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[They made a direct sequel to the Amazon Prime short that ends with Pac-Man murdering a man and it’s actually awesome.]

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TalkBack / Shadow Labyrinth (Switch 2) Review

« on: July 17, 2025, 06:03:07 AM »

They made a direct sequel to the Amazon Prime short that ends with Pac-Man murdering a man and it’s actually awesome.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71736/shadow-labyrinth-switch-2-review

Pac-Man is celebrating his 45th anniversary in 2025 and to celebrate, Bandai Namco made a dark dystopian Metroidvania starring a possibly nefarious incarnation of the gaming icon called Shadow Labyrinth that follows up on a bizarre short film from last year’s Amazon Prime series Secret Level. Happy birthday, Pac-Man, hope you like dark sci-fi. To say this is a weird proposition is an understatement. Setting aside the provocative setup, Shadow Labyrinth is actually a really fun Metroidvania. It’s not an all-timer, but this is a well-built adventure that features a wealth of novel exploration, clever map layouts, and wild references to Bandai Namco’s bafflingly comprehensive timeline.

Let’s back up and set up the story, or at least as best as I can because some of this honestly goes way over my head. Across a decent number of their legacy arcade games, Bandai Namco has been keeping a unified timeline for the United Galaxy Space Force. It includes the likes of Galaga, Galaxian, Bosconian, and Xevious. Mr. Driller and Dig Dug factor into this timeline. Cyber Sled, too. Oddly enough, Pac-Man hasn’t been a main part of it, until now. Shadow Labyrinth is set far at the end of the timeline with the galaxy in some sort of ruin after all the wars and events of all the other games.

You control Swordsman No. 8, who wakes up and is greeted by a Pac-Man-looking fella named Puck. The voiceless Swordsman is then guided by Puck throughout different environments with the goal of escaping the planet and completing the mission Puck has been trying to finish for years. Plot is thrown at you a lot, with talk of wars and operations and all sorts of names you might have the urge to search for online to see if it’s tied to Cyber Sled or Star Blade or something. I recognized a handful of references to Namco games, but even as someone who has played a number of Namco Museum games featuring the games in this shared universe, most of this didn’t ring any bells for me. But the writing here is tight enough that I’m willing to overlook some of the absurdity of this story, especially as the Pac-Man ghosts are charmingly worked into it as recurring enemies referred to as “G-Hosts” that also occasionally force you into a Pac-Man maze. It’s such a gonzo move to make this the new Pac-Man game and through it all, it kind of works.

Though the story only works because the foundational gameplay is solid. While it has some rough patches, especially in the first third, Shadow Labyrinth is an enjoyable Metroidvania. It’s very focused on melee combat, which is where some of the early issues come from. Your Swordsman has few options early on, with just a basic combo and a token special ability. This made for some frustrating brick walls, especially in the first major branching path region as you can stumble upon some tough optional bosses that are difficult to tell if they’re on the critical path or not. But once you have access to more abilities and customization options, you can tune your Swordsman to suit your play style. While I’ve definitely played games in this genre that more heavily rely on combat and kill rooms, some of the reliance on combat here gets frustrating largely because of some slightly unclear hit detection and relatively punishing fail states. Dodging and parrying is key in combat, but sometimes it’s tough to tell if you’re safe or not depending on the enemy placement and situation. Also for a game so focused on exploration, one false step can set you back many rooms, though thankfully you retain any collectibles and currency you acquired along the way.

In addition to a slate of unlocks that serve as dual purpose combat and exploration tools, like an air dodge with horizontal movement and a grapple, you can also equip a variety of Perks. These Perks strengthen specific abilities, increase the range of abilities and attacks, add on extra health, or power up the giant mech you can transform into. Yes, you can transform into a giant mech in this game, too. Called GAIA, this giant mech can be used to bypass some hazards but it’s best used in tough battles as a borderline get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s time-limited so you can’t abuse it, but it’s always fun to turn into a mech. GAIA also introduces a bizarre mechanic where you devour enemies after you kill them to earn materials that are then used to buy Perks and items as well as perform some upgrades. I understand Pac-Man eats things and this keeps that element alive, but adding in materials as another thing to track as you play this game felt like overkill.

Shadow Labyrinth is surprisingly big, following a lot of twists and turns of the story. It’s in the ballpark of 15 or so hours to completion, with 100%-ing adding a lot more. The different areas you visit have both visual and structural variety. A forest you visit has a lot of branching paths and dead-ends, but then a futuristic-looking tower has a relatively straightforward climb with more of a hub and spoke layout.

While I primarily played on Switch 2, this game is available on both Switch 1 and 2, with a free upgrade available if you buy it on Switch 1. The Switch 2 version runs on 4K and 60 frames per second, though I experienced some slowdown during more intensive moments. Meanwhile over on Switch 1 you’re still getting 60 frames per second, but resolution is dropped down to a max of 720p. Loading times are also slightly longer though not excessively so. Both versions are totally fine with identical content.

I admittedly thought Shadow Labyrinth was a dumb joke game when it was first announced. As Bandai Namco showed off the game though, it is clearly made by people who want to just make a fun game with the wild Pac-Man lore as a mechanical overlay. I had a blast exploring this dark corner of the Namco multiverse that is essentially Pac-Man’s mid-life crisis. Shadow Labyrinth is assuredly the most interesting Pac-Man evolution since the hero’s 20s. Sometimes the biggest series left turns wind up being a hell of a good time.

[The series is still able to land a 900 even with a slightly scuffed-up board.]

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TalkBack / Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 (Switch 2) Review

« on: July 07, 2025, 09:00:00 AM »

The series is still able to land a 900 even with a slightly scuffed-up board.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71640/tony-hawks-pro-skater-34-switch-2-review

Years after Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 came out on Switch, it seemed like all hope was lost for any further skateboarding games from Activision, especially when longtime Tony Hawk-friendly developer Vicarious Visions was consumed by Blizzard shortly after those remakes were released. Thankfully another developer was there to pick up the torch in Iron Galaxy Studios. And even more thanks is needed because Iron Galaxy Studios did a fantastic job in bringing remakes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 to life in a new package for Nintendo Switch 2. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is not without its warts, primarily in some rough technical issues on Switch 2 and some of the changes made to the fourth game, but when all is said and done, this is another great collection of skateboarding video game nostalgia paired with wonderful modern flourishes.

In general, Tony Hawk 3+4 follows a similar structure and presentation as the prior remake. The menu layout is more or less the same. It has a daunting amount of real-life skaters to play as. It’s got tons of branded shirts and decks to earn and equip your custom skater with. The two original games are split into distinct tours with almost every level returning. While it’s familiar at a glance, under the hood some streamlining was done that is largely for the best. In lieu of the level-up and challenge system of Tony Hawk 1+2, this one boils down progress into a more focused variety of challenges that directly unlock some gear. You can also earn money from these challenges as well as finding some cash in levels to buy equipment and accessories from an in-game store. I didn’t find anything wrong with the way the prior remake handled everything, but I ultimately prefer the relatively no-nonsense layout here.

Menus aside, the best part of this game is actually skating in levels. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3’s tour contains the nine main levels from the original 2001 release, all feeling just as electric as they have for the past 20+ years. I consider Foundry to be the best opening level in any entry in the series, filled with great combo lines and neat secrets. I initially thought that the Canada level was missing something with the spread of the initial level goals, but the post-game added more goals to every level, helping make levels like Canada feel more complete. Rio, Skater Island, and Tokyo are three great competition levels. Suburbia is a Wisteria Lane-esque cul de sac that somehow feels weirder in 2025, especially when you help the Thin Man open a portal to another dimension and enter the abyss. The Airport is an all-time classic Tony Hawk level, made better this time around by letting you teleport to the beginning when you reach the end of the downhill ride. The final semi-secret level is the Cruise Ship, which I have enjoyed a lot more in the remake than I did in the original game. Also props to sanding down some of the coarse ribald edges of 2000s-era video games by no longer looking to impress bikini-clad girls but instead impressing other skaters for one of the objectives. I consider Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 to be one of the best games ever made and I came away from my time playing these levels in the remake feeling like the magic was recaptured.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4’s tour in this remake is a more complicated story, however, even if it’s still extremely good. Fans of the original game will remember that the fourth entry in the series pivoted from the two-minute timer to a more open level approach where you had to find quest givers on the map and complete goals that way. Back in 2002, that was revolutionary, even if the implementation has shown its age over time. For this 2025 remake, the levels from Tony Hawk 4 have been tweaked and adapted to fit the two-minute format. For the most part, this works well. Some of the more cinematic goals, like chasing down the dudes who stole the professor’s car in the opening College level, still made the transition more or less intact. The parade floats from that College level still show up. It’s a solid adaptation of some of the weirder elements of the original Tony Hawk 4 release. What I learned from playing these levels in the two-minute format is that removing them from the more open-ended exploration and prescripted goals reveals how they’re just not as strong as traditional Tony Hawk levels, especially stacked up against the third game. College and San Francisco both work well still, but I found some of the later levels like Alcatraz and London to be a little more stale. Two levels - Kona and Zoo - were changed into competition levels, which is a little square peg/round hole but they both still work in the format even if they’re a little too big. Two levels from Tony Hawk 4 didn’t even make the transition, as this misses the late-game Carnival stage and the Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX crossover Chicago level. What helps to save the Tony Hawk 4 tour is the fact that the three original Iron Galaxy-made levels included in it are largely awesome. The Waterpark is expansive, but also delightfully weird and creative, filled with a lot of fun gaps and combo lines. Movie Studio is a more condensed competition level, but the two floors give it some novel verticality and it also packs in a handful of good jokes. The Pinball level is very gimmicky, but it also serves as a semi-bonus level and puts you in some unique and vibrant scenarios.

If you’re looking for the same experience as the original Tony Hawk 4 here, you’re not going to get it. Iron Galaxy does a great job adapting the memorable objectives from that game into the two-minute format, but it’s not the same (and I say that as someone who thinks the original format for Tony Hawk 4 is a little overrated). By no means is it bad, as this is still Tony Hawk gameplay that feels tight and excellent.

While this isn’t the same experience found in the original Tony Hawk 4, what this remake does add overall is expansive and incredible. After you complete the initial level goals, you unlock more difficult goals and competitions. Some of these additional goals are either inspired by ones from the originals or off-the-wall weird and challenging. The post-game also lets you take on individual tours for the entire roster, which will lead to unlocking specific gear for each skater. At a certain point, the post-game starts to run into some repetition, but as someone who has regularly returned to Tony Hawk 1+2 to roll through some levels as a new skater, it’s a very welcome carrot on a stick to have.

Speaking of the skaters, while you can only get the two Doom characters as part of the Digital Deluxe Edition, the other secret skaters are neat, including cartoon characters like Michelangelo from TMNT and Bam Margera from Tony Hawk games and CKY. Most of the secret skaters are just available for purchase in the shop, but Jack Black’s British accented Constable Richard is accessed through arcane hidden objects.

