Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: October 20, 2023
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

As I reflect on my time spent with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, there truly wasn’t a single moment when I wasn’t having an absolute blast. Any time it seemed impossible that there could possibly be any other surprises left in a game that already had been bombarding me with creative ideas left and right, to my delight, I was always proven wrong. At its core, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the same joyful platforming adventure that Nintendo has crafted for decades. The key difference this time is that the developers have designed a fundamental sense of novelty into every stage, every new mechanic, every visual flourish. The result is a side-scroller that always feels fresh, fun and exciting in ways that few genre peers have accomplished.

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Posted on 1 year 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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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

If you’ve never heard of the classic fairytale “The History of Little Goody Two Shoes,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. This over 250-year-old story may have been one of the first children’s books to reach a widespread English audience, but its tale of a poor orphan’s journey journey to a life of riches hasn’t prevailed in the cultural zeitgeist in the way other classics from that era have. That hasn’t stopped Square Enix Collective – the indie publishing division of the JRPG giant – from greenlighting an experimental new release called Little Goody Two Shoes, which they bill as a “mysterious new fairytale anime adventure with a dark twist.” I had the chance to demo this off-the-wall title at PAX West recently, and while I had no idea what to expect going in, what I played was unsettling, beautiful, and immediately absorbing. 

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, Switch | 0 comments

We’ve already highlighted a ton of great games that we had the chance to demo at PAX West 2023, but some of the best titles at the show this year were ones that look to be experimenting with storytelling in new or compelling ways, often innovating with game mechanics too. Here are just a handful of narrative-rich games that we had the opportunity to play during Seattle’s big annual gaming expo – and if you’re a fan of particularly off-the-wall premises and presentation, you’ll have even more to look forward to.

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

It was all the way back at PAX Prime 2013 that Crypt of the Necrodancer – a very successful dungeon crawler rougelite with rhythm-based combat – first started getting widespread love. Upon its full release, the game became so highly acclaimed that the team behind it was eventually able to work with Nintendo on a Legend of Zelda-themed spinoff called Cadence of Hyrule. Back for another victory lap, developer Brace Yourself Games attended PAX West 2023 to show off their latest project, Rift of the Necrodancer. While it’s a much more traditional rhythm game than the developer’s previous experiments, my demo with Rift highlighted some interesting twists on the genre that I think will surprise even seasoned fans of the genre.

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments

It’s a bit mind-boggling to think about, but somehow the Switch has gone its entire lifespan so far without receiving a Style Savvy game from Nintendo, despite getting three great titles in the series on the 3DS. Fortunately for fashion fans, XSEED Games and Marvelous are bringing a spiritual successor of sorts to the platform with Fashion Dreamer, a Switch exclusive that represents something of a new approach to the genre, emphasizing freeform play and social sharing in ways that just wouldn’t have been possible during the 3DS era.

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments

We played more games at PAX West this year than we have time to feature individually, but there were a ton of little surprises we had the chance to try that we’re looking forward to seeing on Switch. If you’re looking for some low-key games to unwind to after a busy day, here are five chill and relaxing games to keep an eye on!

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments

As someone new to the Star Ocean series, I had heard so many different opinions on the series over the years that I’d always been curious about jumping in, but not quite sure where to start. Well, apparently the second game in the franchise is regarded by many fans as one of the best, so I was really excited when Star Ocean: The Second Story R was revealed in a recent Nintendo Direct (alongside a jaw-dropping new art style). I was able to demo this remake at PAX West 2023, and left with an extremely positive first impression; exciting combat, old-school strategic depth and outstanding production values are all lining up to make this one of my most anticipated RPGs.

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

Sometimes, a game enters your life that is just so strange and charismatic that, even if you don’t quite fully understand it, you can’t help but smile and love it. That basically sums up how I felt after recently demoing Thank Goodness You’re Here, an upcoming comedy adventure game that feels like a Cartoon Network show come to life in all the best ways.

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Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, Switch | 0 comments

Gaming preferences develop from many different origins – the games you played at your neighbor’s house growing up, the ones you received at Christmas and on birthdays – but being born in the late nineties, Atari games were never in my rotation. That’s probably because for what felt like years, the company’s output was relatively minimal compared to the early days of the storied company. Their franchises remain iconic, though; I’d wager just about everyone knows what Pong at least is, even if they’ve never played it. That inherent familiarity is powerful, and Atari’s upcoming slate of games capitalizes on it; they’re taking old favorites and finding ways to refresh them into something exciting for modern audiences.

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