Rich Plays Broken Sword: Shadow Of The Templars Reforged On Nintendo Switch ⚔️ @RevSoftGames #IndieGame #GameDev

 

Rich jumps into Broken Sword Shadow Of The Templars Reforged on the Nintendo Switch after last playing the original about 10 years ago. This updated version looks great and plays well on Nintendo Switch.

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🕹️ GAME LINK: 🔗

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Broken-Sword-Shadow-of-the-Templars-Reforged-2685867.html

Rendering Ranger R² [Rewind] Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "SH'MUP & RUN ANYONE?" 🔥🏃‍♀️‍➡️🛸 @playziggurat @LimitedRunGames #IndieGame #GameDev #Retrogaming

"George wasn't a fan of the new stand up tanning booths"

Rendering Ranger R² [Rewind] is a revival of a video game from the Super Famicom / Super Nintendo era of 1995, originally released in Japan. Developed by Manfred Trenz, the game combines two distinct gameplay styles: run-and-gun action reminiscent of Contra and also side-scrolling shoot-'em-up sequences akin to R-Type. 

While most people point to Contra as their fave retro run and gun from their childhood, mine was always Midnight Resistance. Specifically Midnight Resistance on the Commodore 64. There was a demo tape on the front of a C64 magazine back in the early '90s that I couldn't get enough of and me and my mate Johnny would endlessly play this demo tape in awe of the run n gun gameplay and the beautiful looking Commodore 64 graphics. 

Eventually I actually located a Midnight Resistance Arcade cabinet in the local Kebab House (which also had a pool table) and once again I fell in love with the run and gunnery of Midnight Resistance.

Accolade Sports Collection Nintendo Switch Review 5/10 🌭 "Hotdog anyone?"

"Cassidy's new glasses were rubbish! They were so bad he started pitching to 3rd base!"

Growing up I almost exclusively played sports video games. I was sports mad. I loved any sporting event you could imagine and consumed any and every sport on UK TV. I watched Grandstand, Sports Night, Final Score, Match Of The The Day, The Match, Football Gazzetta, Transworld Sport Special and any type of sport that anyone threw my way. I stayed up to watch the Super Bowl every year and I loved every Olympics from 1988 onwards. 

I was a big fan of the EPYX GAMES Series with California games and Winter Games probably being my favourites (hotdog anyone?), if I see a Track & Field arcade I just have to play it and I fell completely for the Wii Mario & sonic at The Olympics video games. 

Upon seeing that this Accolade Sports Collection was coming out, I had high hopes! After spending time with the collection I am afraid to report it's just not as much fun as I remember these games being.

Care Bears: Unlock The Magic Nintendo Switch Review 4.5/10 (also available on PS4/5) "lacking charm and magic" 🐻🐻‍❄️🐼 @MaximumEntmt

As a man in my forties, The Care Bears were very much a part of my childhood, and I watched show a lot as a kid, I was convinced that there was a Care Bears game on the C64, but in researching this article, I have very much been proven wrong, as the first released Care Bears title was in 2004! (WTF!!! - ed)

Regardless of my foggy memories, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic is unfortunately a charmless dud that feels like a half-finished game that had the Care Bears licensing slapped on during development, and really doesn’t feel that it’s taking full advantage of the rich, generation-spanning Care Bears heritage.

Effectively a single-player collection of mini-games, with an included digital art book, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic has an adventure mode that has you dancing along a 3D board in a 3D take on Snake, driving the Care Bear bus to pick up hearts in a simple vehicular section, pogoing across rivers, popping coloured bubbles a la Puzzle Bobble, and several more derivative mini-games that combine to allow you to make your way across the overworld game board, of which certain section are blocked by thunderstorms that require a certain amount of points to pass. The music is gentle and lilting, the frame rate 60fps, and the mini-games do ramp up in difficulty – so this isn’t a mindless trudge - but they always felt arbitrary, and there was no sense of charm or a love for the licence at hand.

SUMMARY

At it’s current price, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic is a tough game to recommend as it just feels like a compilation of forgettable – yet competent – mini-games that feel more at home on a mobile device. It was far too slight to engage me as an adult, and my four year old had no interest in the game, so unless you have a youngster that really has a connection with the franchise, this is a game that makes me dress up in my Grumpy Bear costume and sulkily fold my arms.

