Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Matthew Mason·Sep 8, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a fantastic game from cover to cover. From the Icelandic voice over that plays as you read the plight of Thora to the painterly vistas of Norse hell and the trials, tribulations and boss battle in between, it is an artful title that marries slick and simple game play with poignant storytelling in a way few games can. The less you know about it going in the more grandiose the experience will be; yet if you must know something, know that Jotun: Valhalla Edition is definitely worth your time.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Sep 6, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

All told, Tadpole Treble is a wonderfully rounded experience. The excellent soundtrack is matched by equally fun gameplay, which can be surprisingly deep for those looking for a challenge. On top of that, the level editor adds a virtually limitless amount of content and replayability to that which is already offered in the main campaign. We'd highly suggest you pick this one up - it's a charming and memorable rhythm game that stands out as a real gem on the eShop.

Nintendo Life

Ben Stegner·Sep 5, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Tallowmere is an excellent roguelike. Its value comes from its customization options — you can make the game easier or harder in a variety of ways, run special challenges, and play with buddies. It's all wrapped up with plenty of weapons and gear, a good variety of enemies, cool music, and an addictive gameplay hook that's immediately accessible for newbies of the genre yet deep enough for veterans. The graphics might not be the greatest and there are a few quirks resulting from its PC roots, but this deeply replayable gem is not to be missed if you have any interest in the genre.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Sep 4, 2016

Critic50/100

Agreement—

As a whole, Tetraminos is an average experience at best. It's easy to sit down and play because it does somewhat keep the core values of Tetris intact, though it still falls short when it comes to offering anything new or enticing. Perhaps look around for a classic Tetris experience available on the Nintendo eShop if you would rather play it safe.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Aug 30, 2016

Critic40/100

Agreement—

With such a concise playtime, it's hard to recommend PANDA LOVE to any hardened veteran; at best, this is a simple starter game for young children. While it has acceptable production values in the sound and visuals department, and is an affordable price, it's a game that's nevertheless over within the space of five to ten minutes. You could likely find the exact same type of game, more padded out, for free on a mobile app store or browser game website; as a result it's hard to show too much love for this one.

Nintendo Life

Matthew Mason·Aug 23, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Armikrog feels like a game for a different era, for good and ill. While point-and-click adventures can play to the nostalgia of some, they can feel mired in traditions that just don't translate to a more mainstream audience. If the former sounds like something you'd be into Armikrog will probably push your buttons. If the latter sounds like something you fear, Armikrog's lack of clear goals and an expectation of excessive patience means it's probably not for you.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Aug 21, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Credit must be given to Delve Interactive for encouraging exploration in a genre that is regularly perceived as one of the most linear gaming experiences on offer. The complication of this depth is the fact the platforming and puzzle elements of Poncho become quite a test over time, and often require an excessive amount of trial and error. This title is not for faint-hearted players as a result; each puzzle and platform element can be cruel despite the infinite retry feature. There is no hand holding and there is no instantaneous sense of accomplishment or joy as you would receive from a more traditional platformer. Check out Poncho if you enjoy puzzle problem solving within a slower-paced platforming game environment, otherwise think carefully before trying it out.

Nintendo Life

Morgan Sleeper·Aug 20, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Zero Time Dilemma is an impressively polished, unsettling ride, but whether it's worth playing is entirely dependent on your previous experience with the series. If you've played and enjoyed the first two games in the trilogy you'll absolutely love Zero's last stand. You'll find the same twisting, twisted narrative, the same satisfyingly tricky puzzles, and plenty more of Uchikoshi's signature style, and watching the story's climax unfold after three games is a real rush. If you haven't played the first two games but you're interested in the series, this isn't the best place to start — to really enjoy it, you'll want to have both Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (on DS and iOS) and Virtue's Last Reward (on 3DS and Vita) under your belt before jumping in here.However you arrive at Zero Time Dilemma, if you're into the series' mix of horror and Hegel you're in for a treat — and you may never look at a snail the same way again.

Nintendo Life

Matthew Mason·Aug 12, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Vektor Wars is filled with a loving reverence to the "future" that the 80s promised. It's the type of game you'd see on a big screen display with gaudy plastic guns for full effect, but instead is humbly played on your GamePad. If the idea of arcade-style survival games in a neon-soaked, Tron-like world piques your interest, than this might be worth your time.

Nintendo Life

Tim Latshaw·Aug 10, 2016

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Rynn's Adventure, whether intentionally or not, hearkens back to the platformers of the '90s PC era. It's quirky, with collectibles aplenty, yet suffers from flaws inherent in sketchier old level designs. Players can expect to have a slow start before gaining any traction, but the game has the potential to grow more enjoyable as the momentum builds. It is difficult to recommend this game against a stable of outright fantastic platformers already available on the Wii U, at various price points on the eShop, but patient players looking for something new might find a satisfying game beneath the lack of polish.

Nintendo Life

Tim Latshaw·Jul 29, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Tumblestone has thought of just about everything to create a fun and rewarding puzzle game experience. It spreads out a smorgasbord of options for one player or more, balancing sit-and-think challenges with drag racing action and spur-of-the-moment accessibility. The whole thing comes wrapped in a pretty package and with a nearly overwhelming amount of extra options. The eShop price for Tumblestone might be on the higher side, and it's a pity there's not much of an online scene at the time of writing, but this is a full game that deserves a place among Tetris Attack, Dr. Mario and other friendly puzzlers that have chiseled out a name for themselves.

Nintendo Life

Tim Latshaw·Jul 27, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Chroma Blast has an engaging "cycle-and-shoot" mechanic that can feel at first like rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time. It's still very learnable, however, and not frustrating to make the process of doing so. The power-ups and modifiers are also very welcome. Even so, there's still a certain level of intensity in the encompassing fight that seems to be lacking. It would be exciting to see what developer WizByte Games could add to this formula on a second attempt, and arcade-style score attackers who lean more toward tactics than twitch could certainly do worse than this.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Jul 26, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

If you're feeling daring, or perhaps enjoy breaking the law and driving on the wrong side of the road like a crazy person, Hot Rod Racer might just be the game for you. The music is so catchy that it makes the merciless nature of the title almost addictive. In all seriousness though, with such poor production values outside of the soundtrack, and archaic gameplay to boot, it's hard to recommend Hot Rod Racer to Wii U owners. For those of you fixated with speed, seek your thrills elsewhere.

Nintendo Life

Lee Meyer·Jul 25, 2016

Critic20/100

Agreement—

There's very little reason to purchase SpaceRoads. There are plenty of better games on the eShop, with cheap and poor design at the forefront here; the repetitive freezing bug is also unacceptable. Wurd Industries has an interesting idea here - there's definitely room for quick-fix games like this - but it's simply not ready for primetime.

Nintendo Life

Liam Doolan·Jul 21, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Dracula's Legacy for the Wii U eShop is a high quality hidden object game, and it feels right at home on the system thanks to the the GamePad. Ideally, this genre is still better suited on the PC platform, with the game already available on Steam for an affordable price. In saying this, Dracula's Legacy is likely to satisfy individuals who enjoy problem solving and puzzle games, regardless of the platform it is played on. For those who aren't as familiar with this genre our recommendation is naturally more tentative - the enjoyment comes if you truly sink your teeth into it.