Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Ryan Craddock·Dec 11, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Nine Parchments is a game with an awful lot of potential; the combat is fun, the multiplayer co-op works a treat, and the gorgeous art creates a visually impressive world to explore. Repetition in the format and layout of levels - and the incredibly strange decision to delete your save data when wanting to switching between single player and co-op games - are unfortunate shortcomings, however. If you love your co-op adventure-type games, and especially if you like the sound of the light RPG elements, you may well get a good time from this game – just keep our warnings in mind.

Nintendo Life

Dave Frear·Dec 9, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Traverse USA is unlikely to be the Irem game people wanted HAMSTER to start with, but still works as something to dip into for a quick bout of highscore chasing.

Nintendo Life

Dave Frear·Dec 8, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It's a short game, but Caveman Warriors still entertains as you work through the levels figuring out how best to deal with the threats encountered and then how to defeat the bosses. There's some good character designs in the game and fun moments - like the way scared foes flee in panic only to knock themselves out by running into a wall. It's not without fault however, with the over-the-top knock-backs from hits being the biggest irritant. There's some replayability in trying to track down all the fuses and then tackle the harder versions of the levels and the co-op play works well. If you've got some friends around and are looking to pass the time with some platforming action, then Caveman Warriors is a good pick.

Nintendo Life

Matthew Mason·Dec 8, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Plague Road is a valiant attempt at combining divergent concepts into a cohesive and interesting package. But as interesting as it may be to make the first roguelike base-building strategy RPG, it's missing a layer of depth to drive it beyond curiosity into the realm of compulsory design. There's plenty to like here, and if you're in the mood for a morose adventure down a bleak path to a ruined world this may be for you. If you're just looking to casually save the world from an outbreak, however, you may want to think carefully.

Nintendo Life

Jon Mundy·Dec 8, 2017

Critic40/100

Agreement—

MUJO is a decent casual puzzler with a pleasant aesthetic, but the total lack of effort made to bring the game in line with its new platform is deeply disappointing. The game's poorly optimised user interface and ill-fitting legacy in-app purchase system smack of a rush job.We've got no problem with developers bringing mobile games across to Switch. This is a portable system that's built on mobile technology, and there are plenty of top mobile games out there that would make for a good fit with just a little effort. MUJO, however, is a deeply lazy and cynical port.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Dec 6, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

As polished as Cat Quest may be, it does have a few downsides. The strong focus on cats and endless supply of cat puns is obviously not a world everyone will want to immerse themselves in – especially if you are a dog lover. However, if you are willing to overlook this and the basic design, what is on offer is a functional role-playing game that can be played for short or longer periods of time by players of all ages and cat lovers alike.

Nintendo Life

Damien McFerran·Dec 6, 2017

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Like the inside of Ozzy Osborne's head, Slain is simultaneously gorgeous, intense, chaotic and deeply, deeply frustrating. The presentation is excellent, with every part of the game exhibiting stunning 2D animation that really brings its hellish underworld to life. Where it all falls apart is the gameplay; Slain is simply no fun to play thanks to its painful difficulty level which chokes the tantalizing potential of its combat system. While it has been compared to the Castlevania series – and its combo mechanics call to mind the underrated Mirror of Fate – Slain isn't really worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Konami's legendary gothic franchise.

Nintendo Life

Matthew Mason·Dec 6, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Star Ghost is one of the most enjoyable - and turbulent - trips you can take through the stars.

Nintendo Life

Ryan Craddock·Dec 5, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Portal Knights has been designed in such a way that encourages co-operative play; sharing the fun of exploring the worlds and discovering new things together is undoubtedly one of the game's largest selling points. If you would rather play the game alone, though, there is nothing stopping you from doing so and you'll still find that there is an enjoyable adventure to be had (albeit with a slightly different focus on how to go about completing tasks).Sitting somewhere between the Minecraft-type gameplay of building and exploring, and the RPG-like features of crafting, battling, and upgrading your character's skills and abilities, Portal Knights feels like it would most suit families, friends or even distant friends online, who wish to explore either of these genres of gaming together in a sometimes challenging - but usually charming - package.

Nintendo Life

Jon Cousins·Dec 5, 2017

Critic50/100

Agreement—

There is no shortage of quality games to play - covering a wide range of genres, styles and just about any other criteria you could ask for - in the Switch eShop library. Red Game Without a Great Name ends up being disappointing, then, as you'll likely become frustrated with its occasionally inconsistent touch-based controls, along with its initially cool but repetitive mechanic and devilish level design. It attempts to hide its flaws behind some stylish yet derivative silhouette designs and some pretty cool jazz tunes. In the end, though, we have an average game with a bad name.

Nintendo Life

Morgan Sleeper·Dec 4, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

With a club-ready soundtrack and brilliant rhythm gameplay, Superbeat: Xonic is an excellent addition to the Switch's growing music game hit parade. It's stylish, fun, and challenging in all the right ways, and does a great job easing players into its frenetic charts with forgiving timing and balanced progression. Some frustrating touch-control issues mean that VOEZ or Deemo are better bets for touchscreen tunes, but if you're onboard with button-based beats, Xonic is a super choice.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 4, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

All told, Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today is a fun, worthwhile point-and-click adventure that tells an engaging story. Though there are some issues with voice acting and length, this is a tightly driven narrative that you'll want to see through to the end, and ultimately be glad that you did. We'd give this one a recommendation to anyone who's interested in this niche genre of games. Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today isn't the game that's going to win over those who don't have much interest in this more deliberate kind of experience, but it's still a strong example of the genre and is certainly worth the price of admission.

Nintendo Life

Jon Mundy·Dec 3, 2017

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Snow Moto Racing Freedom is another scrappy, challenging and rough-around-the edges extreme sports racer from Zordix. It's not going to win any technical awards, and it takes real patience to master its awkward handling and unforgiving physics.For those who crave something different from the racing genre norm, a little perseverance will yield a surprisingly entertaining arcade experience for one to four players, albeit one that could leave some feeling cold.

Nintendo Life

Jon Cousins·Dec 1, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Although Xenoraid does nothing to shake up the genre, changing spacecraft in the heat of battle and using different weapons on the fly tries to add spice to an otherwise solid but unspectacular top-down shooter experience. The characters, dialogue and locations are neither varied nor dynamic enough to be very engaging, and the gameplay, while serviceable, will satisfy but certainly not impress anyone who has already played one of its ancestors or contemporaries, either on Switch or elsewhere.

Nintendo Life

Jon Cousins·Nov 30, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Serial Cleaner is undeniably cool, but can be at odds with itself. On the one hand, the bitesized levels and whimsical humour should allow for a fun, pick up and play jaunt, but it is obstructed by a handful of small but significant frustrations. It's a game that both embraces the tropes of the genre and adds a neat little twist, but it won't be long before even the most persistent of players wished it was just a bit more lenient regarding certain elements.A neat if limited core concept, combined with some superb retro presentation, Serial Cleaner is held back by design choices that are at best curious and challenging, and at worst infuriatingly obtuse; as a result it is a good game rather than a great one.