Beyond the regular runs through the levels, the typical assortment of options are here, including single session and free skate. You can fine-tune your experience to your liking, including turning off bails or turning on perfect balance. I appreciate how there’s an element of letting the player play however they want. Making it so you can essentially never fail doesn’t prevent you from clearing goals or challenges. Having trouble with skitching? Go into the menu and make it so you have perfect balance while skitching.

You can also take on Speed Runs through the levels, where you have to complete all the normal goals as quickly as you can, complete with crossplay online leaderboards. Create-A-Park is back and all objects are unlocked by default, so you can just dive in and build right away. You can even create goals within your created levels and place NPCs throughout. I didn’t get too deep into building a park, but I enjoyed seeing the default showcases Iron Galaxy already made. The online multiplayer, all able to be played with other platforms via crossplay, is largely similar to the previous remake’s style. You essentially hang out in levels, with high score or territory capture challenges popping up every minute or so. The new mode is HAWK, where a handful of players hide the letters from HAWK around a map, and then everybody tries to find each other’s letters in a limited amount of time. It’s a very clever mode, encouraging a lot of exploration throughout the nooks and crannies of each level.

While online on Switch 2 ran great in my experience, the same can’t be said for overall stability. Visually everything looks fine docked and on handheld, but the game crashed back to the console’s home screen close to 10 times over my 20+ hours of gameplay. I haven’t played other versions to know if this is just a Switch 2 problem, but even if there’s a decent chance these issues get resolved, as it stands as I write this, it’s shaky right now.

The soundtrack, as per series legacy, is an excellent collection of punk, rock, hip-hop, and all the intersections therein. My nostalgia soared when “96 Quite Bitter Beings” by CKY hit the streets of Suburbia. I jumped for joy as I heard Jeff Rosenstock’s “HEAD” blast through the speakers while skating around the Foundry. I learned of a new ska band called Common Perry via their song “Better Off” showing up in the game. It doesn’t have every single song from the original releases of each game but it’s still a great assortment, even if I miss the Alien Ant Farm and Zebrahead songs.

I had some trepidation when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 was announced. While the 1+2 remake was excellent, Activision’s track record with the series since the mid-2000s has been spotty at best. I’m thrilled that the skateboarding in this game feels just as good as it did 20+ years ago and that this goes beyond just a simple remake, with so many fun and enjoyable post-game challenges that builds off of the foundation. Something is lost in Tony Hawk 4’s transition to the 2-minute timer, but I still had a great time saving Painter Neal from the shark in San Francisco. And the quality of the original levels Iron Galaxy made makes me hopeful for the future of the series, whether it leads to a brand new game or an attempt at remaking Tony Hawk’s Underground. Regardless of whether or not you bring nostalgic baggage for the format from the fourth game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is an excellent video game that will keep you kickflipping and reverting to increasingly higher scores for a long time.

[Duck and cover as you get ready for this narrative-heavy Atari arcade reinvention.]

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TalkBack / Missile Command Delta (Switch) Review

« on: July 07, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

Duck and cover as you get ready for this narrative-heavy Atari arcade reinvention.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71641/missile-command-delta-switch-review

Atari has had an intriguing revival over the last few years, most excitingly with the fabulous Atari 50 documentary game, but also with interesting genre diversions like the WarioWare-esque Atari Mania or the Metroidvania attempt Yars Rising. This time they’re turning Missile Command into an adventure game filled with environmental puzzles and light deck-building with Missile Command Delta. It’s a wild swerve for a game that is usually operating in a quick-thinking real-time capacity, but the joint work of Nintendo-friendly devs (remember Runbow?) 13AM Games and Mighty Yell results in a fascinating game that tells a tight mystery of a story and is never really dragged down by the deck-building.

The hook is that you and three friends decide to venture into a long-abandoned defunct Cold War bunker on a dare but surprise - something happens and they’re thrust into a war. Or at least maybe they are; it’s not known at the outset because the door’s locked and they’re trapped here now. The adventure game elements are well written and focused. The other characters do a good job of pointing you in the right direction if you’re stuck, while also providing enough color to the world to make it more engrossing. All the notes you find become important, both in the narrative threads and figuring out various puzzles. A lot of what you do in these moments is finding a key card or how to access or open something. These were the moments where I occasionally got frustrated and stuck and would have appreciated some cleaner type of hint system. I am also, admittedly, a less experienced adventure game player.

All of that, besides the Cold Wars overtones, is extremely not like the gameplay of the original Missile Command. Where that part comes into play is in the turn-based tactical segments where you have to deploy different missile cards to blow up enemy missiles and defend bases. These are presented as computer terminals throughout the bunker and generally you have to solve a few in a row to unlock a key item or room to progress the story. Sometimes the game provides you with a prescripted set of missile cards you can deploy each turn. Other times you have to build your own deck from cards you found throughout the bunker. In small doses, I found these to be enjoyable, especially when the challenge turned from just surviving to figuring out how to best optimize your missile deployments. While I still enjoy these segments, they work best as breaks from the story and are more arduous when the game just more or less makes you brute force through a handful of them in a row.

What ties Missile Command Delta together is the overall mystery and with that, the game becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The turn-based Missile Command adaptation wouldn’t stand strong by itself, but combining that with the bunker exploration, endearing characters, and generally strong writing makes a fun adventure that will make you consider an arcade classic in a new light.

[A 5-year-old game repackaged in a $40 suit.]

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TalkBack / Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 29, 2025, 05:19:04 AM »

A 5-year-old game repackaged in a $40 suit.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71566/puyo-puyo-tetris-2s-switch-2-review

Almost five years ago, I reviewed Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 for the Nintendo Switch. If you want to know about the basics of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, a launch title for the Switch 2 in 2025, I implore you to go read that review because, well, it’s basically the exact same game. The Switch 2 version does a great job of leveraging new system features, whether it’s the novel mouse control-focused mode or the incredible use of GameShare that lets you play multiplayer across multiple screens locally and online. But at the end of the day, this is a $40 version of a game that first came out five years ago on a system that is backwards compatible with the Switch 2 and was as low as $8 on the Switch eShop in April.

It appears from the outside that some of the Switch 1->Switch 2 upgrades aren’t the cleanest prospects. Nintendo is able to do $10 and $20 upgrades and repackaged retail versions of their Switch 1 games or even some impactful free updates. For a third party, it seems like a clumsier process, especially if your game isn’t from 2025. A $40 slightly enhanced version of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S might have been the best that Sega could do, but even if GameShare is super neat, it’s hard to fully recommend this version to anyone but those desperate for a brand new Switch 2 game or sicko die-hards for quirky puzzle games with some neat RPG mechanics.

Puyo Tetris Doubles, the newly added multiplayer mode, is really neat, but it has landed for me as more of a novelty than a must-play. The two-vs-two mode has each team with their own board and pieces, desperately trying to communicate with each other to effectively drop their pieces to complete chains and win. Despite this being the new hotness, I found myself revisiting the silly story in Adventure Mode and the cool depth in Skill Battles instead of toying more with mouse controls and the new multiplayer mode. And guess what? Puyo Puyo Tetris is still a great concept. Puyo Puyo and Tetris are still incredible puzzle games and the fusion of the two is oftentimes electric. The expansion of multiplayer via GameShare is awesome. Stll, the value and cost of entry for this Switch 2 game is a barrier for entry. This is a great game let down by the harsh realities of a new console launch.

[Rodents and picross are a good combination.]

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TalkBack / Squeakross (Switch) Review

« on: June 17, 2025, 09:04:25 AM »

Rodents and picross are a good combination.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/71476/squeakross-switch-review

I’ve played a lot of garbage Picross-like games over the years. Picross maestros Jupiter have cornered the market on nonogram competency for decades at this point as the creators of the best-known game series. Every now and then, I come across a puzzle game that steps ahead of the pack. In this case, it’s a pack of rats going ahead of the pack. Squeakross, from the indie developer Alblune, is an incredible nonogram puzzle game, filled with a good amount of puzzle variety, a lot of smart tweaks, and a bunch of charm.

650 different puzzles are nestled into this game that puts you in control of a rat trying to decorate their house. The puzzles bust out of the rigid formats of 5x5 and multiples of 5. It breaks my brain a bit to math out a 12x15 grid, but it’s not something I see that often in these games. Outside of the puzzles, you also can decorate your little rat fella’s house. I do not crave a light house decoration system in my puzzle game, but it’s cute and, if you’re like me, something you can avoid almost entirely if you just want to solve puzzles. It does add some variety as you can mess around laying out your home or even decorating your rat avatar. You can even customize your rat, tweaking nose shape and whisker color.

But the meat of Squeakross is in the puzzles. These aren’t the most diabolical nonograms I’ve played, but the great hint system allows the difficulty to ramp up a little faster than usual. Everything feels snappy, letting you toggle different types of hints on or off. It also has a lot of usability enhancements. I appreciate the one that auto fills in Xs when you complete a row or column.

Squeakross’ biggest triumph in my eyes is how newcomer friendly it is. The tutorials (that are relatively easy to blow past if you consider yourself a Picross Pro) review foundational nonogram strategies that I’ve previously seen go over the heads of people I explain them to. Squeakross is one of the best Picross games I’ve ever played from a vibes and playability standpoint. It rules.

[A worthy follow-up of a 3DS classic.]

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TalkBack / Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 11, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

A worthy follow-up of a 3DS classic.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71383/fantasy-life-i-the-girl-who-steals-time-switch-2-review

I had a version of this review written out in my head as I started Fantasy Life’s long-awaited sequel on Nintendo Switch. It’s a good enough follow-up that captures enough of the fun gameplay loops of the original 3DS game but is hampered by the technical limitations of the Switch 1. Then publisher Level-5 announced a Switch 2 upgrade and that drove me to a much more ideal Fantasy Life experience. Running much better on Nintendo’s newest hardware, Fantasy Life i is an incredibly engrossing game that only stumbles because of the sheer scope and size of everything it’s trying to bring together.

For the uninitiated, Fantasy Life is a self-proclaimed “slow life RPG.” I think the term is silly jargon, but it does kind of sum it up. This is an RPG, complete with level-ups, party members, and lots of loot. But it’s also sort of a farm sim? You start off with access to 12 different “lives” (aka job classes) that are split into three different groups: combat, gathering, and crafting. Everything works in harmony as to best utilize all the classes, you need to work together. You gather items by chopping down trees or mining rocks. You can then hop over to a workbench and don your blacksmith hat to create weapons and armor via crafting. Then you can equip those to be better prepared against enemies wielding a sword, bow, or magic wand. To start, you have to choose a life; from there, you could in theory just rock that job all by itself but, at least to me, the game is optimally played by starting off all the 12 jobs in tandem at the outset. Leveling up the jobs requires completing specific quests and the quests are usually running alongside the story areas. I had fun bouncing between lives and managing all of their progress at once, but the game can slow down to a crawl whether you’re trying to manage all 12 jobs at once or just piecemeal doing them one-by-one later in the story.

