Gavin Lane
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Nintendo LifeLatest Reviews
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...
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.
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’.
On the whole, Child of Light is an easy recommendation for those who didn’t catch it the first time round. The ‘light’ in the title sums things up nicely – you get game mechanics usually reserved for massive RPG epics in a concise package that’s as beautifully refreshing as when it was first released. It’s a shame to see framerate hitches – however occasional they may be – but they’re not enough to cast a shadow on this delightful adventure.
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut on Switch is a missed opportunity. While the underlying systems and crunchy combat are enjoyable – and it just about works as a portable experience – a steady list of irritations make an unqualified recommendation impossible. There’s a solid foundation of gritty turn-based combat with some great writing, but a stubborn camera, disappointing performance and a lack of quality-of-life enhancements means the PC 'master race' take this round.
The timer-based gameplay is made to be dipped into a few times a day, and while this works on Switch, it was evidently designed with other devices in mind. Yes, touch functionality exists, but the experience on Switch doesn’t compare with dedicated phones or tablets, and if being able to play on the bus isn’t a concern, the PC version would be better still. Fallout Shelter is handsomely presented with a nice resource management loop that’s worthy of investigation, but it’s tough to recommend this version if you've got access to other platforms.