LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Ember Knights is a rogue-lite that burns with a fiery passion of pick-up and play controls and enjoyable arcade style gameplay. Simple to pick up but hard to put down. It’s made all the more brighter if you can play with friends. While the formula is familiar, there is no denying that this is a polished experience in every aspect of a game’s core goal of entertaining the player. Ember Knights is another example where you don’t need to reinvent the formula to make a fun game. So if you’re looking for your next game night, alone or with friends, consider adding this to the schedule.
Side Decide is a great puzzle game. A simple concept of wooden blocks and matching shapes, but it’s not all child’s play. Trying to reach the goal is challenging, but with multiple levels to tackle in any order, it makes progress easier and not as frustrating as other games in the genre.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a very good brawler, not just for fans of the series but for anyone that wants to sit down for a satisfying blast of one-two-punch action. It’s great to see a brawler add more depth to the single-player experience by allowing you to pick two characters and swap between them on the fly. It’s not quite as enjoyable as playing in local co-op mode with a friend, but it’s a welcome feature. Gaiden may be a side story compared to the main series, but it’s easily one of the best entries I’ve played. It’s just such a blast to jump in and attempt a run. With a similar feeling I got playing brawlers back in the retro days; only the controls are much tighter. Whether alone or with a friend, Gaiden will surely keep you entertained on your next game night.
I cannot recommend this game enough. I won’t even bother with a Cons section in this article because I don’t know what I would even say against it. It’s fun, well-priced, replayable, beautiful, and filled to the brim with gorgeous music. What more could RPG, visual novel, and musical fans want? It’s so well polished that I can’t think of a single thing that I would change or add. What a delight from start to finish Stray Gods was. Play it; you won’t regret it!
I don’t get the same warm, fuzzy feeling playing Zoo Park Story as I have with other Kairosoft games. It shares a similar style, and the pixelated animals are adorable especially the baby ones. I enjoyed building my zoo and collecting all the animals. However, it isn’t as addictive to watch and too time-consuming clicking through the numerous on-screen messages.
The Repair House: Restoration Sim is a good simulator game. Comfortable controls, a huge variety of items to play with and an addictive gameplay loop make this a solid recommendation. There are a few niggles. It can take some time to unlock things as the trickle of money is quite small, especially early in the game. The repetitive gameplay loop may not be to everyone’s taste. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating if you’re not into the busybody nature of games like this or just don’t like simulator games. This probably won’t be for you. What is worth mentioning is the developer is listening to feedback from the player base and looking to continue to update the game. So consider wish listing if you don’t jump on it right now. The Repair House: Restoration Sim is a big win for me as not only is it a relaxing and engaging experience, but it also just generally restored my faith in this genre.
There isn’t a huge amount of gameplay in Flutter Away, but you get a delightful adventure. This first-person game transports you to the Amazon rainforest, where you can explore and photograph some of the wonderful flora and fauna there. The graphics and soundtrack compliment each other and enhance the overall experience.
The Life of a Magical Circle hits the right notes for me with is stunning art design and simple gameplay. A great game to try if you just want to unwind with something simple and fairly stress-free. And you may just learn a little about yourself in the process. Now it’s only fair that I mention the design is not for everyone. I’ve brought up the modern art argument many times in indie reviews that some will really like this, but I can see some just not clicking with this one. Especially if you’re looking for a challenge or if you really want to play a game to escape and not just into your mental consciousness. On this occasion, for me, it clicked, so I recommend it. For a developer’s first entry, this is a very strong start. Now go live your life as best you can.
I believe there is an ability for replayability just due to the soulbit mechanic and trying builds with other main characters which are all elementally themed. The game isn’t a traditional deck building game as it is being branded, so the soulbit mechanic shouldn’t put you off SOULVARS. You can pick it up here, plus there is a demo if you want to try before you buy. If you love JRPG’s, games within a Japanese setting or being a agent for hire, SOULVARS does not disappoint.
Endlight is another of those games I would stick in the modern art category of gaming. Some gamers, likely budding game designers, will appreciate the unusual art direction and weirdness this game is going for. But I can see many others, myself included, that just walk away from the experience a little confused. This doesn’t mean I dislike the game. If anything I respect the effort to be different and go in its own direction no matter how odd that seems to be. This is the joy of the indie gaming scene and I am grateful the developers gave me the opportunity to cover it. If you’re looking for something different and you want to see an explosion of art on your PC monitor then add this to your next game night in.
