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TalkBack / The Lego Movie 2 Videogame (Switch) Review
« on: April 04, 2019, 05:59:38 AM »

Everything’s Not Awesome

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50200/the-lego-movie-2-videogame-switch-review

Back in my younger years, I was a huge fan of the Lego games. Their quirky humor and style that was only achievable through the use of Lego attracted me to the series. For instance, the characters become humorous exaggerations of themselves and offer up more cartoonish circumstances than what’s typically portrayed in the movies. My nostalgia for these sandbox adventure games and having just watched The Lego Movie 2 made me excited to check out the latest entry, The Lego Movie 2 Videogame, which is based on the movie. However, it lacks the style and personality that made earlier entries in the series and the first film stand out, rendering it a cardboard cutout of past greatness.

The content is divided into three main areas. The Systar System contains the story mode segments while the Rex-Plorer System features extra worlds that can be accessed after completing the main story. Finally, the Galactic Outskirts is where DLC worlds will become available; however, at the time of this review, no DLC is available.

A core issue that makes this a lesser Lego game is that it's completely devoid of the main features that make these games stand out from other titles. Every game revolves around an offbeat type of humor you won’t typically find in the property it’s portraying. For example, in one game, Batman and Superman switch hair and body Lego pieces so they can act as each other to fool their enemies. The developers are allowed to be more experimental with their design choices and have the characters break away from their usual personas for humorous effect. This style of comedy is nowhere to be found in The Lego Movie 2 Videogame, oddly enough, as it favors more of a straightforward, no-nonsense style.

The worlds you explore are—fittingly—quite small. Other Lego games based on licensed properties are littered with various secrets and hidden locations that the player could access depending on what character they were playing as. Most of the “secrets” found throughout the world are just chests that contain studs and a capsule or two that can be used at a shop to have a chance of obtaining new items or characters. The game doesn’t make the search for these chests very engaging since it doesn’t place them in creative locations and even provides you with a map that will flat out tell you where the secrets are located. Also unlike previous installments, there’s no replayability for a world once you’ve beaten a mission or the story for that world because there’s no way to restart that mission without creating an entirely new save file.

The controls are okay for basic movement but fall apart elsewhere, especially with the vehicle controls. Each of the vehicles moves slowly, restricting the pace and flow. The only exception is the animal vehicles that at least make it feel like you’re moving to your destination faster. All other cars, trucks, scooters, and anything else with a wheel on it don’t provide any type of feeling or sense that you’re moving at a high speed.

Another minor gripe I have with The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is how the gameplay quickly goes stale. It mostly revolves around completing missions to earn Master Pieces. Many missions fall under the same formula: go get item A and bring it back to someone, build object B, or fight enemy C. That’s it. There’s occasionally a mission or two that’ll require you to put a sticker on something or take a picture of someone, but those are just 2 out of the 50 missions that you’ll find in each world. Playing the same missions with the only variety being a different reward item each time quickly becomes stale and repetitive, making it feel more like a chore to complete each mission rather than a challenge. It’s also annoying how there’s no variety in enemies. There are three main enemies used in each world with others that occasionally pop in but are restricted to specific areas and specific battle missions. This lack of variety in the enemies made the combat feel boring and unsatisfying.

The story feels incredibly lacking, which is surprising considering that they had the script for the film at their disposal. While it does follow some of the events portrayed in the film, it also includes its own unique locations and characters that are used to lengthen the gameplay and allow for more areas to explore. I have no problem with this; the game doesn’t have to follow the movie exactly and has the freedom of changing a few aspects to better fit the movie in a game format. However, near the end of the game it begins to change the story that it has created to fit the movie, which creates a number of unnecessary and annoying plot holes.

While they aren’t that devastating, the game is littered with various bugs and glitches. Most of them revolve around the non-standard minifigure characters such as the raptor and humanoid NPCs. Because of the landscape, their model type, and the way they walk, occasionally these characters get stuck on the ground or clip through it entirely. There was also one moment where a cutscene occurred that allowed access to a new area. However, after exploring that area, the path that was previously opened was blocked again and I had to either carefully move around its boundaries and invisible walls to get past the error or restart the game so it could correct itself.

The soundtrack is the only real feature I can compliment. It matches each of the areas quite well and offers an upbeat atmosphere that’s the core theme of The Lego Movie. However, this sentiment feels unjust in a sense as most of the tracks featured in the game are just songs that were used in the film. Whether this is a positive aspect of the game, I’ll leave it for the player to decide, but in the end, a decent soundtrack doesn’t make up for the gameplay and narrative flaws.

In general, this game is just flat out unenjoyable. It’s sad how this Lego game is completely devoid of the unique humor and style which made previous Lego games so enjoyable. This personality and flair, which has been a staple of the Lego video game brand, being absent from this latest title is disheartening. I’d recommend avoiding The Lego Movie 2 Videogame unless you have to play absolutely everything Lego. Even then, there are just much better games in the series that deserve your attention.


2
TalkBack / Toast Time: Smash Up! (Switch) Review
« on: March 01, 2019, 08:30:37 PM »

Toasting the Competition!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49887/toast-time-smash-up-switch-review

As odd as it may sound, I’ve been fascin-wheated by all the unique ways people have been able to use toasters. From using them as a controller for a certain retro shooting, game to using one to read NES carts. However, in all of my days, I would have never considered the possibility of actually playing as a toaster fighting against other toasters and beasties. This absurd yet intriguing concept was fully realized in the arcade multiplayer game Toast Time: Smash Up!

You take control of an adorable toaster named TERRY or Toast-Ejecting Recoil & Reload System who has a huge admiration for bread, hats, and laying waste to their enemies. It up to you to help TERRY rain on the enemy's parade by dishing out some delicious justice.

There are two primary modes with some supplementary modes available. The two main ones are Multiplayer Smash Up and single player. Multiplayer Smash Up is obviously a multiplayer mode that allows up to four players to control their own TERRY, with the goal of shooting the other TERRYs and being the last one alive. There are some modifications you can make to each battle such as weapons, number of rounds, rules, and even cosmetics. Single player is broken up into two parts, missions and survival. Mission has you go through multiple levels with the objective of defending an alarm clock from baddies for a certain amount of time. Survival is exactly as it says, you go through multiple levels found in the campaign and try to survive for as long as you possibly can.

Besides playing as a toaster and hurling different forms of bread which are already hilarious to me, there’s another gimmick that actually makes the entire game really interesting. For each shot you shoot, you’re flung around the map from the recoil, no loafing around for this toaster. This adds a level of difficulty since the only control you have over the recoil is being able to stop in place for a short amount of time. While there is a semi-auto aim feature that targets the baddie of your choice, it isn't always effective as the farther away they are the less likely it is to hit. This might seem like an annoying concept at first, but I slowly adapted to it and found it both hilarious to see the adorable toaster flying around like a jumping bean, and intriguing due to the strategy you have to put into each shot so you aren’t left in an unfavorable situation.

While I can’t really compliment the game on its art, as it uses a generic retro arcade art style, I have to say that I’m quite impressed by its music. Mind you, the tracks aren’t exactly moving or anything I would see myself jamming to in my car. What shocks me is how they created a unique track for each and every level. Each one feels like it was crafted for that level to bring out its intensity and try to get the player to figure out the gimmick behind it in order to progress. Though I should mention that these aren’t long tracks as the levels don’t last for more than a minute. This became apparent as during multiplayer if a match goes on for too long the song will come to an end and not repeat as the tracks aren’t meant to be played for that long.

I personally had no issues with the game and thought it performed exceptionally well. My only gripe with it, and it's mainly a nitpick, is the fact that once you manage to get through the campaign, there isn’t really much else of a reason to play the game other than to try to beat your score in previous levels or in survival, as multiplayer requires other people to play since it doesn’t offer any CPUs.

All in all, while I was honestly a tad skeptical by its initial concept, I found myself slowly falling in love with it and having a good time slowly going through each level and playing multiplayer with my friends. If you’re a fan of mindless arcade fun, I’d definitely recommend adding it to your library


3
TalkBack / Rain World (Switch) Review
« on: January 17, 2019, 05:01:33 AM »

It’s a cruel, cruel world out there.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49394/rain-world-switch-review

The feeling of being able to explore a desolate and unknown wasteland with the hopes of finding life or a way to escape this terrible situation is one that has fascinated me to no end. Rain World is a 2D survival platformer that revolves around exploring an unknown terrain. I feel like this could have been a smashing success and beautifully created if it weren’t for its poor platforming segments holding it back.

