The Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection was just announced for the Nintendo Switch, and I for one can’t wait to dive back into this nostalgic adventure. The collection includes all 10 games in the series which makes this bundle a steal for $60.
The game isn’t your typical Megaman game. Instead, it is a JRPG with card game elements. Build your decks and collect abilities in order to save the world against viruses and shady organizations. This collection will support online play where you can battle against your friends or random people. The trailer seems to suggest that there will a ladder of some sort. While I doubt my abilities, I will be trying my best to win.
I remember this game was my obsession when I used to have it for the Gameboy advanced. It was one of the few games that I no-lifed because I loved everything about it. The art was great, the story was amazing, and the combat was so satisfying. I have since sold my copy, but my love for this game still burns in my heart. I can only hope that the memory is as powerful as the actual experience. In preparation, I will be rewatching the anime and possibly cringing at its cheesiness.
I was about 10 when I played this game, so I wasn’t very strategic. I played whatever was cool and somehow brute forced my way through the ones I could afford for the Gameboy. Now that I am much older and wiser, I will probably do the same, but I have google handy for when I get stuck. The game collection is set to release on April 14, 2023, for the Switch, PS4, and steam. You can preorder your copy today!
Game Review: Digimon Survive
This was not a review code. I bought this game when it came out because I love Digimon. Digimon Survive is a visual novel with some survival and RPG elements. You can play it on all major consoles, but this review is for the Switch version.
If you are a fan of visual novels, this is a solid one based in the digital world. The art is cool, the voice acting is amazing, and the story is fine. Most of the gameplay involves flipping through a visual novel with a bit of exploration and combat sprinkled in.
The exploration is simple. You move between rooms and talk to other characters to unlock more of the story. The game does encourage exploration by hiding useful items in each room, so be sure to click on everything. The exploration is limited to whatever rooms are relevant to the current events in the story. There is no voice acting for the exploration scenes, so you will have to do the voices yourself. This isn’t a criticism because I love the sound of my own voice.
Combat is where I had the most fun, but it is a bit limited compared to other RPGs like Fire Emblem. You control a team of Digimon that you can continually edit as you progress through the story. You can move, make attacks, use abilities, boost your Digimon, and even befriend enemies. I recommend you mess with the settings to speed up the combat unless you don’t mind the tedium of sitting through the animations. Compared to other games in the genre, the grind is almost non-existent. You can grind as much as you feel necessary, but it wasn’t a life-sucking endeavor that others have been. You can enter combat whenever you want in between stories, but I wish there was a bit more in the form of dungeons personally. I had a lot of fun with the combat. It was my favorite part of the game.
The visual novel makes up most of the gameplay in Digimon Survive. The story is fine, but if you don’t like anime, you are going to have a bad time. I watch a lot of anime and felt the story to be a bit on the generic side. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t do much to break the mold. If you are a fan of anime and love Digimon, this will be a decent experience. The story is voice acted by very talented actors. It is in Japanese and I couldn’t have it any other way. I can only hope that this can become adapted as an anime because the fights would be amazing!
So is this game worth it? It depends on your tastes as a person. This is a very niche game made for a specific audience. If you are a fan of Digimon and anime and enjoy visual novels, pick it up. If you don’t mind spending your gaming time reading and want to dive into the visual novel genre, this is a decent place to start. If you are on the fence, I would wait for a sale. While I did enjoy this game and am glad I bought it, I could only play it in small bursts because of my short attention span.
You can play this on the Switch, Playstation, and Xbox. Links are for my affiliate shop.
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Game Review: Pinball Wizard
I want to start by saying that I was sent this game as a review code. While I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinion. This will be my honest review of the game.
Pinball Wizard is a cute little pinball game with a few extra steps that I am sure you will enjoy. You can play it on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and IOS devices. This review will be on the Nintendo Switch version.
There is no story mode for this game. Instead, you choose from two game modes: Tower mode and Dungeon mode. In tower mode, you progress through different tables with increasing. Dungeons are larger tables that you can play with as long as you don’t die. Both modes offer a calm and relaxing experience as you try to clear each room, get your loot, and level up your wizard.
This game plays like a pinball. Instead of a ball, you bounce around a cute little wizard. Each table is themed as its own dungeon room with its set of roaming monsters. As you play, your wizard will level up, and you use the loot you collect during each run to level up your abilities and spells. There might be a way to min-max your wizard, but I suggest you unlock the skills that fit your playstyle. You’ll have more fun that way.
