[Review] Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 24, 2024
Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic
I’ve had a 2010 Wii copy of Epic Mickey sitting on my shelf for years, and as much as I had intended to experience Warren Spector’s twisted Mickey Mouse tale well before this point, for one reason or another I’ve just never gotten around to it. In this case, my patience definitely paid off. Developer Purple Lamp – who is quickly garnering a positive reputation for their work in the 3D platforming space – has invested considerable effort to free this ambitious game from the Wii’s limitations and make it accessible to modern audiences. While the Switch version of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed has some disappointing performance issues here and there, overall, this remake is a stunning effort that deserves to be experienced by fans of both Disney and platformers alike.
More: Epic Mickey, highlight, Purple Lamp, THQ Nordic, top
[Review] Reynatis
Posted on 9 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 27, 2024
Developer: FuRyu
Publisher: NIS America
Worlds of wizards and magic aren’t uncommon in the gaming world, but a setting as realistic as modern-day Shibuya, Tokyo does add a flavor that makes Reynatis stand out immediately. Flashy modern day outfits, blazing weapons, and flashy skills with fights breaking out on realistic representations of streets we could go and walk today. Reynatis is set in a prefecture bursting with commerce, the towering shopping malls, businesses, and bistros bustle with traffic of consumers and business people alike. Shibuya is the pinnacle of Japan’s fashion industry, boasts an incredible music scene, and the food is absolutely to die for. Also, for whatever reason, it seems to attract wizards.
More: FuRyu, highlight, NIS America, Reynatis, top
[Review] Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 9, 2024
Developer: Wallride
Publisher: The Mix Games Inc.
Rugrats is one of those cartoons that seems to get better with age. As a child I enjoyed watching the adventures of the babies as they transformed the everyday into something new and exciting, and as an adult I can appreciate the dry humor and now very relatable struggles of their adult parents. Although they have featured prominently in Nickelodeon titles, it has been some time since the Rugrats have had a game to themselves. Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland, their first solo outing for many years, feels like a platformer taken straight out of the era when they were at their most popular, for better and for worse.
[Review] Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
Posted on 10 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 29, 2024
Developer: Mages / Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
I like it when Nintendo gets weird. It’s usually at about this point in their consoles’ lifespans, well after they’ve sold roughly a bajillion Mario and Zelda titles, when we see them start to resurrect dormant franchises and experiment in genres that other platform holders are ignoring. So, here we are – it’s 2024, and Nintendo decided now is the perfect time to release a new entry in in the Famicom Detective Club series of visual novels, which hasn’t seen a new entry in 27 years. Emio – The Smiling Man has some compelling ideas driving its core mystery about a serial killer with an unsettling modus operandi, and initially, it had hooked. Unfortunately, this story’s lethargic pacing, tedious writing, and general lack of meaningful character development fails to live up to the high bar set by earlier entries in the series.
[Review] Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 6, 2024
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Although it has been several years since we’ve had a brand new instalment in the franchise, there’s no denying that fans of Ace Attorney have been fairly well catered-to over the last few years. With the arrival of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, we now have every title in the series (except for the Professor Layton spinoff anyway, which will probably be the next thing we get before a new game) available to us on Switch, including the three that were never released in the West. This collection brings us two entries that take a refreshing approach to the gameplay formula that is definitely worth investigating for fans and newcomers alike.
[Review] Castlevania Dominus Collection
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 27, 2024
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Since the surprise release of Castlevania Advance Collection I’ve had the question “are we getting a port of the DS titles?” sitting in the back of my mind and surfacing to the forefront every time a Nintendo Direct aired. Of course bringing the DS titles across to the Switch wouldn’t be as simple a task, so it is perhaps understandable that it’s taken three years for Castlevania Dominus Collection to finally make it onto the system. However, now that it’s finally here, the end result is more than worth the wait.
More: Castlevania Dominus Collection, highlight, Konami, top
[Review] Gundam Breaker 4
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 29, 2024
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Although I’ve always appreciated the complex political machinations, emotionally charged character dynamics, and poignant themes of war that have defined a lot of media in the Gundam series, it’s often the designs of the Mobile Suits that have determined just how much I enjoy any one particular entry. If, like me, you’ve ever wanted to make your own Mobile Suit, or thought that one might look just a little better if a few tweaks were made, then Gundam Breaker 4 is the game you’ve been waiting for. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, the depth of customization on offer makes this worth looking into if you’re in the market for something that will let you test the limits of your creativity.
More: Bandai Namco, Gundam Breaker 4, highlight, top
[Review] BAKERU
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 3, 2024
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
BAKERU is an interesting mix of past and present for Good-Feel. As the co-producer of the long-running Ganbare Goemon series, Etsunobu Ebisu has clearly brought his expertise from that here by creating what feels like a spiritual successor in tone and presentation, and with an impressive resume of titles of a similar genre on Switch (including Princess Peach: Showtime! and Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn) this game represents the best of both worlds. Thankfully, it delivers on both fronts to be one of the best 3D action games I’ve played on the system this year.
[Review] Elrentaros Wanderings
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 15, 2024
Developer: Hakama
Publisher: Red Art Games
Hakama may have only released a handful of games since their formation by Yoshifumi Hashimoto in 2018, but with Rune Factory 4 Special and Rune Factory 5 as two of their more noteworthy releases, it’s fair to say the focus is more on quality over quantity. Unfortunately, although their latest title Elrentaros Wanderings (previously known as Rear Sekai) has hints of their trademark creative brilliance, ultimately fails to deliver on almost every front.
More: Bushiroad, Hakama, highlight, Rear Sekai, Red Art Games, top
[Review] Cat Quest III
Posted on 11 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 8, 2024
Developer: The Gentlebros
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
We have had so many cat-focused indie games over the last decade that it could practically be a genre unto itself, but few are as charming, engaging, or downright fun, as Cat Quest. The simplistic yet punchy combat, tightly-packed but unrestricted open world, and overbearing onslaught of feline related puns all combine to make it an experience that has always left me wanting more. Developer The Gentlebros have now graced us with a third installment, Cat Quest III, which continues to improve upon the established formula and takes it into uncharted waters as we set sail on a swashbuckling pirate (or should that be “Pi-rat”?) adventure.
