Reviews

Posted on 1 day ago by Ellie Lutes in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: January 22, 2026
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix

There is a particular kind of disbelief that sets in the first time Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade loads on a Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode. Not because the game merely runs at this point, that expectation feels sort of outdated – but because it runs with such a fluidity that it quickly stops calling attention to itself. You might simply melt into the experience, and I think that’s exactly what they set out to do.

Read More

More: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, highlight, Square Enix, top

Posted on 6 days ago by Richard Ford in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: January 22, 2026
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo

As a franchise standing at about three decades, one could be forgiven for feeling that maybe the Dynasty Warriors series had gotten a little stale. With an addictive gameplay loop that can be satisfying on a basic level of dishing out lots of damage to hordes of enemies with powerful weapons to the deeper tactical side of managing a battlefield, it has been so popular that spin-offs following the same formula have been released with different franchise coats of paint. Persona, The Legend of Zelda, One Piece, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, and more have all gotten the Warriors treatment over the years, so chances are you have at least played one of Omega Force’s hack-and-slash titles. Criticism has been labeled at the last few Musou games for just sticking to the core formula without evolving or shaking it up. Some have argued there hasn’t been any strong innovation in the series since 2003’s Dynasty Warriors 4, and although that’s a statement I don’t agree with, I can understand the sentiment of burnout with the franchise and its many iterations. Now after a seven-year gap between Dynasty Warriors 9 and Origins, what has changed and what have the developers done to tackle the notion of the series needing a refresh?

Read More

More: Dynasty Warriors: Origins, highlight, Koei Tecmo, top

Posted on 1 week ago by Ellie Lutes in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2 (reviewed) / Switch
Release date:  January 15, 2026
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: NIS America

For more than two decades, The Legend of Heroes has been quietly building one of the most intricate and patient narratives in video game history. What began in 2004 with Trails in the Sky evolved into a sprawling, interconnected saga spanning multiple arcs, continents, and generations of characters, all unfolding within a single, meticulously constructed world. Unlike many long-running RPG franchises that reset with each entry, the Trails series treats its timeline as sacred: political shifts linger, personal choices echo forward, and side characters return years later shaped by events players once thought complete. By the time Trails Beyond the Horizon arrives, it does not stand alone so much as it stands atop the accumulated weight of twenty years of storytelling ambition. With that legacy in mind, Trails Beyond the Horizon arrives with immense expectations.

Read More

More: Falcom, highlight, NIS America, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, top

Posted on 1 month ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2 (reviewed), Switch
Release date: December 4, 2025
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher Nintendo

That I can say that I’ve played and completed Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a small miracle in of itself. As a longtime fan of the series who has spent the past eighteen years waiting hungrily for a proper sequel to to the captivating, genre-bending Metroid Prime trilogy, part of me is simply happy this game exists as a real thing I can play. Those original titles helped define my taste in games over the years that followed, and set a high bar as a stellar example of how to balance a rewarding sense of exploration with smart environmental storytelling and engaging first-person combat. While I didn’t necessarily need Metroid Prime 4 to reinvent the wheel, I was certainly open to it experimenting with some new ideas to push the franchise forward – hopefully, while managing to recapture everything that made the original games so special.

Read More

More: highlight, Metroid Prime 4, Retro Studios, top

Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan Gnau in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2 (reviewed), Switch
Release date: December 9, 2025
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo

To differing extents, every new Pokemon release is met with some level of scrutiny. For Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, this scrutiny was completely understandable – the game launched in a buggy, laggy state, and it remains that way on standard Nintendo Switch consoles. Thankfully, Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s launch generally went over much smoother with hardcore Pokemon fans. While it isn’t perfect by any means (check out my review for more info), it’s a solid entry that will no doubt please anyone who enjoyed Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Now, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has received its corresponding DLC pack just two months after launch. And it’s very easy to sum up: if you liked Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s base game, you’ll like the DLC. If you didn’t care much for the base game, Mega Dimension won’t win you over.

