Search found 279 matches for eShop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's-A-Trio! WOOHOO!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has announced that Super Mario Advance, Super Mario Advance 2, and Super Mario Advance 3 will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Gameboy Advance app on May 25th in the states and May 26th if you live in the Eastern Hemisphere. You can watch the announcement trailer above! What do you think about this upcoming update, and what games would you like to see released next on the service? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #Nintendo #NSO #ExpansionPack #Switch #eShop #SMA #SMA2 #SMA3 #GBA #Retro

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An ACE Doggo Adventure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Katsu Entertainment, published by Hound Picked Games, and with public relations by PR Hound, Dogfight is a shoot em' up twitchfest that has its moments, and while certainly not perfect, we enjoyed our time with the game! Continue reading our review to find out just what we thought about this action-packed title!



The gameplay in Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story is superb with tight controls, accessible difficulty, and varied gameplay elements that will thoroughly entertain any fan of the shoot 'em up genre. The enemies also come in many varieties with unique attack patterns and this is doubly true for the game's fantastic bosses! Not all is good, however as the game is exceptionally short clocking in at around an hour or two to beat which left us yearning for more.



The audiovisual-presentation is also really good with vibrant stages, detailed and gorgeous enemy and boss designs, and REALLY amazing special effects that showcases how well the switch can handle an HD scrolling Shmup when developed by the right teams! As for the audio? The soundtrack is catchy and will leave you humming to the beat, while the sound effects fit the arcadey nature of the game quite nicely!



Bottom-Line: With amazing gameplay and a great audiovisual-presentation, Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story is a fantastic shoot 'em up that had a ton of potential, but the small amount of content left us yearning for more when the game ended much too soon. Overall, we give Gogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story for the Nintendo Switch a solid to good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆¾ 7.75/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#MiniReview #KatsuEntertainment #HoundPickedGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #Shmup

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heirs To A Great Adventure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by EXE CREATE and published by KEMCO, Heirs of The Kings is another superb retro-style JRPG by the long running publisher. How much did we enjoy our playthrough of the game? Continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay of Heirs of The Kings is great fun with a riveting story that's a step above most of KEMCO's previous releases which were fantastic in their own right. The game also features great gameplay that will be familiar, but also adds new elements such as a Final Fantasy X style skill board, and many new quality of life features that make this game a joy to play! The game is decent in-terms of length too, clocking-in at around 30-35 hours to beat, and though a tad easy, the game's difficult is pretty balanced and fair.



As for the audiovisual-presentation of Heirs of The Kings, it's easily one of KEMCO's finest works yet, with highly detailed and gorgeos pixel art, amazing character and enemy designs, and a very snazzy UI. While on the audio side of things, the music fits the mood as always in a KEMCO game, however the sound quality of said tracks and sound effects is a step-up and sounds like pure ear candy!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, great gameplay, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Heirs of The Kings is a top-notch retro-inspired JRPG that is a blast to play, and with no negatives to speak of, there's just no reason not to add this fantastic game to your Switch JRPG library and as such, we give Heirs of The Kings a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #KEMCO #EXECREATE #JRPG #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legendary Ninpo Art of Greatness!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by City Connection, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection is a fantastic collection of arcade-platforming games that largely went unlocalized outside of Japan for several decades, but are now compiled into a feature-rich collection and we can't recommend these games enough! Does that mean that we gave the game a perfect level of recommendation? You'll have to continue reading our review to find out!



First off, this collection of games is fantastic with loads of bonus content including artwork, a rewind feature, screen filters, and more which is already fantastic, all this even before we get into playing the games themselves! The 6 games in the collection span a wide-array of genres and all are emulated flawlessly which of course is a HUGE plus for sure. Some of the NES and Gameboy games are somewhat archaic, but still are great fun in short bursts, while others such as Ninja JaJaMaru: Operation Milky Way are brilliant and their gameplay and visuals hold-up just as well as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kirby's Adventure in today's time!

The UI looks very nice, and the menus are easy to navigate which is always nice. The length of the games range from under an hour to upwards of 5-10 hours to beat which is to be expected from retro games that aren't JRPG's. As for the controls? They are serviceable and have no flaws to speak of, though the button-mapping in some of the games could be a bit better, but overall they are good.



The audiovisual-presentation of Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection is varied with some of the better looking titles looking exceptionally stylish and vibrant while others haven't aged so well, however the soundtrack in every single included game is a real banger and we thoroughly enjoyed that aspect!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, solid controls, and a superb soundtrack, Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection for the Nintendo Switch is a great game compilation that is worth checking out, even if a few of the games haven't aged too well. Overall we give Jajamaru: Legendary Ninja Collection a good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #CityConnection #ININ #PRHound #Compilation #Retro #Switch #eShop #NinjaJajamaru

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unique Gameplay And A Gorgeous Art Style Disguises A Middling MetroidVania.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Rasul Mono, published by GameNet, and public relations by PR Hound, The Guise is a metroidvania with unique ideas and breathtaking visuals that fails to live up to its potential. Does this mean the game isn't good? No, the game is certainly worthwhile, at least for fans of the genre and here's why:



The gameplay is like a mix between Metroid and Hollow Knight, but not all of the core elements mesh together too well. Some elements are overly simple, while others are somewhat convoluted. That said the unique takes on exploration and boss fights at least are on-point and quite enjoyable! The game's difficulty can be a tad easy at times, but overall the difficulty is fairly balanced so the game scores well in this regard!

The game itself is around 10-12 hours in-length so don't expect to beat it in its entirety in a single sitting. As for the controls? They are easy to learn and feel really good. Overall this is one of the game's stronger points!



The audiovisual-presentation is superb and looks like if Ghibly Studio and Hollow Knight had a crossover, it looks absolutely breathtaking which makes this game quite worth diving into, despite other aspects of the game being average at times. As for the soundtrack? It fits the game nicely and is certainly quite unique while the sound effects are equally pleasing to the ears. Overall the game's audiovisual-presentation is absolutely flawless!



Bottom-Line: With great controls, an amazing audiovisual-presentation, and unique gameplay, The Guise has a lot going for it, however many of the parts of the gameplay formula hold the game back from even coming close to reaching its potential, that said the game still is above average overall in our books and as such, we give The Guise for the Nintendo Switch a decent level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #RasulMono #GameNet #PRHound #MetroidVania #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go! Go! Epic Voyager Girl!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Ohsat Games, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Go! Go! Pogogirl is a fresh take of the 2-D platformer that pays homage to classic SEGA platformers like Sonic The Hedgehog, but does the game live up to the series that inspired its existence? We think so, but you'll have to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay is straightforward enough having you trek through each of the four seasons across twenty stages with a fun boss battle at the end of each season. The courses have unique hazards and enemies in each season and there's a boss at the end of every season. The game is pretty short clocking in at 2-3 hours in length, but at five bucks, it's not a bad deal for the price.

The controls are decent enough, with no real issues to speak of which is good, of course. The game is also fairly easy, but still exceptionally satisfying to play which being satisfying is obviously a VERY important trait for a game to possess and possessing it, this game does in spades!



The audiovisual-presentation of Go! Go! Pogo Girl is top-notch with detailed character and ememies, as well as a vibrant and colorful palette that looks extremely pleasing to the eyes. And as for the soundtrack? It's catchy and fits the mood of the game to a tee, really the game has no real weak spots and is all-around a great budget platformer!



Bottom-Line: With amazing gameplay, good controls, and a top-notch audiovisual-presentation, Go! Go! Pogogirl is a great platformer through-and-through with no real weak points. As such we give the game a great level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #OhsatGames #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Platformer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monstrous Cries In The Jaws of Adventure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed and published by Odencat and public relations by PR Hound, Meg's Monster is a fantastic JRPG, with an extremely unique premise and gameplay mechanics that heavily piqued our interest in the game, but did the game's uniqueness translate into it being an instant classic? We think so, and here's why:



Meg's Monster is something of an enigma, on one hand it's a very traditional turn-based JRPG, but on the other it feels like if Mario & Luigi RPG and One Punch Man were put in a blender and fused together. The battles are where this comes into full-effect as your Monster is able to basically one-hit everything, but the real battle is preventing Meg, the child who's protected by the Monster, from crying. If she cries it's an instant game over so it adds a massive layer of strategy to otherwise EXTREMELY easy battles.

The game itself is quite short clocking in at 8-15 hours in-length, but we thoroughly enjoyed every last second of our playthrough. Meg's Monster is also quite difficult in-regards to the crying mechanic we previously mentioned so expect quite a few game overs in your playthrough of the game. The controls are pretty straightforward and work well, which is pretty much a given for a turn-based RPG, but still much appreciated.



