Search found 240 matches for review

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Manga Quester Too!

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Developed by Thousand Games and published by KEMCO, Metro Quester: Osaka is a sequel to the original Metro Quester title that was a truly fantastic experience in our books! But does Metro Quester: Osaka live up to its predecessor? We think so, so be sure to continue reading our review to find out why:



The gameplay is quite unique in this dungeon crawling JRPG series, with incredibly unique visuals and game mechanics that culminate into an absolute masterpiece with a truly incredible atmosphere that will hook gamers of all kinds and rightly so!

The game's a bit challenging, but mostly well-balanced, and there's a decent amount of content that'll take players 30+ hours to fully beat which is well worth its asking price. The controls are also intuitive and easy to learn which is always a good thing in our opinions!



The soundtrack is highly atmospheric and fits the mood of the game perfectly. The character and enemy designs are gorgeous as are the highly unique visuals which doesn't fail to impress!



Bottom-Line: With unique gameplay, excellent audiovisual-presentation, and fantastic controls, Metro Quester: Osaka is a top-notch dungeon-crawler that is well worth adding to any JRPG fan's library of games and as such we give the game a great level of recommendation!

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#Review #KEMCO #ThousandGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN #JRPG #DungeonCrawler

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A Hidden Treasure Ahoy!

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Developed by Nihon Falcom Games and published by NIS America, Ys X: Nordics is the tenth mainline game in the long-running Ys series, and changes up the way you explore and battle in many ways compared to previous entries in the series, but does this title live up to its predecessors or does it fall a bit short? Continue reading our review to find out!



The story of Ys X: Nordics is great as expected with plenty of adventure and intrigue as is always the case in this series, and this entry does not disappoint in the slightest! The gameplay adds a lot to the formula this time around with ocean exploration, and a unique battle system that allows both main party members to fight as one in a unique twist to the  formula that links both protagonists in battle allowing for joint attacks, dual skills, united defense, and other nuances such as bosses with armored HP bars that can't be damaged until you break their armor gauge among other new gameplay mechanics!

The game is pretty long as well clocking in at 60+ hours in length so expect to set aside quite a few sessions for this title! The controls are easy to learn, but can take time to fully master since the battle system has been revamped and feels like a wholly new series as a result. As for the difficulty, the game's got a bit of a learning curve, but in-general it's not too difficult even at the higher difficulty settings, so expect a bit of a challenge at times, but nothing that'll bar your ability to progress further into the game!



The audiovisual-presentation in Ys X: Nordics is as fantastic as expected from a Falcom game with a soundtrack that fits the game's mood to a tee, as well as top-notch voice acting, and gorgeous character and enemy models that look absolutely incredible and the game's world looks just as good aesthetically in our opinions! Overall the game's audiovisual-presentation is flawless in our opinions!



Bottom-Line: With a superb story, excellent gameplay, great controls, a decent amount of content, and a flawless audiovisual-presentation, Ys X: Nordics is a fantastic RPG that is well worth adding to your game library and as such we award the game a perfect level of recommendation to all PS5 JRPG fans!

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#Review #NihonFalcom #NISA #PS5 #Retail #PSN #YS #JRPG #Action #Switch #eShop

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A Splashing Aura!

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Developed by Cognitive Forge and Hidden Trap & published by Novy PR Aura of Worlds is a 2D Action Roguelike game that has a fun yet somewhat generic story premise and gameplay mechanics, but is this enough to earn our recommendation? Not on its own, but when you consider every aspect of the title, we think so and here's why:



The gameplay in Aura of Worlds is typical Roguelike platforming fare, though the gameplay is refined and has everything you'd like to see in a game of its genre! Interesting, but light story? Check! Varied environments? Check! Steady difficulty progression without jarring difficulty spikes? Check! Every aspect of the game while not overly remarkable on its own has culminated in a very solid game that we thoroughly enjoyed!

The controls are also responsive and very easy to learn which is always a good thing. In-terms of game length it's heavily dependent on a player's level of skill, but in our case we didn't see the ending credits until we sunk about 30 hours into the game! So expect plenty of hours of enjoyment from this title!



As for the audiovisual-presentation, it's pretty solid with decent music, and great level design and character/enemy models that look like something straight out of the 90's to early-2000's!



Bottom-Line:With great gameplay that might be lacking a bit of uniqueness, a good story, flawless controls, a decent amount of content, and a solid audiovisual-presentation, Aura of Worlds is a solid Roguelike platformer that is a worthwhile addition to the Switch library of any fans of the genre! As such we give the game a solid level of recommendation!

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#Review #Switch #eShop #Roguelike #Platformer #CognitiveForge #HiddenTrap #NovyPR

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Mixed Bag of Creative Fun!

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Developed and published by NIS America RPG Maker With is a highly accessible game creation engine that is easy to learn for newcomers of the series, but is there enough meat in the engine for players returning from RPG Maker MV? Yes and no, it's a bit complicated, but please continue reading our review to find out if this software's for you!



First off, the software is HIGHLY accessible and is easier to learn if you're a newcomer to the engine than any previous iteration of the software with super intuitive menus and far fewer glitches than were present in MV. The addition of being able to share assets as well as collaborate with other creators is a high point in this version of the software and is going to no doubt ensure that there will be a massive amount of quality content in the future which is fantastic for sure, but for veteran creators returning after the feature-rich MV console port, the amount of built-in assets is woefully lacking unless you purchase the DLC which is going to cost a fairly large sum of money to get everything which certainly isn't ideal, but it is what it is. Another thing missing is the robust character creator from MV that allowed you a massive amount of customization options for your character models, including outfits, accessories, color palettes, and the sheer flexibility of stats and experience balancing that will be hard to swallow for returning players and as such docks a couple points from the game's overall score.



The audiovisual-presentation is quite solid with a great selection of music to add to your projects as well as a good variety of gorgeous characters and fantastic enemy models to play around with, and the frame-rate is exceptionally fluid with virtually no slowdown to speak of, which is a HUGE improvement over MV that had a frame-rate that was very unstable and fluctuated A LOT.

Lastly our experience with this software was mostly positive and we lost ourselves creating content easily adding up to 100's of hours and it was far more pleasant than our experience with MV previously. This engine runs so well that we can't find any faults with the software in of itself, despite some of the shortcomings in other aspects. All-in-all we enjoyed our time with the software!



Bottom-Line: With easy to use creation software that's perfect for beginners of the game engine, superb frame-rate and excellent variety of audio, character, and monster assets, RPG Maker With for the Nintendo Switch is a great starting point for newcomers of the game engine, however the lack of overall assets compared to MV, pricey DLC, and the lack of a comprehensive character creator hurt the game's overall score and is likely to be off-putting for returning creators. Overall, however we still give the software a solid-to-good level of recommendation on Switch as we feel that it's still worth its price of admission!

A Review Code Was Provided By The Publisher!

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#Review #NISAmerica #Switch #Retail #eShop #RPGMaker #GameEngine

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A Megaton Splashing Onto The Nintendo Switch!

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Megaton Musashi W: Wired for the Nintendo Switch is one of the best mecha-themed JRPG's that we've ever experienced! It's well up there with the legendary PS2 Gundam JRPG MS Saga: A New Dawn which is some high praise for sure! The gameplay feels akin to the musou sub-genre with twitchy hack and slash battles just with a lot more actions and skills, as well as first person skills that add some TPS genre elements in as well, however there's a lot more to the game than just the combat side of things, though the combat is a blast to play!

There's a load of customization options, between parts, weapons, hoverboards, boosters, decals, paint, and more, you can create your dream mecha and pilot it in battle! The game has tons of in-game achievements that unlock a plethora of rewards. Most of your important functions can be accessed from your in-game phone via apps or by visiting the appropriate shops and other establishments!



The story is pretty amazing though some of the themes are quite dark or downright bizarre as one of the characters loves cats maybe a little bit too much, but we digress! There are also side stories that showcase character growth or a new side of characters you seldom see in the main story! These can be quite fun to watch at times for sure!

The game's missions are where the main meat of the game resides, and it honestly has a good bit of variety. There are sub-missions, free missions "letting you replay key story missions", Dreadnaught Missions which are harder and usually beefier missions, shelter missions, and more offering tons of replayability! There's a point in the game where you gain access to a second main protagonist for a split story that you can switch back and forth between, however that second route is only available temporarily so be sure to finish that before you progress too far in the main story, otherwise you'll miss a good chunk of the story permanently!



The online modes allow you to take part in online matches and ranked matches in the coliseum as well as taking on quests together with other players! All of this is indeed a blast to take part in, however there are very few active players online meaning that it may take 30+ minutes to get a full party together, which is certainly unfortunate, but there's also another issue, which is that online coliseum matches can only be tackled with coliseum exclusive parts and weapons many of which can only be obtained in the coliseum mode making it hard to be competitive against already established players. Luckily however, you won't really miss much content wise if you completely blow-off playing online multiplayer, so it's not something we'd dock points for.



The audiovisual-presentation of Megaton Musashi W: Wired is quite impressive with a great art style during story sequences and the locations you can travel to on foot, and gorgeous yet sad apocalyptic battlefields to blast away the alien menaces in the game! The UI is extremely fluid and looks fantastic and the battles themselves rarely ever suffer framertate issues, however once in a blue moon you might encounter a brief dip in frames followed by the game crashing. While this only happened to us twice in over 200 hours of gameplay, it was quite annoying having to restart a story chapter over again because we forgot to save for a couple hours.

And lastly the audio side of things was fantastic! With full Japanese voice acting, and a wide-array of fantastic music, especially the collaboration tracks from Getter Robo and more, this is easily our GoTY so far and is well-deserving of a near-perfect score only hampered by a very rare, albeit annoying crash that can occasionally occur randomly...



Bottom-Line: With flawless gameplay, a superb yet sometimes quirky story, great online functionality that could use more active players, and an absolutely amazing audiovisual-presentation, Megaton Musashi W: Wired for the Nintendo Switch is well-deserving of a perfect score, however a rare crash in the game drops its score just a tad, but is nonetheless our current top contender for GoTY 2024 as we give this game a near-perfect level of recommendation!

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#Review #Level5 #JRPG #Mecha #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN

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A Grand Theft Odyssey!

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Developed and published by Nintendo, Super Mario Odyssey is Mario's latest 3D platforming adventure and as expected we enjoyed every minute of the game, however we couldn't help, but notice that the game didn't feel as magical as previous 3D Mario titles, why is that? Keep reading our review to find out why.



There's no doubt that Nintendo pulled out all the stops with the production value of Super Mario Odyssey and it shows between the incredible storytelling, incredible audio-visual presentation, and sheer scope, however the game lost something so much more important in the process.

Super Mario Odyssey lacks the charm of previous Mario games, the level designs are lacking compared to most previous entries in the series and the game is quite honestly, ridiculously easy to the point where it felt like we were playing a game geared towards young children.



That's not all, the gameplay is sort of mission-based like Grand Theft Auto and unfortunately falls victim to the same issues that plagued the Jak & Daxter games after the initial title, The Precursor Legacy and feels like a completely different series now.

Don't get us wrong it's a solid game, but it doesn't feel like a Mario game at its core and that's a serious problem when you're talking about a series that was not only at the top of the sales charts with every release in the franchise, but arguably the most beloved series in the video game industry, it honestly makes no sense why Nintendo would choose to reinvent the series at this time.



The controls in the game are very responsive and easy to learn which is always a good thing in our opinions.

Visually Super Mario Odyssey looks absolutely spectacular and really pushes the limit of the Nintendo Switch's hardware especially in docked mode, but it still looks great in handheld mode as well!

The soundtrack is quite varied as well with some pretty amazing vocal songs, however the music in the game's many levels was somewhat lacking, which was quite disappointing, but even so it's still great to listen to.