My only complaint about this game is that it can be slow as you wait for the wizard to finish traveling. It is only a problem in earlier levels where you don’t have any spells, but it isn’t a huge spell as the tables aren’t too big. Once you get your spells, there is always something to do, but it never gets overwhelming.
Pinball Wizard is worth the $8. This is a great game to pick up if you want something relaxing to play that isn’t a huge commitment. The art is cute, the gameplay is solid, and you can come back to it anytime without feeling lost. If you like pinball and magic, check this game out. You can pick it up from Nintendo, Steam, and the App Store.
Game Review: Of Blades & Tails
I’d like to start by mentioning that I was sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinions. This will be my honest opinion of the game.
Of Blades & Tails is a 2D turn-based RP that I had a lot of fun with. I played it on steam, but there are plans for its release on all major consoles in Q3 2023. This game is currently in early access, and this review will be more of my initial impressions of the experience. I will be consistently returning to this game over time so that I can experience its growth.
The game lets you take control of Reik, a fox person with an empty slate. As you grow, you are allowed to grow Reik and whatever manner you wish. I played him as a warrior with a sword and shield, but the combinations are nearly endless. Want to do magic? There is a skill tree for that. Want to play a rogue? There is a skill tree for that. Want to punch people to death? It’s in the game! If you are indecisive, I have great news: you never have to commit to a class or skill tree! The game allows you to reset your skill trees whenever, provided you have the materials to do so.
The game lets you choose from three different difficulties: relaxed, adventure, and a challenge mode that isn’t out yet. I played on the adventure difficulty and thought it was perfect. I suggest you start there unless the challenge mode is available when you play.
Combat in this game is relatively simple. You move around on an open map with roaming monsters that attack you on sight. If you agro a monster, combat starts. Combat is turn-based. You can take one action per turn. You can move, attack, use an item, or use an ability as your action. Monsters don’t move unless you complete your action, allowing you time to plan appropriately.
Do not let the appearance of this game fool you; this game can be unforgiving. I died a lot because I was careless and cocky. If you die, you restart from your last save. You need to be constantly saving or risk losing items.
One thing to note about the gameplay is that it is a grind. If you don’t like grindy games, this probably isn’t for you. The grind isn’t bad, but it is repetitive. You will be fighting the same monsters in the same locations until you are strong enough to move to the next area and do it all over again with a different set of monsters. I didn’t mind this grind, but it is something to keep in mind.
I loved the aesthetics of this game. I love the 2D pixel art of the world. It was very cute to see how my little fox warrior changed as I geared him over time. I never got to enjoy the NES era of gaming, so I was very excited to see that this game has a retro filter to emulate the experience.
So what do I think? For the price, I think it is a solid experience. If you don’t mind this game being a grind and in its early stages, I would say support it. It is only 13 bucks. Otherwise, I would wait til it is further refined. Some missions aren’t available yet, so you are currently only getting a fraction of the experience. This isn’t something that I mind much because this is a game I will be coming back to.
Of Blades and Tails is a game that you throw on when you just want to chill and not have to be too invested in story and mechanics. There is some min-maxing you can do for those of you that like that style of gameplay, but I am not smart enough to speak on that. As a filthy casual, I never felt the need to min-max. At the very least, you should consider adding it to your watch list.
Game Review: Warpips
I was sent Warpips as a review code, and while I am grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let that sway my opinion. This will be an honest review of the game.
Warpips is a real-time strategy game that is similar to the mobile game Clash Royale. The game is available on pc and all major consoles. I played this game on the Nintendo Switch, so this review will be based on that experience.
Warpips is a 2D, card-based strategy game. You choose from a myriad of pips and traps to use against an oncoming enemy hoard. To win, you must destroy the enemy base before they destroy yours. This game has three game modes: Conquest, Quick Battle, and Endless. Conquest takes you through a campaign through different countries as you try to free them of their oil. Quick Battle is a random mode with three difficulties: Easy, Challenging, and Hard. You are given a random deck of pips and traps and try to defeat an enemy on a random map. Endless mode has you surviving an endless assault as you try to beat your previous high score.
The gameplay is very simple. You summon your pips and watch them fight against the enemy hoard. You can summon air strikes, use tools, and set up traps to help your pips secure their victory. In conquest mode, you can purchase additional cards and upgrades with the currency you earn while playing. There is some RNG, but I always thought it was fair.
Don’t let this game’s cuteness deceive you, you will need to be strategic with your choices. I played on easy and still found enough of a challenge to keep me engaged. If I wasn’t paying attention or was too conservative with my choices, I was easily overwhelmed by the enemy AI. I suggest playing this game on the harder difficulties for a more fulfilling experience.
