The Thirsty Mage
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With its beautiful visuals and solid combat mechanics, Star Renegades provides a solid strategic combat focused roguelite experience. With any roguelite, mileage will depend on the satisfaction gained from restarting each new loop. With story progression being minimal at best, figuring out how best to stagger an opponent is the main fuel that determines whether it’s worth sending that robot back in time, or just taking the first win and letting the rest of the multiverse deal with the Imperium threat on their own.
Gnosia on Nintendo Switch successfully creates a single player experience from the elements of the Werewolf style, social deduction genre that typically requires a group of people to play. The need for other human beings is made irrelevant by utilizing layers of randomly generated mechanics to control the actions of each individual character. A focus on an overall narrative and character development helps to keep the experience fresh during each subsequent playthrough, so long as the minimal variety of responses don’t grate on your nerves.
This game certainly changes things and while some tedium is erased, the attention on the story isn’t really worth it. Still the adrenaline pumping action fun is here along with some banger tracks.
If you’ve yet to experience the joys of playing a game that’s not afraid to be fun then this port to the Switch is a must have for any action fan especially at this price. Even with some minor drawbacks of the mediocre mini games and pointless driving, the style and combat keep you shaking your beam katana all night long.
Unfortunately the timing of its release couldn’t be worse. With the runaway success of Hades still fresh on the minds of Switch owners, the classic mystery dungeon crawling of Shiren comes off feeling much more older than it actually is.
A few minor complaints aside, Atom RPG does a wonderful job of bringing the classic feel of CRPGs to the Nintendo Switch. It would be reasonable to expect a number of bugs to be present in such a complicated title from a group of indie developers, but the team did an exceptional job putting everything together.
Thankfully, I didn’t feel like I was getting a lecture, each side of every issue can be explored and the endings don’t cast a judgement on your choices. Its main message is to illustrate the effect the news can have on our daily lives, and gets the point across in a very entertaining way.
Trials of Mana is a great example of how to do a remake, bringing a classic to modern day while sticking closely to its roots. Improved battle mechanics, visuals, and soundtrack are great additions, but at times poor AI and jarring transitions are a bit of a letdown. Overall though, combat and the upgrade system kept me engaged and coming back for more.
Underhero even replicates the same goofy humour that Paper Mario fans are accustomed to. Dialogue between characters is well written and plenty of laughs are to be had. Underhero is a perfect example of an indie game that can fill the void left by an old favourite, and fans who’ve been waiting patiently for Paper Mario to go back to its RPG roots should definitely take notice.
the complexity of the dungeon crawling and the challenge of trying to make it out alive overshadow its shortcomings. Each turn within a dungeon feels meaningful, and nothing feels as good as becoming overpowered on a particularly good run. With no shortage of roguelikes and dungeon crawlers available on Switch, Void Terrarium still manages to provide an experience that stands out from the crowd.
Sakura Wars represents a great starting point for newcomers, and veterans of the series are sure to enjoy the throwbacks to prior entries, even if the shift to musuo-style combat is a drastic departure from what they are used to.
Indie developer Supergiant have made a name for themselves by developing a series of titles diverse in genre but consistent in their striking art design, mechanical depth and distinctive utilisation of voice acting. Although their first rogue-like, Hades makes for a strong argument that this genre is Supergiant's snuggest fit yet.
Despite some dated design elements that could have used a few modern adjustments, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is as playable and engaging today as it was when it was released in 2003. The core gameplay mechanics still work well with the excellent world-building and storytelling, and being able to play a classic in handheld mode makes it an attractive purchase on the Nintendo Switch.
The beautiful artwork and sprites are complemented by terrific sound design that gets the heart pumping in a good way. Those looking for a challenge and have the patience to withstand countless deaths, all in the name of incremental improvement have another title worth putting in many hours of roguelike joy.
With its engaging story and enjoyable combat mechanics, Dread Nautical has the potential to make a splash on the Nintendo handheld. Even after making it through the demonic ship, there’s enough variety and a strong enough combat system to encourage multiple playthrough.
The final pull of the trigger is a satisfying one, but I’m definitely not ready to ride off into the sunset. Hard West 2 hits the bullseye on creating a fun and infatuating strategic RPG experience and I look forward to saddling up on whatever the team from Ice Code games has for us next.
The amazing thing about these moment to moment battles is that they always end in euphoria and rarely cause fatigue. The sense of victory that comes from figuring out the next location to explore or that final blow on a boss always provides a boost of energy before the next challenge. In every way possible, Monark succeeds in providing an amazing experience that always keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Yomi, the labyrinth itself, is the star of this game. Intricately-designed, the labyrinth is a sprawling, deadly complex with plenty of mysteries propelled by an intriguing narrative that will keep players hooked.
Metroid Dread is a phenomenal journey that goes from zero to sixty and hardly ever lets up on the throttle. A compelling rush from its initial moments right up until the last epic battle, most if not all of my criticisms of Dread are mere nitpicks in the overall picture.
I am looking forward to spending many seasons in my own village of Littlewood. The ease of play and streamlined mechanics make it a near-perfect fantasy world to escape into a hectic day. It is Stardew Valley without the stress of time; Animal Crossing: New Horizon, without the byzantine limits to work through; Ultima Online without the threat of being killed by, well, everything.