The visuals in Meg's Monster are vibrant, detailed, and utterly gorgeous with unique characters and enemies, gorgeous locales, and stylish special effects that look amazing. As for the audio side of things, the game has a very catchy soundtrack, and everything else is quite enjoyable as well, albeit not being as noteworthy as the tunes.



Bottom-Line: With unique and exceptionally enjoyable gameplay, flawless controls, and a fantastic audiovisual presentation,Meg's Monster will draw players in with its quirkiness and charm, and though the game is quite short most players will love every minute of the game! As such we give Meg's Monster for the Nintendo Switch a great level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #OdenCat #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #JRPG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gotta Play 'Em All!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has just announced that Pokemon Stadium for the Nintendo 64 will be releasing next week on April 12 on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service! The game originally released in 2000 and has all Pokemon from Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow. There are some minigames and hidden modes to unlock as well.



Pokemon Stadium 2 will also be releasing later this year, so keep an eye out for the announcement. What do you think of this upcoming addition to the NSO + Expansion Pack service? As always, be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NSO #ExpansionPack #Switch #eShop #Retro #N64 #Fighting #Pokemon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Lootboxes Ever?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Conradical Games, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Lootbox Lyfe+ for the Nintendo Switch is a precision platformer that hits a lot of good notes, but falls short of true greatness. That said we thoroughly enjoyed the game, so continue reading our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Lootbox Lyfe+ is straightforward precision platforming with heavy emphasis on the platforming aspect of the game rather than the enemies. The platforming can be quite tight at times and can test your skills, especially later on in the game, but plentiful skills can be found to help you out and make traversing the maps easier which is definitely helpful to say the least. It's certainly fun, but could have been so much more if it had a bit more meat to it.

The difficulty of the game isn't on-par with the likes of Celeste or Hollow Knight, but it's still plenty challenging in its own right. As for the controls? They are intuitive and easy to learn which is extremely important in any precision platformer and is most definitely appreciated. The game is quite short, which is a bit of a letdown, clocking in at 3-10 hours in length depending on your skill-level.



As for the audiovisual presentation of the game, it looks and sounds great with authentic retro sound effects, catchy and fitting tunes, a great pixel art. The game looks and sounds like a refreshing blast from the past and hits all of the right notes on the audiovisual side of things!



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay, intuitive controls, and an excellent audiovisual-presentation, Lootbox Lyfe+ for the Nintendo Switch is an enjoyable romp for sure, but the relative lack of content does hold the game back a bit. Regardless we enjoyed our time with the game and therefore we give Lootbox Lyfe + a good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★¼☆ 8.25/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #LootboxLyfePlus #ConradicalGames #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #MetroidVania #PrecisionPlatformer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost, But Now Found, Solid Attempt, Or "Lost" On The Masses?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by City Connection, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Ninja Jajamaru: The Lost RPG's are a duo of Famicom RPG's localized in the West for the first time and are definitely similar to earlier Dragon Quest games, but does this equate to a good duo of games? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay of both included games is decidedly old-school and feels like a throwback of the older Dragon Quest games in many ways. Both games are a tad on the shorter side clocking in at 20-30 hours each, but with the blessings, rewind feature, and cheats it's not too challenging to beat. What IS challenging, however is how abstract and convoluted the instructions on where to go next are and with literally no guides to help you out with the game, suddenly these 20-30 hour games can balloon into 60 hour games as is what happened to us during the reviewing process and is why our review took so long "apologies to PR Hound  for the wait".

Despite all of this though, the games are extremely enjoyable with fun mechanics and challenging battles "if you don't use blessings, cheats, or abuse the rewind feature anyway". There are some bonuses in the menu as well, such as shaders, and ample screen options, a gallery, and more which is what we've come to expect from the masterminds at City Connection and ININ Games! The controls are straightforward and easy to learn as expected since the games were originally released on the Famicom exclusively in Japan.



The audiovisual presentation is kind of mixed, the first RPG in this collection was a somewhat earlier Famicom title, so it obviously doesn't match some of the late-life RPG's that the console got in-terms of the graphics as it looks similar to Dragon Quest 1, but definitely not as polished visually. The audio in the first game in the collection is what you'd expect from a Famicom RPG in the 80's, very pitchy and loud, though the battle and boss BGM's were catchy a fun to listen to.

The second of the two RPG's in the collection looks really good for a Famicom game with vibrant visuals, interesting character and enemy designs, and some great special effects for that era. The soundtrack is also vastly improved over the first game, with not a single bad song in the entire game! Overall between both games this compilation has a good to great audiovisual presentation!



Bottom-Line: [With fun gameplay that can be confusing at times, flawless controls, and tons of options and content for both games in this collection, we had a favorable experience overall, while the catchy soundtrack "in both games" and amazing visuals in the second game we do recommend this to fans of the genre! Overall we give Ninja Jajamaru: The Lost RPG's for the Nintendo Switch a solid level of recommendation!

https://www.iningames.com/games/ninja-jajamaru

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #CityConnection #ININGames #PRHound #JRPG #NinjaJajamaru #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ship Will Capsize In Ten Days!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



In case you all forgot the Nintendo eShops on both the 3DS and Wii U will be shutting down in less than 10 days. Obviously you can't add funds via redemption cards anymore, but your funds added to your Nintendo Switch can still be used on the 3DS and Wii U eShops to make purchases through March 27th of 2023. Also keep in mind that free DLC will also be unavailable after March 27th including the assets packs for Xenoblade Chronicles X that make the physical version of the game run smoothly and drastically reduces loading times for the game so be sure to snatch those up before the deadline if you ever plan to get the game physically!

What do you think of the imminent shutdown of the services on 3DS & Wii U? What last minute purchases do you plan to get before the shutdown? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #Countdown #3DS #WiiU #eShop #Online #Service #Store

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We Must Be In Dreamland!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has just shadow dropped four new games on NSO out of nowhere and some of the games are quite good! The four games added were as follows:

NES

SNES

Gameboy/Gameboy Color

The variety of games is pretty good for sure, and a"side" from perhaps the extremely niche Side Pocket are games that most players might at least put some time into. In any case, what do you think of the latest Nintendo Switch Online update? Also what games are you hoping will be added next? As always be sure to leave us your comments in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NSO #Switch #eShop #Retro #Update #GB #GBC #NES #SNES

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mario Day Eve Eve  Then?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo's Asian social media accounts have outed the exact release time for Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass and its likely a bit earlier than most of you were expecting! According to the post the DLC will be releasing at 10:00AM on March 9th in Japan, which would put the DLC's release at 5:00PM PST / 8:00PM EST on March 8th in the US! What do you think of the timing of the release for Wave 4? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

Source: Go Nintendo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #MK8D #BCP #NSO #Switch #DLC #eShop #Racing #MarioKart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dread The Fusion!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has officially announced that Metroid Fusion for the Gameboy Advance will be added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack this week! The update should drop at around 5:00PM PST / 8:00PM EST on Thursday! Are you happy with this game being the first GBA title being added to the service post-launch and what games are you hoping will be added next? As always be sure to leave us a comment below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NSO #ExpansionPack #Switch #eShop #Metroid #MetroidVania #MetroidFusion #GBA #Retro

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clever & Wholesome Fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Dinosaur Bytes Games and published by Numskull Games Clive & Wrench is a 3D platformer crafted by a one-man team 10 years in the making, but was the wait worth it? We think so, but you'll need to continue reading the remainder of our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Clive & Wrench is quite solid, if not a bit floaty in-terms of its physics which actually helped us on many occasions so it's not something we saw in a particularly bad light. The characters have some great moves that will feel familiar to those who grew up in the 90's and played 3D platformers of that era such as Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Donkey Kong 64. The game's level design is great with exceptionally creative layouts and world themes as well as some puzzles thrown in to spice things up and the enemy variety and unique bosses were amazing, and all required some strategy to defeat which was a fun challenge for sure.

The game was decent in length with well over a dozen worlds and clocking in at around 20 hours to beat and 35 hours to complete, it has more than enough content to warrant its $29.99 price. Meanwhile the controls were pretty good, certainly not perfect, but definitely serviceable. The only issues we had were a lot of technical ones in the form of bugs. None impeded our progress, but did hamper our enjoyment a bit, dropping a point or two off our score for the game. Things like falling through a specific platform or hitting a specific enemy and getting hurt yourself. These issues don't happen everytime and aren't too common, but all seem to be related to issues with the game's collision detection.

The overall enjoyment we had far outshone the issues we experienced on the gameplay front.



