LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Children of Zodiarcs is a strategy RPG with a clever system that I find endlessly entertaining. It’s challenging enough to involve some grinding and the story and characters are interesting, even though I’m not finding them to be very complex. Instead, it’s the combination of dice customization and deck building systems that really makes Children of Zodiarcs stand out. I love upgrading my dice to increase the chances of a better roll. Frankly, I’ve barely touched the deck building aspect yet because I am so involved in managing the dice! I have spent hours in a single day (a rarity for me unless it’s Fire Emblem) grinding my characters to build their stats while listening to podcasts, and I can definitely say it’s been a blast.
Subnautica: Below Zero is easily one of the best survival games I have played on Switch. Whilst a small initial barrier to entry, it’s hard not to get captivated by the world above and below the water. If you haven’t been keen on survival games before this may not turn your head again. But if you’re looking for an underwater adventure like no other Below Zero is well worth going out in the cold for.
Go! Birdie is a simple, easy-going game. It would be suitable to dip in and out for short quick play sessions. There wouldn’t be much replay value in the game but for the few pounds it costs, I wouldn’t expect there to be. With its easy controls and simple gameplay, as I’ve previously mentioned, it would be a great game for young children to play.
All in all, it is one of those games that you can download, and have around for those brief moments when you want a puzzling distraction for a brief moment of time. With 150 different puzzles to choose from, there’s a lot of wordplays to keep your mind occupied. So if linguistic games like ladders are your kind of jam, then pick this one up! If you’re more into math puzzles, then this game is probably not the one for you. But hey, who says we can’t expand our horizons and try something new too, right?
I love the premise of Invirum and with some patching and work, I can see this becoming quite the entertaining roguelike game to play in short bursts. It’s just not that game yet and I don’t think it should have been released in the current state it’s in on Switch. Buy with caution at this stage. I will keep an eye on Ivirum over the next few months and update my review once the patches start rolling in.
Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition still remains a unique platforming experience. If you’re looking for a retro-inspired platformer then this will keep you busy for some time. One where you play as a pacifist Octopus – this is well worth checking out. A charming octopus that just may inspire you to overcome your struggles and live your own great adventure.
If you are a fan of your space shooters R-Type Final 2 is well worth picking up. But be warned its unforgiving and wave-like difficulty curves will not work for everyone. If you’re on the fence about it, there is a free demo on the e-store I highly recommend trying it first. Once I got over the initial steep learning curve I grew quite fond of this nifty space shooter. R-Type Final 2 reminds us that things may have been difficult back in the day for gaming. But that formula still works and will hold up for its fans today. See you next time for R-Type Final 3 maybe?
I’d like to tell you that CyberHive is a wonderful strategy game. But I can’t say that it is, neither can I say it’s a really terrible game. What I can say is I would steer clear of CyberHive until the game receives an update as in my opinion, you won’t be getting a playable game. Yes, the game does play but only up until the point where it freezes. And like me, you will spend your playtime replaying chapter one over and over again. So I’m left with no choice but to score CyberHive as,
I expect promising things in the future from Provodnik Games based on Dull Grey‘s writing and interesting gameplay premise. But I also hope to see better translation and editing as this can make or break impressions, especially for a visual novel of this brevity. There were jarring moments when the quality of translation dropped significantly. I appreciate that there are many possible endings, but the most interesting ones ended up more confusing than satisfying. For these reasons, I hovered between rating the game “I Like It” and “Not Sure.” Overall, though, the game holds together well enough.
If you have someone else to play with I can not recommend this game enough. Heck this is a game I would go as far as to say it’s worth getting a console or PC for. The game pushes video games forward in the right direction and it’s a darn shame others haven’t taken note of this. A wholesome co-op experience that is guaranteed to entertain. No DLC, no microtransactions, no exp, no bugs and utter gaming rubbish we so often see in games these days, just a good video game. It Takes Two is not just one of the best games I’ve played this year. It’s one of the best video game experiences I have ever had, period.
I think The Colonists could have done a little more as far as a tutorial was concerned. The game teaches you the basics and then just leaves you to figure out the rest on your own. That may be fine for veterans of the strategy building genre, but newcomers to the genre will need a little more help. The cute robots may make The Colonists look like a very simplistic game, but beneath the surface lies an in-depth strategy game that is a blast to play!