That speaks to what I said near the start, where the game trips because it’s gigantic. I touched on the 12 lives and the story, and those are huge parts of the game. Additionally, you have a whole town you build that features villagers, houses, and a proc-gen dungeon. But that’s not all: an entire Breath of the Wild-inspired overworld is inexplicably also in the game, complete with towers that unlock parts of the map and a handful of puzzle and combat shrines. The wild thing about this area, called Ginormosia, is that it’s introduced early in the story and then just...never really referenced again until the late game. You can go there if you want to. It’s fun to mess around with and can be an easier way to build up a life or clean up some quests. I’ve come across some really fun little secrets throughout. But it’s so disconnected from everything else it feels like it’s borderline from a different attempt at the game (which is probably true to an extent, since Level-5 has mentioned how this game wasn’t coming together about a year or so ago and they had fully reinvent it). It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all there is to do in Fantasy Life i. I had the most fun when I just followed what I was enjoying, even if it usually left some aspects of the game in the dust (e.g., decorating my house).

The sequel has a much more action-packed story, especially in the very wordy intro. The narrative works best as a background element that occasionally dips into parodies. Zelda-esque shrines are shiny pieces of poop. There’s an extended bit with a Deku Tree-like character who sings. It’s largely cute and funny as long as it gets out of its own way. The original game did the awesome Dragon Quest thing where it strung together a series of vignettes and this one does the same. An element from the 3DS game that I loved was how, even if you were defeating enemies in the combat jobs, everything was always just some sort of misunderstanding. That monster wasn’t mean; he just had a headache! The sequel made me concerned it was going to go in the opposite direction but thankfully it doesn’t fully lose touch with that antithetical video game theme.

Combat is simplistic but each of the four classes feels different enough. Paladin mixes quicker sword swings with shield parries, while Mercenary makes you a big lumbering menace with a giant sword. Archer is a quick little ranged fella while the Magician turned into my mana-wielding powerhouse over time. The gathering and crafting can fall into repetition since they’re all similar in execution, but some of the nuanced differences between farming and fishing helps smooth out the overall grind of the classes.

Multiplayer does exist for this game, but it’s not the main draw for me by far. Locally, a friend can hop in and control partner Trip in a glorified Wii-era sidekick mode where the second player can’t really do that much. For the online of up to four players, you can’t do anything with the story. It’s best used for messing around Ginormosia or the proc-gen dungeons in your village. Even there, you can’t access the towers or shrines in Ginmormosia. It’s a limited experience, though the developer is making tweaks to it.

I was nervous for Fantasy Life i, because I truly loved the 3DS original and was not that optimistic that Level-5 could capture the same magic a decade later. For the most part, they did. This has the addictive gameplay loop of completing quests and furthering your lives in tandem. This has the seemingly endless parade of adorable touches filled with cute writing. In a way, even the ambitious scope that threatens to sometimes take down the whole thing is reminiscent of the original and the era that its developer Level-5 was going through with the success of Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch. If Fantasy Life i is representative of what they’re going to be doing going forward with the likes of Professor Layton, I’m becoming more and more hopeful that they’ll be able to reach their old heights. Fantasy Life i is enjoyable even with its occasional slips. I’m happy to be back juggling my multiple jobs of Angler, Paladin, Blacksmith, and Artist.

[The next evolution of Mario Kart tries to land the kart as a game for every player and largely succeeds.]

7

TalkBack / Mario Kart World (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 10, 2025, 05:39:00 PM »

The next evolution of Mario Kart tries to land the kart as a game for every player and largely succeeds.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71382/mario-kart-world-switch-2-review

Mario Kart has long been one of Nintendo’s most consistent and important franchises but the reign of Mario Kart 8 - spanning two console generations and more than a decade - truly solidified how their 30+-year-old kart-racing series is on the short list of games that appeal to virtually anyone. After running continuous victory laps for Mario Kart 8 throughout the Switch’s life span, Nintendo’s Switch 2 answer to that game is to kick off the console with Mario Kart World, a game that is seemingly all vibes. This is a video game that is meant for every player that might pick up a Switch 2, whether you’re a hardcore snaking mini-turbo drifter aiming for 200cc online dominance or a lackadaisical player who just wants to fire off some green shells and enjoy the rhythm of races with friends. Mario Kart World ends sometimes being a jack of all trades/master of none situation, but as the full saying goes, being a jack of all trades is oftentimes better than being a master of one.

The new movement options during races are a key example of this, as the toolset for what you can do to boost and get ahead has multiplied. You can grind on rails for a boost and even do a boost jump when you’re on straightaways. Wall-riding can even be done in tandem with some of these to add even more shortcut potential and boosting options. The possible pathways through courses can almost be dizzying. It sometimes makes it a mild shame that a lot of the courses don’t follow the classic linear 3-lap structure because the ever-changing way forward is sometimes hard to plan out your movements when it’s constantly changing.

However, that shift in how courses are laid out is part of one of the coolest parts of the entire game that truly leans into the World subtitle. Every single course is functionally a part of an overworld map that you can roam around outside of the context of a race. It’s a clever hook that also ties into my sincere belief that Mario Kart World is all vibes, because going from race to race and noticing the clever and ingenious interconnectivity of the track is extremely neat. The excellent vibes are elevated even higher with the bonkers-amazing soundtrack filled with hundreds of renditions of classic Mario songs in a variety of music styles (yes there is ska!). Sometimes it’s just fun to drive around and listen to the tunes.

The open world part flows into the single-player missions, which were my great hope for Mario Kart World. Sadly, my longtime dreams of an in-depth and novel solo component in a Mario Kart game are not realized here, but after spending a lot of time in World’s Free Roam mode, I’ve rethought what I’m even looking for. I’m looking for vibes and as I’ve said multiple times already, this game is all vibes. The Free Roam mode just throws you into the world and gives you little to no guidance. It’s frustrating at first. I didn’t really know what to make of it as I dug into it. The courses are generally where the action is, filled with hidden question-mark block tiles that, when collected, just add stickers that you can put on your kart. All over the world are P-Switches, which lead to one-off missions, and Peach Medallions, which are usually in a hard-to-reach spot and the challenge is to figure out how to get there. Both of those, when collected, just add stickers that you can put on your kart. When it all set in that that was kind of all you got, I was disappointed. Then I played more of it and it all clicked into place. Mario Kart World is for everyone. It’s not meant to be Diddy Kong Racing with boss battles and a story. It’s not meant to be dripping with percentages and level ups. It’s just meant to be a racing game that you mess around with in the way that you enjoy the most. I’ve seen my young kids love this game. I’ve seen my adult friends enjoy this game. I’ve seen grandparents enjoy this game.

Do I wish all these overworld elements had clearer objective tracking and more tangible rewards? Sure, but I’ve settled on not thinking that’s really a bad thing. The act of playing is the fun here and that’s been enough for me across many hours. If there’s one part where the Free Roam loses the plot, it’s by not offering any kind of split-screen option aside from a low-key hack in the Local Wireless lobby. The fact that players can’t explore the world together with multiple kart racers tooling around at once is a huge miss. It takes what could be a premier GameChat hang-out session and turns it into solitaire. There’s also the mini-map for the Free Roam that is okay but not great, and also somehow doesn’t turn off when you turn it off in the options. But even with these issues, it’s still fun to roam around the world and see the sights, occasionally collecting a sticker along the way.

Aside from Free Roam, the modes you expect to find in a Mario Kart game are all there: Grand Prix, Versus, Online, and Battle. They all do what you want them to do. Online runs well and is easy to get into. Battle is good enough. The new mode added to the assortment is Knockout Tour, which features different course orders than Grand Prix and tweaks the rules by having the race start with the game’s normal assortment of 24 racers before requiring you to be a certain place at different intervals to stay in the race until the very end when the final four have to compete for the top spot. It can be electric in a different manner than normal Mario Kart races are. I haven’t had the experience of doing this with a full assortment of 23 other people I know, but I can only imagine the friendships ruined over the fraught competition.

The other collectibles besides the stickers are karts, characters, and costumes. Kart pieces are a thing of the past, taking another step forward into simplifying the game for the massive audience. Instead, you just unlock karts by collecting coins. Characters are unlocked by completing Grand Prix cups. Costumes are found by eating takeout while driving. Various diners and food trucks are nestled throughout the world and the courses, each with a different type of dish. Those dishes all unlock different costumes for characters, but not all characters have robust costume options. It’s wild to me that Donkey Kong only has two costumes. Shy Guy has three and Koopa Troopa has six, but somehow the dude with a brand new game next month only has two out of the gate. That being said, the “Wampire” Waluigi costume and Aristocrat King Boo are maybe two of the funniest things I’ve seen in a video game in a while. They’re only outdone by the Mad Max gear Wario and Waluigi put on. In addition to the 24 main characters, you can also race as an array of random enemies and NPCs, such as a goomba, a cow, or a Chargin’ Chuck. These are very goofy, especially when you see a dolphin driving a kart, but the way they unlock is wildly random, dependent on an item pick-up to be used by someone else to briefly turn you into one of the characters, thus unlocking them for use.

Aspects of Mario Kart World might still feel rough around the edges, but the vibes are immaculate. This isn’t the single-player aspect I’ve been wanting for all these years but it’s a wonderfully chill option I didn’t expect. I don’t believe Mario Kart World needs a rigid structure tracking every P-Switch or Peach Medallion. This game is best experienced as a playground, not an obstacle course, even if the mayhem that unfurls on the racetrack is rife with obstacles. I’m looking forward to regularly playing Mario Kart World as a staple of the Switch 2 library. It’s playful and fun in all the best ways.

[Also Splatoon 3 is getting a Switch 2 update.]

8

TalkBack / Splatoon Raiders Single Player Spinoff Heading to Switch 2

« on: June 10, 2025, 05:13:00 AM »

Also Splatoon 3 is getting a Switch 2 update.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/71379/splatoon-raiders-single-player-spinoff-heading-to-switch-2

Nintendo has announced a spinoff from the popular Splatoon franchise entitled Splatoon Raiders. Unlike the mainline multiplayer series, Splatoon Raiders will be a single-player adventure set in the world of Splatoon where players will explore the Spirhalite Islands. It features several of the characters from Splatoon 3, including musical group Deep Cut.

No release date has been given with more details to follow in the future.

In addition to Splatoon Raiders, Splatoon 3 will be getting a free Switch 2 update on June 12. It will feature new weapons and see the return of Urchin Underpass from the original Wii U release of Splatoon. The update will also improve performance in both resolution and framerate.

[One of the best jigsaw puzzle video games I’ve ever played.]

9

TalkBack / Wilmot Works It Out (Switch) Review

« on: June 09, 2025, 03:13:37 PM »

One of the best jigsaw puzzle video games I’ve ever played.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/71351/wilmot-works-it-out-switch-review

Wilmot’s first game, Wilmot’s Warehouse, was a wild, fascinating attempt at turning organization into a mind-bending puzzle game. It also was often very stressful. That is decidedly not the vibe of the second Wilmot game: the jigsaw puzzle life sim Wilmot Works It Out. It’s not technically a life sim, but it’s set up around this concept of the blocky Wilmot having a lengthy conversation with the delivery person who keeps delivering puzzle piece set after puzzle piece set. It’s a chill wrapper on this jigsaw puzzle game.