The visual-presentation in the game is exceptional with gorgeous worlds brought to life with an absolutely insane amount of detail, AAA quality special effects, and varied enemy, boss, and character designs that all stand out as unique and charming! As for the audio side of things? The soundtrack is really catchy and fits the game's mood like a glove, and the sound effects are well-done and don't get grating at any point. Overall the audiovisual-presentation was exceptional!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay that is somewhat hindered by some minor technical issues, a decent amount of content, an exceptional audiovisual-presentation, and serviceable controls, Clive & Wrench is a good game that has a lot going in its favor, but some technical issues hold it back just enough to deny the game a 9/10 or 10/10, but regardless the game as still fun and well worth its price and as such we give Clive & Wrench for the PS4 and Switch a good level of recommendation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #NumskullGames #DinosaurBytesGames #3DPlatformer #Switch #PS4 #Retail #eShop #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrating Mar10!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has just announced the release date of Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BCP and it's likely MUCH sooner than you'd expect! The DLC will be officially releasing on Mar10 Day in Japan, which is March 9th in the West, well unless you live down under or are a Kiwi, but we digress. The official tracks are as follows:

That's it folks! The only thing to note is that if the previous track list leak is to be believed then Mario Circuit is the final DS track coming in the BCP which as fun as it looks, is a bit of a disappointing note to end on since Shroom Ridge and Waluigi Pinball already released in earlier waves and are arguably MUCH better DS tracks, but other than this the next wave is looking it'll be a fun one to ride!

Anyways what do you you think of the courses in Wave 4 of the BCP? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #MK8D #BCP #DLC #Switch #Retail #eShop #NSO #Racing #MarioKart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Waves of Wonder & Adventure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Bliss Brain, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Wonderboy Anniversary Collection is the definitive collection of Wonderboy titles currently available on any platform. Despite missing several of the best versions in the series such as Dynastic Hero on the Turbographx CD, it's well worth its price and here's why:



This "Wonder"ful collection of Wonderboy games comes complete with several different versions of each of the six included games, ranging from Sega Master System, to Genesis, to Game Gear releases, to Japanese exclusive versions, each emulated perfectly with tons of goodies such as artwork, manuals, and much more. The games all run as they should with no apparent bugs or frame-rate dips that weren't present in their original releases which of course is always a huge selling point for any worthwhile retro games compilation!

Filter, shading, and rewind features are also included to increase the immersion and ability to up your skills as we'd expect from any collection published by ININ games!



The collection has a fantastic and fluid UI that feels so good to navigate and the games themselves look great even on a modern TV. The controls for the games are great and work well with the Switch Pro Controller as well as the Joycon control scheme. As for the individual games? We'll be delving into some of them in an exclusive feature sometime during the first half of 2023 listing our top 10 retro Wonderboy games and versions!



The adiovisual-presentation in this collection is top-notch, with fluid animations and few if any performance issues and flawless recreation of the retro games. You can tell a lot of love went into making these games look and feel just as they did on their original hardware, and the developer succeeded spectacularly in every regard!



Bottom-Line: With excellent gameplay, amazing UI and bonus content in the form of artwork and more, many versions of the included games, a rewind feature to improve your skills, and flawless emulation and audiovisual-presentation, the Wonderboy Anniversary Collection is a timeless collection that we highly recommend any and all Switch owners to check-out! We give this collection a perfect level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #Wonderboy #Compilation #PRHound #ININ #BlissBrain #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KA-POW!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Ninja Rabbit Studio, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Panda Punch is a fun if not uninspiring platformer for the Nintendo Switch that caught our eyes with its interesting Red Panda protagonist. Is the game worthy of checking out? We think so, but you'll need to read the rest of our review to find out why!



The gameplay in Punda Punch is pretty good, with fun platforming and basic Metroidvania elements such as collectible power-ups to progress to previously inaccessible areas and find some cleverly hidden secrets. There isn't much variety of enemies and the gameplay formula stays WAY too safe which means there isn't a lot of uniqueness which holds the game back quite a bit.

The game is also fairly short at around 5 hours in length and the difficulty is also a bit unbalanced ranging from easy to super challenging at times, which again holds the game back a bit. On the upside the controls are easy to learn and feel quite nice in-terms of the button mapping.



As for the audiovisual-presentation the game is great! The characters, enemies, and backgrounds are cheery, vibrant, and highly detailed and the game's UI looks exceptional as well! The soundtrack sounds great and really sets the mood for the game's amazing presentation! Overall the audiovisual-presentation is by far the game's strongest point and definitely earns the game an additional point or two to its score.



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay marred by unoriginality, great controls, and a superb audiovisual-presentation, Panda Punch is certainly worth checking out at its price, but fails to live up to its potential. Overall we give Panda Punch for the Nintendo Switch a decent level of recommendation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #NinjaRabbitStudio #RatalaikaGames #PRHound #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Metroidvania #Platformer #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forging Solid Bonds!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by EXE-CREATE and published by KEMCO, Sword of Elpisia is solid JRPG with an incredibly unique story even compared to other KEMCO titles we've reviewed. Does this game live up to its predecessors? We think so, but you'll need to read the rest of the review to find out why!



Sword of Elpisia tells a gripping story of a girl who loses everything to protect the people she cares about and her quest to regain what she's lost. As far as KEMCO games go, Sword of Elpesia's story is one of the better ones with some heavy-hitting moments that will make you feel for the characters on a level few other KEMCO games accomplish. That said the gameplay in SoE takes a huge step back from recent KEMCO titles with much more simplistic mechanics that feel quite dated and lackluster at times, but despite this there's nothing inherently wrong with it and the game is still fun if you don't mind extremely old-school gameplay.

The game has a few minor nuances such as skills being tied to your weapons for a bit of customization for your characters and the game has some decent side content such as optional recruitable animal familiars, an optional dungeon that can be unlocked in the premium shop with a small amount of premium points that can be obtained in-game, as well as post-game content, including an extra story scenario, bonus dungeon, and a battle arena to name a few of the post-game goodies.



The game is actually pretty difficult at the higher difficulty settings so expect a challenge if you try to tackle the game on hard difficulty. The controls in the game are intuitive and easy to learn which is always nice. Now something that isn't so nice is the frequent minor frame-rate drops in the Switch version of the game, which while not a major issue did hamper our enjoyment of the game slightly at times.

As for the audiovisual-presentation, SoE is a HUGE step-up from the previous KEMCO games we've previously reviewed, visually speaking. It's not going to blow players minds or anything like that, but in-general is detailed and is quite pleasing to look at. And lastly the music fits the game's atmosphere quite well and is a bit more varied than in previous KEMCO titles, but is definitely one of the game's weak points. Still we'd say the soundtrack is still pretty good!



Bottom-Line: With solid gameplay, a fantastic story, intuitive controls, and excellent retro visuals, Sword of Elpisia is a good JRPG that most fans of the genre will likely enjoy, however some performance issues do hold the game back a bit. Overall, however we believe the game is still well worth its price and therefore we give the game a good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #KEMCO #EXECREATE #JRPG #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PS5 #PSN #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

English Not Included...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Bandai Namco has given some new details regarding the remasters of Baten Kaitos I & II, including 30 FPS frame-rate, 2K resolution, no cut content for the Western release this time, and 30 save slots for each of the two games. That's not all, however...as they also confirmed that the English voice acting has been omitted from the collection as Japanese is the only language listed for the spoken dialog. What do you think about the omission of English voice acting in this otherwise fantastic collection? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

Source: Nintendo Everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News: #Localization #Changes #Japanese #Nintendo #Monolithsoft #BandaiNamco #Switch #eShop #Remaster #JRPG #Collection #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Passing The Bat...en To A New Generation of Gamers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo Announced a Remaster collection of both Baten Kaitos games releasing on Switch this Summer. Even though the series never had the same following or success as Xenoblade Chronicles has, it was wonderful for what it brought to the table, especially its card-based battle system, similar to that of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories which released on the Gameboy Advance. What do you think of this upcoming remastered collection of Gamecube JRPG's from Monolithsoft? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NintendoDirect #Monolithsoft #Nintendo #BandaiNamco #Switch #eShop #Gamecube #Remaster #Collection #JRPG #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three Cheers For The Return of The Bird...O?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo gave viewers a preview of Wave 4 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass today during their Nintendo Direct broadcast and showcased a new Yoshi's Island themed track which appears to have multiple environments including a beach, underwater section, a forested area, a mountain climb, and a sky section. Another BIG reveal was the return of Birdo who will be added to the game complete with various color choices just like Yoshi and Shyguy possess in the game. The DLC still has no concrete release date, but is still confirmed for release later this Spring.

