Can you believe what an amazing streak of 2D action platformers we’ve been on for the past five years? Well, I hate to break it to your backlog, but it is time to add another one to the list. Constance sees you playing as the titular character, making her way through a gorgeous handpainted world. How you’ve exactly arrived is unclear, but in order to return back home you’ll need to find four tears scattered across the world. While the game plays with familiar themes and styles, its beautiful visual style and inventive platforming makes it a standout action-platformer.
If games like Celeste, Hollow Knight and the Ori games tickle your fancy, Constance should be right up your alley. I’d be hesitant to call it a Metroidvania, given that the game doesn’t necessarily deploy backtracking and gathering upgrades behind progression. Constance at first only arms you with your brush that can deal attacks or use paint to deploy specific abilities. This can be a dash, placing an explosive copy of yourself or stabbing enemies directly with your paintbrush. Whenever your paint is spent, you go into a vulnerable state where using paint causes damage to yourself instead. Thankfully your paint recharges slowly. But the mechanic is a neat twist to traditional combat in 2D action games where spamming your abilities doesn’t just come at the risk of running empty, but making it something you need to time very carefully.
The highlight here is the world and story. Each biome is a gorgeous and distinct setting. From a run down carnival set against a beautiful orange sunset to a library haunted by ghosts. Each frame is indeed a painting, given that most of the game uses a hand-drawn animation style. The story was surprisingly poignant albeit a bit simplistic. I love its themes on the struggle with burnout in particular in relation to the arts. Something that often gets dismissed because “you are working on something you love to do”. That gets reinforced through the gameplay. Not just because the game can be very challenging, but also because of the ‘puppet curse’ mechanic. Whenever you get a game over, you can choose to ‘persevere’. Returning you to the beginning of the room you were in, but increasing the damage done by enemies until you return to a resting spot. During challenging platforming segments it's a great balancing mechanic that doesn’t punish you for pushing you too far.
The boss battles are also very well done. Each fight feels creative and uses different mechanics to defeat the main enemy. I was in particular fond of the bosses at the aforementioned carnival, but even some of the smaller enemies have great designs that push Constance and her abilities to her limit. I will say that some of these bosses were a tad too challenging for my taste. Thankfully the accessibility options can help to modify the damage taken by both enemies and spikes. For those craving some challenge after Silksong, Constance should be a really great palette cleanser while still pushing you at times.
Overall Constance is a consistent and solid action platformer. With a gorgeous visual style and satisfying combat, I’ve had a lot of fun across the board. While the boss battles can be a major spike in difficulty, it was the perseverance-mechanic and world design that kept me coming back. It doesn’t do too many things that set it apart from the other games in the 2D action platformer genre, but that’s okay. At the end of the day this is a beautiful title that uses both its themes and mechanics to tell an important story. I do not need all my games to reinvent the wheel. Constance is another standout within this particular genre.
While Pragmata’s first trailer intrigued me, when it was originally revealed in 2020, it did strike me as a tad generic. A guy taking care of a little girl and a sci-fi setting wasn’t something that I was lacking in my games. And I think, especially looking back at that original trailer, that Pragmata was struggling to find an identity of its own as well. Only when I played the demo a few months back could I begin to see how it was shaping up to try something original. Having now finished the full game on Nintendo Switch 2, Pragmata is a delightful surprise that I enjoyed from beginning to end. While its story will not blow your socks off, the core gameplay is satisfying and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is Capcom embracing the return to the experimental era of the GameCube and Xbox360 but keeping its focus on singular mechanics. In short, Pragmata is excellent.
Hugh Williams is stranded on the moon after responding to a distress signal from a research lab, where he joins forces with Diana. Diana is a Pragmata, a unique experimental android that has the personality of an eight-year old but is capable of hacking and accessing systems on the Moon. The Delphi corporation has been using the moon for designing androids and all sorts of objects with Lunafilement harvested from rare resources. However, the main computer, IDUS, has gone rogue and seemingly all workers have vanished from the station. Armed robots stand in Hugh and Diana’s way as they try to find a way back to Earth and understand what has happened. At the core of the story is the relationship between Diana and Hugh. Diana as a blank canvas is curious and wants to learn more about the world around her. While Hugh is dismissive at first, he slowly begins to teach and cooperate with Diana as they form a special bond. The game takes its time to build on that foundation and there’s plenty of great character moments with the two of them–in particular when collecting Earth memorabilia for Diana to play with and having small conversations back in their shelter.
But where their connection is felt most is the gameplay. Pragmata uses a truly unique combat system where you simultaneously control Hugh and Diana. The robots are practically impervious to bullets, but Diana can hack them to open their armor, which allows Hugh to unleash a wide variety of weapons. Whenever you target an enemy, a small grid appears that uses the face buttons to guide a cube along a grid to reach the goal. If you pass through specific nodes, Diana deals additional damage or enhanced effects that will give you an edge in combat. You can use several weapons including heavy weapons like a shotgun or a long-distance laser, but there’s also supporting weapons like a riot gun to make enemies fall to the ground or a special shotgun that removes obstacles from the hacking grid. This interplay is at the heart of Pragmata and it honestly never got boring. Especially once you can upgrade your loadouts and have to face large groups of enemies, battles can be tense and overwhelming. Reloading in particular takes time, which naturally flows into you using Diana’s hacking abilities to give yourself an opening. It is such a good combat system that will require all of your attention. This is particularly true when new types of robots with different defenses or hacking grids start popping up. We’ve gotten so used to straightforward third-person shooters, but Pragmata tickles my enjoyment of puzzle games just enough for me to never feel like I’m playing on autopilot.
The art direction also deserves special attention. The research stations on the moon are incredibly varied: from a biome filled with replicated trees and nature, to dashing across the lunar surface while trying to avoid touching the ground as it draws attention from enemies. A lot of care and effort went into establishing the world of Pragmata. Logs explaining what the researchers have been up to and their frustrations about corporate control and the reliance on AI feel particularly apt in 2026. There’s of course some science-fiction leaps of logic around, but overall they help to set Pragmata apart, especially when the static white corridors make way for glitched out lunafilament fabricators that have gone berserk. The level design is fairly linear, but there are a lot of optional rooms and collectibles that will test your skill in combat as well as perception. I’d be remiss to not mention the excellent boss battles as well, which are spectacular in both size and scope, but also in the way they all have varied techniques that you’ll need to deal with in both the hacking and the shooting.
On Switch 2 the experience is pleasant enough. Visuals absolutely have taken a hit, rendering most of the game in a lower resolution with the exception of the HUD elements. Forgoing the crisp look from other versions to focus on a steady gameplay experience works most of the time. By the end of the game, I definitely experienced a lot of frame drops, in particular when using the scan ability to find missing collectibles. Yet, it was never so bad as to keep me from playing the game. It looks much better in docked than handheld, but given the easy pick-up-and-play nature of Pragmata I was never too bummed to switch from the TV to handheld mode. There’s little in terms of settings and tweaks to prefer visuals over framerate, but in all honesty the game feels at its best when you’re managing both the combat and hacking grid with a steady framerate. If you truly want to experience the best visuals, Switch 2 isn’t the platform for you. However for Nintendo-only fans this is some great optimization by Capcom on par with their recent work on the Resident Evil games.
Pragmata is like a return to a different era of AAA game development–something like Vanquish, Õkami, or Mirror’s Edge, games that really didn’t require sequels but had their focus on a sole aesthetic and core gameplay loop. Games that didn’t throw a hundred things at the wall to see what would stick. Pragmata is so refreshing in that sense. It has some phenomenal set pieces and boss battles that have lingered in my mind for the past week. While the overall story fell a bit flat for me personally, I had so much fun spending time with both Hugh and Diana. It made me go back to check out some of the postgame content. I hope that Pragmata becomes a path forward for Capcom. While they have been going back to the well and redefining a lot of their long-running series, it makes sense that Pragmata stands on its own. It is a fresh idea honed to near perfection and I would love to see what else this team can do. Whether you’re playing on Switch 2 or any other system, Pragmata is a great time.
Super Meat Boy, but in 3D. It’s rare that a pitch can pretty much cover an entire review, but in every sense of the word that’s what you get here. Super Meat Boy 3D is a loving reinterpretation of one of the most notable indie games of all time. Prepare to feel ancient as I write that the original Super Meat Boy released sixteen years ago. For me, it was one of the first indie games I ever bought. I begged my parents for their credit card to buy the game on this strange website called ‘Steam’ so that I could play it on my small laptop that was only meant for school work. Now, almost an entire adulthood later, the meat is still alluring, but with this transition I do think some of the magic has been lost of what makes Super Meat Boy an all-time platformer.
The game doesn’t leave you hanging for long. The opening cinematic features an almost upsettingly detailed Meat Boy chasing after Dr. Fetus to rescue his girlfriend Bandage Girl. The world is incredibly colorful with plenty of details that blend into the background–little beavers running away from the robots Dr. Fetus deploys to cut down the forest, strange tall-legged creatures rummaging through toxic waste. It all helps to bring the world of Meat Boy to life in ways the original could only dream off. The core gameplay is still the same: as a cube of meat, you try to reach the end of the level. These levels are still punishingly difficult. From buzzsaws attached to every surface, exploding mines, lasers and pretty much anything that moves: all of these are out to kill Meat Boy.
If you know anything about the original, it is the tight control of Meat Boy. He’s both squishy in ways that a cube of meat would feel, but also able to perfectly cling to walls and slip around in his trail of meat juice. The good news is that this has almost perfectly been translated into 3D. Almost instantly I was transported back to 2010 and could feel that tight control, whether that is wall jumping to reach higher points, running across walls to avoid pits and simply the way in which you jump. That is all perfectly preserved and will be the main draw to keep you engaged. Meat Boy has also gotten a few new tricks up his sleeve. Most notable is the addition of a mid-jump dash that can give you quite a bit of speed and travel some distance. This is your tool to beat the devilishly difficult time goals and get ‘A+’ rankings. It is also a mechanic that fits the new design of the levels. You’re looking not just for ways to make it past obstacles, but discovering pathways and shortcuts that combine the wall run and dash to shave off precious seconds or find secret collectibles. I wish that the game could let me change the controls in the options. Using A to jump and X to dash really went against my platforming preferences. Especially with a reset button mapped to Y on the Switch controller.
However, this new mechanic is where Super Meat Boy 3D slips up. It is a combination of two very specific elements that ultimately made the experience more of a drag, most notably is the level design. While the original Meat Boy was pretty simplistic in its levels, here it feels like almost immediately new obstacle types are introduced. They might be as simple as robots cutting down parts of the level or branching paths, but they end up making the levels feel quite cluttered.There is a lot of open space to travel through but it ends up feeling like you’re on top of a miniature rollercoaster a lot of the time. The backgrounds and those aforementioned details in the stages become distracting and even dangerous as you work your way through longer and longer levels. The number of times I died on a pretty good attempt because some environmental acid was dripping from a background pipe I wasn’t interacting with became pretty frustrating. It feels unfair in a way that Super Meat Boy was always careful to avoid. Of course, this game is catering to an audience looking for an intense and difficult platformer. They certainly achieved that, but at times it feels like that recipe has been overdone.
My second main issue with the game is the stationary camera. Navigating a 3D platformer really depends on the camera and I feel that here Super Meat Boy 3D is adhering too closely to the original game. There are levels where this works perfectly, with the camera positioned at a distance, but straight behind Meat Boy. It helps the player to make decisions on the fly based on your jumps and dashes as you can see the level layout ahead of you. But then there are levels where the camera is slightly rotated to accommodate the level design and it breaks the flow and control of Meat Boy almost immediately. Instead of running straight ahead, you’ll now need to begin to run in a diagonal direction to not bump straight into a wall of spikes. It is difficult to grasp where Meat Boy will land. You will overshoot your jumps or jump from a wall into nothingness because you cannot reposition the camera. No joke, I wish this game would be playable on the 3DS in actual ‘3D’. It would be much easier to accurately judge the position of Meat Boy within his environment.
It is these elements that kept me from enjoying Super Meat Boy 3D as much as I’d like. Yes, it is still a fun platformer. But it is also the modern embodiment of why ‘just make it 3D’ is still as challenging today as it was back on the Nintendo 64. At times, Super Meat Boy 3D gets to do its own thing and focus on what made that original game a modern classic. Great controls with tight level design that encourage the player to replay it over and over again to get the best time and find the collectibles. Yet, too many times I felt like the meat was left cooking too long. It’s bent into very specific ways to adhere to that original game, instead of standing on its own two meaty legs.
Let me get this out of the way first. I am very happy that I waited to play Blue Prince until it came to the Nintendo Switch 2. One of the most renowned games from last year, Blue Prince is a game I didn’t know much about except for its structure and how it had the ability to quickly overtake a player’s life. So having it available on a system I could take with me and suspend at any time was a prerequisite. And let me be clear: Blue Prince absolutely deserves its accolades. This is a phenomenal puzzle game that will fester in your brain like a virus, unlocking key puzzles hours after you first encounter them. Blue Prince sits at the intersection of playing a game on a screen and playing a game in your mind. I cannot recommend it enough for those who love to sink their teeth into an escape room, mystery box or puzzle book. Even if it may end up overtaking any free hours you still have left at the end of the day.
