Messages

[An artful roguelite brawler that simply smashes.]

1

TalkBack / Absolum (Switch) Review

« on: October 09, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

An artful roguelite brawler that simply smashes.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72837/absolum-switch-review

A collaborative effort spearheaded by Dotemu, Absolum offers an atypical beat-em’-up spliced with roguelite DNA. With attractive cartoon and comic book-inspired art, you and a potential co-op partner move from zone to zone, taking down all manner of foes and bosses on your way to a final encounter with Azra in his heavily guarded tower at the edge of the world. The end result is a familiar but fresh fighting experience with a surprising number of twists and turns along the way.

The story centers on a conflict between Sun King Azra, responsible for enslaving wizards across the land, and High Enchantress Uchawi and her group of rebels. As one of these rebels, your goal is both to defeat Azra but also restore faith in wizardkind across the world of Talamh, which was devastated by the work of rogue wizards. Understandably, even the townsfolk you encounter are scared of you, so the places you visit are full of danger and devoid of friendly faces save a few.

What differentiates Absolum from other action Roguelites isn't a major new gameplay mechanic but more so the style and polish of its presentation and gameplay. Before looking at the world map, in the starting hub area you can choose your character, track your progress, and unlock a variety of boosts and upgrades. Your starting party only offers two characters to select, an elven fighter and a dwarven engineer, but you'll unlock a few more along the way, including a swift rogue and a powerful mage. The character design, even for the bosses, is top notch and injects a hefty amount of personality into this dystopian fantasy world.

The roguelite aspect sees you collect crystals that can be spent to boost your stats on a permanent basis, while also translating the distance you travel and your overall success into a score that rewards you with materials for unlocking new skills and upgrading the runes you encounter on your journey. These runes are attached to elemental affinities and can pop up at the conclusion of a battle before you move on to the next area. You might also be offered a choice of trinkets to boost your attack, luck, or defense, gold, or the aforementioned crystals, which I was always happy to see.

Your brawling kit involves a basic attack that can combo multiple times, a special attack with a bit more range and usually a knock up effect, and an arcane ability that consumes mana charges that build up as you fight. Any of these moves can be buffed through the runes that you collect, making parts of your kit more deadly, but it's strategic use of all your capabilities that's needed to keep making progress on your journey. The basic brawling that is enough to take down minor foes often fails in the face of the oversized bosses hellbent on preventing you from reaching Azra.

An aspect that really struck me with Absolum is the number of sidequests that pop up just from talking to characters you encounter in each area. The objectives of these aren't all that taxing, but in addition to a long list of in-game accomplishments, they do offer another goal to pursue. Roguelites really hit for me when they offer multiple forms of progression and even adjustable difficulty, and aside from a multi-hour delay in learning about how to spend a particular currency, it's easy to find new things to do and ways to change up each run.

There’s more to do after rolling credits the first time, but my main take away is just how good the combat feels and how gorgeous everything looks while you're doing it. Absolum is made by a team that understands how to make a great brawler, like Shredder's Revenge and Streets of Rage 4, so you can expect a similar level of polish and chops. I ended up clearing the game with every character because I was having such a good time, and with all the awesome games I still haven't played from September, that's proof positive that any beat-'em-up fan should absolutely be checking out Absolum.

[Feel like a Greek goddess over and over again.]

2

TalkBack / Hades II (Switch 2) Review

« on: September 24, 2025, 07:00:00 AM »

Feel like a Greek goddess over and over again.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72565/hades-ii-switch-2-review

On one of the dozens or runs I've started in Hades II, I was trying a new weapon for the first time, the twin flames, having just unlocked it. The early rooms left me feeling like I wasn't going to get very far; this loadout wasn't clicking with me. But then all of a sudden, it was. A few upgrades and boosts later and I had turned into a whirling dervish of rotating torches, and I ended up getting significantly further into the game than I had before. This is just one aspect that makes Hades II nearly impossible to put down: at any moment, you can make something out of nothing, turning despair into triumph.

A follow-up to 2020's Hades, the sequel trades hero Zagreus for heroine Melinoe, who also happens to be Zagreus’ sister. This family affair sees Melonoe aided by a cavalcade of Olympians, including Hermes, Artemis, and her Headmistress, Hecate, among many others. Your primary objective is the defeat of Chronos, the Titan of Time, who has imprisoned Melinoe's family. Much of the enjoyment of the story comes from the interactions between you and the rest of the cast, which serve as a drip feeding of plot details, world building, and relationships. The narrator, none other than Homer (of Illyad and Odyssey fame), adds a delightful flavor, especially when Melinoe takes the opportunity to call out one of his mistakes.

