Switch eShop Game Reviews
Mini Review The Battle Of Polytopia (Switch) - A Gentle Introduction To Turn-Based City Builders
A simplified quest for world domination
We all have big dreams of world domination, but not everyone wants the full Civilization experience. Sometimes, we just want to take over the planet without having to try too hard! For those times, there is The Battle of Polytopia, a scaled-back version of the usual 4X gameplay that we’ve all grown to know...
Review Chaos;Child (Switch) - A Stand Out 'Science Adventure' VN That's Compelling And Gruesome
Find the truth behind a whole new set of grizzly murders
The Science Adventure series of visual novels usually don’t share much in common aside from a shared universe and an unusual naming convention, but Chaos;Child is the most direct sequel the series has seen so far. Set six years after the events of Chaos;Head Noah, this game offers a similar...
Review Moonscars (Switch) - A Brutal, Beautiful Soulslike In Need Of A Performance Patch
Clayfighter
Everybody up for yet another Soulslike? Yeah, we thought as much. However, Black Mermaid's Moonscars has been turning heads since it was first announced due to its rather exquisitely detailed pixel art style. This is a deliciously dark 2D slasher with Metroidvania elements that reminds us a little of Motion Twin's dazzling De
Review Chaos;Head Noah (Switch) - A Great Localisation Of The First 'Science Adventure' VN
Dive into the delusions of the ultimate otaku
There are two ways that life goes for visual novel protagonists. Either they wake up in a world where all their classmates are beautiful anime girls who want to jump their bones, or they find themselves in a twisted supernatural murder mystery. Unfortunately for Takumi Nishijou, the protagonist of...
Review Overwatch 2 (Switch) - Solid F2P Shooting That Doesn't Yet Justify The '2'
You're powered up, get in there!
The recent release of Splatoon 3 spawned an interesting discussion over what justifies a sequel. Considering that Splatoon 2 is still playable on the Switch and maintains a healthy player base, its follow-up was viewed by some as an unnecessary iteration that failed to meaningfully innovate. Blizzard’s recent...
Review Railgrade (Switch) - An Entertaining Management Sim That Runs Out Of Steam
All aboard the capitalism train!
There is something deeply appealing about playing with trains. They go exactly where you tell them to, yet can still behave in unexpected ways to keep things interesting. Railgrade from developer Minakata Dynamics is a great railway management sim game with some fun quirks. While it doesn’t go as deep into its...
In need of a re-remaster
When a studio looks to remaster an older title from its repertoire, the absolute minimum expectation is that the new version looks and perhaps plays better than the original, making the most of modern hardware and, where appropriate, integrating new features to align with modern gameplay sensibilities. Granted, the results...
Mini Review Picross S8 (Switch) - Four-Player Picross? It's Absolute Madness!
"You get used to it, I don't even see the code"
In a series as focused on multiplayer as Picross S, it’s always seemed odd that Nintendo and Jupiter haven't allowed more than two players to be playing at the same time. We’ve lost track of how many times we’ve played Picross on our Switch during a major social event and could only have one...
Review Various Daylife (Switch) - A Simple Yet Repetitive JRPG Best For Bite-Sized Sessions
Another day in the life
At this point, it seems almost certain that Square Enix is using an AI to randomly generate new titles in its “Underlined Serif Title” RPG series. Triangle Strategy already felt like it was pushing the limits, but we’ve now been graced with the delightful Various Daylife. After an initial exclusive launch on the Apple...
Review Voodoo Detective (Switch) - Stylish And Low-Stress Monkey Island-Inspired Adventuring
Voodoo you think you are?
You may have heard of a little game releasing on Switch this month – a point-and-click graphic adventure featuring Voodoo mysticism, set in the Caribbean and with music by Peter McConnell, composer on Monkey Island 2? That’s right! It’s Voodoo Detective, the magical, mystical debut from Short Sleeve Studio, hot on the...
