Nintendo Enthusiast

If you’re a light Marvel fan, you might have some small stints of research ahead of you. Be ready as the experience isn’t all “beat ’em up” or as action-oriented as it might seem at first glance. The menu hides a number of different tools for you to surely build the ultimate team. There’s no doubt, though, you might have to work for it. But hey, you can do this all day, right?

Super Mutant Alien Assault is a chaotically fun, yet simple experience. It’s the type of experience that lends itself to short bursts of play in-between commercial breaks of your favorite TV show or to simply escape from work for a moment on your lunch break. The handheld capability of the Nintendo Switch lends itself to the quick and simple play Super Mutant Alien Assault offers. Sadly, it’s difficult to truly enjoy the game in co-op mode. Still, it’s sure to delight fans of the genre.

Despite the short length, Blazing Chrome is an awesome experience that will bring you back to the golden age of 2D running and gunning. The sharp visuals, addictive gameplay and incredible level design had me grinning and sweating from beginning to end. If you’re itching for some side-scrolling action, Blazing Chrome is a must.

Senran Kagura Peach Ball has earned every bit of its Mature rating, and I'm honestly surprised that it made its way to a Nintendo platform, let alone the Nintendo Switch. Fans of the series will no doubt have trouble keeping their eyes locked on their pinballs while still feverishly fondling their flippers. And to anyone else curious, you might find yourself as surprised as I was. I guess, after all, this game does have a happy ending.

Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a great little indie game. I really enjoyed my time with it despite its kicking my butt at times with the puzzles. I loved the art style and the humor laced throughout the adventure. Some of the mini-games have technical problems, and a few of the later cutscenes have major frame rate issues. These do tarnish the experience a little. Fortunately, the rest of the game is such a joy that they are easy to forgive. If you are a fan of the genre, then this is something you should check out.

The arcade-style, high-score goal the game focuses on provides infinite replayability as you attempt to best yourself and others. If this doesn’t appeal to you, you’d be hard-pressed to find something here to enjoy. But for those who enjoy the challenge of continually trying to one-up yourself, you’ll get a lot of mileage here.

Red Faction: Guerrilla‘s formula of a traditional open-world title with destructible environments is refreshingly simple even 10 years later. However, the Switch port is far from the ideal way to experience Red Faction: Guerrilla. The performance of the port leaves a great deal to be desired and the shooting mechanics were not tweaked for Nintendo’s smaller controllers. Yet, blowing stuff up is still just as fun as the pun in the title of this remaster.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night demonstrates a lot of dedication and passion for Metroidvanias. It is a fantastic rendition of the genre. Even with some predictable plot moments and a platforming learning curve, it manages to be one of my favorite games of this year. The gameplay is tremendously well-crafted, and the addictive factor is through the roof. The style and art direction are complemented with old-fashioned 90s-style timeless tunes that never bore or disappoint. Miriam and her adventure are a must if you have a Nintendo Switch.

The voice acting is fairly mediocre at best, with most dialogue consisting of two or three words repeated at random. The exception to this is the opening narration, which is actually quite enjoyable. Lastly, there are only a few types of guardians you'll face throughout the game. Though they get a little harder as you progress, their core mechanics are the same, so I wish there were more variety.

Ultimately, the replay value of Super Mario Maker 2 is an infinity symbol. There is just an insane number of variables that ensure inventive new levels will be created for years to come. Likewise, player rankings and unlockable costumes incentivize players to keep going. And when you start to get fatigued, you can always hop back into Story Mode to relax and recharge. Annoyances like imperfect building controls and laggy online play put a slight damper on things, but they're not deal-breakers. Super Mario Maker 2 is a mandatory Mario experience.