LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Dungeon Village 2 is a management game with several different subsystems that reward and encourage you to keep playing. In addition, it’s a great relaxing time sink where you can spend many hours building up your town to five stars.
TOKOYO is a competent arcade high score chasing experience that will provide some decent small bursts of gameplay. The changing of the tower every 24 hours gives an incentive to dip in on a playthrough every now and then. But I’m not sure that’s enough to keep people coming back over and over. Upgrades lack a certain punch to them unlike the heavy-hitting roguelikes making runs generally feel pretty familiar even with the random level generation. If you love your arcade games and want to score-chase them I recommend picking this up. If you’re short on gaming time and very busy this is a pretty good gaming fix if you only have a few minutes spare before the train arrives at the station. Not the best roguelike experience on Switch but it has some quirky anime charm, check it out.
KnightOut has a really great concept for an enjoyable party game but I can’t recommend it in its current state. With all three modes combined together, this could make for an enjoyable package, that’s best played in co-op or competitive multiplayer. Messy controls, terrible performance and glitches galore just make this an uncomfortable experience to play. I noticed the game is on PC so maybe that version does function better. I hope the day will come when KnightOut will be polished up with extensive patches. Because I see a fun game under all these issues. It’s just not there yet.
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 is a great collection of two classic RPGs which will keep you busy for a horrific amount of hours. The main niggle here is these games feel like straight ports with no real quality of life improvements added to the Switch version, which is a missed opportunity. If you have enjoyed these games before, there may be no need to double-dip unless you want to enjoy them again on a modern system and in portable mode. Both may be isometric, but each feels distinctly unique and different. You’ll also likely laugh at each game’s silly humour, which is always appreciated. If you’re looking for a long gaming project with a retro feel, then be sure to pick this up.
Lamplight City has given me an appetite for more detective work, and for more work by Grundislav Games designer Francisco Gonzalez. Both the story and puzzles are well-written. Variant endings make the game even more interesting, though there’s little reason to replay if you get the best endings on the first try. I recommend the game not only to genre fans but also to players who don’t usually play point-and-click adventures (or any games at all). Just be forewarned that the game contains mature themes and is darker than the 12+ age rating suggests. The game is great for handheld play. The font is legible even on the Switch Lite. While there are touchscreen controls, Joy-Con controls are much more precise.
Wonder Boy Collection was an excellent trip down memory lane for me. I have continued to play these games on and off over the years. Now, having four of them in a nifty collection on Switch to take on the go when I have the Wonder Boy itch is great. This is a series of games that holds up very well especially if you love your retro adventures. The collection feels disappointingly incomplete offering only single versions of each game and lacking two very important entries. Still, whether you are new or old the wonder that is this series is still a worthwhile pick-up.
I have pondered the rating I was going to give Behind the Frame. I enjoyed playing it immensely, I love the whimsical atmosphere and the intriguing storyline. The puzzles aren’t overly difficult but I don’t mind, it made it feel wholesome to me. The game is short, but when it ends I really wanted more because of the story behind the painter and the old man. It certainly challenged my creative mind, as I keep thinking about what exactly I had been witnessing. The price tag on Switch for Behind the Frame is along the lines of the Steam price, but you should know that the mobile version is about half the price. Due to the fact that it’s a touchscreen game, I do wonder if that wouldn’t be the best version to go with. This is a game for fans of wholesome games with a whimsical and nostalgic feeling.
I know I did a lot of complaining about this game, but it was very fun to play. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I loved how quickly the battles could go by so I could grind to whatever level I wanted. The world and characters were colorful and cute if a bit generic. The story left a lot to be desired, and the combat was challenging enough that I had to pay attention most of the time. While there was a lot to complain about in this little JRPG, there is also a lot to love about it. Fans of the genre will like this title, I think. I hope to get back to it and complete this cute story.
Even though the start can seem a little rocky, Nora: The Wannabe Alchemist is a fun little game to while away a few hours and is highly recommended for those looking for a low-stress farming/crafting game.
What can I say? I love Farm Tycoon because I love the management part, trying to make it into a thriving farm and keeping my eye on the finances. I would like to see some improvements however in the game like a tutorial that is sorely missed to make Farm Tycoon more accessible. It got me making my own lists and schematics, but I can see how this would deter other players. It’s been some time since I couldn’t stop thinking about a game during the day, wanting nothing better than to play on. A sure sign of a hit for me. Based on the PC game Farm Manager SONKA did a good job helping the game make the jump to consoles. It’s great fun to have this fully-fledged farm in handheld mode on my Switch. I can manage the farm while travelling to my own work by train!
