Underwater Fire Games are a brand new independent studio from Los Angeles, and on the team’s website, the mission statement says they seek to create thought-provoking video games that fill their players with a sense of wonder. Their first video game, Particle Hearts, is an ambitious 3D puzzle platformer that has taken elements from several big name titles like Journey and the more recent mainline Zelda entries. Underwater Fire Games ultimately crafted its own unique title that operates quite differently than anything I have ever played before.

More: First Break Labs, highlight, Particle Hearts, top, Underwater Fire

Why now’s the best time to get into the Pac-Man World series

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch | 0 comments

One of my personal highlights from the recent Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase was the Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac reveal. That was really the only highlight from the Partner Direct for me, but it was a big one! I grew up playing Pac-Man World 2 on GameCube and never thought we’d be looking at a full-on remake over 20 years later. If you’re a fan of 3D platformers, then it’s a great time to try out the Pac-Man World series for the very first time.

Today, we’re looking at Pac-Man World Re-Pac on the Nintendo Switch, which is a remake of the original Pac-Man World on the PlayStation. Normally, the remake costs $30 – but it goes on sale a lot, which makes it even more accessible for those looking to try the Pac-Man World games for the first time. The digital version has dropped below $10 numerous times, so keep an eye out for sales if you’re interested in giving it a shot.

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Super Mario Odyssey vs. Donkey Kong Bananza – comparing the games, deciding which is better

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

Donkey Kong Bananza has been out for over a month now, and it’s been met with glowing reviews and plenty of excitement. I gave it a great score in my own review, but after writing it there was one specific question on my mind – is it better than Super Mario Odyssey? In a way, you could say comparison is the thief of joy, but this gave me an excuse to replay both Odyssey and Bananza to form a conclusive answer. And by “conclusive answer”, I mean “an opinion backed up by a couple thousand words’ worth of explanations”. So today, we’re doing a Super Mario Odyssey vs. Donkey Kong Bananza analysis, comparing their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing which one comes out on top – if any. Do keep in mind that we’ll eventually discuss spoilers for both games, so you might want to bookmark this post and come back later if you’re trying to avoid Donkey Kong Bananza’s ending details.

More: Donkey Kong Bananza, highlight, Super Mario Odyssey, top

Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World review for Nintendo Switch 2

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: August 28, 2025
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo

This game’s title is a mouthful, to say the least! It’s been about two years since we’ve received a new Kirby game, and Nintendo has decided to release an upgrade pack for Kirby and the Forgotten Land. When it first launched in 2022, it was met with critical acclaim. Not only is the game considered one of Kirby’s best, it’s up there as one of the greatest 3D platformers – perhaps not on par with your Super Mario Odyssey or Donkey Kong Bananza, but up there nonetheless. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land promises performance bumps and twelve new levels with Star-Crossed World.

More: HAL Laboratory, highlight, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, top

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar review for Nintendo Switch / Switch 2

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments

System: Switch [reviewed], Switch 2
Release date: August 27, 2025
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Marvelous

The Story of Seasons series has always lived in this cozy niche between farming sim and life sim, where your day-to-day rhythms matter just as much as your long-term goals. Grand Bazaar originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2010 under the Harvest Moon label, and now it’s been rebuilt for a modern audience on Nintendo Switch. This remake stays faithful to its unique spin on the formula – putting the weekly town bazaar at the center of everything – while smoothing out some of the rougher edges from the DS era. But how well does it hold up in 2025, now that farming sims are practically their own genre?

More: highlight, marvelous, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, top

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution review for Nintendo Switch

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Richard in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: August 19, 2025
Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward

After twenty years of trying, WayForward’s loveable half-genie hero’s lost adventure has finally made its way to consoles in Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. Originally in development almost immediately after the completion and release of the original Shantae on Game Boy Color, Risky Revolution was intended to be the second entry in the series, but due to mitigating circumstances, the GBA-developed title was put on indefinite hiatus. A lot of ideas and concepts from this game were reused in future additions to the series, like Risky’s Revenge and Half-Genie Hero, but series creator Matt Bozen always maintained his hope and desire to see it make its way to release. Now in 2025, we finally get to see what we had missed out on decades ago.

More: highlight, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, top, WayForward

Best retro Nintendo games to play on Switch 2 and Switch

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

When you think of Nintendo Switch 2, you’re probably thinking of all the new games confirmed for the system – and that’s completely understandable. Generally speaking, Nintendo releases one new major title per month to spread them out. If you’ve played tons of Nintendo Switch games and finished the latest Switch 2 game, what are you supposed to play in the time between? That’s where Switch Online’s Nintendo Classic range comes in.

Nintendo has added a lot of games to their NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance platforms, and it’s a great idea to try out some older titles while you wait for the next new one. Their lineup of retro games is about to get a whole lot better, too: not only are GameCube games starting to release on the system, but it’s also got a built-in microphone, which theoretically makes Nintendo DS games possible as well. So today, we’re going over some of the best offerings on Nintendo Switch Online plus some new games Nintendo could realistically add over the Switch 2’s (hopefully) long lifespan.

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[Let’s Talk] Kirby Air Riders Direct reactions

Posted on 2 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch 2 | 0 comments

It was a busy week for gaming news, which included the proper reveal for Kirby Air Riders with a Nintendo Direct lasting close to an hour. Director Masahiro Sakurai went into detail about the game, revealing its various features. We saw stages, playable characters, the return of City Trial mode, and more. On top of that, we now have a release date of November 20, 2025. Catch up on everything shown here.

Following the Direct, how are you feeling about Kirby Air Riders so far? Do you plan on picking it up this holiday? Let us know in the comments.

More: Bandai Namco, highlight, Kirby Air Riders, top

How Nintendo could fix Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch | 0 comments

November 2024 marked the grand return of the Mario & Luigi series after almost ten whole years without a new game. As someone who’s 100 percent completed the game (and spent well over 60 hours doing so), this is an incredibly polarizing RPG. On one hand, the visual style is excellent – the characters are expressive, the core gameplay of the series remains mostly intact, and the story, while nothing groundbreaking, is solid. On the other hand, Brothership is held back by its awful pacing, disappointing technical performance, and a large amount of filler content between its main story beats.

Fifteen years down the line, I’m not sure that Nintendo could actually fix any of Mario & Luigi: Brothership’s biggest problems via a traditional remake. Many of its greatest issues are baked into its story and presentation in such a way that it would require significant retooling of plot points and gameplay. But today, we’re going to go over a list of changes that would help cement Mario & Luigi: Brothership as the best entry in the series. We’re not banking on these changes ever being implemented, but it’s fun nonetheless. Do keep in mind that we’ll be discussing spoilers, so you might want to bookmark this post and come back later if you’re still trying to avoid them.

More: Acquire, highlight, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, top

[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – August 2025

Posted on 3 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments

A new month started up not too long ago. Now that we’re in August, we want to know what you’ve been playing.

Have you been giving Drag x Drive a chance on Nintendo Switch 2? Maybe you’re playing through the shadowdrops from the recent Indie World Showcase? No matter the case, let us know in the comments.