What happens is Wilmot gets a bunch of puzzle pieces, and then you have to move the pieces around to make completed puzzles. Typically you’ll get a new set of pieces shortly after you complete one puzzle. You’ll almost always have extra pieces left over that will be used for future puzzles. The designs you make are often surreal, playing with existing artwork and your expectations. It never gets hard to put things together, but it often gets tricky.

This is an excellent light puzzle game that, while a single-player experience, is also something I’ve had fun playing with my kids, passing a controller around. Wilmot Works It Out rules, and runs well on both Switch and Switch 2.

[My Jackbox-ish D&D journey has only just begun.]

10

TalkBack / Sunderfolk (Switch) Review In Progress

« on: April 18, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

My Jackbox-ish D&D journey has only just begun.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/70789/sunderfolk-switch-review-in-progress

Sunderfolk is a game that snuck up on me and quite frankly feels like Nintendo’s ideas of Game Boy Advance-to-GameCube connectivity executed in the modern world. The dream of players having individual screens while they all play a video game together is realized better than I’ve ever seen it before. Coming from publisher Dreamhaven (founded by Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime) and developer Secret Door, this is essentially a video game that mixes tabletop RPG concepts with the gameplay setup of Jackbox Games. The game plays out on the TV (or Switch screen) while players control their characters via an official Sunderfolk app on their phone (or tablet).

The world of Sunderfolk is populated by a slew of fantasy critters, set in and around the town of Arden. The brightstone is under threat by the shadowstone and it’s up to you - and one to three friends - to play as one of six characters to save the day. The story so far is good enough set dressing but it hasn’t been all that compelling. I largely enjoy the charm of the audiobook-esque narration that feels like a DM just trying their best, but sometimes it’s too easy to drone out. What has hooked me about Sunderfolk is the way it takes a relatively complex style of game and makes it approachable and explainable while also housing a wealth of depth.

The six characters are all tied to specific classes. You have the mage-like Arcanist, the tank Berserker, the supporting Bard, the chaotic Pyromancer, the arrow-wielding Ranger, and the sneaky Rogue. It should all be familiar if you’ve played a round or two of Dungeons & Dragons in your day. In lieu of more complex character sheets, each character’s active abilities are tied to three cards. They represent a series of movements and actions across grid-based terrain that can be used to complete different goals on your turn. For example, the Berserker has a relatively straightforward card that lets you move a set amount of spaces, and then attack an enemy near you. They also have one that lets you move twice, throw a person or item two spaces, and then move twice again. That’s very helpful to toss a character out of harm’s way or throw an enemy off a cliff. As you progress, you level up and gain more access to cards, but you can only ever have three active ones during a mission. Sometimes it feels limiting, because certain cards have more specific uses and functionality, but it helps keep turns from getting too out of hand and complex.

The other wrinkle to actions is the Fate Deck, which is made up of 10 cards (4 neutral, 3 positive, and 3 negative). Whenever you attack, you pull a card from the deck that can add or remove a point of damage or even add a special buff. It adds an element of chance to your actions, but you still have insight into the likelihood of what could happen since once you pull a card, it stays out of the deck until you run through it.

I appreciate how Sunderfolk handles the roleplay elements as well. At different points, one of the players will have the chance to name an enemy or item in the world. Naturally most of the time I’ve played this has resulted in dirty jokes, but you could also treat this seriously and color your fairytale fantasy critter world with your own pizazz. The game also will deliver information specifically to your character depending on where you go on the map. For example, the game might hint to you just on your phone that it looks like a treasure chest is hiding off in a certain area. It’s all well throughout and clever. I’m continually impressed with how Sunderfolk is constructed because it is such a smart and savvy adaptation of tabletop principles into a video game wrapper.

On Switch, it bluntly kind of looks bad. It’s not atrocious or anything, but it’s definitely not a looker. The art style is good enough to withstand mediocre visuals and I believe Dreamhaven made the right call to put this game on Switch despite the fact that the game clearly runs worse on Switch. The portable nature is a good fit for the game. Ultimately a lot of your enjoyment will be dependent on if you have a group to consistently play this with. That’s a key reason why this is a review-in-progress and not a fully scored one. I’ve had the game for a week and while I’ve sunk time into it, the true test will be on the longevity of Sunderfolk with a group. You do need multiple people to join in to start a campaign, but after that, you have flexibility. The whole party doesn’t need to be present every single time you play. Characters can stay behind on missions and will level up alongside everyone else (but miss out on found gold and loot). The host player can also control two characters at once (relatively easily toggled at the tap of a button on your phone), so in theory you can play this solo even if it’s not the ideal method of play.

Still, Sunderfolk is best enjoyed with friends, whether it’s online or on the couch. I’m looking forward to furthering my adventures with this game on Switch. It’s an incredibly neat idea and concept that feels right at home on a Nintendo platform. When I can navigate adult life to get a regular group together to play through this, I’ll hopefully be back with a scored review.

[I want to hear Master Kohga ponder his mortality on my phone.]

11

TalkBack / Zelda Switch 2 Upgrades Are Nintendo's Latest Stab at Super Guide

« on: April 05, 2025, 05:47:21 AM »

I want to hear Master Kohga ponder his mortality on my phone.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/70626/zelda-switch-2-upgrades-are-nintendos-latest-stab-at-super-guide

All things considered, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom getting $10 upgrades for Switch 2 beats the alternative I low-key expected: near-full price remasters. Sure, newcomers dropping into these years-old games will have to drop a combined $150 to get them both on Switch 2. Maybe that’s not great, but at least we know that there are hundreds of hours nestled into both of these games. And the Switch 2 versions have a whole lot of neat new bells and whistles.

Visually, Nintendo’s promising smoother visuals, enhanced resolution, better framerate, and more detail. HDR was bandied about. Load times will be quicker. The side-by-side comparisons shown aren’t seemingly game-changing but it’s all very nice. The Korok Forest, which has always been a framerate debacle in these games, in particular looks much improved. Now I can enjoy the nice music around the Deku Tree without noticing how much the engine craters. Playing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom often seemed like the game was at the upper limits of the Switch. I’m not fully sure if this will entice me to start up a new playthrough or something, but this all seems like the optimal way to play these games now. The Switch 2 versions also add a second save file, so you can transfer your save over to Switch 2 from Switch and even kick off a new adventure on the new platform.

Beyond the visuals, the biggest hook to these updates seems to be Zelda Notes. This is a part of the Nintendo Switch app (formerly the Nintendo Switch Online app by the time this comes out). That aspect of it is a bit of a bummer. Needing a smart device to make use of this is not the smoothest way, but at least Zelda Notes seems to be designed with that quirk in mind.

You can select Shrines, Koroks, enemies, and more for the app to navigate you towards. You can glance at the map on the phone, which updates your position in the game. You can also use Voice Guidance, which lets your phone shout at you what direction you need to go in, whether it’s going north or south or even up or down. This seems like a new version of Nintendo’s Super Guide, which was a concept Nintendo toyed with back in the Wii era. Those were boosts or guides built into the game that would do things like make Mario invincible if you died a lot or in the case of Zelda games like Skyward Sword or Ocarina of Time 3D, give you hints as to where to go next. Navigation and Voice Guidance is not identical to those implementations, but it feels like it’s in the same realm. I love when games have built-in guides to them, even if in this case it still requires your phone.

Voice Memories potentially add a lot of lore to both games. You can use the Navigation and Voice Guidance to find dozens of Voice Memories throughout both games. In Breath of the Wild, you can hear new voice-acted stories from Zelda. In Tears of the Kingdom, Rauru and Kohga also join in on the fun. The clip shared has Kohga pondering if the Depths are the afterlife. Looking forward to hearing more from Kohga and also whatever character-building nuggets arise from these.

Other boosts and boons are present in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on Switch 2, all via Zelda Notes on the Nintendo Switch app. Once again, none of this is game-changing, but it’s all nice. Completion percentage is available at a glance. You can share items and autobuild schemes using QR codes. Achievements and stat tracking are also built into this experience. You can even get an amiibo bonus if you scan the same amiibo in five times.

Overall, I don’t know if the Switch 2 updates for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will get me to sink hours upon hours into these games again, but I’m definitely going to boot them up and check them out when I get my hands on a Switch 2. It helps that, for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the upgrades are included with your subscription. Otherwise, they’re $10 a piece if you already own the games. If you don’t own either game, the Switch 2 upgrade adds $10 to the retail cost, so you’re looking at a $70 Breath of the Wild and an $80 Tears of the Kingdom. A steep price if you want the red box art and game card. It will be interesting to see how the prices for these Nintendo Switch 2 Editions change in the future, but in the case of the two launch day Switch 2 Editions due out on June 5 alongside the system, they’re at least reasonably easy to check out if you’re curious.

[Is King Boo hiding in the open world as a boss in this game? Inquiring minds want to know.]

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TalkBack / Will Mario Kart World Satisfy My Single-Player Demands?

« on: April 04, 2025, 05:20:13 AM »

Is King Boo hiding in the open world as a boss in this game? Inquiring minds want to know.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/70625/will-mario-kart-world-satisfy-my-single-player-demands

Depending on how you look at it, six or 11 years have passed since the last brand new mainline Mario Kart game. Yes, technically Mario Kart Tour is a mainline Mario Kart game. I understand you might not totally agree, but we here at Nintendo World Report contain a few of the dozens of people who really enjoyed Mario Kart Tour on mobile. Tour also illustrates a few ways that the single-player in Mario Kart could be embellished and improved. Sure, it’s built around some familiar mobile gameplay elements, but the thrust of that game was about getting high scores by finishing races, collecting coins, doing drifts, and much more. I personally put a ton of time into Mario Kart Tour and had an absolute blast. I’ve also been stumping for a great single-player mode in Mario Kart for years at this point.

Now that we’re mere weeks away from Mario Kart World, the bold new entry in the franchise that will launch alongside Nintendo’s brand new Switch 2 console, I’m hoping that some of Tour’s DNA will work itself into Mario Kart World. From what we’ve seen so far, I’m encouraged. The expansive overworld that features pathways and connections between each race is incredibly neat. It looks like it has the bases covered with expressive visuals, cool new tracks, and a few new gameplay elements. But what about if I sit down to play this game as a solo player? Will this finally be the Mario Kart game that can bring back some of the clever fun of Mario Kart DS’ Mission mode? Will this be the one that calls to mind the great single-player campaign from Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed?

We’re still in a state of “to be determined,” at least until April 17’s Mario Kart Nintendo Direct or potentially the June 5 launch of Mario Kart World. As of now though, I’m encouraged but still skeptical. The free roam mode looks like it might be the key to single-player content. It’s already a big step forward that you can just mosey around the environment in the open world. That’s already a new solo interaction with Mario Kart that almost instantly makes it a step forward from the last few entries. From what Nintendo has shown, there appears to be some sort of unlockables as well as hidden nooks and crannies throughout the open world. There are even some sort of achievements for doing things like driving certain amounts of distance in the world.