After the passing of Baron Sinclair, you play as Simon, his chosen successor. His inheritance, the Mount Holly Estate and associated titles, will be yours if you can reach the mysterious 46th room of the manor. Given that there are only 45 rooms and that the layout of the house changes every day, this is a task easier said than done. Every in-game day you begin at the manor entrance and will need to open doors, draft rooms and manage your limited resources in order to figure out how to find, reach and access the 46th room. Each room is a puzzle in its own right and the game does not waste time by recommending you keep a physical notebook in order to track clues and puzzles. By the end, my notebook was almost twenty pages of scribbles, doodles and charts.
As you may have guessed, this is where the roguelike structure comes into play. Each time you open a door, you can pick from three different rooms with different connecting doors. While certain rooms are more likely to appear in certain places of the manor in a sense every door is you rolling the dice and hoping for a room that can be beneficial. A room may contain resources such as gems, which can be spent to draw rooms with additional doors or benefits. But rooms also have designated colors that indicate their type. For example, red rooms tend to have detrimental effects on your draft for the remainder of the day. Given that every room has its own layout and connecting paths, nothing is more important than keeping an eye on your resources so that you can open or access rooms in such a way that you can keep moving forward. Whether that is actively going north and reaching the Antechamber at the far end of the manor, or focusing in on a specific puzzle or key that can help you understand the manor’s layout better.
I think games are at their best when you as a player are making choices. Much like characters in films, choices are what define us. In play, a choice is what reinforces your connection to the rules of the game. Kicking a ball at a specific time during soccer has an effect on how the other participants of the game will react. The masterstroke of Blue Prince is that each choice is clearly communicated beforehand, and you as a player are forced to weigh each and every door as a choice because once you ‘unlock’ a door, you have to add a room. The game is randomized, but always determined by the player’s choice. It is subtle but key to figuring out how to navigate Mount Holly’s endless hallways and rooms. In the end that is the actual game playing out on the screen in front of you: choices and what they mean for the way in which you play the game. The thing with Blue Prince is that this is in a sense only half of the game.
Onions, as you are most definitely aware, have layers. Blue Prince is an onion, wrapped in boxes at the center of a labyrinth in an escape room. The sheer amount of things you can learn about the world the game takes place in–through the objects, letters, notes, art and much more spread throughout the drafting pool of rooms–is astonishing. Whether that is the Sinclair family tree and the inhabitants of Mount Holly, or learning more about the history of the Reddington estate. I’m fairly confident in saying that every possible room in Blue Prince contributes to this overall feeling of laying out a corkboard with red string. It can be unbelievably satisfying once you get the feeling of cracking a clue as to how to proceed. Whether that is a hidden password or code or simply understanding what a person’s relationship is to someone based on photos or notes scattered around. It may take tens of hours to suddenly realize what a machine is used for or how to interpret a cryptic message. This is the true heart of Blue Prince that will keep puzzleheads enthralled for many hours.
But I would be remiss to not mention that Blue Prince can also feel like a repetitive mess with this particular roguelike structure. Running into consecutive dead-ends, especially when you as a player have already figured out what to do next can be demoralizing. I don’t think that Blue Prince can have its cake and eat it too all the time. There are plenty of strategies one can deploy to figure out an optimal route. Only to be cut off by a no-win solution before the very end. In fact the only reason I was able to reach the end of the game, was by overpreparing for any eventuality and it still wound up being a matter of chance to reach the final destination. By that point, I had not yet solved every clue or connected every dot to one of its many other mysteries. I think that’s a flaw in Blue Prince’s design. I understand how its creators do not want to hand players the solution on a platter. But upon reaching the credits, I felt satisfied enough to not continue unraveling the layers it uses to hide its story behind. I can absolutely understand how that feels to certain players. Reaching that final conclusion will require determination, perseverance but also a lot of luck. This is where the game is at odds with itself. It is why in the end I still prefer a title like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, which plays around with a similar design intent. But as it is a puzzle game with a set number of solutions, Lorelei allows its world and characters to grow alongside the player’s understanding of the world. Conversely, Blue Prince can often be a fight against the design of the game itself.
That having been said, even if you do not enjoy the roguelike genre, Blue Prince is still an absolutely astonishing achievement. At its heart it is a puzzle game unlike any other. You aren’t simply solving puzzles, but actively making choices and feeling their impact reverberate on the experience. The warning signs were there and they are true. Blue Prince can take over your life if you don’t watch out. But I say let it. Step into this manor over and over again. Get swept up in the mysteries of the Sinclair family and keep pushing forward. Whether you will stay long after the credits have rolled is ultimately up to you. But I can guarantee you that this is truly a unique game in every sense of the word. It will be the benchmark that future puzzle games will be measured against and that’s no small feat.
I missed out on the original PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, which released back in 2023. But as it goes, sometimes it takes a standalone sequel to discover something you’ve probably overlooked. Case and point, PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse is a wonderful adventure game that takes the familiar tropes of the visual novel and gives it plenty of unique twists of its own. Part horror, part mystery, and yes even part romance, The Mermaid’s Curse made me an avid reader in a way that books wish they could.
The story begins shortly after Yuna Minakuchi, a teenager growing up in 1980’s Japan, returns to his hometown on the island of Kameshima. He’s shunned by the village as most people believe his mother to be responsible for a terrible disaster that befell the island five years ago. Undeterred, Yuna sets out alongside his best friends Azami and Tsukasa to become a pearl diver. During one of his dives however, Yuna comes across another horrific version of himself that reaches out to him from the depths. Waking up in shock on the boat, Azami informs him about the legends of mermaids that have been passed down across Ise bay throughout the centuries. As the first of many paranormal events happening on Kameshima, it is up to you to figure out what is going on with the curse of the mermaids, help Yuna figure out what happened to his mother and how to save the island. At the same time, other mysterious people travel to Kameshima to investigate a series of mysterious deaths that seem to be related to mermaids as well.
That is about as far as I dare to go with a basic story synopsis for the game. Needless to say that there are plenty of twists and turns that happen during the story. When I saw the first trailer and a ‘story chart’ I was kind of put off initially. I rarely like it when stories force me to return to earlier parts and influence a story in specific ways to get a proper ending. But the way The Mermaid’s Curse handles this is both elegant and natural once you get into the proper structure of the game. Using both flashbacks and clearly telegraphed branching storylines with different characters, I found the experience more a breeze than a struggle. Especially since the majority of the time you will most likely be doing a lot of reading.
What I really like about the game is that it fully embraces its Japanese identity. You may be familiar with mermaids as a creature of folklore, but the way in which PARANORMASIGHT slowly unravels both the historical accounts, fictional histories, and real-world events is quite elegant. I adore it when stories use their local settings in order to approach a well known topic from a different perspective and here it is done masterfully. Occasionally you will be required to delve into the ‘optional’ histories and extended stories to fully understand what is going on, but the game uses both colored text, clearly updated profiles and the aforementioned story chart to make this as smooth as possible.
As with any good story, this would fall or stand depending on the characters and I’m happy to say that this is a very fun cast. Even side characters you will brush aside early on, turn out to have a lot more to do with the mysteries you’re investigating. In its concluding chapters it felt like I had cracked the pinboard with all the interconnected relationships and connections between characters, which felt very satisfying. This is also where some of the more meta aspects from the story shine. Some of these are incredibly well done, while others were a bit too obtuse for my taste. I got stuck a few times and I can only advise people to keep a level head, refer back to earlier obtained information and stay perceptive at all times. When this particular aspect of PARANORMASIGHT clicked it really clicked for me. Finally I wanted to praise its visual style. The game uses these panorama-like scenes where you can freely look around and inspect your surroundings. It helps to make the characters stand out and showcase their fun designs, designed by Gen Kobayashi who is most well known for his work on The World Ends With You. Striking this great balance between functional and memorable design helps set the characters apart, even with their minimal animations.
Outside of its story and world, PARANORMASIGHT can falter a little bit at times. I specifically do not enjoy the way the game controls in docked mode. It is clearly designed with a touch-screen interface in mind for the majority of the game. I found it annoying that in order to talk with characters I was required to move the cursor to their faces and press the a-button before being able to select my option from the dialogue menu. Especially with long and slightly repetitive conversations this became a bit of a drag. I also wasn’t too fond of the diving minigame. Thankfully most of this was optional, but the way in which you go out and increase your diver rank in order to better swim, find shells and harvest pearls felt so separate from the main game that I didn’t really bother to keep on playing this when the story kicked into gear. Finally, certain moments in the story require you to type out character names. While this is fine and requires you to really pay attention to your collected information, I did struggle with having to remember Japanese names and occasionally Japanese historical names. Thankfully there is no penalty for giving an incorrect answer, but it did remove some of the tension when I spelled out the wrong name four times during a critical moment in the story.
I was enthralled by the mystery and story of PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse. If you like mystery stories with a supernatural twist, I can recommend this game without any doubt. The cast of characters is a lot of fun, the ways in which the story unfolds are cleverly done and there’s even a dash of meta elements that make the game a lot more memorable. As a newcomer it has made me very excited to go back and experience the first game in the series. It has also added Ise and the Mie prefecture on my must-visit list for my next trip to Japan. I really cannot ask for much more than that. Well maybe aside from another entry in the PARANORMASIGHT series that is. Consider me a fan now!
Over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey discovering all the Resident Evil games. I’ve played all the mainline titles and in particular loved the remakes Capcom has been releasing since 2019’s Resident Evil 2. While I’ve yet to try my hand at Resident Evil VII, its sequel, Resident Evil Village, had its claws fully in me. A perfect blend of the horror that I’ve been told made RE7 a hit and the action-formula that was redefined with Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil 8 pulls across the series history for a tense and varied adventure that occasionally stumbles, but shines on Nintendo Switch 2.
Set a few years after the events of RE7–recapped with a very quick video for newcomers–you play Ethan Winters, and on a fateful night, tragedy strikes and his daughter is kidnapped. He wakes up in the woods of a snowy ‘European’ mountainside village. Unclear how he arrived here, he sets out to save his daughter. Of course it wouldn’t be a Resident Evil game before the village is overrun by hordes of deadly and bloodthirsty monsters. As you set out on your quest to pursue Mother Miranda and the lords of this region, you will not only be chased by evil beings, but also learn about what exactly happened to Ethan’s family. While I do not think you'll need to have played Resident Evil 7 to understand what is going on, the game does build on the events from that story. Still as a newcomer I had no trouble following along with Ethan's (mis)adventures.
RE8 uses the structure set out in the genre-defining Resident Evil 4. Finding limited ammunition and survival tools, you try to make your way through abandoned houses, a haunted castle, a creepy mansion, and much more. You can choose whether to play the game in first-person or third-person. The game has been designed from the ground up for first-person, but as someone who prefers Resident Evil for its third-person gameplay (and frankly, because I’m a wimp), that was the obvious choice. Frankly, I have not been bothered by the fact that all cutscenes play out in first person as these scenes neatly transition from gameplay segments. Of course, you will be shooting a lot of weapons and upgrading them with funds you find along the way. Plenty of treasures are hidden everywhere, which sometimes can even be combined with other items to increase their value. Do not expect the game to be as puzzle heavy as the original Resident Evil or even the RE2 remake, but inspecting items to discover secrets never grows old in my opinion.
The horror in RE8 is particularly strong and feels like it is pulling from across the series history. Whether it is being overrun by hordes of monsters and holding out with limited ammo, to being chased through tight corridors and hallways by one of the main antagonists. One sequence in particular evokes the psychological horror you may expect from something like Silent Hill. It helps to set RE8 apart from the other games in the series. I also really like the structure of the game. While the path is linear you can almost consider the main objectives to be tied to their own dungeons. In between these moments you return to the village and can undertake sidequests for the shopkeeper Duke, or explore the town to find new collectibles with the keys and information you’ve gathered. It helps to make the village feel like an extension of the gameplay, rather than just a backdrop. Of course the game plays into this with slightly shifting enemies and scares to keep you on your toes.
Time for the best news: Resident Evil Village runs fantastic on Nintendo Switch 2. The framerate only dips when shifting between major areas, but recovers quickly and remains rock-solid throughout. Objects look clean with no weird anti-aliasing. It helps to convey the semi-realistic visual style and heightens the threat that monsters pose for Ethan. Motion controls for aiming are supported as well as some helpful options like aim-assist. The performance remains consistent whether you’re playing in handheld or docked mode. The majority of my play sessions involved handheld mode with a good headset. It makes for a really immersive experience, while still allowing me to more easily look away from the screen during certain moments. Even later segments that are more demanding, such as large boss fights and hordes of enemies all run smoothly on Switch 2. The one visual gripe is reflections and in particular the way water looks. During a segment set in a flooded mine, the low-resolution water did stick out quite a bit.
I've had a blast playing Resident Evil 8. The game plays wonderfully on Nintendo Switch 2 and combines a lot of the elements I’ve come to love about the series. If you’re looking to get caught up on the last game before beginning with Resident Evil Requiem, you really cannot go wrong with this version of RE8. The additional DLCs are included as well as the Mercenaries mode. While it does 'sag' a little in the middle part of the story, the final sequences of the game were great.
