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Shakedown Hawaii was absolutely worth the long wait it took to get here. From superb score attack challenges, a good story mode and just a bunch of stuff to do and fun to be had, Shakedown Hawaii ended up feeling just a bit better than the original RCR thanks to a bit more focus.
Aggelos was a big surprise. Having played a bunch of Metroidvanias in the past year, most of them ended up being well-made but lacked some sort of hook to keep me playing, and the few that did ended up being something that went above and beyond. Yet in this case, the game benefits from going back to the roots and being a throwback done right, going for both authenticity and accessibility that made the six hour adventure well worth every single minute, even during the frustrating bits.
OlliOlli Switch Stance is easily one of the best values you can get on the Switch eShop. The first OlliOlli came to the 3DS/Wii U, and I played it on the former system many years ago, but this is the first time the sequel has even appeared on an Nintendo system. Bundled with the first game, you can easily see which elements have evolved and which elements are new, but both titles are worth playing through at least on the normal levels, due to the fun score-chaser nature and how there’s a bunch of fun, challenging stuff to do if you want to go for 100%.
The Adventures of Elena Temple: Definitive Edition is a rerelease done right. While I was very impressed by the original game for the sheer fact that it was the developer’s first ever game, this rerelease feels like that developer used his knowledge from the past year and a half in order to polish the game up and keep what works while tweaking what might have not.
When the only gripe I have with this version is that the US border art for the game looks dreadful, you know you’ve done an outstanding job on a retro re-release. Most Sega AGES games do a great job at updating things and adding extra content, but there haven’t been too terribly many that have made me convinced that they put in their full effort. Thankfully, Shinobi does do just that, and joins Phantasy Star in being the ultimate version of a featured game in the AGES lineup. If you’re a fan of this game, then you owe it to yourself to buy this ASAP!
In conclusion, Retro Brawler Bundle sets A new gold standard for gaming compilations, taking untranslated Japanese games and just fully translating them from start to finish, while also improving upon every game whenever possible. From a bunch of achievements to unlock, the extra quality of life features, to rock-solid emulation, this is a must-own compilation for fans of Technos, Kunio, or even Double Dragon. (despite only one of the three games here being a must-play, due to the unfortunate lack of DDIII’s Famicom version)
In conclusion, Salamander/Life Force is as still as outstanding of a shooter as it has ever been, and this Arcade Archives release maintains all of that perfectly, even adding more options compared to the version in the Anniversary Collection. Combine that with the inclusion of Japanese Life Force, an oft-forgotten take on Salamander with a new power up system and some balancing tweaks, and you have one of the best Arcade Archive releases to ever exist.
My only main gripes come from the map spites remaining mobile-esque no matter what you do, along with the lack of any options to outright skip the enemy turns like in modern Fire Emblem titles, or an art gallery/history section. Besides that, these games are very enjoyable and well worth your time. Strategy fans waiting for a new fix, it has arrived in the form of Langrisser I & II.
When the only gripes I have are some online flaws and a bit of lacking variety with certain enemy types, that’s pretty much a good sign that the game is solid all around. Still a bummer that the online situation isn’t fixed yet, but at the very least, local-play and the 1v1 battle modes are still absolutely worth your time, and I cannot recommend this game enough. It just misses the bar for being a perfect game in my book, but I still consider this to be the best in the SOR series, proving that you can return to an old franchise and make it even better.
Even if Thunder Force IV may have turned you off like it did me, due to it’s brutal difficulty and weird vertical scrolling, I’m happy to say TFAC is a much more balanced and fun game, offering a fair challenge on its default setting with bonus content that makes this game fully deserving of the $8 pricepoint. (Or even 1000 Yen, if you were like me and imported this ASAP) There’s only one AGES game remaining, and here’s hoping the other Technosoft gem gets the same amount of love and care as this title did…
Seven Sirens still is an absolutely excellent metroidvania worth enjoying, but I can’t help but feel some things could have been done to make this the ultimate game to surpass Pirate’s Curse. It definitely sets things back on the right track after Half Genie Hero, but it doesn’t quite match the peak the franchise had already set. Regardless, this is a must-own if you felt that the last game wasn’t what you felt Shantae should be, and missed the old style of exploration from which the series started on.