The unlockables appear to be the costumes highlighted in the trailer during the Switch 2 Direct. To what end those costumes do anything is to be determined. They were variant characters in Mario Kart Tour that you could level up. Maybe there will be some sort of leveling up mechanic for costumes in World. It’s also possible that new karts or kart parts could be found and uncovered throughout the world. Maybe there are also missions and bosses nestled there too? I don’t want to get my hopes up too much that Mario Kart World might quell my desire for a more interesting single-player aspect for the series, but I’m very encouraged so far.

We should all know one way or another on just how big of a solo focus Mario Kart World has since it comes out on June 5 alongside the Switch 2. Heck, if Mario Kart 8 is any hint, maybe the game will get a big story-mode campaign in the 2030 release of Mario Kart World Deluxe. What do you think? Will Mario Kart World have a cool single-player mode? Will World trump Mario Kart 8 Deluxe overall? Will World still sell a bajillion copies even if it costs $150? Time will tell. It has a cow though. You can race as a cow. We should all stump for Moo Moo Meadows Cow for Smash.

[A game with the makings of a championship team that falls apart technically.]

13

TalkBack / MLB The Show 25 (Switch) Review

« on: March 18, 2025, 06:22:35 AM »

A game with the makings of a championship team that falls apart technically.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/70337/mlb-the-show-25-switch-review

MLB The Show is entering its fourth year on Switch and while the mere existence of this ambitious and fully featured sports game on Nintendo’s old creaky hybrid system is impressive, it’s getting harder and harder to recommend unless this is truly your only option to play some virtual baseball. The pieces of the game are incredible and in the four years I’ve covered MLB The Show for Nintendo World Report, this is by far the sharpest every game mode has been simultaneously. It’s awesome seeing a developer continually innovate and reinvent modes in such a successful and consistent manner. I just wish everything wasn’t bogged down by being on a console saddled with decade-old technology.

One of the standout new features is the solid revamp of the online-only Diamond Dynasty. If you aren’t familiar with it, this is their persistent mode where you collect virtual cards and make your own team to compete in a variety of single-player and multiplayer modes. The last year or two of Diamond Dynasty got very convoluted as there were different sets and seasons that would reset throughout the year that would more or less invalidate your previous collections. That has been done away with in 2025, though it seems like with that change, it’s a much slower ramp up to putting together better teams. Overall though, it’s a positive shift.

The mode also benefits from a very novel roguelike board game mode called Diamond Quest. You roll a die and move around a grid uncovering spaces and landing on challenges. The concept of this is awesome, as it puts you in a mixture of quick challenges (like strike out two batters in an inning or get an extra base hit) and slightly longer challenges (like a 3-inning game or scoring a certain amount of runs in 12 outs). It’s a highlight of MLB The Show 25, but on Switch, that snappiness isn’t present. Everything is slow to load and I got to a point where even though I enjoyed this mode, it just became a slog. Some of that blame can be placed on the lack of variety in challenges but most of it is on the slow load times. That carries over to most of the Diamond Dynasty mode. It’s a cool mode that just chugs on Switch.

The Road to the Show mode where you create your own player and play through their career had a big revamp last year that for the most part I loved. This year it’s even better, as they seemed to fine-tune some of the cumbersome story elements and added in high school and college starting points. I said last year that this mode wasn’t fully ready for the big leagues on Switch, but this year it’s in a much better shape even if there are still technical shortcomings because of it being on the Switch.

A mode I never dabbled that much with previously but have historically always enjoyed in sports games is the Franchise mode. It’s something that has been relatively similar over the last few years in The Show, but the latest version has had some substantial reworking. It’s way more compelling as just a general manager simulation, with far more in-depth and nuanced free agency, drafts, arbitrations, and tenders. If you’re the sort of person that likes fiddling with budgets and numbers in your sports, this mode might be dangerously engaging. Some of the tutorials could be better, as I had a rough first offseason even as someone who is familiar with and follows the free agent circus in the baseball offseason. Still, once I got the basics down pat, it was incredibly fun building a team as a general manager with the numerous levers I could pull to try to improve it.

I’ve loved the Storylines museum modes that started showing up in MLB The Show in 2023, but this year seems like it’s starting to hit some diminishing returns. Still, seeing the history of Negro League legends like Cool Papa Bell and Turkey Stearnes rules. Additionally, Sony has announced they will be adding more Storylines in future free updates. As of now it doesn’t seem like there will be something like the novel Derek Jeter Storyline from last year, which is a disappointment. Regardless, the Negro Leagues content here is incredible, even if it’s dipping into reused content from past games.

If you want to play a licensed baseball game and you only have access to Nintendo Switch, MLB The Show 25 will do the trick. This version is an adequate representation of the pristine gameplay design and mode variety the series has been consistently delivering for years, but every aspect of it feels compromised on Switch. Here’s hoping Switch 2 is a better destination for MLB The Show 26.

[Another dynamite and creative narrative game from Inkle.]

14

TalkBack / Expelled! (Switch) Review

« on: March 11, 2025, 08:01:00 PM »

Another dynamite and creative narrative game from Inkle.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/70280/expelled-switch-review

Before Inkle Studios released Overboard in 2021, I was never fully consumed by one of their games, even if 80 Days and Heaven’s Vault are extremely neat. The whodunnit time-loop narrative hook of Overboard blew me away when I reviewed it (and so did their 2023 game Highland Song). I jumped out a stained glass window for joy when Inkle announced Expelled! An Overboard! Game (that is how the logo presents the game’s name. I will henceforth just called it “Expelled” from now on). As evidenced by the name, Expelled is similar in concept: it’s a time-loop game where you explore a multi-room environment over many short playthroughs to gather information and clear your name of wrongdoing. The big difference between the two games is Overboard was all about getting away with murder on a boat while Expelled is all about avoiding getting expelled for a crime you didn’t commit.

You control Verity Amersham, a poor scholarship student at a boarding school in 1920s England. She wakes up one day to find the most popular girl in school in a rose bush after falling out of a stained glass window. She’s immediately assigned the blame and promptly expelled. Verity has to explain this all to her father, which leads to her recounting the events in more detail, revealing that maybe just maybe Verity isn’t a reliable narrator. That’s the core aspect that separates Expelled from Overboard is that you get pushed into a position early on where Verity low-key obscures the truth from you. She’s easy to root for, largely because her classmates are trashbag humans, but she’s incredibly abrasive at times. It’s a testament to the writing that this character, voiced by Baldur’s Gate 3 narrator Amelia Tyler, sticks the landing of being an intriguing quasi-anti-hero. Some of the challenges in the game are just getting Verity to admit things to herself, which thematically works very well.

The events of the game take place over one school day, where every choice you make takes up time. You can slavishly follow your schedule and attend classes or go try to sneak around and clear your name. Expelled’s scholastic setting is more focused than the boat of Overboard, largely due to the structure of the school day. It expertly teases you along, encouraging you to make different choices, focus on different supporting characters, and uncover huge secrets that can help clear your name. It also provides multiple goals to strive for, whether it’s answering the list of questions that the game populates as you play or the multiple endings you can wind up in at the end of the day.

Expelled plays some of the same narrative tricks as Overboard, but it comes off more like a song in a different genre from a band than it does repetitive or trite. The music in the game furthers that as the soundtrack is peppered with jazz music from the likes of Louis Armstrong and George Gershwin. Inkle knows how to nail a vibe and the vibes of this game are off the charts.

Depending on how you play the story, you’ll solve Verity’s dilemma in a few hours. I had moments where I thought I had everything figured out and just needed to trigger the right dialogue options, but even still I wound up getting surprised more often than not. Expelled is a tightly wound narrative puzzle game that makes me excited that it’s labeled “An Overboard Game” because hopefully that means Inkle makes a game like this every few years to wrinkle my time-loop-loving brain and completely delight me.

[We are scientists in our lab, looking at 96 quite bitter beings as the ace of spades does a real thing with a bomb inside their head.]

15

TalkBack / CKY and Motorhead Songs Return to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 While Jeff Rosenstock, Turnstile, and More Are Added

« on: March 13, 2025, 08:31:38 AM »

We are scientists in our lab, looking at 96 quite bitter beings as the ace of spades does a real thing with a bomb inside their head.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/70283/cky-and-motorhead-songs-return-to-tony-hawks-pro-skater-34-while-jeff-rosenstock-turnstile-and-more-are-added

A handful of songs both brand new and returning have been announced for the upcoming release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4. Activision revealed a partial list of the full soundtrack, mentioning that both more returning and new songs are yet to be announced. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 returned almost every song from the original two games while adding a good spread of new, stylistically appropriate songs as well.

"Ace of Spades" by Motorhead, "96 Quite Bitter Beings" by CKY, and more are confirmed to be returning from the two early 2000s releases the remade release is based on. Joining the soundtrack are songs from the likes of Turnstile, Jeff Rosenstock, Urethane, End It, and Schoolboy Q (with recent Super Bowl halftime show star Kendrick Lamar). The full list is below:

• "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead
• "Them bones" by Alice in Chains
• "Ultimate" by Denzel Curry
• "Damaged Goods" by Gang of Four
• "96 Quite Bitter Beings" by CKY
• "Yankee and the Brave" by Run the Jewels
• "King of the Beach" by Wavves
• "Real Thing" by Turnstile
• "Not the Same" by Bodyjar
• "New Wage Salary" by End It
• "Head" by Jeff Rosenstock
• "Collard Greens" by Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar
• "Outta Here" by KRS-One
• "Result" by T.C.M.F.
• "Dog Years" by Urethane
• "Charlotte" by Kittie
• "Mass Appeal" by Gang Starr
• "Faster Than the World" by H20
• "Roadkill" by Starcrawler
• "Amoeba" by Adolescents

The author pledges to attempt a backflip if a Catbite song is added.

[We venture into looking back at every game that Nintendo published on Switch.]

16

TalkBack / Nintendo Switch First-Party Review Revisits

« on: January 20, 2025, 09:26:49 AM »

We venture into looking back at every game that Nintendo published on Switch.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/69677/nintendo-switch-first-party-review-revisits

As we enter Nintendo's next console generation with the Switch 2 later this year, we've been doing some reflection here at Nintendo World Report. The Nintendo Switch, launching back in March 2017, will go down as one of the most successful video game consoles of all time and over the course of the 8+ years it spent as Nintendo's primary platform, it had a dizzying amount of games released on it. Over the course of 2025 (at least that's the goal), we're going to look back at Nintendo's game output on Nintendo Switch, with multiple staffers and contributors writing up their present-day thoughts on Nintendo's games.

We'll start at the beginning, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

[Before you get your bouncy baby Switch 2, you need Nintendo to make the birth announcement.]

17

TalkBack / What To Expect When You're Expecting A New Console

« on: January 09, 2025, 05:48:27 AM »

Before you get your bouncy baby Switch 2, you need Nintendo to make the birth announcement.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/69626/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-a-new-console

In a few short months, I will have been involved with Nintendo World Report for 17 years. Outside of that causing me to have some degree of existential dread due to the passage of time, it also means that the lead up to the Switch successor isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been embedded in this world for the likes of Project Cafe (the Wii U) and the NX (Switch), and while the success for each platform is wildly different, recurring patterns emerge. As we sit here in January 2025, mere days or weeks away from a reveal of just what exactly the “Switch successor” is, here are a few things to keep in mind while you await your next Nintendo console.