In all fairness, I have dismissed PRAGMATA up until literally two months ago, when the latest trailer debuted during the Keighley’s. I knew the game had a very long announcement and development time, revealed to be in development for the PlayStation 5 and releasing in 2022. That obviously took a lot longer than expected, but now PRAGMATA is real and releasing later this year on all platforms. While the demo had been out for a few months, it now being available on Nintendo Switch 2 as well finally got me to try it out. Capcom has been doing great work the last several years on their well-known franchises, but with PRAGMATA I feel like they are really cooking.
The demo isn’t that extensive, it took me about 15 minutes on the first try, but it is great at setting the scene. As a stranded space marine, you control Hugh Williams, who is assisted by a little android girl named Diana. As the duo gets besieged by robots, Diana is able to use her hacking abilities to open up the robotic armor, giving Hugh an opening to destroy their opponents. The demo has a pretty clear goal. Reaching the main power supply and restoring power to the space station. Along the way you’ll need to access and open gates as well as fighting different types of enemies.
What I especially like about the gameplay loop of PRAGMATA so far is that at all times you are essentially controlling two characters. This isn’t a situation like The Last of Us or other games where you have access to multiple characters and switch back and forth between them. Diana’s abilities are strictly linked to the face buttons and left shoulder buttons, while Hugh’s primary actions are controlled with the Joysticks, D-pad and right shoulder buttons. I’ll admit that it takes a little to get adjusted to. Because each time you encounter an enemy or obstacle, a little grid pops up for Diana’s hacking. With the face-buttons corresponding to a specific direction, you need to get from the starting block to the green node. This quickly becomes time sensitive as gameplay does not halt or stop during these segments. Dodging with Hugh becomes key as you are dividing your attention between the hacking and the combat. Using his (limited) thrusters to dodge and jump, as well as supplemental weapons that can slow down the advancing robots, you always feel like you’re multitasking on the spot.
This mechanic is something that strangely enough reminded me of 2012’s ZombiU on the Wii U. Here, each time you had to go into your inventory, you’d need to look down to the Wii U gamepad’s screen and could be jumped by enemies. This interactive play between the player’s attention to the hacking as well as the robots is fundamental here. I think that Pragmata’s use of this mechanic is such a clever twist on this idea. In the age of second screen media, it is almost baffling to me that this hasn’t been explored before. It all comes down to a thrilling boss battle that combines continued hacking, with specific nodes that need to be avoided, and dodging out of the way of a targeted rocket system in time to deal massive damage to specific parts of the enemy.
If I have any concern it is more so with the overall structure of the game. The demo hints at a dedicated hideout, where you can upgrade weapons and abilities, as well as a way to use all the energy you collect from downed enemies. While I don’t expect this system to be as clever as the combat on display here, the painfully slow way in which your basic gun recharges had me wishing I could upgrade it right away. It also could be this specific set piece, but the space station really felt straightforward. Going off the main path did reward me with an extra repair capsule and there’s boxes to break aplenty, but the log entries weren’t that engaging to dive deeper into the world the game presents. I can only hope that the final game has more open areas that can accommodate larger enemies that require different methods to defeat.
What I am not disappointed with is the performance on Nintendo Switch 2. Before I booted up the demo I played the demo on the PlayStation 5 in fidelity mode, to get a sense of how it runs on ‘beefy’ hardware. But in all honesty, the Switch 2 version to my eyes runs on par with the PlayStation 5 demo. It remains to be seen if that can be kept up with in the full game, but I was shocked at how well the game handled on Nintendo’s handheld. Especially given that this game has not been designed from scratch for the Switch 2. The only downside is the lack of a performance mode that can bump the framerate from 30 to 60, but I really wasn’t bothered by the presentation. Textures look a bit worse for wear and the hair on Diana isn’t fantastic, but those are details I can happily brush aside if it means I can comfortably play this on my commute. But of course, I couldn’t pass this opportunity to let John loose on the footage and see if he could spot any difference. Shoutouts to John for providing us with a bit more in-depth technical analysis:
"PRAGMATA on Switch 2 demonstrates some interesting yet clearly very intentional choices from Capcom. On Playstation 5 PRAGMATA runs at 60 frames-per-second in its fidelity mode and only reaches a resolution of 1080p, a 50% scale of full 2160p. Not bad by any means but not especially high for a PS5 game. An alternate performance mode pushes the frame rate even higher. It seems like the developers have favored fluidity over image quality and that decision has been maintained on Switch 2. The Switch 2 version only has one graphics mode but just like PS5 it is targeting 60 frames-per-second. To accomplish this the internal resolution when playing docked has been dropped all the way down to 540p. We're obviously very limited by a relatively short demo but after counting four different shots I saw no indication of dynamic resolution. And in modern games the internal resolution of a render doesn't tell the whole story when paired with scaling solutions like DLSS. The game certainly has a soft appearance but manages to look fairly good for 540p. I should note that the HUD including the hacking screen is rendering at 1080p on Switch 2. So if we assume the Switch 2 is running, more or less, a 1080p version of the game VS the PS5's 4k version, then the relative resolution scaling is actually the same for both as 540p represents 50% of a full 1080p. I'd love to see Capcom try out a 30fps cap on the Switch 2 version just to see how high we could see that resolution go but its clear frame rate is the priority here.".
All in all, this demo has rocketed PRAGMATA to one of my more anticipated games of the year. It’s gameplay ideas feel fresh, it comes across as a cool blend of a narrative driven action game with puzzle elements and it seems to be running great on Nintendo Switch 2. If this game doesn’t overstay its welcome and has a few more tricks up its sleeve, we may just be looking at one of the biggest surprise multiplatform games of this generation. Only time will tell, but do yourself a favor and check out this demo.
Included in the Japanese version of today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase it was confirmed that Constance will be coming to Nintendo Switch on May 1st, 2026. This game was released on PC at the end of 2025 and received a lot of buzz. In this gorgeous 2D metroidvania, that has often been compared to Hollow Knight, sees you playing as the titular Constance. As you explore six biomes with unique enemies and hazards, you will uncover secrets, face platforming challenges and unlock new brush techniques to help Constance find inner purpose. This game is developed by Berlin-based developed Blue Backpack and published by ByteRockers’ Games and PARCO Games.
Square Enix showed no signs of slowing down during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase today. Aside from announcing a June 3rd release date for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth , there were also several new games shown as well as dates confirmed for other projects from the Japanese studio.
Last year’s The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales was confirmed today to be releasing on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 18th. As you travel through four different ages, you see how Elliot’s world changes throughout time. The age of Safekeeping, where Elliot is originally from, the Age of Reconstruction after humans went nearly extinct, as well as the Ages of Magic and Budding. Every age has a distinct look as well as weapons that are specific to certain time periods. The demo for The Adventures of Elliot can still be played through the Nintendo eShop. An extended trailer was released after the direct and can be viewed below.
A surprise was a new title in the PARANORMASIGHT series. This visual novel, developed by Xeen and published by Square Enix is a standalone game set in the coastal region of Ise-shima Japan. PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse stars Yuza Minakuchi, who as a pearl-diver finds another version of himself. This begins a strange series of events with a large cast all centered around the mystery of the mermaids. The gameplay is centered around investigating clues, speaking to witnesses and exploring the bottom of the bay itself. For fans of Famicom Detective Club and other visual novels this is one that looks promising. PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse launches on february 19th for Nintendo Switch. The game can be pre-ordered today.
During today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase the upcoming games from Capcom couldn’t be missed. A slew of new releases is arriving on Nintendo Switch 2 very soon. The best part? You can try most of them for free later today.
Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in the famous survival horror-franchise was already announced for Nintendo Switch 2. The game launches on February 27th on Nintendo Switch 2 and today reaffirmed several of the additional goodies you can pick up as well. Resident Evil Biohazard and Resident Evil Village (number 7 and 8 respectively) are coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on the same day as Requiem. Additionally alongside an amiibo figure of Grace Ashcroft, an amiibo of Leon Kennedy, famed pro wrestler from Resident Evil 4 will be made available later this summer. A new look at the Resident Evil Requiem Pro controller was also shown, alongside several difficulty options that are accommodating for new and returning players. You can play the game in either first or third-person mode and even change them depending on the character you control. Finally, a special Creator's Voice interview with Koshi Nakanishi will be published online at a later date.
PRAGMATA is a brand new IP from Capcom that sees you controlling a spacefarer named Hugh Williams and a child-like android Diana. The goal is to escape a lunar research station that is swarmed with robots that are almost impenetrable. That is, unless you use Diana’s hacking abilities to unlock their armor and shoot them with Hugh. The gameplay seems to balance small puzzle-like minigames that can be solved Diana for additional buffs, with third-person action at the same time. The game will launch on April 24th 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2. On that same day the Diana amiibo will also be available. A free demo of the game can be found in the Nintendo eShop later today.
Finally Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection was confirmed to be releasing on March 13th. You can train the Monsties in this game and give them special abilities with the Rite of Channeling mechanic. You can pre-order the game today, but additionally a free demo is also available on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop as well. Your progress will be carried over to the full release as well.
During the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase today Bethesda revealed a number of titles coming to Nintendo Switch 2. This includes several titles that have never made their appearance on Nintendo systems.
First up is Fallout 4: Anniversary edition. This is a port of 2015’s Fallout 4, that includes the six official expansions Automatron, the Far Harbor, Nuka-World and three workshop packs (Wasteland Workshop, Contraptions Workshop and the Vault-Tec Workshop) which can be used to create new items to expand your base. The game will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on february 24th 2026. Pre-orders begin today in the Nintendo eShop. It is unclear if the game will also be released at retail.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was already revealed last year to be coming to Nintendo Switch 2. In this first-person action adventure, set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, you play as Indiana Jones and uncover the mystery of The Great Circle. The game was lauded after its release in December 2024 and seems to be running smoothly according to the first trailer. This version of the game does not come with the ‘Order of the Giants’ DLC expansion. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on May 12th 2026. Pre-orders are open now in the Nintendo eShop.
The final surprise from Bethesda was the announcement that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2. This remaster was released last year on all major platforms to critical acclaim. In a similar vein to other Elder Scrolls games this is an action RPG which can either be played in first- or third-person and centralize around the customization by the player. As you explore the region of Tamriel, you fight monsters, go on quests and approach fights as you see fit. All graphics have been updated and recreated from the original Elder Scrolls IV and the base game includes the original Shivering Isle and Knights of the Nine expansions. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remasted is coming to Switch 2 later this year.
MIO - Memories in Orbit struck me from its reveal during the Nintendo Direct in June 2024. While its release was delayed because of a certain other indie Metroidvania last year, it has now graced both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. In short, while this game is jawdroppingly gorgeous, I found myself getting stuck on its pacing and hurdles more often than I would have liked. There’s a pearl of a game buried here, but it will take a dedicated soul to get it to come out.
In MIO you play as the titular protagonist: A small female robot that wakes up with no memories of her own. You’re stranded in a torn-down, yet hauntingly beautiful world called The Vessel, which is filled with biomechanical beings that have been disconnected from its functions. In order to regain her memories, MIO must traverse the lands of The Vessel and reconnect the world. A lot of the story is told through the remaining androids that can assist MIO with upgrades or quests or scrolls left behind that explain what is going on. The Vessel is intriguing to explore–from frozen down ruins, to overgrown gardens and abandoned laboratories.
While MIO starts out with nothing more than a double jump and a straightforward attack, as you defeat bosses you regain your memories and with those come new abilities. There’s a creative set on display, including a dodge, grapple with the tendril-like hair MIO has, as well as the ability to climb along walls and ceilings like a spider. Structurally, the game is designed like a Metroidvania, but very little is spelled out for the player. You are actively encouraged to poke around the map and find new methods of moving forward. Mechanically this makes MIO as a character much more nimble and focused on aerial combat. Double jumps can be recharged by hitting objects in the air. When woven together with next abilities, you can do some pretty fantastic platforming tricks. I especially liked the aforementioned dodge; when timed perfectly, it enables you to not only dodge an incoming strike, but use it as a way of moving forward or upward again by bouncing against a projectile again and again. It is during this exploration and platforming that the game truly excels.
However, the opening hours of the game in particular were brutal. It's not just the combination of being lost with no clear objective of where to go, but especially the management of resources and the lack of abilities at MIO’s disposal. Every enemy in the game drops Nacre, little blobs of energy that can be exchanged at vendors for new upgrades. The upgrade system, however, is limited to a set amount of slots. At the beginning you may only have like 20 points available, and equipping modifiers will eat up slots fast. Even your health-bar is a predetermined slot that takes up 5 points. Whenever you fall in combat, you lose all the non-crystalized Nacre you were carrying. A huge setback, in particular after exploring large areas of the map and not just returning to a central point, but also not being able to spend your hard earned Nacre. It became a hindrance to the fun and snappy nature of Metroidvanias that I have enjoyed most in the past.
Losing progress is a design decision I can live with, but because of the lack of meaningful upgrades, combat becomes stale rather quickly, especially early on when abilities are limited to a jump and a grapple. That aforementioned dodge ability? You’ll need to have beaten at least two bosses before it is unlocked and the game tends to be unforgiving in those. While assist-options are available, and I did have to resort to them, they feel limited in their scope. Options like making regular enemies passive and regaining health only when standing on the ground for a long time do help out, but they didn’t take away the pretty hefty challenges. In particular, this is because the runbacks to get back to bosses can be brutal as well.
