Mitch Vogel

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 29, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Shantae is a product of its time, which can be both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, this old Game Boy Color game displays an ambition and quality that outpaced many other games of its time and it easily stands as one of the best releases for that retro platform. On the other hand, it is still a game from 2002, and showcases many of the game design shortcomings one would expect from that time. It's not a bad game by any means, then, but this is easily a game that we can only really recommend to longtime fans who are curious where Shantae got her start. If you don't fall into that camp, we'd recommend you pick up one of the later releases and maybe come back to this one later on.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 26, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Trails of Cold Steel IV is the climax that fans of the series deserve, comprehensively delivering on its promise as the end of a saga while setting up future plotlines that are sure to affect the lore in all kinds of fascinating ways. That said, this is also a rather weird game to recommend. Newcomers absolutely should not play this game first, given that it's a concluding chapter to an ongoing saga years in the making. Longtime fans, on the other hand, don't need any convincing, as they're going to get this game if they've already invested the hundreds of hours of legwork that set it up. Assuming that's you, Trails of Cold Steel IV is a spectacular RPG experience that no fan of the genre will want to miss out on, and we can comfortably say that it's worth your time.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 22, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Much like its predecessors, Picross S6 is little more than a glorified level pack. But, that’s okay. The addictive nature of its core gameplay is as strong as ever, and those who are hooked will be pleased to know that there’s another ten to twenty hours of new content to chew through. If you’ve still got a few of the past entries in your backlog, we’d recommend you hold off until you’re sure you want even more puzzles to solve; there’s nothing new or exciting here that you’re missing. If you’re a newcomer, however, this is as good a place as any to jump in.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 14, 2021

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Godstrike in many ways feels like an early access game. There are glimpses of a better game in here somewhere, but the overall unpolished feel of its design and presentation really drag down the otherwise solid controls. Revising (or removing) the time mechanic and honing in on a more distinctive art style could've made this one a tentative recommendation but, as it stands, that's impossible. If you want a good boss rush game with similar gameplay, we'd recommend you pick up Furi; if you're looking for a good shmup, there's no shortage of those to be found on Switch. Either way, we wouldn't bother with this one unless you've exhausted all other options.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Mar 29, 2021

Critic30/100

Agreement—

We're not going to mince words here, Balan Wonderworld is a waste of your time. Monotonous level design, awful performance, and shallow gameplay combine to make for an experience that is simply not fun to play. It may look pretty (when it's framerate isn't chugging), but there simply isn't enough good content here to justify your time or money, and this is doubly true when you take into account that this is a full-priced retail release. If you're looking for a good 3D platformer for your Switch, this most definitely isn't it.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Mar 25, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

All in all, Overcooked! All You Can Eat is an absolute must-buy for anybody looking for a fantastic party game to play with friends. The wacky visuals and chaotic gameplay make it an ideal game for local co-op, and there's plenty of content to work through. Across the entire series so far, Team17 and Ghost Town Games have explored a lot of cool ideas via DLC content, and ensured that each expansion had unique theming and gameplay mechanics. Considering that all of this is offered in addition to the stellar base campaign in both games, Overcooked! All You Can Eat really stands as a no-brainer. Overcooked 2 alone is one of the very best local co-op games you can currently buy for the Switch, and if you've been looking for that next game to play when you have friends over, look no further than this. The only downside is that those who have already dipped into either title (or both) won't find a massive amount of new stuff here, outside of the exclusive "Peckish Rises" expansion.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 18, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Cathedral is a well-made and enjoyable action-platformer that's sure to please fans of the genre, as it showcases lots of strong level design, tough difficulty, and plenty of rewarding secrets. Even so, there's a sense that something is missing here to take the experience a step higher, as it's the epitome of 'just' another entry in an already crowded genre. All the same, we'd give Cathedral a recommendation to anybody who enjoyed Shovel Knight (or its many imitators) and is looking for something to hit that same appeal. Cathedral very likely won't be your favourite action-platformer, but it's got more than enough going for it to be worth your time and money.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 12, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

UnderMine is a ridiculously easy game to recommend. If you are at all a fan of roguelite games, you owe it to yourself to pick this up at your earliest convenience. UnderMine demonstrates clear mastery in its overall design, controls, upgrade systems and presentation, which all come together to make for a thoroughly engrossing experience. The one caveat is that those of you who are sick of roguelites won't find anything to change your mind here; if you fall in that camp, it's perhaps best to take a pass, even if you're essentially missing out on one of the best examples of the whole genre. Otherwise, we'd give UnderMine a high recommendation; this is absolutely worth your time.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 3, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Redout: Space Assault isn't a bad game by any means, it just isn't an exceptional one either. This is a bargain bin game, the kind of thing that's worth a few hours of your time after you've picked it up on a deep sale. Intense shooting action and outstanding visuals languish in the shadow of repetitive design and generally shallow gameplay, making for an experience that's just pretty good once all is said and done, but hardly something that's going to top genre lists at the close of 2021. If you like Star Fox and are simply desperate for something to fill that void, this may be a good buy right away. Otherwise, wait it out and maybe play this one a while down the road.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 31, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

There's no denying that Tadpole Treble Encore isn't for everybody, as it's a rather short entry in what is traditionally a niche genre. Even so, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on this adorable experience. Tadpole Treble Encore is a thoroughly well-paced and enjoyable adventure, one which is supported by solid game design and excellent audiovisual presentation. If you missed out on this on the Wii U or find yourself itching for a worthwhile rhythm game for your Switch library, we'd urge you to pick this up as soon as you can. If you're one of the few who played this on Wii U, we'd still say it's worth your time to double dip, just bear in mind that it's not a massively overhauled experience.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 26, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

If you consider yourself a fan of retro action platformers, you owe it to yourself to pick up Cyber Shadow whenever possible. It's clear in virtually every facet of Cyber Shadow's design that this project was a labour of love and that its designer is intimately familiar with what makes the stalwarts of this beloved genre so great. Well-built levels, authentic presentation, tight controls and a high difficulty all combine to make this a supreme and focused experience, and one that we can easily say is well worth your time. Mechanical Head Studios has set a high bar with its inaugural debut, and we can't wait to see more from this developer.