The Truth Is Less Exciting Than The Rumors

Whether the Switch 2 comes out in April or 2026, the reality that’s shaping up is that this will not be a gigantic leap forward, at least in the way some of the talks out there have shaped up. It would be a huge change for Nintendo to have a bleeding-edge system because after all, this is a company that released a console in 2017 based on years-old technology. That console wound up becoming one of the best-selling ones of all time.

Without diving into specific rumors, the word out in the ether is that the form factor and overall style will be relatively similar. It’ll be a step forward, but it’s not going to triumphantly surpass the Steam Deck. Also it’s likely not going to be an OLED screen. Yes, I’m bummed about that too.

Expect A Surprise or Two

Going into the full rollout of the Wii U in 2012, the “surprises” weren’t the most thrilling things but there were still games we did not fully know about going into its full reveal. E3 2012 brought about Nintendo Land and PlatinumGames’ The Wonderful 101. The September 2012 event that confirmed the November release date revealed that Bayonetta 2 was coming. These were all things that weren’t telegraphed beforehand.

Going into January 2017’s Switch release date event, we did know a new Mario was coming due to the October Switch name reveal trailer and at the time, there was already chatter about a new 3D Mario coming out. Comically, we have the same chatter now, especially since it’s been four years since that team last worked on something substantial in the form of Bowser’s Fury. But in the days leading up to January 2017, no one knew about 1-2 Switch or Arms. Those were legitimate surprises.

It’s logical that Nintendo will trot out Mario, whether it’s a new game from the EPD Tokyo team responsible for Odyssey and Bowser’s Fury or a brand new Mario Kart. It’s also logical that some internal team at Nintendo is going to reveal some wild new concept for a game that heavily leverages whatever gimmick is yet to be revealed for the Switch 2. I will sit here hoping for Ring Fit Adventure 2 in year one.

Count Your Lucky Remasters

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a port of a game released three years before the Switch came out, was one of the Switch’s best-selling games. I do not know what game Nintendo will try to put in that spot for Switch 2, but bet your bottom dollar that Nintendo will have a remaster or three in the first 12 months of the new console.

The darkest one would be Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Deluxe, especially because that game would probably still be guaranteed to sell 30 million copies, but looking at the very few Wii U games left untouched and the first few years of the Switch, I see a couple of likely options.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild HD (which would be a hilarious name) seems like a real possibility, especially with some reports of a nicer-looking Breath of the Wild being used to show off the power of the new console. As far as other Switch games from 2017, Fire Emblem Warriors: Definitive Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Monolith Made It To The Right Console Spec This Time seem like things that could exist. Glancing at 2018, maybe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gets an ulimate-r release. Depending on what the Switch 2’s gimmick is, Nintendo Land could finally come back from the dead or maybe 2025 can be the year where everyone comes around on Star Fox Zero. If Breath of the Wild doesn’t get the remaster nod, maybe we finally see the long threatened Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports. There are a lot of possibilities and that’s without even mentioning Kirby, who has a Wii game (Epic Yarn), a Wii U game (Rainbow Curse), and two 3DS games (Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot) that haven’t come to Switch yet.

Maybe Nintendo even looks a little later for a remaster. Why make a whole new Animal Crossing when you can try to have lightning strike twice with an upgraded port of New Horizons?

The Original Switch Won’t Be Dead Yet

While Nintendo has confirmed backwards compatibility so any new Switch 1 release will in theory be playable on the successor, it’s still to be expected that Nintendo will have a few remaining OG Switch games in the hopper in 2025. As of now, the farthest we have a game with a date is Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on March 20. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A are also announced for 2025.

Even if the Switch 2 comes out in April or May, I would still expect a handful of Switch 1 releases in that time period or later. It’ll likely be low-ceiling or low-cost projects (which has honestly been the MO of the Switch for the past year), but we could still see some cool stuff. I still place a lot of doubt on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond being a cross-gen game, largely because unlike Zelda, Metroid has never had a wide appeal. For context, the entirety of the Metroid series has roughly sold the same as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I’m extremely stoked for a new Metroid Prime, but that game doesn’t really have the proven legs to put the cross-gen resources into it. Especially when you have backwards compatibility and have it there as a chaser for the fanbase.

Looking to the past (and I understand it’s not a 1:1 comp), the 3DS had 20 games come out from Nintendo after the Switch came out. That output won’t be the same due to back compat and the different situation Nintendo finds themselves in, but if Nintendo’s going to be releasing a Fire Emblem remake, weird Kirby spinoffs, or a Metroid game, it’s probably coming to the older thing.

Deep Breaths

To tie into the dumb joke in the title of the article, let’s talk about the concept of lamaze. It’s a common technique used for birthing that focuses a lot on using deep breathing and other relaxation concepts to reduce the pain of giving birth. It’s silly to look at a method to make an entire human being coming out of your body less painful and tie it into a new video game console, but here we are. Take deep breaths. Reddit and forum threads will not have all the answers as to when Nintendo will reveal their new system. Nintendo has stated they will discuss it more before March 31, 2025. You can just sit back and wait for the busy morning in the next few weeks where Nintendo says “it’s time” and we all sit back to watch some hot marketing materials. The Switch 2 is coming. It will hopefully be cool. Relax and enjoy the ride. If you missed out on one of the thousand or so games on Switch, now’s the time to catch up, and you can rest easy because Switch 2 will be backwards compatible (as confirmed by Nintendo).

[Pledge an oath to this PSP classic.]

18

TalkBack / Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana (Switch) Review Mini

« on: January 06, 2025, 02:01:00 PM »

Pledge an oath to this PSP classic.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/69622/ys-memoire-the-oath-in-felghana-switch-review-mini

I first played Ys: Oath in Felghana via the PSP version more than a decade ago and it blew my hair back. I wouldn’t call myself an Ys guy, but after Oath in Felghana, I checked in on the series consistently over the years and largely enjoyed my time with all of the games, but I would always speak so fondly of Oath in Felghana. I was ecstatic to hear Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana was coming to Switch in 2025, but playing through it was a reminder that this series has continued to improve and refine in the 20 years since this remake of the third Ys game originally came out in Japan.

This action RPG has snappy combat, as you take control of series protagonist Adol Christin and bounce around the land of Felghana taking down hordes of enemies with sword combos and magic abilities. It’s not a crazy in-depth system, but it feels good and the consistent stream of level ups, weapon improvements, and more boosts do enough to keep it varied. Difficulty spikes still hit, but Ys Memoire adds some difficulty options and even a frenetic “Turbo” mode that helps speed up parts of the game.

This new version also adds in voice acting for Adol, some visual refinements, and different character illustrations and music options. The rock stylings of the game’s original soundtrack still hit well for me, and it’s fun to have some of the old music from the original versions of Ys III available. This is still clearly an upgraded version of an older game, but it doesn’t really feel as old as it actually is.

A lot of that feeling comes from how good the combat feels. The action in Oath in Felghana is just consistently enjoyable, especially when you get to bosses that tax the limits of the combat in a way that is challenging but not unfair. I have fond memories of the story from when I initially played this, but during this playthrough, Adol and his partner Dogi’s quest was a little less compelling. The action drives the fun, which makes this 10-15 hour adventure a pleasant journey that doesn’t really overstay its welcome.

While I’m a little less over the moon about this game in 2025, I’m still very happy that Oath in Felghana is out on a modern console in the west. From the era of its release, it’s one of the best action RPGs of its style and even to this day, it’s still a very enjoyable one. I might recommend some of the later Ys games ahead of this one, especially if you want a more true 3D adventure, but if your goal is to check out the highs of the storied Ys series, Oath in Felghana is a must-play.

[How are we feeling on the first brand new Mario and Luigi RPG in nearly a decade?]

19

TalkBack / Mario & Luigi: Brothership Review Round-Up

« on: December 16, 2024, 08:46:16 AM »

How are we feeling on the first brand new Mario and Luigi RPG in nearly a decade?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/69489/mario-n-luigi-brothership-review-round-up

The last time a brand new Mario & Luigi game came out, we used a format we dubbed “Review Revisit” to share more thoughts about Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. We also did it for Paper Mario: Sticker Star. So it felt right to break out the format for the latest Mario RPG Mario & Luigi: Brothership. The response to the game hasn’t been definitive, with a wide variety of opinions and takes ranging from adoration to disappointment. Where did the intrepid NWR staffers who decided to set sail on this Nintendo adventure land? Is this the new direction we all want in Mario RPGs? Or does it fail to hit the highs of the past?

Justin Berube: Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the sixth game in the series, opens up with several patrons of the Mushroom Kingdom being sucked into an alternate dimension known as the world of Concordia. This only sets off the myriad of issues I have with the title as once this happens smart players know that the people of this world will never matter outside of this game and in the end everything will return to normal. This makes it hard to deeply care about the world or story of Concordia, which is a shame because RPGs rely on story elements to encourage the player to move forward.

The combat system in Brothership is as fun as ever, but the battles for the first 40 hours of the experience are way too easy. Once you hit this point there are a couple of good boss battles to be found, one of which incorporates an amazing minigame into the combat. Sadly, this really isn't enough to make up for the investment worth it to get to that point. The balance feels off here as the final boss felt extremely easy, while a boss several hours before had a better overall fight and challenge. Additionally, a few of the Bros. (Special) attacks take way too long to execute bogging down the combat in many cases.

The pacing is one of the biggest issues with Brothership. The beginning of the game felt like torture with excessive pointless talking and tutorials that any experienced player needs less of. I think it took at least five hours before I got my first Bros. (Special) attack. The game also heavily encourages players to return to each area immediately after doing the initial task there in order to collect important items needed to upgrade a new Plug system vital for combat. This, along with other elements that come up later, make the game seem extremely padded for no good reason.

The writing in Brothership is also a bore. Most of it is meaningless and the jokes rarely land. It feels like the game is playing everything so safe or the writers didn't even try in the first place. The side quests usually don't have great rewards either making most of the optional interactions not worth it. There is, however, a bright spot with a side character named Buddy who shows up extremely late in the game. Doing everything related to Buddy and his quests is one of the bright spots of Brothership and it's sad that we will probably never see him or the endearing relationship he forms with one traditional Mario character ever again.

Ultimately Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a game that's hard to get through as it overstays its welcome. Completing everything in the game took me around 60 hours and I'm not lying when I say this game would have been better if that playtime were cut in half if not more. Maybe the magic is gone, or maybe the Mario & Luigi formula has been done to death making it hard to compare Brothership to the bright spots of the franchise. If they are to move forward with more of these, which I don't know if we really need, the entire formula needs a major change. I say ditch Mario & Luigi all together and do Wario & Waluigi, Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong, or Peach & Daisy because sadly what we got with Brothership is a bit stale.

