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Overall, Dead Cells is a fantastic game. Some great visuals, smooth controls and satisfying gameplay that I’m sure most people will enjoy. It’s not for the faint hearted though and the difficulty may be a bit much for some so be warned of that. But it never feels impossible and the constant, drip fed progression is rewarding enough to keep playing and unlocking things. Dead Cells is great and if you’ve sampled the plethora of excellent Switch indie games like Hollow Knight, Iconoclasts and Salt & Sanctuary, then you will feel very much home with this release too. It stands shoulder to shoulder with indie game giants thanks to its visuals and fantastic, addictive gameplay. For me it’s an essential purchase whether from the eShop, the standard physical edition or the Signature Edition, I think any fans of action platformers owe themselves to play this excellent game. Buy it.
Unepic is a Metroidvania game done right. It does for classic games of that genre what Stardew Valley did for farming simulator games. This game feels like it was designed by people who spent years playing Dungeons and Dragons while dreaming up the perfect game. It has years of love for the genre poured into it, and it obviously seeps from every pore. Most of the important elements of RPGs are present here: quests, a great story, a large variety of weapons with different effects, a huge number of potions, dozens of spells, character classes, a huge stat sheet, being able to invest in desired stats when levelling up among many other features. There are scenarios in which you will have to make choices which will determine if you live or die. You come across a room full of gold; do you risk taking the gold or leave it behind? Do you drink the Potion of Trap Visibility to see all of the traps in the room, or do you save it and inch your way forward uncertainly to help put a restless ghost's soul to peace? There are so many different scenarios in this game that you will never bore of it. This game is masterfully put together with great visuals, catchy music, a story that never stops, a huge world, equipment that never fails to impress, fun gameplay, and it is all put together at an incredible price. This is by far the best $10 game I have ever played, and I feel like it is one I will come back to for years. I am going to give this game my highest rating for a review so far. I give it a 9.5/10. I absolutely recommend this game to anyone. It is truly a wonderful experience.
When focusing on the gameplay, the mechanics of it, the physics, level design and creativeness accompanied by the magnificent audio and visual presentation, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is one of the finest games available, even four years after its initial release on the failed Wii U. Making such a fantastic game available to a wider audience is not only a financially good decision for Nintendo, but also an altruistic one too. Obviously that’s a joke but in someways it does feel nice that these fantastic Wii U games are getting a second chance of life and being talked and shared around once more. In my opinion, as long as you didn’t have Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze on the Wii U, this game is absolutely essential. If you did have the fortune to play it four years ago like me then you may find it difficult to consider double dipping and that’s fair. It’s just a phenomenal game though, and one of the best platformers ever created.
I was completely enthralled with this game. It makes the most of its assets to create a dynamic RPG with characters whose personalities are changed by the journeys they embark on. The writing is deliciously dark and detailed, and the journal entries embellish this factor of the game perfectly. The art style is very detailed, and while the animations are simple, the camera zooming in dramatically at key moments makes it feel much more epic than it would otherwise. Darkest Dungeon will provide you with as many as 80 hours of gameplay thanks to how it cleverly employs procedurally generated content, permadeath and not forcing you to start the whole game over when your team dies. It is a stressful game and not for the faint of heart, but it features an easier mode for beginners. I found this to be one of the strongest indie games which I have played on my Switch, and it's score will reflect that. I'm giving it a 9.5/10. This game is fantastic and is worth playing for anyone willing to attempt to explore the darkest dungeon.
Celeste is one of those gems of a game which doesn't come around very often and is one of those games I talk about which will be remembered in years to come. Everything this game does, it does well, every decision the developer has made I cannot argue with or criticise. The story we can all relate too and identify with, which will make you feel more for the characters. The music is outstanding at creating an atmosphere which makes you believe you are up there on the mountain. It's beautifully composed. Many will say that these type of visuals don't belong in 2018, I would strongly disagree. This game showcases that you can still make a game beautiful without huge budgets. In any case, it's easy to overlook when the gameplay is this mesmerising and fun. This is a game everyone on Switch should own. It's absolutely essential and is the new standard to which 2D platformers should aspire too.
Overall, Bayonetta 2 was a classic for the Wii U and guess what, it’s still a classic for the Nintendo Switch. If you didn’t have the fortune (or misfortune, I guess) of owning a Wii U, this is the perfect chance to catch up with the series. It’s a game that deserves to be played by more people and hopefully will. As far as all-action games go this is definitely top tier and is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon, at least not until Bayonetta 3 is released. If you’re into action games, this is completely essential.
If you’re unsure by now, I’m pretty much in love with this game. It’s one of the finest horizontal shooters that I’ve played and carries so much variety and addictiveness that can’t be overstated. I’m usually not a fan of rogue-likes, especially of the kind that make you lose absolutely everything with death. But Steredenn is something special and makes the genre special. The music, the visuals and the gameplay come together so sweetly to form this perfectly rounded shoot ‘em up that took me by complete surprise. I went in with low expectations, I came out with a very high opinion of Steredenn.
This is my favourite game on the Switch. I really loved Zelda and Mario, but neither one of those games managed to capture my attention nearly as much as this game did. I literally could not put it down for weeks. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 set itself as a cut above the rest on this platform primarily thanks to its magnificent story, fantastic music, its deep and cinematic combat system and its stellar art direction. This game is not perfect by any means. It has some issues such as its mediocre side quests and that the battle system can feel rather slow until you learn how to fully take advantage of it. It takes a hit in its visual fidelity while in handheld mode, but if that is a great concern to you then just play it docked. Despite some of these above issues, I have absolutely no qualms about recommending this game. It is a phenomenal experience that is worth being experienced provided you don’t mind a somewhat slow start.
Battle Chef Brigade’s recipe delivers an exceptionally tasty game. With its fiery gameplay, spicy story, and tantalising art direction, I would not hesitate to recommend this game off of the eshop menu. The cuisine was exquisite, and I was more than satisfied after the 15 hours this game took to cook to completion.
Overall, if you’re into shooters of any kind, Tengai is a no-brainer. After a good, but slightly different Sol Divide release last week, this one brings the classic Psikyo back and the horizontal perspective adds a nice twist from what we’re used to. It’s easily one of their top tier games in my opinion, with the only sour note being the indiscernible hit boxes for your characters. It has amazing rollercoaster visuals, an excellent pumping traditional Japanese soundtrack and a lot of personality. It’s cheap and endlessly replayable if you’re into that and it’s a great addition to your Switch shooter library. For me, Tengai is up there with the best Psikyo have to offer along with Gunbird and Zero Gunner 2.
Learning your momentum in N++ Ultimate Edition is essential. Starting with easier levels, the difficulty goes up in a well-balanced curve. You will die a lot, but that is totally okay. Jumping into the action with practically no loading screen will not reduce the amount of platforming action you get. Had enough jumping and running away from death threats? You can play with friends or build your own levels. I highly recommend that everyone tries out this game. No “if you are a fan of the genre, you will love it and if you don’t, then stay away” here! Buy this game and have fun with it like I did and certainly will after I have completed this review.
Runbow is an exceptional little platformer with an emphasis on timing, some strategy, and multiplayer. For $14.99, this has a tremendous amount of content and should not be skipped.