Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Jordan Middler·Jan 26, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Pokémon Legends: Arceus feels like the result of Game Freak learning lessons for 25 years, refining the formula, and finally taking the franchise in a new, incredible, exciting direction. With its emphasis on extremely rewarding exploration, addictive catching mechanics, a fine roster of Pokémon and a genuine sense of scale that's unlike anything in the series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is quite simply one of the greatest Pokémon games ever made.

Nintendo Life

Brett Posner-Ferdman·Jan 26, 2022

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Vagante is, at times, an impressive game that feels incomplete. There is no denying the incredible amount of dedication that the team put into certain aspects, especially into the visuals and variety of upgrades available, but there isn't enough of a game here to make it all come together into a complete package. The combination of a short adventure, the lack of any story, arbitrary difficulty, and minimal tutorials makes for a hard recommendation. The Nintendo Switch has plenty of incredible roguelikes and run-based indie games, and your time is better spent on them than Vagante.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 25, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is an odd game to recommend. Those of you who have never played before may want to check it out-it's free after all-but even at that lowest of prices the barrier to entry is so great that it can feel like getting stuck into this one isn't really worth the effort it would take. Those of you who have a longer history with Yu-Gi-Oh! will have a much better time getting into it and climbing the ranks, but then you were probably going to play this game regardless of reviews. At any rate, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has all the foundations of a potentially great online card-battler, and though it has its issues - at least at launch - it's definitely worth checking out if you've got the fortitude to stick with it.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 21, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Blackwind is as utilitarian as a bank statement and painfully middle-of-the-road. It's tough to recommend that you play this game because we can scarcely remember anything notable about it from our own playthrough. Yet at the same time, it doesn't actually do anything egregiously wrong to make it instantly destined for the garbage bin. If you're looking for an entirely unremarkable and unoriginal sci-fi themed hack 'n' slash, Blackwind certainly ticks those boxes. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a meaningful way to spend your limited time and hard-earned money, this ain't it. We won't go so far as to say that you should definitely give Blackwind a pass, but we'd understand entirely if you did.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jan 20, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

With Windjammers 2, Dotemu has taken the fiendishly addictive core formula of the Neo Geo classic and improved upon it in every way. The core gameplay here remains as immediately endearing as ever whilst being enhanced and given a real strategic kick by a bevvy of new moves and skills that add to the fun without detracting from or overcomplicating proceedings. Yes, there's not much in the way of modes, and we've yet to see how online fares here, but this is another banger from Dotemu, an all-time classic improved upon, an arcade classic refined for a new generation.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Bowskill·Jan 20, 2022

Critic100/100

Agreement—

Banjo-Kazooie brought together impeccable gameplay, fantastic level design, brilliant music, and a lovely little fairytale story – from start to finish, the game was a joy to play, and that remains utterly true. There really are no gripes we can think of. The controls feel great. It looks and sounds beautiful. It's the perfect length and has scope enough to elicit wonder without the overwhelming bloat of other collectathons. Even after all this time, it's incredibly difficult to find fault in this delightful and engaging 3D adventure. Banjo-Kazooie is one of the N64's very best releases, and one of Rare's undisputed crown jewels. Essential.

Nintendo Life

James Mielke·Jan 19, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Megaton Musashi already has a lot going for it, but there's certainly a lot of room for improvement. The relatively disposable narrative is merely a lightweight obstacle in the way of the real fun found here: battling an unfortunately repetitive palette of enemies and then tinkering with your rogue, the latter of which is the game's primary attraction. To be fair, it is a disproportionately excellent attraction, which makes the rest of the game's issues secondary. With monthly updates coming from Level-5 adding both missions and parts, this is definitely a worthwhile, if flawed, import with style to spare. We'd welcome an official, localised release in the West despite the game's issues; after all, Switch needs all the ammo it can get as it moves into its fifth year.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 18, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Shadow Man has never been a masterpiece, but it is a clear labour of love with plenty to offer those willing to endure its more aged mechanics and structural curiosities. We can only hope that plenty will have the patience to do so.

Nintendo Life

Will Freeman·Jan 17, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While staying true to the series that it extends, Cotton Rock 'n' Roll / Fantasy brings so many different experiences in a single shmup that it may as well be a compilation release - and unlike the arcade versions, it is all presented in English language. The more time you give it, the more the replay value snowballs. The faults to be found are few and far between, while sharp level design and a joyful, even mischievous personality define Success' latest. Simply put, Cotton Fantasy has a lot of fun to give.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 16, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

As good as it ever was and now incredible value, SNK Vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash is still essential. Obviously the card-based gameplay isn't going to appeal to everyone, but at this asking price we'd say it's worth a go even if card games usually turn you off, especially if you dig SNK/Capcom's extensive character rosters. Many, many series are represented here and everything you need to learn to play is available in the scanned manual as well in-game via tutorials. Let it get its hooks into you and you've got a bit of a masterpiece here, and we're absolutely delighted that it's graced the Nintendo Switch with its excellence.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jan 16, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Although rough around the edges, Radirgy Swag will please existing fans, certainly win some new ones, and probably land cold for everyone else. It was never expected to be a mass market hit, which is why it's a positive that the series has found a western audience, small as it may be. If you're a shmup fan looking for something out of the ordinary, its system of power-up juggling and reckless shield regeneration might just be your ticket. It requires some initial legwork, but once it clicks it really cooks.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 15, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Other than that, it’s another few hundred nonogram puzzles just like the last several hundred nonogram puzzles. But who are we kidding, at least this one is, er, innovative in how it boldly introduces an all-new control scheme — one which, admittedly, returns from the (3)DS era of the long-running series. At this rate, we might even get HD rumble support in another four years when we get Picross S15. Imagine what that would feel like!

Nintendo Life

Kate Gray·Jan 13, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Astroneer is a wonderfully scrappy game that's been polished up since initial release in 2016 to become the best version of itself yet on the Nintendo Switch. It will, at times, frustrate you with its genial jank, and wrestling with its unpredictable physics and easily-distracted camera might suck some of the joy out of it, but if you love Minecraft, Terraria, No Man's Sky, and Subnautica, you'll surely love this, too.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 12, 2022

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Ultimately, we found 12 Minutes to be a trite adventure that squanders its initial intrigue almost instantly. We can see how someone else might get a kick out of its star-studded silliness, but in a gaming landscape littered with time loop games, we found this one extremely tedious at best.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 6, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Dreamscaper really is rather good; this is a game that certainly deserves more attention than it’s received. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in heart. A surprisingly emotional story, rewarding progression system, snappy combat, and painterly visuals make for an experience that we’d suggest you give a serious look.