Neal Ronaghan: Mario RPGs are very important to me so when a new Mario & Luigi game was announced, I was hopeful it would hit the highs of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga or Bowser’s Inside Story. Unfortunately, this entry hits somewhere below the two titans of this sub-series. Brothership is easily the most fun I’ve had with a Mario & Luigi game since the DS, but it’s also a game that frustrates me constantly. The animation is incredible, but the new electrical outlet-inspired characters are flavorless and boring. The combat has a nice rhythm to it, especially with some of the stylish Bros Moves, but it takes forever to get going and Luigi’s menu commands use the A button instead of the B button (even though his timed attacks require the B button).

While I acknowledge this is largely a RPG series for children, the over-tutorialization and extremely plodding opening hours wore on me and I honestly only stuck with it because of the sunk-cost fallacy and the fact I said to other folks at NWR we should do this feature. To an extent, I’m glad I did because I enjoy the rhythm of the game after a few hours where you essentially do cute and bite-sized vignette adventures on new islands as an overarching story builds in the background. But going back to this being an RPG series for children, my 6-year-old kid grew weary of this before he reached the point where the game gets better.

Even as it gets better, Mario & Luigi: Brothership overstays its welcome, inching into the 30-40-hour mark (unless you're a completionist like Justin above me). There’s a reason I celebrated how the Super Mario RPG remake streamlined an already comparatively short game. Mario RPGs don’t need to be 40-hour affairs. I feel like for everything Brothership does right, it takes a step back in some other faucet. This is a mostly enjoyable game that is bogged down by chicanery more often than I’d like.

Willem Hilhorst: Mario & Luigi was always my first and favorite Mario RPG series. I got introduced to them via Superstar Saga and kept up with the series ever since. Colorful worlds, charmingly written with a fun and inventive combat system set them apart from the other RPGs I played at the time. So, the death of Alpha Dream in 2018 stung quite a bit. That made it so the revival of the series with a brand new entry was quite surprising, though I had my reservations as the series did have a bit of a bumpy track record since Bowser’s Inside Story.

Enter Mario & Luigi Brothership. Stunning with its gorgeous cel-shaded visual style, expressive character animations, and creative worlds and characters. Sadly, after more than seven hours with the game I cannot bring myself to keep playing the game. Tutorials are always a bit of a challenge and Nintendo in particular can be brutal about these at times. In fact, the original Bowser’s Inside Story was quite guilty of this as well. But what always got me through these walls of texts, was the funny writing and wild story setup that got me engaged into their world. Mario & Luigi: Brothership doesn’t just stumble, it falls straight off of a cliff into the sea.

It dawned on me at about hour five. I simply wasn’t having fun. It took hours to expand the move set of the bros. with not just the hammer, but also a single bros. move, staples of the series that usually took less than two hours at most. Now, pacing in RPG’s is always a challenge. But while the original trilogy of M&L also could be a bumpy ride, I was assured of one thing: having a good time with the dialogue. Mario RPGs always defined themselves with a distinct, often fourth-wall-breaking, tone in its writing. But Brothership is all about style with very little substance. Characters fail to make an impact, relying on one-note jokes and Mario and Luigi themselves just feel passed over, being literally dragged into another world. While I like the creativity in the designs, with everything being a combination of nature and electrical engineering, the writing does very little to engage me into the world and its characters. Few outright jokes show up and most of the writing comes across as belittling towards the player.

I still think the combat system is quite a bit of fun, even though it takes two bosses before it really gets going. I think I instinctively started grinding, not necessarily because the game feels challenging. Combat is pretty simple and as you’re quickly drowning in coins, it becomes pretty easy to upgrade equipment. I think what struck me most is the lack of customization of both Mario and Luigi. In previous games it was fairly easy to make each of them feel distinct with their stats spread. But this time around it only happens when you ‘rank up’, choosing a trait. But these traits take a long time to obtain and include stuff like unlocking a second equipment slot. It just feels like too many instances where the ball was dropped to keep a brand name relevant, but not understanding how all these cogs together made the M&L stand out from the rest.

I don’t feel comfortable scoring Mario & Luigi: Brothership at this time. I can tell you that this might be my personal most disappointing release of 2024. I had high hopes for the return of this series, but in all honesty, I think I may have preferred it to stay buried. Brothership made me question the enjoyment I’ve had with the series in the past and whether it isn’t just rose-tinted nostalgia. Perhaps this brothership has sailed for me.

[This game doesn’t look a day over 16.]

20

TalkBack / Dragon Quest III HD-2D (Switch) Review

« on: November 13, 2024, 05:00:00 AM »

This game doesn’t look a day over 16.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/69116/dragon-quest-iii-hd-2d-switch-review

Sometimes I have a difficult time explaining to people why the more measured pace of traditional Japanese RPGs works for me. Even if I occasionally decry things like random battles and dead-end-filled dungeons, I love the rhythm of a good RPG and they can be some of the meatiest comfort food games out there. Dragon Quest III HD-2D might have become the game I’ll point people to so they can experience that vintage warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s wild to me how this NES RPG made in the 1980s holds up as well as it does more than 35 years later. Even wilder is how this fancypants remake is far more light-touch than I expected. This is more or less the same game from 1988, just with modern bells and whistles. It’s a smart, brilliant remake that carries forth the original masterpiece while not truly feeling dated.

For those who are less familiar with Dragon Quest’s history and legacy, Dragon Quest III is the game that fully rocketed the franchise into Japanese cultural importance. On its release in 1988, it sold more than a million copies on day one and kicked off the urban legend of the Japanese government prohibiting a Dragon Quest game to come out on a weekday (it’s not true). That fever pitch was not unearned, because for its day, Dragon Quest III was incredible. The first two games, each getting their own HD-2D remakes in the future, laid the groundwork, with the first game introducing the world with a battle party of one and a relatively straightforward adventure. Dragon Quest II introduced a full party and more mechanical depth, but was more of a stumble gameplay-wise. Dragon Quest III, on the other hand, knocked it out of the park.

You take control of the 16-year-old son or daughter of Ortega, a legendary hero who fell in battle against the villainous Baramos. After an opening that involves a quiz that helps dictate your character’s stat growth, you set off on a globe-spanning quest to avenge your father’s death and defeat Baramos. You piece together your four-person party with characters and classes of your choosing and go on vignette-like adventures to help disparate groups of people out along the way. The class-based system is at first simple but gets way deeper as you progress. As your various party members reach higher levels, you can change their class where they keep all the learned abilities and skills but their stats go down and they begin again at level one. It’s very fun to fiddle with this to make useful and intriguing party members. You could just keep your magic user a magic user and superpower them into the Sage class, or you could do something like level up a healing Priest class to learn all the best healing spells and then turn them into a melee class you so have a pal who hits like a truck and can also bring your dead carcass back to life. It’s been a very long time since I last played Dragon Quest III and remembering the engaging flexibility of the class system was like a warm hug.

The classic nature of the turn-based battle system continues that comforting familiar feeling. Battling has not been altered much at all. I did find myself using the Tactics settings that can put the game into auto-battle mode far more often, especially in random overworld battles. This is not my favorite turn-based battle system ever, but it’s a reliable and dependable one. It’s cozy, but not in the way a farm sim can be a cozy game. It’s cozy in its familiarity and vibes.

The bits added and embellished in the remake just help to add to the experience. The Monster Arena is one of the more sizable additions, letting you recruit monsters throughout the world to then throw into Pokemon-esque fights. There’s also added story content deepening your hero’s father Ortega more. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but it’s a welcome addition to shine more light on an important character in Dragon Quest lore. Beyond wholesale new content, this remake adds a lot of modern flourishes, like voice acting (in English and Japanese), customizable battle speeds, three difficulty settings, friendly auto-saves, and more. If there’s some modern nicety you hoped would make it into this remake, it probably did.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D helps bring a hugely important game to a wider audience. It’s not much more than a classic RPG, but the quality still shines through decades later. This might not have the archival material of some of the video game museum games that have come out lately, but it feels of a similar disposition as them because this is taking a titanic landmark game and giving it the tender loving care it deserves so it can be enjoyed by even more players in the current age. There might have been better RPGs made in the past 35 years, but most of them likely wouldn’t be as good as they are without Dragon Quest III leading the way.

[Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza or a rough game.]

21

TalkBack / TMNT: Mutants Unleashed (Switch) Review

« on: November 07, 2024, 08:22:21 AM »

Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza or a rough game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/69040/tmnt-mutants-unleashed-switch-review

The recent 2023 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was a delightful surprise in my household. I loved it and so did my two young boys. So when Outright Games announced TMNT Mutants Unleashed - a video game based on the movie - I was excited to hopefully ride that wave of turtle excitement into a fun video game. That excitement was fleeting as Mutants Unleashed is all over the place in its execution despite some good ideas and a presentation that follows up nicely on the style of the film.

Mutants Unleashed’s surprisingly deep plot follows up right after the events of Mutant Mayhem, showing the aftermath of the shelled quartet’s triumph and acceptance. More mutants (“Mewbies” as the teenage turtles call them) surface, largely to provide the beat-’em-up gameplay with some cannon fodder. The story introduces new characters, including a bunch of teenage human friends for the turtles to interact with. As per usual with Outright Games’ more children-oriented games, the amount of voice acting is great, especially for younger players. In general, the dialogue does a great job of capturing the vibe of the movie and while the plot veers more into side story than main event, it’s still a compelling tale.

Given TMNT’s beat-’em-up game history, I was looking forward to some fun co-op brawling, but the combos and systems in this game feel undercooked. It leans more character action than vintage brawler, which would have been a better choice if the character action felt tighter. Each of the four shelled warriors have their own abilities and skills, even if the multiplayer tops out with two players. While I was less engaged by the combat, I’ll give credit to the fact that it’s relatively easy to pick up and play, giving it broader appeal to all ages. However, unlike Outright Games’ more toddler-oriented games (Bluey, Paw Patrol, etc.), Mutants Unleashed skews to older ages, so the lack of depth and complexity to the combat is more of a detraction.

I was relatively unaware that Mutants Unleashed also hid some interactive social segments that seem inspired by Persona and recent Fire Emblems. You can take a turtle on different events to spend time with friends, but all of it is so slow and drawn out (and largely doesn’t feature voice acting)n that it grinds the pace of the game to a halt, even more so because the co-op play doesn’t really factor in much here. It draws out the length of the overall game to double-digit hours much to the detriment of the entire package because the content here does not withstand 15-20 hours of play. Adding fuel to that fire is the Switch port, which is adequate in motion but is bogged down by some technical hiccups and extremely long load times. Booting into the game took so long that I initially thought it was broken.

TMNT Mutants Unleashed has some really good ideas that don’t coalesce into a great game. The combat is fine, but nothing to write home about. The social RPG concept is novel, but not well executed. It’s all the more frustrating because the writing for the relatively engaging plot is great. Part of me wished this game had some time to be refined because the framework of something totally radical is here. It just doesn’t make it out of the sewers.

[Protect this dog with your life.]