The roguelite action gameplay revolves around traveling from room to room within a specific biome on your path to Cronos. Each biome has a particular theme, unique enemies, and a boss to conquer at the end. To defeat enemies you encounter you have a basic, usually more close range strike, a special attack that typically offers more range, and a cast that places a circle on the ground to various effects, like slowing enemies or gradually damaging them. Completing a room typically offers a reward to help you power up, either for that run or future ones. Compared to the first game, Hades II features a variety of currencies and items to earn and collect that can unlock different bonuses and buffs to increase your chances of successfully meeting and defeating Cronos. One neat mechanic is Arcana cards that can be unlocked and then activated up to a certain limit (which can also be raised), and these grant healing, extra attack power, and other perks. As an RPG man myself, I prioritized upgrading the hub world, unlocking new weapons, and opening up as many possible benefits as I could.

Hades II makes each run feel meaningful, from both a narrative and gameplay standpoint. While you don't earn experience points, you gain valuable insight into the different boons and upgrades available to you on each trip through the Underworld. Maybe the icy powers of Demeter are helping you keep your distance from more aggressive enemies, or you might prefer the lightning-based attacks that Zeus bestows with his boons. Every run is different because you don't know what power-ups you're going to find. And when you're tired of going down to the underworld, you can instead go up, to another set of biomes and a path to Mount Olympus, provided you've jumped through a few alchemy-based hoops.

A major aspect of progression in Hades II centers on collecting materials and ingredients to craft weapons, potions, and other objects to fulfill requirements assigned to Melinoe by her neighbours in the hubworld sanctuary: The Crossroads. Sometimes you finish a run and check off a box or two; sometimes you make it further than you ever have and come home to a bounty of changes and new faces. And those new faces are happy to receive gifts or make small talk, with the former unlocking individual trinkets that can also be leveled up, in addition to individual relationship meters that can also grow over time. It wouldn't be unfair to say that there's maybe too much to keep track of, too many different flowers, stones, meters, and currencies. But for those who don’t mind that juggling or having lots to do and collect, Hades II is an incredible playground.

The aesthetic of Melinoe’s world, including the sights, sounds, and other characters, is unmatched. The Crossroads represent such a perfect contrast of being both alive but also full of underworld theming. The art style of the gods and goddesses but also the enemy bosses contribute so much vibrancy and vitality to the visual experience of Hades II, and for good reason when a game’s loop revolves around repetition. You genuinely want to see people pop up from time to time for another bit of flavor text or to see how they can impact your next run. The voice acting imbues every character with a sense of realism and purpose, from Hecate’s instructive chiding to Chronos’ cocky antagonizing. The presentation works all the way through, and the Switch 2 performance is flawless. Nintendo’s latest console ends up being another perfect home for this roguelite darling.

It will take me dozens more hours to see all of what Hades II has to offer, and that’s not even considering some specific endgame challenges it adds after you complete your first run. I am fully invested in squeezing all of the story juice from this delicious fruit, and that’s primarily due to how masterful the gameplay feels. Moving, dashing, attacking, and casting are all incredibly satisfying, and it’s rare to see any video game so skillfully combine gameplay with aesthetic and story. Without a doubt, Hades II lives up to its predecessor, and surpasses it in a number of ways. While it can at times be overwhelming in terms of collectibles and crafting materials, there are also so many ways to enjoy the experience, through options like God Mode and Aim Assist, or just grinding out in-game achievements and other unlockables. Ultimately, my first complete run through the first Hades signalled the end of my time with that game, but for the sequel, it felt more like I was just getting started.

[The best version of a tactics masterclass.]

3

TalkBack / Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles (Switch 2) Review

« on: September 24, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

The best version of a tactics masterclass.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72564/final-fantasy-tactics-the-ivalice-chronicles-switch-2-review

The idea of game developers getting an opportunity to go back to a title from their past and use modern technology to achieve something closer to their original vision is an inspiring endeavor. Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles represents such an enterprise, and not only does it improve upon a classic formula and experience, but it also showcases the love and dedication that a team had for the story and art they helped to create almost three decades prior.

Final Fantasy Tactics follows the exploits of Ramza Beoulve, a young knight from a powerful noble family. Caught up in what becomes The War of the Lions, where two sides want their chosen representative to sit the throne of Ivalice, Ramza sees the lines between friend, family, and foe constantly blurred. One such character is Delita Heiral, who experiences his own personal tragedy that fuels a drive for revenge and power, and these two men end up as two of the most important characters in the conflict. The overarching narrative and its various character moments are filled with drama and emotion, and the newly added voice acting makes every dialogue and battle cry all the more memorable. Final Fantasy Tactics has always had a story for the ages, and The Ivalice Chronicles telling of it, with a refreshed script and talented voice cast, ensure that this is the best way to experience it.