What kept pushing me on, though, was the absolutely stellar visual and audio design. There are no loading screens on Switch 2, and interconnected rooms feel like a cohesive whole within the world. You don’t just open a door and enter a room, but pass through interior walls and see bits that MIO herself is unable to see. The gardens have so many colors that it never ceases to look gorgeous. The music is serene and has a lot of beautiful vocal-performances, and can be just as intense during boss fights. Douze Dixièmes weren’t lying when they said that they took inspiration from European comics, and they have truly outdone themselves by embracing bright colors and shimmering lights, rather than the drab and dour most games in this genre go for. There is no game that looks like this out there, and it pops off the screen on both Switch 2 and especially if you have a Switch OLED model available to you.
I’m truly at a crossroads recommending MIO - Memories in Orbit. On the one hand it is a gorgeous Metroidvania that you can immediately tell a lot of care and attention went into. This game’s visual design is without equal and that truly sets it apart from other titles in this genre. I love how the focus is a lot more on movement and platforming, especially embracing a more aerial approach that will have you performing jumps and tricks that most other games tend to leave behind for the latter half. On the other hand, the combat and overall design became quite frustrating for me to stick with it. Combat never feels powerful and versatile enough, in particular during the early hours, that you have an impact. Progression is slow and will require making deliberate choices on your build depending on the area or boss you’ll be tackling. It is a disservice to the beautiful world on display here that I was reset back to the start so many times and lost a lot of the meaningful progress I had made. MIO - Memories in Orbit is at odds with itself too much for my personal taste. But I also cannot deny that if you are a fan of this particular genre, MIO is one that should not be overlooked.
A few months back a new version of the popular rhythm game Synth Riders was announced to be coming to Nintendo Switch. As a fresh take on the rhythm game genre, we wanted to sit down with Arturo Perez, CEO from Kluge Interactive. I was especially curious as to what it takes to translate a game from VR to the Nintendo Switch and what goes into maintaining a game with a fully licensed soundtrack. In this interview we chat about what went into creating Synth Riders for consoles and what players can expect from this upcoming rhythm game when it releases on Nintendo Switch this week.
Willem Hilhorst (Nintendo World Report, WH): Can you talk a little bit about how Synth Riders for Nintendo Switch came together. I understand that Kluge has mostly worked on VR titles. What was it like to shift from immersive entertainment to a '2D game' on a console?
Arturo Perez (CEO, Kluge Interactive): The shift to Switch wasn't really a "pivot" from VR—it's more of a strategic expansion that's core to our DNA. It's in our nature to expand unique player experiences across platforms, and Switch represented a massive, underserved opportunity.
Our philosophy was translating the core of what makes Synth Riders special—that immersion within a musical, futuristic cyberpunk world—to the Switch platform. We had to reimagine how players would experience that flow state and rhythm-driven gameplay without the physical immersion of VR.
The exciting part was that Switch actually gave us new creative opportunities. We could introduce customizable Synth Rider avatars with outfits and accessories, and the third-person perspective actually enhances the hoverboard stunts and rail-grinding visuals in ways that had not been the focus in VR. We also leaned into Switch's strength as THE platform for local multiplayer, building out 4-player versus and co-op modes that tap into that Mario Kart/Smash Bros. social gaming audience.
WH: Adapting the gameplay from full body movement, fitness almost seems like quite a challenge. But the Switch also feels like an ideal platform to retain some of those ideas. Did you consider keeping stuff like motion controls to catch the music notes?
AP: That's a great question. In VR, Synth Riders emphasizes natural, flowing freestyle dance movements, and we definitely explored various control schemes for Switch, including motion controls.
Ultimately, we translated that fluidity to dual analog stick control for left/right hand note-catching, plus button inputs for rail-riding and stunts. This gives players precision and responsiveness while maintaining that sense of rhythm and flow.
We also adapted the 360-degree immersion of VR into a dynamic camera system that anticipates note patterns and obstacles, keeping players locked into the action. And while we removed the workout/fitness aspect, we intensified the score-chasing and competitive mechanics—three difficulty levels, leaderboards, and 4-player battles replace calorie-burning with pure gaming skill.
What we kept intact was that fundamental beat-synced gameplay where you catch notes and ride rails in perfect sync with the music. The core loop is pure Synth Riders; the delivery method is just platform-specific.
WH: Few rhythm games have a dedicated cast of characters that go on a story together. What made the team decide to include a story specifically for a rhythm game?
AP: We wanted to give players something beyond playing through a tracklist. The Campaign mode emerged from our cyberpunk aesthetic and world-building—we had this rich futuristic setting, so why not give it stakes and narrative?
In Campaign mode, rebels are racing against time to stop a ruthless AI named XANDER from seizing control in this adrenaline-fueled musical battleground. It adds progression and purpose to the gameplay, making each track feel like it matters beyond just chasing high scores.
The fate of the city is literally in your hands, and that narrative framework transforms rhythm gameplay into something more epic and engaging.
WH:The Switch is currently over eight years old and the hardware is showing its age. Can you walk me a little bit through what it is like to develop a completely new title for this hardware? And were there things you ended up needing to cut back on to keep it running smoothly?
AP:Developing for Switch definitely requires optimization, but we viewed the hardware constraints as creative opportunities rather than limitations. We prioritized maintaining the neon cyberpunk aesthetic and those retro-futuristic cityscapes that define Synth Riders' visual identity—that was non-negotiable.
We also focused our technical resources on ensuring the beat-synced gameplay remains perfectly responsive, because in a rhythm game, timing is everything. We also made sure the game runs smoothly across all three difficulty levels and maintains stable performance in 4-player local multiplayer, which was crucial for the social gaming experience we wanted to deliver.
We feel this game release is the start of our journey on the Nintendo Switch ecosystem, and we’re also excited to continue innovating in the future for Nintendo fans of rhythm games.
WH: I think music rhythm games are make or break depending on their song selection, but especially how well the songs translate to the gameplay and visuals. There's a lot of DLC available and already announced. Are there unique features to these songs aside from the music?
AP: Absolutely. We have up to 64 electrifying tracks in the Ultimate Edition Bundle, and each is carefully crafted for gameplay. The variety spans from synthwave—the genre that inspired the game's VR origins—to '80s anthems and today's hitsThe DLC music packs—Lady Gaga Music Pack, Gorillaz Music Pack, Monstercat Music Pack, 80s Mixtape: Side B, Current Waves, and Synthwave Essentials Vol. 3—each bring new beats and movements to take on. Every track is designed with note patterns, rail sequences, and obstacle choreography that's synchronized to the music's rhythm and intensity. The cyberpunk visuals and environments shift to complement each song's energy and style. What makes us unique is that we offer a broad genre diversity spanning ‘80s legends, current pop, and synthwave all in one package. And we're the ONLY mainstream rhythm game honoring synthwave heritage, which gives us credibility with music-centric gamers and nostalgia-driven ‘80s fans.
WH: I'm always excited about new music rhythm games, but have also been burned by experiences like FUSER and other games that used licensed music tracks. How do you feel about the inclusion of so many licensed tracks and is there a risk of those being made unavailable a decade from now? How do you feel as a creator about that aspect of your game?
AP: What I can say is that we've built Synth Riders as a franchise with staying power—we've already proven that in VR with ongoing support, cross-platform multiplayer, and partnerships with Apple, Meta, and PlayStation. We're committed to this ecosystem long-term. The base game includes 40-64 songs depending on the edition, so there's substantial content that will be available. We've also structured our DLC as music packs that represent complete, curated experiences, which reflects our commitment to preserving these music collections. As creators, we want players to be able to enjoy these experiences for years to come, and we're working within the industry's licensing framework to make that possible.
WH: Do you have a small detail in the game or aspect that you are particularly proud of? Perhaps it is in the UI design, a small reference or a little personal touch that you put in there that you especially like?
AP: The couch co-op mode is something I'm particularly proud of. Most rhythm games are competitive by nature—you're battling for high scores or racing against each other. But we created a mode where up to four players must work together and share the beat, where all skill levels are welcome. We feel the couch co-op mode is a great example of how we love to bring innovation to our gameplay, in a way that’s uniquely designed for each platform.
There's something special about that collaborative rhythm experience—everyone contributing to the same musical flow, supporting each other through challenging sections, and celebrating together when you nail a difficult passage. It captures what we love about music itself: it's better when shared.
Synth Riders launches on Nintendo Switch December 15th 2025. The base game comes with 28 songs for $29,99. The Deluxe edition features 42 songs and includes tracks by Gorillaz and Lady Gaga and costs $39,99. The ultimate edition has 64 songs with all six DLC packs for $69,99. DLC can be bought individually between $7,99 and $10,99.
It was almost three years ago that Skate Story by Sam Eng was announced. I remember seeing the trailer at the end of a presentation and being utterly enthralled. It was a weird feeling. On the one hand, this game was shaping up to look gorgeous and fully lean into its vibes. On the other hand, I’m unashamed to admit that I have always been downright awful at skating games. Yet, I wanted more than anything to delve headfirst into this experience. As the years went on, whenever something popped up about the game it rose up my list of anticipated titles. Now, more than three years after its reveal, it launches on Nintendo Switch 2 day and date with other platforms. This literal road through hell isn’t without issues. However, when the music kickflips in and the vibes become immaculate, Skate Story operates on a primal instinct of skating and survival.
As a demon made of glass, you sign a deal with the devil. In order to get your soul back, you shall devour the moons of the underworld. But of course, this cannot be done on foot. You will have to skate. As you advance through the layers of the underworld and meet a pretty bizarre cast of weird ‘lil guys, you perform tricks, battle philosophers and even perform laundry for the devil. There’s no beating around the bush: Skate Story is truly unique. From its gorgeous artstyle, presented through what seems like a million filters and lenses, to the way in which characters speak, it feels strangely poetic for something that is in essence masquerading as a sports game. But as you peel back the layers, it becomes clear that Skate Story is as much a game about its creator as it is one about skating. Pretty much every chapter consists of an ‘open area’ and a linear level. The linear levels are where the game excels. Oftentimes you need to reach the end of the stage by skating through the goal. Perhaps you will have to pass a number of gates, or make enough speed at certain checkpoints. With a thumping soundtrack by Blood Cultures, perhaps one of the best of the year, the vibes are simply unmatched. Rolling through levels at breakneck speeds while performing tricks never gets old. These tricks are vital as they are the only way to take down the forces that oppose the Skater. Each of the shoulder buttons is designated to the way your feet are positioned on the board. Combining this with either jumps (ollies) or powerslides and grinds gives way to a ton of combinations.
To that extent every chapter ends with a boss battle, where you use your tricks and accumulating score to defeat an enormous entity. Whether they are beings that want to stop you from skating, or one of the many moons you’re looking to devour, these bosses are almost structured like a dance. In an open park you can do tricks, grinds and other flourishes to extend your combo meter. Variety is key here, as tricks get stale if you keep performing the same one over and over. Once you’ve chained together enough combos, you can finish them off with a stomp in mid-air, to attack the health bar of the boss. It makes for an entertaining battle that relies both on your reaction timing, as well as your knowledge of how to best use the terrain to perform tricks at the right time to maximize your damage. They can be pretty spectacular, especially in the later chapters where the game combines the linear levels to become a race of sorts and you’ll need to make tricks along the way that can damage the boss at the end of the level. These stages are the lifeblood of Skate Story. They are engrossing and transcendent in a way I haven’t really experienced since something like Tetris Effect. The music, visuals and gameplay melt together into this unforgettable experience.
And yet the proceedings often come to a screeching halt, in large part due to the structure of the game. The aforementioned open areas are designed to let you skate around, practice new tricks and complete smaller tasks. Clearing out corruption or jumping over potholes gives you souls as a currency that can be spent on skatedecks, trucks and wheels to personalize your skateboard. The offerings are fine enough, but none impact any of the tricks or performance of your board. Given there are only two new decks in each gift shop I didn’t really feel incentivized to go out and collect a lot of souls, especially as progressing normally through the game already gave me enough to change the board to my liking. That made these open areas feel a bit hollow overall. There’s the implication of challenges, but not really a reward worthwhile to fully explore these areas, which makes it feel like the brakes come slamming down and impact the momentum of the story, especially given how many chapters repeat this structure. Only by the end, when boss battles and singular levels would follow one after another did I get invested again into the tale being told. But even then, the story feels like it’s ending five times before arriving at its final conclusion. Not a crescendo after a large build up, but instead we get encore after encore when the audience was already set to go home.
Visually, the Switch 2 version of Skate Story performs well enough in docked mode. The effects do often impede on the overall performance of the game, though. An inconsistent performance, especially in the busier levels, sees fire particles make the game drop from 60 frames per second to 30 and stutter somewhere in-between. In handheld mode, the resolution takes a pretty big hit and retains its uneven framerate. When you are speeding through the levels, you can feel that the game is struggling to keep up. While I do think it is intentional, this also somewhat hinders the cutscenes and story segments. You’ll manually need to push the A-button to continue to the next scene or line of text during a cutscene. Perhaps it is the way in which the game is written, which frankly isn’t always that straightforward, but so many times I was sure that I had skipped over some information as the scene moved on to a new character or segment without a clear transition. It ended up making the emotional hooks of Skate Story feel jittery and disorganized.