Review Tunic (Switch) - Old-School Adventuring With Nods To Zelda, Unforgiving And Ingenious
Surprisingly, the fox isn’t saving a princess from a pig-man
The opening moments of Tunic fooled us into thinking we were in for a derivative Zelda-like adventure. A diminutive fox-like character wearing a green tunic reminiscent of a certain hero wakes up on a beach. From an isometric camera angle, this fox (known as the Ruin Seeker) finds a...
Mini Review Penko Park (Switch) - A Worthy Spiritual Successor To Pokémon Snap
“We’re going to make a fortune with this place”
There has never been a better time to be a Pokémon Snap fan than during the Switch era. From the excellent New Pokémon Snap delivering a sequel over 20 years in the making to the long-awaited rerelease of the original Pokémon Snap on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, it seems like the...
Review Return To Monkey Island (Switch) - An Impeccable Encore For An Adventure Gaming Icon
Look behind you! A three-game series!
In 1990, Ron Gilbert created the seminal point-and-click adventure The Secret of Monkey Island. It grabbed hearts and hasn’t let go for 32 years. In 1991, he concluded Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge on a bombshell cliffhanger. In 1992, he departed Lucasarts, and the secret third part of his trilogy went...
Review Easy Come Easy Golf (Switch) - Everybody's Golf Spiritual Successor Scores A Birdie On Switch
Finally, golf for everybody (with a Switch)
Clap Hanz is a studio closely linked with PlayStation, producing hugely popular titles Everybody's Golf / Hot Shots Golf across multiple generations (over the course of 20 years+). Recently it loosened up its swing and went another way, however, releasing Clap Hanz Golf on Apple Arcade. It's that title...
Review Shovel Knight Dig (Switch) - A Finely Formed Roguelite That Strikes 16-Bit Gold
"Now dig on this"
Since the last 8-bit-style game came out, Shovel Knight has been branching out more into other genres as developer and publisher Yacht Club charts a course for where its eponymous nobleman will go next. In December, we got the wonderful Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, which smartly blended falling block puzzle mechanics with...
Mini Review OneShot: World Machine Edition (Switch) - A Brilliant And Bittersweet Indie Darling
You've only got OneShot
A cat-like child named Niko wakes up in a decrepit house, locked in a room with a bookshelf, a password-locked computer, and a TV remote control on the floor. It’s too dark to read the books and there’s no sign of a password anywhere – it's up to you to find a way out. Not long after, Niko stumbles upon a massive...
I choose you!
Fun fact: at this time last year, we had only just learned of the existence of Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars. Not only has that game and its sequel—Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden—come out since then, but we’ve now received yet another sequel in Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden. As you’d probably expect, this...
Review Radiant Silvergun (Switch) - A Superb Shmup That's Still One Of The Very Best
No refuge
Making it business to boycott sensible business practices, Treasure’s commitment to dying consoles once cemented it as Japan’s most revered boutique developer. A practice that gave rise to some of gaming’s most significant works, Radiant Silvergun is a product of both spectacular overachievement and unapologetic showboating. Once...
Review Jack Move (Switch) - A Short, Sharp, And Utterly Gripping Cyberpunk RPG
In bird culture, this is considered a Jack Move
It feels like most JRPGs these days don’t really tread much into hard science fiction. Sure, big franchises like Final Fantasy or Xenoblade aren’t afraid to mix in some tech alongside their magic, but it’s rare that you’ll see developers fully commit to a world that’s all robots and...
Mini Review Little Orpheus (Switch) - A Whimsical Tale That Left Us Wanting
Absurd tales straight from the centre of the Earth
Developed by The Chinese Room of Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture fame, Little Orpheus sheds some – but not all – of the studio’s reputation for making games with a focus on engaging stories rather than gameplay. Fear not, the studio's flair for an intriguing setup remains...
