Oliver Reynolds

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·May 21, 2026

Critic70/100

Agreement100%

Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen is a substantial improvement over the last game, offering up a bunch of well-realised worlds to explore with charming visuals and engaging puzzles. It retains the essence of the original show, but thanks to the adorable narrative, Bluey and Bingo can finally break free from the overly-familiar TV locations.Repetition does quickly seep in thanks to the focus on collectibles, but I'd wager that younger audiences probably won't care about this too much. The lack of a proper co-op mode is a bizarre omission, however, and the experience would have definitely benefitted from voice acting throughout. Still, this is a fine effort from Halfbrick, and an easy recommendation for the summer break from school.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·May 19, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book isn't a bad game. There's a lot of fun to be had in discovering the many creatures hidden within Mr. E's pages, though it also suffers from a repetitive structure that doesn't evolve or provide any sense of meaningful challenge. Visually, it also lacks the punch that Woolly World and Crafted World offered, and it frankly looks pretty bad in handheld mode.If you've got young children who are eager to see more from Yoshi after catching him in the Mario Galaxy Movie, then this will provide a few hours' worth of fun while getting them used to basic platforming tropes. Otherwise, I'd probably recommend a Switch Online subscription to check out Yoshi's Island for the SNES.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 29, 2026

Critic50/100

Agreement—

With a patch or two, this one could be worth investigating, but for now, maybe stick to other platforms.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 22, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The star of the show, of course, is the music. Naturally, it leans heavily into typical ‘80s-themed synth tracks, but they all work wonderfully well, and I started bopping my head immediately. If you’re a fan of rhythm games in general, I’d urge you to give this a shot, but just be mindful that it can be pretty brutal, so be prepared to hit ‘continue’ a lot.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Mar 26, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement—

For the asking price, it's hard to find much to fault with Virtua Fighter 5 on Switch 2. The slick, 60fps gameplay is approachable enough for newcomers, but with layers upon layers of depth to uncover, dedicated fight fans will find plenty to enjoy.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 25, 2026

Critic90/100

Agreement100%

Resident Evil Requiem sets a new benchmark for a series that has been pretty consistently great for the last decade or so. By combining classic survival horror with the more action-focused gameplay of RE4, the result is an experience paced to perfection. Add in a lore-heavy narrative and copious easter eggs, and you've got what might be the ultimate expression of Resident Evil.There are a few minor visual hiccups along with some inconsistency in frame rate during busier moments, but the fact that we've got a brand-new flagship RE game running well on Switch 2 should be celebrated. The lack of a Mercenaries Mode feels like a missed opportunity, but I've got my fingers crossed that it eventually shows up.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 25, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The Disney Afternoon Collection is a delightful throwback to the '90s, offering up eight mostly great games across the NES and SNES. While you could potentially skip one or two, the lineup represents a particularly prolific period for Capcom, one in which licensed games were - contrary to much of the competition - actually worth your time and money.With a handy rewind feature and the sort of supplemental material you've come to expect from Digital Eclipse, this is a great compilation that deserves a second chance on Switch 1 and 2.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 17, 2026

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It’s still well worth your time, though, even if it doesn’t match up to the original. As for performance, everything runs perfectly fine on the Switch, with some lovely DS-inspired static images throughout along with excellent, mysterious music. Similarly, I experienced no hitches on the Switch 2, so if that’s your platform of choice, you’ll be fine there.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 9, 2026

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a fair series entry, but one that's tainted by poor pacing and a recasting controversy that simply didn't need to happen. The main story has a lot to offer, but it's also bloated with way too much side content getting in the way of the core narrative. Dark Ties feels like a nice antidote to this, but I'm not sure whether this alone would be worth the purchase for anyone but series die-hards.RGG Studio fixed some visual blemishes in time for launch, so that's good news. Unfortunately, it seems Kiwami 3 will forever be associated with the recasting of one of its main antagonists, a controversy that undeniably affected my personal enjoyment of the game. If that doesn't bother you, and if an overabundance of side content appeals, you could probably add a point to the scoreline.