But when everything clicks together and you are on that skateboard, rolling down a slope through the underworld, Skate Story is truly out of this world. Performing tricks never ceased to look cool. Every time I crashed into a wall and shattered into thousands of pieces of glass it looked amazing. I would pick up my board and go again and again. Even the final devilishly difficult stages came together while that phenomenal score by Blood Cultures transported me away. There are some rough areas and structural issues that are hard to look past that are perhaps even more pronounced on the Nintendo Switch 2. But when I reached the credits and that original announcement trailer was playing in the background, I felt like I had come full circle. Experiences like this can be long-lasting even if they are a little rough, aren’t polished to a sheen, and occasionally show the screams from their creator. By the end I was left with this profound piece of art, something so utterly human. It is filled with love and passion, but frustration and despair, often stretching at the seams. I do not know Sam Eng, but I have a feeling that I got an insight into what he loves about making games. I may never be a skating game diehard, but Skate Story is a story worth sharing.
Over the past few years we’ve seen a slew of companies releasing compilations of their most famous series. Mega Man, Mortal Kombat, Atari’s entire company history and a handful of Capcom fighting collections make it possible to experience hundreds of games in a streamlined, modern form. Given the legacies of these well known franchises and their parent companies, it is no wonder that they serve as an easy way of making old intellectual property relevant and accessible again. On the occasion that more independent games have been included in collections, it has been in a more documentary form, such as the Making of Karataka or Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter story. So it’s been more than just refreshing to play the Simogo Legacy Collection over the last few weeks; it’s a door showing a path forward for smaller studios to highlight their lost or overlooked titles while presenting them with the necessary context to keep them relevant. This legacy collection isn’t a simple cash-grab it is an indie studio pioneering a new format. Even more stunning? Simogo makes it look almost effortless.
Simogo is the Swedish indie studio that is best known for Sayonara Wild Hearts and last year’s Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Yet the studio has been making games since 2010. This collection chronicles all their games, except for the aforementioned pair. There are seven games included here, each with a wildly different style and gameplay approach. Titles like Kosmo Spin and Bumpy Road were clearly designed to take advantage of the features of smartphones, back during the first wave of indie games released for these platforms. With clever touch mechanics, they are score chasers with a unique look and feel to them. Beat Sneak Bandit is a full-on rhythm game that could’ve been a minigame in something like Rhythm Heaven, where you need to tap in the rhythm but explicitly so as to not get caught by security guards while robbing manors. SPL-T is perhaps one of the most addicting puzzle games, where the goal is to make horizontal and vertical splits on the screen to increase your score. But where you make the splits is essential in order to make sure that you do not run out of space. Blocks disappear only after enough splits have been made and will be filled by blocks of the same shape stacked on top.
Then there are the narrative experiences. If you’ve loved the ambiguous nature of something like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, you’ll immediately recognize the writing style in DEVICE 6 or the atmosphere in Year Walk. These games are wonderful stories that also play with the way you interact with your device. DEVICE 6 especially had me hooked. Twisting and turning the screen in order to follow the text and find solutions to the puzzles. Year Walk is a bit more straightforward, but if you have not played it before it comes highly recommended. It is a suspenseful narrative horror game based on Swedish folklore with an absolutely gorgeous artstyle. Finally I’d be remiss to not mention A Sailor’s Dream. I wasn’t aware of this particular game and it was a delight. With a story told over the course of multiple days as well as specific radio broadcasts every hour, it made for a game I kept returning to over and over. Perhaps not every game in this collection will keep your undivided attention, and their mobile roots can still be felt occasionally, but given that over a decade has passed for most of these games, they are still in remarkably great shape.
And I think that staying power is emblematic of what Simogo has been able to pull off here. All these games were designed for a wide variety of devices. Most of their early games aren’t even available anymore on smartphones. But this collection of games gives you so many options to play and control them. Two sticks on controllers can simulate multi-touch for games like A Sailor’s Dream, where you can control two cursors individually. You can adjust the speed and size of each individual cursor. Is playing in docked mode not your style? Touch screen, motion controls and (for Switch 2) mouse controls are all available and work exceptionally well. Given that a lot of the games are designed to play in short sessions, I had a lot of fun picking them up whenever I had a short break. The wide range of options lowers the barrier of entry significantly.
It all comes together in this wonderfully designed interface that is made to resemble an app store. Every game has a little text blurb explaining the story, but also when it was made and what features have been adjusted to make it as authentic to the original release as possible. There are little achievements and challenges, such as getting a high score in Kosmo Spin or getting all the clocks in Beat Sneak Bandit. But I was also happy to see a few prototypes and other extras included, which is still such a rarity in the games industry. To see cancelled ideas and prototypes here in playable form gives some great insight into how Simogo approaches game design. It’s the cherry on top of this already clean and expansive collection.
I am almost sure that there is a game for everyone in this collection. Whether you’ve been following Simogo since their mobile games, or only played Sayonara Wild Hearts, each of the titles on display is such a great encapsulation of what has made this studio so unique. It’s not just a documentary showcasing the history of the studio, but this is Simogo pioneering a way forward: presenting a path for the preservation and (re)appreciation of games made for mobile devices. These types of games, more than any other, are so quickly lost to the annals of history. But they are important in their own right and collections like these give them the respect they deserve. I simply had a fantastic time with the Simogo Legacy Collection. It is everything one can expect from a collection celebrating a legacy. My hope is that other studios are taking notes and can learn from what Simogo has achieved here.
It is rare for us to consider studios before the point of their breakout success. Perhaps it is human to put art in the context of its creation. We tend to like neat little boxes like genres that are ultimately more a guiding tool for categorization rather than saying anything about the work itself. But studios and their creators often have long histories before their notable breakout hit. In the last few decades as development has become more accessible and platforms malleable, these histories often get lost. Perhaps a studio signed a deal with a big publisher who delisted the game because of a licensed soundtrack, or a game is destined to be buried alongside a platform for which it was exclusive. I think the biggest graveyard of them all might be the enormous output on smart devices and mobile in the 2010’s. So many developers published their first games for iPod Touch, Android and iPad. Utilizing the many features of these devices that were at the time incredibly enticing to play around with. Remember a time before battle passes, microtransactions and free-to-play? A lot of these games were just that. Fun games based on simple gameplay ideas.
Yet, as platform holders have tightened their grip using arguments like security and required updates, a lot of these games have simply disappeared. Even worse, researching these games in 2025 is a hellscape with dead webpages, links to sources and publications that no longer exist or no one ever bothering to document these smaller apps. I’m bringing all this up to exemplify how rare it is to see developers return to their mobile roots and try to preserve their legacy. That is exactly what Simogo seems to have focused on with their upcoming Simogo Legacy Collection. This is a treasure trove filled with unique games that have had their interfaces and unique control schemes preserved.
I’ll leave the in-depth analysis of these games for the full review, but with the Simogo Legacy Collection you will get a lot of bang for your buck. Included are the full versions of Kosmo Spin, Bumpy Road, Beat Sneak Bandit, Year Walk, DEVICE 6, The Sailor’s Dream and SPL-T. Each game is completely different from the last. From the score-chasers such as Kosmo Spin, SPL-T and Bumpy Road to the narrative-heavy titles like DEVICE 6 and The Sailor’s Dream. If you only know Simogo from Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, you can see so much of what shaped those games in this collection. The writing in DEVICE 6 is vivid and descriptive in a way that reminded me of how Lorelei does so much of its worldbuilding without any words. Or how the songs in The Sailor’s Dream tell a narrative, which was also done in Sayonara Wild Hearts. And then there’s the lovely surprises like Beat Sneak Bandit, which I had never heard of but is a fun rhythm game where you need to sneak around in tune to the beat. The collection brings all these titles together and makes it great for pick-up-and-play sessions. It brought me back to the early days of playing around with an iPod Touch. Back then I was just downloading so many apps to find a few gold nuggets.
Yet it is the presentation that feels like the glue that brings this collection together. The menus are designed like a phone or tablet, with each games resembling an app-icon. Opening the app looks like viewing the store page, featuring a description of the game as well as the small tweaks and additions made to the experience for this collection. It feels like such an appropriate choice to present the games this way. It configures your expectations ahead of time, so that when these games require different inputs they don’t come out of nowhere. In addition it helps to let the games speak for themselves. You aren’t seeing any out of place tutorials or notifications during gameplay. It retains the authenticity of these games in a playable form.
The most care and attention has been put in the controls. Virtually every method of interaction has been preserved to cater to any play style. For me the most natural style is using the Switch like a handheld device. You can hold the system vertically and rotate the entire screen of the game. Ideal for Beat Sneak Bandit that uses the full width of the screen. But for those who want to keep the Switch horizontally, that’s an option too. Motion controls, joystick and buttons, multi-touch and yes for the Switch 2 owners there are mouse-controls too! You can adjust every individual setting such as the cursor speeds, sensitivity of the mouse controls, and even the appearance of both the left and right cursor. Using both sticks to control two cursors takes a bit of getting used to and is required for games with multi-touch support, but in essence it retains all the features from the original releases.
I think that Simogo has cracked the code with how to preserve mobile games in the most authentic way possible. This collection isn’t just filled with a ton of quality of life features, but contextual descriptions, adjustable settings and even unreleased prototypes for some of the games. I’m still working my way through a few of the longer games, but I can already say that if you’re looking for a collection with a ton of variety, history and many truly unique games, Simogo Legacy Collection is a game to keep an eye out for.
Simogo Legacy Collection releases for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 2nd. The game will have a free upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 edition for owners of the Switch edition of the game. Be sure to check out our interview with Simon Flesser, co-founder of Simogo as well.
The rumors turned out to be true, when Ubisoft revealed last month that Assassin’s Creed: Shadows would come to Nintendo Switch 2 in early December. This marks the first third-party AAA release on Nintendo's latest console for a game that was released that same year. With the review code coming in hot, we only had the past weekend to go over its performance and graphical adjustments. While it’s too early to give the game a full review, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a great, but compromised fit on Switch 2.
Shadows marks the first new mainline Assassin’s Creed game running natively on Nintendo hardware. While Odyssey and Origins were available as cloud service games in Japan, the series hasn’t been seen on a Nintendo system outside of the occasional last-gen port, such as Black Flag and the Ezio collection. The gameplay in the series has shifted quite a bit since then, forgoing its static combat system for a more dynamic and immersive style. Set in a gorgeous rendition of feudal Japan, Shadows sees you start the game out as Naoe, a Shinobi who has to watch as her father gets brutally murdered by a group called the Shibakufu. As she sets out on her quest for vengeance, you run into the black samurai Yasuke. The duo form a secret organization to keep Japan safe from the tyranny of the Shogun and try to take out the Shibakufu.
This is a notable shift for the series in that you can choose between two very different styles of gameplay. Naoe is ideal for the stealthy approach. She can grapple up buildings, move quickly through the shadows, and take out enemies from afar with a wide ranging set of tools. Dealing with crowds of enemies becomes a problem, however. That’s where Yasuke comes in. As a big brute with a lot of power in his attacks, you can not only make every slash of your katana hurt, but also storm through enemy gates and throw subtlety to the wind. This dynamic is a lot of fun to experiment with and the quests are often designed to allow for multiple approaches. Will you come knocking down the door with Yasuke or get in and out quickly with Naoe? Their voice performances are stellar in both English and Japanese.
If you’ve played a modern Ubisoft game, most of what Shadows has to offer will be pretty straightforward. You can find quests by roaming around the world, using landmarks and tall towers to scout the areas. There are many branching side-missions and objectives to freely explore the wonderfully designed world of Shadows. The Assassins’s Creed series is most well known for attempting to bring an authentic historical world to life and they’ve excelled here. Japan here isn’t the picturesque parade of forests, mountains and temples you may expect. The villages are dirty, the people rude and more often than not the brutality of the Shogun era is on full display. Take Ghost of Yotei or Tsushima as a point of comparison, with their almost painter-esque and serene approach to what Japan is ‘supposed’ to look and feel like. But here in Shadows the dirt and unpleasantness make those gorgeous vistas, architecture and nature hit all the harder. It is a world that invites you to get lost in. But unlike other Assassins’s Creed games, here it doesn’t feel like a checklist of stuff to do.
I had already put in several hours in Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PlayStation 5. Carrying over my save file through Ubisoft Connect was instantaneous. I could immediately continue where I had left off. That said, the Switch 2 version visually is absolutely a downgrade from the PS5 version. Framerates and loading times can be inconsistent, especially with larger lighting effects and groups of enemies on screen. Yet, I had a fine time playing through the game in docked mode. Most notable are the menus, which take a few seconds to load in, especially when moving between different tabs. I also had a few notable bugs and glitches, resulting in the occasional software crash. Ubisoft is still updating and optimizing the Switch 2 version in the coming months, so I do hope that these kinks can be ironed out. The biggest visual setback is in handheld mode. While the game is playable fine enough and the framerate can be a tad more stable, the resolution drops significantly. I reviewed Star Wars Outlaws a few months back and I can’t say that it looked as rough on Switch 2 as Shadows does here. The scope of Shadows is much larger, but it is a shame that it looks as if someone rubbed vaseline on the lens to get the game running in handheld mode.
