Latest Reviews
Review Princess Maker 2 Regeneration (Switch) - A Solid Return For Simulator Royalty
Needs more dad jokes
Before Super Mario Maker, there was Princess Maker. Yes, these two series have absolutely nothing in common beyond a shared naming convention and we’re definitely being more than a bit cheeky, but it’s technically a true statement. Back in the early ‘90s, Neon Genesis Evangelion anime studio Gainax took its biggest swing...
Review Fading Afternoon (Switch) - An Ambitious, Absorbing 'Yakuza' In Kunio-kun's Clothing
The gang's all here
Technos’ Kunio-kun titles, a 42-strong series dabbling in various genres, began in 1986 as a simple arena brawler. Its most popular entries, however, were those that incorporated non-linear role-playing elements based around soap operatic high school thuggery. Anyone familiar with those titles, specifically on Famicom, Super...
Review SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories (Switch) - A Very Easygoing, Sometimes Awkward Anime Outing
The most adorable spy mission you'll ever play
Listen up, Spy x Family fans. Operation Strix is on and the only way to ensure world peace is to help Anya Forger with her homework. In the case of Spy x Anya: Operation Memories, that means taking her to lots of fun places and taking pictures of her while she does adorable things. It is a low-stakes,...
Review Tchia (Switch) - A Brilliantly Fun (And Surprisingly Adult) Animal-Hopping Adventure
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Tchia!
Tchia is incredible. If that's all you need to know, then good — this game is best played, in our opinion, completely blind. That's how we went into it, and it was all the better for it. Every strange, unexpected twist was a delight, and we never knew where the game would take us next. So, please, if...
Blood-meltingly beautiful
Tsukihime is responsible for a lot of things. Back in 2000, Type-Moon’s classic visual novel captivated audiences with a story crammed full of occult mystery, thrilling action, and heart-pounding character drama. Like jagged lines splintering out of a unified core, its success spread out in many different directions:...
Review Frogun Encore (Switch) - A Sure-Footed 3D Platforming Throwback
A ribbiting new adventure
Though the heyday of the 3D platformer is long past, modern indie developers have done a pretty good job of keeping the spirit alive through dedicated efforts in titles such as Lunistice, Mail Mole, Cavern of Dreams, and Demon Turf. Frogun was another decent new entry to the genre back in 2022 and now the developers at Top...
Dawn of a new day
To someone who isn’t an avid fan, the Legend of Heroes series can seem a little difficult to break into. The dozen or so games released over the past two decades are spread across four distinct arcs that all collectively built out one of the most detailed and tightly interconnected universes in all of gaming, one which is still...
Review Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch) - Beyond Good, Still
Turning a new Pey'j
Considering the lengthy ongoing development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 and the subsequent grilling from eager fans that Ubisoft has brought upon itself over the years, it’s easy to forget just how darn good the original game is. First released on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube at the end of 2003, Beyond Good & Evil was one of the...
Review NeoSprint (Switch) - Atari's Pricey But Revved-Up Retro Romp
Burnin' rubber
If you had visited an arcade in the late '70s and ’80s, there’s a good chance you’d come across a bustling Sprint cabinet complete with crowd-pulling steering wheels and pedals. Atari’s once ubiquitous overhead racing classic is now making a comeback on modern consoles with NeoSprint, and we’re happy to report that it...
Review Metal Slug Attack Reloaded (Switch) - Tower Defence In Its Goofiest, Gacha-iest Form
Sluggish
Once again, the world is on the cusp of being taken over by the evil General Donald Morden and his Rebel Army. Only the Peregrine Falcon Squad, led by the heroic Marco Rossi, stand in the way of the Rebels establishing their New World Order. This could be the plot of just about any entry in the Metal Slug series, which is at its best when...
Review Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Switch) - The Best Version, But Lacks Extras To Make It Essential
It's-a-the-other-guy
Looking back over our 2013 review of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on the 3DS has been a timely reminder of why we love this game so very much, yet have failed to return to it beyond our original playthrough back in the day - an oddity, given that we're quite partial to hoovering up every last secret there is to find in most games...
Review Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble (Switch) - Super Single-Player, But Multiplayer's A Mess
Rumble bumbled
The Super Monkey Ball franchise has experienced its fair share of peaks and troughs over the years. The first two GameCube titles knocked it out of the park, providing a plethora of content from the addictive maze-like main stages to the incredible minigames. Since then, however, the series has seemingly been unable to reach the same...
Review Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64) - Perhaps Not Perfect, But Still A Remarkable Achievement
Suck it, Bond
This review was originally published in March 2010. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library. From its debut in 1997, developer Rare and the terrifying digital avatar of Pierce Brosnan ruled over the console shooter space with the Nintendo 64 tie-in of a...
Review Dicefolk (Switch) - An Incredibly Fresh-Feeling, Monster-Catching Roguelite
Want to be the very best, like no one ever was?
These days, roguelites and deckbuilders are a dime a dozen, but it seems like developers are finding ways to get creative with the genre mechanics to produce something that sticks out from the glut of releases these past several years. Dicefolk offers one such creative take on the roguelite formula,...
Stranger stuff
Developer Cococucumber has established itself as a dependable indie studio over the past few years. Specialising in accessible throwbacks, it adds a fresh spin on old genre formats. Although its latest title Ravenlok is (pun intended) locked away behind Xbox exclusivity, Switch owners can finally try the second in the dev's...
