[Review] Live A Live
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicolas in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 22, 2022
Developer: Square Enix / Historia
Publisher: Square Enix
Back in the days of the SNES, it wasn’t uncommon for games to never see a western release, remaining land-locked to their native Japan. This was relatively common in the case of JRPGs, an arguably oversaturated genre at the time that remained relatively niche in the west. Even new installments of big flagship franchises like Square Enix’s (then Squaresoft) Final Fantasy series didn’t always make it overseas. It’s no surprise then that some of Square’s less well-known JRPGs ended up falling through the cracks, one of these being Live A Live. Live A Live was originally released in 1994 and had even been initially planned as a worldwide release before underwhelming sales prospects in Japan caused those localization plans to be scrapped. But with the game now receiving an unexpected remake, it’s gotten a new lease on life and a long overdue international release, letting everyone experience this presumed classic. That being said, how well does the game truly hold up today? And were the improvements made to this remake enough to bring it up to a more modern standard?
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[Review] F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch
Posted on 1 year ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Developer: TiGames
Publisher: Astrolabe Games
Metroidvania games have seen a small surge since the release of Metroid Dread. With no small sampling of offerings, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch arrives at a great time in the Switch’s life cycle – a point where the library of most players has been filled out with first-party titles and are itching for something new before the next big game drops. While the game has been out on other platforms since last year (with great ratings, even!) how does the Switch version compare?
[Review] Azure Striker Gunvolt 3
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 28, 2022
Developer: Inti Creates
Publisher: Inti Creates
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since Azure Striker Gunvolt debuted on 3DS, having spawned sequels and spinoffs since then. All of these games expanded the universe and repertoire of Inti Creates’ expertise in 2D platforming that rightfully feels like a modern spiritual successor and take on the Mega Man formula. Now with Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, the studio has bumped production up tenfold and created arguably the best in the series yet, with tons of optimization, upgrades, and options to make it the most approachable and enjoyable game so far.
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[Review] Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Posted on 1 year ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 30, 2022
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Monster Hunter Rise brought seamless zones to Nintendo’s hybrid console last year in the spring, shipping over nine million units between then and now. With our Hunter leaving Kamura for Sunbreak’s fresh new Elgado, how does the expansion for Rise fare?
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[Review] Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Developer: Monkey Craft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Normally, when a game franchise fails to meet a publisher’s sales expectations, that tends to be the end of the road for it. Indeed, despite both 1997’s Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and 1999’s Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil garnering a very positive reception from critics at the time of their release, these 2.5D platformers never managed to reach a big enough audience to truly compete with the likes of Mario and Crash Bandicoot. The franchise has been dormant for well over a decade now, with no new games being developed since 2008’s Wii-exclusive remake, which was an attempt to revive Klonoa that never took off. Fortunately, Bandai Namco is giving their plucky cat-like hero yet another chance to shine with Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, which remasters both classic games for a modern audience. But how well do these decades-old platformers hold up today?
[Review] Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Developer: Koei Tecmo / Omega Force
Publisher: Nintendo
Warriors games have done exceptionally well at providing a strategic hack-and-slash experience, and Koei Tecmo has done a wonderful job at adapting many different properties into that format. In the case of Fire Emblem, it’s primarily been under the umbrella of strategy RPGs since its inception, but throughout the years we’ve seen it grow and become something more, turning into quite a deep experience. With so much to take into account when expanding on the Fire Emblem universe and given that Warriors games typically provide a straightforward experience, it’s incredible to see Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes essentially become a semi-sequel to Three Houses, as this is not just Fire Emblem Warriors 2, but genuinely feels like a brand-new Fire Emblem game where the battles are essentially replaced with Omega Force’s prowess in action-focused combat. Fire Emblem and Warriors titles both have a long history and have seen some fan favorites, yet marrying them together once more has created arguably one of the best games for both properties.
[Review] Yurukill: The Calumniation Games
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: July 5, 2022
Developer: IzanagiGames / G.rev / Esquadra
Publisher: NIS America
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is almost a wonderful new version of the Danganronpa formula, this time pitting a bunch of a group of prisoners and executioner’s against each other as the former try to prove their innocence to the latter in a sequence of mini-games and theme park attractions that closely resemble former moments of their lives – most notably the crimes they’ve committed. It’s a fantastic amalgam of murder-mystery-driven plot devices, shoot ’em ups, visual novels, and questionnaires that works exceptionally over a beautiful explosion of colors and flair that makes the game as a whole an attraction of its own.
[Review] AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative
Posted on 1 year ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
As a core gamer, I’d never thought I’d find my bearings at the helm of a murder mystery title, much less a point-and-click adventure, but AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is out now, and sometimes its just the right time to break the mold and start something new. I’ve spent a full week delving into the secrets and story twists, so let’s take a look together and see what I’ve been missing out on.
[Review] Mario Strikers: Battle League
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 10, 2022
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
With its previous outings on GameCube and Wii, Mario had his own take on soccer (or football) that felt exciting and fresh at the time. A cast of characters from the franchise made up a roster for players to choose from and jump into a field with the basic rules of the sport in place, but with a few more mechanics that would further excite the gameplay – elements like specials, tackles, and specialized stadiums that certainly made the entire experience feel very, well, Mario. With little to no fouls to worry about, Mario Strikers was always a frenetic perspective on the traditional sport. Mario Strikers: Battle League has increased that chaos tenfold mechanically but does little elsewhere to warrant any sort of prolonged investment that prior entries to the series had before. While the game has a lot going for it, there feels like untapped potential has been left on the table.
[Review] Lost Ruins
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: June 6, 2022
Developer: Altari Games
Publisher: Dangen Entertainment
As I navigated the dark, sprawling catacombs and trap-filled dungeons of Lost Ruins, I was always deftly aware of the stakes at play. My protagonist – a plucky, somewhat oblivious schoolgirl who had somehow gotten herself transported to this strange land – was almost always a few missteps away from a grisly demise, be that via a hidden environmental trap or by the claws of a fast-moving zombie-like beast. Inevitably, I would falter and reload at my last checkpoint, often frustrated at myself for getting cornered or something similar – but every time, I was eager to jump back into the challenging world of Lost Ruins to explore more of the map and uncover its many secrets.