Still I will add that it is wonderful to have a ‘next-gen’ assassin’s creed running on a Nintendo Switch 2. Ultimately that choice will come down to what you are looking for. If you have other systems at your disposal, I’d still recommend playing on those if you want to get truly lost in the astonishing world that Ubisoft has presented here. But for those who love to play open-world games like Cyberpunk, Skyrim and the Witcher on the go, Assassin's Creed Shadows lines up pretty well with those expectations. Regardless of performance, I am having a lot of fun with the game overall so far. To me, it is the combination of this particular historical setting and its varied gameplay that is keeping me hooked. This world and its characters feel like the next step for the Assassin’s Creed series. It may have taken a while for the series to get (back) to Nintendo, but what a fun return it has been so far.
It must’ve been 2021 when I saw a gameplay video from an aspiring developer go viral on social media. The clip shows a Polaroid camera taking a snapshot of a 3D level. Then the player used the photograph to place a perspective shifting copy of the photo into the world. It captured my imagination and I wasn’t the only one. After this prototype went viral, Matt Stark got to work on making the game a full experience, now dubbed Viewfinder. While Viewfinder has genuine moments of astonishment, the story feels more like a hindrance than an extension of the impressive gameplay. There’s some great ideas at play here, even if the final delivery left me feeling a bit mixed on the whole.
Based on the trailer or gameplay you may be taken aback that Viewfinder has such an explicit story. In the far future, you and your companion have stumbled upon a simulator, once used by a group of renowned scientific and creative experts. The goal is simple, finding a machine that is capable of restoring the climate and making the real world hospitable again. As you try to find clues about the whereabouts of the machine, you are assisted by an AI programmed by one of the scientists. There’s a lot of audio logs, diaries and notes scattered around the levels to help you learn more about the creators of this world. But quite frankly, they all felt a little bit hollow and forced to me. While it is nice that there’s an overarching reason and story for the player to justify the exploration, the tale just isn’t told that well. The twists can be seen coming a mile away and the characters themselves are never shown, making their journey feel very distant. Unlike a game such as Portal, where the fact that you are being isolated is the point of worldbuilding and the story, here you are being bombarded with lore that didn’t intrigue or interest me.
Thankfully there’s the gameplay and that is truly where the game shines. The idea of playing with perspective has been done before in games, but Viewfinder makes this mechanic all its own. Every time you find or snap a photo, the perspective is retained. Platforms are constructed out of pillars, and you can rotate any picture to use a column as a bridge, or make items drop down on the ground. It’s a mechanic that I found easy to understand, but always challenging enough to implement. The game is very generous with mistakes, allowing you to go back in time to the point when the photo was taken or when it was placed. This gives room for experimentation. Sometimes I’d drop myself from an edge into a photo I’d just taken to get my bearings and explore possibilities for how to use it to power a teleporter and reach the exit. Each stage adds or combines new elements, often feeling fresh and challenging. You may find a copier, allowing you to make copies of an already taken photo. Or needing to snap a picture of yourself in order to teleport to where you used to stand in relation to the camera. The game is flexible in a way that allows you to find your own solutions to problems, the best quality of any puzzle game in my opinion.
Yet, the Switch version of Viewfinder feels a tad rough at times. Even while playing on Switch 2, numerous glitches occurred such as photos not loading in properly, or audio dropping out. The game only runs at 30 FPS and can stutter or fall below that when multiple photographs are linked together. I also had to adjust some settings in order to prevent some motion sickness, which is rare for me. My biggest gripe is that while the game introduces a lot of new elements to keep things fresh, the repetition sets in pretty quickly. Sometimes nothing more than shooting a single picture would be enough to solve a puzzle. Occasionally this happened five times in a row with several similar puzzles. In this pacing and outline I feel that Viewfinder wants the story to carry the player through, but that just wasn’t compelling enough for me. At those points I started to brute force my way through some of the game, which is a shame.
Viewfinder is a fun puzzle game bogged down by its ambitions. I loved the way in which the game uses the gameplay to speak for itself. At the same time, whenever the characters started speaking I was kind of turned off by the experience. The Nintendo Switch version runs fine enough, but can have a bit of a hard time with the framerate and loading of stages. For puzzle game die-hards, especially fans of Portal, The Talos Principle and Superliminal I’d recommend Viewfinder in a heartbeat. But if you’re hoping to find something beyond that incredible viral video, I’m afraid that Viewfinder will not be able to change that perspective.
Simogo is perhaps a darling among indie game lovers. Most widely known for titles like Sayonara Wild Hearts and 2024’s Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, each one of their games is wildly different from the last. Often revolving around a single gameplay mechanic explored to its fullest. The studio is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year, with the release of Simogo Legacy Collection, of which you can read our preview here, but also a book published by Lost in Cult: “Heartbeats, Dreams and Laser Eyes: 15 Years of Simogo”. We reached out to Simon Flesser, co-founder of Simogo and wanted to chat about their celebration, the upcoming Legacy Collection and how to stay innovative as an indie studio in an ever changing games industry.
Willem Hilhorst (WH): Before we get started I'd love to know more about the current state of Simogo. Can you tell us a little bit about how big the studio is and what your guiding principle is for projects?
Simon Flesser (SF): Formally Simogo is just me and Magnus “Gordon” Gardebäck. But we have a number of people we have worked with for many years, including our full time programmer Magnus Jensen, who worked on this collection. Freelancers who have worked on this and a lot of our other projects are composer and audio expert Daniel Olsén and graphic designer Åsa Wallander. And on the individual games there are of course more collaborators. You can check our site www.simogo.com for everyone that we work with. We also share their project stories on the site, so take a look!
WH: In 15 years I'm quite sure that you've seen the industry change a lot. Starting Simogo during the height of the mobile games market and slowly transitioning to more elaborate games for PC and Console. In your opinion, what has helped you run Simogo as a continuous studio?
SF: Stubbornness and a will to keep on trying new things all the time.
WH: If you were to ask me, Simogo's games are defined by focusing on concepts that have a single gameplay idea and expanding on that with different scenarios. From the limited interactions with puzzles in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes to Beat Sneak Bandit's Rhythm gameplay. Does that interpretation reflect the working process for Simogo when developing games?
SF: Maybe! It’s difficult to tell from the inside. In the end, we just make the games and projects we feel like making.
WH: You've announced the Simogo Legacy Collection last month as part of the 15th anniversary. How long has this collection been in the works?
SF: We’ve talked for maybe ten years or so about making this collection, but there has never been time or there have always been other projects that were calling for our attention. We finally started work on the collection in January this year.
WH: I presume that the main goal was to preserve and keep the games from Simogo relevant with the Legacy Collection, but I'm still incredibly curious as to what was the driving force behind this collection for your team?
SF: As you say, the main idea was to preserve the games. As we get older, you start to think about your legacy more, I suppose, and we think this is the best thing we could do so that when we are eventually gone, maybe people will know that there was once a small studio in the south of Sweden called Simogo.
WH: How hard was it to open up these projects again and get them working on a Nintendo Switch? Were there any surprising when trying to access these (outdated) files, projects or plugins?
SF: It is more difficult than I think most people would guess. Without getting too technical, part of the difficulty is that a lot of these games were “based” on each other. We developed and used the same tech and once you collect these games side by side, they will get confused by each other as they are calling on the same functions.
Another big difficulty was to be able to switch between resolutions and aspect ratios on the fly. The games were only ever designed to start in their preferred resolution and then never change. So there was a lot of manual labour and checks that needed to be fixed to achieve this!
Then of course there were a lot of design issues that needed to be solved, related to being able to play the games without a touchscreen.
WH:Was there an emotional response to re-experiencing these games after ten, perhaps fifteen years? How does it feel as a creator to be reunited with your work?
SF: Both good and bad! It’s a lot like looking at photos of yourself when you were young, which you can imagine is not always positive! It’s easy to feel embarrassed, but you also feel proud of what you were able to achieve.
WH:What was the reaction from team members that weren't part of Simogo when these games were originally released?
SF: Most of them are old friends and are familiar with the games, but getting to know them technically and reexamine them from the inside must have been interesting. As a side note. Daniel is probably one of the best SPL-T players in the world, with over 600 splits!
WH: I adore the presentation and style you've chosen for this collection, resembling a mobile storefront, but with straightforward information about the controls and context of the game's creation. Was that interface something that came naturally with this project? Or was it something you stumbled upon along the way?
SF: Thank you! First we had imagined it being something closer to the menus of the NES and SNES mini with big icons, but as we got to work on the different display modes with a visible tablet frame, the idea of an “OS” quickly naturally transformed into its current state.
WH: Translating the interactions with a mobile device to a console takes a lot of work. Both the in the way controls play a part, such as device rotation, touch interfaces and other features of a mobile device, but perhaps also in the way we use phones and tablets differently from game systems. What was key for you in making the controls work? And were there things that you weren't able to get working properly on Switch (2)?
SF: Our discussions over the years had always been centered around trying to remake or “consolify” these games. But as we decided to actually start making the collection, we knew that the intention should be to keep the experience as close as possible to the originals. With this in mind, we came up with a cursor as the main way to interact with the games, either through sticks, motion or mouse. An early decision was to not make custom solutions for each games individual interactions, which led us to both being able to let players rotate the screens manually to switch between portrait and landscape (and also mimic gyro when not available), and the inclusion of a second cursor, so we would be able to mimic multi-touch.
WH: Do you and Gordon have a favorite game in this collection?SF: My favourite is and has always been SPL-T. It’s a game I can keep on playing forever, and be fascinated by myself. Gordon’s favourite is DEVICE 6, because he feels that it challenges what games are, and can be.
WH: You went a step beyond and even released playable prototypes for some of the included games and even unreleased titles. I adored the Mysterious December Machine. This is still pretty unheard of in the larger games industry. What was your thinking behind this move and how challenging was it to get these prototypes working?
SF:To be honest the most difficult thing was to find the early prototypes! We simply wanted the collection to paint the fullest possible picture of Simogo, and be able to gather all extra material in one place for long-time followers of the studio.
WH: You've chosen to publish this collection yourselves, even though Annapurna Interactive was part of the publishing for Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Was this because you wanted to keep this project under your control? Or was there no publishing interest to (re)release your older work?
SF: It felt like the most natural thing, as the originals were also self-published. We never considered pitching it to any publisher.
WH: There are so many developers that got their start making games for mobile, Adobe Flash and other software formats that have made these games inaccessible for decades. What is the value for Simogo as a studio to return to these works and keep them available for the future? SF: The biggest values are that people who were not able to play them before now can, and that they are less likely to disappear when they are on new platforms.
WH: Did you take inspiration from cultural institutions, such as archives, museums or exhibits? Especially in how the games are contextualized within the broader history of Simogo as a studio?
SF: Adding dates to everything, to put them in an historical context was important to us, but I am not sure I would say that we were directly inspired by museums or archives.
WH: Do you have any advice or encouragement for other studios looking at what you're trying to achieve with Simogo Legacy Collection and may be considering something similar on their own?
SF: Try to resist the temptation to fix any blemishes or polish up the games, and focus on making the most true to the original experience!
WH: Finally, any word on what we might be able to expect in the next fifteen years from Simogo? Do you want to grow the studio? Or return to another of your series now that people are more familiar with them?
SF: No, we do not want to grow! If I knew what the next 15 years held, it wouldn’t be fun. The joy is to see where the journey might take us.
Management sims have never really been my cup of tea. But there is one exception to this rule: Rollercoaster Tycoon. I think the low barrier of entry, friendly presentation, and deep layers of gameplay have always kept it a comfort game of sorts. That being said, I’m always on the lookout for a modern approach to this gameplay. While Two Point Hospital passed me by, I had quite a bit of fun with Two Point Campus. Having worked on the arrangement of an actual museum, Two Point Museum seemed like a great fit for me. But while its humor and fun scenarios kept me engaged as a curator, the performance issues and lack of quality of life features on Switch 2 leave a lot to be desired for this particular port.
In Two Point Museum you get full reign of running and curating a museum’s collection. While there are designated themes such as prehistory, botany, and aquariums there are also unorthodox ones like supernatural and ‘digital’ museums. Running the museum is divided into different tasks, but primarily you’ll be recruiting experts to work as curators to maintain and collect exhibits to display in your museum and attract guests. Via the helipad you can send your crew on expeditions to try and retrieve pieces ranging from fossils and spirits to flesh-eating plants and videogame artefacts. Meanwhile, you’ll be designing your museum to house these collections, hiring security guards to ward off thieves and keeping janitors around to sweep floors and develop new interactive displays for kids. Once you get into the gameplay loop, there is quite a bit to do as the money starts flowing in. This fun begins when you’re presented with additional challenges and tasks to increase your museum’s rating and need to keep multiple museums going across Two Point country.