The story opens up to a family of slugcats. One day during a terrible rainstorm, one of the slugcats is separated from the group. In the aftermath, the slugcat barely manages to survive. It picks itself up and sets out on its quest to reunite with its fellow slugcats. However, this journey won’t be an easy one as food is scarce and the slugcat looks mighty tasty to other creatures.

There are three different modes to play through: Survivor, Monk, and Hunter. In short, these modes are the games difficulty settings with Monk being the easiest mode and Hunter being the hardest mode. The main differences between each mode are the enemies becoming progressively more aggressive, the amount of damage you deal to said enemies, and the number of items and areas you’ll be able to access.

There’s no straightforward explanation to the world of Rain World. You’re simply meant to explore each and every area with the hope that you’re making progress. This is a fine idea for a game revolving around the idea of exploration. However, it does feel like there are moments where you’re penalized for exploring.

The main issue is with some of the poor platforming segments and mechanics. There are moments where I would be grappling vines to get to a higher area and once I jump and touch said vine, I don’t grab onto it, leaving me to plummet to my doom and be forced to retry that part from the beginning. I wouldn’t mind these types of challenges if save spots were more common.

One aspect that pulled me into the decaying world was its art style. I’ve honestly never seen something as beautiful and melancholic as the world they created. The use of mostly a grey and black color pallet beautifully portrayed an area in ruin. This accompanied by it’s shading to portray a gloomy and dangerous atmosphere worked incredibly.I fell in love with it, and even though it was cruel and unforgiving, I wanted to see more.

The enemies seen throughout the game deserve their own level of praise. These aren’t just your typical goombas, programmed to be in a specific spot and attack in a specific way every single time. Each enemy is given their own programming to be wherever they want, whenever they want. They also have different attack patterns depending on the situation they’re in. It helps make the world feel that much more alive when you know your character isn’t the only one roaming the wasteland to your heart’s desire.

The main appeal I saw in Rain World was in its art style and the design of its enemies. Its mechanics need some fine tuning for it to be the masterpiece it has the potential to be. If you’re looking for a game that’ll really try your patience and give you a good challenge, then I’d absolutely recommend adding this to your library. Otherwise, I’d recommend you look elsewhere.


4
TalkBack / Omensight: Definitive Edition (Switch) Review
« on: January 01, 2019, 01:25:43 PM »

Changing the past to make a better future!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49286/omensight-definitive-edition-switch-review

The past is always something one wishes to change whether it be to prevent disaster or change future events, and this concept is beautifully presented in Omensight: Definitive Edition. Omensight is an Action Murder Mystery game with a time travel theme similar to that of Majora’s Mask or Ghost Trick. Omensight is possibly one of the best indie games I’ve played in all of 2018, despite some glitches and questionable design choices.

The story opens to a war between the nations of Pygaria and Rodentia. In the midst of conflict, a mythical warrior who appears during times of crisis known as The Harbinger arrives on the battlefield. After making her way through the chaos, she uncovers that the land of Urraliais is going to be devoured by the ancient god Voden. To prevent this fate, the Harbinger must go back in time, gathering information on what caused the release of Voden and how she can prevent the utter destruction of Urraliais.

The majority of the gameplay is interacting with 4 different characters in an attempt to gather information on their role in the events of the calamity and to figure out the answer to preventing the destruction of Urraliais. You’ll follow each character until you obtain a vision of the past known as an Omensight. The Omensights are shown to each of the characters so as to cause changes in their actions, emotions, and ideals

Omensight has no shortage of dialogue, but it did feel too heavy early on. However, as time went on, the story began to capture my attention and I genuinely cared about each character and the mystery behind all of the tragic events. The fighting segments are clean and allow you to mix up your attacks to create various combos and strategies on how to deal with your foes. Points collected throughout each level provide you with the ability to unlock new abilities and upgrades.

It isn’t perfect, however, as there are a few glitches and awful design choices. The most notable issue is the significant drop in frames when the game tries to perform an animation of rewinding time and progressing through the day. It isn’t a complicated animation, with the only movement coming from some clouds in the sky and markers showing a character’s location. It’s extremely annoying to see such a cool animation take forever and appear super framey.  The other and possibly most annoying part is the heavy load screens. There are certain parts of a level that have doors that take you to the next area. They’re meant to serve as a checkpoint so if you die you can reload to that part and continue. Unfortunately, they take forever to load and grind the gameplay to a sudden and abrupt halt.

The art style and soundtrack are phenomenal. The smooth and serene design of the area around you portrays a graceful beauty but also invokes feelings of concern and dread as you progress through the game’s sorrowful tale. The music is just so well orchestrated that it brings realism to each situation you face, whether it be obtaining shocking information or fighting a group of formidable opponents. The fully-voiced dialogue is quite impressive since it’s not always a common feature in many indie games. It’s beyond amazing and breathes life into each character making them more than just some pixels on a screen.

Even with its flaws, Omensight: Definitive Edition is a perfect hidden gem you’ll find on the eShop. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in a fantastic story coupled with a sublime art style and music—and a few odd design choices—I’d absolutely recommend giving this one a go. With reports of devs patching the game to remove some of the previously mentioned issues, there’s no reason for you to not have this game on your Switch.


5
TalkBack / The Legend of Evil (Switch) Review
« on: December 06, 2018, 01:50:46 AM »

I don’t like to feel good! I like to feel evil!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49066/the-legend-of-evil-switch-review

Being the hero of the story, saving damsels in distress, and eradicating a great evil from the world is fun and all, but it can become a bit stale after a while. So instead of working to save the world, why not work to destroy it? The Legend of Evil is a tower defense game that allows you to take control of a demon army from the underworld who are hell-bent on destroying all of humanity. However, the eradication of humankind is no simple task; you’ll have to overcome many trials to plunge the world into darkness.

As the legend goes, every ten thousand years, a great evil will emerge in the human world. In preparation for such an event, a hero is born and they hold a power that will save the world from being plunged into darkness. This time is now upon us and the forces of good and evil will clash to determine the fate of the human world for the next ten thousand years. Thus the commander of the demons, Bill, and his demon assistant set out on their quest to destroy all humans

There are two main modes: campaign and rogue conquest. Campaign has you following the story of Bill as he works to defeat the hero of legend and destroy humanity. You’ll go through four different areas, each with their own unique enemies, landscape, challenges, and demons to acquire to eventually get to the final confrontation. The story told is solid for the concept they’re working with, but isn’t exactly thought provoking nor captures the hearts or interests of the player. Rogue conquest allows you to choose a demon lord and play randomly selected levels from each of the four areas and use coins from beating each level to buy new demons, more towers, and upgrades to progress through each level.

Overall, the gameplay is solid. You use souls as your construction currency and towers that summon demons and/or cause debuffs to enemies and buffs to demons. The Legend of Evil has a steep difficulty curve that is really more like a wall than a curve. The first level introduces you to the basics, and after that, it’s a race against the clock and test of your reaction time to see if you can manage the right forces to protect your point from villagers, knights, tribesmen, and various other humans and half-humans. There is an easier difficulty setting for those having trouble with certain levels, but it feels more rewarding in my opinion to power through the level until you eventually overcome it.

The creativity in the design of both the humans and demons is quite incredible. The pixel art is quite impressive and really captures the aesthetic and tone of the game. While the soundtrack isn’t huge, the few tracks it does have are some catchy tunes. They capture the intensity of each battle perfectly and help immerse the player in the experience.

The Legend of Evil feels like a fine example of a diamond in the rough game if you’re a fan of tower defense games and are looking for a challenge. The developers have stated that there’s more to come for this title and honestly, I couldn’t be happier as it has a lot of potential to be a truly fantastic game. I’d definitely recommend adding this gem to your Switch library.


6
TalkBack / Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix (Switch) Review
« on: November 22, 2018, 05:51:47 PM »

Rising from the Ashes

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48976/mercenaries-wings-the-false-phoenix-switch-review

Strategy RPGs have a strong legacy over the years with games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem. One such series that has decided to take a swing at being popular with genre fans is Mercenaries Saga. The initial three games in the series are all available on Switch and now the developers are making a crack at a separate story in that universe in the form of Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix. While it is a solid entry in the genre, this strategy RPG has various rough edges that might damper the experience for some.

The story opens up with a kingdom at war with rebels. You take control of a band of mercenaries consisting of a fighter named Jeremy, a gunner named Cecil, and an acolyte named Francis who are working for the kingdom and are tasked with taking down rebels found threatening the kingdom. More allies join your party as you progress, adding more to the story with individual tales that tie into the fate of the nation.

