Mitch Vogel

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 17, 2023

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Octopath Traveler II is a triumphant and confident follow-up to its predecessor, building on the established foundation with welcome new ideas and tweaks that make for an overall excellent experience. A strategic combat system, open-ended character progression, well-written stories, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible soundtrack all coalesce into one of the finest RPGs available on Switch to date. Though it may be more of the same, Team Asano demonstrates mastery of its craft at every turn here. We'd give Octopath Traveler II a high recommendation to anybody looking for a beautiful new RPG to add to their Switch collection.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Feb 15, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

We're admittedly a little mixed on Tales of Symphonia Remastered. Though the story is compelling, the character building is satisfying, and there's lots of content to experience, Bandai Namco's near-nonexistent efforts to scrub out the rough edges of this 20-ish year old game definitely hold it back from greatness. Things like the stiff combat, dated visuals, and awkward writing limit the appeal here, which makes this remaster feel like a missed opportunity. It's easier to recommend this to those who have nostalgia for the original and want to relive those memories, but it's tough to say whether newcomers should pick it up. This is far from the best action RPG on the Switch, and it's arguably not even the best Tales game on the Switch. We'd give this one a light recommendation as its positives do outweigh its negatives, but with the caveat that you should probably wait for a deep sale or buy it used. There are much better RPGs to play on the Switch today, and this one doesn't quite deserve a spot near the top of your list.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 30, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is a triumphant and varied 3D platformer that no fan of the series or the genre will want to miss. It's not the game that'll change your mind if 3D collectathon-style games aren't your thing, but it demonstrates at every step that it's not just some half-hearted cash-in. Focused level design, lots of gameplay variety, tight controls, and a charming cast voiced by the original voice artists all combine to make this one of the best SpongeBob games yet. Though it's occasionally let down by performance issues, we'd still give this one a strong recommendation to anyone who likes a 3D platformer and a Krabby Patty.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 17, 2023

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Over ten years later, Persona 4 Golden remains a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing RPG that, for the most part, has stood the test of time. Although its visuals might be a bit dated, the gameplay and story presented here do more than enough to justify the purchase, while all the tweaks and additions that came with this 'Golden' edition round out most of the rougher edges from the initial PS2 release. If you're looking to give the Persona series a shot, Persona 5 Royal is a good place to start, but P4G is an excellent entry in the series and one that we would recommend you pick up when you can.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 17, 2023

Critic70/100

Agreement—

P3P remains an enjoyable JRPG, but we would say this is easily the most skippable of the mainline Persona games on Switch at present. An engrossing story and well-balanced gameplay loop easily justify a purchase, though things like Tartarus' repetitive floors, the visual novel presentation, and the lack of FES content hold this one back from the heights its successors reached. We'd give P3P a recommendation, though only after having played both P4G and P5R, and only if you still find yourself needing more Persona in your life. This is still a great installment for Persona fans and will be best appreciated by players who have that contextual series knowledge, but its rougher edges may put others off.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 11, 2023