The visual style and comedic writing helps keep the game feeling breezy. From sarcastic announcements over the speakers reminding guests that they need to leave the museum with exactly the same amount of bones as they arrived with, to firing employees stating: “I knew this would be a bad day when you told me I was being fired". The cracks at corporate culture in contrast with how museums are public goods are a great continuation from those in Two Point Campus. Especially when the game starts to combine different elements, such as the supernatural museum also turning into a kind of hotel management sim to keep trapped spirits at ease (as observable exhibits).
But once I started digging deeper I found myself quickly running into issues with the way in which the game is presented on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. At launch there is neither support for mouse controls nor using the touch screen in handheld mode. This may sound trivial or gimmicky, but with the amount of menus and tools you’ll need to manage I found this often to be deeply annoying. Given that this is the third game in the series and I still need to use multiple buttons to navigate to a hub menu, then go manually over to the right with the L/R button and then still need to press the right directional button twice in order to manage the payments of my staff is ridiculous. You cannot assign specific button shortcuts or have different layout options. A radial menu would’ve been ideal on consoles, but alas, these are barriers you’ll need to work through the hard way. Especially when you need to press buttons within menus to make them scrollable and read the additional information. That’s before we get to building, where a lot of the finer details can easily get lost because you overshoot placing wallpaper with the joystick, or need to draw a line for the placement and removal of walls. The game doesn’t tell you how certain controls even function, such as pressing the minus-button to swap between placement and removal of walls. Nor is there an undo button, which I deeply missed.I am aware that this setup is similar to previous editions on console, but still given that gyro-controls for cursors, touch controls and mouse controls are all possible here, it is a missed opportunity for the Switch 2 version to set itself apart from the crowd.
The real problems however arose when I kept growing and improving my first museum to increase its rating. Framerate drops, performance issues and especially input-delays became the norm and incredibly distracting. Often I needed to wait upwards of a full two seconds for a menu to open after pressing the button. This may sound trivial but that is your basic interaction in a management game and it only started occurring when more visitors entered my growing museums. And we’re not talking about an enormous map-filling museum here. The game started to slow down and show hiccups before I was even building my third museum. It became harder and harder to track visitors or even staff and I really had to put the game down because it was such a distraction. It broke the immersion completely and especially for a title that isn’t graphically that demanding. For a game that runs on brand-new hardware it simply felt like it was defaulting to the performance of Switch 1 after the opening hours.
All this makes it currently very difficult for me to recommend Two Point Museum wholeheartedly right now. While I adore the style, humor and general gameplay loop, it is now becoming a struggle to fully enjoy the game as it reveals its deeper layers. I wish to explore the depth of its gameplay and for that I will now refrain from giving the game a fully scored review. In part because it feels like I have just gotten the hang of its systems and controls in more depth. But also because I want to believe that the developers need a bit more time to optimize and finetune the game for the Nintendo Switch 2. In its current state, at launch, I would not recommend picking up Two Point Museum unless you’re willing to deal with its shortcomings in terms of both performance and presentation. I hope that the developers are able to take the time to get more acquainted with the Switch 2 hardware and use it to optimize the game. In particular I want to see them embrace the features that help a management game such as Two Point Museum thrive on Nintendo Switch 2. For now, this museum is, in my opinion, still undergoing renovations and I hope to see it reopen in the near future to make its exhibits shine.
When I say FMV game, your mind may start wandering to the late 90’s. Games like Night Trap or Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties made, often maligned names for themselves. The technical novelty of these games is nowadays replaced by full-on cutscenes. Yet, there is something entrancing about exploring the overlap of film with interactive game design. Though the games Her Story and Immortality may be the modern touchstones, Blippo+ forgoes the serious and often bleak tones that these games go for. Instead recreating the experience of flipping through television channels as a story slowly starts playing out in the background. It kept me returning to Blippo+ night after night. This is television for the internet age and I cannot get enough of it.
Blippo+ is presented as an interactive television channel. You only have two main methods of interaction, moving on to the next channel or going to the previous channel. Every channel has their distinguishing programs, such as the talkshow ‘Small Talk’, the TMZ-like gossip show ‘’The Rubber Report” or more absurd programs like Quizzards, which combines a traditional quiz show with Dungeons & Dragons. All these programs are created for a society that sort of resembles ours, but is clearly distinct. From the way that ‘Brain Drain’ broadcasts interviews with the brains of dead celebrities or how seemingly millions of people are tuned into their ‘Peedees’ television stations.
One of the things that I tend to do when traveling abroad is turning on the television in the hotel and simply flicking through channels. It’s a way to occasionally stumble on programs that show what is going on in a specific part of the country, cultural programs, or simply something I’ll never understand thanks to a language barrier. Blippo+ recreates this experience almost perfectly. Each program is about a minute in length and therefore rarely overstate their welcome. One minute you may watch a group of dancers, flick to the next channel and learn something about the Blippian culture you’re watching. I really do not want to spoil the twists and turns over the course of the programs, but there is certainly an underlying story. I loved to see how slowly the story started to overtake other programs and even shows I had considered to be fluff became essential into understanding what was going on in the background.
As a game it is hard to judge it on traditional merits. Once you’ve watched ‘enough’ of a certain set of programs, you’re able to download new packages that air the nextset episodes of the shows. There isn’t really something you will do in Blippo+, but that also made it a lot of fun to just put on every evening and watch for a bit. I rarely watch any kind of television these days, but Blippo+ uses the shortened attention span that social media has taught us. Above all, Blippo+ is a love letter to the art of performance. It is clear that the creators didn’t just have fun creating all the shows, characters and world of Blippo+, but especially in the way they’ve visualized the world. For my day job I work in a television archive and part of the grandeur of television programs, especially back in the 80’s and 90’s was to look dazzling in front of the camera. But in reality most of the props are nothing more than paint, duct tape and a lot of lighting to hide all the shortcomings. Blippo+ destroys the artifice, but that heightens the care and love that the creators have put into this game and its production. No two programs are alike and it is truly a game unlike any other.
That having been said, I will say that a few channels that are mostly static and serve little purpose. It is fun the first few times you come across them, but once you know where they are they aren’t really something I ever wanted to visit. Especially when other programs became something I was actively looking forward to or trying to ‘tune in’ using the programming guide. I also had the subtitles glitch out on me a few times, which is unfortunate as for certain programs they were really essential to follow along. For some programs there is quite a bit of repetition due to their structure. It feels appropriate to spread out your time with the game over multiple days or weeks. It is how television as a medium was designed after all. Encouraging you to ‘tune in next time’’. While that doesn’t make it easy to review as a game, it is most definitely an experience I’d recommend if you’re looking for something in-between games to play more passively. In our current hellscape of streaming services it was almost a blessing to flick between channels and not needing to decide on ‘what to watch’.
Blippo+ definitely isn’t for everyone, but I do think it is something that can be enjoyed by everyone. Whether you’re into FMV-like games or not, there is a spark of joy that can be felt in every program you come across. The overall story is fun and will keep you engaged over the six to eight hours of Blippo+ you’ll be watching. There is a variety on display here that is so rarely found in modern games of any type. The real stand out is that it shows a new avenue for what FMV-games can be about. Not just mysteries or dark tales, but fun and creativity are what drive Blippo+. There is no game like it I’ve played all year and is something that I will often be thinking about in the months to come. If you’re looking for a game that’s both passive and creative, you will simply need to tune in to Blippo+.
I think at one point or another pretty much everyone got sucked in by Vampire Survivors. For me it was the mobile version that dragged me back into its gameplay again and again. Late last year I was finally content with the hours I spent and the ceiling I’ve reached. But now, I keep dragging myself back into a deep dark pit, over and over again. BALL X PIT is one of the most engaging games that combines rogue-lite elements with Breakout and a dash of base building. Let me not drop the ball here, this game is astonishingly well made. This year has been an avalanche of excellent indie games, but BALL X PIT should not be overlooked because when the dust is settled, silk has been sung, and Greek gods have been vanquished, I’m quite sure that I’ll be going back into this pit again and again.
When the ancient city of Ballbylon fell, a deep dark pit was left in its wake. A group of adventurers has set up shop on the outskirts of the city. Using the mechanized remains of the city you venture deeper and deeper into the earth across a variety of worlds to gain resources and restore Ballbylon to its former glory. The gameplay sees you controlling your adventurer who shoots out a set of balls. Enemies scroll from the top of the screen to the bottom in rows. You can angle your shots to hit enemies with your balls. When the monsters reach the bottom of the screen, or you get too close in range, they deal damage to your adventurer. This battle of endurance culminates in three boss battles that attack with different patterns. Along the way you grab the experience that the enemies drop in order to unlock new balls or upgrade their potential. Occasionally a rare fusion element is dropped, allowing you to either fuse or evolve a set of balls together. For example, evolving the Burn Ball with the Freeze Ball creates Freezing Flame which enhances damage and stuns enemies for a longer period of time. But you could also combine the Freeze Ball with the Earthquake Ball for the Freeze x Earthquake Ball that stuns enemies and hits their surroundings as well. On top of that, once you have these unique combinations you may even be able to evolve them with other balls to enhance their deadly potential. This gameplay loop of Breakout, Space Invaders and Vampire Survivors gives BALL X PIT near endless potential.
Even more variety is added when you return to the surface and begin building a base on the outskirts of Ballbylon. At first I thought this was a mere side-mode I could ignore, but this proved to be essential in surviving my later runs. After every run you’re able to send out your explorers and use them to improve your base, by literally firing them off in the same way as you would your balls. For every bounce against a resource they harvest some of that type. These resources: grain, wood, and stone are needed to upgrade the structures. Structures need to be built, in the same way that you would harvest resources, by bouncing against them with your explorers. These buildings give permanent stat increases to your explorers, or can unlock new adventurers for you to play as. You can freely rearrange your base at any time to make sure that your single harvesting action can be as productive as you want. Due to the strange shapes of certain buildings you will need to tactically plan out what your best approach is with building and harvesting. Some buildings are hard to put together, but give ridiculous benefits. Such as increasing the area of attacks from certain balls down in the pit, or even allowing you to bring two different characters into a stage. I rarely find that the downtime in a rogue-like is as much fun to play with as the runs themselves, but BALL X PIT balances this beautifully.
Then there’s the characters. While the first group of adventurers you unlock are pretty standard, over time there are so many unique quirks and characters that fit so well into the world. I loved the Shade for example, who doesn’t fire off his balls in a straight line towards his enemies from the bottom, but shoots them from the top to the bottom. It makes certain bosses that have their weak spot behind them a joke, but fighting off single enemies that survive long enough to make their way down are much harder to defeat. Then there’s the Cohabitants, a duo that shoot two balls in a mirrored direction but only do half damage. What makes these characters so much fun is that they all have a specific learning curve, but that not one single build is the ideal way to play the game. In Vampire Survivors the chosen character mostly matters for the starting item to give you a goal to build towards. BALL X PIT feels much more elegant because of the way you can combine every single weapon you obtain at the very least once. There are bad rolls, sure, but you can still adapt to their strengths and try to find an evolution or fusion that enhances their playstyle. The game rewards experimentation so much and it goes hand in hand with the skills you develop playing with certain characters. On top of that, you can only proceed to a new stage if you clear the previous stage with a certain number of characters. For playing stages again with new characters you are rewarded with blueprints that can be used to expand the base.
It is a devilishly brilliant loop and the cherry on top is simple: stages are rarely longer than fifteen minutes. A run in certain roguelikes can feel exhausting, especially if you fail after having a lengthy ongoing attempt. BALL X PIT breaks up the endurance that most roguelikes have prided themselves on and it makes the experience so much better. So developers, please take notes: stages are not a bad thing and can make your game’s design so much better to ease into. I never felt punished for throwing a run, because I could get to harvest and build again in my base. BALL X PIT is an arcade-like experience at times and I kept returning to it again and again. In-between playing and reviewing other games, doing a quick fifteen minute run turned into an hour where I always felt like I was progressing. It’s easy to learn but hard to master, especially with the large group of characters to play as.
If there’s anything really lacking it is that BALL X PIT doesn’t have a story as such. While the puns and small bits of lore in the encyclopedia are fun, narratively there is very little to keep you engaged. I didn’t miss it, but I did think that is something that could have been expanded upon. Additionally, for a bullet-hell/breakout-like the music wasn’t that engaging to me. After so many runs for me it was just more comfortable to have a podcast or video running in the background while playing. Finally, I will say that it did take me a few hours to really get sucked into the loop of BALL X PIT. Understanding that balance between the base building, harvesting resources and how they related to my runs in the Pit was a bit complex at first. Though sticking with it felt more rewarding than anything I’d expected.
BALL X PIT is exemplary of what a great game should be. Combining simple to learn mechanics, with a lot of depth and variety into a strangely unique beast of a roguelike. Once it got its fangs into me, the game simply wouldn’t let me go. Above all what struck me the most is that it's a game that looks almost effortless in its brilliance. Yet, the attention to detail and the sheer amount of customization feels unexhaustive. I have gone back into this pit again and again over the last few weeks and I am still not getting tired of it. You’re even able to challenge your friends on leaderboards with the fastest time that can keep you engaged for long after you’ve reached the bottom of this pit. BALL X PIT filled a hole, or a pit if you will, for me that I wasn’t aware I had. The only thing I can do is keep crawling back out, shouting that others should join in, before I’m dragged back into its depths again. I don’t think I’ll be leaving the BALL X PIT anytime soon.