Two difficulty settings are available upon starting up the game: easy and normal. The changes are minor, mostly related to health regeneration after battles and enemy prowess. However, for the title they are given, they are somewhat misleading. Playing on the easy difficulty makes the game overly simple, but this is understandable. My main issue is that the normal difficulty is far more difficult than what it’s advertised to be. Each enemy has a significantly higher amount of health, defense, and attack that you may find yourself struggling early on and spending around 20 minutes in battles grinding against a single enemy to try and defeat it before you get overpowered. Most enemies do the same if not more damage to you than you’ll do to it and hit you for more damage than you can recover, so grinding is essentially a must.

If you have played any of the previous Mercenaries Saga games, it controls the same. However, if you haven’t, it plays quite similarly to games like Fire Emblem. You are thrown into an area where you must traverse the landscape and battle the various enemies to satisfy the map conditions. You have the option to move your character around the map, attack, use a skill, use items, equip gear, investigate an area, or waste a turn/defend. Outside of battle you can upgrade your character, purchase items and participate in free battles

I have to give it to the story and the art style as they are both phenomenal in their own right. The story captured my interest and slowly got me invested in the tales and struggles of each of the characters as well as what fate would befall the nation as I progressed. The art style is grand and very expressive with only a small instance of same face syndrome. The style and graphics have been improved quite a lot since the previous Mercenaries Saga game. I don’t have much to say about the music as it feels like a generic fantasy soundtrack. It doesn’t really stand out much, but that isn’t to say it’s bad as it fits the setting well.

In the end, while I do see a number of downsides and flaws with Mercenaries Wings, it’s still an enjoyable game. It just requires some polish to go from good to great. Its easy mode is perfect for those looking to enjoy the story or use it to get into strategy RPGs and the “normal” mode is great for anyone looking for a serious challenge. So, I’d recommend at the very least consider giving it a go if strategy RPGs are right up your ally.


7
TalkBack / Swap This! (Switch) Review
« on: November 03, 2018, 07:52:18 PM »

Swapping with the fishes

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48819/swap-this-switch-review

Puzzle games have grown and evolved over time to have many different forms and themes. The most common one being the connection of a certain object with others of the same object. Swap This! is one such game that can be found among various others. The main question is though: is there anything that makes it stand out among the others?

Swap This! revolves around swapping the position of different types of frozen fish to try and connect four or more of them in a row to perform immense combos. A few hazards and power-ups either help or harm your progress along the way. The hazards don’t provide much of a penalty other than causing a red blur, so this would make an optimal game for younger players.

Four main modes are present, including minute match, wave mode, fish fight, and puzzles. Minute match is exactly as it sounds, where you race against the clock and try to get the most amount of points you can in a minute. Wave mode has you facing various waves in where you have to clear a certain number of fish before time if up. Fish fight has you working against a giant fish to try and make as many connections as possible to keep a large fish underwater so it can harm your fish. Finally, puzzles is just a challenge mode designed to test your ability to clear the board in the shortest amount of moves.

The art style is extremely cartoonish, comprised of multiple bright colors and sea creatures that have more of an imaginative look rather than a realistic look. Examining both the art and overall simplicity of the modes, it is easy to tell that this puzzle game is geared towards a much younger audience to maybe even act as an entrance into video games or even an entrance into puzzle games in general. This is always a fantastic addition to allow newcomers to get their feet wet before they go on to tackle more difficult or advanced series.

One thing I did note as odd about this title was its wonky controls. The Joy-Con is mainly used to select fish through the motion sensor, but this is extremely inefficient as even upon starting the game in TV mode, it suggests that you revert to handheld to make use of the touchscreen as it provides a much faster response rate. There isn’t even an option to use the control stick to select tiles. This gives the appearance that this game was designed for more touchscreen control rather than controller control, which makes more sense for it to be released for mobile devices rather than Switch.

All and all, this is just a simple puzzle game for some younger player to dive into and get an experience for the genre themselves. If you’re more of a puzzle veteran, I’d suggest possibly meeting up with a local archaeologist to discuss puzzles and leave this title to the youngsters.


8
TalkBack / Tied Together (Switch) Review
« on: November 03, 2018, 07:39:00 PM »

Sometimes more doesn’t mean merrier

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48818/tied-together-switch-review

Teamwork comes in various different forms whether they be to open a path, make a certain task easier, or take down a common enemy. This is greatly demonstrated in games such as Snipperclips, Pikmin, and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. However, with anything great, there will always be some that fall flat in comparison. Tied Together is a good example of a genius concept that utilizes teamwork, but just isn’t suited for its environment.

The story is simple and spare: a lab is testing the performance of four unique monsters or aliens to see how they handle their environment and cooperate with one another. They are dropped off in a stage chained to each other with the intention of working together to clear the obstacles in their path to hopefully one day become a part of the scientist’s team.

The main gimmick is that each character is chained to each other and it’s your goal to cooperate with your partner(s) to beat each level challenge. The chain allows you to be a certain distance from your teammate(s) and has weight properties for dragging characters. I deeply like the concept of having to coordinate movements and having limited movement as it provides some unique challenge and the opportunity to create some interesting puzzles.

However, considering that the puzzles mainly used in Tied Together are about precision platformer or flinging yourself around the level, it poorly fits the earlier gimmick and doesn’t serve its puzzles in a way that makes it enjoyable for the players. Most of the puzzles introduced are very basic with little to no thought being required on how to solve them. The level design doesn't even have much to offer as while the quantity may be high, their quality is quite low with each level only having a single challenge in it. The controls aren't too great as there are times when the timing of jumps are off or don’t respond.  A majority of the time my friends and I spent on each level was purely messing around with the controls to hopefully yield an optimal result. While it spurred some dumb laughter, it never really turned into a feeling of enjoyment.

One thing I must commend the developers for is the art style of Tied Together. It is extremely cartoonish and minimizes any gruesome imagery to allow children and adults of any age to enjoy it. The style also perfectly fits the theme of monsters working together by making the world bright and colorful to match its positive and youthful tone. The soundtrack doesn’t stand out but it’s totally fine, once again fitting the style and tone.

If you’re in the market for a fun and engaging co-op game to share and have a great time with your friends and family, I’d suggest you go looking elsewhere as the novelty of being attached to each other wears off quick without variety and challenge keeping the game interesting. I truly do love the ideas it has, but it’s sad to see that these ideas were not strongly supported by a mechanism that would allow it to flourish.


9
TalkBack / Shift Happens (Switch) Review
« on: October 24, 2018, 10:27:15 AM »

Size does matter.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48721/shift-happens-switch-review

People are typically concerned about their appearance. Whether they see themselves as too rotund or too short, they always try to obtain an ideal body shape and size. However, Klonk Games have thrown those ideas out the window here and chose to use those unideal body types to make some interesting and unique puzzles in their game, Shift Happens, a quirky, 2.5D puzzle platformer that has won over the hearts of myself and my friends.

The story opens up in a lab where jelly creatures that are able to manipulate their height and weight are being created to carry out tasks. However, one of the machines goes berserk and spills red and blue paint in the tubes that create the creatures, giving life to our main characters, Bismo and Plom. The duo set out on their quest to explore the new area around them.

The main gimmick is that you must exchange the weight and size of both characters to be able to solve the various puzzles that lie ahead as only one person can be large and tall while the other must be short and skinny. The premise is genius and it’s quite soothing to go through each level as Shift Happens provides a gradual difficulty curve that allows you to take in and understand the mechanics while still keeping it interesting enough to have players hooked on the idea. There are options to play in either single-player where you alternate between controlling Bismo and Plom or two-player co-op, which allows each player to control one member of the duo.

Even though Shift Happens possesses a strong single-player mode and levels that are tailored to be played by one person completely, it really shines when played with two players. It has a supportive yet playful backstabbing feel, similar to that of BattleBlock Theater. There’s just no replacement for the joy and minor frustration of trying to solve a puzzle with your friend while trying to find every possible way to make them slip up. Working in unison with one of my mates to solve each puzzle felt amazing compared to working on them by myself. It’s difficult to put that feeling of chaotic teamwork into words, but Shift Happens is perfect for conjuring up these emotions.

The art style is very fluid and tranquil. The background and design of each level never have a sense of an immediate danger or a threat that is lurking in the shadows. The environments manage to look calm without compromising the difficulty of the puzzle or making it seem as if players are being mocked for their failures by having an overly cutesy or peaceful atmosphere. The soundtrack also has a relaxed vibe that meshes with the scenery perfectly. It never gives a sense that the players should be rushing to the goal nor that they are performing poorly. I really liked how some of the later levels tailor themselves to having a more natural setting with the music accompanying them having sounds that you would actually hear from those types of environments. For example, in the forest area, you’ll occasionally hear birds chirping, grass blowing and water moving as you progress through the stage.