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion will likely attract an audience thanks to its cute graphical style and bizarre yet humorous premise. It does feel like it could have done with a little more content and the meme humour is likely to be hit or miss for some people. But if you’re looking for something short and sweet this is a good title to pass the time with before your next intensive gaming project. Just don’t expect it to teach you anything about Taxes.
Overall if you’re a fan of the series it’s worth picking up Shantae to discover its roots. If you’re new to the series I would actually suggest you pick up one of the newer games first before diving into this one. Some of Shante’s retro mechanics will not have aged well for some audiences. But if you’re old like me there is a certain fascinating curiosity around how developers were able to make good games on the little handheld that could, the Game Boy Color. Great for its time. Nice to see it re-released. Just a shame not more was done to make the game accessible for new audiences.
I found the plot meaningful, and it drove the game forward despite being doled out in tiny pieces and told in so few words. If you think of regular RPGs as epic novels, I’d say A Dark Room is a short story, one of those 100-words-only “short shorts.” It’s about humanity, sort of. It’s about discovery and survival. The Switch is a great way to play this game, with either Joy-Cons or touchscreen as options. I much preferred the touchscreen for speed. I enjoyed lying in bed with A Dark Room as much as with any title with fancy graphics. If you’re looking for an indie title that’s different, give this a go. Light the fire.
The original game was released in 2018 and it was the first ever Atelier game to make it to the Switch. Back then I felt that it was a pity that this would be the one to serve to Nintendo gamers as a first experience. Protagonists that are not the most lovable girls I’ve met in the Atelier series and no English voices. I must say though that some of the chats the girls have are quite funny. But, replaying it now in the order of the Atelier Mysterious trilogy I feel more kindly inclined. I can see how Gust tried for an open world approach in Atelier Firis and though they abandoned that in this game, they made up for it using the Mysterious Paintings. Even though I liked the two earlier games, Atelier Sophie and Atelier Firis, just a little bit more, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: the Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is still a lovely game in an amazing series.
I found that the motion controls work surprisingly well, far better and more intuitive than I thought they would. So Kudo’s to Northplay for getting motion controls to work so well. My preferred method of controlling the game is the touchscreen, in single-player mode. Fly TOGETHER! is a very entertaining game, I would imagine with a group of friends playing the game it would be a right laugh for all involved. I’ve enjoyed my playthrough of the game and the challenge of the game in the later levels.
Castaway Paradise is a great time sink, it is very easy to spend an hour or two just mulling around the islands. Catching a few fish, pulling out some weeds or just tending to your crops. Gameplay that will appeal to most gamers, especially those that have played Animal Crossing. The Switch is a good home for the game as the portability of the switch would be great for checking in for the daily rewards in Castaway Paradise on a commute to work.
By bringing Death end re;Quest to the Nintendo Switch with all DLC included I’m pretty sure this is the ultimate package. The game, in my opinion, is foremost a Visual Novel with an intriguing storyline and many hours of gameplay. Be prepared for lots of reading and some interesting ideas when it comes to battle but also, you’ll have to stomach the violence. To me, that’s where the game failed. Yes, good stories come with horrible plots and they can still engage. But I don’t want to be witness to blood spattering, crunching bones and prolonged suffering. Though the story kept me hooked, I can’t overlook that.
Fez to this day still remains quite a unique and original puzzle platformer with a charming graphical style to boot. This is a nice fit if you’re looking for a casual experience away from the dexterity and quick reflexes of other platformers. But if you are someone that likes to 100% you may need a guide to discover all the secrets. The Switch version of Fez offers nothing new to the experience so there’s no reason to double dip if you’ve already had your Fez fill on a previous system. But if this is your first venture into the game or you want to introduce a friend to it, then have at it.
Needless to say, I haven’t finished The Longing in the two weeks I’ve had with the game, how could I when it is 400 days long! We explored the hand-drawn, large kingdom, and listened to the atmospheric soundtrack that accompanies Shade on his slow shuffle. It began as a strange game that, after I spent 20 minutes with it waiting for Shade to climb the stairs, I was ready to pack it in and never look at again. Shade and I have bonded, now I check in with him and go for a slow saunter along an undiscovered corridor, and make sure he is sitting comfortably in his chair when I leave the game. He sits in his chair reading a book, with me pressing A to turn his pages while I myself play a video game on my PC. Nothing says comfortable bonding then sitting like this side by side, no words needed. Who knows what the next few hundred days have in store for Shade and me but I think I’ll be sticking around to find out….eventually!