This game ran smoothly most of the time, but I did notice the occasional stutter. The game would freeze for a second before resuming. It never crashed on me or affected my game, but it is something to keep in mind. I didn’t notice much of a difference between docked and handheld mode, but I preferred handheld mode because of its versatility.
The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but it might be a symptom of having it on the easiest difficulty. I played on higher difficulties, but I was never smart enough to get by. This game is deceptively unforgiving. Most of the game however is the same, and you find yourself constantly waiting for cooldowns.
I liked this game a lot, and I’d recommend it if it were cheaper. I am not a huge RTS fan, but this was a manageable game for my skill level. I thought the pixel art was a fantastic choice, and it definitely made losing sting less. The music is pretty fantastic as well. I recommend playing with the sound out, at least for the first hour or so. Warpips is a game you pick up when you want to chill but still need a challenge. This is a game where you don’t need to be too invested in a story or mechanics, but you will need to be strategic. I personally wouldn’t spend $20 on it and would wait for a sale, but I can see this being worth it to someone who really loves the genre.
Check it out on Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation.
Game Review: The Company Man
All images are screenshots from the game
I do want to mention that I got sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this influence my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.
The Company Man is a 2D action platformer. It is available on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and PC. I played this game on the switch and enjoyed it both handheld and docked mode.
Take control of Jim as he climbs the corporate ladder to become the CEO. The path to the top isn’t easy as it is full of jealous coworkers, insane managers, and a lot of platforming. Will you have the stamina to make it to the top, or will you be another corporate slave?
I love the art of this game. The office theming is brilliant; you can tell that the creators got very creative with the enemy design. Each floor is themed after a different department and filled with monsters that play well off the theme. There is a story, but it acts more as a comedy than something you need to get invested with. This game pokes a lot of fun at the office work culture, and I was there for every second of it.
The gameplay is simple. You have a keyboard that acts as a melee weapon, and you get a ranged attack that gets upgraded after each promotion. Jim has a set life and ammo that you can replenish and upgrade as you play. You move through each floor, avoiding traps, fighting monsters, and platforming until you fight the floor’s manager. Enemies drop coins that you can use to upgrade your stats and gain abilities. If you die, you restart at your last checkpoint, but you get to keep any coins you’ve collected. Upgrades are well-balanced; I never felt like the game got too easy with them.
I’ll admit, I hate this genre the most. I am too impatient and am easily frustrated by these kinds of games. This is the only platformer I have ever finished. I’ll admit, I play all the games I review to completion, but I would have finished this game regardless. I played it in normal mode. Normal mode was very manageable for my skillset while still offering enough difficulty to keep me engaged. This was not a cakewalk. I did struggle, and I did get frustrated, but it was very satisfying when I earned my promotion. Veterans of the genre might find normal mode too easy, but there is a hard mode available at the start that might help with your enjoyment.
One tip I have for those who are looking to buy this game is to pay attention to everything. Monsters, traps, and boss fights all have
a set pattern that they follow. If you can memorize these patterns, you can beat everything.
I highly recommend this game, especially if you enjoy platformers. You can get it on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.
Video Game Review: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
I want to start by saying that this game was sent to me as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let this sway my opinions. I will treat this game like I paid for it with my own money, and this will be an honest review.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? is a trivia game based on the game show of the same name. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also available on the Xbox, Playstation, and PC..
The game has a single-player and multiplayer mode for up to eight players. Both have the same structure, but multiplayer has no fail condition. The game is decided into six rounds of increasing difficulty and point value. Each round has two questions that are grade specific to the round. You choose a question from a random selection of school subjects. The game is over when you can answer all the questions correctly or get a question wrong. In multiplayer mode, you finish all six rounds regardless if anyone has answers incorrectly. The winner here is the person who scores the most points.
I’ll admit, I am terrible at trivia, but this game wasn’t bad. This game is designed with a younger audience in mind, but there will be questions that will stump you. The game runs smoothly, and it looks nice. There is some animation and voice acting, but I suggest you start skipping the cutscenes when as soon as the novelty wears off. Otherwise, the games drag, and you will get bored of waiting.