Bottom-Line:

While the gameplay and story is solid, Super Mario Odyssey reinvented the series despite there being no need to do so and in the process has lost some of that special Nintendo magic the series has possessed for decades. While the controls and audio-visual presentation are fantastic we still give the game the lowest score of any mainstream release in the Mario series to-date. While the game is solid it was a major disappointment and as such we give Super Mario Odyssey a solid level of recommendation.

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#Review #Nintendo #SuperMarioOdyssey #Switch #Retail #3DPlatformer

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Solid Old-School Platforming For The Cool Birds!

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Developed by Siactro and published by Diplodocus Games, Super Kiwi 64 is a trip down nostalgic lane with gameplay that feels like it was ripped straight out of a long-lost N64 title. Is this a game worth looking into adding to your Nintendo Switch library of games? We think so and here's why:



The gameplay in Super Kiwi 64 is quite nostalgic with very charming stages that feel like they are straight out of the late-90's! The platforming is pretty good and rarely if ever was problematic, however the stages felt like they needed more enemies and bosses. The overall difficulty was also a bit too easy in our opinions.

The controls are also fantastic and highly responsive which was pleasantly surprising, though the camera was cumbersome at times which while normally a complaint was kind of charming as it further made the game feel like it was from the Nintendo 64 era. The difficulty of the game on the other-hand felt too easy in our opinions, rarely challenging our skills in the slightest which was a bit disappointing.



The audio-visual presentation of Super Kiwi 64 is one of the game's strongest points with superb music and sound effects, and charming character and stage designs that will remind players of the heyday of 3-D platforming when the behemoths of the genre forever left their marks on the industry, and while Super Kiwi 64 doesn't compare to the likes of Banjo Kazooie or Super Mario 64, its charm and nostalgia make it a very enjoyable game for the Nintendo Switch especially as a budget title!



Bottom-Line: With solid gameplay that's both nostalgic and charming, excellent controls, and a superb audio-visual presentation, Super Kiwi 64 is a worthwhile addition to anyone's Nintendo Switch library of games, though the old-school camera control might be off-putting to some and the game is a tad too easy for our preferences, but overall we give the game a solid level of recommendation!

Update: With the game's latest content update several new levels with increased difficulty have been added to the game alleviating one of the issues we had with the game, as such we have adjusted the score of the game accordingly!


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Original:

7

Post-update:

7.75

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#Review #Siactro #DiplodocusGames #SuperKiwi64 #Retro #Switch #eShop #3DPlatformer

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Eight Paths One Exciting Journey!

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Developed by Acquire Corp on behalf of Square Enix and published in the Western hemisphere by Nintendo, Octopath Traveller is an open-ended sandbox JRPG with 2D-HD visuals that has you play as one of eight protagonists and experience the game's world through their point of view with all eight stories intersecting at various points in the game in any order you desire! Is this enough to make this title a timeless classic? No, but it's a very fun game in its own right and here's why:



The story in Octopath Traveler may not be the most thrilling as a game like Final Fantasy, but the interconnected storylines of all 8 main cast members is still quite enjoyable to watch unfold and will definitely make you love each and every one of the protagonists! The gameplay is excellent with a similar battle system to Bravely Default's except a bit more simplistic.

Octopath Traveler's open-endedness is one of its greatest strengths though seeing the prologue and ending of every story requires 8 playthroughs which is a bit much and left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths, but otherwise the 100+ hours we spent with this game was an absolute blast! The controls are unsurprisingly intuitive and easy to learn, and the game's difficulty is fairly balanced, but does see a difficulty spike in the final chapter of each protagonist's story.



The audiovisual-presentation in Octopath Traveler is absolutely breathtaking with gorgeous character and enemy designs, beautiful backgrounds in the world's many locations that pop in HD, and superb weather, lighting, and spell effects that look simply amazing on an HDTV!

The voice acting is also pretty enjoyable and the sound effects are quite nicely done as well, while the music is quite varied and fits the mood of the game like a glove! Overall we think this is by FAR the game's strongest point!



Bottom-Line: With an enjoyable interwoven story, excellent gameplay, intuitive controls, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Octopath Traveler for the Nintendo Switch is an amazing JRPG that is not to be missed, however having to play the game 8 times to experience everything is a bit too much work and as such we did dock the score a tiny bit, but overall we highly recommend the game to all fans of the genre!

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#Review #SquareEnix #AcquireCorp #Nintendo #Switch #Retail #eShop #XBOne #JRPG

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Knights of Grayfang...ENGAGE!!!

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Developed by Exe-Create and published by KEMCO, Knights of Grayfang is yet another rock-solid retro-style JRPG by the prolific games publisher KEMCO! Does this game hold up well against its predecessors already available on the Nintendo Switch console? We think so and here's why:



The story in Knights of Grayfang is the game's strong-point with excellent storytelling, superb character development, and a very interesting plot which is always a good thing! The gameplay should feel quite familiar if you've played a lot of KEMCO's previous titles, but everything is improved upon from the o0lder titles.

The game has much more intricate puzzles than we've seen in previous KEMCO JRPG's which is enjoyable. The controls are intuitive and easy to learn as expected from a KEMCO title. The game's difficulty is pretty easy for the most part, but gets a bit challenging in the later part of the story. The game is also fairly lengthy clocking in at around 35 hours in length.



As for the audiovisual presentation? Well the pixel graphics are done exceedingly well in this KEMCO release and look like something straight out of the SNES or GBA. The world is has quite a few details as do the character and enemy sprites which is nice! And as for the audio-presentation, the sound effects are handled quite well and the soundtrack fits the game perfectly, there's really not much else to say here.



Bottom-Line: With a unique story, good gameplay, flawless controls, and a great retro-style audiovisual-presentation, Knights of Grayfang for the Nintendo Switch is great JRPG in its own right and as such we highly recommend adding it to your library of games if you're a fan of the genre!

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#Review #KEMCO #ExeCreate #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN #JRPG

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Heroes Making A Splash On The Other Side of The "Big Pond"!

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Developed by Feral Interactive and published by SEGA, Company of Heroes  for the Nintendo Switch is yet another so-called impossible port for the Nintendo Switch, but in a different way than usual. Having been initially a PC game, the UI, hotkeys, and much more had to be optimized for the Nintendo Switch's array of controllers, did Feral Interactive hit the mark with this port? We think so and here's why:



The story in this real-time SRPG is great and seems to be a fairly accurate representation of war which is what you'd expect from a veteran development team. The gameplay is fantastic with a ton of strategic options at your disposal which can make or break your bid to survive the game's challenging battles victorious! The game has tons of content with dozens of hours of challenging stages.

The game is also quite challenging at times so don't expect the game to be a cakewalk. The controls are actually pretty good and made the transition from PC to controller quite well with great button-mapping and responsive feedback. Overall this aspect of the game is near-flawless!



The audiovisual-presentation in Company of Heroes: Collection is pretty good for such an old title, with good world design, and fantastic special effects for a game of its time. The character models are a bit low-poly, but that's to be expected. The battlefields are also quite large and look nicely detailed. As for the audio-presentation? The sound effects and voice overs are excellent, and the soundtrack is pretty good as well if a bit limited.



Bottom-Line: With accurate and enjoyable story-telling, great gameplay, superb controls, and an excellent audiovisual-presentation, Company of Heroes: Collection for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic Real-Time SRPG that no adult gamer should miss out on and as such we give the game a great level of recommendation!

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#Review #FeralInteractive #SEGA #Switch #Retail #eShop #SRPG #RealTime

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It's Prinny Making A Splash d00d!

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Developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America, Disgaea 7: Vows of The Virtueless is the latest entry in the long-running Strategy RPG series and is a return to greatness for the franchise with great gameplay and a story that will have fans grinning from ear-to-ear. Is this enough to recommend the game? Absolutely, and here's why:



The story in Disgaea 7: Vows of The Virtueless is amazing with tons of references to past entries in the series and a strong cast of quirky and lovable characters causing mischief and mayhem in their wake! The gameplay is also fantastic with tweaked battlefield features as well as gigantification which allows your characters to grow to unimaginable sizes to wreak havoc on the battlefield for a limited time.

The controls are responsive and easy to learn and the game is a time-sink to complete! While you can beat the story in a couple dozen hours if you try to power through the game, in order to do everything it'll take players upwards to hundreds of hours!



As for the audiovisual-presentation of Disgaea 7: Vows of The Virtueless? They are fantastic with gorgeous story backgrounds, gorgeous 3D characters, and eye-popping special effects. While there are some slight fram-rate dips, the game runs quite a bit better than Disgaea 6 did on the Nintendo Switch!

As for the audio side of things? The voice acting is great in a 90's Saturday morning cartoon sort of way which fits this kind of game perfectly! The music and sound effects also hit the right notes and give this game a lot of character!



Bottom-Line: With and amazing story, awesome gameplay, flawless controls, and a fantastic audiovisual presentation, Disgaea 7: Vows of The Virtueless is one Strategy RPG on the Nintendo Switch that is an absolute must for all fans of the genre and as such we give the game a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★¾ 9.75/10

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#Review #NISA #NipponIchiSoftware #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSn #PSN #SRPG

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CounterAttack Ahoy!

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Developed by Relative Games and published by Novy PR, CounterAttack: Uprising for the Nintendo Switch is an endless shmup, with a ton of character and uniqueness, but is there enough on-offer to recommend this game? Oh boy! Do we think so and here's why:



The gameplay is superb with a massive selection of stages with branching paths as well as a ton of weapon and ship upgrades to collect! The variety of enemies and bosses is also extremely impressive in this shmup! The controls are very intuitive and responsive which is pivotal in a game in this genre. The difficulty can be brutal in the later stages, but starts off easy with a slow and steady increase in difficulty as you progress through your current playthrough.



The audiovisual-presentation in CounterAttack: Uprising is absolutely phenomenal with backgrounds and special effects so detailed you'd be forgiven in thinking that the game had a AAA budget rather than being from an indie developer! The ships and enemy models are also superb and look fantastic!

As for the audio, the sound effects feel straight out of an arcade which brought us quite a bit of nostalgia, and the music fits so well with a ton of variety in its tracks and was quite memorable as well!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay with a ton of content, excellent controls, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, CounterAttack: Uprising is a highly enjoyable shmup for fans of the genre and with very few cons it's an easy pick-up even if you're not a fan of the genre! Overall we give CounterAttack: Uprising for the Nintendo Switch a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

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#Review #NovyPR #RelativeGames #Switch #eShop #Shmup #Arcade

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A Tanky Wolf!

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Developed by MAGITEC and published by KEMCO Chrome Wolf is a unique JRPG featuring tank-based battles which is definitely a departure from their more traditional retro-rpg's, but is it a worthwhile game? We think so and here's why:



The story in Chrome Wolf is riveting and super interesting and will leave you on the edge of your seat more often than not making it one of the strongest points of the game! While the gameplay is good, with a robust class system, unique tank-based battles that are a blast to play!

There are some issues, however as the controls are a bit cumbersome, the random encounters happen WAY too frequently, and some of the dungeons are a little confusing to navigate which is unfortunate since the rest of the game was a solid 9/10, but the game as a whole is still decent-to-solid and worth a purchase if you're a fan of the genre! The game clocks in at around 20-25 hours in-length which while short is typical of old-school JRPG's, the only negative here is that there isn't any post-game content, sadly.



The audiovisual-presentation in Chrome Wolf is quite good and will make you feel like you're playing an old-school JRPG on an SNES console which is exactly what you'd hope for when playing a retro-style title on a modern console! The soundtrack is also really good with catchy tunes that fit the game quite nicely!



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay, an excellent and compelling story, and a superb audiovisual-presentation, Chrome Wolf is a fun game for sure, but also has its share of flaws such as somewhat cumbersome controls, random encounters that were too frequent for our liking, and somewhat confusing dungeon layouts, but overall our experience was a positive one and as such we give Chrome Wolf for the Nintendo Switch a solid-level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

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#Review #KEMCO #MAGITEC #Switch #eShop #JRPG #Retro #16BIT

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An Impressive Milestone Has Splashed Onto Switch!

