LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Tracks – Toybox Edition is a simple pick up and play game. It offers a huge amount of space to build your dream track on. With plenty of decorations to choose from the Toybox to add to your work of art. It certainly has a calming and a relaxing gameplay atmosphere to chill out with. With its simplistic approach Tracks – Toybox Edition would be an easy game for young children to play or a family. It would make a perfect gift for any children that are receiving a Nintendo Switch for Christmas or any adult who wants to let their inner child imagination run wild!
This is a brief, but touching story, about two women finding each other. There are a few parts that are a little hokey, but other than that I enjoyed the world-building and characters quite a lot. Other than the font, my only complaint is that it’s a bit short for the price. If you grab it on sale I’m sure you’ll have no regrets at all.
Micetopia is a fun simple Metroidvania that plays everything very safe. Good controls, graphics and a short campaign that feels over a little too soon. The definition of what I have come to call a coffee game. But by playing it safe Micetopia doesn’t have that special something that makes it stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a nice short title at a nice price, this will keep you distracted for a few play sessions.
I wanted to love Memoranda. It comes across as a quirky, slightly dark, and fun little point-and-click game. While the story was a little strange, it was also fun and interesting without being too long. The graphics and sound design were spot-on for the tone of the game, instilling a subtle sense of unease all the way through. Unfortunately, the obscure nature of the puzzle solutions lowered my enjoyment a lot. They were just too bizarre, and as a lover of logic puzzles this went completely against what I enjoy in a puzzle. All in all, a nice little experience, but expect to be scratching your head more often than not!
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead has lots of new components added to the game, some of them are fun and work well. While I did enjoy the added feature of the Walkers to the game as they do add in a lot of extra strategies to think through. However, not all of the components work as well as they should and it ends up being annoying. Especially the controls which I found to be downright irritating. If you can manage the irritating controls and have played the Bridge Constructor games before you may well like this instalment!
Carto has a lot of heart at its core, with its endearing title character and family-driven narrative. The map-altering mechanic is user-friendly and offers a unique approach to the puzzle-adventure genre. While deceptively simple on its face, there are some challenges ahead and the going can get tough at times. With every map “riddle,” there seems to be but one solution to allow progression. The joy is in solving a particularly vexing one, when it all lines up just as it should. The main drawback was that at times, things felt somewhat disconnected and flat. The developers clearly wanted a game that was puzzle-driven, first and foremost, and the exploration elements aren’t nearly as developed. But Carto has so much charm and wholesome appeal, that it’s genuinely easy to like. The storybook visuals are so pretty and I love the upbeat soundtrack. The perfect cozy game to curl up in a blanket with, on a rainy afternoon!
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back is a great package for fans of the old days as well as introducing a new audience to the cuteness of Bub and Bob. Bubble Bobble 4 is a feel-good arcade game that offers a balance of casual and challenging modes that are sure to please a wide audience of gamers. It’s good to have this dinosaur duo back on top form.
While a sequel is in the works for BOTW there is no clear release date as yet. If you’re hankering after a Zelda fix, Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity delivers great storytelling and provides an exciting new adventure. It is an addictive fighting game and offers enough space to experiment with different characters. As for Musou fans who haven’t played BOTW, try out the demo before you decide to buy. Since your save file is carried over to the game from the demo you have nothing to lose if you do decide to buy. After playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity I’ve got an urge to play BOTW again. I’m sure like a lot of gamers who have played Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity they are feeling exactly the same way!
This isn’t your average Visual Novel, no over the top romance with hot guys, but a more realistic approach to friendships and potential relationships in old age. Though in some of the chapters, realism is far away! Poignant, sad at times, and with some dollops of sarcastic humour Later Daters makes for a special game. A pity that it’s so short, even with the DLC added.
My Aunt is a Witch is a very entertaining, and thoroughly fun visual novel. A story of a young boy who finds some adventure and magic in his world to replace an unfortunate turn to his life. Visual novels are not really my go-to genre, My Aunt is a Witch is the second visual novel I have reviewed for LadiesGamers. And I must say if there where more VN’s like this one on the Nintendo Switch I’d be making a few purchases on the eShop! As for fans of this genre, I can recommend My Aunt is a Witch to add to your collection.