4.5/10

💧MELTED💧

🔗Care Bears: Unlock The Magic | Nintendo Switch games | Games | Nintendo UK

My Night Job On The Nintendo Switch "Ten Minute Taster" 🌃 @webcoregames #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich plays "My Night Job" which is a fast-paced arcade action-adventure game set in an abandoned mansion overrun by monsters.

Rich must use over 60 unique weapons, ranging from vases and chainsaws to shotguns and hammers, to fend off monsters while rescuing survivors and defending the building.

The game features an 80s horror movie aesthetic, blending nostalgia with bizarre humour. If too many rooms are destroyed or Rich's health runs out, his efforts will only be remembered in the high-score list.

Desktop Golf Nintendo Switch Review (also available on Steam) 8.5/10 "A Hole-in-One!" ⛳ @SAT_BOX_EN #IndieGame #GameDev

SAT BOX have quietly impressed me with their releases over the last few months, specialising as they do in simple premises done well. This latest release pretty much does what it says on the tin and casts you as a desktop golfer, you’ll be sailing your ball across fairways and dog-legs whilst making your way across bridges made of binders, whilst avoiding toys and pencils as well as the standard sand and water hazards. 

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "This is a Terrific Turbo Trip To Take" 👍 @TinyTerryGame @SuperRareGames #IndieGame #GameDev

My evil, twisted and foul editor covered Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip on upon its PC release last Summer, and it also made his end of year list with the below comment:

"For a game that's around 4 hours long this kept me busy doing fun stuff in this open world platformer that has an awesome art style and a music sense that compliments the game perfectly. 

It's the perfect example of an indie game that benefits from not over stretching itself and making sure that what it does, it does it well. 

Go make friends with Tiny Terry and I promise you won't regret it!"

The game is centred around young Terry, who we initially meet as he stands in line at the ‘Job Application Centre’ where he is looking to get a car so that he can ‘go to space’, all completely normal and above board. Through a series of miscommunications – a throughline in the game – Terry ends up getting a job as a taxi driver… with no pay, natch.

Under Defeat Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "Get To The Chopper!" 🚁💥 @clearrivergames @claricedisc #RetroGaming

I've always been a sucker for helicopter video games. I love SWIV and I love Desert Strike and the Strike series of games.

Under Defeat is a classic helicopter based arcade shoot 'em up that has been given a new life on the Nintendo Switch. It was originally released in the arcades during2005 and has now been brought to the Switch by Clear River Games and City Connection. The idea here as ever is to bring both nostalgia and some modern enhancements for fans of the shmup genre.

Under Defeat is set in an alternate World War II era, where players take control of a helicopter pilot fighting against various enemy forces. The game features a unique shot-tilting angled mechanic that allows players to attack enemies from various different angles. As with most games in the SHMUP genre, the story is minimal and focuses more on the intense action, bullet dodging and strategic gameplay rather than a deep narratives and characters.

Basureroes: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "It’s time to take out the trash" ⚠️🚮💥 @javi_mikau @basureroes @JanduSoft #IndieGame #GameDev

The Superhero League of Hoboken, a much-loved DOS game that also featured a team of heroes with…less than obvious powers of good sprang to mind upon diving into Basureroes: Invasion, I instantly got that vibe of (whilst this is very different in terms of genre from The Superhero League of Hoboken!) a game with a sense of humour and self-deprecation about itself whilst also being genuinely charming, amusing, and well-designed -AND for up to four players!

Just putting this out there as I had no idea what the title meant, ‘basura’ is Spanish for rubbish / trash / garbage – just in case anyone was as flummoxed by the title of this one as I was! Luckily, aside from the title, nothing else about Basureroes: Invasion is rubbish, as it’s an incredibly engaging – and accessible – 2D platform game that has been a regular multiplayer fixture (although it’s just as good in single player mode) in our household over the last couple of weeks.

Dance of Cards Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A game that won my heart...and spade, club, diamond." 🃏🃏 @FrogOfHearts #IndieGame #GameDev

I bloody love coming across games like Dance of Cards – which seems to be released on the Switch just for me, at the perfect time. I’ve been playing Balatro on and off over the last few weeks, and one evening, as I failed yet another run, I mused idly to myself how awesome a poker-based RPG would be...and a few days later, Dance of Cards sidled shiftily into my deck. Needless to say, I went in blind.

The game casts you in the role of the heroically named ‘Martin’, a magician and card mechanic in a small town that is getting sent on to the big city by his shady manager, on a cruise ship. And on said voyage...things go somewhat awry.

