Starbit's Reviews
Trigger Witch brings together elements from adventure games and twin-stick shooters in a rather unusual intersection but one which is worthy of praise, as the combat is fun and the locations are vivid and colourful. The game's puzzles are not the most captivating and the sound component could be better but overall, this is a game that will catch the eye of both adventure and twin-stick shooter fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The game's presentation is worthy of praise, as is its concept, but the way everything is implemented ends up harming the gameplay experience. Mostly due to poor execution, it's frustrating to draw a fun and engaging experience from Within the Blade when most of its mechanics are in need to be reworked.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a more ambitious effort than its predecessor and it brings us a vast, open world, with a gorgeous art style, a great combat system, heavy emphasis on the plot and a great variety of creatures to capture. The experience is far from perfect, though, as its technical performance doesn't always go as expected. On top of that, the game world feels rather empty, despite this being more ambitious than the first game. Regardless of that, it's a very welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch offer on monster capture games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In this new game, the combat system has been slightly tweaked and the downloadable content in the original game is included. Overall, most of the other elements are kept intact and therefore, for longtime fans of the series this is a fun addition to their Nintendo Switch library.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
King's Bounty II is the sequel to a tactical RPG that came out over thirty years ago, but it does a fine job at keeping a great balance between the original game's formula and the standards that define today's tactical RPGs. This work is a lot more successful in its gameplay than in its execution, however, as the visual performance often falls behind expectations due to technical issues that don't allow it to be the fantastic experience that it could aspire to.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
This isn't just about choosing bikes and winning races, but about managing a plethora of parameters and variables with regards to the mechanical aspects of the motorbike in a way that is certain to catch the hearts of motorcycling fans, while also pushing away those looking for something simpler. The only downside to this Nintendo Switch version is its visibly dated looks, which stand out in a negative way.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dragon Star Vanir lands on the Nintendo Switch with all its DLC included in this version, which is worth of praise, as well as a creative combat system and an overall interesting theme. Alas, this port is riddled with too many technical and performance flaws that make the experience more frustrating than it should be, plus the way the exploration in the dungeons ends up feeling too tedious. The final result is a game that could have turned out much better, but as it is Dragon Star Vanir on the Switch needs several improvements before it can be recommended to most players out there.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review