Anyone who has played the original PlayStation version of Final Fantasy Tactics will immediately recognize the glow up to the menus, world map, and overall presentation. Moving between menus, exploring the world, and basically everything related to the job class system is easier to navigate and more fluid. Tactical games by their nature involve so much moving of a cursor between different options, tiles, and characters, and so when that process is smoother, you feel less bogged down in the mechanics and small details (as much as veterans might enjoy that element). I never felt annoyed to have to backtrack on the world map or re-open character menus over and over to re-check stats, equipment, and job progression, and this is a testament to the snappiness of The Ivalice Chronicles version.

As moving and mature as the story is, the gameplay is where The Ivalice Chronicles showcases how timeless the original experience is. For the most part, the essence of the 1997 release (in Japan) is untouched and instead polished to a glimmering shine. You take turns moving characters around diorama-like environments like city streets, forest clearings, and castle halls, with the objective usually being to defeat a single enemy combatant or rout the opposing squad entirely. Every battle plays out differently, with scripted ones bringing different job classes onto the field, and even the random encounters between cities on the world map typically offering different monsters to fight. You often have to deal with the terrain, buildings, and elevation as much as your foes, but the competent enemy AI and their level scaling make for thrilling battles, and of course, some grinding along the way.

And frankly, seeing the numbers go up is one of the most enjoyable parts of Final Fantasy Tactics. While it may be missing some of the job classes that were included in The War of the Lions release on PSP, The Ivalice Chronicles retains that magic of watching your job class pool grow as you earn more job points in battle, become more proficient, and unlock new abilities, giving you the opportunity to customize your squad. Usually bringing four or five allies, including Ramza, you’re able to combine a primary job with a secondary one to have two sets of abilities at your disposal, in addition to a basic attack, a reaction ability, a support ability, and a movement ability. Some of these are better than others, such as Movement +3 vs Movement +1, but others can be unlocked early on and stay relevant for dozens of battles, like the Chemist job’s Throw Item. I spent hours and hours experimenting with different classes and combinations and endeavoring to unlock all of the jobs, including the hilarious Mime class that simply mimics the actions of other party members. Eventually I settled on an endgame party involving a couple of the recruitable special characters, my girl Agrias obviously, and a few from my starting retinue of Chemists and Squires.

Three elements of The Ivalice Chronicles release genuinely stand out in terms of combat improvements. The first is the fast-forward mechanic, which you can activate by holding down a button to breeze through not only the motions of battle, but cutscenes in and out of combat as well. When it came time for some late-game experience and job point grinding, the ability to fast-forward through what can be a fairly tedious process was incredible, encouraging me to play around the job system even more and try out some combos I hadn’t used when playing the two previous versions of Final Fantasy Tactics. For the second element, you can save mid-battle, which is helpful when the outcome is uncertain and you’re knee-deep in 50-50 propositions or hoping for the best with abilities and skills that aren’t guaranteed to connect. Finally, you can move your character to a spot on the battlefield, gauge how effective their next action is going to be, and then undo that move if the plan isn't the best one. In the original game, you would be stuck in the spot you moved to, even if after getting there you learned that such a move was fruitless or less effective than another alternative.

Spending some hours with the original Final Fantasy Tactics, included in this updated release, gave me even more appreciation for The Ivalice Chronicles than my memories alone would have allowed. By comparison, the battles can be slow and plagued by a fair bit of dumb AI logic. The Ivalice Chronicles has three difficulty options to choose from, another addition. The medium setting offers a challenging but fairly balanced experience, provided you can navigate some pronounced difficulty spikes. Even the simple inclusion of an overhead camera makes battlefield strategizing all the easier. While playing the classic version, I came to really miss the voice acting too, especially considering the fuzziness of the dialogue text font as it's displayed on a modern screen. The Switch screen fairs a bit better in this regard, but the visual enhancement of The Ivalice Chronicles genuinely helps with overall readability to a massive extent.

Whether playing on Switch or Switch 2, The Ivalice Chronicles turns in a respectable level of performance. Both systems run the game at 60 frames-per-second in either docked or handheld mode. If you’re playing on the original Switch, you’ll be working with 720p when docked and 540p in handheld mode. Over on Switch 2, these numbers get bumped up to 1080p docked and 720p handheld. It is worth noting that between a depth-of-field effect and a parchment-like, dithered overlay, aliased edges are surprisingly few and far between. This is of course assuming you’re playing the remastered version. If you swap to the classic version you’ll be looking at a crispy 240p regardless of platform and configuration.

If you recognize Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles as a labor of love, and the result of a desire to perfect an already formidable RPG, this release is a major achievement. It's not definitive, but there's no question that it's the best way to experience a seminal title in the tactics genre. Certainly, it could have opted for more graphically impressive visuals, but it opts for faithful over brave--classic over contemporary. And I'm good with that. The job class system remains a standout, and the plot–as heavy as it is–stands as one for the ages. There is no better time to hop on a Chocobo, and delve into an RPG of and for history. One of the most replayable Square Enix games has never been more worthy of the title.

[Them's fightin’ words.]