What do you think of the new Nitro course and returning character releasing in Wave 4? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NintendoDirect #MK8D #BCP #Wave4 #Switch #eShop #NSO #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now You're Playing With Power!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



In a surprise announcement Nintendo has released Gameboy/Gameboy Advance games on the NSO service. The Gameboy games appear to have the GBC enhancements as well as color filters and are available to all NSO subscribers, whereas the Gameboy Advance games are exclusive to NSO + Expansion subscribers.

Here's the full list of currently available Gameboy games on NSO:

Here's the list of currently confirmed upcoming Gameboy games for the service:

And here's the currently available lineup of Gameboy Advance games on the NSO + Expansion service:

And lastly here are the currently announced upcoming Gameboy Advance games coming to the NSO + Expansion service:

These games also include local and online multiplayer unlike their Wii U & 3DS Virtual Console counterparts "GB 2-Players" & "GBA 4-Players max depending on software". What do you think about this surprise announcement and release of these two NSO retro consoles? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NintendoDirect #NSO #Switch #eShop #Gameboy #GameboyColor #GameboyAdvance #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Round 2 At Last!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Round 2 of our Game of The Year poll for 2022 begins today! The top 2 games in each bracket will move on to the semi-finals! Be sure to vote for your favorite games and let the community know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Poll #GoTY #WiiWareWave #Activity #Switch #PS4 #PS5 #eShop #PSN #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splishing The Airwaves Tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has officially announce a Nintendo Direct broadcast for tomorrow February 8th at 5:00 PM EST / 2:00 PM PST and it will be focused mainly on Nintendo Switch releases launching during the first half of 2023. What do you hope will be announced during tomorrow's Nintendo Direct broadcast? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NintendoDirect #Nintendo #Switch #eShop #Gaming #Broadcast

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glowstick Smudging!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Regista Co has announced that their horror game Oshiiro which has players exercise ghosts with concert glowsticks in near pitch-darkness will be releasing on Nintendo Switch on February 2nd. Oshiiro will be priced at $10.99, but there will be an introductory price of $7.99 at launch.

What do you think of this upcoming title and will you be purchasing the game? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #Announcement #RegistaCo #Oshiiro #Horror #Switch #eShop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Intrepid Fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Senile Team Studio, published by Ratalaika Games, and public relations by PR Hound, Intrepid Izzy is an interesting Metroidvania title that plays it safe by sticking to a very tried and true formula for the genre. Does this mean the game feels too stale? We didn't think so, and here's why we believe Intrepid Izzy is a solid and worthwhile game to add to your Switch games library:



The gameplay formula is quite straightforward, you must explore, obtain power-up's, face bosses, all the stuff you expect from a Metroidvania with great level and enemy designs, minecart sections, and in-general fantastic game design at its core. The game is good for what it is, however there is a crux to all of this, as the game doesn't add or do anything special to separate itself from the tens of thousands of other Metroidvanias out there which is a shame since the gameplay is otherwise flawless.

The game itself is fairly short and can be beaten in 2-4 hours which was a bit of a letdown, but the controls were intuitive and felt great in action. The game is also REALLY easy and while enjoyable rarely provided much of a challenge which definitely hurts its overall score.



The audiovisual-presentation in Intrepid Izzy is great with gorgeous characters, backgrounds, and enemies, great special effects, and music that fits the game perfectly! Overall Intrepid Izzy's audiovisual-presentation is one of the game's strongest points!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, flawless controls, and superb audiovisual-presentation, Intrepid Izzy is a great game at its core, however its short length, and lack of uniqueness and challenge hold this game back by quite a bit. Overall, however we give Intrepid Izzy a solid level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #IntrepidIzzy #PRHound #SenileTeamStudio #RatalaikaGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chains of Entertainment!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Matthias Linda, published by DECK13 Spotlight, and public relations by PR Hound, Chained Echoes is a love letter to JRPG's of yesteryear and not only lives up to the games it was inspired by, but in some ways actually surpasses them! Why do we hold this game in such high regard? Continue reading our review to find out why!



The story in Chained Echoes is pretty dark with plenty of humor splashed throughout, it's a tale of horrific mistakes, atonement, religion, and stopping atrocities such as human experimentation, and weapons of mass destruction, just to name a few, and it's mostly done with clear story arcs as to tell each part of the story in clear detail which is something many AAA studios have forgotten how to do. Now we normally talk about characters, but they are such an amazing ensemble crew that we'd be writing a full-on novel if we delved into them, which we know you guys and gals prefer us to stick to the point and not ramble, so that as they say is that.

The game has a really unique skill system which adds a skill point for every boss you beat with the characters in your group at the time, some grant you skills, others passive abilities, while others grant a small stat boost. Then there's hero statues that can grant new classes in exchange for the relatively rare item, Holy Water. These classes can boost stats, effect certain stats growth when learning new skills "sometimes stats will increase when you learn skills, and your class can effect which skills are boosted permanently and by how much", and grant a couple of class exclusive skills and passive skills which can be extremely helpful in a pinch!





Another huge part of the game later on are the mechas that you'll obtain. There's actually quite a few customization options including frames, short and long-range weapons, and a plethora of paint design options for your frames, you can buy most parts, but some of the best require other things such as defeating super bosses, or expanding your adventurer clan. This is where some of the inspiration for certain aspects of game become clearer. The clan that you can build-up by recruiting members and hunting named monsters around the world is clearly heavily inspired by the adventurer clans in Final Fantasy XII, but this game does so much more with the system allowing you to be the clan leader of your very own adventurers clan and build it up from scratch. There's a ton more to the clan system than we've mentioned, but we don't want to spoil too much about this mid-late game mechanic.

The clan system isn't the only homage to FF XII in Chained Echoes, as two of the in-game demi-human races are clearly inspired by the Bangaa and Seeq races in that game. But none of these homages feel disrespectful or are blatant rip-offs as the developer does an amazing job at making them unique in the developer's own way which is something that only truly talented developers could accomplish!




As for the controls, they are pretty self explanatory and work flawlessly. As for the length of the game, that's actually pretty tricky to estimate, but if you try to power through the main story skipping all side content, the game is around 35-40 hours in length, however if you do all of the side content as well we'd estimate a play-time of around 80-100 hours which is absolutely mind-boggling considering the game's developer is a one-man team!

The graphics in the game are 2-D, but are definitely 32-bit inspired rather than 16-bits and boy does the game look gorgeous, it looks better than most AAA releases did during the 32-bit era and what's more, the game doesn't even experience the slightest bit of slowdown or frame-rate drops. It's clear that the developer made sure that even the Nintendo Switch version of the game was perfectly optimized for the console! The music is exceptional as well with some real bangers, and all of the music fits the game like a glove!



Bottom-Line: With an amazing story, superb gameplay, flawless controls, and a ton of content, Chained Echoes will draw players in from the start, and the gorgeous visuals and top-notch soundtrack will make them feel like they are being drawn into the game's immersive world. Overall we give Chained Echoes for the Nintendo Switch, not only a perfect level of recommendation, but also our choice for January 2023's Game of The Month!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #ChainedEchoes #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #JRPG #DECK13 #MatthiasLinda #PRHound

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pixel Extravaganza!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Square Enix has finally announced Switch and PS4 ports for their Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster titles and they are releasing in a physical collection in both a Standard Edition ($74.99 / £64.99) and Collector's Edition ($259.99 / £244.99). Below is what comes with Collector's Edition of the game.



Both versions of the physical release will be exclusive to the Square Enix Store. The Standard Edition is already sold out as of the time this article was written. We'll let you know if or when it's back in-stock! The games will also be made available digitally together or individually on both the eShop and PSN.

As always be sure to let us know your thoughts in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #SquareEnix #FinalFantasy #Retail #eShop #PSN #PS4 #Switch #JRPG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ninjatastic Jutsu Ninpo'ing Its Way To Greatness!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Tanuki Creative Studios, published by ININ games, and public relations by PR Hound, Jitsu Squad is a fast-paced and action-packed beat em' up with a lot going for it in-terms of gameplay features and potential! Does the game live up to this potential? Continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay in Jitsu Squad is highly refined and has all of the best aspects needed for a top-notch beat 'em up. The characters are unique and each have plenty of zany and over-the-top attacks that will leave their enemies black and blue in the most outlandish cartoony ways possible! Support characters such as Yooka And Laylee can jump in occasionally to lend a hand by wiping the floor with massive groups of enemies.

The controls are simple yet challenging to master and in-terms of content the game is a bit lacking as it can be beaten in 2-3 hours and there's not a lot to keep you coming back for more too often outside of multiplayer with buddies.