This is a game you get if you love trivia and want to get your kids into the genre. It is also casual enough to bring in other adults into the genre, but please keep in mind that the skill level for the questions is on the lower end. This isn’t a game you can play for hours because it does get repetitive. I never got the same questions to repeat, but there is only so much trivia my body can take. The game tries to incentivize gameplay by hiding cosmetics and subjects behind leveling. You gain points by answering questions correctly. The points you gain in both solo and multiplayer mode work towards your overall player level. Each level unlocks cosmetics for your desk and classmates and new subjects you can choose from. I don’t like that there are subjects hidden behind leveling because it is limiting to the casual experience, but I can see how this can add incentive and diversity to the game for its longevity.
If you like trivia, this game might be too easy. There are questions where you are literally counting vowels for example. But with kids around, this is a fun little game night game that allows room for some healthy competition. I personally would wait for a sale, but it really depends on how much your family likes trivia.
You can buy this game from the Nintendo shop, Epic Games, Steam, Playstation, and Xbox.
Game Review: Noel the Mortal One (2022)
I received Noel the Mortal Fate as a review code. I want to thank Playism for the opportunity to review this title. That said, I will not let this sway my opinion of the game. This will be an honest review of the game.
Noel the Mortal Fate is a visual novel with some minor gaming elements to it. This is a book, and any gameplay, whether it be puzzles or boss fights, is a railroad you to a certain ending. The choices you make and any exploration available don’t matter. The puzzles and boss fights are simple, as the focus of this title is to tell a story. If you like manga or anime, this is a solid revenge plot with a lot of the anime tropes you are familiar with. I had a lot of fun with this title, but I understand that it isn’t for everyone.
Noel is a young prodigy pianist who has lost the most important piano competitions in her town. Angered by the loss, she is tricked into making a deal with the devil. Unbeknownst to her, the deal will restore her honor at the cost of her limbs. Caren, the devil she summons, takes pity on Noel and promises to help her get her revenge on the person who tricked her into making the deal. The game then follows Noel’s journey toward vengeance. This is a game full of interesting characters, epic fights, and devil pacts. Will Noel be able to exact her revenge? You will need to play to find out.
Gameplay-wise, this is a book. There is a lot of reading and no voice acting. The reading is occasionally broken up by puzzles, fights, and light exploration. I enjoyed the story, but I am speaking as an anime fan. The characters are unique and interesting, although some of them are anime archetypes. I loved the style of storytelling. Most of the story exists in 2D animated sprites, but they make it work. The use of flashbacks, fight scenes, music, and comic strips all come together to tell an engaging narrative. Boss encounters felt epic, character growth was exciting, and the flashbacks were woven in nicely. My only complaint would be with the translation. I noticed some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, but none of it was unplayable.
I played this game on the Nintendo Switch and loved it. Undocked, the game runs great. The letters are easy to read, and the maps were very visible. When docked I used a controller. It was nice to have a bigger screen, but it isn’t necessary. In both modes, I preferred the d-pad for movement because it allowed for more control. Movement in this game is awkward, and I often overshot targets. The d-pad offers more control over the movement, but it isn’t perfect. The awkward movement added unnecessary difficulty to the puzzles and boss fights.
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot. I liked the story and loved the music, but I wish the game offered meaningful choices to give it replayability. It would be nice to have multiple endings instead of being railroaded into one. Some of the gameplay feels like padding, like when you control a character to walk through a hallway. That said, I still enjoyed it. There was enough world-building where I wasn’t lost or overwhelmed. The characters were interesting and memorable. I ended up becoming very invested in the narrative, often rooting for the heroin’s success.
This is a niche game. If you like anime and visual novels, this is a solid one. If you are curious about the genre, Noel the Mortal Fate is a nice starting point. The story is interesting but easy to follow, the characters are unique and well developed, and it isn’t overly sexualized. Just know that you aren’t buying a game, but a novel with gaming elements.
It is available for the Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Links lead to respective store page.
Game Review: Blackguards 2 (Nintendo Switch)
I received this Blackguards 2 as a review code for the Nintendo Switch. I would like to take this moment to thank Daedalic Entertainment for the opportunity, and I hope I can continue to do more reviews for the company in the future. That said, I will not let this affect my review. This will be my honest opinion of the game.
Blackguards 2 is an action turn based-strategy RPG where you control a team of heroes and mercenaries through a series of combat scenarios and puzzles. The game focuses on Cassia, a wronged woman who seeks revenge by taking her ex-husband’s kingdom from him. Her husband locked her up and left her to die. Will she be able to lead her army and achieve her revenge, or will she succumb to her ever-creeping madness?