4

TalkBack / Wander Stars (Switch) Review Mini

« on: September 19, 2025, 08:00:00 AM »

Them's fightin’ words.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72557/wander-stars-switch-review-mini

Sometimes it's the combination of a neat art style with a unique premise that is enough to entice me towards a new game. Wander Stars features an eye-catching anime look and creative turn-based combat that involves turning words into actions. The result is a novel experience, but one with a few rough patches along the way.

Playing as a young girl named Ringo, you go on a journey to find your brother using your budding martial arts moves. The narrative plays out across visual novel-style cutscenes and fairly lengthy dialogue exchanges. The story didn't grab me too tightly, but its episodic nature was an effective delivery mechanism and fit well with the anime theming. Between story beats, you traverse different environments that look a bit like a board game map, with certain spots containing battles, treasures, or character moments.

The turn-based battles are the highlight of Wander Stars, with progression involving a few different factors. By choosing an attack command, such as kick or punch, an element like fire or wind, and a modifier like Super, Extra, or Wide, you can hit an enemy's different weakpoint(s), apply extra damage, or be able to strike multiple targets at once. Victory can reward you with new words for your arsenal, but you only have a limited number of slots to fit those words into. Once you run out of stamina, you pass to the opponent for their turn, but you can earn extra stamina by hitting an enemy’s weakpoint. You're also rewarded for taking an enemy down to a specific health threshold and then peace-ing out, rather than knocking them out entirely.

At the end of an episode, you can spend Honor, effectively experience points, to permanently raise certain stats or limits, like the number of attack words you can bring into battle. A star ranking system encourages return trips to each episode, but I found that once was enough for me. Some stuttering, some janky animations, and even a softlock put a damper on my time with it, but Wander Stars is a relatively fun romp while it lasts, particularly if you're in it more for the RPG mechanics over the plot.

[Co-op shenanigans in space.]

5

TalkBack / STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions (PC) Hands-on Preview

« on: September 10, 2025, 06:00:00 AM »

Co-op shenanigans in space.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/72409/starseeker-astroneer-expeditions-pc-hands-on-preview

Knowing that I would be spending part of PAX West with some close friends, I was in search of a multi-player focused demo for the four of us to check out. When Devolver Digital reached out about a specific coverage opportunity that checked that very box, I couldn't rightly refuse to check out an upcoming game from one of my favorite publishers. The title in question was STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions, and even though I am not overly familiar with its predecessor with whom it shares a universe, my pals and I happily bopped around the co-op focused world before completing our task and being whisked away off planet.

The demo situated us right in the middle of the action, with an objective marker to head towards as we gradually figured out the controls and our capabilities as space station crew members. Filled with vibrant and pastel-shaded colors, we worked to achieve our first task of reaching the relay station. Much of the fun came not from getting to the station but from bouncing around the world and playing with the different equipment we started the demo with. My tool could be used to deform the ground to create pits or tunnels or in its alternate mode could shoot a blast of air or energy to propel enemies (or maybe friends) forward; another friend could shoot water from his kit to clean off goop disrupting our progress or coating important objects. I was left with no choice after we had finished all of the demo’s main tasks but to use my gear to launch my teammates off the mountain we had scaled. It’s this type of freeform, emergent gameplay that Starseeker appears to revel in.

After exploring the relay station, our next goal became the retrieval of a missing sensor array, which fortunately wasn’t too far away. Of course, the mission wasn’t going to be over that easily, and so our true test came from scaling a nearby mountain while one of us brought the array all the way to the top. Our squad had to work together to ward off enemies, create a tunnel that had to spiral gradually upwards toward the summit, and carry the array along this path. The temptation for mischief was ever present, but we managed to resist long enough to get the equipment up the mountain and activated, which signaled the conclusion of our work. All that was left was to traverse another short distance to our nearby shuttles. Equipped with gliders reminiscent of Buzz Lightyear, we took a leap of faith and slowly made our way down to the final objective marker. Attempting to snatch away our victory at the 11th hour was a rocky creature, but our combined efforts were enough to push it away so that we could make our escape.

The simplicity and freedom of the PAX West demo was one of my major takeaways, and it felt like I had only scratched the surface of what could be a really fun but maybe less stressful co-op experience. I dare use the term “cozy” here, but loosely I think it fits: the cartoonish visuals, the abundance of color, the relative ease with which we could escape danger. I can see the potential in Starseeker for an online multiplayer experience that I return to in large or small bursts for the purpose of chilling with friends and losing ourselves for a while on strange planets in a connected universe. I’m excited by the prospect of a more lowkey, less pressure-filled adventure with friends, and in 2026 we’ll be able to see and learn more as Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions prepares for launch on Switch 2.