The audio-visual presentation of Jitsu Squad is where the game truly shines with amazing special effects, gorgeous backgrounds and highly detailed worlds with zany characters and enemies that breathe life into this absolutely beautiful game and a soundtrack that will knock your socks off! Overall the game is nearly flawless in the audio-visual department, however some minor frame-rate issues do drop the game's overall score. It's nothing major, but is certainly noticeable.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, good controls and a nearly perfect audio-visual presentation, Jitsu Squad for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic beat 'em up for sure, but minor frame-rate issues and a relatively limited amount of content do hold the game back a bit. Overall, however we do give Jitsu Squad a good to great level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★¾☆ 8.75/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #PRHound #ININ #TanukiCreativeStudios #JitsuSquad #BeatEmUp #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Action #Scrolling

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get READY TO Ruuuuuuuuuumble!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It's December and that can only mean one thing here at WiiWareWave! That's right! It's time for our yearly Game of The Year poll! Which games are competing this week in Bracket B? An All-Star line-up for sure. There is a wild card this year in which Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is eligible due to the Booster Course Pass. Have fun in the comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Poll #GoTY #Switch #PS4 #eShop #PSN #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get READY TO Ruuuuuuuuuumble!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It's December and that can only mean one thing here at WiiWareWave! That's right! It's time for our yearly Game of The Year poll! Which games are competing this week in Bracket A? An All-Star line-up for sure. There is a wild card this year in which Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is eligible due to the Booster Course Pass. Have fun in the comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Poll #GoTY #Switch #PS4 #eShop #PSN #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Echo of A Splash!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



PR Hound has announced that the highly anticipated JRPG, Chained Echoes will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch on December 8th! The game is by Deck13 the same team that brought us CrossCode and Lunastice so you know the game will be top-notch!

As always be sure to leave us a comment in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #PRHound #Deck13 #Switch #eShop #Retail #JRPG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bring Your Taijitsu On!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



We could never have enough of fast-paced beat’em up action, but this is a special one: Jitsu Squad, developed by Tanuki Creative Studio, is a classic beat ‘em up inspired, four player co-op TAG TEAM with epic character transformations and fast paced, down and dirty combat.

Paired with an awesome hand-drawn cartoon look and 2D animations, the game stays true to the age-old retro arcade gaming rule: easy to learn, hard to master. Be the first one to control the entire Jitsu Squad in single-player mode, play with up to four people in local couch co-op, or use the Tag Team Mode to save the galaxy from Origami’s evil plans! But be aware, there will be tons of unique enemies to slay and eight different planets to save.

Also take a look into Gamesrocket’s Collector's Edition and grab a Japanese-style hand fan as well, the situation will be hot!





Get ready to channel your inner animal, Jitsu Squad is coming to the Nintendo Switch on the 9th December!

As always be sure to let us know your thoughts in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #JitsuSquad #PRHound #ININGames #TanukiCreativeStudio #Switch #eShop #Retail

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boosting Towards Mid-Race!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has officially announced Wave 3 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BCP and it's a REALLY good wave featuring London Loop, Berlin Byways, and Merry Mountain from Tour, Rock Rock Mountain and Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 7, Boo Lake from Super Circuit which is the first course in the BCP to utilize the underwater racing mechanic. And the last two courses are Peach Gardens from DS and Maple Treeway from Wii!



The DLC is scheduled to drop on December 7th globally. What do you think of the courses included in Wave 3? Also what are your hopes for future waves of the DLC? As always be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#DLC #MK8D #BCP #Switch #eShop #Retail #Nintendo #Mario #MarioKart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trails From Tio-Tot!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Nihon Falcom Games and published in the West by NIS America, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is the first game in the long-awaited and previously skipped story arc in the series "at least outside of Japan" starring Lloyd Bannings, Elie MacDowel, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato formally known as the Special Support Section A.K.A. the SSS. Their job is to restore the Crossbell PD's broken reputation and help civilians in need, but things aren't always so simple. There's a HUGE reason why the Crossbell games are so well-loved and are necessary to understand the series' overarching story in both Cold Steel III & IV as well as in Reverie, and Kuro I & II. Singularly Crossbell's storyline might be the most important one to the series' story as whole. While we obviously can't spoil major story content, we can at least give context as to why. As always continue reading our review to find out why and we hope you enjoy it!



The story in Trails from Zero is absolutely amazing, taking the storytelling of the Sky games and upping the bar several fold. It's an extremely important chapter for giving context in future installments of the series as well such as Trails of Cold Steel III & IV and it is recommended you play this and Azure first if you haven't played anything past Trails of Cold Steel II yet. The gameplay is quite interesting a differs quite a bit from the Cold Steel arc, but is also a bit different from the formula seen in the Sky arc as well.

The battles are also much improved over the Sky Trilogy's, but uses the same engine with grid based movement. There are a bunch of new nuances, but the UI and targeting are far better in Zero. It's really just a ton of small changes that culminate into a much better experience overall. The game even features a trophy system that pops a notification when you earn a trophy and is a nice touch for sure, something we'd like to see used more often in Switch games. The game also features a speed mode to increase gameplay speed from 2-8x normal speed which is a HUGE time-saver for sure, especially when the game itself clocks in at around 100 hours in length give or take 40 hours depending on your pacing.



The audiovisual presentation is really good in this remaster with sharp high quality HD textures, character models, and enemies, gorgeous special effects with equally good lighting and shadowing effects. It is honestly hard to imagine at its core it ever was a PSP title. And the music is exceptional as well with loads of bangers that fit the game like a glove! Overall the game's presentation is a HUGE step-up from the Sky games and looks gorgeous in this remaster!



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay and a ton of content, an amazing story, and a masterpiece of an audiovisual presentation, The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero is a nearly flawless game from start to finish, and just barely fails to reach the heights of the Cold Steel games "with the exception of Trails of Cold Steel I which we gave a 7/10 for being a SUPER slow burner in-terms of how quickly or lack thereof the story pacing was in the game". Overall we give this game a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #NihonFalcom #NISA #Kiseki #Trails #JRPG #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #SpecialSupportSection #Geofront

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Absolute Hero or Absolute Zero?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Curious Fate Games and published by Akupara Games, Absolute Tactics is a refreshingly enjoyable take on the Strategy RPG genre that doesn't innovate, but does it stand tall by its quality? We think so continue reading the rest of our review to find out why:



The story in Absolute Tactics is dark and edgy, but quite well-told with a definite gothic fantasy setting. The story has some pretty solid voice acting for an indie title in the genre and the pacing is well-done. The gameplay is fairly straightforward, but well-designed with enough mechanics to make the game engaging, but not so many to turn-off casual players or those new to the genre.

The game is fairly average in length for a game in the genre sitting at around 20 hours in length, and the controls are very responsive which is always a good thing when playing a SRPG.



Visually Absolute Tactics is a real treat with a vibrant yet sadistically dark and detailed gothic inspired world with gorgeous character designs and remarkably detailed stages the game looks on-par if not slightly better visually than the disgaea series. The soundtrack is also quite good and the game's voice acting while sporadic is a real treat to hear. Overall the audio-visual presentation is a real strong point of the game!



Bottom-Line: With a good story, great gameplay, and an excellent audiovisual presentation, Absolute Tactics will draw you in while it's interesting cast of characters and intuitive controls will keep you hooked! Overall we give Absolute Tactics for the Nintendo Switch a good to great level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #AbsoluteTactics #CuriousFateGames #AcuparaGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #SRPG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Princess Is Hangin' In Another Castle!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by AweKteaM, published by Hypetrain Digital, and public relations by Vicarious PR, Tower Princess is a roguelike 3D platformer with sadistically challenging soulslike gameplay that is sure to challenge even the most stalwart video game champions and do so in a way that's possible for average gamers to learn its difficulty curve! Does this equate to an enjoyable experience? We think so and here's why:



The story is pretty straightforward in Tower Princess, save a princess from a deadly tower and become her suitor, pretty much just flavor text for a HUGE portion of the game, but it gives you a reason for venturing into the dangerous towers filled with enemies and traps. The gameplay is where the real meat of the game lies with expansive roguelike towers filled with danger and adventure as well as upgrades and power-up's for your randomly generated protagonists that will help you further progress in the game's very light, but at times can be quite engaging the two or three times the game gets story-heavy for a moment.

The platforming can require extreme precision at times and there are many deviously difficult puzzles that can spawn during a run that can challenge even the most observant of players. Bosses also require a lot of strategy so don't expect to survive if you try to mindlessly hack away at a boss in this game.