Upon examining each area, I couldn’t find a single moment or part that I was displeased with. In fact, I’d even go as far to say that Shift Happens has no flaws whatsoever. I enjoyed every single moment both in co-op and when playing solo. It even left me craving more puzzle-solving madness. I hope to see if the developers consider adding DLC areas or maps to the game, but for now, I’ll keep trying to beat my fastest time in each level. However, I wouldn’t recommend this game for younger audiences and despite its appearance as the puzzles require a certain level of problem-solving that even my friend and I are in college and it took a few attempts to solve them.

All in all, I can say that without a doubt this is one of the best co-op puzzle platformers to hit the eShop’s digital shelves. If you’re looking for a good game to spend playing with your sibling, cousin, friend, or family member, definitely add this one to your Switch’s library and prepare for the laughs and challenges to come.


10
TalkBack / Oh My Godheads: Party Edition (Switch) Review
« on: October 21, 2018, 02:31:05 PM »

Making my (God)head roll.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48678/oh-my-godheads-party-edition-switch-review

Party games have taken on many different forms and play styles over the years. However, Oh My Godheads has to be the strangest yet most unique form of it that I’ve ever seen. It feels like a perfect blend of Gang Beasts and various mythologies that provides hours of chaotic fun with your friends. However, this came with a deadly side effect that brings its value down significantly.

There is no serious plot outside of a few character bios that reveal some of the motivations and backgrounds of the various playable characters. This was somewhat disappointing to find out, as there is potential for it to have a decent story that could explain where the Godheads originated from, why they are here, and why each of the playable characters was seeking them out. Alas, these questions will remain a mystery.

The game comprises five different parts: capture the head, king of the head, headhunters, last man standing, and trials. Capture the head is essentially the capture the flag where your goal is to bring the Godhead to your alter while evading the other team. King of the head has you competing against others to see who can hold on to it the longest time. Headhunters is a fighting challenge to see who can acquire 9 kills the fastest. Last man standing (as it implies) is a fighting challenge to see who will be the last man standing. Trials are various single and co-op challenges that are used to introduce the player to the game’s mechanics and give them some tasks to complete to improve their skills.

Each of the previously mentioned modes is for 1-4 players, with the exception of trials which is 1-2 players. However, there isn’t always someone to play with you, so they introduce a character known as Mr. AI that serves as the computer to play against in each of the modes so you can still play them by yourself. However, the AI is pretty lackluster and doesn’t offer up much of a challenge. Even when set to the hardest difficulty, they would use the same strategies each round to try and win, which compromises the player’s overall enjoyment if they already know what their opponents are going to do. It grew stale quickly playing on my own, not even reaching an hour in gameplay (this includes a full round of each mode and all of the trials). I feel this could kill the desire to purchase this title as having a second player isn’t exactly common and having poor single player options really damages its overall usability.  

The art direction for the game is honestly phenomenal and works well for their chaotic playstyle. Each of the maps has their own sense of personality and time taken out to design it, in a manner that would reflect the location where the Godhead originated and their lifestyle as stated by the legends. Their quirky, yet lovable characters are also portrayed quite well with each having their own physique that’s unique to them and reflects their occupation and origin perfectly.  

The main thing to be said about Oh My Godheads: Party Edition is that it is a party game to the core and those who are looking for a mix of both single and multiplayer fun will be sorely disappointed by this game. While I did get a kick out of it when playing with some of my friends, it’s best to look elsewhere for a party game that will please you and the crowd.


11
TalkBack / The Escapists: Complete Edition (Switch) Review
« on: October 18, 2018, 05:16:55 PM »

The Great Escape.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48674/the-escapists-complete-edition-switch-review

Puzzle games come in many different shapes and sizes with numerous manners of challenge and methods to solve each problem. However, I find few that offer the same level of freedom and creativity as The Escapists: Complete Edition. Allowing you to solve (or escape) each challenge in your own different ways and methods, making it accessible for any playstyle.

You begin each level by creating your own prisoner, tasked with finding a way to escape the prison, but that’s easier said than done. Each penitentiary is crawling with guards, other jailbirds, and security systems to make sure you stay locked up. You’ll have to use your brain to think of different items to craft and make various plans and methods to escape. Maybe by sneaking your way out, or by forcing your way out. The choice is entirely up to you.

The game is primarily broken down into different prisons. Each prison has their own unique layout, level of security, and items available for you to create. To have even a chance of escaping, you have to get creative and resourceful. You can find various items that could be used to craft weapons, armor, and tools that allow you to make it through the rough environment. However, you’re going to have to work to get these items both physically and mentally. Your character can increase their stats in strength, speed, and intelligence to give them a higher chance of being able to escape from their confinement.

This version contains all of the DLC prisons found within the original game as well as some new maps that are console exclusive. The fun of escaping can keep going as some of these prisons contain various items exclusive to them as well as unique and creative ways to escape your confinement.

The simple yet detailed art style is commendable. It compliments the gameplay greatly and keeps it simple enough for the player to understand their environment and what’s going on. However, I can't say the same for the soundtrack. The overall OST feels lackluster and doesn’t really provide a mood that compliments the overall prison theme. At times I even resorted to listening to other songs to help immerse myself into the gameplay and make each of my actions and decisions feel more threatening and bear much more weight.

The crafting mechanic is similarly weak. Most of the more common items you can create utilize item combinations that some players wouldn’t have known to combine without the assistance of a guide or walkthrough. For example, one would be able to easily combine toilet paper and glue to create paper mache, but I don’t see how one would be able to understand that combining two files and some duct tape would create cutters. I feel that if something was implemented to help players obtain a guide on what items they could craft using the objects at hand, it would make it easier to progress through each level without having to consult a guide or reference.

Overall, this is a classic puzzle and strategy game with a wealth of content to keep the prison escapes interesting. While it does need some improvements to make it truly great, I’d still recommend fans of the genre to give it a spin and see if they have what it takes to be an escapist.


12

Protecting the world, one evil Yo-kai at a time.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48466/yo-kai-watch-blasters-red-cat-corps-and-white-dog-squad-3ds-review

There have been various films that have gained massive success over the years, from classics like Casino Royale to more modern movies like La La Land. With such popularity comes others who wish to ride on their wave of success by creating a parody of that film. Quite often the parody offers little difference between itself and what it’s parodying making it feel more like plagiarism than anything else. However, there are some notable ones that are able to stand on their own while only parodying some parts of their source as to not saturate the game. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters (known as Yo-Kai Watch Busters in Japan) is one such game that was able to be completely original while also borrowing some aspects of their source, Ghostbusters.

The game opens up to a bottom-of-the-barrel team of Blasters suffering another cowardly defeat. While relaxing from another ‘difficult’ day of protecting the weak, they are interrupted by members of the Blasters Association, who come to whip the weak Blasters into a team that will strike fear into the fiercest of Yo-kai. They are resilient at first but slowly become more determined to improve themselves. Will our heroes be able to become the best of the best or will they remain as bottom-of-the-barrel blasters forever?

There are three main modes: Patrol, Story, and Big Boss. Patrol allows you to explore an area you have already visited in the story. While on patrol you can collect items, obtain Oni Orbs, take on mini-quests, and befriend other Yo-kai. Story basically allows you to progress through the game’s story and access new areas. There are also side quests that can be completed while in story mode that will provide the player with rare Yo-kai or special items. Finally, Big Boss allows you to challenge stronger versions of bosses you have defeated in story mode and obtain better rewards. There’s also a co-op mode that allows you to take on any of these modes with friends in local co-op or with anyone online.

There are a variety of different Yo-kai to be collected each with their own strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and rank. However, they are mainly categorized into four main groups: fighter, tank, healer, and ranger. Fighters deal lots of damage to opponents. Tanks are meant to take hits and defend their allies. Healers assist wounded allies with their recovery magic. Rangers use their unique attacks to overwhelm their enemies with debuffs or other nasty abilities.

There are a number of differences between Blasters and the main series games. Most notable is that rather than consisting of a team of six Yo-kai, Blasters limits it to a team of four. Also, the combat system is very different as the main series would have individual battles that trigger when you came in contact with an enemy while Blasters has you fight them in the overworld. Keeping to the theme of battles, Blasters also has you manually input attacks of the character you’re controlling rather than automatically attack as seen in the other games. Finally, the way Yo-kai level up and evolve has been changed, allowing you to fuse and evolve Yo-kai regardless of current level and Yo-kai now level up only when given Oni Orbs.

