Oliver Reynolds

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 22, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Wytchwood is a crafting game, through and through - and a good one. It smartly puts its focus purely on the act of gathering materials to create a wide range of objects, with little else to distract from the core crafting mechanic. It's backed up by a great soundtrack and a reasonably well-told but ultimately forgettable tale as you trawl through the various areas searching for ingredients. Trying to locate specific items can at times feel exhausting and drags down the pacing of the game, and the gorgeous visuals are unfortunately hampered by a slight frame rate jitter. Ultimately though, Wytchwood is a relaxing and addictive jaunt into the world of crafting.

Push Square

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 17, 2021

Critic50/100

Agreement—

The survival mechanics feel remarkably similar to Breath of the Wild, with item management and weapon degradation taking centre stage. These are reasonably well implemented, but are at odds with the otherwise minimal nature of the game. The devs would have perhaps been wise to focus more on polishing up the boss battles, as these are the true stars of the show.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 17, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Let's Sing 2022 is a reasonably fun, reliable new entry to a series that continues to play it safe. There's a decent selection of songs on offer, but with a distinct lack of variety, the only other option is to purchase additional five-song packs, which feels a little bit icky. Truth be told, though, it's likely you'll already know whether or not Let's Sing 2022 is up your alley, and for those willing to take a shot on this latest entry, it does enough to provide plenty of fun and laughs - provided you're able to play with friends and family.

Push Square

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 14, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Ultimately, although there’s a distinct feeling of déjà vu when playing Aeterna Noctis thanks to its unmistakable similarities to Hollow Knight, it thankfully manages to nail the most important elements in a Metroidvania: exploration and combat.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 8, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Life is Strange: True Colors is the best game in the series so far, without a doubt. The town of Haven Springs is full of excellent characters, with Alex Chen herself being one of the best protagonists we've seen in some time. The game does suffer from some pretty severe visual downgrades with the Switch release, and some of the additional minigames left us feeling a bit cold. Nevertheless, developer Deck Nine has crafted a fantastic narrative that you'll be eager to see through to the very end. Reduced visual fidelity aside, Switch is a great place to experience True Colors.

Push Square

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 3, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Although the basic storyline may be largely nonsensical, you'll come across a nice selection of characters to assist on your travels, all of whom are fully voice acted with their own minor backstories. Nara and Forsaken often exchange pleasantries, but their conversations can sometimes come across a bit clinical, and would have benefited greatly from a bit of added humour.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 2, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Archvale is a triumphant bullet-hell/RPG genre mashup. Although you could argue its similarity to one or two recent releases, it trumps the competition with incredibly slick combat, simple and satisfying progression, and varied environments and enemies. The difficulty ramps up heavily as you progress to the later levels, so the inability to change difficulty on-the-fly may prove a bit of an issue for some players. Push through, however, and you'll find Archvale to be one of the most satisfying twin-stick games available right now.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 28, 2021

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Ultimately, Real Boxing 2’s gameplay falls way too short of the standard expected on a console like the Switch. Without the option to use the touch screen, attacking with the analogue stick feels clunky, with no weight behind the attacks. It makes the fights feel boring and a bit of a chore to get through. In addition, while the visuals look perfectly fine on smaller screens, pop your Switch into docked mode and it really highlights how janky some of the models and animations look.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 25, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The Wild at Heart borrows several of its mechanics from Nintendo IP, there's no question about that. This could have presented a bit of a problem had it not been for the exquisite visual style and presentation, not to mention Moonlight Kids' excellent execution of those mechanics. With a story that's equal parts amusing, intriguing, and emotional, alongside genuinely stunning 2D visuals, you'll be sucked into this world in no time. Minor frustrations with combat and loading times aside, this is an adventure you'll be glad you embarked on.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 18, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Epic Chef is heaped with charm and humour that will undoubtedly put a smile on your face as you start your life as Ambrosia's hottest chef. Unfortunately, while the cooking and farming mechanics are simple enough to grasp, the bloated nature of the game makes every task feel more arduous than it needs to be. Add to this the needlessly lengthy dialogue and bizarre limitations around the save function, and Epic Chef feels like a game that can't quite match up with the other life sims available on the Switch. It's not unenjoyable, just more Little Chef than MasterChef.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 13, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Airborne Kingdom is a perfectly fine city builder that puts a nice spin on the genre by focusing on weight and balance to ensure the survival of your community. The act of gathering resources and building structures feels easy, although some may wish for a bit more depth in the overall management of the city's population. A few gameplay quirks might also frustrate, with a camera that feels way too slow and a UI that's just a tad confusing at times. If you're after a city builder that feels a bit different, though, then this might just be the one for you.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 11, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

If you enjoy party games but aren't too keen on the board game mechanic seen in titles like Mario Party Superstars, then My Singing Monsters Playground offers up a more streamlined experience that focuses purely on the minigames themselves, which might prove perfect for families with younger gamers. If you're looking for a meatier experience, however, the lack of any overarching campaign harms the game's overall longevity. Frame rate struggles in some of the more chaotic minigames, but for the most part, developer Big Blue Bubble has cooked up a nice addition to the party genre here.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 3, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Demon Turf is a fantastic platformer that's held back from true greatness by sections of dull and repetitive combat. Push through this, however, and you've got a game that rewards daring and bravery, bolstered by wonderful platforming controls that let you string together incredible combos. The visuals are initially a bit jarring, but the character design really shines through and give it a timeless aesthetic. If you're a fan of 3D platformers from the 'golden' N64 era and beyond, this one is well worth a look.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 20, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Replaying the levels only serves to exacerbate a nagging feeling that A Little Golf Journey is simply too repetitive. When you move from one set of levels to the next, the visual design changes, with some courses looking genuinely beautiful. This doesn’t change the fact, however, that the terrain simply lacks variety throughout. The game clearly strives to provide a relaxing experience, but in doing so, it struggles to give much incentive to keep playing.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 11, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is an absolute triumph. The narrative and dialogue, which is already wonderfully compelling on its own, has been given a massive boost thanks to the excellent voice acting introduced for the Final Cut. The gameplay features a host of branching paths for you to explore, and while the slow, methodical approach may turn a few people off, this is nevertheless one of the most well-told stories in any medium from the last few years. The performance issues at the time of writing slightly took the shine off things - and we hope they're ironed out soon via updates - but even with them present, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut stands as one of the best RPGs available on Switch.