Starbit's Reviews
Inked: A Tale of Love is a moving, if rather short, puzzle adventure that does not attempt to revolutionize the experience but delivers a lovely time through very well designed levels and a unique visual world. The difficulty does not stand out, as the purpose is not to present players with a painstaking challenge, but the way this relaxing and touching experience is implemented is nothing short of remarkable. Pity for its very short length.
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Although the main mechanics remain the same, there's a new addition to the gameplay that distinguishes this final chapter from its predecessors - here players will incarnate different groups of characters and help each other in the exploration process. This adds a new layer of variety to the game, but also slows down its pacing. While not everyone will embrace this dimension, Mary Skelter Finale is a worthy ending to the trilogy, and one that can be enjoyed by veterans and newcomers.
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Metroid Dread had a big responsibility ahead but once we start playing it, we realize that not only does it tick all the boxes, it does so with exceptional gusto. What we have here is a masterfully done work that brings Metroid up to today's standards while remaining loyal to its classic formula, and it does so at every single level, from its beautiful locations to its merciless difficulty, long-lasting lifespan, in-depth plot, slick and sharp performance, and frantic combat, Metroid Dread is an essential classic. The Nintendo Switch is a richer console for having it in its catalogue.
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It was about time the Nintendo Switch welcomes a WarioWare game in its catalogue, and Get It Together! is just what we could wish for. With its gameplay formula unchanged, Get It Together! brings us 200 new microgames, a brand new story mode, and weekly online challenges. The result is an effort that carries the baton from one generation to the next, and which will keep players delighted with the series' unusual humour for a long time, both solo and on multiplayer.
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Full of reference material, any long-running fan of Dragon Ball will marvel at the game world, soundtrack, and voice work. This is also a top-notch conversion work, with the Nintendo Switch handling this gem with impressive skill. Those less keen on Dragon Ball will be less impressed and are most likely to spot the game's flaws, namely how its world is smaller than those of other JRPG games, and the excessive repetition of the same dialogue lines. As it is, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is mostly aimed at fans.
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SkateBIRD is a fun and simple skateboarding game that instead of following the tenets of its counterparts with licensed content, rather goes for a free and comedy-filled approach to its settings, and it works very well thanks to a sharp gameplay that feels just right. Not all is perfect, however, and its camera issues can get frustrating, while its main mechanic for performing more complex moves is mostly unnecessary, but SkateBIRD does a good job at delivering a no-frills and enjoyable experience that fans of skateboarding will undoubtedly enjoy.
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Opencritic - Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - Prince's Edition, a princely version of a marvelous JRPG that brings all the previous DLC under one package and which does a great job on the Nintendo Switch, despite some technical limitations. With an excellent combat system, an art style that's a marvel to look at, and a very rewarding exploration, this version of Ni No Kuni II will fall perfectly on the shelves of any fan of JRPGs.
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ISLANDERS: Console Edition is an exercise in relaxation. Unlike most of its peers, the experience here has no set challenge or competitiveness, it's rather based on laying down buildings in certain patterns and getting points for it on procedurally generated islands. While this is certainly very appealing for players looking for a game that offers nothing but a relaxing time, those hoping for something more challenging will have a hard time finding that in ISLANDERS.
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Hot Wheels Unleashed brings the essence of the famous toy line into the Nintendo Switch, and while the game's controls and difficulty level can make the experience rather hard to get into for some, the amount of cars to collect and the high degree of customization all contribute to make this an experience that fans of the toys will duly embrace.
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For a game in a genre where heavyweights command large legions of fans, Nexomon is simple but its plot works pretty well and there's a wide variety of monsters to catch. At the same time, Nexomon is not original enough to be able to stand up to its more competitive peers, which means that this will mostly appeal to the most dedicated fans of monster capture RPGs.
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Smelter bears the true marks of a tribute to the 16-bit era, and combines elements of both platforming action and real time strategy with a result that's nothing short of a dignified successor to its sources of inspiration. The interaction between the platforming and the strategy dimensions is very well implemented, and its exploration mechanics work like a charm. This is beyond doubt a work that's worth getting into.
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Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is another well crafted game of the Ys series and this latest reincarnation brings forth a great combat as well as exploration that keeps the player interested. Alas, not all is well with this version, and the game's poor performance on any screen creates an unnecessarily frustrating experience when we find ourselves dealing with more than two enemies at a time. Because of how almost ubiquitous this is, it makes it difficult to recommend Ys IX on the Nintendo Switch.
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Short Games Collection is a good format to release five short-length indie games which would go mostly unnoticed if released individually. In this collection we find original games with variable levels of challenge and entirely distinct mechanics, put together by a neat and efficient presentation. A lower price would be very welcome, however, as there are more ambitious collections available on the Nintendo Switch on a similar price range.
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With its emphasis on the history of rally, a more technical and demanding driving, and often a more relaxing experience that makes use of a unique presentation, art of rally is set to find a place in the heart of driving fans. Not all is perfect, though, and its visual performance needs improvement, especially with regards to its screen resolution and textures. In any case, fans of motor sports and rally in particular will find this an appealing and delightful experience.
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Rustler does not try to hide where its main source of inspiration comes from, and it does a great job at parodying the world's number one reference in terms of open world games. With a stunning looking environment too, Rustler finds itself a good place in the Nintendo Switch library. Not all is smooth, though, and performance issues end up making the experience more frustrating than it should be, especially in more intense moments. With that said, this is a fun game that deserves its chance.
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Astalon: Tears of the Earth brings us a Metroidvania-type where the players will be exploring a tower with three different characters, with the need to think about which character to use according to the obstacles. For a simple-looking game, Astalon is amazingly varied when it comes to level design and enemies, which works great in its favour to present us with an adventure that's enjoyable and worthy of our attention.
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The exploration aspect is fun, the three characters are accessible but different enough to make each of them interesting on their own merits, and there are different endings to find out. Mayhem Brawler could only benefit from an online multiplayer component, as well as from slightly shorter durability for certain enemy fights.
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Thanks to its addictive combat, involving plot, and even a new venture into a mode that acts as a tower defense game, Samurai Warriors 5 is a very welcome arrival to the Nintendo Switch catalogue in the hack & slash genre.
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Eastward is a gorgeous looking adventure game that features a great mechanic of synergy-building between characters during fights and puzzle-solving, and a welcoming combat system. Its level design is mostly simple, but the settings look so beautiful it's worth just to marvel at the art style. While there are some performance issues on a television screen when there's a lot of characters on display at the same time and there's a lot of backtracking involved, Eastward is a very interesting and captivating experience for anyone looking for a good adventure game.
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The game does that well, and the very demanding difficulty level is a living evidence - perhaps too much, as its many frustrating moments attest. The Skylia Prophecy doesn't quite succeed at creating an original experience, however. It remains very close to its inspirations and doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
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