LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Mittelborg: City of Mages has a pretty interesting premise, it’s a real pity that that is all it is. It plays like a straight port from pc or mobile. What art there is in the game looks well, I just wish there was more of it instead of a static image of the city. The translation of the text needs work to help the game story along and help to make it more interesting for the player. There are bigger and better simulation, strategy games to choose from on the eShop sadly this isn’t one of them.
There are glimmers of fun here. I do not wish to ignore those. Driving down the open road, delivering your cargo in the night-time rain can be a relaxing experience. However, these moments are so few that they simply do not warrant the price being asked of by this title. The real problem here is that the game is clearly unfinished. Were the publishers asking a lower price of the title then many of the problems above could be overlooked. Currently though the price remains worryingly high and therefore not something I can recommend.
Watching online playthroughs made me realize that other players were equivalently struggling. Admittedly, this made me feel a little less bad about my own failings. Seeing those players reinforced the two cores issues I have with Radio Squid. Coins as currency and lives combined with unforgiving gameplay that harshly penalizes the player for failing and lacking swiftier reflexes don’t form an experience worth investing in. All in all, I don’t think Radio Squid is truly an adorable lost cephalopod. There’s evident potential for fun here. Albeit with some significant tweaks to how the game plays and is overall constructed. If Radio Squid altered the item drop rate, made Upgrades available more often, and didn’t punish the player ludicrously severely for dying, this game could be something special.
I really scanned to find some redeeming qualities in Stone. But every time I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt the game pushed back. No challenge, bland graphics, audio issues, and incredibly short on content. While I admire the developer for chasing their passion project, I feel Stone needs a lot more polish in just about everything to make it a worthwhile purchase. It did remind me how awesome Night of the Living Dead is though, and that’s good.
I found Spirit of the North to be quite simple and I think that’s intentionally. I like the fact it’s simple, it reminded me of Journey and Abzu. The aim of the game is getting from place A to place B, while doing a few things on the side. And to meanwhile enjoy the surroundings and the wonderful places you travel through. So, while the scenery is spot on, it just dragged on too much for me. The gameplay fell a bit flat, and later on in the game, when there’s a bit of platforming to do, the controls aren’t accurate enough. If, however, you are looking for a beautiful atmospheric puzzler that isn’t too difficult you might want to check it out. For me, the game just wasn’t memorable enough.
There really isn’t much to write about Theme Park Simulator as there isn’t much to the actual gameplay. Once you have checked out each ride and fiddled around with a few settings for each of them the game is over. There isn’t much to justify the price of this game, nor is there much gameplay to hold the players attention for any length of time. And there certainly isn’t any replay value in Theme Park Simulator.
The game is due to release on Switch later this year. I think some tweaks like comfortable text and a cheaper price point may make this more appealing to the most dedicated visual novel fans. If you want to try a taste of the game you can download a part of it for free on the IOS store and see if its for you. For me, I was left feeling disappointed.
In all fairness, I like the concept of making moral choices and having to weigh that against your profit, and the music isn’t bad at all. The game as a whole, however, just doesn’t impress me in the majority of areas, even if you put aside the bug issue.
Visually Orn the Tiny Forest Sprite looks good, with the bright lush colours in Japanese style. The idea behind the platformer of progressing through the levels clearing away all obstacles using the runes is a nice one. But sadly, the way you fill up the jump meter, and the problems it causes spoils the gameplay for me. Hopefully a future update changes or improves the use of the magic meter.
Arc of Alchemist is an RPG/ Adventure game, according to the info on Nintendo’s web page it has been newly polished for a western release. Released from a publisher and developer who have a lot of RPG games in their back catalogues. I thought I was in for an enjoyable RPG adventure when I took the game on to review. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case! In my opinion Arc of Alchemist should never have been released in the eShop or advertised as “Newly Polished” in Nintendo’s blurb for the game, and priced at $40. It did get an update on the day of release but I can honestly say it has made no difference to how the game runs and preforms.
Fishing: Barents Sea is a boating and fishing game set in the Barent's Sea, which is located near Norway and Russia. The Switch version is the complete edition meaning it comes with all boats, net and crab fishing content. Fishing Barents Sea is more of a management game than a fishing game. This might not be a problem if you are into the genre. But the game is let down by poor visuals and performance on the Switch.
