[Preview] Hands on with Disney Illusion Island: an accessible, exploration-focused platformer with beautiful animation
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
Disney Illusion Island feels like the type of game that Disney hasn’t made in ages. It’s not only the first original Mickey Mouse platformer that we’ve seen in about a decade, but it’s combining some of the best gameplay elements of many of its inspirations with gorgeous character animation, and a rhythm that’s especially tuned for local multiplayer. While perhaps not seeking to innovate the genre, Disney Illusion Island feels like it’s built with incredible care and respect for its IP; while I’m sure fans of Mickey and friends will appreciate this game the most, there’s a lot to love here for fans of platformers in general, and I think its exploration and puzzle elements will resonate with many.
More: Disney Illusion Island, Dlala Studios, highlight, top
[Preview] Thirsty Suitors: skating, berating and ruminating have never felt so stylish
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
My demo with Thirsty Suitors had me battling an ex-boyfriend by slinging insults, racking up combos at an abandoned skatepark, and cooking food to win my parents’ approval. Credit where credit is due: I don’t think any other game has tried to do those three specific things at once! It feels like exactly the type of game you’d expect to see Annapurna publishing these days – a little surreal, very experimental, and handcrafted to surprise you at almost every turn. While I’m a little unsure about how Thirsty Suitors will manage to tie all its ideas together into a cohesive package, I’ve enjoyed the rollercoaster ride that I’ve experienced so far.
[Preview] Mortal Kombat 1: A silky-smooth, hyper-violent reboot that’s (somehow) coming to Switch
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
Mortal Kombat 1 is perhaps the most jaw-dropping fighting game I’ve ever had the privilege of playing. And not just in a figurative sense, because there’s literally an X-Ray attack in which Sub-Zero skewers his opponent’s brain through their mouth with a shard of ice, rendered in a shocking amount of detail. Between the new Kameo mechanic, an increased focus on aerial play, and some of the most stunning visuals I’ve ever seen in a fighting game, this is a game that feels next-gen from edge to edge. That’s a polite way of saying: I have no idea how they are going to get this running on Switch.
[Preview] Hands-on with Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
It’s easy to forget, looking back, just how innovative Oxenfree felt when it launched in 2016. Plenty of games up to that point had experimented with branching narratives and dialogue, but few had managed to weave conversations together in such an organic, convincing way. What started as a slow-burn teen drama quickly evolved into a tense supernatural thriller, and the choices the player makes for protagonist Alex could have a dramatic impact on the ending of the game. After getting hands-on with Oxenfree II: Lost Signals at Summer Game Fest, I’m confident that Night School Studio knows exactly what the fans are looking for from this sequel, and I can’t wait to play more of it.
[Preview] Hands-on with Sonic Superstars and new gameplay
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch, Videos | 0 comments
It feels like there’s a lot riding on Sonic Superstars. While it’s (only?) been six years since the highly acclaimed Sonic Mania brought the franchise back to its roots, that game was developed by a team of indie developers; it’s been far longer since Sonic Team itself has attempted to bring the blue blur back to the side-scrolling realm [update: Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka is involved, but has since confirmed Arzest is leading development]. After recently playing a demo of Sonic Superstars at Summer Game Fest Play Days, I’m optimistic the game will manage to recapture a lot of what people love about old-school Sonic, while leaving the door open for some exciting new mechanics to shine.
More: highlight, SEGA, Sonic Superstars, top
[Preview] DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Previews, Switch, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Outright Games has a long history of creating games suitable for all ages that all derive from a beloved property. From Paw Patrol to Transformers, Fast & Furious to Zoids, and Trollhunters to the Dragons franchise of films, chances are the company’s name has worked with and been attached to a popular IP that even you, the reader, are a fan of. As a huge fan of superheroes and DC myself, it was an absolute privilege for Nintendo Everything to be invited to an early look at a new DC-focused game to add to the OG catalog – following up from DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace last summer – in the form of DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos.
[Preview] Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe – Kirby classic returns on Switch
Posted on 1 year ago by Tom in Previews, Switch, Videos | 0 comments
Nintendo recently held a short media preview demo for Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe ahead of its upcoming release on Switch. The original Wii game is an all-time Kirby classic, so having it on the hybrid platform at all is compelling. Set to release on February 24, 2023, the title is soon to hit store shelves without us knowing a ton about what’s new.
In this video preview, Sam and I have an in-depth discussion about some of the game’s new features, visuals, and gameplay. We’ve included further bulleted highlights below.
[Preview] Fae Farm – A first look at Phoenix Labs’ enchanting life sim
Posted on 1 year ago by Elias in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Phoenix Labs recently hosted a preview event for their upcoming Switch-exclusive Fae Farm. As only the second game from the developer, it takes a drastically different approach than the team’s first hack-and-slash monster slayer Dauntless. Coming from frantic combat and vicious creatures, Phoenix Labs instead chose a more relaxing and winding experience. Aiming for “cozy,” the mark has been hit fairly well, as upon joining the event I saw the players simply wandering their farm and watching butterflies meander along the fields.
More: Fae Farm, highlight, Phoenix Labs, top
[Preview] Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is bonkers, deeply strategic fun
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was one the plucky plumber’s most unexpected and off-the-wall adventures in a long time when it released in 2017; it quickly became one of my favorite games on the Switch thanks to its simple but satisfying tactics and its delightfully quirky vibes. I was excited to have the opportunity to play its upcoming sequel, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, for nearly four hours at a recent Ubisoft preview event, where I experienced large chunks of the game’s combat, exploration, and story across a handful of different in-game planets. So far, what I’ve played of Sparks of Hope has me feeling confident that the game will be a substantial evolution of everything that made Kingdom Battle so special, and it seems poised to be Mario’s most memorable adventure in quite a while.
[Preview] Hindsight
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
What if the physical objects of every day life, the possessions we hold close, were actual windows to the past? It’s a question that many have thought of as we fiddle with theories of time travel and reminiscing about the days of old, and is also the question that starts off the summary for Hindsight, the new narrative-driven adventure game developed by Joel McDonald and published by Annapurna Interactive. Heirlooms, hand-me-downs, and gifts from loved ones all hold some sort of sentimental value to all of us, regardless of what the object in question may be, and we’re immediately transported through our thoughts to a specific time or memory of a person. What Hindsight does is take that in a more literal sense and uses that as a gameplay mechanic to drive the story forward of the protagonist, Mary, who ultimately faces a part of life we all have or eventually will: handling the belongings of loved ones who are no longer with us. Speaking to McDonald, we had the chance to peer into the game a bit – specifically the second chapter of the game – and get a feel for how the game functions, what it ultimately aims to do, and why this was an important project and story to tell.
