[Review] Shin Megami Tensei V
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 12, 2021
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Shin Megami Tensei’s illustrious history has been unparalleled since its debut in the 90s. It has since grown and evolved, though the changes mostly come from the detailed environments that captivate and immerse you just as much as the narrative. These games constantly highlight the question of morality and philosophy, what’s right and wrong, and good versus evil. It’s hard to believe now that Shin Megami Tensei V is finally here and real, almost five whole years since its announcement prior to Switch seeing its launch. What’s not so hard to believe (or maybe it is, depending on how you look at it) is that the game has not only been worth the wait, but it’s also an exceptional new JRPG.
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[Review] The Good Life
Posted on 3 years ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 15, 2021
Developer: White Owls
Publisher: Playism
Journalist Naomi Hayward’s life has been consumed by enormous debt. The Morning Bell, the newspaper that she works for, has a unique way of settling things – that being to send her abroad to uncover the mystery of the “Happiest Town in the World,” Rainy Woods. Naomi is not too keen on the idea of moving to such a small sleepy village, and she makes that displeasure known upon her arrival, but work is work, and in order to keep her stomach full she’ll need to adapt to her new environment and learn to get along with her new neighbors. Though warned to spend her first night indoors, Naomi doesn’t heed the warning and instead stumbles into quite the scene: all the residents of Rainy Woods have turned into cats and dogs with the arrival of nightfall, but that’s not the main focus of this adventure. Instead, soon after our arrival, there is a strange death in Rainy Woods. This mystery becomes the central point in the plot for The Good Life, and we will be diving in to take a look what this venture has to offer.
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[Review] Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (Switch)
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 28, 2021
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Perhaps the only thing scarier than Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water – the 2014 entry in Koei Tecmo’s long-running series of horror games about photographing ghosts – is how much time it took for this game to come to modern platforms. Quickly falling out of the spotlight upon the rapid decline of the Wii U, I was cynical about its prospects of being ported to the Switch and thus was pleasantly surprised to see it announced for current consoles earlier this year. But despite possessing a setting and tone that feels special compared to modern day ghost stories, Maiden of Black Water’s deep reliance on the versatility of the Wii U GamePad left me curious to see how it would fair without its second screen. Fortunately, Maiden of Black Water remains a darkly compelling experience that all horror fans owe it to themselves to experience – even if it feels rougher around the edges than it did originally.
[Review] Astria Ascending
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 30, 2021
Developer: Artisan Studios
Publisher: Dear Villagers
Nostalgia will always give that sort of feeling of coming back home to something familiar. That same nostalgia, however, can also be driven back not only with the things of the past, but with new experiences that pay homage to the greats of a particular medium. Astria Ascending feels like this in a lot of ways for those that have played JRPGs for a long time, and having been helmed by a collaboration of minds from veterans of some of the genres most illustrious titles and franchises, it’s no wonder why its turn-based gameplay feels both familiar and refreshing. Unfortunately, this same nostalgia can also become a bit of a disservice when relied upon too much and hurts the game in the long run, and while the systems in place for combat are great, it’s the rest of the experience that feels at most times mediocre due to quality of life issues and grindy gameplay.
[Review] Metroid Dread
Posted on 3 years ago by Amit Dhindsa(@Agnezenn) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
Note: we’ve updated this post with a video version of our Metroid Dread review – check it out below.
System: Switch
Release date: October 8, 2021
Developer: MercurySteam / Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Metroid Dread still feels a little surreal. The shock of a new, original 2D Metroid was palpable when Dread was announced, but the more one thinks about it, the more amazing it seems. It’s the realization of a 15 year old concept that has gone through multiple cycles of early development and dormancy. It’s the first original 2D Metroid in almost two decades, a span of time in which an entire genre named after the series has sprung up and seen thousands of games following in its footsteps. It’s a game that has expectations to live up to that seem almost unfair but somehow manages to exceed them. Metroid Dread is real, and it’s a masterpiece.
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[Review] The Caligula Effect 2
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 19, 2021
Developer: FuRyu
Publisher: NIS America
When The Caligula Effect first released in 2017 before receiving an enhanced port in the form of The Caligula Effect: Overdose in 2019 for Switch, one of the most exciting aspects about it was the fact that not only did it have this stunning art style, but also how it was being helmed by Persona writer Tadoshi Satomi. The game initially had a lot of appeal thanks to its vibrant color usage and idol-inspired dystopia that gave it a unique look by giving darkness and corruption bright colors – a palette that is typically used as an indicator for things that are heroic, harmless, or good. However, despite a respectable foundation, it suffered from repetitiveness, performance issues, and a lot of quality of life mechanics that simply were not there. Thankfully, The Caligula Effect 2 improves upon the original game’s problems and adds a lot of enhancements with a beautiful UI that’s intuitive. It also focuses more on putting actual gameplay in reasonably sized dungeons disguised as various Japanese districts and virtual landscapes without the egregiously poor pacing and constant stop-go nature of its predecessor.
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[Review] Monster Crown
Posted on 3 years ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 12, 2021
Developer: Studio Aurum
Publisher: SOEDESCO
There’s something to be said for a good battling experience. Monster taming games have dominated the handheld gaming scene for decades now, and looking back through their history, some of the best gems were games with less-than-stellar graphics that boasted a huge roster of monsters, breeding mechanics, and a simple-to-pick-up battle system that promotes changing up your teams on the regular in order to take on foes of various types. As a result, we’ve seen no shortage of developers vying for a slice of the monster-taming pie, but are all monster catching adventures created equal?
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[Review] Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: October 5, 2021
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
I experienced a wide range of conflicting emotions while playing Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania. I often caught myself laughing, usually after successfully guiding my expressive, energetic monkey across a particularly gauntlet-esque stage with only seconds to spare. Just as often I found myself sighing or yelling “nonononoooo,” typically as my encapsulated simian plummeted off a platform to its doom… again. But no matter how well I was doing (or not) at playing Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, I was almost always having a wonderful time – and considering that this remaster contains stages and minigames from three of what may be the best games in the franchise, I expect I’ll be doing so for a long time.
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[Review] Hot Wheels Unleashed
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 30, 2021
Developer: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
There was a time when games based on popular toys were a dime a dozen; it used to be impossible to walk into the video games section of your local supercenter without seeing shelves filled with licensed games, many of middling quality. That’s not really the case today, as many of the smaller studios that previously produced those types of games have since shut down, been absorbed, or are now producing mobile games instead. So, I was pleasantly surprised not only that Milestone announced Hot Wheels Unleashed in 2021 as a major new release for the franchise, but also that the game had potential to be of higher quality and creativity than previous games. In fact, Hot Wheels Unleashed feels like a game built primarily for today’s adults who grew up with Hot Wheels years (decades?) ago rather than kids – a bold choice. But does Hot Wheels Unleashed manage to be a good game underneath its many layers of die-cast nostalgia?
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[Review] Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 24, 2021
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot again has Goku and co.’s adventures and sagas represented, but this time in a much different format that hasn’t felt this fresh and exciting in a long while. Having put almost 100 hours when it initially released at the beginning of 2020, the semi open-world take felt like a modern day Legacy of Goku mixed with the design philosophy of One Piece: World Seeker, but done so in a way that still retained the essence of the IP and left no shortage of fights for the player to enjoy and reach higher power levels with. The Switch version undoubtedly sees a few technical downgrades compared to other platforms, and it was a bit jarring at first, but after having settled with the game for quite some time now, it’s arguably Bandai Namco’s most competent Dragon Ball port yet, making for a really great DBZ experience that can now be played at home or on the go.
