[Review] Have a Nice Death
Posted on 6 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: March 22, 2023
Developer: Magic Design Studios
Publisher: Gearbox
Typically, when I’m craving some side-scrolling action, roguelike games aren’t my go-to. Simple procedurally generated levels, frustrating or unrewarding progression loops, and by-the-numbers combat have plagued my experiences in the genre, so I’m perhaps a bit more skeptical than others of run-based titles. Fortunately, Have a Nice Death is not only an exception to this trend, but also one of the tightest, most creative, and most satisfying roguelikes I’ve ever played. It’s an example of what a talented team with a strong vision can accomplish, and its fine-tuned concoction of charm and challenge resulted in constant fun.
[Review] Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Posted on 6 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Nintendo
After a whopping 15 years, the fourth mainline entry in the Fatal Frame franchise is finally accessible for English-speaking players for the first time, and as such, the release of Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse feels like something of an event for horror fans. These games have long been singular experiences, possessing a unique weight that is felt in each footstep, each click of a camera shutter, each piece of unsettling lore. I was excited to finally have a chance to experience this acclaimed piece of horror history on a modern platform, and to see why fans have been begging for a localization for so long. While I enjoyed unraveling the weaving, sinister story threads of Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and soaking in its atmosphere, the game’s unrefined pacing and desperate need for extra polish should make casual horror fans pause.
[Review] Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Posted on 6 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
In the realm of horror, the genre has numerous ways to latch onto the viewer, player, or reader in ways that most other genres wouldn’t. That sense of mystery that comes from being unable to discern what it is that haunts piques a level of curiosity that keeps the one consuming the media involved and captivated, and Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo does an incredible job of getting players in an engrossing story that never overstays its welcome and gets to-the-point in a matter of minutes. On Switch, especially the OLED, the game shines despite its dark colors and atmosphere, and Square Enix has done a tremendous job in creating a unique visual novel that can be up there with the genre’s greats.
[Review] Session: Skate Sim
Posted on 6 months ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Crea-ture Studios
Publisher: Nacon
For a lapsed real-world skateboarder like myself, Session: Skate Sim is a sobering reality check. Back in 2020, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s remake momentarily convinced me that I had the skills to recommit to the sport – that within a few weeks I’d be busting out Tre Flips with the best of them. If only I had been given access to Session: Skate Sim back then, so that I could be brought back down to earth and reminded of just how achingly difficult skateboarding really is. Upon casting your eye over Session for the first time, you may be fooled into thinking that it follows in the footsteps of EA’s Skate franchise. In reality this game is to Skate what actually going outside and skateboarding is to sitting on the couch and thinking about it. It’s incredibly hard. Session: Skate Sim comes to us Switch owners at the end of a long Early Access run on other platforms. Following years of iterative patches and improvements, the game has now reached its version 1.0 milestone. Unfortunately, the game we’ve been landed with feels anything but finished.
[Review] Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Posted on 6 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
The original Wii launch of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land has always felt like a particularly important game for the franchise; at the time it released, it had been in development in some form for over a decade, after multiple attempts at creating a new mainline Kirby game never reached fruition. That’s a big part of the reason why Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, a remaster of the 2011 original, feels like such a fitting way to wrap up the pink puffball’s 30th anniversary celebrations – it’s a testament to just how much the franchise has grown and evolved since then. But how well does this classic Kirby game hold up after all these years, and is the new content added into this remaster strong enough to justify a full-price rerelease?
[Review] Digimon World: Next Order
Posted on 6 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 22, 2023
Developer: Hyde
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Six years into the Switch’s lifecycle, it’s still the go-to destination for ports and bringing older, potentially forgotten games into a more modern setting and for a wider audience. Digimon World: Next Order adds itself to that list, giving it another chance to shine following the positive reception to Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Digimon Survive. With the Digimon World brand having been around since 1999 in Japan, Next Order brings the 2017 title from PlayStation 4 and PS Vita to a Nintendo system. Though Digimon has always been a flexible property and taken on almost every genre under the sun, Digimon World stood by as a fond memory for decades for fans, but Next Order in 2017 didn’t necessarily point the series or the property in the right direction. Now in 2022, we’re meant to revisit a game that, while fun, is just too subpar at best to really warrant paying full price all over again.
More: Bandai Namco, Digimon, Digimon World
[Review] Octopath Traveler II
Posted on 7 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Developer: Square Enix / Acquire
Publisher: Square Enix
The original Octopath Traveler inspired me to create a now sprawling fan group on social media, one that morphed over into a Switch RPG community when the original game’s fire finally died down. Personally, I loved the unique art style the most – beautiful 3D backgrounds and windswept plains, icy tundras and winding cities each punctuated with cute 2D sprites that felt alive in this strangely unique world. Octopath Traveler II is much of the same, but does this entry simply continue with the formula of the first one, or are the changes enough to keep one immersed more than its predecessor?
More: highlight, Octopath Traveler II, Square Enix, top
[Review] Fire Emblem Engage
Posted on 7 months ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: January 20, 2023
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Fire Emblem Engage comes just three years after the success of Three Houses, and though this seems like a quick turnaround for a series that has been known for its richness and depth, the new game streamlines a lot of mechanics and capabilities to make it much more intuitive and approachable without having to sacrifice any of the quality the franchise has seen with each new entry. It’s certainly a different flavor, tone, and direction, so those new to the series – or even long-time fans – may feel an odd sense of having to “relearn” Fire Emblem this time around. However, it’s yet another fantastic addition to a series that seems immune to any type of mediocrity.
[Review] Rhythm Sprout
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: February 1, 2023
Developer: SURT
Publisher: tinyBuild
It takes a certain type of creative mind to look at the vegetables on display in their grocery store produce aisle and decide, “finally – the protagonist for my story-driven rhythm game!” That level of kookiness is the driving force behind Rhythm Sprout, a delightfully bonkers rhythm-action game in which an onion wearing headphones and a tracksuit slaughters various edible enemies to the beat of a wide range of music. As the debut release from Norwegian developer SURT games, Rhythm Sprout’s creative concept has maintained my interest ever since its initial reveal, but how does its beat-based gameplay live up to the rest of the experience?
More: highlight, Rhythm Sprout, SURT, tinyBuild, top
[Review] PowerWash Simulator
Posted on 7 months ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: January 31, 2023
Developer: FuturLab
Publisher: Square Enix
At various points during my time with FutureLab and Square Enix’s PowerWash Simulator, I was struck by a sort of banal existential dilemma. During these episodes of clairvoyance, I’d become blisteringly aware of the fact that in the only physical lifetime I will ever have – in my one and single corporeal opportunity – I was opting to blast a digital stream of H2O across a fictional individual’s RV/bungalow/penny farthing. Did these sudden jolts of awareness drive me to get up and do something “worthwhile” with my time instead? No, no they didn’t. PowerWash Simulator has its hooks in me now, and I’m shackled to these blue overalls by a mix of catharsis and compulsion – but boy does it feel so good. Truth be told, this isn’t even a new development. I’ve been a slave to the machinations of the game’s grubby world since it originally launched into Steam’s Early Access model. Valve’s digital storefront seemingly recognized how dull of an individual I am, and algorithmically shoved the game in my face on the day of its release – so that was my original date of incarceration. With the game now arriving triumphantly on Switch, it feels like PowerWash Simulator has reached its final form. It’s ready to engulf your attention in ways we haven’t seen since paid actors sat slack-jawed in front of SNES’s during 90s video game commercials.
