SwitchRPG's Reviews
Disgaea 5 Complete is the type of game that can easily provide hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of playtime, so there’s no reason to rush it. There is a near infinite amount of freedom in customization and gameplay tweaks that should satisfy RPG fans of any caliber. While I still prefer the thematical grittiness that Final Fantasy Tactics offers, there is simply no comparison to Disgaea 5 from a mechanics perspective. Seriously, if you find yourself enjoying the first few hours of the game, don’t be surprised when those single digit playtimes roll into double and triple digits before you know it.
Dragon Sinker, by any metric, is one of KEMCO's finest outings. While a few of the usual KEMCO quirks still exist – awkward menus with randomly ordered items, lottery items that can imbalance the early game, and a screen size that looks a little too zoomed in – they are hardly game breaking. The gameplay, visual, and sound design all skillfully weave classic and modern components into one of the most satisfying budget RPGs currently available on the Switch.
My barrier to entry with any traditional JRPG is low, and I am not ashamed of it. I have played some amazing games over the years that have entertained me that might have not for your average RPG fan. Because of that, I’ve come to appreciate several of the KEMCO RPGs because they scratch that nostalgic itch for me, despite having issues here and there. But I just can’t give Revenant Dogma a pass. It is a mess in the truest sense, and is built in a way that might feel like a cash grab to you even after paying the $12.99USD entry fee. While I’m not writing off future KEMCO RPGs as a whole just yet, I sincerely hope that the next title is catered more towards the console audience, at the very least.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection proves to be a shining example of a console port done right.
CHASM is the perfect Metroidvania for those that desire a heavier emphasis on RPG systems at the expense of less flair on the action side of things. If you like the more RPG-centric Castlevania games from the PS1 and DS eras, there’s a lot to love here. Lore nuts and audiophiles may not have a lot to get excited about, and it isn’t as infinitely replayable as the procedural generation system would have you believe, but CHASM still proves to be a solid experience.
OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes puts us in the shoes of a young aspiring child named K.O., that will stop at nothing to become a real hero.
This roguelike stands as one of the best available among a myriad of challengers, and a must-buy for anyone who enjoys action RPGs or waxes nostalgic for the original Legend of Zelda. The progressive challenge of the dungeons and their floors never felt unbalanced or unfair, and the game's economy moves along at a satisfying pace, avoiding the feeling of grindiness or redundancy. The balance found in Moonlighter between dungeon diving and shop keeping creates an addictive gameplay loop that will keep you saying, "One more run. One more run."
Game Freak and Nintendo have made it clear that Pokémon: Let’s Go is not a replacement for the core RPG experience coming in 2019, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t appeal to series veterans at the same time. It is true that the exclusion of random encounters and wild Pokémon battles (among other things) is weird and makes the game a whole lot easier. However, Let’s Go still manages to exude that Pokémon essence we all know and love despite the changes. Being able to experience the wilderness of Kanto on a TV for the first time is wonderful, and the option to play with even the least experienced player out there definitely has its perks. Pokémon: Let’s Go has the potential to scratch that catch-em-all itch for a while, although hardcore challenge seekers will really have to get creative with self-limitations in order to maintain any true level of difficulty before reaching post-game. But if we’re being honest, isn’t the most difficult part of any Generation I-esque game getting Mew out from under that blasted truck near the S.S. Anne?
Cattails is surprisingly fun and full of depth despite suffering from some design and mechanical setbacks.
Because Chronicles was so mediocre and Mercenaries Wings is literally the same exact game, from its graphics and individual character abilities to the 99% broken and useless magic items and synth shop, it is hard to recommend unless you are just the biggest fanboy of the series or you just can’t get enough tactical RPGs in your life. But I can’t very well give it a harsh verdict either because it is still, in fact, a fully functional game. A mediocre game in the most genuine sense, but functional nonetheless. Mercenaries Wings could prove to be a decent filler piece in your strategy RPG slot if you are on a budget, but you’re better off picking up Chronicles first if a choice has to be made between the two.