Kao the Kangaroo gave me the nostalgic feels of 3D platformers back in the day and it feels very refreshing today. It felt like seeing that old friend you haven’t seen since school and you’re a little nervous when you see them again. But after you get chatting you soon realize why you became friends in the first place. Kao is a solid collectable 3D platformer but doesn’t do much to evolve the genre. For most, that’s going to work just fine. Even if you have no experience with the series this game is a good jumping on point. Awful dialogue and some performance issues on Switch hold the title back though. But if you love your 3D platformers this is well worth bouncing on.
Initially, Kinoko was super frustrating without the controller, but once I got up off my lazy butt and went digging for a controller I could plug in, everything went really smoothly. I love every inch of this game, and I look forward to more from this studio. Also, this game is free! Play it, get friends to play it, and indulge in a little bit of calming slowness in a too-fast, too-hectic world.
Even though I have never played the first Goetia game, I must say I really liked my time in the strange world of Goetia 2. I would have liked to have more light and be able to see the details better, but the graphics look good, and the areas you search through are very detailed. This point & click really had my brain cells doing overtime, and although I wouldn’t have young children play it, it wasn’t too disturbing for me. The developers did a good job at creating a spooky atmosphere without it being very scary.
Touken Ranbu Warriors is a good hack and slash game, but it’s not the best we’ve seen from the developers on Nintendo Switch. Mixing in the mini-games and some varied objectives is a nice touch to the familiar formula. But characters feel too similar, levels feel a bit too short, and the lack of co-op play is a shame. I was there almost day one for Dynasty Warriors 2 on PS2 and remembered being blown away by the spectacle on screen with all the soldiers, both enemies and allies. I had this feeling for most of the games to follow. With this one, however, I didn’t since it’s just usually you and your partner and occasionally a handful of soldiers. If you’re a fan of the game’s source material or are totally new to this style of game, then I think there is something here for you. For me, this was brainless hack and slash fun but not the best I’ve seen on Nintendo Switch.
While playing APICO, it’s clear that the developers have put a lot of love into their game and bees. It’s littered with bee puns and humour throughout the game, and it is educational as well. Four-player online co-op is available to play, which I didn’t get to try. However, the enjoyable and chilled gameplay will keep you buzzing for hours and coming back for more. Gotta go and check on my bees!
Based on these problems, I couldn’t give this lovely game a perfect score. I love the game. The look, the art, the characters, and everything else about it, though, so I’m going to give this amazing title a “I Like It a Lot.” I really hope these issues are fixed soon!
My Time at Sandrock is a standalone game; you don’t have to have played Portia to be able to enjoy it. The game takes new characters to a new location and updates some mechanics for the better. However, if you have played the previous game, it will feel very familiar, like returning home to see an old friend.
Cotton Fantasy feels like the definitive Cotton experience. Taking aspects from all the games that came before it and creating an experience that is just a joy to play through with Cotton or with the varied characters available. If you love your arcade games, this will likely put a big smile on your face with all the colours and numbers glaring back at you on screen and, of course, a pumping arcade-style soundtrack. The games main niggle is the price of entry is a bit steep, and the game is very light on content. Whether you are old or new to the Cotton series, this is an excellent side-scrolling shooter that is a must-play for high score chasers and fans of retro shooters.
Gibbons is a game that really clicked with me from the moment I picked it up. I’ve reviewed many games for this wonderful website and lovely surprises like this keep me coming back to writing time and time again. I will add some caution that this game will not click with everyone. Some will likely see this as simply a Monkey swinging simulator, and the gameplay may not click. It’s rare to play a game where the developer’s message resonates so clearly and leaves me thinking for days, contemplating and inspired. I’m a huge supporter of animal charities myself, and this felt like such a good way to bring awareness to an overlooked issue. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to cover this game. I sure hope you give it a chance too. If not, then please consider supporting a charity that speaks to you.
Playing Old World feels like you have an entire nation interacting deeply with other real civilizations covering a much smaller slice of history. It adds complexity and dimension to the 4X genre by taking the Civilization templet and adding to it to involve you in an epic story. I love it, as I enjoy the deep strategy it offers and the added relationship dynamics!