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Developed by TAITO & Hamster Corporation, and published by ININ Games, with public relations by PR Hound, Taito Milestones II is a fantastic collection of Taito arcade classics that were classics in their heyday! But do these titles and this collection as a whole still hold up as great games today? We think so and here's why:



Taito Milestones II has a wide-array of enjoyable arcade games from Taito's back-catalogue including hits such as New Zealand Story, Metal Black, and Darius II, which as a whole are a much better selection than what we saw in the previous Taito Milestones collection. The games are perfectly emulated and run just as they did back in the arcades, but are quite bare-bones with very little bonus features and content which is a shame, but certainly not a deal-breaker by any means.

The controls are quite responsive and easy to learn which is always a good thing while the menus and UI are easy to navigate and read. The games on offer should give players dozens of hours of gameplay value, more if you like going for the highest scores you can!



As for the audiovisual-presentation, everything looks crisp and are well-emulated with a great frame-rate and no artifacting or screen-tearing which obviously is what you'd hope for in a premium retro game compilation title like this. The menu sounds are great as are the the sound effects and music in most of the titles. We feel the audiovisual-presentation in Taito Milestones II deserves a nearly perfect grade as it's exceptional for sure!



Bottom-Line: With a great selection of classic arcade titles with superb gameplay and excellent emulation, responsive controls, and an overall amazing audiovisual-presentation, Taito Milestones II for the Nintendo Switch is a good arcade game compilation and as such we give the software a good level of recommendation to all fans of retro arcade games!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #TAITO #PRHound #Switch #Retail #Retro #Arcade #eShop

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A Perfect Feeling of Reverie!

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Developed by Nihon Falcom Games and published by NIS America, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie is the continuation and ending point for the main plot from the Sky trilogy, Crossbell dualogy, and Cold Steel quadralogy, and boy does it live up to its hype! Continue reading our review to find out why we think Reverie is by far the best game in the entire series thus-far!



The story in Trails Into Reverie is peak fiction in so many ways, but without spoiling things or going into crazy details about the insanity that is this game's crazy-good plot, but we can tell you the way that it's handled is radically different from previously released titles in the series in the most interesting ways possible in our opinions!

The game's story is split into three split paths that converge at points which leads to some extremely stellar plot-twists and storytelling unlike anything we've seen before in the Trails series! The gameplay has several new nuances as well including a roguelike dungeon called The True Reverie Corridor as well as a new group skill feature that allows all party, reserve, and guest characters attack, use arts, or heal all at once! These new features add a new layer of complexity to the series' already brilliant combat which is fantastic to say the least!



The game also has self-contained minigames and fully voiced side-stories in the form of Daydreams, these mysterious tales must be unlocked later on in the game's story, but to detail how, where, and why would be delving into spoiler territory so we'll leave it up to you to find out!

The controls in the game are pretty snappy and easy to use which is always a good thing, of course and the game's difficulty is much more challenging than previous games in the series "especially at higher difficulty levels" so expect to struggle at times if you try to play on Nightmare or Abyss difficulty! The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie is also a fair bit shorter than other Trails games, clocking in at around 60 hours in length, however doing all of the side content, minigames, and post-game as well, will likely take 150-200 hours to complete making this a rather beefy game to say the least!



The visuals in Reverie are a HUGE step-up from the previous games in the series, with a better frame-rate, better lighting and shadow effects, vastly superior special effects, a decent jump in texture quality from Trails of Cold Steel IV. There's also a cutscene in the game that showcases Kuro No Kiseki's graphics engine which looks insanely good and pushes the PS4's capabilities much further than any previous game in the series that has been localized so far!

As for the soundtrack? It's filled to the brim with banger after banger of absolute ear candy and each and every track fits the game's mood perfectly! The voice acting is also superb as usual and most of the VA's from Trails of Cold Steel IV have returned with the exception a two. Both of the new VA's did a spectacular job as well, so we give the voice acting a perfect grade!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, flawless gameplay, superb controls, and a top-tier audiovisual-presentation, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie will leave players in a state of reverie as it's easily the best game so far in the series and that's saying a lot! As such we give the game a perfect level of recommendation on the PS4!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #NISAmerica #NihonFalcom #Trails #Kiseki #Hajimari #JRPG #PS4 #Retail #PSN #Switch

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There's No Gimmick Like FUN!

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Developed by Bitwave Games and published by The Embracer Group, Gimmick! Special Edition is a re-release of SUNSOFT's NES/Famicom Platformer Gimmick! with additional features greatly enhancing the user experience! So what did we think of the re-release of Gimmick!? Continue reading our review to find out the answer to that question!



The gameplay is tough-as-nails providing players a serious challenge, while not the hardest NES game, it'll still give retro gamers some difficulty and modern gamers even moreso, but at the end of the day the game is fair and well-designed which is always a good thing! The platforming feels great and the enemies and obstacles are well-placed which is also great.

The game's bonus features include an art gallery, rewind feature, and save states which is much appreciated and the emulation is flawless so expect the game to run as it did on the NES. The only downside is the lack of screen filters and scanlines options, but otherwise the bonus content and features are top-notch!



The game is REALLY short clocking in at 2-3 hours at most if you know what you're doing and are equally skilled, but for most of us... "admittedly myself included" Gimmick! Special Edition will likely take around 15-20 hours or so to beat which is a decent bang for your buck for sure!

As for the audiovisual-presentation, Gimmick! looks gorgeous for an NES title, which isn't surprising given how good looking most Sunsoft games were on Nintendo's debut console, but it also released well after the launch of the SNES as well! The soundtrack is also catchy and has some bopping tunes that really set the mood for the game!



Bottom-Line: With great and challenging gameplay, superb bonus features and content, and an excellent audiovisual-presentation, Gimmick! Special Edition for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic platformer, though it may be a tad difficult for some, we highly enjoyed our experience with the game! As such we give Gimmick! Special Edition a good to great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

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#Review #Gimmick #Embracer #SUNSOFT #Switch #eShop #Retro #NES #Platformer

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No Other Game Like It!

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Developed by Analgesic Productions and published by Ratalaika Games, with public relations by PR Hound, Sephonie is one of, if not THE most unique game we've reviewed this year "or any other year" and doesn't really fully conform to any particular established game genre, that said is this game GoTY material, well...no, but it's a solid game and well-worth a purchase so continue reading our review to find out why!



The game is simple enough, you take on the role of three scientists to study a certain phenomenon through platforming and puzzle solving and it all comes together in a great culmination of unique gameplay mechanics. The only real qualm we had was sometimes the platforming was a tad frustrating, but nothing that hampered our enjoyment of the game.

The puzzles are well made "especially the boss battle puzzles" which can be mind-bending and thoroughly challenging! The controls are mostly good, but the platforming felt a bit stiff in spots, but overall the controls are decent to solid!



The game is fairly short clocking in at 6-8 hours and there's very little replay value, which is unfortunate, but the gameplay was so unique that we still went through the game again and enjoyed it just as much.

As for the visuals, they are pretty decent with nice 3D characters and environments, it won't knock your socks off, but still works well enough. The soundtrack was pretty good if a bit unmemorable, but overall was quite enjoyable.



Bottom-Line: With unique and enjoyable gameplay, decent controls, and a good, but unmemorable soundtrack, Sephonie for the Nintendo Switch is a unique and fresh experience that we enjoyed, but it was somewhat unpolished in our opinions. Overall, however, we thought the game was a solid experience overall and as such we give the game a solid level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★¼☆☆ 7.25/10

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#Review #AnalgesicProductions #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Sephonie #Switch #eShop #Experimental #Indie #Platformer #Puzzler

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Ray'z Your Hand'z In Excitement!

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Developed by TAITO and M2, published by ININ Games, and with public relations by PR Hound, Ray'z Arcade Chronology for the Nintendo Switch is a faithful port of three legendary TAITO arcade shmups that are among the best games in the genre as well as HD Remasters of two of the included games! Have these ports withstood the test of time, and how good are the two included HD Remasters? As always, continue reading our review to find out the answers to the all-important questions!



The overall UI presentation of the menus and in-game gadgets for the included games are clean and very informative which is a given if you know how TAITO arcade shmups operate, and we couldn't be more thrilled! The gameplay of all of the included games are faithful to their original arcade releases and still feel wonderful to play all of these decades later!

The games are quite action-oriented, but not bullet hell in nature, rather more in line with TAITO's other major Shmup series Darius, which we also reviewed the ININ collections for that series extremely favorably! The games also feature built-in achievements which is a nice touch for sure. The games also vary in length from about 30-45 minutes long to a whopping 3 hours in-length with multiple paths easily giving this collection 30+ hours of replay value for completionists!

The only downside to this collection is that it lacks bonus features such as artwork and other extras that other collections from ININ possessed, but it doesn't really negatively affect our opinions of the game all that much.



The games control amazingly well and feel as fluid as they did in the arcades way back when! As for the visuals? The games range from 2D to 3D, and look gorgeous with excellent enemy and ship designs, flashy and awe-invoking special effects, and gorgeous scrolling effects that have aged like fine-wine! The HD Remasters included really pop in HD with sharper image quality, and vastly improved backgrounds and special effects that look fantastic even by today's standards!

And lastly the games' soundtracks are as exceptional as they are varied and they fit the mood of what's going on on-screen extremely well. Overall the audiovisual-presentation is absolutely top-notch!



Bottom-Line: With flawless gameplay, excellent replay value, great controls, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Ray'z Arcade Chronology for the Nintendo Switch is a must-have collection for any/all fans of the SHMUP genre and despite lacking some of the bonus features you'd expect from a collection of arcade classics such as this one, the games are so well-done that this one gripe just barely lowered our score of this otherwise perfect collection! As such we give Ray'z Arcade Chronology a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★¾ 9.75/10

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#Review #RayzArcadeChronology #TAITO #ININ #M2 #PRHound #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN #Shmup #Arcade #Retro

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A Raging Good Time!

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Developed by Hit-Point and published by KEMCO, Raging Bytes is a huge departure from KEMCO's more traditional fantasy-based retro-styled JRPG's they are best-known for, but it's a welcome breath of fresh air for sure! Continue reading our review to find out why we enjoyed this game so much!



Raging bytes at its core is a hybrid combination of the JRPG and survival horror genres and does a fantastic job at blending the two genres together harmoniously! The story is dark with many interesting characters and a stylish presentation that looks amazing and sets the atmosphere for the game's horror setting.

The gameplay loop has you finding items and survivors to help you survive the apocalypse while battles are conducted in more traditional JRPG flair. This works better than we ever would have imagined and was executed flawlessly in this game! The game is fairly short clocking in at under 20 hours in length and the controls are intuitive and easy to use!



The soundtrack in Raging Bytes is fantastic and every single song fits the game's mood like a glove.



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, great gameplay, intuitive controls, a stylish visual presentation, and superb soundtrack, Raging Bytes is an unforgettable experience that no survival horror or JRPG fan should miss out on, as such, we give the game a nearly-perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: 9.5/10 ★★★★★★★★★½

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#Review #HitPoint #KEMCO #RagingBytes #Switch #eShop #PS5 #PS4 #PSN #JRPG #SurvivalHorror

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Kuroi Solidbasa!

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Developed by Blackwing Gaming, published by Ratalaika Games, with public relations by PR Hound, Kuroi Tsubasa is a visual novel that is as cheery as it is dark and adult-oriented, but does it hold up to the greats in the genre? Probably not for most fans of the genre, but it's still a solid experience nonetheless! Continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The story of the game is heartwarming and funny, however there are moments that are surprisingly dark and super mature as well, though that might be expected from an M-Rated visual novel, but it's a solid and entertaining romp that won't be the best thing you'll see in the genre, but will keep you interested from start to finish. The game itself is fairly short clocking in at between 15-20 hours in-length so it'll be easy to finish in under a week.