Santa’s Xmas Adventure is an enjoyable puzzle game though there isn’t anything new in this game, and nothing we haven’t seen before in similar games. But the game would be a great starting game for any youngsters that want to get into the genre as it’s accessible to players of all ages and abilities. And with its Santa theme it would make a great present for someone to have on their Nintendo Switch at this time of year.
In its current state, it has decent rogue-lite elements. Not so much fun alone but the experience really comes alive when playing co-op locally or online. With patching, Metaverse Keeper would make a welcome addition to fans of the rogue-lite genre. But in its current state, I would advise approaching this with caution.
Star Slides is a short title to play alone or have some unintentional laughs with a second player. It’s silly fun that would have been easy to recommend at a cheaper price point. But since that’s not that case here, I would say save your money and slide on to something else worth your time. At least it doesn’t have microtransactions, so that’s good.
Unhatched is a mobile game ported to the Switch, thankfully without the advertising or IAP that plagues most mobile games. I did enjoy some of the card battles but it does get repetitive pretty quickly and a lot of the battles are trial and error as I’ve said. The story wasn’t interesting enough to keep me engaged for long. I like strategy and puzzle games, and while I don’t dislike Unhatched there are better games at the same price to choose from in the eShop.
Children of Morta may be tough and grindy, especially at the outset, but there’s enough to keep players engaged: randomized dungeon maps and goodies to pick up; no less than seven playable characters; an emotional tale that unfolds in beautiful cutscenes. It’s not a party game, so I would only recommend it to players who can commit to ongoing co-op sessions—especially as progression is slow and the game feels more rewarding only after beating the initial dungeons.
Linelight is quite a shining light in the sea of Switch releases this November. If you’re looking for a nice casual puzzler with great music this is an easy one to recommend for all ages. Linelight is like an adult colouring book. Simple in concept but provides some mindfulness that feels both good for the soul and fun to play.
While not as strong as some of Orange Pixels other works. Gunslugs is still a simple to the point run and gun rogue like that’s perfect if you only have small amounts of gaming time to spare, plus you can throw a joy con at someone on the bus and play together which is always awesome. Gunslugs may be 5 years old but like that old CD from that band you like, it still holds up today.
As I mentioned in the intro, I was looking for a Style Boutique-like game. Fashion Boutique does have a bit of store management included, but it lacks stock management. You don’t shop for clothes keeping an eye on fashion trends. In this game, you make the clothes yourself by doing mini-games. That can get repetitive but luckily once a pattern is mastered, you don’t have to do the mini-game for that particular item anymore. The game has wide variety of things to unlock and expand, and works hard to keep the gamer entertained. It’s visually not as pleasing however, and feels a bit empty and rough around the edges. In the end I do like the game, keeping in mind its intended younger audience. You can easily fritter away the hours while working on your stock and keeping your customers happy. I do feel that the American price is fair, but the European price point is a bit high for my taste.
I’ve a confession to make, I don’t particularly like Sudoku puzzles nor Tetris, so you would think I wouldn’t like TENS!, but you would be wrong. As TENS! has a simple yet engrossing premise to its puzzles that pulls you in. And before you know it few hours have disappeared as you have spent your time counting to ten. As long as the youngest player can count to TEN!, then this game offers fun and relaxing gameplay for all ages to enjoy!
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin comes with a decent price tag, not as much as Nintendo’s big staples. However, it’s more than reasonable for Sakuna. In just under a month of playing, and I’m still hooked. Even as someone who generally dislikes platformers, Sakuna has ticked all the right boxes for me. My love of farming, mixed with the fighting style, makes for a complete and fascinating game. I will be recommending this game to pretty much everyone. It has a bit of most things but manages to incorporate it all smoothly. Other games can feel jarring when mixing playstyle or genres, but Marvelous have succeeded, almost expertly.