The levels are brilliantly generated with tons of possible layouts with no issues as far as things such as poorly generated terrain so you don't have to worry about getting stuck due to bad RNG. The difficulty is SUPER challenging and can feel  impassable at times, but with enough grinding and practice most gamers should be able to beat the game eventually.

The controls are easy to learn and very responsive and the length of Tower Princess' story is roughly around 30 hours in length give or take depending on your skill level.



The audiovisual presentation of Tower Princess is solid with good 3D levels that have some good details, decent character and enemy designs, and great shadowing and lighting effects such as torchlight, and solar blooming in outdoor sections that look really quite nice! And lastly the extremely limited voice acting is in the forgettable territory, but not bad and the soundtrack while not the most fitting for the game is still largely enjoyable.



Bottom-Line:With great gameplay, a solid audiovisual presentation, and responsive and easy to learn controls, Tower Princess is a great 3D platformer that is sure to keep players coming back for more, but lack of story might be a bit disappointing for some as what is present is really enjoyable. Overall we give Tower Princess for Nintendo Switch a good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #TowerPrincess #AweKteaM #HypetrainDigital #Switch #eShop #Indie #Nindie #3DPlatformer #Roguelike

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splashing Onto The Scene!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It has been a longtime coming, February if memory serves us "looks at calendar" yes, February and Nintendo has finally announced their September Nintendo Direct and it is a whopper at 40 minutes in length focusing on games releasing by the end of Winter! The broadcast is set to broadcast tomorrow/today depending on your timezone at 7:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM EDT / 2:00 PM GMT / 3:00 PM BST! Rumors circulating include Zelda BoTW 2, F-Zero, a new 2D Mario game, and the possible addition of Gamecube and or GB/GBC consoles added to the NSO service. What are your thoughts or hopes for the Direct? Be sure to let us know in our comments section below!

Source: Nintendo Life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #NintendoDirect #Switch #eShop #Showcase #Nintendo #Gaming

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Puzzlery!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Vine and Yacht Club Games and published by Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon is a unique blend of roguelike, puzzler, RPG, and a bit of adventure gameplay elements that meld together into a highly compelling and ultra enjoyable package and to be honest is every bit as good as the original Shovel Knight title. Continue reading our review to find out why:



As previously stated, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon's gameplay is a mixture of many different genres blended together in perfect harmony. The roguelike elements add an unpredictable, but fair level of randomness to the puzzler aspect of the game, while the RPG and adventure genre elements allow for a compelling and enjoyable story and feeling of progression for your characters as the gain new skills and abilities from the shop. There are loads of characters in the game to be unlocked, each with their own weapons, skills, and unique gameplay mechanics which adds a lot of replayability to the game.

You can also unlock 10 skins per character and many other things while grinding the game's endless content which is quite enjoyable for completionists. The game also features a Vs. Mode which is a great way to enjoy the game with a friend and had us hooked for hours! The story is relatively short on its own, clocking in at only a handful of hours, but the unlockable content, random nature of the game, and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for dozens or even hundreds of hours and you'll likely enjoy every single minute of it due to the insane amount of polish this game possesses!



As for the game's difficulty? It's fair, but has a steep learning curve to master and can take quite a few hours to fully grasp how everything works, but the journey of mastering this game is where a lot of the fun is derived from! The controls are very intuitive and respond very well which obviously is always a good thing!

As for Shovel Knght: Pocket Dungeon's audio-visual presentation, it's a true masterpiece! Great looking overworld? Check! Breathtaking character and enemy designs? Check! Gorgeous and streamlined user interface? Check! And the soundtrack is easily the best of any puzzler we've heard in years as well as arcade-style sound effects that are absolute ear-candy!



Bottom-Line: With unique and amazing gameplay, excellent controls, and gorgeous visuals, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon will have players hooked right from the start, while the endless replay-value and best soundtrack in the puzzler genre in years will keep players coming back time and time again! We give Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon for the Nintendo Switch a perfect-level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #ShovelKnight #YachtClubGames #VineGames #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Puzzler #Roguelike #RPG #Adventure

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cannon-Bombing The 7-Seas of Fun!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed and published by 7 Raven Studios Dyna Bomb 2 is the sequel to the relatively old Switch action-platformer Dyna Bomb which was a solid game with a lot of unrealized potential. Does this sequel fully live up to its predecessor's potential? No, but it's still a much better realization of the potential we saw in the original Dyna Bomb and here's why:



The gameplay in Dyna Bomb 2 is really addictive and quite fun when you get into the curve of the game's mechanics. You have a jetpack with limited fuel, limited ammo in the form of bombs, and must reach the end of a stage circumnavigating enemies and a number of extremely hazardous and devious environmental dangers as well as traps. There's much more to the game though as doing things such as killing all enemies and collecting all gems can earn you the ability to unlock character skins and loads of other bonuses in the in-game shop. This is the best addition to the series as you no longer have to rely on gacha mechanics to unlock bonuses.

Each world also has a challenging boss at the end that can oftentimes require a bit of strategy to beat and are really fun to fight. There are other intricacies such as hidden paths and other mechanics that make exploration more challenging, but oh so rewarding!



The game itself isn't super long, but should take most gamers at least a few sessions to beat, clocking in at around 10-14 hours in length, however unlocking everything and completing all levels 100% can take nearly double that amount of time! As for the difficulty, Dyna Bomb 2 starts off pretty easy, but gets more challenging by the second half of the game. The controls? Silky smooth and responsive as well as super easy to learn. And of course the biggest draw of Dyna Bomb 2 is the co-op multiplayer which is extremely fun, however things can get quite hectic if you and your friend start going bomb crazy firing bombs all over the place at the same time.

As for the audio-visual presentation? The graphics are colorful and cheery, the enemy and boss models are full of character and detail, the game's special effects and environmental effects such as snow and rain are a HUGE step-up from the original Dyna Bomb and look remarkable! The soundtrack is quite catchy and fits the mood of the game, but can get a bit repetitive at times.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay that is much improved from the game's predecessor, fun co-op multiplayer, flawless controls, and an amazing visual presentation, Dyna Bomb 2 is a vast improvement over the original in every conceivable way. Slightly short game length and a few music tracks that are a bit repetitive in an otherwise remarkable soundtrack do hold this game back just slightly, but overall we highly recomment adding this game to your Nintendo Switch library of games! We give Dyna Bomb 2 for the Nintendo Switch a good to great level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★½☆ 8.5/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #7RavenStudios #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Action #Platformer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Classic Masterpiece Roars Onto The Nintendo Switch!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America, Prinny Presents Volume 3 is a collection of two amazing strategy RPG's from NIS's back catalog of classic titles that really have withstood the test of time and are still excellent games today! How excellent you ask? Continue reading our review to find out!



The UI in the main menu of the collection is pretty basic, but sleek, however there's no bonus materials such as artwork or anything else of the sort whic is a tad disappointing, but no real biggie. The actual games are where the real draw lies, especially the never-before-released in the West PSP version of La-Pucelle Tactics, A.K.A La-Pucelle Ragnarok which has loads of bonus content including all DLC released in the PSP game and newly voiced lines from the original VA's from the English release of the PS2 version of the game "or at least VA's that pull off sounding exactly like the original VA's" either way the voice acting is pretty good and the new voiced lines add to the already enjoyable audio presentation. The controls are smooth and work well as expected while the isotopic 3-D camera works remarkably well compared to other games in the genre.

The gameplay plays almost exactly like Disgaea including an item world and geo panels which are called something else, but work similarly, with the caveat of being able to be purified. Purifying these panels actually plays a HUGE role in getting not only a good ending in a chapter, but also the good ending of the entire game. Which is important because failing to get the good will be terrible for the protagonists and the world while the worst ending makes the world of Disgaea look warm and fuzzy in comparison. You'll have to play the game if you want to know what happens in the bad endings, but it's bad in a good way! Overall La-Pucelle Ragnarok is a worthwhile game that fans of Disgaea fans and fans of tactical RPG's is general should thoroughly enjoy and as such receives a score of 9.5/10



The gameplay in Rhapsody A Musical Adventure is fun, with dungeon exploration, fun tactical battles, and a unique puppet mechanic that allows you to speak to and bring puppets to life. The main mechanic of the game is its musical scenes which are pretty well-done even if you play the game with the English voice overs.

