But Why Tho?
HomepageBut Why Tho?'s Reviews
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun blast to the past if you’re full of nostalgia for the original game like I am. Unfortunately, if you’re lacking that nostalgia, it may be a little underwhelming, especially if you’re comparing it to more modern farming simulators and the repetition of farming on such a small map can get monotonous after a while. However, if you’re willing to look past that, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun, cute, and charming experience that will take you straight back to 2003 in the best possible way.
The music is reminiscent of all the 1990s SNES games I loved as a kid, the pixelated art style is well-done and great to look at, and the game feels exactly how I want a 2D top-down RPG to feel in 2020. It takes cues from games like A Link to the Past while updating the gameplay for modern audiences and controllers, all without losing its artistic charm and still paying tribute to beloved retro titles.
Overall, I have to say Ninjala: Gumball Shinobi is a blast to play. It does have its shortcomings, but for a game to come out the gate this polished and fun, I can see myself playing this game for quite some time. Ninjala is a ninja’s fan introduction game and I feel it does a good job. If you’re curious to check this game out, pick it up now on the Nintendo Switch eShop for the cool price of Free!
As a gamer who loves mobile gaming, not a lot of games keep my interest. I really enjoy Pokémon Cafe Mix because, for the most part, I love Pokemon. I have been a fan of the franchise since its inception in the 90s. Also, I have a love-hate relationship with puzzle games, from not wanting to think but to also strengthen that main muscle we use every day. Cafe Mix creates this relaxing atmosphere that allows me to think out of the box, even if the object of the game is just swirling icons around. It’s great to see the little monsters I have grown up with, in another capacity other than battling. And what better way to experience that, in making food, something that brings everyone together.
I would spend minutes reading through conversations and cutscenes, falling in love with characters and the lore of each nation and tribe. I wanted more and you do get that from playing the game and progressing through the seasons. But sitting through half-hour to 45 minutes battles just isn’t worth it.
Whether you have nostalgia for the original or not, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a genuinely worthwhile game to pick up in 2020 and enjoy. It offers enough to do to warrant the price tag and is certainly a step-up in terms of presentation compared to the original. While it doesn’t offer much new, what it does offer is a great looking, smooth playing action-platformer from the tail-end of the Golden Age of Collectathons.
Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Isle of Armor is groundbreaking but it gets the job done in pulling trainers back into its world. It’s exciting to see the expansion of the Galar Region with new geography and new stories. Pokemon catching may be the selling point of these games but this time around it is the story and level design that shines brightest.
The Last of Us Part II is what I have been waiting for since its announcement. All of the delays and the months of no updates was definitely worth it. I was hooked, just from the first few minutes of playing the game. While the new game mechanics were a bit difficult to deal with, it added enough challenges to make the game enjoyable.
Overall, I can’t praise this game enough, to be honest. Anytime someone asks me what I’m currently playing, this is the first game that comes out of my mouth. My favorite part about saying that is that I can tell people all about this game, and possibly persuade them to check it out too. I feel once Phantasy Star Online 2 expands to other consoles like it’s Japanese brethren, and possibly even pops up on Steam, this game will take off and be around for years to come.
Although I enjoyed the plot, horror elements, and game mechanics of Goosebumps: Dead of Night!, there were various elements that lowered my enjoyment of the game. Having to restart my game or deal with lengthy pauses disturbed my enjoyment of the game, which is quite disappointing because of how much I love the Goosebumps franchise. However, the horror and game graphics were enough to keep me playing the game. I’ll surely go back and play in the future, especially with the great sense of nostalgia that it brought me.
Summer in Mara may have its flaws but it can be overlooked by how beautiful the game looks and how peaceful the game’s soundtrack is. Each character is unique and well crafted, you can tell each one was created with the utmost care. It’s also a bonus that each character has their own personality. You’ll fall in love with characters and enjoy the interactions between them and Koa.
Beyond Blue is an educational science simulator. The core of the game is based in actual science by actual real world experts. Whether it be all the animal facts and ocean design or the 17 mini-documentaries called Ocean Insights, Ocean Insights are short videos taken from Blue Planet II that give insight from real experts. This game isn’t fast and it isn’t hard, but it was never intended to be. It is intended to showcase and highlight the wonders of the ocean.
Disintegration is a different and fun game when it comes to mashing two genres together. While the story may be mediocre, it’s characters keep you invested to see the mission through. It’s a shame that load-outs are handed to you and do not promote build diversity, but the gameplay is still a blast
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is an amazingly beautiful game with a great story, coupled with an awesome soundtrack, and cinematics that play out like a movie. There are tons of side quests to keep you busy and level you up, and while there might not be character creation, you can change the way your characters look with different armor pieces and see your style play out in the cutscenes. The characters seem well rounded and are enjoyable, and when it comes to battles, there is never a dull moment due to their roles and abilities. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive edition is a must-have in your Switch library.
Maneater is a pretty fun experience, especially if you’re a fan of shark movies like I am, even though it does have its problems. It felt like being placed in Jaws and being told to just go at it and I loved that. I even ended up getting the platinum trophy since I spent so much time exploring the ocean and digging into the collectibles I could find. However, it has its downsides, too.
Minecraft Dungeons is a blast to play. You have all the mechanics of a fun dungeon crawler with a cute aesthetic. I just hope they add in more things to do in the game before people get bored and move on.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted succeeds in creating a world that fits the theme it is shooting for, it just unfortunately fails to do much with it. Mired by poor controls, and frustrating mechanics, the only way I can see anyone getting enjoyment out of this would be possibly as a quick party experience with a few friends.
The developers of Those Who Remain have crafted a game that excellently takes advantage of atmosphere to enhance the horror. The puzzles are simplistic yet fun, and how this game challenges your moral compass makes it more impactful than many other games in the same genre.
Overall, I have to say Dungeon Defenders: Awakened has a lot of potential. I hope that when this game is released there will be a lot larger population of players making it easier to find and complete matches. Putting time into a co-op game when there’s not a lot of people playing it, is a bit daunting.
With its procedurally generated levels, infinite leveling system, a plethora of items and characters to unlock, and some beautiful and intelligent world designs, Risk of Rain 2 is a co-op experience you won’t forget anytime soon.