[Review] Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Posted on 2 years ago by Amit Dhindsa(@Agnezenn) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 17, 2022
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Atlus
A longtime cult classic among Persona and fighting game fans alike, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is finally seeing a re-release on modern systems as part of the series’ 25th anniversary celebration. Atlus and Arc System Works came together a decade ago to create a crossover for the ages, pairing Arc System Works’ wild and incredibly fun fighting game style with the world of Persona and its unmatchable, overflowing swagger. That swagger is present in every facet of the game, including the familiar characters and aesthetic, electric soundtrack, slick flourishes throughout the presentation that would go on to take even Masahiro Sakurai’s heart later in the series, and its classic Persona-style mystery.
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[Review] Rune Factory 5
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 22, 2022
Developer: Hakama
Publisher: XSEED Games / Marvelous
The producer of the Rune Factory franchise, Yoshifumi Hashimoto, once summarized the games as “Harvest Moon where you wield a sword.” And while that’s technically true, it’s a bit reductive; not content in being merely another set of farming-focused slice of life experiences, the Rune Factory games lean deeper into the “role-playing” aspects of their fantasy settings, giving you more room to explore, fight, craft and shape your experience to your liking then Harvest Moon ever has. Rune Factory 5 is the first 3D entry in the franchise since 2011’s Tides of Destiny, and thus feels primed to capture the attention of more new fans than ever before. While this new entry may lack the overall polish in its mechanics and presentation that it deserves, Rune Factory 5 is still an overall rewarding experience full of charm that I thoroughly enjoyed.
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[Review] Triangle Strategy
Posted on 2 years ago by Amit Dhindsa(@Agnezenn) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 4, 2022
Developer: Square Enix / Artdink
Publisher: Square Enix
Square Enix’s Team Asano has been a force to be reckoned with on Switch. Their debut on the system, Octopath Traveler, was a showpiece at the first real Switch blowout in January 2017 and released the following year to great acclaim. Returning to the glory of their 3DS days, the highly requested Bravely Default 2 came out just last year. Now the third entry in the team’s Switch JRPG trifecta returns to Octopath’s HD-2D style, but delivers gameplay so different that it might as well be considered a different genre. That certainly doesn’t hold it back however: different as it is, Triangle Strategy is a tremendous overall package and possibly Team Asano’s finest work yet.
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[Review] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pack DLC (wave 1)
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 18, 2022
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold roughly a bajillion copies since it launched on Switch back in 2017 (and that’s on top of the sales of the original Wii U version), so I had been hoping for years that the game would receive some new content at some point in its life, but it was never a guarantee. Finally, though, that moment is here: this week marks the arrival of eight new courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as part of a new DLC pack that Nintendo promises will eventually result in 48 (!) new courses being added to the game by the end of 2023. So how do the new tracks fare so far – and will these new courses be enough to get the community excited about Mario Kart again?
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[Review] The Cruel King and the Great Hero
Posted on 2 years ago by Elias in News, Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 15, 2022
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Long ago, a heroic man had a great battle with the tyrannical dragon king – but rather than slay his foe, the hero found a way to sever the demonic energy corrupting the king, allowing him to live on. Now kind and just, the dragon king watches over the hero’s daughter, raising her on stories of her father’s conquests and supporting her dream of becoming a great hero one day, herself. What adventures await little Yuu?
[Review] Phantom Breaker: Omnia
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 15, 2022
Developer: Mages
Publisher: Rocket Panda Games
Phantom Break: Omnia comes at a time when I believe there’s a resurgence of fighting games that not only revel in creativity and content, but take pride in bringing in a wider audience as to not feel left out. This doesn’t just mean making it easier to button mash – because accessibility does not equate to that – but the combos themselves and the understanding of the inputs have become streamlined and much more logical. Now with Phantom Breaker: Omnia, the game thankfully finds an incredible sweet spot of keeping things equal parts fun and approachable for all sorts of players while still retaining that exhilarating feeling and rush for those that want to excel in their style and focus on more ranked, competitive play.
[Review] Chocobo GP
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 10, 2022
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
It takes some guts to release a Switch-exclusive kart racer on the same platform that houses the sales juggernaut that is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; it takes even more guts to ape Nintendo’s kart racer so closely at a mechanical level that comparisons will be all but inevitable. Chocobo GP is the latest entry in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy-themed series of racing games, and it tries to set itself apart from the competition by including a fully-voiced story mode, a unique approach to power-ups, and oodles of Final Fantasy charm. Unfortunately, the slim track count and safe but unremarkable racing mechanics makes Chocobo GP feel inessential at best.
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[Review] Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 25, 2022
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
While the Atelier series continues to grow and bring in fans both new and old with each new colorful outing, protagonist, and luscious worlds we find ourselves on a journey with, there has also been a resurgence in some of its more seminal titles that helped bring the series to where it is today. With so many entries, characters, and overlapping stories set within particular worlds, each brings its own flavor and personality to the table. One such installment of the many Ateliers centers around Sophie Neuenmuller, the star of Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. While games within the franchise have all been standalone, some of them have also followed a certain theme and world that they share. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream now brings Sophie back into the spotlight and tries to offer a conclusion to the answers she was still looking for years ago. Not only does everything look great in this new engine, but it’s the most well-optimized and beautiful Atelier game to date on Switch, also containing some of the cleanest interfaces, polished battles, and vibrant worlds yet.
[Review] Monark
Posted on 2 years ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 22, 2022
Developer: Lancarse
Publisher: NIS America
The air hangs thick with mist, the shrouded school halls hard to navigate in the ever-present haze. You don’t remember anything. Not your name, your grade, or anything about what caused this to happen. You descend the stairs to clean air and students like yourself attempting to remain calm. Panic does no one any good, after all. The Shin Mikado Academy is enshrouded in a mysterious barrier, and its going to take a lot of work to get to the bottom of this ordeal in Monark.
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[Review] Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 15, 2022
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Around four years ago to the date, Dynasty Warriors 9 released globally and introduced a new perspective for the franchise with an open world format, though the feature seemed partially unnecessary. It was a neat idea that was unfortunately poorly implemented and left a bad taste in a lot of players’ mouths. Could an Empires edition – which many thought would be skipped – be able to unlock the original game’s potential? I truly believe that was the plan, and though this is a version that’s packed with all the content and changes Dynasty Warriors 9 spent years building post-launch, Empires is just a stripped down reminder that the title had a lot of its issues deep-rooted in its foundation that simply can’t be changed by adding more stuff as a distraction, and to make matters worse, the Switch version is borderline unplayable with how it runs.