If you're craving the days of traditional rhythm action games such as guitar hero you might want to keep an eye out for Synth Riders: Overdrive, announced today to be coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year. As a Synth Rider you ride on rails using hoverboards and the like to make stunts in time to the rhythm.
This game is a brand-new version of Synth Riders, which was originally released on VR platforms. Overdrive takes the same approach to its rhythm gameplay but is completely overhauled for consoles. It supports up to 4-player local and online multiplayer modes. Notable is that the game uses a licensed soundtrack featuring songs by Jack Harlow, Queen, Sia, Charli XCX, David Guetta and One Republic, Artemas, Wham!, Dance with the Dead, Sunset Neon, and Starcadian. There is also DLC for songs by Gorillaz, Monster Cat, Synthwaves 3, and others in the future. The base game comes with 40 songs, a Deluxe edition is available with 56 tracks and the ultimate edition comes with 64 songs.
Synth Riders: Overdrive is set to release this year on the Nintendo Switch.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade may not release this year, but it is certainly shaping up to be one of the highest profile ports coming to Nintendo Switch 2. The game has received high praise from hands-on demos at Gamescom and PAX. We had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy and were able to ask him about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and what went into making the game available on Nintendo’s newest hardware. This interview was conducted via a video call with a translator present. Some of the answers have been edited for clarity.
Willem Hilhorst for Nintendo World Report (WH): Thank you very much for sitting down with us. First off, I think there’s a sort of poetic irony that the original FF7 wasn’t able to fit on a Nintendo 64 cartridge but now we have the original and the remake coming to Nintendo Switch 2. So I am curious, what was the biggest technical challenge in bringing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade to Nintendo Switch 2?
Hamaguchi: When we’re working on titles for the Nintendo Switch 2 we’re working in such a way that the graphical pipeline can be optimized. And that’s what we found with Nintendo Switch 2 working on games with high-end specs, I’m pretty confident that we’re able to provide a great visual experience on Nintendo Switch 2 this time. Seeing the positive feedback coming from events like Gamescom and PAX seems to confirm this as well.
WH: Can you tell me a little bit about how different this version would be compared to thePlayStation 4 or the Xbox or the PlayStation 5 versions? What were some of the things you hadto graphically cut back on to get it running so smoothly?
Hamaguchi: So, you mentioned having to graphically cut, but I would say that we did want to take the version from PS4 and PS5 and see how we can sort of map that out into the Switch 2. So in terms of what we did sort of specifically for the Switch 2 this time, I would say things like the post process o effect and fog and such has been optimized for Switch 2 and this allowed us to stabilize the frame rate. However, in terms of things like lighting, we really wanted to aim for the same quality that one can experience on PS5 in terms of lighting for the Switch 2 as well.So we had made sure to keep that intact.
WH: Will there be tweakable graphics settings in that sense or did you have to really lock it down to only this and that's the best way to play the game?
Hamaguchi: So in terms of the graphics settings, it's not like the PC versions where users can tweak it as such, but it is a sort of optimized graphics setting for the Switch 2 that we have set up for the game.
WH: I wanted to delve a little bit deeper into the hardware standpoint because the Switch 2 offers some unique features that aren't available in previous versions or other platforms, not just the better performance. So I'm curious, was it ever a consideration to enable mouse controls for the minigames such as the rhythm game in the Honey Bee Inn or other Switch 2 specific hardware that you were excited about using in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade?
Hamaguchi: That's a really great question. When we were working on the PC version release, of course we had worked on mouse controls and from there within the dev team we had discussed if we should also do this for Switch 2. But after looking more into it, we discovered that this needed to be adjusted quite a bit to meet the standards and the experience we wanted to provide to the users, and so we settled on the gamepad experience for this time around.
WH: Earlier this month it was announced that the other Final Fantasy Remake games will be coming to Switch 2. I want to keep this interview focused on Final Fantasy VII Remake, but I do think that you have your work cut out for you, because Remake has an advantage as it is both chapter based, a lot more linear, the areas are a lot more compact than Rebirth, which has open world exploration. Was that an advantage for this particular project, and are there any lessons you've taken from working on Remake that you're bringing into the development of Rebirth on Switch 2 specifically?
Hamaguchi: When we first decided to release Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2, it really did allow us to understand this new hardware that we were working on and it did become sort of a model on its own. From there we’re going to release Rebirth and the rest of the trilogy on Nintendo Switch 2 as well. Currently development is progressing at a great pace. I believe the Switch 2, from a hardware perspective, possesses the capability to support more open-world type games going forward. It does come down to cartridge installs and load times where you see the biggest difference. There may be differing opinions on our decision to release Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on a Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Card, but I do think that overall this is going to be much more accepted and commonplace for games that will be released on Nintendo Switch 2.
WH: I think you now hold the distinct honor of having the largest game ever released on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2. I think the first notes we got was about 90 gigabytes, so at least you get that honor.
Hamaguchi: Yes, I do believe that we'll be able to deliver an experience that's suitable to that 90 gigs. When the original Final Fantasy VII came out, I was a huge fan of the game on the PlayStation. But now that I'm a creator, when I saw Final Fantasy VII working on Nintendo consoles, I was quite moved. So it almost feels like fate in some sense.
WH: I started playing Remake before playing the original, which is quite unorthodox, but I imagine there's quite a lot of people who begin with Remake Intergrade instead of playing the original. I'm curious, what does remaking Final Fantasy VII mean to you? What do you think the impact will be for future generations who may only have grown up with Remake 10, 15 years from now? What do you wish to preserve from that original experience? What is the beating heart for you for Final Fantasy VII?
Hamaguchi: This is sort of a sentiment that I believe is true for not just games, but in digital entertainment as a whole, including animation, films, and games, but I do think that there's the expression of how an animation or film or game is always a core part of itself. There are these iconic stories that are going to remain throughout. But with the change of time, since it's been 30 years since the original release, this expression can certainly become perhaps a bit outdated with the evolution of technology and the passing of time. When we look at how we can continue to have Final Fantasy VII remain relevant and also reach users around the world, it will require us to continue renewing it in order to deliver to an even wider range of players throughout the years. That's my belief on this and I’ve often been thinking about this while working on this AAA trilogy, at this massive scale for over 10 years now. I don't think I've had a project where I've had such a sense of mission and a soul to do something like this. So this is quite a rare and unique experience and I am very much honored to have had this opportunity.
WH: That's actually a great transition to one of my other questions. For you this might be the final time you get to work on Final Fantasy VII Remake Inter ograde, specifically the first part of this trilogy. Is there a specific addition you’re excited about with delivering the final version of this particular game?
Hamaguchi: I really like how you kind of phrased it as a final form. That's a really great and appropriate term for this. One feature that we implemented in this version is called streamlined progression. It's essentially a feature that makes gameplay, perhaps easier for players and it could allow for guaranteed 9,999 damage in battles, or for example, taking zero damage all the time in battles, or double speed to progress through events, and such. The thinking behind this is that, since this is going to be sort of the first of three titles that we'll be releasing in this way, we did want to make it accessible. We hope that players will want to stay along for the long ride. This was something that was, you know, definitely in our minds within the development team when we were working on this.
WH: Do you have a personal little detail that is in Final Fantasy VII Remake that others might overlook? That could be an animation, the way the UI is animated, gameplay, or something very little that no one will notice, but that you are particularly proud of. I'm very curious.
Hamaguchi: (laughs) Yes, during the scene where you're walking around sector 7, there is a cat that you see, an American Shorthair, and this cat is actually modeled after my own cat. I would like for players to keep an eye out and try to look for my cat.
To close out the interview, Mr. Hamaguchi had a special message prepared for Nintendo fans.
Hamaguchi: We are currently preparing a demo for the game to be released around the end of the year. I do think that this game is a great one to experience the full hardware capabilities of Nintendo Switch 2. So if anyone is on the fence about whether or not to try this game, this is a great moment. Please check out the demo near the end of the year and see for yourself what this game is all about.
WH: Fantastic. I cannot wait to play Remake for a third time on the go. Thank you very much Hamaguchi-san.
I tend to be a bit of a console purist. In the past I’ve rarely added dedicated accessories to my systems. Even with the Steam Deck I keep it in the carrying case I got with the handheld and stuff like decals or skins tend to not be for me. However, walking around Gamescom I spotted the booth of accessory-maker Genki. Now Genki might be more closely associated with the Nintendo Switch 2 then they’d prefer themselves, as they recently settled a lawsuit with Nintendo over bringing out a 3D printed version of the system in January at CES. But given a hands-on with their upcoming range of products I was particularly excited about their dedicated grip for the Nintendo Switch 2, provocatively named the Attack Vector. Having played around with it over the past few weeks, I have to admit that I’m having a hard time taking these grips off of my system as they’ve increased comfort and portability drastically for me.
The Attack Vector is a full on clamshell that covers the entire Switch 2 system. It snaps on snugly and feels like a tight fit while leaving plenty of room for the ventilation, kickstand, cartridge slot and buttons. If I didn’t know I put it on there, the bulk and noticeability of the shell is almost negligible, which is to me a massive plus. It also fits perfectly into the Nintendo Switch 2 dock. I have to admit that since getting my system at launch in June I did have my doubts about how much the system can ‘wobble’ in the dock and possibly scratch the screen. With the Vector, all these doubts are a thing of the past. There’s no way to misalign the system when docking it and getting it out feels very sturdy.
The shell comes with two separate pieces for the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Getting these on was a bit trickier, as you need to insert them around the shoulder and ZL/ZR buttons. But again, once it was on there, there was no way of removing them easily. These modular shells are truly why you are picking up this grip as they allow for the addition of three sets of grips around the back of the controller. There’s the ‘Feather Grip’, a minimalistic grip that fits into the higher end of the handpalm underneath the pointer and the middle finger, the ‘Balance Grip’ which follows the length of the controller and makes the bottom edge rounded and align with the entire palm, and finally the ‘Anchor Grip’ which adds a hefty bit of bulk to the underside of the hand, shifting most of the weight to your four fingers. Each of these provides a wildly different experience and personally I didn’t care for all of them. In particular the Anchor Grip simply was too bulky and hefty for my comfort. Much akin to the Steam Deck, after about an hour of playtime my hands would get fairly tired and sometimes they even tended to go a bit numb, depending on my posture. The Balance grip feels nice, but with the width across the entire palm, it took me quite some time to adjust to the way my fingers would reach certain buttons or the sticks. Thankfully there’s the Feather Grip which to me was absolutely fantastic. I played nearly all of the forty hours I spent with Hollow Knight: Silksong using the feather grip and even now I haven’t taken them off. It makes it a joy to hold the Switch 2, as you can rest the console more easily on your middle fingers at the back of the system. Truly, it fit me like a glove and made up for how quickly I dropped the other two available grips.
Each of the grips has a nice textured feeling that makes the system easy to hold and doesn’t slip off. I do think that they are a bit susceptible to sweat, dust and hair, in particular if you have hairy pets. There’s this fine coating of cat hair on my grip that doesn’t bother me too much, as it comes with living with these two feline folks, but due to the way the anti-slip texture is designed it isn’t easy to wipe or get off. The hairs didn’t stick back on my hands or fingers so in the long term it is something I simply have to deal with.
I was very pleased that the Attack Vector is so slimly designed that I could still fit it in my TomToc carrying case without needing to disassemble either the Feather Grip or the case itself. But even if you do want to keep the Balance and Anchor Grips attached or don’t have a case yourself yet, I also found the included Hard exterior shell to be a great piece of kit. This hard shell has an opaque look that prevents the screen from being scratched or scuffed and clicks into the anti-slip case. I found it to be a great way to take my Switch with me easily, without needing to grab a carrying case. Simply pop the hard shell on and toss the Switch 2 into a bag. It might not be as comfortable as a dedicated carrying case, especially as you need to keep that shell somewhere when you’re using the Switch 2 on the go, but it gets the job done and you don’t need to remove anything when using it.
Finally I wish I could comment on perhaps the most useful feature as the Attack Vector has a built-in MagSafe magnetic ring on its backside. While I would have loved to test out this feature, in particular with the 30W Energy Pack powerbank that Genki has developed specifically for the Attack Vector, I do not own a MagSafe compatible powerbank. Do keep in mind that if you are looking specifically for a MagSafe case, this one does need a wired connection to the powerbank from the console. There is no charging available through the case itself to the Switch 2. But if you’re really set on using your Switch 2 for several hours, this might be the most convenient solution for the portable gamer.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the Attack Vector. Like I stated at the beginning, I tend to use consoles and controllers in their purest form. But the Attack Vector from Genki is so flush with the Switch 2 that I barely noticed it being there. When I did use it, the Feather Grip in particular elevated my comfort using the Switch 2 significantly. It’s a shame that even with my larger hands, the Balance and Anchor grip will probably go unused, but I have a feeling that a lot of users will settle on using one of the three included grips. The additional features like the MagSafe ring and the hardshell cover help to make it an accessory that is designed for long term portable use. If you’re a dedicated handheld user of the Nintendo Switch 2 and you’re looking for a way to increase your comfort and portability with the system, I’m fairly certain that the Attack Vector is unrivaled for its versatility and comfort. The best accessories are the ones that you forget are even there.
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