6

TalkBack / Re: Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles (Switch 2) Hands-on Preview

« on: September 08, 2025, 04:03:31 AM »

Did they add unmove to the battle system? In all seriousness, that is the sole issue I care about regarding if I get it or not. If they added it, day one buy. If they didn't add it, I won't even touch it.

From what I remember of the demo, there was an option to undo your movement, but wait for our final review for confirmation of this. I'll make sure it's mentioned in our coverage.

[I don't know if 1 + 2 equals 3, but I'm desperate to find out.]

7

TalkBack / Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD-2D Remake (Switch 2) Hands-on Preview

« on: September 04, 2025, 07:00:00 AM »

I don't know if 1 + 2 equals 3, but I'm desperate to find out.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/72343/dragon-quest-1--2-hd-2d-remake-switch-2-hands-on-preview

I have to admit: I’m a sucker for these HD-2D remakes of the Dragon Quest games, and I’m more than ready for Square Enix to sell me everything up to Dragon Quest 11 at least one more time. Having reviewed the mobile port of Dragon Quest 3 when that came to Switch, playing through the HD remake version last year absolutely felt like a breath of fresh air, and it was good news following good when it was also announced that the first two DQ games would also be getting the HD-2D treatment. Spending about 25 minutes with each game during my final demo appointment at PAX West, my body is definitely ready for more of Yuji Horii’s classic turn-based fun.

In Dragon Quest 1, the Hero now has access to scrolls that bestow additional spells and abilities, and one result of this is that you have to be prepared for battles against multiple foes. One of my strongest impressions about the game was just how much more cinematic and lively it is compared to earlier versions of the game, as evidenced by the opening scene of the demo where a conversation was taking place between townsfolk and a swindler peddling the thief’s key. The added horsepower of the Switch 2 made the game look impressive and run incredibly well, and I even encountered an old friend from Dragon Quest 3 who thought he could get away with stealing the aforementioned swindler’s prized possession.

Dragon Quest 2’s inclusion of a new playable character, Princess of Cannock, was the most interesting aspect of my time with Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD-2D Remake. The only downside to this portion of the appointment was just how punishingly tough the lighthouse dungeon was, which saw me running from more than half of the random encounters. The Princess appears to be similar to her brother in terms of being part fighter, part spellcaster, but she’s billed as more swift and seems to have a wider selection of offensive magic, rather than healing spells. Even with an additional party member, I was unable to fully complete the demo, eventually falling to the final boss. Had I my own thief’s key and a few more hours in the day, I would have stolen into a locked broom closet, grinded out another couple levels for my characters, and gave that lighthouse-guarding fiend the beating of a lifetime.

I was truly living the RPG life with headphones on and enjoying both early Dragon Quest games on the Switch 2. It’s funny to recall the experiences of playing Dragon Warrior and its sequel on NES, or the original dual-pack for the two games on Game Boy Color, and then compare them against Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD-2D Remake. The attention to detail and elements like spell effects and the vibrant and colorful towns add so much depth and beauty to the game, without undermining the way beloved RPGs can enthrall with gameplay, systems, and story.

With Dragon Quest 3 being such a massive adventure, especially when put side-by-side with the first Dragon Quest, it wouldn’t be wrong to have some concern about the value proposition of Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD-2D Remake. Does 1 + 2 actually equal 3 in this case? From what I’ve seen so far in terms of how DQ 1 and 2 have been elevated and rejuvenated, the answer is crystal clear. If you’ve ever enjoyed a turn-based RPG, the creation of HD remakes for some of the most important titles in the genre is something to celebrate, and this is going to be the best way to access them. Their release date, October 30th of this year, is one I already had circled on my calendar, and my hands-on time with both pretty much confirmed what I’ll be doing while sneaking pieces of my kids’ Halloween candy.

[Rebuild a town and double the fun of combat in this RPG prequel.]

8

TalkBack / Octopath Traveler 0 (Switch 2) Hands-on Preview

« on: September 03, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

Rebuild a town and double the fun of combat in this RPG prequel.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/72339/octopath-traveler-0-switch-2-hands-on-preview

The second demo opportunity during my Square Enix PAX West appointment was for Octopath Traveler 0, and I went into this one with the strongest mix of trepidation and excitement. My original concern was that this was a mobile version, Champions of the Content, being brought to life on consoles, but in just under an hour, I can admit that such a concern was all but washed away. The new town-building mechanics combined with the familiar exploration and combat seem to make for a winning combination, with a few slight reservations.

Left to my own devices, I spent the first 10 minutes or so playing around with the town building, which involved a series of largely empty plots that I could erect houses, shops, decorations, and a variety of path materials. It wasn't until returning to the town later in my session that I could better understand the progression and purpose of reconstructing the town; a character freshly recruited could be installed as a shopkeeper, for instance. Going a bit deeper, that new citizen's shop would expand with additional equipment and items based on contracts I could find in the world, eventually expanding to carry in his shop products from many different stores found in the cities of Orsterra. The possibility of not only enlarging the town of Wishdale and its population but also the potency of their trade is an enticing prospect.

