John Rairdin's Reviews
They're not unfairly obtuse while also still offering a solid challenge. The opening stages don't show the game in its best light right away, but once things get moving Tin Hearts is difficult to put down. A few minor technical and user interface issues caused some brief stumbling but rarely put a damper on my enjoyment.
It may be enough to keep genre enthusiasts engaged for an hour or two, but it lacks the diverse number of permutations, so loved by high score seekers, that can be found in its inspiration. FUR Squadron is a reasonably well executed love letter to Star Fox and rail shooters in general, and it is clear that the potential is there for this developer to pull off something of a much larger scale. It is short and simple, but a fun diversion for genre fans if only for an afternoon.
I was not just having fun; I was invested in the cheesy over the top story. After every level I eagerly loaded up the next one excited to see more of this wonderfully realized world. Yes, the seams are sometimes more visible than one would hope, and loading times to restart a level are legitimately frustrating, but the net result is easily one of my personal favorite shumps of all time.
It is loyal to the original in its re-working of its art, yet unafraid to push the absolute boundaries of those original designs. The underlying brilliance of Retro's original masterpiece shines forth from this new shell, pristine as ever. This is the definitive release of one of the greatest video games ever made, and an incredible glimpse into the future of the Prime series.
While it may not often affect actual playability, it's hard to ignore when the image simply freezes for five seconds. Perhaps appropriately, this feels like a lost licensed platformer of the early 2000s. That comes with the good and the bad, but there is certainly a lot to like here, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.
Arbitrary levels from the first couple worlds were often more difficult than levels near the end of the game. Difficulty spikes abound, and the less than generous checkpoint system may cause frustration for those not looking for a tough 2D platformer. But for those who are, Onion Assault will make for an excellent few hours of platforming challenge.
While many of the lesser combat encounters can feel repetitive and somewhat meaningless they're punctuated by some much more compelling boss battles. The characters are charming and learning more about Sigrid and the world around her is legitimately engaging. While a few technical hiccups trip up select areas, the net experience as a whole is one of the more legitimately fun and unique games I've played through this year.
Stages are well designed and replayable, platforming feels tight and responsive, and performance is perfect. Its only significant failing is how quickly it comes to an end, with many of its best ideas feeling underexplored. Lunistice feels like a tease of a hopefully much grander sequel that I can't wait to play.
Support for fan-made levels can potentially expand your experience somewhat but the option to create your own is missing from this version. Performance on Switch isn't flawless but it is still very playable and looks great the whole time. While it struggles to find its own identity along the way, and comes off more as an elaborate mod or a fan game than a title of its own, Prodeus does still stand as an solid though unoriginal shooter.
It wasn't common, but it was noticeable when it did happen. Overall, Floating Cloud God: Anniversary Edition is a great version of a great game. While a somewhat harsh initial difficulty curve may scare off some, it is worth pushing through for some enjoyable boss fights, and for the good of all those tiny pilgrims.
Combat especially with larger enemies is engaging even if it could use some basic quality of life changes. Sonic Frontiers has a lot of issues that it is constantly tripping over, but I cannot emphasize enough that I hope the series continues in this direction. For all its rough edges, this is still probably the most fun I've had playing 3D Sonic since 1999.
When One True Hero works, I generally enjoy it, but there are just so many issues to push through. Its writing is genuinely endearing, its characters are lively and animated, and even as you moon jump high above the playable areas, it maintains solid frame rate and resolution. With some aggressive patches there may be something here, but it isn't quite there yet.
Fans of the series will also find plenty to enjoy from familiar characters. While combat can get a little repetitive, the puzzles are genuinely inventive. Ultimately whether a trekkie or not, Supernova provides a reasonably solid experience with fun multiplayer that is approachable for everyone.
One player may find themselves having a vastly different experience from another, or even being entirely unaware of mechanics they've never chosen to engage with. While the Switch version isn't without its flaws, the core experience is excellently translated. And if I've learned anything from Hello Games over the last six years, I'm hopeful this version will only get better with time.
The difficulty may be off putting to some, though, and an argument can be made that it would be better off with some adjustments made in that department. That being said, it is hard to deny the underlying quality and charm that this game exudes with every swing of the club. Cursed to Golf is a big deal for relative newcomer developer Chuhai Labs. While the studio has developed and published several titles and their lineage can be traced back through multiple companies well represented on Nintendo platforms, Cursed to Golf may very well be the game that puts them on the map.
Tower Princess's underlying concept of rescuing princesses with unique abilities and teaming up with them to escape a castle is very charming; unfortunately, the rest of the game doesn't quite live up to it. Add in poor Switch performance and a lack of room variety, and most players will likely get bored before they near the end of the castle. There are some good ideas here, but they just don't quite come to fruition like they should.
It says a lot about the quality of the underlying game design that I kept coming back despite regularly running into issues. I'd love to speak more positively about Hell Pie, and I may very well wind up picking it up on another platform, but the compromises on Switch are going to be too much for most players. I sincerely hope this port can be salvaged through updates because I firmly believe Hell Pie is a very good game, and this version just doesn't do it justice.
The choice to make resolution mode the default display option on Switch is baffling when the game runs so much better in performance mode with a minimal hit to resolution, but this can be quickly fixed with a visit to the options menu. Pac-Man World has never been one of the best 3D platformers of all time, but it is a classic well worth playing today. Let's hope that Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a sign of more Pac-Man World to come.
It is a combination of having limited real estate to display a lot of information, and then picking all the wrong information to show in that space. When you're not wrestling with it, the actual moment-to-moment gameplay is very satisfying. It looks sharp and sounds fantastic. There are some hurdles to make it over, but it is hard to deny the underlying charm of Before We Leave.
Regardless of how you came to Xenoblade, either through one of many incarnations of the original, or through its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 strives to satiate all audiences and it is largely successful in this endeavor while also presenting something entirely new. This is not just Xenoblade meets Xenoblade 2. In many ways it is greater than the sum of its parts and those parts already added up to quite a bit.