Read More

More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Legends Z-A, top

Posted on 1 month ago by Jeremy Rice in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: December 4, 2025
Developer: Square Enix, DOKIDOKI GROOVE WORKS
Publisher: Square Enix

The original Octopath Traveler was a milestone game, not only as the first major exclusive JRPG for Nintendo Switch, but also for the genre as a whole. It simultaneously reinvigorated a love in turn-based combat for many lapsed RPG fans, while also creating a visual style that has not only been wildly successful for Square Enix, but for imitators across other major studios and indie publishers. Octopath Traveler spawned not only a sequel title, but other games using the HD-2D style, including – critically for today’s discussion – Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.

Read More

More: highlight, Octopath Traveler 0, Square Enix, top

Posted on 1 month ago by Richard Ford in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2 / Switch
Release date: December 1, 2025
Developer: Tribute Games
Publisher: Dotemu

Dotemu and Tribute Games have assembled once again to deliver a brand new beat ’em up, this time around delivering a unique Marvel super heroes beat ’em up game that takes you from the streets of NYC to Asgard and beyond. With the two sides hot off the heels of their well received 2022 title TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, many fans including myself were very excited to see what they could cook up with the vast Marvel library to pull from. The gameplay in TMNT was widely praised for how smooth the movesets for each character was and how good the control felt, which is key for a beat ’em up game. With a strong IP like Marvel to create a story around, what did the team come up with?

Read More

More: DotEmu, highlight, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, top, Tribute Games

Posted on 1 month ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: November 20, 2025
Developer: Bandai Namco / Sora
Publisher: Nintendo

Kirby is a versatile little fellow – outside of his core 2D (and as of late, 3D) platforming adventures, Nintendo’s most rotund character has starred in a battle royale, puzzle games, fighters, and more. His big 2003 debut into the racing genre, Kirby Air Ride, now receives a sequel over twenty years later that feels more like an expanded remake at times, revisiting the original concept but expanding and improving upon it at seemingly every turn. It’s also wholly unlike most other racing games, and its diversity of game modes, breakneck pace and Super Smash Bros-esque flair make it feel more like a party game at times. While not all the pieces of Kirby Air Riders are equally compelling, and I’m not sure the game will have the staying power for me personally that I had hoped, I was certainly never bored while playing—and often, the adrenaline from the game’s more intense moments had me on the edge of my seat.

Read More

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

Posted on 1 month ago by Richard Ford in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments

System: Switch 2
Release date: November 18, 2025
Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic

Are ya ready kids? Everyone’s favorite absorbent and porous fry cook is back in a new 3D platforming adventure. With Battle for Bikini Bottom and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Game both considered cult classics of the GameCube era of gaming, and this style of SpongeBob game making a return through developer Purple Lamp’s remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated, and wholly original title The Cosmic Shake, I was very excited to see what was to come next. I thoroughly enjoyed the Rehydrated return to platforming for SpongeBob, but I was a little more mixed on The Cosmic Shake, which felt to me like it had too much back-tracking in its design and only having SpongeBob be playable felt like an odd decision at the time. However, it was a very ambitious game and a strong base to build off for the next entry and before you can stop on your right foot (don’t forget it!) and bring it around town, THQ Nordic has already cooked up a new original game with a supernatural twist. The story?

Read More

More: highlight, Purple Lamp, THQ Nordic, top

Posted on 2 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2025
Developer: Odd Meter
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios

Indika on Nintendo Switch is an interesting title. It’s one of those rare games that I can only say feels like the moment you go to open the door of a cleaning closet, not sure what you’ll find – like it’s your first day on a new job. Developed by Odd Meter, this short, narrative-focused adventure blends dark humor, surrealism, and religious introspection into a package that constantly shifts between the sacred and the absurd. On Nintendo Switch, that experience becomes rather intimate, and sometimes uncomfortably so, as you guide a young nun through a world that is half bleak fairy tale and half spiritual fever dream.

Read More

More: 11 bit studios, highlight, Indika, Odd Meter, top