Burger Race Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "Fast Food at a bargain price!" 🍔💨 @SAT_BOX_2011 #IndieGame #GameDev

This is the second title by Sat-Box that I’ve covered in just a few weeks,,and I have to say that their budget, family friendly titles are winning me over. In the same vein that Sugoroku Casino Party was a fun, digital board game with its focus on multiplayer action, Burger Race is a fast food take on the Mario Kart formula...at under a fiver!

A simple, accessible game, Burger Race allows for up to four players – in split screen – to select from a range of fast food items on wheels (or rather, cucumbers and tomatoes) and race around the nine tracks on offer, picking up the various boosts and weapon pick-ups scattered around the circuits en route.

Neon Blood Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 "The spark of something beautiful" 🧠⚡️ @ChaoBrainStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

Neon Blood was one of those games that struck me the moment I first watched the trailer, a beautiful blend of 3D environments with 2D characters, that supposedly melded that cyberpunk aesthetic with detective-based adventure, on paper – and on screen – it looked to be a winner. Sadly, as much as there was in Neon Blood that really drew me in, there was just as much working against my enjoyment.

Set in an alternate, distant future, the player is cast in the role of detective Axel McCoin, a burnt-out detective who regularly uses the fictional drug Spark to cope with extreme pain caused by his failing bio-implants. Mostly dismissed by his superiors, Axel (cool name ) gets embroiled in a series of murders that hint at a larger conspiracy…

Snowman Story Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 "A very specific festive adventure" ☃️ @OdencatGames #IndieGame #GameDev

As this was a child-friendly game, I thought I’d take the opportunity to play through with my three-year old son, a boy who is very much caught up in the magic of Christmas. As it pans out, whilst this is a very cute and noble game as a bittersweet Christmas fable, the simplicity and repetition end up stagnating any sense of flow, and ultimately mute the eventual emotional payoff.

IronFall: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 💥 @VdDevGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Sometimes I’m taken in by a simple trailer for a game, or even the first few words of a press release, we -very kindly – get sent a lot of games here at GF, and as I mention in my year-end article - we unfortunately don’t get the time to cover them all, so when a certain genre pops out that you haven’t tucked into for a while, or you are just really in the mood for. It’s fun to take a punt and see what the game has to offer. In the case of IronFall: Invasion, I could see that it was a Switch FPS – and that was all it took for me to dive in.

From the rating of 6/10, you can probably tell that this won’t be featuring in our end-of-year lists, but I do have a bit of a caveat here, as IronFall: Invasion captures a very specific vibe, and I can imagine that it will find its niche among gamers as it feels like a bit of a time capsule, which I’ll explain as best I can.

IronFall: Invasion is a 2024 release of what was originally a 2015 3DS game, and though it appears that it wasn’t too warmly received at the time of release, as I didn’t know the background of the title at the time of playing, I had a very different experience, and to me, it felt very much like an early PS2 title that had been remastered for the PS Vita.. 

From the blunt and pacey intro through to the presentation and mechanics of the game – you’ll be getting Perfect Dark / Deus Ex vibes from how each cutscene is presented – there’s a solid functionality to the game that seems locked in to the early 2000’s in an almost delicious way that’s designed to invoke a very specific nostalgia, and – to me – it’s this that is the IronFall: Invasion calling card. If you don’t connect with this, it will be a very vanilla experience.

Set in the near future, you are a soldier that is a one-man force against an alien (although...robots) invasion, and through arena / corridor based FPS action, must take down this growing threat. The combat is suitably PS2, in that it is heavily cover-based and against a relatively small variety of enemy types in empty areas with no collectibles or reasons to explore, beyond clearing them out. 

There are sections wherein you have to hold a post against enemy attacks, but it’s all very PS2-retro. That said, the entire game is a silky smooth 60fps, and the gun play is quite satisfying, you pick up weapons that fare better against certain enemy types etc., and that N64/PS2 vibe is in full force as you make your way through the campaign. 

There’s almost a celebratory sense as to how the game feels to play, like it’s point blank refused to move beyond the era that it evokes, and does it bizarrely well. Each time I cleaned out spawning roomfuls of identikit enemies, and had marched down myriad boring corridors, I almost felt transported back in time, and it was oddly nostalgic of a very specific time for me. 

Of course, the question is - whether that feeling is worth £18 to you?

