Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 23, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Overall, Bring Them Home is a decent puzzler that manages to get the mind going and provides a decently chilled atmosphere. You'll likely find it repetitive, though, with its simple gameplay only going so far.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

The visuals are equally child-friendly and colourful, though nothing groundbreaking. If you’re looking for a puzzler to keep you entertained sporadically, and just so happen to like trains, you’ll find Conduct Together! an enjoyable, if fleeting, experience, whether you choose to conduct together, or alone.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Overall, Rain World is highly recommended as a piece of art, even just to check out its gorgeous visuals. Its gameplay is unforgiving, but not to the extent where it becomes unplayable. It certainly will take some devotion and time to get good at it, but with a world this beautiful, is that such a bad thing?

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Viviette is excellent at providing something different that takes the best elements of many different games to craft something fairly unique. Despite some minor gripes, it’s a brilliant single-player experience.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Overall, though, the blend of genres works nicely and the sheer array of variables will provide you with a good time testing out what works best for you.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

If you can get over the short length and are looking for a unique puzzler with great style, then Starman — waiting not in the sky, but on the eShop — is your man.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

All in all, OkunoKA isn’t recommended if you’re new to the platforming genre, or if you’re looking for a game to breeze through in an afternoon; instead, it provides a genuine challenge that is better suited to experienced players. Its addictive nature and smart physics make it a great compliment to your indie collection... if you think you’re hard enough.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Aug 22, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

To sum up, Mech Rage is a self-aware and amusing shoot 'em up that seems to relish parodying space marine tropes. It isn’t the best shmup out there — not by a long shot — but you might still find some fun with it.

Nintendo Life

Alana Hagues·Aug 19, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

When everything comes together, Mika and the Witch's Mountain is definitely far from the worst witch – the premise is pleasant, the visuals and art are cute, and short runtime means there's no fat that needs trimming. But it's almost completely unmemorable at every turn. Delivering parcels as a witch should be fun, but lacklustre characters and too much back-and-forth make this delivery service simply adequate.

Nintendo Life

Kate Gray·Aug 16, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

We didn't hate Elrentaros Wanderings' grindy dungeon-crawling gameplay. There are things to like, even if those moments are interspersed with long stretches of boring, repetitive enemy-bashing. There are hints of the trademark Rune Factory charm here and there, and the art is genuinely lovely, but this sparse action RPG feels like a new skin stretched far too thinly over the skeleton of a much better game.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Revolta·Aug 12, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Steamworld Heist II expands upon its predecessor's solid foundation, offering a more complex and ambitious experience that rewards patience and careful planning. While the increased difficulty and expanded mechanics may deter some players, those willing to invest time and tweak things to suit their preferences will find a deeply satisfying tactical adventure.

Nintendo Life

Em Stonham·Aug 9, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Playing through The Lullaby of Life was a joy, with plenty of challenging moments without feeling frustrating, and it feels perfectly at home on the Switch. Each chapter has its own distinct personality and the music adds a lot of soul to each new planet. If you enjoy quirky, unique puzzle titles with cute characters and interesting mechanics, this is a gem that needs to be in your library - one that's especially suited to handheld players with headphones, as the music really is beautiful.

Nintendo Life

Nile Bowie·Aug 8, 2024

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Bare Butt Boxing delivers short bursts of frantic and accessible fun with some clear room for improvement. Playing against real people will certainly elevate the experience, seeing how rudderless the game's CPU fighters are. But given how simplistically it controls and the sparse game modes on offer, we can't see it having the staying power to be anything more than a game night palate cleanser between rounds of more established, better party games.

Nintendo Life

Will Borger·Aug 8, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Its stability issues are minor qualms compared to everything Trinity Fusion does right. It looks good, plays well, has a great combat system, and nails the little things you need to get right to make a good, modern roguelite. And it runs well on the Switch, something nobody should take for granted given how old this hardware is, in this or any multiverse. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got to get back to it. Those enemies aren't going to air combo themselves.

Nintendo Life

Felix Sanchez·Aug 7, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

We're delighted that this game has made it to the West. And although performance and graphics aren't up to scratch, and the translation is a bit wonky in places, Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid still is very much a playable and enjoyable experience. The game teaches some genuinely valuable lessons and makes you think about life and how we must live it to its fullest. It's a game that shouldn't be rushed through, and the 25-45 minutes it takes to get through each day lends itself perfectly to the Switch. This game isn't for everyone - it's slow in many places and may test your patience - but if what you're looking for is a relaxing experience with lots of freedom and activities at your disposal, then we're sure you'll have a great summer with this one.