As for the visual side of things, the game is super vibrant and colorful with solid character designs and detailed backgrounds. The audio presentation is another beast entirely with a fantastic soundtrack, great voice acting, and solid sound effects. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of our time with this intriguing take on the magical girl genre!



Bottom-Line: With a solid story, and a fantastic audiovisual-presentation, Kuroi Tsubasa is definitely a worthwhile experience and though its a tad on the short side, we think the game has enough meat to warrant a positive reception, and as such we give Kuroi Tsubasa for the Nintendo Switch a solid level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

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#Review #Mini #BlackwingGaming #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #VN #Anime #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN

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Shinobi Hero!

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Developed by City Connection, published by ININ Games, and with public relations by PR Hound, Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle + Hell is a fantastic arcade-platformer that is a true sequel in the long-running JaJaMaru series in every sense of the word, while staying true to the series roots. Is this enough to make the game a true masterpiece? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle + Hell for the Nintendo Switch is hectic action-packed goodness for players of all ages and is so much fun that we had trouble willing ourselves to put down our controllers! The game features a ton of stages and bonus stages on top of a whole lot of characters and other bonus goodies to unlock in the in-game store!

The controls in the game are simple and easy to use while the game's difficulty is challenging, but fair which is always a good thing. As for the replay value? With tons of unlockables as well as content the game will likely give players around 20+ hours of arcadey goodness which is a decent value for a game in this genre. There is also a +Hell mode featuring remixed stages that are far more difficult for added content and another 10+ hours worth of replayabilty!



As for the audiovisual-presentation in Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell? The graphics are simple yet gorgeous with an 8-bit art style that really pops in HD with flashy and breathtaking special effects that give the game a modern feel. The sound effects are well done, while the soundtrack not only fits the game flawlessly, but is quite memorable as well!



Bottom-Line: With amazing gameplay, excellent controls, a decent amount of content, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic platforming arcade game that is well-worth the cost of admission! As such we give the game a great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★¼ 9.25/10

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#Review #NinjaJaJaMaruTheGreatYokaiBattlePlusHell #CityConnection #ININGames #PRHound #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Arcade #Platformer

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Steel Yourself For A Solid Adventure And Have A Blast!

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Developed by Mitchell Corporation and Ratalaika Games, published by ININ Games, and with public relations by PR Hound, Cannon Dancer: Osman is the unofficial sequel to Strider made by several members of the same crew when they parted ways with their parent company. The game is part platformer, part beat 'em up, and a solid good time, for sure. Does it live up to its official predecessor? We don't think so, but it's definitely a worthwhile experience in its own right! Continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why:



The gameplay in Cannon Dancer: Osman is top-notch with tight controls, excellently varied enemies and bosses, and fun stages that will have you wanting more, unfortunately the game is quite short, clocking in at under 2 hours in-length and the 5th stage has a rather frustrating difficulty spike which hurts the overall score of the game.

Also unlike previous ININ retro releases, Cannon Dancer: Osman is lacking in any meaningful bonus content, however the screen filters are still plentiful which is at least something, eh? As for the game's difficulty, it starts out SUPER easy for the first four stages, however it then rackets up to absurd levels of difficulty starting on stage five, which is rather unfortunate as it blemishes the game's otherwise superb gameplay.



As for the audiovisual-presentation, Cannon Dancer: Osman looks absolutely amazing, with super detailed 16-bit graphics that are not only detailed and vibrant, but hold-up remarkably well even by today's standards! The enemies and bosses in particular look fantastic with clearly a lot of attention being put into them by the developers and it really shows! The soundtrack is also top-notch and fits the mood of the game like a button. The sound effects are also quite good for a 1996 Arcade title which was a pleasant surprise for sure!



Bottom-Line: With fantastic gameplay, tight controls, and a flawless audiovisual-presentation Cannon Dancer: Osman for the Nintendo Switch had the possibility of being a perfect game, however the steep price tag without many bonus features, a sudden difficulty spike in stage 5, and a VERY short playtime hold this game back, but the game itself is so fantastic that the hit to its score was mostly mitigated, as such we give Cannon Dancer: Osman for the Nintendo Switch a great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

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#Review #MitchellCorporation #ININGames #PRHound #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Action #Retro #Arcade #Strider

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Heirs To A Great Adventure!

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Developed by EXE CREATE and published by KEMCO, Heirs of The Kings is another superb retro-style JRPG by the long running publisher. How much did we enjoy our playthrough of the game? Continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay of Heirs of The Kings is great fun with a riveting story that's a step above most of KEMCO's previous releases which were fantastic in their own right. The game also features great gameplay that will be familiar, but also adds new elements such as a Final Fantasy X style skill board, and many new quality of life features that make this game a joy to play! The game is decent in-terms of length too, clocking-in at around 30-35 hours to beat, and though a tad easy, the game's difficult is pretty balanced and fair.



As for the audiovisual-presentation of Heirs of The Kings, it's easily one of KEMCO's finest works yet, with highly detailed and gorgeos pixel art, amazing character and enemy designs, and a very snazzy UI. While on the audio side of things, the music fits the mood as always in a KEMCO game, however the sound quality of said tracks and sound effects is a step-up and sounds like pure ear candy!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, great gameplay, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Heirs of The Kings is a top-notch retro-inspired JRPG that is a blast to play, and with no negatives to speak of, there's just no reason not to add this fantastic game to your Switch JRPG library and as such, we give Heirs of The Kings a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

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#Review #KEMCO #EXECREATE #JRPG #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN

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Legendary Ninpo Art of Greatness!

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Developed by City Connection, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection is a fantastic collection of arcade-platforming games that largely went unlocalized outside of Japan for several decades, but are now compiled into a feature-rich collection and we can't recommend these games enough! Does that mean that we gave the game a perfect level of recommendation? You'll have to continue reading our review to find out!



First off, this collection of games is fantastic with loads of bonus content including artwork, a rewind feature, screen filters, and more which is already fantastic, all this even before we get into playing the games themselves! The 6 games in the collection span a wide-array of genres and all are emulated flawlessly which of course is a HUGE plus for sure. Some of the NES and Gameboy games are somewhat archaic, but still are great fun in short bursts, while others such as Ninja JaJaMaru: Operation Milky Way are brilliant and their gameplay and visuals hold-up just as well as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kirby's Adventure in today's time!

The UI looks very nice, and the menus are easy to navigate which is always nice. The length of the games range from under an hour to upwards of 5-10 hours to beat which is to be expected from retro games that aren't JRPG's. As for the controls? They are serviceable and have no flaws to speak of, though the button-mapping in some of the games could be a bit better, but overall they are good.



The audiovisual-presentation of Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection is varied with some of the better looking titles looking exceptionally stylish and vibrant while others haven't aged so well, however the soundtrack in every single included game is a real banger and we thoroughly enjoyed that aspect!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, solid controls, and a superb soundtrack, Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection for the Nintendo Switch is a great game compilation that is worth checking out, even if a few of the games haven't aged too well. Overall we give Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #CityConnection #ININ #PRHound #Compilation #Retro #Switch #eShop #NinjaJajamaru

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Unique Gameplay And A Gorgeous Art Style Disguises A Middling MetroidVania.

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Developed by Rasul Mono, published by GameNet, and public relations by PR Hound, The Guise is a metroidvania with unique ideas and breathtaking visuals that fails to live up to its potential. Does this mean the game isn't good? No, the game is certainly worthwhile, at least for fans of the genre and here's why:



The gameplay is like a mix between Metroid and Hollow Knight, but not all of the core elements mesh together too well. Some elements are overly simple, while others are somewhat convoluted. That said the unique takes on exploration and boss fights at least are on-point and quite enjoyable! The game's difficulty can be a tad easy at times, but overall the difficulty is fairly balanced so the game scores well in this regard!

The game itself is around 10-12 hours in-length so don't expect to beat it in its entirety in a single sitting. As for the controls? They are easy to learn and feel really good. Overall this is one of the game's stronger points!



The audiovisual-presentation is superb and looks like if Ghibly Studio and Hollow Knight had a crossover, it looks absolutely breathtaking which makes this game quite worth diving into, despite other aspects of the game being average at times. As for the soundtrack? It fits the game nicely and is certainly quite unique while the sound effects are equally pleasing to the ears. Overall the game's audiovisual-presentation is absolutely flawless!



Bottom-Line: With great controls, an amazing audiovisual-presentation, and unique gameplay, The Guise has a lot going for it, however many of the parts of the gameplay formula hold the game back from even coming close to reaching its potential, that said the game still is above average overall in our books and as such, we give The Guise for the Nintendo Switch a decent level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

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#Review #RasulMono #GameNet #PRHound #MetroidVania #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN

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Go! Go! Epic Voyager Girl!

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Developed by Ohsat Games, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Go! Go! Pogogirl is a fresh take of the 2-D platformer that pays homage to classic SEGA platformers like Sonic The Hedgehog, but does the game live up to the series that inspired its existence? We think so, but you'll have to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay is straightforward enough having you trek through each of the four seasons across twenty stages with a fun boss battle at the end of each season. The courses have unique hazards and enemies in each season and there's a boss at the end of every season. The game is pretty short clocking in at 2-3 hours in length, but at five bucks, it's not a bad deal for the price.

The controls are decent enough, with no real issues to speak of which is good, of course. The game is also fairly easy, but still exceptionally satisfying to play which being satisfying is obviously a VERY important trait for a game to possess and possessing it, this game does in spades!



The audiovisual-presentation of Go! Go! Pogo Girl is top-notch with detailed character and ememies, as well as a vibrant and colorful palette that looks extremely pleasing to the eyes. And as for the soundtrack? It's catchy and fits the mood of the game to a tee, really the game has no real weak spots and is all-around a great budget platformer!



Bottom-Line: With amazing gameplay, good controls, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Go! Go! Pogogirl is a great platformer through-and-through with no real weak points. As such we give the game a great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

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#Review #OhsatGames #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Platformer

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Monstrous Cries In The Jaws of Adventure!

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Developed and published by Odencat and public relations by PR Hound, Meg's Monster is a fantastic JRPG, with an extremely unique premise and gameplay mechanics that heavily piqued our interest in the game, but did the game's uniqueness translate into it being an instant classic? We think so, and here's why:



Meg's Monster is something of an enigma, on one hand it's a very traditional turn-based JRPG, but on the other it feels like if Mario & Luigi RPG and One Punch Man were put in a blender and fused together. The battles are where this comes into full-effect as your Monster is able to basically one-hit everything, but the real battle is preventing Meg, the child who's protected by the Monster, from crying. If she cries it's an instant game over so it adds a massive layer of strategy to otherwise EXTREMELY easy battles.

The game itself is quite short clocking in at 8-15 hours in-length, but we thoroughly enjoyed every last second of our playthrough. Meg's Monster is also quite difficult in-regards to the crying mechanic we previously mentioned so expect quite a few game overs in your playthrough of the game. The controls are pretty straightforward and work well, which is pretty much a given for a turn-based RPG, but still much appreciated.



The visuals in Meg's Monster are vibrant, detailed, and utterly gorgeous with unique characters and enemies, gorgeous locales, and stylish special effects that look amazing. As for the audio side of things, the game has a very catchy soundtrack, and everything else is quite enjoyable as well, albeit not being as noteworthy as the tunes.



Bottom-Line: With unique and exceptionally enjoyable gameplay, flawless controls, and a fantastic audiovisual presentation, Meg's Monster will draw players in with its quirkiness and charm, and though the game is quite short most players will love every minute of the game! As such we give Meg's Monster for the Nintendo Switch a great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

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#Review #OdenCat #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #JRPG

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Best Lootboxes Ever?

