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I greatly look forward to speedruns of this title, as with its unique method of control and ability to skip bosses and enemies, the strategies runners will devise to get a good time in this will be interesting. It took me around two hours to complete a run, but with subsequent playthroughs, I’m sure someone will cook up something more impressive. Ultimately, I’d say the $15 Mable asks for could be trimmed to something a little slimmer for what one playthrough would provide, but for those who are interested in these kinds of “multiple run” games, I can totally see them being fine with the $15 price point. Mable takes a unique look at a kind of boss rush genre, and provides enough to make it differentiate itself from the rest.
As I said at the beginning, if you are new to this game but like JRPGs then feel free to jump right in. But even if you played through the entirety of the game in its original form, I can still heartily recommend this game. I might say that you can wait for a sale, but this is published by Nintendo and sales will be extremely rare. Was it worth playing through again for $60? Most definitely, but I cannot say that will be true for everyone. There is at least 20 hours of new content here, but realistically just having this wonderful JRPG on the go and with the quality of life improvements already made it a must buy for me. Fringe benefit is the added story content. If I was in charge, there is only really one other thing I would have added, and that’s additional skill trees. But that is small fry compared to what they did add, especially when it comes to actually getting to marry my waifu Jade (which wasn’t possible in the original).
Ultimately, as a fan of platformers, I really enjoyed New Super Lucky’s Tale. But since I enjoyed the game so much, I was also hoping for more longevity and more challenge. That said, this is a game that’s easy to recommend for pretty much everyone, even if they don’t think they’re good at platformers. For $39.99, there’s a very enjoyable experience here, albeit a brief one, taking me about 6-7 hours. I think New Super Lucky’s Tale is worth every penny, though if you want more content for your money, you might want to wait for a small sale. That said, I still am very glad I got to play this love letter to the platformer genre, and hope to see more in the future from Playful.
In the end, I probably spent a good 7 or 8 hours playing Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan for review, and mostly enjoyed my time. Though I’m not familiar with the previous game, Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death, I felt this was a mostly faithful retro romp. Sure it had its share of problems, but none of them kept me from having a good time. They just irritated me in the interim. But if you like games inspired by the classics (this one definitely took notes from Castlevania, Mega Man, and even more recent stuff like La-Mulana and 1001 Spikes), you should probably pick this game up. For only $19.99, it’s hard to say no if you’re a retro game fan.
As a whole, Inferno 2 was an exceptionally lackluster experience with hardly any highlights. For a twin-stick shooter RPG hybrid, I believe Radiangames perhaps should’ve made sure the level design and balance was more spot-on. For $4.99 and a roughly 4-6 hour experience, it is a fine enough purchase for fans of the genre, especially if played on co-op. However, if you are looking for something more exceptional, either wait for the game to go on sale or look elsewhere. For a sequel to a critically acclaimed title, I was woefully disappointed with the package delivered.
Ultimately, Stela is to remembered for its outstanding artistry and beautiful paint-like backgrounds and environments. Again, while being beatable within a 2 to 4 hour time frame, around 4 in my case, the shortness in no way hindered the experience and actually proved as a relief for not overstaying its welcome. I feel like $15 would be the sweet spot for this, but if you’re really into these particular cinematic side scrollers, this is an absolute pick up for $20. Stela, as it turns out, is pretty stellar.
In the end, I did still have a great time with Luigi’s Mansion 3, despite the quirks I ran into. Sure it’s not perfect, but fans of the series should be happy, and you still get a lot of game for $59.99. I’m happy this is a Switch exclusive, since it has that trademark Nintendo magic. While I would like it if the overall experience was a bit more polished, I still had a lot of fun exploring the Last Resort. Also, Polterpup and E. Gadd are now some of my favorite Nintendo characters. The puppy is easily the MVP of the entire game, an adorable rescue animal to help the constantly flustered plumber. And E. Gadd is delightfully strange and just twisted enough that I kind of want him to become a villain in the next game. Overall, I’d say this one is worth the price of admission. Here’s hoping it’s not the last haunted adventure of Luigi and company.
