Narita Boy [Studio Koba] (Nindie Choice!) - With an old school cinematic action adventure feel and dripping with neon-lit nostalgic ooze I have no doubt that Narita Boy is targeted squarely at people like me who practically grew up in the arcades. While this isn’t a terribly long adventure, I’ll give it credit for generally keeping a steady flow of new things to experience as you go, never giving itself much time to feel stale… which is very much appreciated since side-scrolling slashers like this can tend to get repetitive quickly. The thing is, even with all of the formidable charm it brings to the table I can’t put a finger on what made it a good time but not necessarily a great one in my eyes, even knowing it would seem on paper to be made for people like me. Certainly any time there was platforming involved the floaty jumping and somewhat loose overall controls were a bit of a bummer, followed up by what I’d say was a lack of clarity at times for where you were meant to be going or what you were meant to be doing. Overall these are pretty small complaints, and don’t manage to knock the game out of being worthwhile, but I’d say they’re worth considering as you get drawn in by its lush and stylized visuals.
The Game of Life 2 [Marmalade Game Studio] - OK, so The Game of Life…
you know, that board game probably everyone has played a bunch. Do you
really need an electronic version of it to enjoy on the TV? Well, that would
depend on what you’re looking for. In terms of gameplay it’s a streamlined
and generally quick version of the classic, though it doesn’t skimp on any
critical areas you’ve come to expect… just some of the rules have been
played with a bit in the interests of having more modern sensibilities.
While the pricing on things like the Season Pass you can get to go with it
feel a bit steep I was still pleased that the base package includes more
than just the plain vanilla skin and characters so at least you can
appreciate what different themes can bring to the table to help keep things
feeling fresh. While I don’t think my family will stop periodically playing
on our Haunted Mansion edition board that we love when we’re on the road or
don’t feel like getting everything out or fighting over who’ll be the banker
this is a great alternative option that captures the essence of the classic
game in a way that people of any age can enjoy locally or even online.
Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace [LuckyHammers] - With a popular board
game series serving as the base, it’s easy to instantly see the lore this
title brings to the table simply reading through the background bios of each
of the characters you’ll be able to begin your adventure with. Mixing
together a bit of mystery, intuition and interrogation, strategic combat,
and combating the forces of evil this is an odd amalgam of flavors. It’s an
odd mix as there always feels like there’s quite a bit going on and depth to
explore but at the same time you’re usually able to be successful without
feeling the full weight of consequence for your mistakes and/or missteps
either. Who you choose to work with and how usually seems to be more
cosmetic in many areas more than critically important, and decisions you’ll
need to make, which depending on whether they’re the right or wrong ones,
can carry a penalty for choosing incorrectly but often feel arbitrarily
chosen rather than driven by educated guesses. The presentation and overall
narrative have a good feel but it’s an odd hodge podge of an experience I’m
not entirely sure what audience it’s really meant for.
One Escape [BUG-Studio] - While the general premise is that you’ll
eventually play as each of a crew of 3 criminals who got busted trying to
bring in their big score all you really need to know is that this is a
pretty decent puzzle platformer on a budget. Mixing together some action
platforming with a pinch of stealth here and puzzle-solving of various kinds
there I’d say that for the price of admission it’s a pretty good deal. Just
keep in mind that ultimately this would, at best, just be a sort of snack in
between bigger titles, it’s not very long or deep but it gets the job done
without breaking the bank.
Danger Scavenger [Piotr Wolk] - Having transitioned from being a mere
fan of the roguelike shooting genre to a seasoned veteran over the course of
the Switch’s lifespan I’ve seen a ton of amazing games as well as those that
fall short. Perhaps if it were released a earlier on Danger Scavenger’s
budget take could have gotten a bit more traction, but with top-notch titles
in the space well into the double digits looking at it with a critical eye
does it no favors. Meta progression and weapons are varied but ultimately
not inspired and the rooftop setting for your firefights is at least
different but I’m not sure it works out to a net positive, but I think the
biggest weakness is just the loose feel to the controls overall. While the
issue is only a slight one the fact that it’s elevated by the constrained
areas you’ll be working in exacerbates the problem. All in all it has its
charm for a reasonable price but the leap to much better gameplay is
typically a nominal amount more so the temptation is to give this a pass
until you’ve exhausted quite a number of stronger titles in the space.