Gameplay is fluid, and having moves easily combo into each other and the ability to quickly switch which team member you’re currently playing as to much more efficiently complete challenges feels great. I also appreciate that Yo-kai you befriend will match your current level regardless of where you befriend them (unless you’re playing earlier story missions or obtain from Crank-a-kai as their levels are capped) as it makes them much more accessible to the player not forcing them to grind Oni Orbs to use their new Yo-kai.

I really appreciate how sparingly they reference Ghostbusters in the game, as it focuses more on being Yo-kai Watch rather than being a parody and being flooded with obvious references that would quickly become stale. Most of the references they make are subtle nods to the franchise (being more apparent in the Japanese version, but still modest). For instance, one of the characters, Blizzie, is meant to parody Janine Melnitz as they both work as a receptionist and have similar large red glasses. However, rather than be a copy of her, they build her up as her own unique character. There are other subtle like the main hub being a firehouse, the car they Blasters use, and a few others that only make subtle references to the film rather than saturate the game

While I didn’t find any serious flaws with the game, there were some aspects I found annoying. One of the main ones was the frequent tutorial dialogue that would pop up when a new feature was introduced. While most were useful, there was no way to skip them and some would go on tangents about an easy to use feature. What annoyed me the most was how for certain parts there would be too little explained. For example, there's one tutorial that mentions upgrading the facilities in the hub and hints to how to obtain your first upgrade, but then onward, you have to guess what is required to upgrade the others. It becomes quite tedious and frustrating.

Overall, the game is fantastic. It’s fun for solo play and is even better when working in co-op. I’ve poured hours into the game and have still not completed every possible task available. There’s so much replayability and it’ll have you craving for more Yo-kai madness… or maybe a Yo-kai is making you think that. Regardless, the game is definitely fantastic and I’d highly recommend adding it to your 3DS’s library.


13
TalkBack / De Blob 2 (Switch) Review
« on: September 12, 2018, 02:42:31 PM »

The funky rebel’s last stand.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48307/de-blob-2-switch-review

After seeing De Blob make a return on the Switch with its stunning HD makeover, it was nice to see that its sequel, De Blob 2, would also be making a comeback on the Switch. Sadly, while it may not be bringing any new content or features for its Switch debut, De Blob 2 still packs more than enough content to win any crowd over.

The Switch version is a port of the console versions of De Blob 2 and picks up where the DS version of De Blob 2 left off (as strange as that may sound). Blob and Pinkie are peacefully roaming the skies of Chroma City when you get a message from the Professor that Comrade Black had returned to Chroma City and that the duo must track him down and defeat him before he is able to cause any more chaos and devastation to the city. The pair agrees and sets out on their quest to find Comrade Black and take him down once and for all.

Similar to the first game, the main objective is to use the color absorbed by Blob and Pinkie to repaint the city, take back important landmarks, and eliminate the INKT soldiers. There are a total of eleven large levels that make up the experience, letting you explore the different parts of Chroma City. This version is far different from the first De Blob in numerous ways. For starters rather than collect points to unlock checkpoints and eventually the exit, this version has you complete a set of missions until you reach the end of the level. Also, rather than have the player continuously timed as they explored the area, the game instead only has a timer for how long you have to complete the main mission, and then you have an unlimited amount of time to explore the area after the main missions are completed.

The game is also completely free of motion controls, unlike its predecessor, and I am glad that motion controls didn’t make a return here. I feel this way mainly because there are many more mechanics added to the game that require more precise movements that would be nearly impossible to achieve with motion controls.

There isn’t much of a visual change between the Switch version and the other versions of the game. It’s possible that there’s a minor enhancement to the overall visuals, but I couldn’t find it significant enough to make a thorough comparison between the newer and older version of De Blob 2.

One feature that was in the previous game that I do miss is the ability to choose the type of music you wanted to play in the background as it allowed for the player to explore the world while listening to their favorite track. The feature of a few notes being played of certain instruments as you painted the city, such as red adding notes of a saxophone solo, was also another cool feature that was tragically cut from the sequel.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the De Blob series or if you’re just looking for a nice and peaceful game to add to your Switch library, I’d recommend giving this one a shot and letting your inner graffiti artist run wild.


14
TalkBack / Dust: An Elysian Tail (Switch) Review
« on: September 10, 2018, 07:17:11 PM »

Rise from the dust to answer the call of duty.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48294/dust-an-elysian-tail-switch-review

There are a few games I’ve played that have surpassed my expectations. This could be because of the game having a well-written story, gameplay that was more enjoyable than it looked, or even the genre branching out to include elements from other genres that compliment the game. Dust: An Elysian Tail was one such game that not only blew away but surpassed any expectation I had ten times over.

The story opens up in a dark forest where the main character, Dust, wakes up to the calls of a wise sword known as the Blade of Ahrah. Chasing after the blade is the second main character, Fidget. As Ahrah and Fidget speak, it becomes apparent to Dust that he has no idea who he is nor how he ended up in the forest. He decides to follow Ahrah’s guidance to see if he can unlock the mystery of himself, with Fidget tagging along. The trio set out on a quest to find Dust’s true identity; however, there are many forces at play that make our hero’s journey a long and dangerous one.

The world is divided into separate areas that the player unlocks either through story progression or by taking on side quests. In the metroidvania style, there are various platforming elements to navigate and hordes of enemies to be vanquished in each of the different areas. These areas also have hidden treasure chests and cages in them that contain loot such as gold, healing items, monsters, and even some familiar characters.

There are various abilities and key items that are obtained as you progress through the story. The majority of these abilities and items are meant to assist you with progressing to previously inaccessible areas, while a few others assist with combat. I personally appreciate this aspect of the game as it keeps the combat basic enough for the player to practice a style that best suits them without having to manage multiple weapon types and fighting styles to deal with certain enemies. The overall combat is simple, yet it is complex enough to allow the player to chain various moves together to form a combo.

I must praise the development team for the splendid voice acting and beautiful soundtrack. The voice work is spot on with each and every single line being read in a tone and sound that perfectly matches the character it is coming from. You can also tell that the actors were very passionate about the roles they were playing as you can feel the characters’ emotions and state of mind just from the style and tone of their voice. The music is breathtaking and allows each of the different landscapes you explore to come to life. It captures the emotions of each situation and environment and amplifies them, which makes each of the battles feel more intense and the environments more mysterious and fully realized.

The art style is one that possesses quite a bit of cartoon charm while still maintaining a sense of realism. It makes each of the different areas pop out. Each character has a unique design that fits the world’s fantasy setting while also keeping each one distinctly original and not just a redesign of a previous character.

While exploring the game’s wonderful world, I honestly couldn’t find anything I personally disliked or any major issues. The only problem that would occur is an occasional moment of choppy sound effects in which the sounds of swinging your blade or striking a monster would become delayed and not match the action on screen. However, this issue never affected the music of the area, only the sound effects. Regardless, the issue would only last for about 10 seconds before ultimately correcting itself and playing the sounds normally.

If you’re a fan of metroidvania-style games, games with a good story, or even just something to pass the time, I would absolutely recommend adding this game to your Switch library immediately. It’s perfect for beginners and experienced players alike and will leave you with hours of challenge and entertainment.


15
TalkBack / Shio (Switch) Review
« on: September 06, 2018, 01:44:52 PM »

Following the fireflies in the darkness.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48243/shio-switch-review

A numerous amount of games take inspirations from older titles to hopefully take their own spin on the idea and create something fresh and innovative that would be loved by many. Shio is one such game that claims to take much inspiration from Super Meat Boy. While it may take some positive features from the well-known platformer, a few problems drag it down from being on the same level as Super Meat Boy and its ilk.

The story opens up with a silent masked protagonist who is given the task of lighting the lanterns they encounter along their path. However, under this simple task lies a complicated and sorrowful tale that reveals small portions of itself through cryptic messages as the player progresses through each chapter.

The player is given the option of playing through on either a normal mode or a hard mode that offers more challenging segments and further information on the story. Four chapters make up the story, with each one filled with various areas littered with environmental traps and hazards that can instantly kill the player. As the player progresses through the chapter, new mechanics are introduced that they must quickly master if they plan to make any progress. As the player progresses, they can find small collectibles hidden in each chapter that help explain the hidden story in Shio.

The music and artwork definitely help with setting the mood for the adventure and balancing the frustration of so many deaths. The use of a traditional Japanese art style accompanied by a calm and peaceful music have definitely been a huge help with preventing me from flinging my Switch out the window after dying for the hundredth time.

As I progressed through each chapter, one of the main issues I encountered was the numerous bugs in the area's hazards. The most common one I would find is bottom spikes or kill barriers not working allowing the player to either breeze through certain areas or fall endlessly through a wall. The other issue I had was the shockingly short amount of time it took to complete only requiring roughly three or four hours to reach the end.