The controls feel like they could do with a slight tweaking in terms of sensitivity, but again – there’s no room for personalisation here, you get what you are given, and that adds to the ‘trapped in time’ sense that the game conjures up.

SUMMARY
I hope that this game finds its audience – perhaps not at the current full price, admittedly – but nonetheless, there’s a little bit of magic here that will be quite a trip down memory lane for a lot of folks. 

There’re no flourishes here, just a rock solid meat ‘n potatoes early PS2 duck ‘n cover shooter remastered for the PS Vita...except it’s a 2015 3DS game released in the Switch in 2024, natch.

6/10

💧MELTING💧

PURCHASE LINK:

IRONFALL Invasion | Nintendo Switch download software | Games | Nintendo UK

Westild’s Law Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 "How the west was won and where it got us" 🤠 @BUG_Studio #IndieGame #GameDev

Westerns and gaming go together like bourbon and gherkin juice – perfectly well. The rootin’-tootin’ wild west is ripe for gun play, gals n’ galoshes, so whenever a Western-themed title tips its hat at me as it mosies on into the saloon, I’m more than happy to challenge it to a duel at high noon.

Priced extremely fairly, Westild’s law is a top-down shooter that casts you in the role of a male or female bounty hunter (the gender can be changed at any time) as they take on bounties from the Westild town sheriff, all the while upgrading their abilities, guns, and skills.

Sugoroku Casino Party Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "An Unexpected Gem!" 🎲🃏 @SAT_BOX_EN @SAT_BOX_2011 #GameDev #IndieGame

When I first caught wind of Sugoroku Casino Party, I wasn’t really sure what to expect beyond what appeared to be a digital version of a casino-based board game scenario. Luckily, the game turned out to be awesome fun that drew us in as a family over the Christmas period with its simple premise and accessible – yet addictive – games.

A game for up to six players, Sugoroku Casino Party is a bright and vibrant digital board game set in a casino world. There are quite a few options to get your setup just right, such as number of players, bots, length of the games themselves – with a save mechanic - and the chance to tackle each mini-game separately if you so wish. You can also lightly customise your in-game avatar with uniforms and colours to add some personality to your little plain board game piece.

Europa Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 "Its visuals, charm and story do enough to lift it above average" 🌏 @EuropaGame #IndieGame #GameDev

Having seen the trailer and played the game, I can tell you right now that it's not possible to review Europa without mentioning Breath of the Wild, so I won't try. This game, like the aforementioned (Linked, you might say) Nintendo smash, is an open-worldy, puzzley platformer. 

The game has you play Zee, an android, as you explore the breath-taking views of the eponymous moon of Jupiter. You're guided through the journey by the voice of your deceased creator/father, who speaks to you through his journal, pages of which you gather as you progress.

Britt’s Nintendo Switch Mini-Review Round Up: PART 1 🎮 #IndieGames #GameDev

We get sent a lot of games here at GF, and as we are such a small team it’s sadly inevitable that we don’t get around to fully covering every game that is kindly sent to us. The below are a selection of titles that have been on the pending pile for far, far too long, and so I thought I would shine a light on them. As these reviews are far shorter than our usual coverage, I won’t be scoring these numerically, just highlighting them for fans of the genre and mentioning any stand-out features – hopefully we come across a couple of hidden gems!

BZZZT! Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A Perfect Potion of Platforming Perfection" 🤖🥪 @ko_dll #IndieGame #GameDev

The people who make the best platform games are the people that know the genre inside out from playing the classics and having an understanding of what makes a great platformer. What we have here my friends is one of the best indie platform video games that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. 

Developed by KO.DLL BZZZT! is truly a love letter to the classics of the genre and also brings its own brand of charm and sauce! Bzzzt offers up a fast-paced, precision platforming experience with the game clearly being designed to be accessible to both newcomers and veterans of the genre with its perfectly pitched variation of difficulty levels.

Taito Milestones 3 Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "A Glorious Collection of Classics" 👾 @TAITO @TaitoCorp #Retrogaming

The third entry in Taito’s ‘Milestone’ series, this selection of solid gold feels the strongest overall in terms of the games included here.

The ten games included are Bubble Bobble (1986), Rainbow Islands (1987), Rastan Saga (1987), Rastan Saga 2 (1988), Dead Connection (1992), Cadash (1989), Champion Wrestler (1989), Runark (1990), Warrior Blade (1991), and Thunder Fox (1990).