The battles are more simplistic than La-Pucelle Ragnarok's was, but still is fun enough to keep most players engaged. The audio-visual presentation of Rhapsody A Musical Adventure is amazing, with great voice overs, top-notch retro visuals, and amazing music! Overall we give Rhapsody A Musical Adventure a good to great level of recommendation. The game receives a score of 8.5/10!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #JRPG #SRPG #LaPucelleRagnarok #RhapsodyAMA #Collection #NISAmerica

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splashing In The Puddles of Childlike Adventures!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Published by Joystick Ventures and developed by Happy Juice Games, Lost In Play is a fantastic and whimsical point and click style adventure that REALLY works well on Switch. Continue reading our review to find out why!



The gameplay in most point and click games on consoles are done quite wrong using cumbersome cursors that might work well on PC with a mouse, but this seldom translates well when using a controller. Luckily Happy Juice Games designed the game to work by moving your character with the analogue sticks which makes the game feel leagues better than most games in the genre that are ported to home consoles. The controls are responsive and work well in solving the game's many challenging puzzles and beating the handful of minigames as well.

The puzzles are extremely challenging at times and require players to not only problem solve, but also lookout for visual cues that are easy to miss if you aren't paying attention. That said it makes solving the puzzles a very rewarding experience! The only gripe we have is the game is extremely short, even though the puzzles were challenging we managed to be the game in two three hour long sessions, but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our playthrough.



As for the game's audio-visual presentation, the artwork and characters are absolutely gorgeous and feel as if they were ripped straight out of a child's storybook! The characters have an imaginative and whimsical feel too them and in-general will put a smile on your face as you try to solve the many puzzles in the game. The soundtrack is also cheery and fits the game to a tee.



Bottom-Line: With great gameplay, excellent controls, challenging puzzles, and a truly amazing audio-visual presentation, Lost In Play is a near perfect experience on the Nintendo Switch, the only downside is that the game is extremely short and can be beaten in roughly 5-8 hours. Overall we give the game a near-perfect level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★¾ 9.75/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #Switch #eShop #PointAndClick #Adventure #HappyJuiceGames #JoystickVentures

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gotta Gigantamax Em' All!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Article Originally Written By: @Unrealgamergirl



Pokemon sword/shield is full of adventure as you travel through the Galarian Region discovering the mythicals and Pokemon this area has to offer! Your adventures will include trainer battles, gym battles, new enemies, Gigantamax Pokemon and more! Your journey starts off like all the others meeting your newest professor and picking your starter Pokemon. The three wonderful pokemon you may choose from this time include: Scorbunny (Fire type) that some people say looks like a fire Trix Rabbit, Sobble (Water type) which seems to have varying moods, and then Grokey (Grass type) a cute little monkey that’s ready for adventure! Once you choose your Pokemon you head into the focus of the Galarian Region where you can explore the different areas containing all the different types of Pokemon from ice to steel, to dark, and more! Be careful though as some of these Pokemon are too high level for you to fight or capture first so pay attention to what you do!

Also a new feature you are introduced in this game is Gigantamax Raids, this is found in the town center also. If you choose you can ride your bike or walk up to one of the wishing wells that have red lights coming from them. Once you enter the well you began a Gigantamax battle, but not to worry your friends can help! A time counts down to where other trainers or friends can join you, if successful you get the chance to catch an oversized and overpowered version of the said Pokemon using a special Gigantamax version of the pokeball!



Story mode wise your journey is to pursue the different paths and areas to earn gym badges to become a Pokemon master and impress Chairman Rose so that you may enter the ultimate Pokemon tournament! Along your journey you may uncover some new mysterious Pokemon from this region so keep your eyes open and have plenty of pokeballs ready at all times! There is a twist to the story mode end, but that I will leave for you to unfold! Your overall goal is to capture the legendary for the game, these include: Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield) and then head into the tournament to prove your worth! The story mode is overall pretty fun, and depending on which version of the game is what will determine the path and Pokemon you will come across so choose wisely and make sure to work with friends to trade towards a full Pokedex!

The last feature of this game that we’d like to highlight is that Nintendo has also released DLC that will unlock two new regions onto your Galarian map! Again this will depend on what version you have, but either way this brings two new regions to life for you and lots of new local Pokemon! Along with new gyms to battle and badges to claim! This is exciting as these are the first ever Pokemon games to get DLC so make sure to take full advantage of these awesome add ons trainers!

One negative side to this game that trainers around found was that there was no regional Pokedex, but trainers around the world have come together to find ways to work around this! So keep your eyes posted and connections sharp!



Overall I’d give these games a great level of recommendation as the graphics are amazing, the story play is well thought out and fun, and overall this is a great addition the Pokemon collection I do feel!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #JRPG #Pokemon #TPC #GameFreak #Nintendo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Final Frontier...TWO!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by Granzella and published by NIS America, R-Type Final 2 is the latest game in the long-running R-Type series with updated gameplay mechanics and fresh new visuals. Is this new game as good as its predecessors? No, but it is a solid game in its own right and here's why:



The gameplay in R-Type Final 2 is fantastic even by sidescrolling Shoot em' up standards. There are plenty of game modes and options to give players quite a few ways to play the game. The game itself is more refined than its predecessors with additional upgrades, more responsive controlls, and more which makes the game feel fresh, and while the game has a decent amount of content, a huge chunk is also locked as paid dlc, which is rather unfortunate. The game also suffers from a bit of stuttering and several second loading times between deaths which is a bit jarring and lowers our overall score of the game by a bit.

As for the audio-visual presentation the game looks amazing with gorgeous level backgrounds, excellent ship and enemy models as well as great looking UI's and menus. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible and fits the mood of the game well as do the myriad of sound effects in the game!



Bottom-Line: With good gameplay, excellent controls, and a top-notch audio-visual presentation, R-Type Final 2 is an enjoyable romp through a new entry in a beloved series, however technical issues and long loading times hold this game back quite a bit. We still give R-Type Final 2 a solid level of recommendation despite its flaws!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #Switch #Retail #eShop #PS4 #PSN #Granzella #NISAmerica #SHMUP

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boosting Towards Next Week!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Nintendo has confirmed that wave 2 of their Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8: Deluxe will drop onto the Nintendo eShop globally next Thursday August 4th! There are a few surprises in the next wave including TWO courses that are not yet available on Mario Kart Tour including GBA: Snow Land, and the all-new course Sky High Sundae which even has a large anti-grav section. Sky High Sundae will be released soon afterwards on Tour, but will likely be edited as Tour does not possess the anti-grav feature.

You can see all of the included courses in the trailer above! As always be sure to leave us a comment in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #Switch #eShop #DLC #MK8D #BCP #Nintendo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Pixel's Life!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



PR agency, PR Hound has announced that super limited boxed sets for Super Life of Pixel for Nintendo Switch and PS4 will be made available via Strictly Limited Games' website! Here's what PR Hound announced:

PR Hound wrote:



Exploring Gaming History has never been this fun!

- Boxed Versions of this Indie-gem available for pre-order -


Stuttgart, Germany - November 19th, 2021 - Strictly Limited Games, together with Reset Games, are excited to give Super Life of Pixel a physical release, exclusively at the Strictly Limited Games Shop. Super Life of Pixel is a 2D puzzle-platformer that lets you enter a living, playable museum of video game history. A museum that spans across three decades and 19 historically inspired consoles, giving you a historic tour that is sure to put a smile on your face.


8bit level



In the words of Strictly Limited’s Co-founder, Dennis Mendel -

“As avid supporters of video game preservation ourselves, Super Life of Pixel is a perfect fit for our catalogue. Not only because of the game’s fantastic insights into gaming history, but also because it, like many other digital-only games, faces extinction in the long run. I bought its predecessor Life of Pixel on the PlayStation Mobile Store many years ago. Unfortunately, the store got shut down and after my PlayStation Vita memory card died, I realised there was no way to re-download the game again. It was simply lost. All the more reason for us to ensure that Super Life of Pixel will receive an immortal, physical legacy, like every other Strictly Limited release in our catalogue.”



Super Life of Pixel will be available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, as a Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders kicking off on Sunday, 21st of November at 12 AM CET (midnight), Only at Strictly Limited Games.


About the Game:

Join Pixel as he quests through gaming history, teleporting across the most iconic video game systems of generations past. Jump, dodge and play smart to survive all the traps, puzzles and enemies waiting at every turn and to unlock the next console on this historic gaming journey. Super Life of Pixel is like a museum on gaming history, but one full of sharp things, bad guys and free falls - in which you will die. A lot. Exploring gaming history has never been this fun!



16bit level



Whether you’re nostalgic for these classic consoles or it’s your first time experiencing them, now it’s your turn to make gaming history!