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Developed by Conradical Games, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Lootbox Lyfe+ for the Nintendo Switch is a precision platformer that hits a lot of good notes, but falls short of true greatness. That said we thoroughly enjoyed the game, so continue reading our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Lootbox Lyfe+ is straightforward precision platforming with heavy emphasis on the platforming aspect of the game rather than the enemies. The platforming can be quite tight at times and can test your skills, especially later on in the game, but plentiful skills can be found to help you out and make traversing the maps easier which is definitely helpful to say the least. It's certainly fun, but could have been so much more if it had a bit more meat to it.

The difficulty of the game isn't on-par with the likes of Celeste or Hollow Knight, but it's still plenty challenging in its own right. As for the controls? They are intuitive and easy to learn which is extremely important in any precision platformer and is most definitely appreciated. The game is quite short, which is a bit of a letdown, clocking in at 3-10 hours in length depending on your skill-level.



As for the audiovisual presentation of the game, it looks and sounds great with authentic retro sound effects, catchy and fitting tunes, a great pixel art. The game looks and sounds like a refreshing blast from the past and hits all of the right notes on the audiovisual side of things!



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay, intuitive controls, and an excellent audiovisual-presentation, Lootbox Lyfe+ for the Nintendo Switch is an enjoyable romp for sure, but the relative lack of content does hold the game back a bit. Regardless we enjoyed our time with the game and therefore we give Lootbox Lyfe + a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★¼☆ 8.25/10

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#Review #LootboxLyfePlus #ConradicalGames #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #MetroidVania #PrecisionPlatformer

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Soaring High In The Azure Sky!

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Developed by Nihon Falcom and published by NIS America, The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure is the thrilling conclusion of the Crossbell story arc in the long-running Trails series, and it might be one of the best on a storytelling standpoint! Continue reading the rest of our review to get the full scoop regarding our thoughts and opinions of this game and how it stacks up to its predecessor, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero!



The story in The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure picks up a few months after the events in The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero, and is a substantial step-up in relevance to the Trails of Cold Steel series which most of you are likely more familiar with. This game will likely fill in a lot of the blanks that were caused due to the Crossbell games not being localized till now, and the new members of the SSS, Noel Seeker and Wazy Hemisphere really add a lot to the game with their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. This game ties up most of the loose ends and will set players up to be fully informed of the lore for when The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie releases in July in the Western Wazysphere, bad puns aside Azure has some of the finest storytelling in the history of the series and has enough twists and turns to keep players on the edge of their seats!

The gameplay in Trails To Azure is absolutely amazing and adds a ton of new nuances such as decking out and riding the new Orbal car. The origin of Master Quartz is revealed as the feature from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel made its debut in this title, giving characters a much higher degree of customization which is always a good thing! In-terms of content, the game is loaded, taking 50-60 hours to beat, while completionists can expect around 100+ hours to see everything The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure has to offer! The controls in the game are intuitive and just as easy to use as they were in Trails From Zero.



As for the visual presentation of the game? The visual novel cutscenes look a bit more vibrant this time and the characters have a few extra expressions which is a nice touch. The rest of the game has a bit more polish in the visual department with extra details in the character sprites and textures, as well as a bit flashier special effects which add some extra flare to the overall nice looking game!

As for the audio presentation, Trails To Azure has one of the best soundtracks in the entire series, especially the battle and boss themes which are REAL bangers and set the mood for the entire game! The voice acting again is in Japanese with no English option which is a bit disappointing, but expected from a budget standpoint to make localizing these older games a bit more cost effective. The sound effects are quite good as well, adding to the overall audio presentation!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, excellent gameplay, and a flawless audiovisual-presentation, The Legend of Heroes: Trails To Azure is a masterpiece in every conceivable way and will draw in any player willing to give the game a shot and as such we give the game a perfect level of recommendation for all PS4 and Switch owners!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #NISAmerica #NISA #NihonFalcom #PS4 #PSN #Switch #eShop #JRPG #Kiseki

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Lost, But Now Found, Solid Attempt, Or "Lost" On The Masses?

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Developed by City Connection, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Ninja Jajamaru: The Lost RPG's are a duo of Famicom RPG's localized in the West for the first time and are definitely similar to earlier Dragon Quest games, but does this equate to a good duo of games? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay of both included games is decidedly old-school and feels like a throwback of the older Dragon Quest games in many ways. Both games are a tad on the shorter side clocking in at 20-30 hours each, but with the blessings, rewind feature, and cheats it's not too challenging to beat. What IS challenging, however is how abstract and convoluted the instructions on where to go next are and with literally no guides to help you out with the game, suddenly these 20-30 hour games can balloon into 60 hour games as is what happened to us during the reviewing process and is why our review took so long "apologies to PR Hound  for the wait".

Despite all of this though, the games are extremely enjoyable with fun mechanics and challenging battles "if you don't use blessings, cheats, or abuse the rewind feature anyway". There are some bonuses in the menu as well, such as shaders, and ample screen options, a gallery, and more which is what we've come to expect from the masterminds at City Connection and ININ Games! The controls are straightforward and easy to learn as expected since the games were originally released on the Famicom exclusively in Japan.



The audiovisual presentation is kind of mixed, the first RPG in this collection was a somewhat earlier Famicom title, so it obviously doesn't match some of the late-life RPG's that the console got in-terms of the graphics as it looks similar to Dragon Quest 1, but definitely not as polished visually. The audio in the first game in the collection is what you'd expect from a Famicom RPG in the 80's, very pitchy and loud, though the battle and boss BGM's were catchy a fun to listen to.

The second of the two RPG's in the collection looks really good for a Famicom game with vibrant visuals, interesting character and enemy designs, and some great special effects for that era. The soundtrack is also vastly improved over the first game, with not a single bad song in the entire game! Overall between both games this compilation has a good to great audiovisual presentation!



Bottom-Line: [With fun gameplay that can be confusing at times, flawless controls, and tons of options and content for both games in this collection, we had a favorable experience overall, while the catchy soundtrack "in both games" and amazing visuals in the second game we do recommend this to fans of the genre! Overall we give Ninja Jajamaru: The Lost RPG's for the Nintendo Switch a solid level of recommendation!

https://www.iningames.com/games/ninja-jajamaru

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Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

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#Review #CityConnection #ININGames #PRHound #JRPG #NinjaJajamaru #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN

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Clever & Wholesome Fun!

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Developed by Dinosaur Bytes Games and published by Numskull Games Clive & Wrench is a 3D platformer crafted by a one-man team 10 years in the making, but was the wait worth it? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Clive & Wrench is quite solid, if not a bit floaty in-terms of its physics which actually helped us on many occasions so it's not something we saw in a particularly bad light. The characters have some great moves that will feel familiar to those who grew up in the 90's and played 3D platformers of that era such as Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Donkey Kong 64. The game's level design is great with exceptionally creative layouts and world themes as well as some puzzles thrown in to spice things up and the enemy variety and unique bosses were amazing, and all required some strategy to defeat which was a fun challenge for sure.

The game was decent in length with well over a dozen worlds and clocking in at around 20 hours to beat and 35 hours to complete, it has more than enough content to warrant its $29.99 price. Meanwhile the controls were pretty good, certainly not perfect, but definitely serviceable. The only issues we had were a lot of technical ones in the form of bugs. None impeded our progress, but did hamper our enjoyment a bit, dropping a point or two off our score for the game. Things like falling through a specific platform or hitting a specific enemy and getting hurt yourself. These issues don't happen everytime and aren't too common, but all seem to be related to issues with the game's collision detection.

The overall enjoyment we had far outshone the issues we experienced on the gameplay front.



The visual-presentation in the game is exceptional with gorgeous worlds brought to life with an absolutely insane amount of detail, AAA quality special effects, and varied enemy, boss, and character designs that all stand out as unique and charming! As for the audio side of things? The soundtrack is really catchy and fits the game's mood like a glove, and the sound effects are well-done and don't get grating at any point. Overall the audiovisual-presentation was exceptional!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay that is somewhat hindered by some minor technical issues, a decent amount of content, an exceptional audiovisual-presentation, and serviceable controls, Clive & Wrench is a good game that has a lot going in its favor, but some technical issues hold it back just enough to deny the game a 9/10 or 10/10, but regardless the game as still fun and well worth its price and as such we give Clive & Wrench for the PS4 and Switch a good level of recommendation!
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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #NumskullGames #DinosaurBytesGames #3DPlatformer #Switch #PS4 #Retail #eShop #PSN

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The Waves of Wonder & Adventure!

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Developed by Bliss Brain, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Wonderboy Anniversary Collection is the definitive collection of Wonderboy titles currently available on any platform. Despite missing several of the best versions in the series such as Dynastic Hero on the Turbographx CD, it's well worth its price and here's why:



This "Wonder"ful collection of Wonderboy games comes complete with several different versions of each of the six included games, ranging from Sega Master System, to Genesis, to Game Gear releases, to Japanese exclusive versions, each emulated perfectly with tons of goodies such as artwork, manuals, and much more. The games all run as they should with no apparent bugs or frame-rate dips that weren't present in their original releases which of course is always a huge selling point for any worthwhile retro games compilation!

Filter, shading, and rewind features are also included to increase the immersion and ability to up your skills as we'd expect from any collection published by ININ games!



The collection has a fantastic and fluid UI that feels so good to navigate and the games themselves look great even on a modern TV. The controls for the games are great and work well with the Switch Pro Controller as well as the Joycon control scheme. As for the individual games? We'll be delving into some of them in an exclusive feature sometime during the first half of 2023 listing our top 10 retro Wonderboy games and versions!



The adiovisual-presentation in this collection is top-notch, with fluid animations and few if any performance issues and flawless recreation of the retro games. You can tell a lot of love went into making these games look and feel just as they did on their original hardware, and the developer succeeded spectacularly in every regard!



Bottom-Line: With excellent gameplay, amazing UI and bonus content in the form of artwork and more, many versions of the included games, a rewind feature to improve your skills, and flawless emulation and audiovisual-presentation, the Wonderboy Anniversary Collection is a timeless collection that we highly recommend any and all Switch owners to check-out! We give this collection a perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #Wonderboy #Compilation #PRHound #ININ #BlissBrain #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN

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KA-POW!

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Developed by Ninja Rabbit Studio, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Panda Punch is a fun if not uninspiring platformer for the Nintendo Switch that caught our eyes with its interesting Red Panda protagonist. Is the game worthy of checking out? We think so, but you'll need to read the rest of our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Punda Punch is pretty good, with fun platforming and basic Metroidvania elements such as collectible power-ups to progress to previously inaccessible areas and find some cleverly hidden secrets. There isn't much variety of enemies and the gameplay formula stays WAY too safe which means there isn't a lot of uniqueness which holds the game back quite a bit.

The game is also fairly short at around 5 hours in length and the difficulty is also a bit unbalanced ranging from easy to super challenging at times, which again holds the game back a bit. On the upside the controls are easy to learn and feel quite nice in-terms of the button mapping.



As for the audiovisual-presentation the game is great! The characters, enemies, and backgrounds are cheery, vibrant, and highly detailed and the game's UI looks exceptional as well! The soundtrack sounds great and really sets the mood for the game's amazing presentation! Overall the audiovisual-presentation is by far the game's strongest point and definitely earns the game an additional point or two to its score.



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay marred by unoriginality, great controls, and a superb audiovisual-presentation, Panda Punch is certainly worth checking out at its price, but fails to live up to its potential. Overall we give Panda Punch for the Nintendo Switch a decent level of recommendation.

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Score: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

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#Review #NinjaRabbitStudio #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Metroidvania #Platformer #Gaming

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Forging Solid Bonds!

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Developed by EXE-CREATE and published by KEMCO, Sword of Elpisia is solid JRPG with an incredibly unique story even compared to other KEMCO titles we've reviewed. Does this game live up to its predecessors? We think so, but you'll need to read the rest of the review to find out why!