Overall, while the game doesn’t quite live up to the game it was inspired by, it does have its own merits and reasons to play through it. If you’re a fan of challenging platformers, then I’d definitely recommend giving this on a shot and suggest keeping a few spare Joy-Con at hand to replace any you may break in frustration.


16
TalkBack / Ultra Space Battle Brawl (Switch) Review
« on: August 25, 2018, 07:15:35 PM »

Aggression with Dignity

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48106/ultra-space-battle-brawl-switch-review

The fighting game genre has consisted of three main subgenres: 2D, 3D, and Platform. However, Mojiken Studio decided to challenge this idea by carefully mixing Pong and fighting games to make their beautiful creation, Ultra Space Battle Brawl. The idea seems absurd at first to combine the two, but they have done it in a way that creates fast-paced fun for anyone to enjoy.

The story isn’t vast but allows the player to obtain a solid understanding of the mindset of each of the 10 unique playable characters. Each character has their own background and struggles that they hope to be resolved by entering the Ultra Space Battle Brawl or USBB. The battles are tough, but you gotta push through to make your greatest dream become a reality.

The controls are quick and easy to understand: use the left stick to move, Y to hit the ball, A to activate your special ability, and R to dash. All of the playable characters have their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses that give them their own play style. For example, a character with high movement speed could have a low hit range or low hitting power to balance them out.

The game is composed of two modes, story mode and versus mode. The story mode is comprised of a few different battles that steadily increase in difficulty. Completing the story mode grants access to multiple pieces of art of your chosen character. Versus mode allows for two people to battle one on one or four people to play in teams of two. Each battle has a 100-second time limit to either deal the most damage to the opponent’s crystal or to destroy it. To do this, you must slam the ball towards your opponent’s crystal while trying to defend your own crystal from your opponent’s attacks.

One of the things I must praise this game for is its fantastic artwork and soundtrack. The art style is a nice blend of pixelated artwork and 80s Japanese aesthetics. This style gives the game its own personality that allows it to pop and stand out from other titles in the eShop. The soundtrack is a masterpiece. Composed by Manami Matsumae, famous for composing the soundtrack of the original Mega Man, each track is a burst of energy that sounds like 80s video game music while still being reminiscent of an intergalactic adventure.

While there are many positive aspects of USBB, there are some minor yet recurring flaws I found. One was the occasional poor grammar and writing used in certain cutscenes. This can vary from a misspelled word to a sentence being completely butchered. I also found that there were various glitches that would occasionally occur. None were game breaking or really affected gameplay other than causing some lag, but nevertheless, even if the glitches aren’t harmful, they do stand out.

All in all, I feel that while Ultra Space Battle Brawl may seem strange and absurd at first, it is an enjoyable experience that you wouldn’t want to miss out on.


17
TalkBack / Mugsters (Switch) Review
« on: August 05, 2018, 01:41:53 PM »

The aliens are invading so blow ‘em to kingdom come!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47895/mugsters-switch-review

The alien invasion story is one that has been around for years, sometimes being as zany as Earthbound while going as deep as Half-Life. Reinkout Games decided to provide their own spin to the story with their game, Mugsters. The invasion starts slow, but as I progressed through the various levels, it began to grow on me.

Mugsters’ story is a tad on the complicated side mainly because the backstory is a mystery to the player. The only story that can be derived from the game’s trailers is that the aliens have invaded the planet and you are given the task of freeing the humans and eradicating these pests. Upon getting past the main menu, you’re left in the main hub that allows the player to explore the land and figure out the controls and mechanics.

In each of the 25 levels, the player is given four main objectives: destroy or activate a machine, collect all the gems, save the captured humans, and get off the island. Other than getting off the island, none of the other objectives have to be completed to progress to the next level; however, completing them unlocks extras content such as time trials and vehicles. Completing these objectives is no walk in the park as there are various aliens and machinery out to kill you. I had to use my brain, luck, explosives, and fists to come up with various plans and traps to exterminate them.

The controls are pretty uniform. The left stick is used to move, right stick to rotate the camera, right trigger to run or accelerate, left trigger to go in reverse, X to pick up objects or enter/exit vehicles, and Y to punch or throw objects. What I find most unique are the various vehicles available as they each have their own control style. For example, a truck would be slow to accelerate but would be able to plow through walls easily while the muscle cars would run quickly, but have low durability. The thought and effort that went into creating how each vehicle works amazes me.

But on the other hand, the complete absence of music during gameplay is baffling. The main menu has a short theme playing in the background, but other than that, no other sounds are to be heard besides the movement of the vehicles and the various machines and UFOs. This somewhat hurt the overall experience as it made it feel as it made it difficult to immerse myself in the world.

The levels had an odd creation with a good chunk of the earlier ones being stale, repetitive, and lackluster. It originally left me in a poor mindset of how the rest of it would turn out, but as I progressed, they kept implementing unique and creative puzzle that provided some challenge to each level. It’s a tad unusual that there wasn't as much challenge and creativity put into the earlier levels as the later ones, but it was worth it to push through the lackluster levels to be able to enjoy the later levels.

While you could complete the game by just yourself, I’d recommend grabbing a friend or family member to try the local co-op mode experience as two people trying to navigate the terrain can provide you with some hilarious results. Also, the islands are modified to give some extra challenges that can only be solved through cooperation between two players.

In the end, it took some patience, but Mugsters turned out to be an overall enjoyable experience that leads to many laughs, frustration, and sighs of relief that will be enjoyed by one and all.


18
TalkBack / de Blob (Switch) Review
« on: July 15, 2018, 09:13:33 AM »

The return of the groovy rebel.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47741/de-blob-switch-review

It’s always nice to see a previously forgotten game given a breath of new life by being ported to the latest consoles such as the Switch. de Blob is one of these games, first coming out on the Wii in 2008. After a decade, THQ Nordic revived the dormant IP and ported it to Switch. There aren’t many differences between the original version, but that's okay since it retains its funky personality perfectly.

The story starts out in Chroma City, a world filled with bright and vibrant colors. All seems peaceful until some strange life forms known as the INKT Corporation begin to drain the city and citizens of their color. They then begin to force the citizens into a corporate military dictatorship all by the commander of INKT, Comrade Black. All seems bleak as INKT is on the verge of domination and the only force resisting them, Color Underground, is facing capture until our funky fresh protagonist, Blob, comes in to lend the resistance a hand. With Blob’s help, the Color Underground work to in one last plan to regain control of Chroma City.

The main objective is to use the color absorbed by Blob to repaint the city and eliminate the INKT soldiers. Ten large levels make up the experience, letting you explore the city. What I like about this is how relaxing the game is and how you can play at your own pace. You can either gain enough points to barely get past each checkpoint or take your time to color each item in the level. The enemies aren’t even much of a threat allowing you to peacefully enjoy the game with your only enemy being the timer.

The controls slightly different compared to the Wii version as that one relied quite heavily on motion controls while the Switch version is completely free of its motion controls, which is both a gift and a curse. It's nice because the motion controls are simply replaced with button presses, however, for fans of the previous version, it feels like something is missing from the overall experience. It would have been nice for there to be an option for people to play with or without the motion controls, especially since the Switch controllers do have some motion inside of them.

The other main differences are visual. The greatest difference is that the graphics have been given an HD remake while still keeping its original style intact. An odd change was also implemented, that being all of the game’s text boxes and buttons being significantly reduced in size. This makes it a bit harder to read what is being said, but it’s not atrocious.

Arguably the music is the greatest part about De Blob. Before each level, you have the option to choose the type of music to accompany you throughout the level and then depending on what color Blob is painting something a different instrument will be added to the music such as red adding some saxophone notes to the music.

All in all, It’s amazing to see such a creative and relaxing game make the jump from Wii to Switch. I would possibly make a few changes to cater to those who played the earlier version of the game, but I’m still glad to see it here painting the eShop red.


19
TalkBack / Inksplosion (Switch) Review
« on: July 15, 2018, 08:55:36 AM »

Painting the world with the ink of your enemies.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47739/inksplosion-switch-review

The Switch has a number of retro-inspired games in its rapidly growing library. Inksplosion attempts to introduce a new take on the genre by combining retro bullet-hell type games such as Sheriff, with a much faster pace commonly seen in modern games. While this sounds fine on paper, it fell on most of its promises.

Here, you play as a skull (which is ironic since dying is what you’ll mainly be doing in this game) that is tasked with surviving the waves of enemies that are out to defeat it. These enemies are various different shapes each with their own movement style and unique weapon. Your main objective is to survive for as long as you can to get the highest score possible.