La-Mulana 2 is an excellent sequel to the original masterpiece. The combat is still just as satisfying as before, the puzzles aren’t nearly as cryptic but are still fun to solve, and the adventure is a fun one overall! My only real gripe is that it does have a slow start, unlike the first game, since it tries to ease the player in before opening up to the same sort of glorious open-ended exploration that made the first game magnificent, yet it’s still a great adventure with lots of different ways to replay it.
Trails of Cold Steel III was a very fun RPG, containing all the good parts from II which I loved, with better pacing thanks to the Turbo Mode, and a story that sets up the next entry rather well. The story’s the main draw for returning fans, and newcomers are better off starting from Cold Steel I, but if you can only join in on this entry due to the Switch exclusivity, then you will still be able to get tons of fun from this game. Just be absolute sure to beat this before starting Cold Steel IV, as that’s definitely not a game to make your first under any circumstance, recaps be dammed. Thankfully, Cold Steel III is well worth a full playthrough, even if it’ll take you quite a bit to do so.
Alwa’s Legacy feels like a proper step up from the original title, still maintaining that excellent metroidvania level design and encouraging players who can think outside the box to sequence break and play at their own pace. While I do feel the chaptered format of this game is a bit odd, and how the game can seem a bit too familiar to the original at points, this is still a must-have Metroidvania, and feels like a true refinement of everything that made Awakening so spectacular.
Cyber Shadow is just a tremendous joy to experience as a Shadow of the Ninja addict, but has a lot of merit that makes the game far exceed the inspirations that birthed it. The beautiful lack of lives, training the player to better themselves and master the game’s mechanics without causing pointless frustrations, the godlike music, containing a soundtrack you absolutely must buy the moment it becomes available, and the fun powerups, offering enough to make Shadow feel like a true evolving warrior.
So honestly if you haven’t played it before and are a fan of DRPGs in general (even ones like Etrian Odyssey), you do owe it to yourself to give Sapphire Wings a shot ASAP. As for Sword City? Consider that an interesting curio, but not much more than that. Still, for $40, this is an absolute steal of a DRPG double pack, and the price is worth it for Sapphire Wings alone.
Even if you bounced off the original for whatever reason, I do feel that Asha in Monster World is a much more approachable way to experience this wonderful adventure, and for those who are fans of the original and worried this would drain the charm out of it, there’s no need to fear on that front, either, as there’s plenty of charm here to go around! Definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year for me, and one that makes me honestly hope Monster World III gets a similar treatment!
Disgaea 6 was easily my favorite Disgaea game in a lot of aspects: amazing quality of life features, a great 3D style change, good music, engaging story, lots of content, and funny characters. But in some aspects, it feels like a regression from the rest of the series, with the lack of boss battle variety, lackluster maps, and slim character classes being the biggest gripes I had.
After 100%ing Blaster Master Zero 2 and watching the cliffhanger, I was so longing for the end of this epic tale, a situation that 10-year-ago me would have completely disbelieved would have happened in relation to the NES game which terrified the crap out of me! But now two and a half years later, that cliffhanger has concluded, and I have to say, it really surpassed my expectations, working great as a throwback to the rest of the series and the pinnacle of the constantly evolving level design and boss fights, leading to some of the most challenging, yet fair experiences I’ve had with a metroidvania in a very long time.
While it is a bummer than both Castlevania Legends and Symphony of the Night are missing (especially since both of those relate to the three advance games more than Dracula X does), what’s here is excellent, and the quality of life and scaling options make this $20 value an absolute must-own, whether you’re new to some or all of the games or someone who played these to death, there’s lots of fun action to be had here, and it’s a great starting point for this explorative style of Vania.