Unfortunately, the difficulty and not grasping it fully means I probably won’t be touching this game again. However, I’m sure there are people that will get it and will enjoy it, I’m just not one of them.
I have to admit folks, me and this game simply didn’t gel. At first I was worried entering blind with no attachment would lessen my experience, but it seems my disappointment has been equally shared by fans alike. I also defend that a game should do a solid job of supporting its source material, even a simple tie-in should never settle itself as a lesser package. Despite this, there are some things this game does. The combat is of solid construct...
In all honesty, I was pretty disappointed with Doctor Cat. I like the idea, and the artwork is spectacular, but the execution is not amazing. If you are looking for a jigsaw puzzle-type game and you are willing to shell out $6 USD for 12-24 puzzles, I can recommend this game. The puzzles are pretty fun. However, the rest of the game, from the music to the text, kind of let me down. I’m not sure how I feel about Doctor Cat. I am certainly not in love with it, and I know I am disappointed at what was missing, but I did have some fun with the actual puzzles. However, I’m not sure I can recommend this game.
Poorzzle – Puzzle Alive is one of those puzzle games that is particularly frustrating. It’s clean, the action is great, and the sound design is okay, but the overall product is not as much fun as it could easily be. I was very disappointed with how this turned out, considering how good the basic idea, look, and feel of the game was. Free or not, I think this developer needs a few more playtesters and translation help.
Lost and Found Agency Collector’s Edition has all the hallmarks of a good hidden object game: gameplay, artwork, soundtrack, no timer, and hints galore. However, it was not smooth sailing for me, and this is why I can’t recommend it. On the other hand, it has plenty of satisfied players out there.
Passing By: A Tailwind Journey retains its cohesive style and substance, and it runs beautifully on the Switch. Its quirks and issues will undoubtedly be no problem for some fans looking for a well-priced, lighter survival game that’s heavy on gathering cute collectables. However, I personally have trouble finding it as cozy as its sale copy suggests, with meters that are harsher than more action-forward survival/collection games like Core Keeper and puzzles that, while not difficult, are a pain to overcome with both the current control scheme and those meters at your heels. As the first game from a new indie developer, I do give the game its proper dues for its polish and its eagerness. I think Studio Windsocke have a bright future ahead, and, as I say, there may be those who click with the game, especially if you can overcome or alter the control scheme. Unfortunately, this game is not for me. It may be for you, so please remember that all reviews are subjective and that this is still a game with a lot of heart inside of it. That’s why I’m giving it a neutral score, and the developers my very best wishes. Available now on Nintendo Switch and PC/Steam.
Highwater gives off an eerie post-civilisation feel, so kudos to the developer for getting that point across to the player since it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. As for the gameplay, I have very mixed feelings about Highwater. Firstly, I think that the different elements of the gameplay don’t gel well together. The boat journeys were the most enjoyable part for me, especially at sunset when the sun was creeping down the sky; the artwork illustrated that well, whereas the rest of the gameplay left me feeling kind of indifferent.
I have a lot of mixed feelings here. As I said before, I like the vibe. Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator has a lot of great things going for it, like the music, the look, the movement, most of the sound design, and the freedom the game gives you. But there are a lot of downsides keeping me from making up my mind. The items are cute, but if you try to do too much at once, your game freezes. I adore the aesthetic, but I really hated the inventory system. After a lengthy debate with myself, I think I like Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator. But I just can’t make myself recommend it to anyone. It feels finished, but the polish that games like this need to be fun is missing. I don’t think I can make a 100% sure statement on whether or not you should pick this up. If you really love the idea of gardening in a sim and you don’t mind the weird noises and the terrible sorting and menuing, then I could see wanting to spend $25 USD on this title.
I don’t think I can properly evaluate whether or not Professor Goodboi’s Ballistics as I bounced right off of it (pun intended), and I can’t give you a great reason for why. It’s cute, it’s polished, it doesn’t crash or do anything weird. The puzzles are different and challenging, but I’m still not convinced. With such a low price, though, you should try it for yourself if you dig these kinds of games.