Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Apr 27, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

There's something just a tiny bit cynical about the "please like me!!" cutesiness of Rain On Your Parade, but despite our best efforts we ended up doing so. Just. It coasts on "what will they do next?" novelty rather than any kind of meaty, significant gameplay, but sometimes that's okay. It's something new, which is appealing, and the toybox feel of the proceedings lends itself to a broad appeal – we can see young kids and people who vibe with its twee presentation getting a kick out of it. If you've had your fill of 'cutesy', though, you might find yourself hoping for a break in the clouds.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 26, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

When it comes down to it, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension is a bit of a misnomer. There is certainly a game to be found here, and it's a ruddy good one. If you're not a fan of point-and-click style adventure games, then you may want to look elsewhere, but with an experience packed with ingenious puzzles and excellent self-aware jokes, this is one of the strongest examples of the genre in recent years. It's right up there with the best; don't miss out.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 26, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Trails of Cold Steel IV is the climax that fans of the series deserve, comprehensively delivering on its promise as the end of a saga while setting up future plotlines that are sure to affect the lore in all kinds of fascinating ways. That said, this is also a rather weird game to recommend. Newcomers absolutely should not play this game first, given that it's a concluding chapter to an ongoing saga years in the making. Longtime fans, on the other hand, don't need any convincing, as they're going to get this game if they've already invested the hundreds of hours of legwork that set it up. Assuming that's you, Trails of Cold Steel IV is a spectacular RPG experience that no fan of the genre will want to miss out on, and we can comfortably say that it's worth your time.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Apr 25, 2021

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Battle Axe is a good-looking homage to the classic hack and slash arcade efforts of yesteryear that's dragged down by some fairly dull and repetitive action. It looks the part, sounds the part, nails the aesthetic and vibe that it's going for completely, but then it drops the ball with regards to level design, enemy AI and in providing any sense of strategy or surprise during a short campaign that gives you very little reason to return once its done and dusted. If only it had a few twists and turns and a handful more levels, this one could have been well worth a playthrough but, as things stand, it's pretty forgettable stuff.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 25, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a delight. Its gameplay is not quite on the same level as some of the more top tier examples of the top-down ARPG genre, but it boasts an outstanding tone and utterly ridiculous characters that drive the narrative beautifully. If you’re after a breezy, cheerful palate cleanser, then look no further; this is a great way to get more veggies into your gaming diet.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 24, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

By cutting back on the pop culture references and focusing more on unique characters and situations, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is a strong follow-up to Spooky Doorway's point-and-click adventure. The game is certainly lengthier and grander in scope, and while it occasionally feels a tad bloated with unnecessary tasks, it's largely an immensely fun ride with the same excellent visuals from the first game. If you enjoyed The Darkside Detective, then its sequel is an absolute no-brainer; for newcomers, we recommend checking out the first game before diving into this one.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 22, 2021

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Much like its predecessors, Picross S6 is little more than a glorified level pack. But, that’s okay. The addictive nature of its core gameplay is as strong as ever, and those who are hooked will be pleased to know that there’s another ten to twenty hours of new content to chew through. If you’ve still got a few of the past entries in your backlog, we’d recommend you hold off until you’re sure you want even more puzzles to solve; there’s nothing new or exciting here that you’re missing. If you’re a newcomer, however, this is as good a place as any to jump in.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Apr 22, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

One of those rare titles that takes inspiration from the classics but manages to forge its own identity, Smelter is a breath of fresh air that uses its influences very wisely, assisted to excellence by generally pretty terrific level design with only a handful of lesser segments bringing things down just a tad. The proceedings feel confident, original and polished, with gorgeous graphics and an outstanding soundtrack that calls to mind the likes of Mega Man X4 for its action stages and evokes Yuzo Koshiro's majestic ActRaiser score for its side-scrolling levels.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Apr 21, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

SaGa Frontier Remastered sees Square Enix's cult classic JRPG looking and playing better than ever, with a lovely HD lick of paint and lots of restored content and quality of life improvements providing hardcore fans with an experience they'll doubtless enjoy. However, this is still a game that's aged quite poorly in many respects; an idiosyncratic, eccentric and infuriating experience that refuses to guide you or help you in any way, and one that, in the end, is quite hard to recommend to anyone who isn't already a fan.

Nintendo Life

Gavin Lane·Apr 19, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Going in with diminished expectations no-doubt coloured our impressions, but our brief time with Toree 3D was undeniably delightful. For significantly less than the price of a decent cup of coffee, you get an enjoyably bite-sized, colourful 3D platformer with great music and a fun aesthetic that doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest — and it doesn't stick around long enough to get boring, or for its weak points (and inevitable lack of depth) to become an issue. Big studios who feel obliged to stretch games out for dozens of hours could learn a thing or two from its brevity.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 18, 2021

Critic30/100

Agreement—

It goes without saying at this point, but we can’t recommend you play this. It’s a frustrating experience right from the start, and there’s really no incentive to play through the game’s forty-odd stages beyond morbid curiosity. The visuals are unattractive, and taking each shot is a chore we wouldn’t wish upon anyone. Angry Golf is a bunker shot; best leave it there.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 17, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Kingdom of Arcadia is worth a punt if you’re a fan of side-scrolling fantasy games. It doesn’t quite do enough to earn the title of ‘Metroidvania’ in our eyes, but that’s not a bad thing in itself. We’d say it’s closer to your basic linear platformer, and although it has some clear limitations, the core gameplay is definitely strong enough to keep you engaged throughout.

Nintendo Life

Chris Scullion·Apr 16, 2021

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Nothing about FAR S Ultra is particularly offensive (except the music, which is a crime against the concept of ears). It has some clever ideas but the execution is a little lacklustre, and the relatively low number of tracks combined with the annoying AI and the unforgiving nature of its difficulty means it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes. If you don't have Fast RMX then get that first, but we've played worse racing games for $7.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Apr 15, 2021

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Imagine Donkey Kong Country with none of the flair, none of the momentum, none of the secrets, none of the style and none of the grace. It doesn't even have a funny face. There's very little to get your teeth into here, though die-hard platform game fans may get some measure of satisfaction from its limited, low-risk take on the genre. We must reiterate – Stitchy in Tooki Trouble is not a badly-made game, it's just a relentlessly unimpressive one that offers nothing new or even any kind of twist on an existing trope or mechanic. A sequel to Stitchy that perhaps saw fit to include something - anything - to make the game stand out, that could marry its impressive visuals with similarly good level design... now that would be worth a go. As it stands though, this scarecrow excels its most famed pop-culture analogue by lacking a brain, a heart and any courage to speak of.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Apr 14, 2021

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Godstrike in many ways feels like an early access game. There are glimpses of a better game in here somewhere, but the overall unpolished feel of its design and presentation really drag down the otherwise solid controls. Revising (or removing) the time mechanic and honing in on a more distinctive art style could've made this one a tentative recommendation but, as it stands, that's impossible. If you want a good boss rush game with similar gameplay, we'd recommend you pick up Furi; if you're looking for a good shmup, there's no shortage of those to be found on Switch. Either way, we wouldn't bother with this one unless you've exhausted all other options.