Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Jess Elizabeth Reed·Nov 13, 2025

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Ultimately, Winter Burrow is a fun, cute game that could make for a cosy weekend, but its lack of mechanical depth precludes it from lasting significance.Don't get me wrong: a nice, linear plot and the ability to make cute furnishings for a hollowed-out tree of a home can be a lovely gaming experience. If only because the scaffolding itself is so wonderfully crafted, I wanted more from Winter Burrow than it was able to give.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Nov 12, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a wonderful experience on Switch 2. The improved visuals and streamlined mechanics make for a delightful gameplay experience bolstered by a compelling narrative at its core.There are so many ridiculous minigames to keep you entertained, and exploring Kamurocho and Sotenbori remains enjoyable five or even fifty hours into the game. It stands alongside Yakuza 0: Director's Cut as one of the finest entries in the series.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 11, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Goodnight Universe is an enjoyable and quirky narrative adventure game that feels like a satisfying follow-up to the deeply emotional experience of Before Your Eyes. Isaac's supernatural adventures are as entertaining as they are heartwarming, and though it isn't terribly long, it makes full use of every moment.The only major drawback here is that the Switch 2 doesn't support the eye and face tracking control style of the PC version at launch, which notably does take away somewhat from the core experience. All the same, I'd suggest you pick up Goodnight Universe if this one has already caught your eye. It provides a memorable narrative journey and is the sort of game that you'll still be thinking about long after putting it down.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Nov 5, 2025

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Double Dragon Revive is the sort of game that's just damningly mediocre. It doesn't fumble the ball too hard in any significant way, but neither does it really excel at offering a fun and engaging beat 'em up. Interesting gameplay ideas are held back by uneven execution, and the uninspired graphical style kind of takes some getting used to.This will have its fans, and it's worth purchasing on a deep sale someday, but it's definitely nowhere close to the list of games I'd recommend to someone wanting to expand their beat-'em-up collection. Perhaps Billy and Jimmy will wow us with their inevitable next outing, but this one is just 'alright'.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Nov 4, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a stunning slice of action, and my favourite musou game so far. Lessons have been learned from both Hyrule Warriors and Age of Calamity, resulting in a game that balances big-time story with top-notch combat that's got proper depth to it.With Zonai devices to play with, a cracking roster, tons of sexy Sync Strikes to pull off, and a ludicrously slick recreation of early Hyrule to set about kicking ass in, this is dream time for hack-and-slash fans and Zelda enthusiasts alike. Yes, map layouts are still a bit bland, and co-op mode is 30fps, but everything else here combines to make for the best entry in this spin-off franchise to date.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 31, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

With a total of 23 playable games alongside a comprehensive interactive documentary providing detail behind the series' development, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is yet another triumph for Digital Eclipse from the historical compilation perspective.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 29, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a deeply satisfying follow-up to last year's remake project, closing out the Erdrick trilogy on a fittingly high note. A gorgeous art style, tons of new content and quality-of-life updates, and a wonderful soundtrack all combine to make this one an easy recommendation for any retro JRPG fans.If you're interested in RPGs, I'd suggest you pick this up at your earliest opportunity. These games stand as excellent reminders of why Dragon Quest is so highly respected today.

Nintendo Life

Nile Bowie·Oct 28, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Once Upon a Katamari proves its worth as a mainline sequel and differentiates itself from other action-puzzlers with its irresistible game feel.Rolling the katamari and sticking things to its surface with a satisfying pop is a continuous, sensory delight not dissimilar to vacuuming up gems in Vampire Survivors. Refined controls and the introduction of power-ups like the Magnet simply enhance this core experience, making for a deeply satisfying roll-'em-up.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Oct 28, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is a solid return for a beloved series, and the developers at Smallthing Studios seem more than capable of carrying on these magical adventures.

Nintendo Life

Alex Olney·Oct 27, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Two Point Museum might be the best Two Point game to date. It's smart, funny, good-looking, and packs in more mechanics than you can shake a stick at, all without feeling overwhelming or too much to handle.It's got some performance-based blemishes on Switch 2, and the lack of a mouse mode at launch feels like an obvious omission. Still, the final package is an incredibly entertaining one that fans of management sims would be mad to skip.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Oct 22, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Lumo 2, just like its predecessor, does a great job of reintroducing players to a whole bunch of retro delights from the 1980s, and in small enough servings that they don't outstay their welcome. There's an impressive array of tricky isometric levels to get stuck into besting here, plenty of collectibles and achievements to tick off, some nice side-scrolling surprises along the way, and a general retro-british vibe that you can't help but love infusing the entire thing. Whilst it may not meaningfully evolve its predecessor, Lumo 2 is yet more of the good stuff.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 18, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

If you’ve never played a pinball game before, then Xenotilt might well be the only one you’ll ever need. Heck, even if you don't like pinball, I suspect playing this might very well change your mind – it's mercilessly addictive from the get-go. Give it a shot and you’ll soon succumb to its will.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Oct 15, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Unfolding like a classic Disney tale, this is a beautifully animated adventure that weaves a deeply personal tale. Bye Sweet Carole is driven by its art style and a brilliant musical score, but occasionally stumbles due to stiff controls and frustrating mechanics.

Nintendo Life

Roland Ingram·Oct 15, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Ball x Pit is a tremendous brew of so many ideas it ought to collapse under the confusion. However, it operates in such perfect balance that it appeals both to the one-more-go instinct and to more cerebral planning and creativity. Kenny Sun Studios set itself a heck of a challenge but, fortunately, hasn't dropped the ball.

Nintendo Life

Ethan Zack·Oct 11, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Between a restrained scope and structure that harkens back to the Atelier games of old, a bevvy of fresh gameplay twists to call its own, and a metric ton of fanservice for veterans, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian feels like a triumphant celebration of the entire series' legacy.More importantly, it's just a really great RPG experience. Appropriately, it mixes together a bunch of quality ingredients - a heartwarming narrative, strategic and dynamic turn-based combat, complex crafting systems - and synthesises them into a jolly little romp of an adventure. There's certainly a bump in the road or two, but the ride is too enjoyable to linger on those for long.