Review Tinykin (Switch) - A Wholesome Platforming Spin On Pikmin
Good things come in small packages
Splashteam, developer of the humourous 2D platformer Splasher, is back again but with a different cast of curious creatures in its newest project, Tinykin. It's an imaginative and very pleasant 3D platformer that challenges you to think outside the box and find a new purpose in everyday objects — especially since...
Mini Review BPM: Bullets Per Minute (Switch) - A Ripping Roguelike FPS, Metal But Muddy
Rip and Shred until it is done
If there ever was a genre that was perfect for Switch, it has to be roguelikes. The pick-up-and-play nature of them is perfect for getting a game in on your commute or on your work break. Another ironically great genre for a Nintendo platform is the First Person Shooter, thanks to the inclusion of gyro-aim. Mash these...
Review Circus Electrique (Switch) - Repetitive Turn-Based Battling In A Gripping Steampunk London
Roll up, roll up
Circus Electrique is quick to pique the interest of any fans of a turn-based tactical RPG, especially those who loved Darkest Dungeon. However, its unique design raises the question of what Darkest Dungeon would be like if it were filled with mechanical mimes and pretentious police officers, all while being set in a gritty,...
Review Disney Dreamlight Valley (Switch) - A Surprisingly Touching Take On The Life Sim Genre
A rough, but charming, work in progress
Note: Since the publication of this review, the publisher changed its plans to make Disney Dreamlight Valley free-to-play. Also, myriad updates and patches have been added to the game which may have altered and modified the gameplay experience from the one detailed below. Imagine waking up and seeing Mickey...
Mini Review Super Space Serpent SE / Perpetuum Mobile Bundle (Switch) - A Minteresting Pair
Seriously Mintered
Remember Jeff Minter? Both Perpetuum Mobile and Super Space Serpent SE are heavily inspired by the likes of Tempest and Polybius, and this is no bad thing. There’s always room for more wireframe, purple, and nice liquid trance beats in the gaming world. Although Perpetuum Mobile sounds like an iPhone game, it’s actually a...
Review City Wars: Tokyo Reign (Switch) - A Deep Deckbuilder That Stands Out In The Crowd
The city that nevers sleeps
These days, it feels like deckbuilding elements are finding their way into all kinds of roguelikes, but it’s not too often that you see new releases purely built around card games. City Wars: Tokyo Reign is one of those rare releases, and we’re pleased to report that it presents an interesting and unique take on CCG...
Review Ooblets (Switch) - An Adorable Life Sim Full Of Charm, Character, And Dancing
It's nice to meet Oob!
Following six years of development, Glumberland finally presents Ooblets, a quirky, creature-collecting life sim set in a rundown town. But this game offers more than just creature collecting. Between farming, making friends, and busting a move, players are responsible for restoring life to Badgetown and its surrounding areas...
Mini Review Restless Soul (Switch) - A Minimalist Adventure With An Overabundance Of Banter
Signed, souled, delivered
Having helped many an indie developer reach a broader audience, Canadian publisher Graffiti Games has an impressively diverse catalogue of titles, with last year’s Blue Fire being particularly well-received on Switch. Restless Soul, from developer Fuz Games, is a visual blend of Tamagotchi-style sprites in a Kindle...
Review ANNO: Mutationem (Switch) - An Impressive Cyberpunk Action RPG With Stunning Visuals
This game has a monkey in a lab coat
'Cyberpunk' has become a bit of a dirty word in games as of late after a certain game's widely-publicised rough launch. However, video games and the cyberpunk aesthetic have gone hand in hand for almost as long as the medium has existed. From SNES-era titles like Shadowrun and Hideo Kojima’s wildly...
Mini Review Yars: Recharged (Switch) - A Relaxed, Repetitive Reinvention Of An Atari Classic
Yar she blows
The most recent in a line of Atari ‘Recharged’ re-imaginings, succeeding the likes of Gravitar and Breakout, Yars: Recharged sets about updating what was once the best-selling game on the Atari 2600. Originally released in 1982 and designed by Howard Scott Warshaw (also responsible for Atari’s infamous E.T. the...