I want to mention that Radiant Tale has focussed a lot more on world-building and visual designs than on the plots of the routes. This makes the overall topics of the routes more about accomplishing things through the power of love and friendships. I was not at all bothered by this, but if you have a need for a strong plot this might not be the game for you. But I really loved the game, yes it did have some small things I would have done differently, but there were also a lot of things that made up for those small things. So I would encourage everyone who is into stunning visuals and cosy vibes to pick this game up
As seen with many other simulators ported to Switch, this needs a lot of patching and tweaking to make it playable. Maybe if all that was fixed, this would be a decent experience. But there are so many better cleaning games on Switch you could try instead. Maybe the game functions better on PC, so if car detailing really is your thing, then consider looking there. For everyone else, you’re not missing out by passing on this. I found much more enjoyment cleaning my own car.
Mr Run and Jump scores a deserved recommendation thanks to its excellent and simple fun to the point gameplay. But I don’t recommend this for everyone. If you have been put off by precision platformers before, this game will not win you over. This appeals to the dedicated platform fans, streamers and of course speedrunners. It’s a good Switch port that runs well in TV and handheld mode. If you’re looking for a challenge that really tests your platforming skills then Mr Run and Jump is well worth running or jumping onto the eshop to find.
Pathea Games’ first steps into the simulation genre with Let’s School have turned out pretty well. It’s a deep and approachable school management game that’s enjoyable to play and includes plenty of content to keep you customising and playing while building up your school’s reputation.
If you like the pressure of timed levels and find fun in mashing buttons, then Agriculture might be the farming game for you. The concept and graphics are great, and the strategy in some of the levels is appealing. However, for me, there needs to be a few quality-of-life updates for it to be a truly enjoyable game.
Buried beneath all of the issues I had with Deadliest Catch: The Game is actually something potentially good. It’s probably not helped that this title was released on multiple platforms at launch, and it’s likely this was a tiny development team just doing the best they could. It just doesn’t feel ready for release, at least on Switch. With all of the issues ironed out, I would see this being a pretty good crab fishing game that would likely please its fan base and those just looking for another busybody title to pass the time till you need to go to your real job. But as it stands, it’s not something I can recommend, but I really enjoyed looking up the show online.
Viewfinder is one of the most unique puzzle games out there right now. It feels like a Myst or a The Witness with its deep lore and beautifully-rendered world. It feels hopeful and lovely. It messes with your head like Echochrome. It feels gorgeous and real. The characters are charming, unique, and special. The puzzles are challenging and well done. Each set of levels is distinct; each plays with the favourite kind of puzzles of the scientist that lived in it. The whole thing feels lived in, worked in, and loved. Overall, I cannot be happier with Viewfinder than I am. This game is a complete experience and one that I was very sad to see end. I am absolutely blown away by the game’s physics, how polished it is, and how well everything works together. In all honesty, I don’t think two thumbs up is enough.
Overall, Maze Of Realities: Reflection Of Light is great. There is an okay story, beautiful backgrounds, and passible humanoid animations. The all-important puzzles are well done, fun to complete, and players can choose their difficulty when playing through. There are some incredibly silly things in the story because of the animation style, but nothing outside of what to expect with these types of hidden item puzzle games. If you’re here for anything else but the puzzles, you will be disappointed. That being said, the puzzles more than make up for everything else. As I said at the beginning of the review for Maze Of Realities: Reflection Of Light if you like this sort of game already, you’ll love this one too. It’s a fun puzzle game with a lot of pretty backgrounds. And that’s all I want from one of the hidden item adventures.
Nowadays, we are used to the grand adventures of Ryza and company, and you can’t escape the fact that Atelier Marie is a more basic game. It focuses less on battles and exploration, and there might come a point in those five years of gameplay when you really miss new things to explore or items to make. What makes this game worth playing? Managing time and money, setting your Fairies to work as efficiently as possible and working with friends. It’s the events that add colour to the storyline and will keep you engaged to meet as many of the criteria as you can. Gust did a great job bringing us the Atelier Marie Remake. It gives new life to a 26-year-old title, bringing a new kind of gameplay to the table for gamers used to the later Atelier games.
CucumbeRunner’s biggest strengths are its simplicity, super responsive controls, and speedy game flow. I can safely recommend this to younger folks looking for a casual, tricky platformer, but not too punishing. If you seek something more fleshed out, I would advise looking elsewhere. Overall, decent attempt with enough pull to make me finish the game!