Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 26, 2018

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Both Night Alone and Midnight Shadows offer a survival horror experience built more on the management of building dread and approaching threats, although both do occasionally indulge in cheap (yet effective) jump scares and uses of gore. However, for all its potency, Yomawari: The Long Night Collection's design too often boils down to a repetitive cycle of evasion and exploration, and with a difficulty that's too high for a game built on obtuse layouts and one-shot kills, it can quickly become an exercise in both fear and frustration.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 25, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle doesn't stray too far from the template of Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut, it does offer some much-needed adjustments to its gory puzzle formula. With 12 chapters to work your way through and 150 different scenes to drench in gore, plenty of costumes to unlock, and all manner of implements to wield (complete with grisly death animations), this cartoonish puzzler offers a fitting way to ring in Halloween on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Life

Ryan Craddock·Oct 24, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Pinstripe is a beautiful creation in every sense of the word, pulling on your heartstrings like only your favourite storybook can, while competently providing a good deal of fun along the way. It's a little on the short side, both in terms of length and challenge (we only saw the 'game over' screen once thanks to reaching the final boss with very little health), but a game's length really isn't everything. It's what a game does in the few hours it spends with you that really counts, and Pinstripe does some pretty great things, making it an easy title to recommend.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 24, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While the introduction of microtransactions is hardly surprising considering the history of its new publisher, they don't hit NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 as hard as might expect. It will take you a while to grind out every player (unless you just buy them all from the off), but it helps that the core arcade gameplay remains as fun and enjoyable as ever. It doesn't quite capture the blissful mayhem of NBA Jam, but if the main NBA 2K series has always felt a little too realistic for you, this larger-than-life spin-off offers a bright and empowering way to defy gravity like Air Jordan himself.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 23, 2018

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Super Hyperactive Ninja is a great example of what happens when good concepts meet bad implementation; the coffee theme and Hyperactive Mode are both interesting things that could have potential if explored properly, but Super Hyperactive Ninja doesn't do so. Cheap level design, uninspired visuals, and poor controls make this a game that's difficult to recommend, but moments of enjoyable gameplay can still be found for those who look hard enough. Even so, there's no shortage of excellent platformers on the eShop at the moment, so you'd be best served passing on this one. If you're looking for a challenging, retro-inspired side scrolling ninja game, go play The Messenger instead.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 22, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

As you'd expect, LEGO DC Super-Villains doesn't make many attempts to change up the formula that's served it so well for so long, but with a vast library of well-applied and famous baddies to draw from it offers a far more engaging and memorable story than the stretched-too-thin LEGO The Incredibles. However, with a brilliant cast on hand (can anyone really compare to Hamill's Joker?), a vast sandbox hub and all the customisation options you could want in Danish brick form, this familiar playground still has bags of charm.

Nintendo Life

Jon Mundy·Oct 22, 2018

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Zarvot offers the kind of tight arcade-shooter action that lends itself well to epic local competitive scraps; what we have here is a charming, eclectic package that goes all-out to appeal to both solo and social players. It's perhaps a little too scattershot in its mixture of styles and tones, and not all of its ideas hit the target, but there's a whole lot of heart and humour to Snowhydra's little box of tricks, and that goes a long way.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 19, 2018

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is a valiant attempt to cut away some action-RPG fat in order to get to the meat of its boss battles, but a lack of consistent quality makes this boss-rush concept a frustrating experience at times (and not for the reasons its developer likely intended). The combat lacks the heft of the series that inspired it, so while Sinner looks much like the Souls games, it never captures (or innovates upon) that familiar combat model. There are some great boss designs to take on here, but this is very much a curio for Souls fans who want something to do in-between playing the vastly superior Dark Souls: Remastered.

Nintendo Life

Gavin Lane·Oct 17, 2018

Critic60/100

Agreement—

It's not for everyone, but Warriors Orochi 4's multitudinous hordes can be pleasurable to sweep through, despite the game feeling by-the-numbers in many ways. This is simply more, and while fans might be able to forgive the bland presentation, we'd wager that non-devotees would have a much better time with the Zelda or Fire Emblem spin-offs – with the characters, settings and accoutrement you know and love helping to temper the monotony when you're not quite ‘in the zone'.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 16, 2018

Critic90/100

Agreement—

While we've had to wait a little longer than those playing on PS4 and Xbox One, the wait has been more than worth it. Dark Souls: Remastered is a faithful remaster of a touchstone in video game design that improves overall performance while preserving all of the character traits that made the original such a memorable experience. While it's no less forgiving - and its menus are a little fiddly - this slick Nintendo Switch iteration offers the only way to experience Lordran's ultra-challenging odyssey in true handheld form. Praise the Sun, indeed.

Nintendo Life

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln·Oct 15, 2018

Critic90/100

Agreement—

With its exclusive use of some substantial Star Fox content, you're getting the best version of Starlink: Battle for Atlas on Nintendo Switch. And with a more accessible and ultimately enjoyable version of No Man's Sky's gameplay mechanics and Mass Effect's original vision, you're getting one of the best dogfighting/space exploration games you can buy outside of Elite: Dangerous. Its gameplay loop does run out of steam after a while thanks to the required grind, but with a surprisingly ungreedy approach to content access and toys-to-life integration, Starlink really could be the spark that reignites the genre's renaissance.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 15, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Tricky Towers offers up a cool twist on a puzzle classic, and the focus on multiplayer battling makes this an ideal game for showing off the Switch's unique capability for multiplayer gaming on the go. Everybody knows how to play Tetris, and Tricky Towers does just enough to build on that core concept to make the game interesting and weird enough to be quite memorable. Although the single player offerings are a bit on the slim side, we enjoyed our time with Tricky Towers and would highly recommend it for anybody looking for a good couch multiplayer or puzzle game.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 15, 2018

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Mark of the Ninja Remastered is an utterly stellar stealth game and, six years on, it's lost none of the magic that made the original such a critical darling. A strong art direction, engaging story, well-paced open gameplay, and a slew of extra content all combine to make for a near-flawless experience that you certainly won't want to miss out on. We'd give this game a high recommendation to all Switch owners; it's the best stealth game money can buy in the Switch library, and one of the best ones in any console library.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 12, 2018

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Over ten years later, TWEWY has lost none of the fun or style that made the original such a cult classic. Although the controls leave something to be desired, the chaotic battle system, catchy soundtrack, and engaging storyline all combine to make this an unforgettable RPG that hits all the right points. We'd give this one a high recommendation to anyone that hasn't yet experienced this gem in some form; there's plenty here to make this a game that's worth your time. If you've experienced the game before, however, we'd advise that you think hard about how badly you want it for your Switch. If this is the last we see of this property, then The World Ends With You: Final Remix feels like a fitting sendoff, even if it isn't perfect.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 11, 2018

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Chasm is a fascinating, mechanically sound take on the Metroidvania genre, but it also fails to do anything innovative or original that hasn't been done before in the genre, apart from the relatively minor hook of procedurally-generated worlds. Despite this, it's still a fun side-scrolling adventure that's sure to be worth your time, with challenging combat, fantastic graphics, and a cool premise all combining to make for a release that we'd recommend to fans of the genre - although there are better examples out there, many of which are on Switch right now.