Sword of Elpisia tells a gripping story of a girl who loses everything to protect the people she cares about and her quest to regain what she's lost. As far as KEMCO games go, Sword of Elpesia's story is one of the better ones with some heavy-hitting moments that will make you feel for the characters on a level few other KEMCO games accomplish. That said the gameplay in SoE takes a huge step back from recent KEMCO titles with much more simplistic mechanics that feel quite dated and lackluster at times, but despite this there's nothing inherently wrong with it and the game is still fun if you don't mind extremely old-school gameplay.

The game has a few minor nuances such as skills being tied to your weapons for a bit of customization for your characters and the game has some decent side content such as optional recruitable animal familiars, an optional dungeon that can be unlocked in the premium shop with a small amount of premium points that can be obtained in-game, as well as post-game content, including an extra story scenario, bonus dungeon, and a battle arena to name a few of the post-game goodies.



The game is actually pretty difficult at the higher difficulty settings so expect a challenge if you try to tackle the game on hard difficulty. The controls in the game are intuitive and easy to learn which is always nice. Now something that isn't so nice is the frequent minor frame-rate drops in the Switch version of the game, which while not a major issue did hamper our enjoyment of the game slightly at times.

As for the audiovisual-presentation, SoE is a HUGE step-up from the previous KEMCO games we've previously reviewed, visually speaking. It's not going to blow players minds or anything like that, but in-general is detailed and is quite pleasing to look at. And lastly the music fits the game's atmosphere quite well and is a bit more varied than in previous KEMCO titles, but is definitely one of the game's weak points. Still we'd say the soundtrack is still pretty good!



Bottom-Line: With solid gameplay, a fantastic story, intuitive controls, and excellent retro visuals, Sword of Elpisia is a good JRPG that most fans of the genre will likely enjoy, however some performance issues do hold the game back a bit. Overall, however we believe the game is still well worth its price and therefore we give the game a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #KEMCO #EXECREATE #JRPG #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN #Gaming

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Intrepid Fun!

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Developed by Senile Team Studio, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Intrepid Izzy is an interesting Metroidvania title that plays it safe by sticking to a very tried and true formula for the genre. Does this mean the game feels too stale? We didn't think so, and here's why we believe Intrepid Izzy is a solid and worthwhile game to add to your Switch games library:



The gameplay formula is quite straightforward, you must explore, obtain power-up's, face bosses, all the stuff you expect from a Metroidvania with great level and enemy designs, minecart sections, and in-general fantastic game design at its core. The game is good for what it is, however there is a crux to all of this, as the game doesn't add or do anything special to separate itself from the tens of thousands of other Metroidvanias out there which is a shame since the gameplay is otherwise flawless.

The game itself is fairly short and can be beaten in 2-4 hours which was a bit of a letdown, but the controls were intuitive and felt great in action. The game is also REALLY easy and while enjoyable rarely provided much of a challenge which definitely hurts its overall score.



The audiovisual-presentation in Intrepid Izzy is great with gorgeous characters, backgrounds, and enemies, great special effects, and music that fits the game perfectly! Overall Intrepid Izzy's audiovisual-presentation is one of the game's strongest points!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, flawless controls, and superb audiovisual-presentation, Intrepid Izzy is a great game at its core, however its short length, and lack of uniqueness and challenge hold this game back by quite a bit. Overall, however we give Intrepid Izzy a solid level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

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#Review #IntrepidIzzy #PRHound #SenileTeamStudio #RatalaikaGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN

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Chains of Entertainment!

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Developed by Matthias Linda, published by DECK13 Spotlight, and public relations by PR Hound, Chained Echoes is a love letter to JRPG's of yesteryear and not only lives up to the games it was inspired by, but in some ways actually surpasses them! Why do we hold this game in such high regard? Continue reading our review to find out why!



The story in Chained Echoes is pretty dark with plenty of humor splashed throughout, it's a tale of horrific mistakes, atonement, religion, and stopping atrocities such as human experimentation, and weapons of mass destruction, just to name a few, and it's mostly done with clear story arcs as to tell each part of the story in clear detail which is something many AAA studios have forgotten how to do. Now we normally talk about characters, but they are such an amazing ensemble crew that we'd be writing a full-on novel if we delved into them, which we know you guys and gals prefer us to stick to the point and not ramble, so that as they say is that.

The game has a really unique skill system which adds a skill point for every boss you beat with the characters in your group at the time, some grant you skills, others passive abilities, while others grant a small stat boost. Then there's hero statues that can grant new classes in exchange for the relatively rare item, Holy Water. These classes can boost stats, effect certain stats growth when learning new skills "sometimes stats will increase when you learn skills, and your class can effect which skills are boosted permanently and by how much", and grant a couple of class exclusive skills and passive skills which can be extremely helpful in a pinch!





Another huge part of the game later on are the mechas that you'll obtain. There's actually quite a few customization options including frames, short and long-range weapons, and a plethora of paint design options for your frames, you can buy most parts, but some of the best require other things such as defeating super bosses, or expanding your adventurer clan. This is where some of the inspiration for certain aspects of game become clearer. The clan that you can build-up by recruiting members and hunting named monsters around the world is clearly heavily inspired by the adventurer clans in Final Fantasy XII, but this game does so much more with the system allowing you to be the clan leader of your very own adventurers clan and build it up from scratch. There's a ton more to the clan system than we've mentioned, but we don't want to spoil too much about this mid-late game mechanic.

The clan system isn't the only homage to FF XII in Chained Echoes, as two of the in-game demi-human races are clearly inspired by the Bangaa and Seeq races in that game. But none of these homages feel disrespectful or are blatant rip-offs as the developer does an amazing job at making them unique in the developer's own way which is something that only truly talented developers could accomplish!




As for the controls, they are pretty self explanatory and work flawlessly. As for the length of the game, that's actually pretty tricky to estimate, but if you try to power through the main story skipping all side content, the game is around 35-40 hours in length, however if you do all of the side content as well we'd estimate a play-time of around 80-100 hours which is absolutely mind-boggling considering the game's developer is a one-man team!

The graphics in the game are 2-D, but are definitely 32-bit inspired rather than 16-bits and boy does the game look gorgeous, it looks better than most AAA releases did during the 32-bit era and what's more, the game doesn't even experience the slightest bit of slowdown or frame-rate drops. It's clear that the developer made sure that even the Nintendo Switch version of the game was perfectly optimized for the console! The music is exceptional as well with some real bangers, and all of the music fits the game like a glove!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, superb gameplay, flawless controls, and a ton of content, Chained Echoes will draw players in from the start, and the gorgeous visuals and top-notch soundtrack will make them feel like they are being drawn into the game's immersive world. Overall we give Chained Echoes for the Nintendo Switch, not only a perfect level of recommendation, but also our choice for January 2023's Game of The Month!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #ChainedEchoes #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #JRPG #DECK13 #MatthiasLinda #PRHound

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Ninjatastic Jutsu Ninpo'ing Its Way To Greatness!

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Developed by Tanuki Creative Studios, published by ININ games, and public relations by PR Hound, Jitsu Squad is a fast-paced and action-packed beat em' up with a lot going for it in-terms of gameplay features and potential! Does the game live up to this potential? Continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay in Jitsu Squad is highly refined and has all of the best aspects needed for a top-notch beat 'em up. The characters are unique and each have plenty of zany and over-the-top attacks that will leave their enemies black and blue in the most outlandish cartoony ways possible! Support characters such as Yooka And Laylee can jump in occasionally to lend a hand by wiping the floor with massive groups of enemies.

The controls are simple yet challenging to master and in-terms of content the game is a bit lacking as it can be beaten in 2-3 hours and there's not a lot to keep you coming back for more too often outside of multiplayer with buddies.



The audio-visual presentation of Jitsu Squad is where the game truly shines with amazing special effects, gorgeous backgrounds and highly detailed worlds with zany characters and enemies that breathe life into this absolutely beautiful game and a soundtrack that will knock your socks off! Overall the game is nearly flawless in the audio-visual department, however some minor frame-rate issues do drop the game's overall score. It's nothing major, but is certainly noticeable.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, good controls and a nearly perfect audio-visual presentation, Jitsu Squad for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic beat 'em up for sure, but minor frame-rate issues and a relatively limited amount of content do hold the game back a bit. Overall, however we do give Jitsu Squad a good to great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★¾☆ 8.75/10

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#Review #PRHound #ININ #TanukiCreativeStudios #JitsuSquad #BeatEmUp #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Action #Scrolling

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Feel The Power of The Monado!

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Developed by Monolithsoft and published by Nintendo, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the epic conclusion of the first story arc of the Xenoblade franchise and is easily the darkest game in the entire series so far. Does Xenoblade Chronicles 3 hold-up against its predecessors? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the rest of our review to find out why!



So going in we knew this game was going to have a massive world and dark story, but we honestly weren't expecting the story to be as dark as it is. There's a lot of British swearing compared to previous games, but the world the game is set in is literally worse than hell on earth, without going into huge spoilers everyone in the whole world basically has to kill to live and the level of brutality you see on a number of occasions left us wondering how the game didn't receive an M rating. Honestly I would not recommend this game for kids under 16, that said the story-telling is brilliant and without being held back by trying to aim for a T rating, which it still managed but barely.

The game is huge spanning 6-8 different regions each with multiple cities and or colonies and vast wildlands filled with dangerous monsters, enemy soldiers, and much more. It took us upwards of 200 hours to complete and we still wanted more, which certainly isn't a bad thing and has us hyped for the story expansion that is scheduled to release sometime next year!



The battles use a refined version of the system seen in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but with several twists such as transformations and a much more in-depth chain attack system that allows you to use exclusive moves and finishers only available during chain attacks to rack-up huge amounts of damage on unsuspecting enemies. The hero system allows you to unlock new classes for your characters as well as fight alongside the master during combat which is a great feature with a lot of flexibility in customization which is fantastic! Also unlike in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 each class has 8-12 arts so you aren't stuck using 4 preset moves on your pallet, which was something we really didn't like in XBC2.

The world is filled with quests including missable Hero Quests so be diligent if you want to unlock everything on your playthrough. The only negative aspect of XBC2 that has returned in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the lack of weapons and armor to equip so your strength and defense are mostly tied to your class and level, but can be slightly boosted with accessories and the returning gem system from XBC1 which allows you to boost stats or add effects to your characters which is certainly better than the pouch items in XBC2 for sure!



The controls are intuitive and easy to learn which is always good, of course and as for the audiovisual-presentation? This game looks absolutely amazing with detailed environments chock full of life and breathtaking landmarks this game might have the best graphics of any game currently on Switch and looks like something even the PS4 would have difficulty topping. As for the music, it is unique and really quite charming, but isn't quite as good as 1 & 2 in this regard mainly because we weren't digging the wind instruments as much as the guitars, violins, and drums that were more prevalent in the other games in the series. It still was amazing overall.



Bottom-Line: With amazing gameplay, a dark and intriguing story, tons of content, great controls, and graphics that truly push the Nintendo Switch to its absolute limits, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the best JRPG's of the generation and as such we give the game a perfect level of recommendation for all fans of JRPG's and open world games in-general!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #MonolithSoft #Nintendo #Switch #Retail #Exclusive #JRPG #XenobladeChronicles

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Trails From Tio-Tot!

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Developed by Nihon Falcom Games and published in the West by NIS America, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is the first game in the long-awaited and previously skipped story arc in the series "at least outside of Japan" starring Lloyd Bannings, Elie MacDowel, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato formally known as the Special Support Section A.K.A. the SSS. Their job is to restore the Crossbell PD's broken reputation and help civilians in need, but things aren't always so simple. There's a HUGE reason why the Crossbell games are so well-loved and are necessary to understand the series' overarching story in both Cold Steel III & IV as well as in Reverie, and Kuro I & II. Singularly Crossbell's storyline might be the most important one to the series' story as whole. While we obviously can't spoil major story content, we can at least give context as to why. As always continue reading our review to find out why and we hope you enjoy it!