Battle Planet – Judgement Day is one of those game that I don’t think is bad a game and is very reasonable at the $14.99 price. I do however think it was made with a particular kind of gamer in mind. Fans of these types of games may think well I won’t need to get upgrades, I can use my luck and skill to wing my way through the 40+ waves the game has to offer. I have serious doubts anyone can do this since the damage you take from a single hit on the higher waves is substantial even after unlocking many perks and upgrades. This makes the game grindy since you will have to run the first waves quite a few times to power up enough to handle the more challenging levels and bosses. I spent around 5 hours with this one. Some of that time was solo and some was co-op with a friend and having two players does make the game a bit easier, but even then it is no cakewalk. I was only able to complete 35 waves for this review. It was just too difficult for me to handle solo past that and I had no one local to help me out. That being said, if you’re into this genre and love a good challenge you’ll like want to give this one a go.
Overall I don’t think it’s one of the best rogue-likes I’ve played, but I think it stands above your garden variety rogue-like. Its gimmick makes playing through the game really fast, yet it still demands careful planning. For just $8 on Steam and the Switch, it’s not a bad deal at all if you’re looking for something on a very low budget. It’ll probably last you 10-20 hours or so, depending on just how good you are at playing cautiously.
Overall, I’ve very much enjoyed my time with the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I’m glad for the addition of the Chamber Dungeons mode, and that the hidden Color Dungeon returned. I also think it’s nice to go back to a more standard Zelda experience after Breath of the Wild. There are plenty of proper dungeons (plus custom chamber dungeons) here. The main game’s dungeons give you the satisfaction of finding new items and abilities, and using them to access new areas. Some will be happy this time that Link doesn’t have to deal with annoyances like not being able to climb because of incessant rain, or annoying breakable weapons (some of which make the weaponsmiths of Hyrule look bad). The smaller world in Link’s Awakening also means the core Zelda gameplay is more condensed compared to Breath of the Wild (where it is comparatively more diluted). I have spent 30+ hours adventuring on Koholint Island so far. In that time I’ve completed everything in the game except for a few of the gold tier challenges in Chamber Dungeons mode at this point. The game is available both at retailers and in the Nintendo Switch eShop for $59.99. Can you acquire all eight Instruments of the Sirens and make it to the Wind Fish?
Now, while I have been critical of some aspects of Day and Night, I still feel quite strongly that this is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played in a long time. Because while I am not enamored of the aesthetics, I also acknowledge one of my favorite games of all time, Tetris, also doesn’t feature mind blowing art. So I can cut this game a little slack. Especially since the basic mechanics work so well, and are so engaging. I probably spent 2-3 hours playing Day and Night for review, and enjoyed every minute. And given that this is a Switch exclusive, and it only costs $19.99, I strongly suggest puzzle fans which like playing on the go check this one out. I’m impressed by this entry from Ridiculous Games, and will eagerly stay tuned for their next project.
Overall, I had a lot of fun playing Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020. It was the perfect title to take a break from more serious games. That aside, I would not recommend buying this at full price (full price being $59.99). The Story mode was much nicer than expected, yet lacked sufficient replay value. The multiplayer, on the other hand, does have a decent amount of replay value. There are different difficulty options when you play minigames outside of the story and you can go back to beat your records and whatnot. Plus, you can choose from a variety of characters to play as. Each one is even a little bit different in some of the events, like, their swim style or whether or not they take turns sharply on a horse. But it simply wasn’t enough to be any more than a game best played in short bursts. If this sounds like it’s for you, by all means pick it up when you can. For me personally though, it’s something I would grab during a good sale.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors will cost you $19.99 digitally and $29.99 for a physical copy. That’s a great price point for this kind of game. It’s short but loads of fun and there is plenty of challenge including a harder difficulty mode to keep you coming back for more. Each character also feels different enough that you will be compelled to try out as many as you can. What is nice is that when you lose a life and continue, you can change characters. So if you have trouble with one, you don’t have to fully commit to using them. There are also Time Attack modes and Online Rankings for those of you who like to speedrun and compete for the best time. All in all this is a nice package that fans of the original game or the SNES sequel will not want to miss. As for everyone else, this is a game well worth trying out.