An RPG that teaches us that more than just obesity can come out of consuming an excessive amount of food.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom fully succeeds in its mission to capture the spirit of Wonder Boy 3 and successfully carry the franchise into the modern era. Every strength the original games had, the developers of Monster Boy went out of their way to expand upon or enhance. They have crafted a game world that is vibrant, lively, and full of riches to be discovered.
While not invalidating the previous title, the developers at Noio have created a sequel that shines as an independent title on the Switch, even during the holiday scene.
Xenon Valkyrie+, for the most part, succeeds in what it promises. While the story really suffers from its overhyped, pie-in-the-sky tagline, the gameplay itself is challenging (but fair), and that is coming from an inexperienced/sissy roguelike/lite consumer like myself. Some issues exist beyond the overpromised story, but it’s difficult to fault it harshly when you consider the game sits at only $9.99USD retail. It might not satisfy the most hardcore roguelike/lite fan out there, but it has certainly made me consider trying more types of these games in the future. Xenon Valkyrie+ releases on Nintendo Switch on January 1, 2019.
Despite its glaring flaws, I found Chronus Arc to be fun. The fresh take on equipment upgrades and the emphasis on puzzles are really nice to see in a JRPG. The music and graphical overhaul in comparison to your standard KEMCO RPG is a sight for sore eyes (and ears) as well. These are really the only things holding me back from giving Chronus Arc an even harsher verdict, because even partially gating the class system behind the in-game shop and grinding literally being 75% of the content just does not feel that great in practice.
If you are looking for a definitive rogue-lite experience on the Switch, there are other options out there that will give you a bit more bang for your buck, but BEHEMUTT’s title is an admirable take on a genre that can often be a bit too exhaustive for its own good.
Judging a game and its flaws that comes with a measly $4.99USD price tag is tough because you can’t necessarily be blinded by your experiences of more expensive (but more polished) titles. That said, Revenge of the Bird King, at its core, is a decent game for the price. Even though I’m no expert or die-hard fan of the platforming genre, I found the general gameplay loop present to be enjoyable. But the pacing of the levels combined with frequent collision-based glitches certainly soured the experience for me a bit. But, if you live for platforming games or are looking for one with just a touch of RPG flair, throwing five bucks at Revenge of the Bird King would not be a terrible investment.
The Keep is an overhauled port from the era of the Nintendo DS, and is only held back by this history. The era of swiping with a stylus is over, and a few small control adaptations for the Nintendo Switch would have gone a long way in fixing things – but don’t let that deter you, The Keep is worth playing if you can look past its issues. The melee system swiping mechanic is downright annoying and totally unneeded, but the magic casting and spell building more than make up for it. It might even make you use your noggin’ from time to time as you figure out how to best set up your magic spells. The Keep sits solidly on the high end of the “OK” spectrum, and could easily be “GOOD” if only it could shake away from its dated control scheme.
While Don’t Sink does have a rogue-like difficulty that erases a save file upon failed naval excursion or combat, a part of me doesn’t feel that bumping up the difficulty is worth the risk, as a great deal of the gameplay has to do with waiting and saving resources rather than actively engaging in the kind of swashbuckling gameplay one might expect. If you are looking for a more laid-back, resource-management-oriented sort of title, I might recommend Don’t Sink, although a great deal of its challenge can be circumvented by playing the game relatively safe. Perhaps its the savvy, overconfident nature of piracy that I lack which caused me to shirk from its more adventurous choices. Still, the idea of wasting more time saving money and resources on the high seas didn’t make the prospect all that enticing.
At the end of the day there is something to appreciate about a game that makes it feel OK for kids to play through a creepy story. Bendy and the Ink Machine manages to provide “PG-13 horror” in a game that I’ve never seen done before previously. If you’re in search of a game that you can play with the kids that isn’t within the realm of a party game or a fighter, Bendy could very well be the story for you, if you can get past the very obvious Bioshock comparisons and the couple of irritating bugs within.