Unsung hero
‘Underrated’ is a term too often applied recklessly, but for Rocket Knight Adventures, a series that struggled to reach global stardom despite Konami’s three-pronged stab, it’s appropriate. Its initial entry resides in the upper echelons of everything 16-bit and is one of the finest titles on the Mega Drive. Yet, Sparkster,...
Review Glory Hunters (Game Boy) - A Glorious 8-Bit Throwback With Some Rough Edges
Achievement Unlocked: Wait, wrong console
With such a wealth of homebrew and aftermarket games releasing for old Nintendo hardware, we thought we'd check out one of the most promising examples in this neo-retro Game Boy review. To reiterate, Glory Hunters isn't available on Switch, though we'll be sure to let you know if that situation ever changes...
Review Sociable Soccer 24 (Switch) - A Sensible Option For Old-School Footy Fans
Definitely worth a punt
The debate about which is the best football video game is one that has raged on for decades. Until now, there hasn’t really been much of a choice on Switch. There’s EA Sports FC (which thankfully, finally, is worth getting now), but with Konami’s eFootball (formerly PES) nowhere in sight, the other options are...
Review Monster Hunter Stories (Switch) - Showing Its Age But Still Worth The Hunt
Portable monsters for the kids (and kids at heart)
When Capcom released Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on Nintendo Switch back in 2021, there may have been some that said, "Wait, there was a first game?" It's worth remembering that the original outing of Monster Hunter Stories came towards the end of the 3DS era; in fact, it was released...
Review Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance (Switch) - Even Better Than The Stellar Original
Another HEE-HOme Run
It’s been nearly three years now since the launch of the original Shin Megami Tensei V and as is tradition at Atlus, the obligatory enhanced re-release (complete with a new storyline centered around a new girl) has now come to all modern platforms in the form of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Boasting a full-length,...
Review Star Wars: Hunters (Switch) - A F2P Hero Shooter That's Fast, Fun, And Force-ful
Drop it like it's Hoth
You would be forgiven for having a bad feeling about Star Wars: Hunters. This free-to-play, class-based, hero shooter was announced by FarmVille developer Zynga in 2021, but a duo of delays and its appearance in the already stacked genre of '
Review Overmorrow (Switch) - Intriguing, But Assumes Too Much With Its Save-Wiping Setup
'Morrowind you up
Overmorrow, the debut release from solo developer PixelManta, manages to be philosophically interesting, is evocatively written, visually distinct, and lovingly crafted. Yet, the notion of re-playing it – which you’ll effectively need to do by design – is a tall order, and therein lies the unfortunate problem with this...
Review Picross S Namco Legendary Edition (Switch) - Picross Gets Pac-Man Fever
A nest of Namco nonograms
It’s been rough out there for poor Picross fans during this generation, as they’ve been cruelly starved for content with only 23 game releases on Switch (if you count the 'e' series) that offer up a paltry sum of over 5,000 puzzles to solve. Those puzzles aren’t even all original either—if you really want to be...
Review Hauntii (Switch) - A Beautiful Tale In A Bad State
This ghost has unfinished business
Since this review was originally published, patches have reportedly addressed or improved one or more of the issues cited. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below. What do you get when...
Review Capes (Switch) - Solid Superhero Strategy That Channels XCOM
Not all heroes wear them
In a dark, futuristic world, being a superhero has been outlawed. Not by the government, but by the only force in King City that matters – The Company. Capes takes the turn-based strategy genre and gives it a comic book feel, putting you in the control of a fledgling group of superheroes trying to dish out justice in a...
Review Wizardry: Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord (Switch) - A Grand Remake Of An Iconic Game
Trebor SUX
You don’t get ‘lucky’ in Wizardry, not like you can do in other games. You might run into an easy enemy once in a while, but if you decide to take a chance during an expedition and descend a floor ‘just to see’ how it goes, it will not go well. "Your entire party has been slaughtered." Again. This remake of Sir-Tech's formative...
Review Paper Trail (Switch) - A Storybook Puzzler That Folds Up Beautifully
Turn the Paige
Though plenty of Paper Mario fans are eagerly awaiting the return of one of the greatest games in the series at the time of writing, there’s another new game set in a papery world that we’d suggest you pay attention to. Newfangled Games’ Paper Trail is the debut release of the boutique London-based studio, and its smart mixture...
Review Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) - Still The King Of Mario RPGs
Paper, un-jammed
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been held as the standard for Mario RPGs for 20 years. It, alongside its N64 predecessor, captured what fans wanted from their turn-based, plumber-starring adventures – silly humour, epic adventures, fantastic combat, and charm. Purists often view the GameCube original as the end of the...
Easy, tiger
We're republishing this 2021 import review because, over two-and-a-half years after its Japanese release, M2 has finally brought Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli to the West, surprise-dropping this Toaplan collection on the US Switch eShop on 16th May. There's no word on a European release just yet, but the base game is available on the US eShop for...
Out of the frying pan and into space
Following up the sublime Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster was always going to be tough. Rather than tackle another well-known franchise, Nightdive Studios has wisely chosen to revisit one of the weirdest forgotten gems of the ‘90s with PO’ed: Definitive Edition. Utilising the same principles as Dark Forces,...