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Those of you who just want a straight, no-nonsense twin-stick shooter will find a lot to love about Lone Ruin, while those looking for a more ambitious project may want to look elsewhere. Tight controls, dark aesthetics, tough-but-fair gameplay, and a diverse collection of weapons and upgrades all come together to make this one a worthwhile purchase, with the caveat that it's also about as basic as a twin-stick shooter can get, which limits its staying power somewhat. We'd give Lone Ruin a light recommendation for anyone who considers themselves a twin-stick fan, though this may perhaps be one to wait for a sale.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 30, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Compared to the unexpected highlight that was Golf Story, Sports Story is damningly mediocre. Although the writing is as good as ever and the visuals have received a nice upgrade, the performance issues, tedious fetch quests, and occasionally confusing gameplay all hold this one back quite a bit. Despite its shortcomings, there's certainly still an enjoyable game on offer here, but you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth the negatives, especially given that the Switch eShop is lousy with great games these days. If you loved the original, you'll likely find Sports Story to be a fun-enough follow-up, but there's no denying that it feels like quite a letdown after years of waiting. Assuming Sidebar can sort out the worst of the technical issues, we'd give Sports Story a light recommendation to anyone looking for a quirky take on a sports RPG, but this one doesn't deserve a spot at the top of your list.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 15, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Chained Echoes is a wonderful mash-up of '90s JRPG tropes, masterfully woven together to produce an experience that feels simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. A well-paced story, unconventional progression system, tactical combat system, and expansive world all come together to make for a game that is shockingly one of the very best RPGs that we've played this year. Really, there's no place where it feels like Chained Echoes drops the ball, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the vast majority of it was put together by one person. If you consider yourself a fan of JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up as soon as possible. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, we'd still encourage you to snap this one up; it stands as a shining example of everything that makes RPGs great.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 12, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is everything that we hoped this remake would be. It takes a great game once shackled to handheld-only hardware and brings it forth to a new generation with a fresh coat of paint. Though some may be put off by its mission-based gameplay structure or the sometimes ridiculous writing, its excellent combat, gorgeous presentation, and heartfelt narrative combine to make this one that no RPG fan will want to miss out on, especially those who were fans of Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a fantastic addition to the Switch's ever-growing library of great RPGs, we'd advise you to give this one a go.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 2, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Warp Drive feels like it's a strong predecessor to what could be a great sequel someday. Its high-speed, strategic approach to racing is a joy to play when the FPS slowdown isn't getting out of hand, and its art style feels like something truly distinct in the 'kart' racing genre. If it weren't for a collection of some important misses-like the awkward item usage or the instability of multiplayer-this one could be a real winner. Even as is, it's still a game that we would recommend you pick up when there's a deep enough sale. There's enough single-player content to keep you busy for a while and even if it disappoints, Warp Drive can be quite fun once you get into it.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 28, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

The Knight Witch seems to occupy a unique niche on the Switch eShop - there's really nothing else quite like it. It's not the best shmup nor is it the best Metroidvania we've experienced, but its fusion of many core ideas in those genres is interesting and worthwhile. The adventure feels perfectly paced, the action is snappy, and though there are missteps here and there, they shouldn't disqualify The Knight Witch from your attention. If you're looking for a Metroidvania that mixes things up a bit - and you haven't been utterly burned out on the genre - we'd suggest giving this a look.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 18, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

RWBY: Arrowfell is a fine enough game, but it also feels like the kind of thing you might've discovered on Newgrounds back when Flash games were popular. Elements like the shallow combat and tacked-on skill point system don't feel properly fleshed out, and repetitive environments and bland level design tend to get tiresome as the campaign wears on. We'd give this game a light recommendation if you're a big fan of Wayforward's other work in 2D action games and are looking for something in that vein, but even then, you may want to wait for a sale here. There are certainly much, much worse games than RWBY: Arrowfell to be found on the Switch eShop, but we think your time and money are better spent on, well, better games.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 11, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a seminal and still-enjoyable SRPG that manages to respectfully hold its own against the many descendants it now exists alongside. Though some elements of its design feel a little archaic, its deeply political and branching narrative, orchestrated soundtrack, and solidly built strategic combat all come together to make for a worthwhile experience. Visually, this version is disappointing, and we wouldn't say Reborn is one to rush out and buy immediately, but if you're a sucker for strategy and want to experience an influential classic with some mod cons thrown in, we'd suggest you keep this on your watchlist.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 7, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Harvestella could be described as one of the best 'good' games you'll play this year. Its performance issues and rather simplistic mechanics hold it back from being great, but its quest design, dungeon exploration, and successful fusion of very distinct gameplay mechanics make it quite compelling all the same. That launch day $60 price tag feels a little high for what's on offer here, but this is absolutely a title that we'd recommend farm sim fans buy when the inevitable sales start to crop up. Harvestella may not be a challenger to Stardew Valley's crown, but it does enough to distinguish itself as a worthwhile experience anyway.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 3, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Prodeus is the kind of game that knows exactly what it wants to do and executes that vision flawlessly. It's not complicated and it's nothing you haven't seen before, but every inch of this experience was clearly crafted with passion and talent. The intense firefights, expansive arsenal, metal music, and sprawling level designs all come together to make Prodeus feel like a game that's just the right mix of retro and modern. If you have ever been a fan of Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, or any of the indie boomer shooters of the last few years, you owe it to yourself to give Prodeus a shot. Even if you haven't much been into the genre before, we'd say this is an excellent place to jump in and see what it's about. Wherever you stand, we'd give Prodeus a strong recommendation; this is absolutely worth both your time and money.