Despite falling on its face towards the end, DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation is still a must-read for those who checked out Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install. The satisfaction of seeing the new girls once again is just unparalleled. While it doesn’t give the series a satisfying conclusion, we can only hope for more when DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia comes out in 2020 with the Western release sometime close to that. Rio Reincarnation took eight hours to read, and while paired with the 39 from Rinne Utopia AND Arusu Install it makes the $49.99 standard price worth every penny. The countdown to Ren Dystopia begins and we hope to see you back here when we can review it.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair may not be impossible, but it is a wonderfully fun and challenging retro platformer. Though it still has much of that compulsive collector DNA from the first game, I found it much less bothersome in this format. For $29.99, you get a lot to explore in this expansive world. Though I spent around 13 hours to beat the game, I still have plenty to uncover. And that’s not even touching upon the many super secret treasures still deftly squirreled away. I would strongly encourage most gamers to check this out. With the use of Tonics, you’re able to tailor the experience to your ability level, so really it’s hard to turn it down. A fantastic and worthy follow up to the original Yooka-Laylee from the fine folks at Playtonic Games. Here’s to looking forward to whatever they cook up next!
Gun Gun Pixies isn’t a bad game, but it’s certainly not for everyone or without its share of issues. The biggest issue here is the camera. It’s by far the hardest boss you fight in the game. It gets stuck on corners and wonks out every once in a while. It’s much harder to fight what you cannot see. The enemy collision detection is very much in their favor, you can be way back from a spinning tentacle and still take a hit. I think the over the top fan service is balanced out by the great story, but if you’re not a fan of these types of games or Idea Factory’s wares then this isn’t going to change your mind. I spent about 12 hours completing the story and there are tons of post game options to play round with, so the $49.99 pricetag for a physical edition with that awesome artbook is totally worth it. In the end if these games are your thing you should pick this up. You’re going to have a great time with it despite its flaws.
I enjoyed Code Vein a lot more than I thought I would going into it. The combat is challenging without being frustrating most of the time, the Code system allows you to mix and match jobs to your liking and the overall look of the game is outstanding. The maps could’ve used a little more detail in certain areas and some variety would’ve been welcomed. That’s honestly a very minor complaint, since of the game looks great. The music is outstanding and with three different endings and New Game+ there is a decent amount of replay value here for the 60 buck price tag. If you are a fan of Souls games, this is a must have title, and folks that wanted try out a Souls game but wanted something with a bit more story and character should definitely pick this up. You will be glad you did!
Ultimately, I spent about 15 hours playing through Spirit Hunter: NG. Though I got the normal ending, I really enjoyed my time with this sequel. It does justice to the first game while still differentiating itself enough to keep things fresh. While it may sound like a short game for $49.99, only having five main chapters, I found myself happily immersed in the experience. I’m glad this one got localized in North America, and feel fans of horror have a lot to enjoy here. If you are hankering for a spooky mystery this October, you can’t go wrong with Spirit Hunter: NG.
Overall, Out There: Ω The Alliance can be a fun little exploration game, though it is at times overbearing. The latter will be especially true for players new to the genre. The game started life as a mobile title (Out There: Chronicles), and later got a PC version that can be found on Steam (Out There: Ω Edition). The new Switch version is the definitive version, with three new ships and some new bits of random story text added in. Survival is not easy as you drift through space. You are pretty much at the mercy of the random number generator. I’ve spent more than 10 hours flying through randomly generated galaxies and reached one ending so far. I’ve been close to getting another one several times, but my luck keeps running out a bit too soon. The rest of my journeys saw me die much sooner. Out There: Ω The Alliance is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $14.99. Can you survive the perils of space, or does death await you in the next star system?
After around 10 hours, ROGUE CORPS ultimately feels like it was made by a rushed studio with limited resources, not a lot of production weight behind it and, quite frankly, not a lot of time. For $40, I’d say if you’re very VERY thirsty for more CONTRA after the $20 CONTRA Anniversary Collection earlier this year, you could look at this and find some things acceptable, after a price drop, of course. As stated at the beginning, this is indeed my first foray into this franchise. It is possible that I’m viewing this game through a lens it wasn’t intended to be looked through, and a lens that possibly a longtime CONTRA fan could view very differently. There were times that I found myself kinda zoning out while playing it, just shooting and killing hundreds and hundreds of mutants as time goes by. So if nothing else, it’s a great time waster. However, there’s a season pass available for it, so there is a very small light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully it can get better with a multitude of potential update patches. My heart goes out to developer Toylogic, as their work is more than likely far from done.