Gavin Lane
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Nintendo Life Latest Reviews
Star Trek: Resurgence is a modest enterprise, but Dramatic Labs did a stellar job of capturing the qualities of the show, specifically its '90s era, with all the strengths and weaknesses thereof. As with the show, technically, you may notice some rough edges, but the creators have worked wonders with their resources. The visual novel stylings here suit the material, and it's got it where it counts, with excellent writing and performances across the board. Non-Trek fans won't get half as much out of it, and you may not be tempted to go back for a second playthrough. But if the current crop of Trek shows isn't quite scratching your itch, Resurgence does a great job of transporting you back a generation.
The confusing lack of touch controls aside, Monument Valley 3 lives up to its predecessors as an excellent little puzzler with mind-tickling structures and stunning presentation sewn together with a delicate narrative thread. That you're able to see some of the developmental stitching show through at launch is a surprise given the polish and reputation of this developer and series, but it's ultimately not enough to significantly affect your enjoyment of this slight but satisfying game.
We can't say that players raised on the likes of Super Mario Odyssey and other modern platformers will respond the same way, but if you dream in 64-bit and your formative 3D games featured visible polygons, you won't regret exploring Cavern of Dreams. Bynine Studios gets in, delivers its payload of fairytale platforming feels with a hint of darkness, and gets out smartish. If you're a Banjo fan looking to recapture that sense of wonder you first experienced exploring Grunty's Lair, this is probably the closest you'll get without time travel or memory wipes.
Resident Evil 4 is one of the best video games of all time, and if you’ve somehow managed to avoid it all these years, the Switch edition is a decent, convenient way to catch up – but the fact that the Wii Edition still has a legitimate claim as the 'definitive' version proves irksome. Handheld mode is the biggest draw here and that’s not only where the game’s ageing visuals work best, but also where its control scheme makes the most sense. The lack of optional gyro aiming is disappointing and high definition arguably works against it in many ways, highlighting cracks which simply didn’t show up fourteen years ago, but the genius of the underlying game still shines through and anybody who’s still got it sitting on their bucket list is in for a treat. It will likely take a Resident Evil 2-style remake in a few years if it's ever going to truly sing on HD hardware – and goodness knows the game deserves it – but if you haven’t played it in the last decade, the Switch version is a very solid one, even if it doesn’t feel as special as it once did. So, what’ll it...
With Cuphead just around the corner, we can’t help feeling sorry for Mechstermination Force. It's certainly less of a head-turner, but it's a more approachable take on boss rush platforming, with less of an emphasis on twitch-based, pixel-perfect precision. It's peppered with ingenious design and amusing writing and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with it. We'd recommend it as a more accessible alternative to (or appetiser for) Studio MDHR’s upcoming game. If you enjoyed Gunman Clive, this is a great expansion on the concept and well worth investigating.
This is an excellent port of a game that feels like it’s found a natural home on Switch thanks to a plethora of control options and the console’s natural facility with vertical orientation. Short of popping your 4K TV on its side, Switch offers the very best way to play Downwell. Its roguelike structure and twitch platforming might not be for everyone, but you should really give it a chance. For our money, it’s a modern classic that should be in everyone’s collection.
We struggle to recall a dystopia quite as cheerful as the one found in Pikuniku. It’s a short game, but one packed with heart and imagination, with a great single-player component and excellent couch co-op that can genuinely be enjoyed by anyone. It makes us remember the fun we had cutting pieces from our friends in Snipperclips, but where we occasionally hit a brick wall with that game, Pikuniku sidesteps frustration in favour of a breezy and charming adventure; a perfect salve if you need a break from the backlog, but don’t dive in expecting endless hours of gameplay.
While reminding us just how much we’d love to see FTL on Switch, Everspace manages to carve out an impressive identity for itself. With gratifying space combat, an addictive ‘rogue-lite’ core loop and even some light, entertaining writing along the way, it performs admirably – if not flawlessly – on Nintendo’s console. Overall, we had a hell of a time with it and this port does a cracking job of preserving the full experience on a handheld. If any of this sounds remotely enticing, we’d heartily recommend investigation.
Forgotton Anne is an evocative, artistic triumph that nails that feeling of a ‘living anime’. Sure, the puzzles are hardly mind-blowing, and some later sections may test your patience, but the beauty of the art and the gentle humour of the writing should carry you through these irritations. Animation buffs should dive in without reservation, and we’d recommend anyone with even the slightest interest check this out.
It’s not for everyone, but Warriors Orochi 4’s multitudinous hordes can be pleasurable to sweep through, despite the game feeling by-the-numbers in many ways. This is simply more, and while fans might be able to forgive the bland presentation, we’d wager that non-devotees would have a much better time with the Zelda or Fire Emblem spin-offs – with the characters, settings and accoutrement you know and love helping to temper the monotony when you’re not quite ‘in the zone’.