I had a lot of fun with this game when it worked properly. You can set traps, ambush enemies, and use the environment to earn your victory. Unfortunately, the enemy AI is inconsistent, and some levels will not work as intended. Sometimes I was greeted by tactical enemies who forced me to earn my victory. Other times the enemy would stand still while I slaughtered them relentlessly. If you are smarter than me (and you probably are) you can find ways to break the Ai and breeze through combat easily. There is also a light puzzle element that is heavily impacted by how the enemy AI chooses to act. I failed a few puzzles because the AI became ungodly.
My biggest issue with the combat was the pathing. There are levels where you will have to choose your pathing hex by hex; this will prove tedious. If you allow the pathing to be chosen for you, your heroes will run into fire or traps that will kill them instantly. Each level can also have invisible traps that require special skills to see. These will create incredibly frustrating moments as you watch your heroes die instatly for stepping on random particles. This game can become incredibly frustrating and impossible to beat if you are not careful or paying attention.
The graphics for the game are fine, but nothing special. On some levels, the bloom and high contrast make it hard to see enemies and traps. I felt this to be especially true in handheld mode where it would be hard to see even the pathing. It doesn’t help that the camera controls don’t let you rotate the camera horizontally, making it hard to select some units or objectives. If you are going to play this game, I suggest you play this on a bigger screen.
Customization can be overwhelming if you are new to the genre. You can buy and earn gear to customize your units to fit your play style. You can also buy skills, spells, and feats to make your heroes more heroic. I found customizing my units to be a hassle as the UI felt clunky most of the time. Unfortunately, skills and feats you buy impact combat, making dealing with the UI a necessary evil.
I enjoyed the story for the most part. I adored the voice acting, although the sound mixing isn’t consistent. I thought the characters were fine although they do fall into the same tropes you are probably used to. The world-building in this game comes from conversations you have with NPCs in the hubs, but it stops the information you gather stops being interesting halfway through. The game does offer you choices to make, but I didn’t feel like they impacted gameplay.
I didn’t hate this game, but I can’t ignore its issues. When this game worked, I had a blast! Unfortunately, the bugs make victories anticlimactic, losses frustrating, and on some levels unnecessarily difficult. This game fills a specific niche, so if you don’t like strategy games, I wouldn’t bother. If you do like the genre, I would wait for it to go on sale. It isn’t worth the $10. You can play this on Mac, PC, Xbox, Playstation, and on the Nintendo Switch.
This game is currently on sale on steam for $.99. It is definitely worth that much.
Game Review: SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (Nintendo Switch)
If you are looking for a casual game that doesn’t require much commitment, check out SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. This is a game you can throw on when you just want to chill and not have to worry about leaderboards or storylines. While there is a cute little story full of puns and silly characters, it doesn’t require your undivided attention. The story is a bit on the basic side as it hits traditional RPG tropes, but the gameplay is fun enough where it doesn’t matter.
If you like deck builders and RPGs, SteamWorld Quest is a casual entry into both. The game relies heavily on deck building and hero management, but I never felt it was very intensive. I am a terrible deck builder, but I was always able to find a deck that suited my playstyle. There are guides and lists out there if you ever get stuck, but I never felt the need to look them up. As far as variety goes, there is enough diversity in the card pool to keep things fresh without being overwhelming.
The game also has some simple RPG elements. There is exploration, loot, hero management, and a grind that you have to consider.
Exploration was simple. Dungeons are small with only one real path, but there will be secret rooms that will grant you loot and cards. You can always go back to a dungeon to get everything. I never did, but I never felt like I was missing anything important. Dungeons will have a few straightforward puzzles that are manageable if you have been paying attention.
Hero management is also pretty simple. You can buy or collect items and weapons that boost the stats of your heroes and give them special abilities. There isn’t much variety and you will find there is only one real combination towards the end. You can buy items and weapons with gold and upgrade your cards with materials dropped by mobs. There is a grind to consider for this game, but it isn’t terrible. I never felt the need to spend hours in an area, but you can be under-leveled for certain fights if you rush too quickly.
Combat for this game is interesting. You choose your party of three heroes from the six total you collect along the way and create a deck with the cards specific to those heroes. The combat itself wasn’t difficult, although it isn’t something you can do too passively. If you aren’t paying attention, you can die. The RNG will screw you over, but it is rare when it does. The bosses were all unique, but they do feel like sponges towards the later part of the game. There is enough variety with the enemies that you will never use the same deck. I was constantly adjusting to counter enemy resistances and immunities, and it kept the gameplay from growing stale.
You should play this game. It is a neat and chill little card game that is fine for the whole family. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also available on Steam.
