Lowell Bell

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Sep 1, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

As we haven't seen Rayman on the Nintendo Switch in quite some time, Rayman in the Phantom Show comes as a disappointment – especially when compared to Kingdom Battle's Donkey Kong Adventure. The lack of Rayman specific elements, the inability to play as Rayman in the base game, and the rehashing of old enemies and encounters, make this an adventure fit only for those that can't get enough of Sparks of Hope's great tactical battles.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·May 25, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

We still have a lot of adventuring left to do in New Wirral, and we're in no way upset about it. More monsters to record and remaster, a few more mysteries to uncover, characters to grow fond of, and about 13,970 more fusions to see. Some (hopefully pre-launch-only) performance issues, wonky balance, and overly complex battle mechanics did little to affect how much we enjoyed Cassette Beasts. In fact, it's one of the better monster-battling games not starring a little electric rodent that you can enjoy on your Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·May 18, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

If you're itching for some classic action platforming with a Mega Man flavour, Bat Boy will satisfy. It has a fun sports theme, some great tunes, and vibrant levels to navigate. As fans of that genre, we enjoyed most of our time with it outside of a few sudden spikes in difficulty and a handful of bugs – particularly one that lost us progress if we dared to use the pause menu. A patch or two post-launch might alleviate these issues, but in its current state, Bat Boy doesn't hit a home run - though it doesn't quite strike out, either.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Apr 27, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

There's a lot to like about Bramble: The Mountain King. Through its narration and fantastical environments, Dimfrost Studio does a great job at making you feel like you're taking part in an unsettling, if a little too long, fable laden with mythological creatures. The game's puzzle-platforming segments do nothing extraordinary, yet strike a nice balance between simplicity and challenge, and though the set camera and cumbersome movement can often get in the way, frequent checkpoints alleviate much of the frustration. However, depending on how much performance issues annoy you – stuttering, pop-in, frame rate drops – this is an adventure that might be best played elsewhere.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Apr 25, 2023

Critic70/100

Agreement—

While we did grow a little weary of the overwhelming amount to explore and backtrack through in Afterimage, we didn't grow tired of whacking its wide range of enemies, nor did its gorgeously hand-drawn environments - which Switch unfortunately struggles to do justice to when docked - ever disappoint. It's best experienced elsewhere if you're playing on a television, but if you primarily play your Switch handheld, Afterimage offers a lengthy, lovely-looking Metroidvania adventure.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Mar 29, 2023

Critic50/100

Agreement—

With a slick aesthetic, some great synthwave tunes, and intense cybercycling through dilapidated space tubes, Gripper gets a lot right and we enjoyed those parts of it. We can forgive repetitive voice acting, but the other half of the game - the arena boss battles - is egregiously frustrating. The main gripping mechanic fails to work far too often with so much happening on screen, leading to a difficulty level that requires grudging patience rather than player skill. Thus, by the end of the game, our patience for this sci-fi mashup of genres had run out.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Mar 22, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While our hopes for some secret, extra-hard levels or some post-credits challenge were quickly dashed, Storyteller features a small tease of the possibility of more in the future, and after just this short taste, we sincerely hope Benmergui and Annapurna give this clever premise a sequel.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Feb 27, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Meg's Monster is a one-of-a-kind adventure with a lot of heart, well worth a chunk of your weekend or to play for an hour or two before bed. Sure, some of it is predictable and the novelty of protecting Meg during battle fades near the end, but if you're anything like us, you won't want to put it down until you see how Roy's heartwarming adventure to reunite Meg with her mother concludes. You might even shed a tear or two while keeping the little girl safe.

Nintendo Life

Lowell Bell·Jan 18, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Despite the runtime being padded out by some meandering requests, A Space For The Unbound is a perfect little adventure title to curl up with on a rainy day. The myriad puzzles, while never overtly challenging, switch things up often enough to keep from growing tedious. At the same time, we wholeheartedly recommend it for its bittersweet, sombre narrative alone. It never veers too far into melancholic territory yet handles some heavy topics with grace. We didn't come away gloomy from the potentially depressing themes depicted via the wonderful inhabitants of this beautifully rendered snapshot of Indonesia. Rather, we came away genuinely touched and inspired.