Inksplosion has two main modes, Classic and Arena. Technically, there is another mode known as Hard, but it’s just a more difficult version of Classic. Classic is basically defeating the enemies but with obstacles in the way, while arena takes place in an open area. What I found odd about these modes is that Arena and Hard mode must be unlocked by receiving a score of 100,000. While this isn’t completely unachievable, the high difficulty makes it a challenge to reach this number. Thus making it feel like a chore to unlock the other modes.

The controls are fairly standard. The left stick is used to move, right stick to aim, right trigger to shoot and left trigger to slow down time. The slowing down of time is both a blessing and a curse as it makes it easy to dodge the swarm of oncoming projectiles, but it rapidly drains your health which is vital to your survival. I’d personally prefer that there be a different bar for this feature, but it does make it so you don't rely on it constantly.

The overall game was fast-paced, simple and ultimately quite enjoyable. However, I ran into some major issues that affected gameplay. The most prominent was the intense lag that would occur at the beginning of each round. I couldn’t really tell if it was because of the enemies that would spawn in, or the number of bullets that were being fired at once, but an intense lag would occur in the beginning of most of the levels.

Another aspect I found somewhat strange was the odd timing in which it would decide to end a stage. With the bullets and numerous obstacles cornering you, you don’t want to be left in a tight spot. However, you can still be knocked out by any leftover bullets or moving obstacles even if you’ve knocked out all of the enemies. This wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that most of the obstacles are made to have the player complete the level in a certain amount of time, thus allowing you to still lose even if you’ve completed the level.

This is a fine classic game for its low cost. The visuals and splat paint style gives the game a punk-ish style that keeps it feeling fresh. However, the main issue I have with recommending it is the frequent lag that occurs at the beginning of the levels. Hopefully, this is a situation that can be fixed in the future, but for now, let's leave the ink guns to the squids.


20
TalkBack / Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido (3DS) Review
« on: June 26, 2018, 06:22:14 AM »

A raw-kin’ adventure of a lifetime!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47619/sushi-striker-the-way-of-sushido-3ds-review

Nintendo is constantly trying to think of new and fresh ideas for their games, whether they be something cool like Splatoon or as wacky as ARMS. While possibly on an empty stomach, the idea of combining sushi and action/puzzle games was created, thus giving birth to Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido. This game was co-developed by indieszero for both the Nintendo Switch and 3DS and brings a fresh new twist to the genre by offering numerous hours of fun and challenge, blending the unique style with RPG and strategy elements.

The story opens up in a world where fish don’t exist, but the world’s sushi is created with the help of magical creatures known as sushi sprites. However, the evil Empire began to hunt the sushi sprites as a means of controlling the world’s sushi supply, while the Republic fought the Empire in order to allow sushi to be consumed by everyone in the world. Eventually, their fighting broke out into a war known as the Sushi Struggles. After numerous long-fought battles, the Republic lost the war and the Empire forbade the consumption and discussion of sushi within their borders. You play as a boy or girl (player’s choice) named Musashi who lost his/her parents in the Sushi Struggles. One day while searching for food, he encounters a sushi striker named Franklin and his sushi sprite named Ara-o, who dream of spreading the joy of sushi to everyone in the world. Musashi agrees to help Franklin, but before they can go, Franklin is captured by the Empire’s soldiers. Looking for a way to free Franklin from the Empire’s clutches, he teams up with a sushi sprite named Jinrai. The duo then set forth on their quest to free Franklin and spread the joy of sushi across the land.

The controls are slick and smooth on 3DS, using the top screen for the enemies and the bottom screen for your sushi. Using the stylus and touch screen provide some slick and highly responsive controls that made it easy to make large chains of plates in a short amount of time.

Another neat aspect are the various sushi sprites you can collect. Each sprite has their own unique ability that gives the player an advantage such as healing with Sweets Paradise or making the lanes move incredibly fast with Runaway Lanes. The amazing thing about this is that no sprite is useless. In games similar to this like Pokemon and Yokai Watch, there are always gaps in strength between each of the creatures, but here, the only gap is found in the player skill and health. This allows anyone to choose whoever they like and to build a team they feel the most comfortable with. The method of befriending the sprites rang some bells similar to Yokai Watch as through chance, a sprite could decide to join your team. However they improved this method by making it so that if you are about to befriend a sprite you have already, rather than giving you a repeat, they give an experience and skill boost to the current one you have. This makes leveling up the sprites much easier leaving them ready for when their turn in the spotlight arrives.

The dialogue and personality here are all fantastic and fill each and every character no matter how minor with enormous amounts of personality. One instance of this is have every character has some degree of voice acting to them, which is not only spectacular, but also fits the characters to a T. Their own unique personalities allowed me to fall in love with even some of the most minor characters and root for their success.

The art style is amazing as well giving each of the enemies, protagonists, sushi sprites and the sushi itself a very simple, yet detailed look to them. This is especially apparent in the sushi catalog and the animated cutscenes. Each of the dishes that you consume in battle are recorded in the catalog shown in a stunning a 3D rendering that makes them seem quite realistic, even making me hungry just looking at them. The cutscenes have also been beautifully animated and having some hilarious and shocking moments that make them all memorable.

The game has a multiplayer mode in which you can compete in local battles or in online battles with people you’ve shared your friend code with or with random challengers. There are two types of battles that are able to be done, a standard battle where you fight with just your sprites and skills alone, or a chaotic battle in which capsules are thrown into the mix and can turn the tide of any battle. (Note: the local and online battles are unlocked after you’ve made some progress in the story.)

Sushi Striker overall is solidly made and had me addicted to its simple yet challenging battles. It’s a game that allows anyone to play in whatever manner they choose. This is definitely one game that I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun and fresh adventure… just try not to play on an empty stomach.


21
TalkBack / Sling Ming (Switch) Review
« on: June 09, 2018, 06:04:00 PM »

Dangling in the face of danger.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47414/sling-ming-switch-review

Sling Ming is a single-player physics-based puzzle game that starts out slow and then turns into a brutally difficult challenge that would leave Professor Layton frustrated. It’s ironic how it possesses such a high difficulty curve while at the same time hiding behind the mask of a cutesy art style that makes it seem like a relaxing and peaceful adventure.

Here, you play as the ruler of the foreign kingdom Topius, Princess Ming. The kingdom of Topius has become plagued with never-ending earthquakes that have created cracks in the ground that expel toxic fumes. The Princess has had enough of these earthquakes and decides to investigate the cause. She finds a locked door deep underneath the castle that she believes is the source of the kingdoms calamities. She goes on a quest to retrieve the keys to the door and bring peace back to the kingdom.

Throughout your adventure, your main method of transportation is using a system known as the Oxylane. No other method of moving Ming is provided other than transporting her between the different nodes in the Oxylane system. As you progress throughout the game you’ll encounter different types of nodes and tracks. Each will have their own characteristics that change how you play, such as having a movable node or a track that increases your speed. One thing I found interesting is how you have the option of playing with either the controller or by using the Switch’s touchscreen which both feel equally as good.

As I mentioned, the difficulty can be extreme and in some instances, this is to be expected from a physics-based puzzle game, however, many of the puzzles rely tremendously on precise movement which can be near impossible to obtain. It also doesn’t help that most of the obstacles you will find in each level are one-hit kills. Numerous deaths are just about guaranteed, which can be quite frustrating as each time you die. The enemies and collectibles you obtained are put back where they originally were, but on the bright side, the nodes keep the placement you last left them in allowing you to edit the part where you went wrong rather than starting over from scratch.

One feature that seemed odd is the ability to skip a level by using the coins you collected in previous levels. This can be understood as the developers allowing players to continue if they are having a tough time in a certain area. This kinda backfires as it shows that they knew that the puzzles were just too difficult at times. Also, the idea to pay to skip a level is personally absurd to me as the main idea of a game is to play it, so why would one want to pay in order to not play?

Overall, Sling Ming does have some solid working but don’t let its cute facade fool you as it’s as tough as nails. If you’re up for a challenge, then you’ll find this game to be a blast. To everyone else, you’ll have more fun with a character keychain and some string.


22

The journey to become King of the Pirates!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47310/one-piece-pirate-warriors-3-deluxe-edition-switch-review

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Edition is a beat ‘em up that caters to both die-hard One Piece fans and those who have never heard of the series before. It was originally released for the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and Microsoft Windows back in 2015 with the deluxe edition being released early 2018 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The main difference is that the deluxe edition comes with all of the DLC missions and costumes already included.

