LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
I did not care for this title. But I feel like most of my ire was centred on the weird Native American folks and the addition of the slur “g*psy.” It’s really easy to just say “fortuneteller” instead of insulting an entire population of humans that have been oppressed for generations. Also, the tutorial was brutal; with a few changes, this could actually be a fantastic game. It has the makings of an interesting title if there had been just a little more care taken in the execution of the game.
Colors Live turns your Nintendo Switch into a real Art Studio. It has all the features a budding artist needs at her fingertips. The SonarPen is an important add-on as it’s a pressure-sensitive stylus, allowing you to make even more detailed work. A lot of brushes are available and a color wheel with every shade you could wish for. There’s a very cool playback function allowing you to see all the steps artists in the online community have made, and Colors Quest is added, giving you little assignments daily. Colors Live won’t turn you into an artist overnight, but it is fun to dabble in even for a complete amateur like I am.
Luna’s Fishing Garden doesn’t reinvent things when it comes to game design. But the game’s strength lies in its heart. The entire time I played this game I smiled at Cassie’s adorable face when she caught a fish. I also felt so relaxed playing this experience. This game might just be the current equivalent of video game meditation. No challenge, just a good feeling guaranteed through its simple, short but lovely experience.
Cave Quest 2 is a great all-rounder in game styles. A little bit of hunting the hidden object, adventuring and match 3 puzzles with RPG mechanics. You won’t get bored that’s for sure. It is presented very well and wraps up into a decent game to spend a few hours with.
I love this game. I love TOEM so much. It’s sweet, adorable, funny and full of fun and interesting NPCs to meet and take photos of. The world may be in black and white, but it’s lovingly detailed and wonderfully rendered. The music is wonderful and there are a lot of thoughtful details to make players love it even more. Two thumbs up for TOEM!
Golf Club Wasteland feels like a casual golf game meets a walking simulator. Story mode is a relatively Zen-like trip round if you prefer or you can choose to up the challenge if you fancy. Then there’s that memorable radio commentary that will certainly keep players engaged to the end. Overall, the approach is simply not offering much variety to the golf formula. But one thing I took from the experience is even in the most desolate of wastelands, there are still moments for you to take stock and reflect on life. What you do next I guess is up to you.
I really enjoyed Boyfriend Dungeon. It actually felt like one of the more satisfying dating sims that I’ve had the chance to play thus far on the Switch. I’ve enjoyed all of the characters in their own way. I liked how each relationship developed, for better or for worse. My only complaints would have to be related to the rogue-lite portion of the game. While competent in its own right, it does feel simplistic in its execution, paired with the fact that the game feels abrupt in its ending portion while you’re having fun. But it is a somewhat unfulfilling experience if you’re coming in because of the combat. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this game for those who are looking for another dating sim to add to their arsenal and don’t mind a more simplistic combat system. The game is pretty polished and I didn’t run into any issues with how the game ran. Even during combat with a room full of enemies on the screen. I am very curious about how this game will be supported and what content they decide to add to this game.
Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask feels like it could have comfortably been a fun arcade-style water slide ride of a game. But it’s held back by fiddly controls, frustrating co-op design and an incredibly repetitive level design. Less would have been more at this park. I appreciate this is more marketed towards the younger audience but I’m not sure this will hold their attention for very long. The developers were so close to making something pretty darn brilliant and maybe with some patching, it may not be too late for Mickey. There is some fun to be had for sure but this is a water slide adventure best approached with caution at this stage.
I initially didn’t warm to Spelunky 2. When I first tried this on PC I found the entry difficulty level to be a bit too harsh even for someone who sunk so much time into the first game. But this time on Switch things really started to click and I was once again into the endless replayable gaming void of the Spleunky verse. Splelunky 2 is a brick wall of difficulty. Some days I rarely got past the first cave system but darn, was I having fun. But when I least suspected it I discovered a new mystery or level I had never seen before. Spelunky 2 is a fantastic addition to Nintendo Switch and just like the first game, it will be hard not to sneak in a quick game every time I see its icon on my Switch dashboard.