The second portion of the demo took me to the town of Sunshade, with which you might be familiar if you played the first Octopath Traveler game. Dancer Primrose’s starting location, Sunshade was a place where I could reacquaint myself with the series’ signature path actions, convincing, enticing, or persuading people in town to provide information or perhaps something more material. Here I also found the objective of my mission, a merchant named Ludo. I didn’t have all of the context for needing to find this individual, but conversing with him revealed our goal of bringing a merchant to Wishdale, so that we could boost trade in the town as part of our rebuilding efforts. Of course, Ludo had a request of his own: he asked us to clear out a group of lizardmen plaguing a nearby trade route. Doing so would prove us worthy of his services, so off I went.

Exploring the town and then the areas surrounding it felt very familiar as someone who finished Octopath 1 and 2. The dungeon didn’t take long to reach, nor did it take long to navigate, but a new element was particularly intriguing: elite enemies. Guarding a chest was a large sandworm that I could see on screen and choose to challenge or avoid. This particular foe put up more of a fight than the boss of the dungeon, but I was told that there are different tiers of elites, with some needing you to come back later to be better prepared to take them on. A war of attrition, the sandworm fight eventually saw me emerge victorious, and shortly after I found the lizardmen Ludo charged me with eliminating.

One of the major additions to Octopath Traveler 0 is in combat, where you bring a team of eight to the fight instead of the usual four. There are a score of interesting dynamics at play as a result. For one, you can freely swap between individual front row characters as soon as their turn comes up, which can be particularly helpful in trying to break enemy defenses by hitting their various weakpoints. For another, allies in the background recover some HP and SP at the end of each round of combat, allowing them to soothe their wounds for a spell. As was the case in the first two games, your team gain action points (AP) with every passing turn, and these AP can be cashed in to make up to four total actions in a single turn; your backrow teammates also gain AP at the same rate, so you can deploy them strategically, perhaps against a defenseless boss, to dole out major damage. It stands to reason that having eight characters in battle is a bit more demanding than four, but the strategic possibilities are all that more plentiful in turn.

Octopath Traveler 0 appears to be playing with the tried-and-true formula established in the series that built upon the foundations of Final Fantasy and Bravely Default. Playing on a Switch 2 in handheld mode felt incredible, with smooth performance and attractive HD-2D graphics looking great on the console’s larger screen. I was a bit skeptical early on in the appointment because of a rudimentary feeling to the base building, but when Ludo joined the town and I could see how his offerings would grow over time, I was definitely intrigued by the potential of rebuilding Wishdale. While I had hoped to gain a better sense of the overall story, I left having only checked out some of the party chat moments and the interactions between the protagonist you create, a comrade named Phenn, and Ludo, so I do want to learn more about what’s going on in this prequel and how it informs Octopath 1. For certain, though, my appetite has been whet, and I’m ready for more, of the soundtrack especially. Octopath Traveler 0 comes to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on December 4, 2025.

[Not so vanilla Ivalice, Ivalice, baby!]

9

TalkBack / Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles (Switch 2) Hands-on Preview

« on: September 02, 2025, 06:00:00 AM »

Not so vanilla Ivalice, Ivalice, baby!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/72338/final-fantasy-tactics-the-ivalice-chronicles-switch-2-hands-on-preview

I never owned a PS1 myself, but a close friend down the street did have one, and that’s where I first played both Final Fantasy 7 and less than a year later, Final Fantasy Tactics. To say that I was smitten with both is an understatement, but it was the challenge, story and customizability of the latter that stuck with me for years. While I enjoyed them, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and A2 didn’t quite hit in the same way, and so I’ve eagerly awaited a new incarnation of the series. More than just another in the long line of Square Enix remakes and remasters, Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles feels like a worthwhile release for this classic turn-based RPG, which hopefully inspires a true sequel sometime down the road.

During PAX West 2025, I had the opportunity to demo a handful of upcoming Square Enix RPGs, the first of which was The Ivalice Chronicles. When the game was first revealed, my initial impression was one of slight disappointment; I had hoped for a more full makeover for the almost 30-year-old title. Having a chance to go hands-on with it forced me to change my tune pretty quickly. For one thing, the added voice acting imbues the gravitas of the main story and its individual character moments with an even greater depth and resonance. An early example of this was the scene involving Ramza’s father on his deathbed, where the voice actors truly accentuated the drama and grief of the moment. Another standout from the demo was the work of Paul Panting in the role of Gaffgarion. I’m excited to see this compelling narrative brought to life through the efforts of its capable voice cast.

