Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jul 27, 2022

Critic100/100

Agreement—

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a genuine masterpiece and the highlight of Monolith Soft's superb series thus far. There's an emotionally-charged and surprisingly edgy epic to get stuck into here, a sprawling and hugely engaging narrative populated by a cast of unforgettable characters that's backed up by some of the very best combat we've had the pleasure of getting to grips with in this genre to date. Over 100 hours into this one, we're as captivated now as we were when we first booted it up and it has more than delivered every bit of the adventure, emotion, and action that its key art promised it might. Aionios awaits, it's time to seize the future.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jul 27, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Omori isn't a game that we would say is for everyone, but it's the kind of thing that seems like it will deeply resonate with its intended audience. If you're looking for a funny, sad, creepy, and downright disorienting RPG adventure, Omori is something you won't want to miss. The memorable narrative, offbeat sense of style, and high replayability make this one easy to recommend, even if the plot pacing can feel sluggish and the combat doesn't always deliver on its potential. We think Omori is an experience that's worth your time; give it a shot if you want to try something a little different.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jul 27, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The game runs near-flawlessly on Switch aside from a few levels near the end (that being said, you’ll be in slo-mo for the majority of the game anyway). However, the two biggest issues with the game rear their heads here. Games like this typically have near instantaneous restarts to ensure the action is always moving. Severed Steel’s load times aren't obnoxiously long by any means, but just long enough to add to the frustration of losses. The other (and biggest) issue is the complete lack of gyro-aiming, which — especially for a game this fast-paced — feels like a large oversight. But still, we’re talking about a game where you can throw your gun at someone, slo-mo, dive over their head, steal another from their back pocket, then blast them with it. Which is pretty rad.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jul 23, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Redout 2 more satisfying the longer you stick with it. It’s hard to recommend if you’re looking for something to pick up and play, though, and — especially on Switch — the lack of local multiplayer is a real disappointment.

Nintendo Life

Alana Hagues·Jul 21, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Live A Live has been well worth the long wait. This remake reintroduces an influential, unique JRPG to the wider world with aplomb, with a cacophony of different gameplay styles, music, and visuals that somehow hang together beautifully. Despite looking like Octopath Traveler and perfecting the HD-2D visual style, you'd do well to remember that this is still a Super Famicom RPG, with many of the frustrations that come with ‘90s RPGs still intact in this remake. Still, we admire that Square Enix decided not to change too much with this remake, instead delivering an authentic and faithful update to the game that the majority of players outside Japan missed nearly three decades ago. This is a piece of gaming history we have loved getting to experience for the first time.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jul 20, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Bright Memory: Infinite is a short but could-be-much-sweeter shooter, and a hard one to recommend. It's glitchy, it has an incoherent story that ends abruptly, the AI is inconsistent, and the whole thing is over in just about two hours. And yet, in spite of all of that, we still had fun due to its strong core gameplay and frankly, ridiculous story and setpiece moments. For a game made by just one person, it has a really solid foundation and some impressive production values despite the glitches. However, it desperately needs further iteration to be worthy of recommendation for anyone outside of a select few.

Nintendo Life

Roland Ingram·Jul 16, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

One challenge for the graphic adventure has always been how to meld puzzles, which are essentially abstract snippets of logic, with telling a story, which essentially needs to flow, without stopping to do sudokus 'round every corner. Growbot makes its most common puzzle part of the world, with its flower-based music mechanic, and the art makes everything look like there’s a story behind it. Unfortunately, that appearance of story is only skin-deep, and the puzzles hang oddly on the bare frame of a plot. Outside the musical sequencing, there are some infuriating blockers – especially when doing contrived things with contrived items for contrived reasons. That Goldilocks sweet spot of difficulty that makes the player feel in control proves too elusive, but there's melodious, mechanical enjoyment to be had here if you're not fussed about story.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jul 14, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

XEL takes many of its cues from the Zelda franchise, with combat and puzzles that keep things interesting throughout as well as a charming, fun cast of characters. However, technical glitches in the Switch version make it difficult to enjoy at launch. There is the potential for a great game in here, possibly after a hefty patch to fix some of the bugs, but despite its obvious promise it fails to live up to its potential in its current state.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jul 14, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

As long as you're okay with its unreasonable lack of online functionality and screen filter niggles, there are hundreds of hours of fun to be had with Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium. 32 mostly excellent games and another historically notable preservation piece, it recalls the essence of what an arcade felt like. Achieving that feeling, however brief, will be enough to justify a purchase for those with an affinity for gaming's rich history.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jul 13, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Spidersaurs is a fun ride while it lasts, as well as a strong love letter to Contra, all delivered with WayForward's signature style. While it is very short and suffers from some minor issues following its transfer from Apple Arcade to consoles, it's still a good time and a strong purchase for anyone itching for some classic run-and-gun action.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jul 13, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Make no mistake, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is the best way to currently play these two platforming classics and Namco has done a decent job of presenting these titles in the best possible light. With around 25 hours of dreamy, retro-styled platforming contained in this package, Klonoa veterans and younger platforming fans will find lots to love in the whimsical worlds and puzzle-platforming level design on offer here. Some performance issues aside, it's tough not to fall in love with this duology. Catch it when you can.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jul 13, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Although we may sound quite negative when discussing the game, FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch really is worth playing; it just has so much potential that it doesn't quite reach. It rides on the cusp of greatness so often, while not quite making it over the hurdle. We can't wait to play a sequel because if it was iterated on, FIST could be something really special. Sadly, due to the technical issues associated with this Switch version such as the unbearably long load times, it's let down even further. Overall, a promising foundation that we hope leads to better things in the future.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jul 13, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Time on Frog Island is a charming and intriguing game, but whether it's an enjoyable one will very much depend on how you approach it. The silly frog characters and the little society they've developed can be cool to interact with, and there are plenty of surprises to be had as you get deeper into the trade network, but the deeper in you get, the more Time on Frog Island turns into a one-trick pony. Running errands for frogs is good for a little bit, but the lack of a map or any effective means of managing requests means that even this sole task is made needlessly more difficult. We'd give this game a light recommendation, as the chill vibes and the charming atmosphere do a great job of making Time on Frog Island worthwhile, but bearing in mind its frustrations, you might want to wait for a sale.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jul 13, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Rabbids: Party of Legends is a fun, polished party game that can soak up a few hours if you have enough people willing to jump in and out. The visuals feel unique within the Rabbids franchise while still capturing the charm and personality fans will expect. The slow progression of unlocking new games in Party Mode, the lack of online play, and the fact that the game is almost unplayable in Tabletop Mode hold this title back from being truly worth the asking price, though.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jul 8, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Little Noah is a game that we can easily recommend, but with the caveat that it's not really special in any way. The quality of the combat and the design of the progression systems make it clear that the developers are big fans of roguelites and understand what makes them alluring, but Little Noah is rather light on its own ideas. Sometimes that's enough; not every game needs to reinvent the wheel, and Little Noah certainly feels like it deserves credit for how effectively it delivers on the roguelite formula. This may not be a game to rush out and buy right away, then, but keep an eye on this one and have it in mind when you feel like snapping up another roguelite. If you're after a solid 'one of those', it's well worth your time and money.