Digimon Survive is one of the best visual novels to come out so far this year, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and presented characters that deal with life-and-death situations will enjoy the ride, while players focused on the combat will probably find that the game comes up short. Despite its sluggish, padded start, Digimon Survive is well worth the long wait.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the strangest thing you'll play from Nintendo, bringing with it laughs and creativity in abundance. But even with improvements over the 3DS game, it follows a familiar structure that isn't always enthralling or hilarious.Tomodachi fans will certainly be living the dream with this new entry, but I'm not desperate to keep coming back to my island. A little more variety would've been welcome, but the customisation, and the thought of my cat being best friends with DMC's Dante, will have me peep in every so often for a little pick-me-up.
For those longing for a time when side-scrolling shooters ruled the roost, Blazing Chrome is exactly what you're looking for. Perfect for short sessions, its slick gameplay and old-school art direction make for an astonishingly fun game full of explosions, epic set pieces and spectacular boss battles. Its brutal difficulty may not be for everyone, but if you're up for the challenge, then get ready for one of the most accomplished 2D action titles in years.
Another Sight does possess some attractive qualities. There's an interesting story and a strong enough central character to hold it all together. Meeting some famous faces from the Victorian era of technological advancement is a nice touch, but these moments are few and far between. Most of the time you'll be wrestling with a needlessly clunky set of platforming mechanics and some repetitive level designs and not overly creative puzzles. The visual impairment gimmick does work to an extent, but you get the impression this would have worked much better as a local co-op experience rather than as a solo adventure.
Stranger Things 3: The Game isn't going to set any gold standards for video game tie-ins, but it does a fine job of capturing all the elements that have made the TV show such a phenomenon. Exploring Hawkins and interacting with the wider cast is really going to appeal to fans of the franchise, but the repetitive quest designs and unremarkable combat can make it a bit of a slog if you've yet to catch the Stranger Things bug. Still, thanks to its appealing visuals, accessible gameplay and atmospheric synthwave soundtrack, there are arguably many worse ways to spend your summer.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a 'Walking Simulator' that doesn't just tell an unforgettable story – it's genuinely unforgettable. As tragic as its tale is, it always manages to entertain. As one section ends and as you fight back tears, you'll always carry on, because the next story is as engrossing as the last. If you want a strong feature-length story that doesn't waste a minute, Edith Finch is the one you need.
We're aware that screenshots of Lucah: Born of a Dream really don't do the game justice. That aesthetic is going to put off some potential new players, but look past the purposefully jagged looks and there's something far more palatable beneath. With its slick and deep combat system and the unashamedly bleak nature of its allegorical story, Lucah uses its visuals to help bolster its unique identity and stand apart amid considerable RPG company on Nintendo Switch. Sure, it can be a little frustrating to navigate in places, but it's a small price to pay for the elements that shine bright elsewhere in the darkness.
Heartwarming; that’s the word to describe Dream Daddy. It’s a feelgood game, from its tongue-in-cheek Dream Weaver-esque theme tune to its message of acceptance and generally being excellent to one another.
There's no doubt that Graveyard Keeper is a fun game every now and again; there are bright nuggets of gold sporadically hidden within it. It's the video game equivalent of Now, That's What I Call Music: you get it for a few good hits and deal with the fluff in-between. However, if you're looking for a strong competitor to Stardew Valley or Rune Factory, this doesn't quite hit the mark.
Psyvariar Delta truly is a comprehensive package that combines all the features from both Medium Unit and Revision, giving the player the chance to customize the experience in a way that has never been possible in prior releases. Add in the graphical upgrade, Tate support (which is perfect for the Flip Grip, by the way), an exclusive level, a new optional character to use and smooth performance either docked or portable, and this becomes a must-have for any Switch-owning shooter fan; however, casual players or those who simply aren't fans of the genre may find the focus on high scores and short length off-putting.
Q-YO Blaster is a great little tribute to Parodius, filled with inventive enemies and brilliantly designed boss battles. Its gameplay is solid and addictive with a beautiful art-style reminiscent in places of the mighty Cuphead. It's short and sweet for sure, but it's got lots of replayability and is perfect for whipping out for a quick blast on quick journeys and, all in all, is yet another cracking addition to the Switch's ever-growing roster of top quality shmups.
Having shaken off the free-to-play nature of its origins – Yamada had a set amount of stamina on mobile, meaning he could only code his game for a certain amount of time each day – Dandy Dungeon embraces all of the brilliant little quirks that make it a great game in its own right.
Mainlining fails to really provide any interesting commentary on its chosen subject matter, revelling instead in caricatures we’ve all experienced a hundred times before; stuff you’ll have seen done better in any Grand Theft Auto game that has parody websites involved. Its gameplay too often degenerates into trial-and-error and lacks any sort of consequences for the player getting things wrong, which renders the whole investigative process pretty much pointless.
Overall, polish and craftsmanship elevate a lightweight but amusing story to something that really stands out. For visual novel freshmen, it could even be your first crush.
Citizens of Space is a measured step up over its predecessor, and we hope that Eden Industries will continue this upward momentum with whatever project is coming up next.