22

TalkBack / Neva (Switch) Review

« on: October 22, 2024, 07:24:33 AM »

Protect this dog with your life.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/68766/neva-switch-review

There is no denying that developer Nomada Studio’s debut game - the 2018 release Gris - is a beautiful, moving game. An emotional story about grief and loss, Gris offered a gorgeous and contemplative journey that I enjoyed my time with. Gris was widely acclaimed, won a bunch of awards, and overall was an unqualified success. I did have one knock against the gameplay: that it was maybe a little too focused on the experience and not so much on the act of playing the game. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it personally was what prevented Gris from being one of my favorite games of that year. Nomada Studio’s second game Neva picks up a lot of the magnificent visual aplomb, but adds a crucial engaging element: combat. It’s not a flawless addition to the experience, but it did enough to make Neva more of a game and less of a puzzling walk.

Neva’s story is similar in presentation and style to Gris. While Gris was more focused on the parent and child relationship, Neva focuses more on the human and pet relationship, as you control a woman named Alba who is bound to a wolf cub named Neva after a traumatic incident in the game’s introduction. You wander through side-scrolling environments, completing the occasional puzzle, performing some platforming challenges, and fighting off some dark evil forces. The variety is what stood out most to me, as you would have the occasional segment that focused on just going forth with your beloved dog and taking in the scenery, only to be interrupted by a fight where you and your pup need to fend off enemies.

The combat never gets too complex but easy-to-grasp controls and a good enough variety of enemies keep it fresh throughout. Alba has a simple attack and a dodge roll, with a few flourishes added in as you progress. A few segments feel a little kill room-y, but it also happened at a clip where I’d start to have that thought, and then the segment would end. The only parts I didn’t really enjoy were the chase sequences, which are also the only part of the game where you can die in the Story Mode difficulty. The tension created as you have to move quickly is good, but they felt more punishing compared to everything else throughout the game.

I’ve been a pet owner my entire life and have experienced my fair share of pet-centric media. This is one of the most impressive examples, doing a tremendous job of capturing that connected feeling to an animal through a central element of working your way through the seasons. The game is split into four overarching segments (one for each season) and you see the growth of Neva through each one as well as the growth of your relationship. It’s emotional along the way. I would protect this wolf with my life and well, that is certainly a thing you have to do a lot in this game.

I preferred Neva to Gris, though both games are triumphant and artistic video games that will probably make you cry like a baby. If you’re a lifelong pet owner like myself, Neva has the potential to hit you like a train, but it’s also a universal enough feeling to work for anyone. The combat is a great addition to the video game aspect that definitely filled in a hole for me in the experience. Nomada Studio continues their penchant for making gorgeous games that are packed with emotional resonance. Now that they’ve told game stories about parents and pets, we’ll see how they can make us all cry next.

[They had the concept of a game.]

23

Podcast Discussion / Episode 399: ReCore Connectivity Game Club

« on: October 11, 2024, 05:55:43 AM »

They had the concept of a game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/connectivity/68767/episode-399-recore-connectivity-game-club

John arrives with his pick for the Game Club and let's just say it doesn't go over quite as well as Outer Wilds did. Join us as we look back at what should have been an incredible spiritual sequel to Metroid Prime, but was instead a budget title developed in an afternoon.

[Good-Feel puts out a Nintendo-esque game that isn’t actually published by Nintendo.]

24

TalkBack / BAKERU (Switch) Review

« on: August 23, 2024, 04:00:00 PM »

Good-Feel puts out a Nintendo-esque game that isn’t actually published by Nintendo.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/68277/bakeru-switch-review

The video game developer Good-Feel has been around for nearly 20 years and for most of that time, they’ve worked closely with Nintendo on games such as Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Yoshi’s Woolly World. That’s continued to this day with the release of Princess Peach Showtime earlier in 2024. But before Good-Feel was formed, the founders of the company worked at Konami, specifically the Ganbare Goemon series (for more on this, check out our history of Good-Feel). They somewhat revisited those Goemon roots with their self-funded game Bakeru, which first came out in Japan a year ago but is now coming out worldwide courtesy of publisher Spike-Chunsoft. Bakeru is not a Goemon game, even if the main character and overall setting is very evocative of the same Japanese mythology that fueled Goemon’s world. What Bakeru is is an enjoyable if simplistic adventure that might be closest in play style to Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It’s an overly cute game that I wish was a little more ambitious but it’s still a fun and varied ride that shows off how skilled Good-Feel is at making Nintendo-esque games.

Set in what’s dubbed “Fairy Tale Japan,” the whimsical story sets the heroic Bakeru fighting against the evil Oracle Saitaro as he tries to take over Japan with his weird festival. You travel around Japanese prefectures in a linear order, going through more than 50 stages. Most of the stages are set in 3D landscapes where you follow a relatively straightforward path to fight enemies, find collectables, and most importantly, destroy at least three festival lanterns so you can get the vile partiers out of the area.

Most of the gameplay feels like a beat-’em-up, as you make use of Bakeru’s drum to beat the tar out of groups of enemies. This is done by hitting the left and right triggers to chain drum combos and execute a handful of chargeable special attacks. You can also dodge roll and block, but outside of a few specific scenarios, you can find a lot of success by just bouncing around with the triggers. The combat does slowly evolve over time, helped out by the new additions to the Western release of the Hurricane and Spinning Top attacks (though I didn’t play the Japanese release so I can’t totally compare the before/after). Special transformations are also unlocked as you progress, typically from defeating bosses. These either tie into level puzzles or just make you super powerful. It’s all very cute, and I definitely cackled as some of them were unleashed for the first time, but they mostly make an easy game even easier and no matter what, at a certain point though, you’re just mashing buttons through relatively pleasant environments.

Every few levels you go through some type of special stage, whether it’s a race or even a 3D shooter. It’s in those moments that I kept wishing for Bakeru to be more like the old Goemon games, because that’s where I was reminded of the chaotic energy of Mystical Ninja’s novel diversions. Bakeru is not totally a Goemon game like they were in the ‘90s, and that’s fine. I’m just trying to level-set for all of you. That chaotic energy came out to me in full strength in the collectables. You can find three hidden items in each level that are cute and sometimes funny, but the best bit in all of Bakeru is the five collectable bits of trivia found in each level. You essentially need to find five pieces of golden poop that then spit out a random fact at you. It serves no greater purpose, but you can revisit all the trivia in a menu if you wish. Hestu and the Koroks would be proud.

Bakeru is an enjoyable romp that consistently delivers lighthearted action with a lot of charm even if it gets a little repetitive the deeper you get into it. Good-Feel clearly learned a lot from working with Nintendo because this game deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Nintendo’s lighter fare. This isn’t quite the Goemon spiritual successor I felt I was promised, but Bakeru is still a good time (especially for younger players) and I hope that Good-Feel both continues working with Nintendo and continues to work on projects like this.

[A bigger and better sequel that sometimes runs into choppy waters.]

25

TalkBack / SteamWorld Heist II (Switch) Review

« on: August 01, 2024, 06:27:01 AM »

A bigger and better sequel that sometimes runs into choppy waters.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/68053/steamworld-heist-ii-switch-review

The SteamWorld series has been kicking around the world of Nintendo for more than a decade, but as we near the end of the Switch’s life, it has faded more into the background, far away from the early days of the Switch when SteamWorld Dig 2 was an early indie highlight. Their latest game, however, is easily developer Thunderful’s best effort since Dig 2, as they revisit the turn-based strategy of SteamWorld Heist with the aptly named SteamWorld Heist 2. This is a bigger and more expansive helping of strategy compared to the original, with a lot more customization and variety. Something can be said about the straightforward focus of the original Heist, but even with a few issues, Heist 2 is a welcome addition to the SteamWorld canon, adding in a fuller, more realized world with lots of juicy strategic fun.

While the original took you from level-to-level on a point-to-point space map, Heist 2 throws you into the water. Early on you take control of a boat that allows you to cruise around bodies of water, seeking new missions, enemy boats, and a decent amount of secrets. The missions are of the same style as the original: 2D side-scrolling maps with a lot of verticality and typically procedurally generated enemy placements. You roll into these situations with a team of robots, making use of their different classes to move around the map and shoot down the enemies. Each character has two action points that can be spent on movement or actions. As someone who has played through the original Heist a few times, diving back into these missions was like riding a new souped-up bike. I immediately dove back into the strategy and started getting used to all the new bells and whistles.

The biggest shift is that you can change your character classes by equipping them with different guns and then work on multiclassing the characters in a way where you mix and match abilities and buffs to uniquely spec out your roster. For example, I took a default Sniper class character and switched them over to an Engineer class that had the ability to take two shots. Using the Sniper class abilities I had unlocked, I was able to make it so those two shots were far more accurate. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though as you can fiddle around with the six(?) different classes and make your ideal version for each character. Heist 2 does run into the issue where every character starts to be able to play similarly, as the only major differences are a small number of character-specific accents, like the ability to use a grenade item as a free action instead of a full one.

The bigger your crew gets, the more complicated everything gets. You can’t save loadouts or anything for characters so you will likely spend a lot of time on the menus to rearrange who has what and what class they are right now. The game also relies on a day cycle, so as you explore the overworld, you can only use each character on a mission once. When the team is all spent, you have to return to a base and spend the night to recharge for another day. It’s a nice idea, but it involves a lot of excess travel around the world map. Sometimes it’s not so bad and fits into the story and gameplay, but other times it slows everything down. I’ve had climatic missions that would play better back-to-back that are right next to each other on the map, but that is instead broken up by needing to go across the map to rest up and recharge the team. It’s a pace-killing decision that forces you to play less of the best parts of the game.

When you are in the water-filled world map, you ride around in a boat that slowly gets upgraded throughout the story so you can access more parts of the map. The boat doesn’t really do much, however, as you primarily get into relatively meaningless skirmishes with enemy boats in real time where you auto-fire weapons and move around to avoid fire in a way that reminded me of a sleepy version of Vampire Survivors.

The change of pace isn’t all bad, but it almost artificially lengthens the whole game, which clocks in around 25-30 hours to get to the end (roughly double the length of the first one). When I’m rolling with my team of bots planning my next set of actions to take down enemies efficiently while taking as little damage as possible, I’m having a great time. Even some of the moments where I’m bogged down by changing loadouts or traipsing through the water is enjoyable. But at times the balance feels off, no matter which of the many interchangeable difficulty settings you can choose from. I take solace with the fact that even amidst this, the character and world design is still clever and neat and the soundtrack from SteamWorld staple Steam Powered Giraffe is radical, matching the quasi-Western theme with good tunes sometimes popping with great vocals.

SteamWorld Heist 2 is in a way the game I’ve been wanting Thunderful to make since they released the first game in 2015. I’m so satisfied by all of the customization and options you have across the 10 different characters, even if I have some quibbles with loadouts and managing class changes. The turn-based tactics of it all are still so delightfully crunchy and awesome, featuring new objectives, unique bosses, and oodles of content. However the constant returns to the bar to rest and the strained simplicity of the water travel hold this back from being such a slam-dunk instant classic as its predecessor. This is a sequel that is bigger and better in a lot of respects, but is also weighed down by superfluous additions.