The story in Trails from Zero is absolutely amazing, taking the storytelling of the Sky games and upping the bar several fold. It's an extremely important chapter for giving context in future installments of the series as well such as Trails of Cold Steel III & IV and it is recommended you play this and Azure first if you haven't played anything past Trails of Cold Steel II yet. The gameplay is quite interesting and differs quite a bit from the Cold Steel arc, but is also a bit different from the formula seen in the Sky arc as well.

The battles are also much improved over the Sky Trilogy's, but uses the same engine with grid based movement. There are a bunch of new nuances, but the UI and targeting are far better in Zero. It's really just a ton of small changes that culminate into a much better experience overall. The game even features a trophy system that pops a notification when you earn a trophy and is a nice touch for sure, something we'd like to see used more often in Switch games. The game also features a speed mode to increase gameplay speed from 2-8x normal speed which is a HUGE time-saver for sure, especially when the game itself clocks in at around 100 hours in length give or take 40 hours depending on your pacing.



The audiovisual presentation is really good in this remaster with sharp high quality HD textures, character models, and enemies, gorgeous special effects with equally good lighting and shadowing effects. It is honestly hard to imagine at its core it ever was a PSP title. And the music is exceptional as well with loads of bangers that fit the game like a glove! Overall the game's presentation is a HUGE step-up from the Sky games and looks gorgeous in this remaster!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay and a ton of content, an amazing story, and a masterpiece of an audiovisual presentation, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is a nearly flawless game from start to finish, and just barely fails to reach the heights of the Cold Steel games "with the exception of Trails of Cold Steel I which we gave a 7/10 for being a SUPER slow burner in-terms of how quickly or lack thereof the story pacing was in the game". Overall we give this game a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

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#Review #NihonFalcom #NISA #Kiseki #Trails #JRPG #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #SpecialSupportSection #Geofront

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Absolute Hero or Absolute Zero?

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Developed by Curious Fate Games and published by Akupara Games, Absolute Tactics is a refreshingly enjoyable take on the Strategy RPG genre that doesn't innovate, but does it stand tall by its quality? We think so continue reading the rest of our review to find out why:



The story in Absolute Tactics is dark and edgy, but quite well-told with a definite gothic fantasy setting. The story has some pretty solid voice acting for an indie title in the genre and the pacing is well-done. The gameplay is fairly straightforward, but well-designed with enough mechanics to make the game engaging, but not so many to turn-off casual players or those new to the genre.

The game is fairly average in length for a game in the genre sitting at around 20 hours in length, and the controls are very responsive which is always a good thing when playing a SRPG.



Visually Absolute Tactics is a real treat with a vibrant yet sadistically dark and detailed gothic inspired world with gorgeous character designs and remarkably detailed stages the game looks on-par if not slightly better visually than the disgaea series. The soundtrack is also quite good and the game's voice acting while sporadic is a real treat to hear. Overall the audio-visual presentation is a real strong point of the game!



Bottom-Line: With a good story, great gameplay, and an excellent audiovisual presentation, Absolute Tactics will draw you in while it's interesting cast of characters and intuitive controls will keep you hooked! Overall we give Absolute Tactics for the Nintendo Switch a good to great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

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#Review #AbsoluteTactics #CuriousFateGames #AcuparaGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #SRPG

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The Princess Is Hangin' In Another Castle!

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Developed by AweKteaM, published by Hypetrain Digital, and public relations by Vicarious PR, Tower Princess is a roguelike 3D platformer with sadistically challenging soulslike gameplay that is sure to challenge even the most stalwart video game champions and do so in a way that's possible for average gamers to learn its difficulty curve! Does this equate to an enjoyable experience? We think so and here's why:



The story is pretty straightforward in Tower Princess, save a princess from a deadly tower and become her suitor, pretty much just flavor text for a HUGE portion of the game, but it gives you a reason for venturing into the dangerous towers filled with enemies and traps. The gameplay is where the real meat of the game lies with expansive roguelike towers filled with danger and adventure as well as upgrades and power-up's for your randomly generated protagonists that will help you further progress in the game's very light, but at times can be quite engaging the two or three times the game gets story-heavy for a moment.

The platforming can require extreme precision at times and there are many deviously difficult puzzles that can spawn during a run that can challenge even the most observant of players. Bosses also require a lot of strategy so don't expect to survive if you try to mindlessly hack away at a boss in this game.



The levels are brilliantly generated with tons of possible layouts with no issues as far as things such as poorly generated terrain so you don't have to worry about getting stuck due to bad RNG. The difficulty is SUPER challenging and can feel  impassable at times, but with enough grinding and practice most gamers should be able to beat the game eventually.

The controls are easy to learn and very responsive and the length of Tower Princess' story is roughly around 30 hours in length give or take depending on your skill level.



The audiovisual presentation of Tower Princess is solid with good 3D levels that have some good details, decent character and enemy designs, and great shadowing and lighting effects such as torchlight, and solar blooming in outdoor sections that look really quite nice! And lastly the extremely limited voice acting is in the forgettable territory, but not bad and the soundtrack while not the most fitting for the game is still largely enjoyable.



Bottom-Line:With great gameplay, a solid audiovisual presentation, and responsive and easy to learn controls, Tower Princess is a great 3D platformer that is sure to keep players coming back for more, but lack of story might be a bit disappointing for some as what is present is really enjoyable. Overall we give Tower Princess for Nintendo Switch a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #TowerPrincess #AweKteaM #HypetrainDigital #Switch #eShop #Indie #Nindie #3DPlatformer #Roguelike

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For Puzzlery!

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Developed by Vine and Yacht Club Games and published by Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon is a unique blend of roguelike, puzzler, RPG, and a bit of adventure gameplay elements that meld together into a highly compelling and ultra enjoyable package and to be honest is every bit as good as the original Shovel Knight title. Continue reading our review to find out why:



As previously stated, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon's gameplay is a mixture of many different genres blended together in perfect harmony. The roguelike elements add an unpredictable, but fair level of randomness to the puzzler aspect of the game, while the RPG and adventure genre elements allow for a compelling and enjoyable story and feeling of progression for your characters as the gain new skills and abilities from the shop. There are loads of characters in the game to be unlocked, each with their own weapons, skills, and unique gameplay mechanics which adds a lot of replayability to the game.

You can also unlock 10 skins per character and many other things while grinding the game's endless content which is quite enjoyable for completionists. The game also features a Vs. Mode which is a great way to enjoy the game with a friend and had us hooked for hours! The story is relatively short on its own, clocking in at only a handful of hours, but the unlockable content, random nature of the game, and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for dozens or even hundreds of hours and you'll likely enjoy every single minute of it due to the insane amount of polish this game possesses!



As for the game's difficulty? It's fair, but has a steep learning curve to master and can take quite a few hours to fully grasp how everything works, but the journey of mastering this game is where a lot of the fun is derived from! The controls are very intuitive and respond very well which obviously is always a good thing!

As for Shovel Knght: Pocket Dungeon's audio-visual presentation, it's a true masterpiece! Great looking overworld? Check! Breathtaking character and enemy designs? Check! Gorgeous and streamlined user interface? Check! And the soundtrack is easily the best of any puzzler we've heard in years as well as arcade-style sound effects that are absolute ear-candy!



Bottom-Line: With unique and amazing gameplay, excellent controls, and gorgeous visuals, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon will have players hooked right from the start, while the endless replay-value and best soundtrack in the puzzler genre in years will keep players coming back time and time again! We give Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon for the Nintendo Switch a perfect-level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

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#Review #ShovelKnight #YachtClubGames #VineGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Puzzler #Roguelike #RPG #Adventure

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Cannon-Bombing The 7-Seas of Fun!!!

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Developed and published by 7 Raven Studios Dyna Bomb 2 is the sequel to the relatively old Switch action-platformer Dyna Bomb which was a solid game with a lot of unrealized potential. Does this sequel fully live up to its predecessor's potential? No, but it's still a much better realization of the potential we saw in the original Dyna Bomb and here's why:



The gameplay in Dyna Bomb 2 is really addictive and quite fun when you get into the curve of the game's mechanics. You have a jetpack with limited fuel, limited ammo in the form of bombs, and must reach the end of a stage circumnavigating enemies and a number of extremely hazardous and devious environmental dangers as well as traps. There's much more to the game though as doing things such as killing all enemies and collecting all gems can earn you the ability to unlock character skins and loads of other bonuses in the in-game shop. This is the best addition to the series as you no longer have to rely on gacha mechanics to unlock bonuses.

Each world also has a challenging boss at the end that can oftentimes require a bit of strategy to beat and are really fun to fight. There are other intricacies such as hidden paths and other mechanics that make exploration more challenging, but oh so rewarding!



The game itself isn't super long, but should take most gamers at least a few sessions to beat, clocking in at around 10-14 hours in length, however unlocking everything and completing all levels 100% can take nearly double that amount of time! As for the difficulty, Dyna Bomb 2 starts off pretty easy, but gets more challenging by the second half of the game. The controls? Silky smooth and responsive as well as super easy to learn. And of course the biggest draw of Dyna Bomb 2 is the co-op multiplayer which is extremely fun, however things can get quite hectic if you and your friend start going bomb crazy firing bombs all over the place at the same time.

As for the audio-visual presentation? The graphics are colorful and cheery, the enemy and boss models are full of character and detail, the game's special effects and environmental effects such as snow and rain are a HUGE step-up from the original Dyna Bomb and look remarkable! The soundtrack is quite catchy and fits the mood of the game, but can get a bit repetitive at times.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay that is much improved from the game's predecessor, fun co-op multiplayer, flawless controls, and an amazing visual presentation, Dyna Bomb 2 is a vast improvement over the original in every conceivable way. Slightly short game length and a few music tracks that are a bit repetitive in an otherwise remarkable soundtrack do hold this game back just slightly, but overall we highly recomment adding this game to your Nintendo Switch library of games! We give Dyna Bomb 2 for the Nintendo Switch a good to great level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

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#Review #7RavenStudios #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Action #Platformer

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A Classic Masterpiece Roars Onto The Nintendo Switch!

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Developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America, Prinny Presents Volume 3 is a collection of two amazing strategy RPG's from NIS's back catalog of classic titles that really have withstood the test of time and are still excellent games today! How excellent you ask? Continue reading our review to find out!



The UI in the main menu of the collection is pretty basic, but sleek, however there's no bonus materials such as artwork or anything else of the sort whic is a tad disappointing, but no real biggie. The actual games are where the real draw lies, especially the never-before-released in the West PSP version of La-Pucelle Tactics, A.K.A La-Pucelle Ragnarok which has loads of bonus content including all DLC released in the PSP game and newly voiced lines from the original VA's from the English release of the PS2 version of the game "or at least VA's that pull off sounding exactly like the original VA's" either way the voice acting is pretty good and the new voiced lines add to the already enjoyable audio presentation. The controls are smooth and work well as expected while the isotopic 3-D camera works remarkably well compared to other games in the genre.

The gameplay plays almost exactly like Disgaea including an item world and geo panels which are called something else, but work similarly, with the caveat of being able to be purified. Purifying these panels actually plays a HUGE role in getting not only a good ending in a chapter, but also the good ending of the entire game. Which is important because failing to get the good will be terrible for the protagonists and the world while the worst ending makes the world of Disgaea look warm and fuzzy in comparison. You'll have to play the game if you want to know what happens in the bad endings, but it's bad in a good way! Overall La-Pucelle Ragnarok is a worthwhile game that fans of Disgaea fans and fans of tactical RPG's is general should thoroughly enjoy and as such receives a score of 9.5/10



The gameplay in Rhapsody A Musical Adventure is fun, with dungeon exploration, fun tactical battles, and a unique puppet mechanic that allows you to speak to and bring puppets to life. The main mechanic of the game is its musical scenes which are pretty well-done even if you play the game with the English voice overs.

