[Review] Disney Illusion Island
Posted on 8 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 28, 2023
Developer: Dlala Studios
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy may be some of the most recognizable characters of all time, but it’s been a hot minute since they featured in a noteworthy game of their own – something true of many Disney franchises since the shuttering of Disney Interactive in 2016. As such, Disney Illusion Island is something of an experiment; an attempt to craft a modern, original Mickey Mouse story in a new world with new characters, with the structure of a Metroidvania (or “Mickeyvania,” as the developers have put it). While a lack of meaningful surprises can cause the experience to drag and feel overly simple, the game’s charming humor and silky-smooth platforming result in a fun and amusing adventure.
More: Disney, Disney Illusion Island, Dlala Studios, highlight, top
[Review] Cross Tails
Posted on 8 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 20, 2023
Developer: RideOn Japan
Publisher: Kemco
The age old war between cats and dogs has never been more illustrated than what you see in Cross Tails. Two kingdoms at odds with one another in a deep-rooted hatred fueled by generations of animosity, the game’s narrative opens with the canine Kingdom of Ranverfurt and the feline Republic of Hidiq currently embroiled in a decade-long battle. With a third faction trying to drive things in their own direction, will we be able to solve the conflict and steer destiny in a peaceful direction, or will the people continue to suffer due to the interference?
More: Cross Tails, highlight, Kemco, RideOn Japan, top
[Review] Master Detective Archives: Rain Code
Posted on 9 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 30, 2023
Developer: Spike Chunsoft / Too Kyo Games
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
Waking in a strange storage room, our protagonist dusts himself off and finds himself without memory. Unsure of who he is, or what he was doing beforehand, he quickly investigates his surroundings. With a strange voice echoing now and again, sometimes seeming to guide him, he finds a letter in his pocket. Perplexed, worried, and with just his name and destination in mind, he exits out into a train station in a rush to hopefully make the journey to learn of himself and his fate. This is Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, the latest game from the creator of Danganronpa.
[Review] Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg
Posted on 9 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 13, 2023
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Atelier has been around for over twenty five years, and even though it’s only felt like it’s really started to take off in the last five or so, it’s had a rich history with its slice-of-life RPG experience that is as cozy as it is adventurous and riveting. With the success of recent titles like Atelier Ryza and Atelier Sophie 2, the series has grown exponentially in both detail and scope. However, it’s the humble beginnings that really define how and why the franchise is so unique and special. Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg now brings the series’ debut title to the modern day in a gorgeous fashion, and does so in such a grandiose way that it’s a contender for being the best Atelier game in some time and on Switch.
[Review] Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 12, 2023
Developer: Night School Studio
Publisher: Netflix
When Oxenfree released in 2016, I was enamored with it. I was younger then and found comfort in its high school drama and socially awkward characters, who were relatable and felt real. The supernatural yarn it weaved was surprisingly dark, yet grounded in events that felt possible in its strange world of ghosts and timeloops. But players who made it the end were likely left with at least a few unresolved questions, and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals tantalizes with promises of answers, or at least a deeper glimpse into the strange phenomena that occurred on Edwards Island all those years ago. While Oxenfree II delivers in that regard, its narrative and new exploration mechanics felt disappointingly safe for most of its runtime, failing to surprise and hook me in the way its predecessor did (outside of a few key moments); still, fans of the original owe it to themselves to see this story through to its conclusion.
[Review] Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – The Last Spark Hunter
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 21, 2023 (new DLC)
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
2022’s Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was an excellent evolution of its predecessor’s fast-paced, freeform strategy gameplay, and I’ve been eager to check out its DLC to have an excuse to play more of it. The Last Spark Hunter is significantly larger in scope than the run-based Tower of Dooom DLC from earlier this year, this time offering up a whole new planet to explore, a new antagonist, and even some new mechanics to shake up gameplay. But for players who have likely already sank dozens of hours into the base game, is the overall quality high enough to justify revisiting the world of Sparks of Hope?
More: DLC, highlight, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, top, Ubisoft
[Review] The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie
Posted on 9 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Following the steady drip of titles from Falcom’s Legend of Heroes series, Trails into Reverie is the latest installment coming to western players. As before with Trails to Azure, our latest game is also interwoven into a storied timeline. This time, we’ll be following up after the events of Trails to Azure and the Great Twilight events of Trails of Cold Steel IV. With these stories being so connected, there are no ways to absolutely avoid spoilers for the previous games, but we’ll do the best we can in case this is your first introduction to the series. With this particular entry first launching in Japan, the Switch port will see the world of Zero/Azure in HD for the first time, and follow up almost immediately after the events of Trails of Cold Steel IV – the interwoven timeline for both lines of games finally converges, and both protagonist groups of Lloyd and Rean are joined by a third protagonist – the black-clad and mysteriously masked “C.”
[Review] We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie
Posted on 9 months ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 2, 2023
Developer: Bandai Namco / Monkey Craft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Sometimes, the biggest challenge we face as reviewers is in describing simple concepts – take Katamari, for instance. You play as a tiny green man called the Prince, and you’re tasked with rolling around a comically large and sticky ball. You navigate contained levels with the aim of rolling stuff up into that ball, and growing larger as a result. It sounds closer to a cheese-dream than a compelling gameplay loop, doesn’t it? Despite the outlandish premise, Bandai Namco’s Katamari series has garnered a sizable fanbase over the last two decades. While us super-fans collectively pine for a brand new entry in the series, a re-release of the franchise’s phenomenal second outing We Love Katamari has found its way into our lives courtesy of developer Monkey Craft. Out of all of the base expectations you can have for a remake or a remaster, matching or exceeding the original title in every metric is paramount. When it comes to We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie, we get a couple of hits, and a whole bunch of misses.
[Review] Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Posted on 10 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 27, 2023
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: XSEED / Marvelous
Story of Seasons has had a series of ups and downs as the franchise has tried to find its footing in a genre it once had a monopoly on. It’s true that each new title has offered an exciting prospect of things to come within the series itself. It’s also always seemed to go against the idea of being a market leader once more in favor of keeping things traditional, but much that stubborn thinking may be to its detriment. This rears its head in the series’ new remake, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life.
[Review] Loop8: Summer of Gods
Posted on 10 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 6, 2023
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Marvelous / XSEED
I’ve said in prior publications that the concept of time travel is a fascinating yet very sensitive one, as the topic tends to lend itself to narratives that ultimately have no idea how to go about ending a topic that can take myriad of forms and paths, leaving a story open-ended and potentially with too many plot holes because of a traditionally endless structure. Even with limitless routes comes limitations, however, Loop8: Summer of Gods, despite all its positives, is yet another victim of a time loop sci-fi snafu that has its heart in the right place, but any potential excellence in a different timeline.