The story follows Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber human who aims to find the legendary One Piece and become the King of the Pirates. On his journey, he encounters many friends and enemies that allow him to grow stronger to one day achieve his goal. The story is mostly based on the major plot points that occur in the One Piece manga only with a few minor changes such as certain enemies appearing earlier in the timeline, characters not wearing the right costumes at the time, and certain events being glossed over. However, this isn’t much of a problem since the game is more a brief summary of the story rather than an exact retelling.

The three available modes include Legend Log, Free Log, and Dream Log. Legend Log is the main mode in which you progress using the Straw hat crew to replicate what happens in the story. The Free Log is the same as the Legend Log, except that it allows you to play as any one of the unlockable characters. Dream Log is a somewhat area mode in which you participate in semi-randomized battles to unlock certain characters and items. The unique thing about the Dream Log is that after completing the final level, you unlock Nightmare Log which essentially a hard mode.

Throughout each level, you’ll play as one of the 37 available characters and be tasked with defeating large hordes of enemies, capturing territories, and defeating strong enemies. A various amount of side quests are available in each level that unlocks special cutscenes. Surprisingly enough, the game runs quite smoothly. Even when surrounded by hordes of enemies or playing the games Co-op mode, the Switch never lagged behind and was able to keep itself at its peak performance.

Another thing that personally amazed me was how well they were able to capture the One Piece art style and translate it to 3D models flawlessly. The wacky designs and facial expressions of each character were perfectly replicated. The music that accompanied each level was fantastic and really set the mood for each battle with its impressive use of guitar riffs and brass instruments.

I only encountered a few minor issues throughout my playthrough. The most persistent one was the frequent interruptions caused by the various cutscenes in the level. While they do provide a warning before each cutscene by making a speech bubble appear over your characters head before switching, it still interrupts the flow of battle. Another frustration is that the game is heavily reliant on grinding to make progress in the Dream Log. The enemies strength increases dramatically as you progress and while mastering your controls and knowing your environment help, it can only get you so far. Finally, some might find the length of each level a tad bit long as they contain a large number of missions before you can move on. It would take me approximately 20-30 minutes to beat each level depending on its map size and how many missions the level contained.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is still as enjoyable now as it was back when it first released and is a fantastic addition to the Switch library. While no physical copy is available, this is definitely one game that you should make a point to purchase from the eShop.


23
TalkBack / Nihilumbra (Switch) Review
« on: May 11, 2018, 03:48:00 PM »

The light found within the darkness.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47192/nihilumbra-switch-review

Nihilumbra is a single-player puzzle-platformer that allows itself to be accessible to both newcomers and veterans of puzzle games, allowing everyone to find some enjoyment and challenge. They do this by creating two modes: the standard story mode and a Void mode (aka hard mode) that is unlocked after completing story mode.

The story revolves around a shadowy figure known as Born. Born was an entity created from a place known as The Void, a place of absolute nothingness. He somehow detaches himself from The Void and ends up in the world of Nihilumbra. He is absolutely stunned by what he finds and begins to explore the world, but all isn’t safe as The Void is after him to make itself one again. It chases him endlessly, destroying everything in its path to get him back. Born tries to run away trying to escape his fate. Will he escape The Void and live in peace, or will he end up succumbing to the nothingness?

Outside of normal walking and jumping, the hook here is with abilities known as colors that you can use to alter the world. These colors are blue, green, brown, red, and yellow (not including “Void” which is basically an eraser). Blue allows you to turn the ground into slick ice, which allows you and your enemies to move much more quickly and is useful for jumping far or making enemies fall down pits. Green makes the ground and walls bouncy, but you can only go slightly higher up from your initial jump. Brown makes the ground and walls sticky, which can be used to sneak past sleeping enemies or stick foes to a wall. Red allows you to turn the walls and ground into lava, which slowly damages you and your enemies. Yellow allows you to create electric connections to machines in the ground to give them power.

One of the main problems I find with this game is that it can only be properly played in handheld mode. To use the colors involves drawing on the switch to show where you want the color to be placed, meaning that you can’t play the game on the TV. I would give this a pass if the Switch wasn’t capable of motion controls, but it can, in fact, use motion controls even if a gyroscope control isn’t the most accurate. This severely limits how you can play the game.

All in all, Nihilumbra is a fun platformer, which allows for those who are new to puzzle games and those who are well versed in them to enjoy the game equally. With the creative and unique elements that are used in each puzzle, it is definitely a nice game for its price.


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TalkBack / The Late Shift (Switch) Review
« on: April 26, 2018, 06:05:50 AM »

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47099/the-late-shift-switch-review

The Late Shift is a single-player interactive story game that is little short of a masterpiece. Eschewing using 3D models or pixel art, the entire game is live action and filmed in crisp HD. This definitely works greatly in its favor as is enhances the cinematic experience of the entire game, allowing for the dramatic moments to have more kick to them that can’t be accomplished with standard animation.

You play as Matt, a mathematics student who works as a valet/security guard for a parking garage. All seems normal until Matt finds himself face to face with a with an injured man with a gun. The man abducts Matt and brings him back to his hideout where the rest of his team is waiting. All seems bleak until they force him to assist them with their heist or else they’ll kill him. What happens next is all up to the player’s decision.

The game is filled with many decisions that each have their own impact on the story, both large and small. You could be forced to make a decision as minor as getting on the train or assisting someone with directions, or as large as determining the way you die. There are so many different options that it definitely makes it feel like the player is controlling the strings in this crime thriller adventure. The game has seven unique endings and over 180 decisions that can be made. Speaking of the story, it is definitely one that is full of drama and suspense that almost never leaves the player feeling bored or uninterested in the situation at hand.

Each decision must be made rapidly. Most of the time when you’re prompted with a decision, you have two options to pick from and a very limited timeframe to pick from. If you don’t make a decision, the more conflict-causing decision will be picked for you. An interesting aspect of the game is that there is no save feature, so you can’t save before making any decisions unless you restart, further solidifying the fact that every decision you make matters.

The only minor problem is that the game lacks a method to fast forward through segments that you’ve already been through, causing some unfortunate downtime spent watching the same clips before you get to the spot you wanted to make a different decision. However, this could be because the developers were attempting to bridge the line between film and game that they deemed the addition of a fast forward or skip feature would be counterproductive to the project as a whole and would remove the attachment the player has to the situations that they/Matt are thrown into.

The Late Shift is an experience definitely worth checking out, as the FMV style makes the wide variety of decisions and dilemmas more fun and interesting to sift through. If you’re seeking to blend the world of live-action film and video games, this is a great game to watch and play.


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TalkBack / Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san (Switch) Review
« on: April 18, 2018, 12:32:26 PM »

Eat to the beat to become buff!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47031/eat-beat-dead-spike-san-switch-review

Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san is a single-player rhythm game that is not only super fun but cute as heck. The game was originally released internationally for both iOS and Android in February 2015 and has now graced us with its presence on the Switch. While it is based on the BlazBlue series, it requires no previous knowledge about the series. It’s good for both fans and non-fans of BlazBlue

The story takes place in an unnamed hierarchical city that Dead Spike-san and Ragna live in. Ragna has been in many battles, but can never seem to beat his opponents no matter how hard he tries. After witnessing his master's countless defeats, Dead Spike-san came up with the idea. He believes that if he ate more, he could potentially become stronger, so, Dead Spike-san and Ragna set off on their quest to become stronger (maybe?).

In the game, you have the option of playing as Dead Spike-san  Ragna, Ouroboros & Hazama, and Nirvana & Carl. The game currently has 20 different songs to pick from and your main objective for is to tap the left and right triggers of the Joy-Con (or you can press the L and R buttons on the screen of the Switch) to the beat of the music to eat the food(?) in your path. You’ll find a nutritious food and strength-building foods on your journey such as mushrooms, omelet rice, dumplings, chess pieces, oil cans, and so much more. Each song has an easy, normal, and hard mode with the speed and frequency of button presses increasing as you advance in difficulty.

The overall controls are simple to understand but difficult to master. Having only to press the left and right triggers, it would seem simple enough, but this becomes increasingly challenging as they require the player's undivided attention to keep up with the pace of each song unless they plan on losing.

The game has a few minor upgrades that set it apart from its mobile counterpart. First is the visual redesign of the opening moments. The other more prominent feature is the slight redesign of the main menu and the addition of a few new songs. Finally, all of the previously paid DLC items that were available for purchase in the mobile version are included in the Switch release.

Overall, the game doesn’t really do anything that its mobile version didn’t already do, but nevertheless, it is still a fun game that I believe any BlazBlue fans or rhythm game fanatics should check out.  Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san will remain in my heart as the quirky and cute rhythm game that left me smiling as it kicked my butt.


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