I had a very hard time getting anywhere near the end of this game. It was so slow; it would have been better off as a real visual novel instead of making the player do long, boring hours of forced labour. Delivering real mail would be a lot more interesting. The delivery mini-game padding in this game makes it less likely that visual novel fans will love this game, and the repetitive nature of Lake will ensure that adventure game lovers will also not really dig this title. I’m not entirely sure who the target audience for this game is, but I feel like it misses the mark completely.
Overall, Where’s Samatha? is an enjoyable puzzle platformer for all audiences. It does feel a little slow at times and keeps things very casual. This feels like an ideal game to sit down and play with a child or young person with its storybook approach and cute appearance. But whatever age you are, this is a game that is designed to make you smile and possibly give warm fuzzy feelings. So buy this and enjoy it with a loved one. But if you don’t, go hug someone anyway because we could all use a warm fuzzy feeling.
I’ve played well over 25 hours of HUMANKIND for this review and I really like the game. While the game isn’t perfect it is certainly an interesting addition to the 4x strategy genre. So to answer my question I asked at the start of this review “is it a Civ clone or does it do enough different to stand on its own?”, I would say, it isn’t an exact clone of Civilization, it has different aspects of play that makes it stand out on its own. It still needs work done on the game’s pacing in various areas. The systems in place are not too complex. Though this does mean that a player that is well versed in the 4x strategy genre will immediately feel at home with what’s on offer here. It would also be pretty easy for newcomers to the genre to pick up the game and become a great empire. HUMANKIND is a welcome addition and the developers plan on supporting it in the future, I can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Heart Chain Kitty is a very weird game. Much like unusual art pieces some will play this and have absolutely no problem with its unusual design. But it’s a design that just didn’t click with me. Confusing objectives and tedious exploration made this a game hard to engage with. This also just doesn’t seem to have ported very well to Nintendo Switch. Not unplayable by any stretch you just might need to have quite the open gamer mind and heart to get the most out of this surreal cat experience.
The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express is an enjoyable visual novel that still needs some more development. Obviously, the developers of 1564 Studios are aware of what the game needs since they are continuing to update it, which is great to see. If you are interested in solving the Murder on the Marine Express mystery check out the demo available on The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express Steam page.
All in all Mosaic Chronicles is a solid puzzle game. It is enjoyable and fun to play, even more so if you don’t look at the preview picture of the puzzle you have to solve. The music is relaxing to listen to and the game looks beautiful.
Overall, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an interesting experience. It’s understandable why this game is considered a cult classic, with the interesting battle system and beautiful designs surrounding the game. The one downside of this game is some aspects of the gameplay. It’s easy to fall into a loop of frustration due to missed jumps and the wrong placement of the camera. If all enemies decide to charge you at the same time, it’s very easy to end up dying before you truly realize it. I do think that this is a game that will appeal to a small niche of people. But with that though, I would say to at least give this game a chance and check out more information about it. Because if nothing else, it is a memorable experience.
Cloud Gardens is a chill, charming experience to play. The music adds to the relaxing gameplay. Finishing each diorama and moving on to the next brings such a sense of satisfaction. Cloud Gardens isn’t just a game it also encourages its players to be mindful of what is around them. To de-stress, chill out while also being creative and having fun!
Arietta of Spirits is a simple adventure game with a good heart. If you’re looking for a game to complete for that weekend away this might just be the one to keep you busy. It’s doesn’t that pushes the boundaries of the genre but what is on offer here is fun. Plus this has an Otter spirit in it, what’s not to love? Need to meditate on this game? There is also a free demo available on the eShop.
Even all these years later Spelunky has still stood the test of time as one of the most original concepts in the roguelike genre. Brutally hard, but just the right amount of challenge that just pokes you to keep trying. Often I sit down to only play five minutes, which can lead to hours. Even though I probably sunk hundreds of hours into this game over the years it still somehow feels fresh to this day. An absolute masterpiece of gaming that one can finally enjoy on the Nintendo Switch.
I love this game. I love it so much that I just finished it and I can’t wait to play it again. There is nothing about this game that I would change, and I am honoured to have been able to not only play this amazing story but also to have reviewed it. This title absolutely earned its two thumbs up.