The enhanced, modern version of Final Fantasy Tactics that is included in the package appears to offer a faithful but polished experience. While it doesn’t include the War of the Lions content, there is added flair and presentation elements that will be welcome to both newcomers and veterans. A small introduction scene plays whenever a guest character joins your party, and something similar happens when an ally turns traitor, which was fun to see. The menus, world map, and combat environments are all easier to navigate in terms of controls and appearance. A new fast-forward mechanic makes it easy to speed through character dialogue and more importantly the battles with perhaps foregone conclusions, like the random encounters that can pop up when traveling between map points. Given that I’ve played through the game multiple times, including on PS1 and via the PSP version on Vita, I’m pleasantly surprised that this 2025 release manages to feel fresh and contemporary within a much more crowded tactical-RPG genre.

I recall with frustration the lag and slowdown that plagued The War of the Lions release on PSP, and so it’s already a fairly big win to see how smoothly Final Fantasy Tactics runs on modern platforms. My demo included time with the PS5 version and the Switch 2 version in handheld mode, and the experience was absolutely comparable on both, particularly in terms of performance. I’m expecting that Switch 2 owners won’t have to make any major sacrifice if they want to take the game on the go.

I didn’t have time to check out the Classic Mode included with The Ivalice Chronicles, which uses the mechanics and graphics of the original 1997 release but with The War of the Lions script and an added auto-save feature. However, what I could play of the Enhanced Mode has absolutely pushed Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles higher up on my list of fall and winter games-to-play. It reminds me of taking your favorite blanket out of the dryer on a cold day; it’s comfortable, warm, and familiar, but it also manages to feel like new. Best of all, we don’t have long to wait before we can get our turn-based, job class swapping fix. The Ivalice Chronicles launches on September 30th on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

[Rough around the metal edges, but fun gameplay for the most part.]

10

TalkBack / Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion (Switch 2) Review

« on: September 02, 2025, 05:00:00 AM »

Rough around the metal edges, but fun gameplay for the most part.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72204/daemon-x-machina-titanic-scion-switch-2-review

A surprise re-emergence, the follow up to 2019's Daemon X Machina, Titanic Scion, was shown off at the April Nintendo Direct earlier this year. Again developed by Marvelous, the open-world action sequel follows a pilot who crash lands onto a world referred to as the Ground and effectively becomes a mercenary for a resistance group. While the gameplay loop genuinely grew on me, the bland environments and uneven performance put some rust on this mecha.

Despite a decently compelling set of antagonists in the Neun, with whom the hero shares a complicated background, Gameplay remains the obvious focus of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. After an awkward, red-saturated start, the experience opens up a fair bit once you enter your main base and are introduced to all of the ways you can progress your character. Specifically, you are given a customizable Arsenal suit that can be adapted to suit your playstyle, with quicker melee weapons like a laser sword or heavier ones like a combo-less mace. Your suit's other hand can hold a second melee weapon or better yet a ranged piece like a machine gun or assault rifle. Add to that a shoulder mounted missile launcher and you've got a recipe for mechanized disaster.

By defeating enemy Arsenal or other foes, you can loot their remnants for new gear to upgrade your current holdings or sell for money. An interesting aspect of the looting mechanic is that you can only choose a single piece to take with you, even if there are multiple items available. This is true even at the conclusion of boss encounters. The result is that such decisions, coupled with a fairly dense introduction of gameplay systems, can be overwhelming or confusing. You could choose to read all of the tips and tutorials or just pick it up as you go, and either path should eventually lead to steady progress. Some of the major boss fights against evil military group the Neun require you to change up your accessories and strategies, and it is fun to figure out what works best against these tough opponents.

The Fort and its underground Base serve as your hub for acquiring and completing missions, talking to NPCs, and outfitting your Arsenal. You'll return here often with the currency you've earned, gear you've acquired, and minerals and materials you've harvested. Fast travel points make it easy to head out into the world to achieve your objectives, like escorting an NPC or destroying a specific target, and then quickly return to base before taking on the next mission. There isn't always major fanfare between main chapters in the story, so it can be difficult to discern exactly when one ends and the next begins, giving more credence to the notion that the narrative of Titanic Scion takes a backseat to the world and what the player chooses to do within it.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the sequel is jetting around the world in your Arsenal. From almost any point on the map, you can engage your thrusters and float or blast through the air towards your next destination. Spending time opening up fast travel points and supply stations by flying from The Fort reminded me of Xenoblade Chronicles X and also BioWare's Anthem. The combat itself can be clunky at times, but the joy of movement largely makes up for it. The side missions are a bit repetitive, so I didn’t end up completing too many of those, but there is a colosseum where you can climb the ranks in 1 on 1 battles, which ended up being a good way to test out different builds and earn some spare parts.

There are other ways to improve your character based on specific materials you find in the world, especially after encounters with bosses and mini-bosses called Immortals. It feels like there are a number of options in terms of customizing your character and their Arsenal, but understanding the hows and whys does take some time. One specific system involves taking biological pieces back to a lab and altering your character’s genetic make up to bestow new weapon techniques and passive buffs, and as neat as this was, I either didn’t harvest enough of what I needed to get more moves or didn’t upgrade the lab enough for it to make meaningful changes.

