Eric Bailey

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Mar 19, 2019

Critic60/100

Agreement—

When it's firing on all cylinders, The Princess Guide is a somewhat deep, satisfying action game with vibrant visuals and humorous, whimsical storytelling. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by trying to shove overengineered combat through a thick UX fog. After yet another "mission" that consists of moving on the map to intercept three enemy skirmishes to completion, a reasonable player might wonder: Is it worth $40 to praise-or-scold each Princess through a couple of hours of sword-swinging? This quirky game may meet the particular sensibilities of some, but others should probably pass on this one.

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Mar 11, 2019

Critic80/100

Agreement—

In a games market often trying to operate as either an endless buffet or a sticky-sweet dessert parlour, Valley is a satisfying meal that doesn't outstay its welcome.

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Feb 28, 2019

Critic70/100

Agreement—

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a faithful enhancement to the classic original. It might not satisfy those looking for their next big blockbuster or 'prestige indie' title as the design may feel somewhat dated, despite the game's own attempts to obfuscate the obsolete with the arbitrary. This funky, distinctive game should please the nostalgic while being unique enough to attract, and satisfy, the curious. Details such as the exhaustive documentation and varying minigames definitely show some heart in the development. Ultimately, this is a package that is designed to appeal to pre-existing fans rather than create entirely new ones, but if you're a fan of this kind of game and don't mind the odd spot of randomness, then you should give it a try.

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Feb 12, 2019

Critic70/100

Agreement—

The King's Bird is a tightly designed precision platformer whose gameplay loop consists of retrying the same frustrating areas until reaching the satisfaction of conquering them. Lather, rinse, repeat. The moments of flying through a dreamscape and sticking the landing are a true delight, at least. For fans of hard-mode platformers, this may arrive as a welcome treat and worth sinking a handful of hours into for that sweet payoff, but those with other tastes may want to keep looking elsewhere.

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Jan 29, 2019

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Mages of Mystralia's spellcrafting system is a distinctive, signature mechanic. The appeal of the game lies in keeping things just interesting enough to compel the player forward in a colourful setting – finding new runes to unlock new spell possibilities, dropping new story beats to bread-crumb the fantasy plot along. Rewarding puzzles and memorable bosses round out an enjoyable adventure that, even at a leisurely pace, can be explored in under 10 hours, but Mages of Mystralia really could have used some tweaking in its travel and combat, and ends up feeling merely good, rather than great.

Nintendo Life

Eric Bailey·Jan 16, 2019

Critic80/100

Agreement—

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a dazzling explosion of stylistic presentation and compelling strangeness. This might go down as “EarthBound for a new generation,” and much like EarthBound, the quality is difficult to score, since it is based less on the precision of design and more on an intangible, heartfelt payoff. While some gamers may not see anything special going on here, YIIK will likely really resonate with some players. If a Weird Stuff RPG appeals to you, strap in and prepare for a wild ride. Surreal themes aside, if you're simply looking for an RPG experience on the Switch with far-out visuals, YIIK should satisfy your turn-based desires.