Nearly eight years later, Super Meat Boy remains a master class in balancing difficulty into engaging level design.
One third bullet hell, one third shoot 'em up, and one third roguelike, Enter the Gungeon is a magnificent blend of three genres that go together impressively well. The wide variety of guns keeps each playthrough feeling fresh, regardless of the character chosen, and the diverse enemy design is sure to keep players on their toes as they force their way through the Gungeon. There are some issues that rise from the randomness of it all, par for the course for a roguelike, but the fluid gameplay, massive weapon cache, and bullet-heavy atmosphere make Enter the Gungeon one incredibly endearing experience.
Despite a beginning that focuses a bit too much on archetypes, so that it can deconstruct them later and far too much fluff, CLANNAD pulls its act together rather quickly to present a beautifully written story about family and optimism within change. This visual novel is a big investment, but its status as a potentially life changing one makes it more than a worthwhile read.
Despite being incredibly hard and, at times, even frustrating, it's also incredibly fun.
While Shantae and the Pirate's Curse may fall on the simple side when it comes to Metroidvanias, its simplicity winds up being one of its biggest strengths.
Thanks to an excellently paced single-player campaign featuring little to no fluff, and a multiplayer that emphasises genuine strategy and smart play, Titanfall 2 manages to stand out as one of the better surprises of 2016. The campaign is a very enjoyable sci-fi character drama that is only elevated by its fun cast and equally fun story. A clear eye for level design keeps the single-player fresh, blending the FPS and platformer genres together to continually pump out memorable moments. Titanfall 2 fixes just about everything that went wrong with the original, featuring better map design that plays to the core mechanics, and greatly expands the once dull universe. There are still some issues with multiplayer mode variety, but Titanfall 2 is strong enough to overcome its shortcomings to be a great sequel, and an even greater game.
While it's certainly a disappointment Bioshock Infinite got ignored in the remastering department, 2K and Blind Squirrel Games more than make up for it with a collection that includes every single second of single-player content in Bioshock history. 1 and 2 have been excellently remastered, and the inclusion of director commentaries in the first Bioshock shed some welcome insight on an already fascinating franchise. The series didn't need any updating, but it is unquestionably a nice thing that Bioshock: The Collection improves on some already great first-person shooters.
Whether or not the next entry in the series decides to keep Berseria's gloomy atmosphere, it's clear enough that straying away from the series' story norms was the breath of fresh air the Tales of series was desperately in need of.
Emotional, alluring, and compelling from start to finish, A Normal Lost Phone is a phenomenal visual novel that takes full advantage of Nintendo Switch in a creative way, while telling a story with a genuinely powerful message. The investigative elements are gripping and require a sincere attention to detail, and the soundtrack is appropriately atmospheric for mobile phone sleuthing. The short length might be off-putting for some, but it does lend itself to a well-paced experience and the title is cheap enough to justify the time spent playing. A Normal Lost Phone is a wonderful story with heart, and an excellent example of interactivity within the medium.
What Semispheres lacks in quantity it more than makes up for it with quality. It's entirely possible to get through every puzzle in just a few short hours, but a reasonably high skill threshold and thought-provoking design ensure the experience remains memorable from start to finish. By having each Joy-Con correspond with each sphere, multiplayer is incredibly natural and comfortable. For that alone, the Switch port comes off as the definitive version. With a truly meditative ambience and stellar puzzle design, Semispheres can be enjoyed in blissful solitude just as much as in the company of a good friend.
While it may be easy to disregard Blossom Tales as a simple Zelda clone, the amount of charm and effort put into making it wholly unique, while honouring its inspiration, is both admirable and deserving of attention.
Oozing charm, Slime-san manages to capture that retro platformer feel while simultaneously adding its own touches to the genre. The high speed, low risk design allows for Super Meat Boy levels of difficulty, where death is frequent, but seldom frustrating, and the countdown for when the worm's stomach acid will begin to rise adds a level of tension few platformers ever have. With an incredible soundtrack, stellar art design, and plenty of unlockables to wade through, Slime-san is easily one of the strongest platformers to come out this generation.
While the difficulty might put off newcomers who never played Slime-san, Fabraz has gone above and beyond to make Blackbird's Kraken one of the most accessible and polished pieces of DLC this year. Being free for owners of the original and available for purchase otherwise, Slime-san's kraken intestine adventure maintains a strong precedent for affordable, quality DLC not too dissimilar to Yacht Club Games' recent practices. With 25 brand-new stages, at least 100 unique platforming scenarios, and a host of unlockables to discover, Blackbird's Kraken is gushing with hours of new content.
While De Mambo might not be the most friendly platformer or accessible party fighter, its frantic play-style and unsettling atmosphere make it one of the most unique titles available for the Nintendo Switch.
Sudden Strike 4's biggest takeaway is that market saturation means nothing in the face of a good game. Kite Games might not bring anything new to the table, but it does offer a refined RTS experience that sincerely has fun with the World War II premise. Five separate campaigns for a total of 25 missions give the single-player a considerable amount of longevity. The inclusion of the Battle of Dunkirk from both sides is a surprising, but welcome addition. A lack of base building traditionally found in most RTS titles gives each unit weight. Side missions, likewise, create a sense of urgency that feels right at home with Sudden Strike's aesthetic. While multiplayer does admittedly feel scarce, there's more than enough solid content in the single-player to make up for a lack of online material. World War II is far from the most original setting at this point, but that doesn't mean it can't still be fun.
Even though Pokkén Tournament DX might not offer much in the way of new content, the added longevity it'll gain by simply being on the Switch more than justifies the port.
Namco Museum doesn't have a new hidden gem to offer or gimmicks to reinvent classic titles, but what it does offer is an experience that brings the arcade home. Quality of life features like save states and hints have been added to negate archaic design frustrations, and an option to rotate the screen to look like an arcade cabinet is an ingenious addition bursting with charm. Pac-Man Vs.'s lack of online does stand out as a disappointment, but the collection's roster is strong enough to make up for it. With so many unique ways to interact with the Nintendo Switch, the arcade hasn't felt this alive in years.
Chicken Wiggle is a charming platformer that blends simplicity with sophistication into a cohesive whole.
Necrosphere is as brutally hard as it is satisfying. From its design to its pacing, there's little not to be appreciated. Platforming requires an equal amount of skill and thought, but never to the point where frustration becomes the norm. Overcoming an obstacle is genuinely rewarding because it requires mastery of the mechanics. With light Metroidvania elements at play, there are also secret screens that can be found, which serve as additional challenges. Necrosphere may not be the longest title out there, but this is one platformer that should not go unnoticed.
Although not as narratively ambitious as A Normal Lost Phone, Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story nonetheless tells a compelling a tale with a great set of twists that recontextualise the entire experience with a grander scope than its predecessor. The deliberate lack of a traditional control is a bit of an odd one, but the Joy-Con's gyroscopic pointing is serviceable and using the undocked Switch to emulate a proper mobile phone remains the best way to play the game. The interactivity present isn't as extensive as in A Normal Lost Phone, but the puzzles themselves are far more engaging and require deeper levels of analysation to solve. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story is a strong and consistent sequel that plays to the strengths of its medium, creating an original experience with an important message.