The battles are more simplistic than La-Pucelle Ragnarok's was, but still is fun enough to keep most players engaged. The audio-visual presentation of Rhapsody A Musical Adventure is amazing, with great voice overs, top-notch retro visuals, and amazing music! Overall we give Rhapsody A Musical Adventure a good to great level of recommendation. The game receives a score of 8.5/10!



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Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

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#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #JRPG #SRPG #LaPucelleRagnarok #RhapsodyAMA #Collection #NISAmerica

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Splashing In The Puddles of Childlike Adventures!

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Published by Joystick Ventures and developed by Happy Juice Games, Lost In Play is a fantastic and whimsical point and click style adventure that REALLY works well on Switch. Continue reading our review to find out why!



The gameplay in most point and click games on consoles are done quite wrong using cumbersome cursors that might work well on PC with a mouse, but this seldom translates well when using a controller. Luckily Happy Juice Games designed the game to work by moving your character with the analogue sticks which makes the game feel leagues better than most games in the genre that are ported to home consoles. The controls are responsive and work well in solving the game's many challenging puzzles and beating the handful of minigames as well.

The puzzles are extremely challenging at times and require players to not only problem solve, but also lookout for visual cues that are easy to miss if you aren't paying attention. That said it makes solving the puzzles a very rewarding experience! The only gripe we have is the game is extremely short, even though the puzzles were challenging we managed to be the game in two three hour long sessions, but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our playthrough.



As for the game's audio-visual presentation, the artwork and characters are absolutely gorgeous and feel as if they were ripped straight out of a child's storybook! The characters have an imaginative and whimsical feel too them and in-general will put a smile on your face as you try to solve the many puzzles in the game. The soundtrack is also cheery and fits the game to a tee.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, excellent controls, challenging puzzles, and a truly amazing audio-visual presentation, Lost In Play is a near perfect experience on the Nintendo Switch, the only downside is that the game is extremely short and can be beaten in roughly 5-8 hours. Overall we give the game a near-perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★¾ 9.75/10

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#Review #Switch #eShop #PointAndClick #Adventure #HappyJuiceGames #JoystickVentures

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Gotta Gigantamax Em' All!

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Article Originally Written By: @Unrealgamergirl



Pokemon sword/shield is full of adventure as you travel through the Galarian Region discovering the mythicals and Pokemon this area has to offer! Your adventures will include trainer battles, gym battles, new enemies, Gigantamax Pokemon and more! Your journey starts off like all the others meeting your newest professor and picking your starter Pokemon. The three wonderful pokemon you may choose from this time include: Scorbunny (Fire type) that some people say looks like a fire Trix Rabbit, Sobble (Water type) which seems to have varying moods, and then Grokey (Grass type) a cute little monkey that’s ready for adventure! Once you choose your Pokemon you head into the focus of the Galarian Region where you can explore the different areas containing all the different types of Pokemon from ice to steel, to dark, and more! Be careful though as some of these Pokemon are too high level for you to fight or capture first so pay attention to what you do!

Also a new feature you are introduced in this game is Gigantamax Raids, this is found in the town center also. If you choose you can ride your bike or walk up to one of the wishing wells that have red lights coming from them. Once you enter the well you began a Gigantamax battle, but not to worry your friends can help! A time counts down to where other trainers or friends can join you, if successful you get the chance to catch an oversized and overpowered version of the said Pokemon using a special Gigantamax version of the pokeball!



Story mode wise your journey is to pursue the different paths and areas to earn gym badges to become a Pokemon master and impress Chairman Rose so that you may enter the ultimate Pokemon tournament! Along your journey you may uncover some new mysterious Pokemon from this region so keep your eyes open and have plenty of pokeballs ready at all times! There is a twist to the story mode end, but that I will leave for you to unfold! Your overall goal is to capture the legendary for the game, these include: Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield) and then head into the tournament to prove your worth! The story mode is overall pretty fun, and depending on which version of the game is what will determine the path and Pokemon you will come across so choose wisely and make sure to work with friends to trade towards a full Pokedex!

The last feature of this game that we’d like to highlight is that Nintendo has also released DLC that will unlock two new regions onto your Galarian map! Again this will depend on what version you have, but either way this brings two new regions to life for you and lots of new local Pokemon! Along with new gyms to battle and badges to claim! This is exciting as these are the first ever Pokemon games to get DLC so make sure to take full advantage of these awesome add ons trainers!

One negative side to this game that trainers around found was that there was no regional Pokedex, but trainers around the world have come together to find ways to work around this! So keep your eyes posted and connections sharp!



Overall I’d give these games a great level of recommendation as the graphics are amazing, the story play is well thought out and fun, and overall this is a great addition the Pokemon collection I do feel!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

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#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #JRPG #Pokemon #TPC #GameFreak #Nintendo

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The Final Frontier...TWO!

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Developed by Granzella and published by NIS America, R-Type Final 2 is the latest game in the long-running R-Type series with updated gameplay mechanics and fresh new visuals. Is this new game as good as its predecessors? No, but it is a solid game in its own right and here's why:



The gameplay in R-Type Final 2 is fantastic even by sidescrolling Shoot em' up standards. There are plenty of game modes and options to give players quite a few ways to play the game. The game itself is more refined than its predecessors with additional upgrades, more responsive controlls, and more which makes the game feel fresh, and while the game has a decent amount of content, a huge chunk is also locked as paid dlc, which is rather unfortunate. The game also suffers from a bit of stuttering and several second loading times between deaths which is a bit jarring and lowers our overall score of the game by a bit.

As for the audio-visual presentation the game looks amazing with gorgeous level backgrounds, excellent ship and enemy models as well as great looking UI's and menus. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible and fits the mood of the game well as do the myriad of sound effects in the game!



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay, excellent controls, and a top-notch audio-visual presentation, R-Type Final 2 is an enjoyable romp through a new entry in a beloved series, however technical issues and long loading times hold this game back quite a bit. We still give R-Type Final 2 a solid level of recommendation despite its flaws!

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Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

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#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Granzella #NISAmerica #SHMUP

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Space Fish In 3-D!

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Developed by TAITO, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, G-Darius HD for the PS4 is a 3-D Polygonal arcade space shoot em' up in the long-running Darius series and the first one that was in 3-D. The original arcade release back in the 90's was amazing and while the PSOne port wasn't quite as good, it was still quite an enjoyable experience. Does this HD remaster live up to the previous iterations of the game? We think so, and we'll tell you why, so continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay in G-Darius HD, is jam-packed with a robust power-up system, dozens of types of enemies, branching level paths, and epic bosses and mid-bosses that are sure to provide a challenge to all players. The games' zones vary widely and add a ton of replayabilty to an already content rich game, which is always a good thing. The game also features alien ship capturing allowing players to capture enemies or even mid-bosses and add them as an ally!

The difficulty can be challenging, but is fair and as for the controls, they work exceptionally well. The game also features loads of cabinet settings, screen settings, and an assortment of widgets that can display various information regarding the game on-screen which is a nice touch!



The audiovisual presentation is fantastic with detailed environments, gorgeous 3-D enemies, and crazy special effects that are actually quite impressive for a game released back in the late-90's. The soundtrack is also extremely enjoyable and fits the game like a glove! The sound effects and other audio is just as pleasing to the ears as well!



Bottom-Line: With excellent gameplay with tons of replayabilty, great controls, and a top-notch audiovisual presentation, G-Darius HD for the PS4 is a superb remaster of one of the first 3-D scrolling shmups released in the arcades and the amount of customization adds to the replayabilty of the game! Overall we give G-Darius HD for PS4 a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

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#Review #TAITO #M2 #PRHound #ININ #SHMUP #Arcade #PS4 #Retail #PSN #Switch #eShop

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Let There Be Light...And Lots of Slimes!

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Published by Zordix and developed by Rock Square Thunder, The Lightbringer is a 3-D puzzle platformer with some light Zelda-esque gameplay elements that meld together in quite an enjoyable way! Is this enough to earn a recommendation from our crew? Yes, and here's why:



The story is pretty straightforward, slimes have taken over the world and our protagonist must salvage society by wrestling it back from the slimey overlords! Well that might be a bit of an embellishment, but it's quite a dark premise for such a cute game. The game utilizes isometric 3-D for its tight platforming, and occasionally mind-bending puzzles that really control well. Even the camera control is pretty well calibrated in this game which is always a good thing of course.

There are some items to collect, but the game doesn't really make collecting items a big focus. The battles are swift and fluid and you will fight many slimes! Slimes, Slimes with helmets, Slimes with spikes, giant Slimes, even Slimes in exploding barrels. The use of items and simple sword play feels truly at home on the Switch and is certainly heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda series. The game is fairly short though and can be beaten within 5-8 hours easily enough.



The audiovisual presentation in The Lightbringer is good, the graphics are nice to look at, the enemies are fairly detailed, the levels have nice looking layouts and designs, and the soundtrack is rather enjoyable as well, HOWEVER...nothing really stood out to us on either front, so despite being good the game won't stick with you in your memory for very long.



Bottom-Line: With a simple and enjoyable story, excellent gameplay with tight controls, and a good, albeit not overly memorable audiovisual presentation, The Lightbringer is a fun 3D isometric platformer that's both fun and challenging, however its short length is a bit of a letdown, that said we give The Lightbringer for the Nintendo Switch a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #TheLightbringer #Zordix #RockSquareThunder #3DPlatformer #Switch #eShop

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Monstrous Fun!

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Developed by Nihon Falcom Games and published by NIS America, YS IX: Monstrum Nox is the ninth main installment in the long-running YS series, ten if you count Ys Origins, but is this darker brother of the series worth a purchase? We think so and here's why:



The game has all the typical action-rpg goodness you've come to expect from the series with fast-paced battles, interesting and unique bosses, and a diverse cast of likeable characters. The formula is mostly intact including the raid battles from Ys VIII, but the puzzle-solving has been watered down quite a bit which isn't a good thing, but doesn't hurt the game that much either, much to our surprise. The story is incredibly dark this time around so expect some really sad moments during the game's 8 lengthy chapters!

The game is also a fair bit shorter than its predecessor clocking in at around 30 hours in length if you know what you're doing. The controls are quite responsive and easy to learn which is always a good thing, and the difficulty is fairly challenging even on the normal setting.



The audiovisual-presentation in YS IX is quite good with lush open-world regions, and fantastic special effects and character designs. The only downside visually is that the game doesn't quite look as impressive as its predecessor, YS VIII, but overall it's a really nice looking game. On the audio side of things, the voice acting is superb and the soundtrack is as good as you'd expect from a Nihon Falcom game, which is nothing short of perfection!

The Switch Difference:

There are two big things to take note about the Switch version of the game, and neither are particularly positive. First the frame-rate is quite bad on Switch, sometimes dropping to sub 20 FPS, but aside from those there are frequent smaller dips the cause the game to frequently stutter which is not great to be honest. The other issus is battery life in handheld mode which is quite bad. We only managed to get a paltry 1 hour and 35 minutes of play-time off of a full charge. These two issues definitely hurt the game's overall score, but it's still a worthwhile purchase if you don't own a PS4 or PS5.



Bottom-Line: With a dark and amazing story, excellent gameplay, solid controls and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, YS IX: Monstrum Nox is a nearly flawless action-rpg that is an absolute blast to play, however the Switch version has frame-rate issues and drains the battery quickly in handheld mode and as such We give the Switch version a good level of recommendation!

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Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

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#Review #YS #NihonFalcom #NISAmerica #PS4 #Retail #PSN #Switch #eShop #ActionRPG #JRPG

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