.
It always feels good to play a game that pays total homage to The Legend of Zelda. The world design found in Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King shows it was cared for and the controls feel good. There aren't many collectibles and upgrades and the game doesn't put up a fight through most of it, but I can't deny the strength in all of its departments be it dungeons, bosses, charming dialog and vibrant art style. Heart went into this game. Anyone looking for a fun Zelda clone shouldn't look past Blossom Tales. It's worth picking up. It's worth getting a sequel. I want more.
Anyone who never got into Minecraft might find something enjoyable with Portal Knights. There is more structure, customization, variety and fresh ideas to keep things interesting. The game can become addicting and if you have a friend to play with the experience is even more enjoyable. There is no pure creation-only mode, but that shouldn't stop anyone from creating anything they want. The world's are purposefully constructed as well as giving you your own lands to play around in. These kinds of games can be a bit ambitious to pursue when creating them and that may be where some of the implementations such as inventory and leveling up are not thought out very well, but all the things surrounding those are pretty good.
Crimsonland is has a rewarding perk system and fun guns to use on a level-to-level basis. People who care about obtaining the best scores will find more value here than most. Still, its repetitious level design and bland presentation make it a duller experience. Why not add structures to the levels such as walls and maybe some vegetation? Broken down 2-story buildings would be nice. Weapons and Perks are the highlights. If only the rest matched up.
The package all comes together in Stick It To The Man; the smooth visuals along with its cartoonish animation and unique art style topped with hilarious writing from start to finish fully realized by top notch voice acting. It truly is a wonderful achievement worth playing through. I felt as if I could have described at least a few of the characters and scenarios you'll come across, but I would rather let every experience be the player's.