[Review] Cocoon
Posted on 6 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in News, Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 8, 2023
Developer: Geometric Interactive
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Cocoon’s mechanical brilliance is the subtle kind, the kind that sneaks up on you. I knew going into my playthrough that this was the next project from Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of highly acclaimed side-scrollers Limbo and Inside; that type of pedigree sets high expectations, which for me were amplified further after a summer media demo left me with more questions than answers. The most important distinction to note with Cocoon is that it’s more outwardly a puzzle game than either of its forebears, and a very clever one; its trippy, entangled web of worlds is one big metapuzzle that’s true depth astonishes the deeper one dives into it. It’s also a game that somehow builds atmosphere masterfully, but frustratingly refuses to contextualize its world or provide any real stakes, narrative or even lore to engage with. Having rolled credits, I’m still unsure what exactly was the point of my little mechanical bug’s world-bending journey; this, combined with some technical issues on Switch, results in a game that somehow manages to both impress and disappoint at once.
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[Review] The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails
Posted on 6 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: September 19, 2023
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
In The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, Nayuta is a young lad returning home from studying abroad. Summer vacation is to be spent back with your friends, after all. Getting back to his home of Remnant Isle, Nayuta and his best friend Cygna decide to spend their summer starting their old business back up. Sort of jacks of all trades, the two gallivant as handymen, taking on any kind of job thrown their way with glee. Eventually their work leads them to a mysterious set of ruins, and it is there that they find that they’ve perhaps stumbled upon the most daunting job yet. While Nayuta and Cygna start out hanging around for a simple summer vacation, a fateful encounter with the mysterious fairy Noi sparks a lot of questions and a lot of discovery. Exploring the ruins, Nayuta soon discovers an entire other world – Lost Heaven.
[Review] Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest Adventures of Dai
Posted on 6 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 28, 2023
Developer: Square Enix / GameStudio / Kai Graphics
Publisher: Square Enix
Although it isn’t quite as influential in the west as it is in Japan, there’s no denying the impact that the Dragon Quest series has had upon RPGs over the years. With eleven mainline entries and several spinoffs, it is one of Square Enix’s more enduring series, and has branched out into other media during its lifetime. Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai started life as a manga based upon the franchise, and has received two anime adaptations, with the most recent one wrapping up last year. Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest the Adventure of Dai comes full circle, being a video game adaptation of that anime. Although it loses a little in the transition, it serves as an excellent gateway into the series, but is unfortunately incomplete and rough around the edges, and is difficult to recommend solely on its own merits.
[Review] Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
Posted on 6 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 3, 2023
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Disgaea games have always been a bit overwhelming. Their nonsensical plots, zany casts, and seemingly impenetrable walls of systems upon systems that have stats going into the millions and damage into the quadrillions can make them seem unapproachable to newcomers at the best of times. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless, the latest in the long-running series, shares the same foibles as its predecessors to varying degrees, but is by far the most accessible game in the series to date, and is an easy recommendation to make for anyone looking to sink their teeth into an experience that never takes itself too seriously but offers strategic depth easily on par with the best the genre has to offer.
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[Let’s Talk] F-Zero 99 impressions
Posted on 6 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch eShop | 0 comments
One of the big announcements from this month’s Nintendo Direct was F-Zero 99. Given how long the franchise has been gone for, it was nice to see it return. First impressions may have you thinking that it’s just like the very original F-Zero, but obviously competing with 98 other people online is a significant hook.
With F-Zero 99 having been out for a bit now, what do you think about the game? How do you feel it stacks up to the other “99” titles on Switch? Let us know in the comments.
[Review] Silent Hope
Posted on 7 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 3, 2023
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: XSEED
Some of the most recognizable video games in history have had silent protagonists, and although their success might not have been determined by this choice, it is nonetheless a very effective mechanic to facilitate player immersion. In the absence of a defined personality, the imagination is free to run wild, and the player can insert themselves into the game’s world and story using that character as a proxy. However, what if your player character’s silence wasn’t a choice? Silent Hope, the latest game from XSEED Games and Marvelous, takes this idea as its basic premise and thrusts you into the heart of the mystery, and while its gameplay is fun and enjoyable in short bursts, there is less to be said about it the longer that you play.
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[Review] Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster
Posted on 7 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 14, 2023
Developer: Monolith Soft / tri-Crescendo / logicalbeat
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Those who knew of Monolith Soft before their rise to fame with Xenoblade Chronicles will no doubt know them for their work on Xenosaga instead. Few will have heard of Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean and its prequel Baten Kaitos Origins, two titles that were released in the early 2000s on the Gamecube and were generally well-received, but failed to make a lasting impact with sales, and were largely forgotten about beyond occasional rumors of a third game being in the works or canceled that would surface from time-to-time over the years. Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster brings these two games to the Switch with enhanced visuals and quality of life features, and while both games are a product of the times and beginning to show their age in places, they hold up remarkably well and are worth experiencing for any fans of Monolith Soft’s later titles.
[Let’s Talk] Final hopes for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC tracks
Posted on 7 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
When the final wave of Booster Course Pass DLC drops this holiday, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will finally stop adding more tracks. Thinking about the amount of content the game has, it’s kind of insane. Between the main release and DLC, players can race on nearly 100 courses.
Previous datamines have given hints as to which other tracks will make up the final wave of the Booster Course Pass. But potential leaks aside, what’s the one Mario Kart course we’ve yet to see in the game that you’d like to be be added? Let us know in the comments below.
[Rapid Review] Fresh Start
Posted on 7 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 14, 2023
Developer: Awaken Realms
Publisher: Merge Games
Growing up, I never really believed that cleaning up could be a game. That was just a painfully transparent lie that my parents (no doubt inspired by Mary Poppins) told me in some effort to get me to tidy up, even knowing as I did that it was only going to get messed up again within five minutes. But as I grew older I learned that there was something very satisfying and rewarding about accomplishing a simple task, and Merge Games’ latest title, Fresh Start, aims to capitalize on that feeling through its cozy and relaxing gameplay. While it succeeds admirably on that front, it could have used a little more cleaning and polishing before it was brought over to the Switch, and the end result is a muddied experience that is tough to recommend.
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[Rapid Review] MythForce
Posted on 7 months ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 12, 2023
Developer: Beamdog
Publisher: Aspyr
Booting up MythForce on Switch, and the first thing you’re met with is an uncomfortably long loading screen. After that, you’re treated to an animated intro that aims to mimic Saturday morning cartoons of the 80s – think “Thundercats” and “He-Man, Masters of the Universe”. It’s cute enough to induce a smile the first time around, but if you look past the nearly 40-year old stylistic veneer and the cheesy theme tune, you’re left with a game that sadly doesn’t know what to do with itself. It’s as though developer Beamdog started with the concept of a cartoon co-op rogue-lite, and then carried it through to its most saccharine, predictable conclusion.
