Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 21, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Nikoderiko: The Magical World is a wonderfully satisfying platforming experience that borrows and expertly replicates the elements that made classic entries in the genre so beloved. Smart level design, enjoyable gameplay, lots of collectibles, and a killer soundtrack all come together to make this one an easy recommendation if you love DKC.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 21, 2024

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Fear the Spotlight is an excellent narrative horror experience that proves to be the perfect companion for Halloween season. It's a game loaded with atmosphere and dread throughout, with immersive, tactile puzzles and an overarching storyline that is engaging and tragic in equal measure. Encounters with the main enemy won't prove particularly challenging, but they're always nerve-wracking thanks to its creepy design and accompanying spooky audio. Rare, minor performance hiccups aside, this is a must-play for horror fans and an approachable entry point for newcomers.

Nintendo Life

Nile Bowie·Oct 18, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Among the slate of retro horror offerings, Faith: The Unholy Trinity sets itself apart with its distinct visual style and masterful presentation. While boss encounters can be gruelling and lead to frustration, that never diminished our desire to progress the story to its conclusion. With an abundance of lore to collect and multiple endings for each of its three chapters, all the replayability on offer makes it a perfect game to fire up around Halloween.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 17, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

These aren't the largest of games, coming in at roughly three hours each, but they deliver the goods when it comes to gory, 16-bit-styled slasher fare and, for us, Ash's game is the better of the two.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 17, 2024

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It’s tough to say whether Halloween is a lesser experience than Ash vs. Evil Dead since the two are so remarkably similar in style and structure; think of them as two DLC packs serving the larger ‘RetroRealms’ hub experience. Yet we can’t deny that controlling Michael Myers isn’t quite as exhilarating as Ash Williams, nor are the enemies quite as interesting. If forced to choose, we’d probably go with Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 17, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Killing Time: Remastered is yet another success for Nightdive Studios, with the team unearthing a forgotten cult classic and bringing it right up to date for modern consoles with revamped visuals and updated controls. Like PO'ed: Definitive Edition, however, it's not a game that's going to appeal to everyone thanks to its bizarre cast of characters and unorthodox method of storytelling. That said, if you're curious to experience one of the more unique games in the FPS genre, this is without a doubt the best way to do so.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Oct 16, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

A game that sometimes feels like taking on the legions of hell for real, Kill Knight is not welcoming to those without patience. It's a relentless onslaught that feels overwhelming until you get to grips with a generous and versatile set of abilities. Every attempt to push further into the abyss brings fresh challenges, testing the limits of your fortitude. Failure comes often and easily, but success is exhilarating.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Oct 15, 2024

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Super Mario Party Jamboree is a fantastic new entry in the franchise that focuses on improving the core mechanics and experience, making for a more involving board game in the process, whilst also polishing everything to a slick sheen. Online aspects and modern stuff like the game's battle pass and collectibles are woven in smoothly, and the various new modes all have their place in a package that also delivers the goods in terms of minigame quality. Jamboree is the best Mario Party to date, so best make sure you've got your invite sorted.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 14, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Ys X stands as another great entry in this long-running action series, bringing in some cool ideas of its own without straying too far from what made its predecessors so beloved. Enjoyable combat, an excellent soundtrack, and an engaging world to explore all make this one an easy recommendation, even if it can stumble a bit with its performance and doesn't totally stick the landing with all its new ideas. We'd highly recommend Ys X if you're at all a fan of the past entries or are looking for another solid action RPG to add to your collection.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Oct 14, 2024

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Neva is a spectacular example of art in motion, delivering a thoroughly engrossing platforming experience that'll stick in your mind long after you've rolled credits. The incredible visuals, moving soundtrack, satisfying gameplay, and surprisingly touching story all come together to make for a game that shouldn't miss. A few frame drops aside, if you're looking for a new addition to your library that'll give you something to savour rather than just consume, look no further than Neva.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Oct 12, 2024

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Crow Country is a great retro-flavoured survival horror that manages to pay homage to the '90s classics while providing a bunch of modern conveniences that make the game feel fresh and, more importantly, fun. Exploring the creepy yet charming titular amusement park is a joy thanks to its wealth of intriguing secrets and nasty creatures. There are a few annoyances that keep it from being a masterpiece, like the slightly delayed screen transitions and the infuriating traps, but like Signalis before it, Crow Country is well worth investigating if you're after a retro-style horror game that, miraculously, doesn't feel dated right out of the gate.

Nintendo Life

Michelle See-Tho·Oct 11, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Europa doesn't ask much of you, but left us asking lots of questions. The story feels half-baked, the controls are clunky, and we're still unclear on the objective. The beautiful backdrop is its best feature, and it's very relaxing to play in parts. It's hard to recommend this game because there's nothing it does terribly, but there's nothing it does terribly well either. Every element present here can be found elsewhere, and better – with no need to travel to a moon of Jupiter.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Oct 10, 2024

Critic30/100

Agreement—

We can forgive a game for being too ambitious for its own good, trying something bold, and possibly falling short. The trouble with Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is that it tries to deliver something we've seen before and still manages to fail at it. Even if you stripped out every technical issue, improved the camera, and polished up the visuals, you would still be left with a painfully average gaming experience. Sky Oceans doesn't even crash and burn – it fails to leave the runway.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Oct 8, 2024

Critic60/100

Agreement—

The overall experience is unsatisfying when the narrative is so poor, which is a shame because the rest of the game is so good. Some great lore with compelling characters and dialogue alongside these visuals could’ve made it something special. We still enjoyed Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes for what it is - a solid, if familiar, strategic RPG that boasts an amazing art style.

Nintendo Life

Nathanial Eker·Oct 8, 2024

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Solstice Chronicles: MIA is a mixed bag. The dialogue is actually well-written and both the aesthetic and gameplay are more than passable, but there is a feeling that with a little bit more attention, it could be even better.