Featuring 19 historically inspired consoles from the 8 & 16-bit eras and over 110 levels to conquer with dozens of secrets and puzzles

Unlock various power ups, vehicles and equipment for a varied and challenging experience

Get console history lessons and listen to the awesome original chip-tune soundtrack

Classic gaming references & easter eggs await around every corner, can you spot them all?



32bit level




Strictly Limited Games pre-order:

The Limited Edition will be limited to 2,000 copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,000 for PlayStation 4, at a price of 29.99€, including a colourful game manual.


PS4 box artSwitch box art


The Special Limited Edition with lots of additional physical collectibles will be limited to 800 copies for Nintendo Switch and 400 for PlayStation 4, for 49.99€.


The Special Limited Edition will include the following items:


Game for Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 

Special Limited Edition box

Colourful game manual 

Papercraft Pixel (10cm x 10cm)

Original soundtrack on CD  

Large, 2-sided poster (DIN A3)

Notepad (DIN A6)

Post card (DIN A6)  

Pixel sticker (8cm x 8cm)


Collector's edition contents


*Shipping of these unique editions with limited supply is expected for March 2022.

What do you think about this announcement? As always feel free to leave us a comment below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #SuperLifeOfPixel #Platformer #Switch #eShop #PS4 #PSN #PRHound #StrictlyLimitedGames

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Space Fish In 3-D!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Developed by TAITO, published by ININ Games, and public relations by PR Hound, G-Darius HD for the PS4 is a 3-D Polygonal arcade space shoot em' up in the long-running Darius series and the first one that was in 3-D. The original arcade release back in the 90's was amazing and while the PSOne port wasn't quite as good, it was still quite an enjoyable experience. Does this HD remaster live up to the previous iterations of the game? We think so, and we'll tell you why, so continue reading our review to find out!



The gameplay in G-Darius HD, is jam-packed with a robust power-up system, dozens of types of enemies, branching level paths, and epic bosses and mid-bosses that are sure to provide a challenge to all players. The games' zones vary widely and add a ton of replayabilty to an already content rich game, which is always a good thing. The game also features alien ship capturing allowing players to capture enemies or even mid-bosses and add them as an ally!

The difficulty can be challenging, but is fair and as for the controls, they work exceptionally well. The game also features loads of cabinet settings, screen settings, and an assortment of widgets that can display various information regarding the game on-screen which is a nice touch!



The audiovisual presentation is fantastic with detailed environments, gorgeous 3-D enemies, and crazy special effects that are actually quite impressive for a game released back in the late-90's. The soundtrack is also extremely enjoyable and fits the game like a glove! The sound effects and other audio is just as pleasing to the ears as well!



Bottom-Line: With excellent gameplay with tons of replayabilty, great controls, and a top-notch audiovisual presentation, G-Darius HD for the PS4 is a superb remaster of one of the first 3-D scrolling shmups released in the arcades and the amount of customization adds to the replayabilty of the game! Overall we give G-Darius HD for PS4 a nearly perfect level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★★½ 9.5/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #TAITO #M2 #PRHound #ININ #SHMUP #Arcade #PS4 #Retail #PSN #Switch #eShop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Augmented Reality Ahoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



PR Hound has announced that Augmented: Faraday Protocol has been released on PS5 and Nintendo Switch! Here's the official announcement from the PR firm:

PR Hound wrote:Official game logo



Faraday Protocol

-       Breaking the Rules       -        

  Power Launch after Low Profile Release Switch/PS5

Publisher Deck 13, who last year released the globally acclaimed RPG blockbuster CrossCode, delivers another genre breakthrough with a redefined and enhanced first-person puzzler & explorer with a mysterious backdrop story to intrigue. Faraday Protocol is an experience that is not to be missed. - Out Now! - PS/XB/NSW - $24.99/€24.99/£20.99 - PC Steam $19.99/€19.99/£15.99.



Emergence  / Evolution

After a low profile soft launch and focused feedback from the gaming community, a number of major updates have been initiated in Faraday Protocol. With its unique and challenging gameplay, which adds that extra spark to ensuring it shines brightly, this game reemerges  on Microsoft Xbox, Steam PC, Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4 /5 with a triumphant boost of creativity.

The first puzzle pyramid awaits



Setting New Boundaries

This beautifully crafted first person puzzle journey conjures up intrigue, mystery, and a number of unsettling moments as you experience the atmospheric delights as an interstellar archaeologist who researches the abandoned space station OPIS and its enigmatic governing A.I. IRIS. Developed by the talented Italian developers, Red Koi Box, utilizing the Unreal Engine 4, they have crafted and designed methods unique to this game genre.


Brainy Stuff

All of the mechanics rotate around the Bia-Tool, an original object capable of absorbing and re-distributing specific types of energy. The simple mechanics  evolve over time and allow for increasingly complex and mind-bending puzzles.



Doors open and puzzlement awaits



Breaking New Ground

“Faraday Protocol moves from the traditional ways and follows rules and uses mechanics never used before, and will challenge the grey matter of the player to lateral and logical thinking. The unique puzzle elements combined with the linear game and story progression make this game enjoyable for almost everyone.”, Giacomo Sala, Red Koi Box.



The Story Unfolds and Scene setting - The Challenge
Set in a sterile and futuristic world, you are soon thrust into an organic forest-like environment after leaving your spacecraft. In this strange unnerving environment the player will see three Ziggurats (pyramid buildings) and will be led into one, where your intuitive powers of logic and expertise will start. The first building looks clean, sterile and in very good condition, with strong tones of black and gold. Here the player will learn the basic mechanics, and will experiment with them until he will reach the top of Ziqqurat One. Outside night has now come, and more, new mechanics will be introduced. The next building will be decaying, and will comprise a combination of all the player has previously learned. He will then face two other environments, with different tones and feels, which will bring him to the end of the game. Throughout the game, the storyline will progressively grow, as in the beginning it is limited to pre-recorded messages, it will unfold into full conversations with multiple choices.

Ziggurat


Features - Outside the Box

Multiple Solutions to succeed.

Hidden Collectables - Deviously Hidden

Immersive Soundtrack

Puzzle your way through a number of “Escape Room”- like puzzle rooms

Absorb and redistribute energy using the Bia-Tool

Unravel the mysteries of the abandoned space station OPIS

A unique blend of retrofuturism


Faraday Protocol - Its Essence - is a first person puzzler that will test your wits and intelligence. Use the Bia-Tool, an ancient pistol-like relic of an alien civilization, to solve puzzles by bending energy and manipulating enigmatic machinery. Explore the mysterious and abandoned space station OPIS and unravel the mysteries of its governing A.I. IRIS, which slumbers deep at the core of the station.


Adapting the Rules to Deliver an Ambient and Absorbing Experience for All!

What do you think about the announcement? Will you be purchasing this fantastic looking first person puzzler/exploration title? Let us know in our comments section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#News #PS5 #Switch #Retail #eShop #PSN #PRHound #Deck13 #Puzzler #FirstPerson #Exploration

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let There Be Light...And Lots of Slimes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Published by Zordix and developed by Rock Square Thunder, The Lightbringer is a 3-D puzzle platformer with some light Zelda-esque gameplay elements that meld together in quite an enjoyable way! Is this enough to earn a recommendation from our crew? Yes, and here's why:



The story is pretty straightforward, slimes have taken over the world and our protagonist must salvage society by wrestling it back from the slimey overlords! Well that might be a bit of an embellishment, but it's quite a dark premise for such a cute game. The game utilizes isometric 3-D for its tight platforming, and occasionally mind-bending puzzles that really control well. Even the camera control is pretty well calibrated in this game which is always a good thing of course.

There are some items to collect, but the game doesn't really make collecting items a big focus. The battles are swift and fluid and you will fight many slimes! Slimes, Slimes with helmets, Slimes with spikes, giant Slimes, even Slimes in exploding barrels. The use of items and simple sword play feels truly at home on the Switch and is certainly heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda series. The game is fairly short though and can be beaten within 5-8 hours easily enough.



The audiovisual presentation in The Lightbringer is good, the graphics are nice to look at, the enemies are fairly detailed, the levels have nice looking layouts and designs, and the soundtrack is rather enjoyable as well, HOWEVER...nothing really stood out to us on either front, so despite being good the game won't stick with you in your memory for very long.



Bottom-Line: With a simple and enjoyable story, excellent gameplay with tight controls, and a good, albeit not overly memorable audiovisual presentation, The Lightbringer is a fun 3D isometric platformer that's both fun and challenging, however its short length is a bit of a letdown, that said we give The Lightbringer for the Nintendo Switch a good level of recommendation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Review #TheLightbringer #Zordix #RockSquareThunder #3DPlatformer #Switch #eShop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~