With Titanic Scion coming to all major platforms, while also being a Switch 2 specific release, taking note of how it looks and runs was a key objective for my time with the game. In short, the Switch 2 performance definitely leaves something to be desired. Frame drops and hitching are common occurrences, especially during combat, and for an action game that is trying to be faster than its predecessor, such issues are hard to ignore. The performance did improve with a day one patch that was applied during the review period, but there’s still some work to be done in this area. Even though it’s far from unplayable, a smoother, more stable performance could really help Titanic Scion shine.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion has a neat premise and fun ways of customizing your character and your Arsenal to meet the different combat challenges found in its world. It’s unfortunate that the world itself feels lifeless at times, with repetitive enemy encounters and side missions. The best moments are when you come across a gigantic Immortal that you just know will require the combined might of co-op partners, be they real or NPC, but you make a solo attempt anyways, only to be smashed to pieces, which is a humbling experience. Those interested in online multiplayer will be glad to know that the whole campaign is playable cooperatively, but I did not have a chance to check out the cross-platform multiplayer for myself, and I am concerned that online play could further compromise how the game runs. If you’re not afraid of a bit of jank and some performance hiccups, Titanic Scion offers a good time in short bursts. That said, the cracks begin to show through a little more during longer play sessions, and ultimately the sequel appears to have taken only baby steps ahead of its predecessor.

[Thou art not so tarnished after all.]

11

TalkBack / Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition (Switch 2) Hands-on Preview

« on: August 31, 2025, 06:57:40 PM »

Thou art not so tarnished after all.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/72336/elden-ring-tarnished-edition-switch-2-hands-on-preview

During PAX West 2025, I was fortunate enough to get into the always busy Nintendo booth, which was showing off demos for five upcoming Switch 2 games. Among them was the much anticipated open-world RPG, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, finally coming to a Nintendo platform and available for portable and TV play. Both demo configurations started at the beginning of the adventure, with character creation. For each 15 minute session, I chose a different class and went in a slightly different direction as I tried to get my bearings after not having played since the base game launched. Of course, I lost to the tutorial boss immediately so that I could put the game through its paces on Switch 2, and not at all because I'm a filthy casual who rarely defeats these FromSoftware staples.

With the Switch 2 console in my grubby mitts, my first impression was that this had to be an improved version compared to what we saw coming out of Gamescom, and I did get confirmation that the PAX West demo was based on a new build of the game. While it's clear from comparing the handheld and docked that a sacrifice is still being made to go portable, the experience felt perfectly serviceable; I could totally see myself bringing Elden Ring to bed for a few more minutes of exploring its vast lands prior to sleep taking me. My demo involved fighting a handful of spear-toting soldiers before descending into a nearby mine to check out the visibility on the smaller screen. It was really dark and hard to find my way around, so it's worth considering how the more enclosed spaces could feel particularly tight when playing on the go.

On the TV, I activated a few Sites of Grace and ran straight to Melina to acquire Torrent and roam about on horseback. It was a smooth ride through and through. After messing around with some mounted combat, I headed towards Stormveil Castle to fight the boss, Margit, knowing quite well that this was a test of the Switch 2's capabilities and not my own. The performance and visuals reminded me of my original playthrough on PS5, with the Switch 2 version perhaps being a slight step down from that. Again, I didn't get the sense that I would be making a major sacrifice to play Elden Ring on Switch 2.

There were some hiccups during my session, more so when playing off TV. Frame drops were present but not to a burdensome extent, and were most noticeable on my way through Storm Hill, the windy, enemy-filled path up to Margit. Pop-in was almost non-existent, even with distant objects like trees, and sprinting and jumping with Torrent looked and felt good, at least until I was knocked off my mount by a ballista bolt. There's still time for work to be done on this version of Elden Ring, so I'm hopeful that Switch 2 owners will be playing a near definitive edition that also holds up to comparison with other platforms. Perhaps not entirely gone, my fears about the performance of FromSoft's open-world Soulsborne entry are mostly allayed, and genuinely I'm eager to get more time with the game closer to launch, which is still currently scheduled for sometime in 2025.

[Just in time to try the free eShop demo for this sequel.]

12

TalkBack / Interview with Daemon X Machina Producer in Lead-up to Titanic Scion

« on: August 19, 2025, 12:55:54 PM »

Just in time to try the free eShop demo for this sequel.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/72111/interview-with-daemon-x-machina-producer-in-lead-up-to-titanic-scion

Thanks to Marvelous, we had an opportunity to interview series Producer Kenichiro Tsukuda as we quickly approach the launch of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. Below you'll find the questions curated by Jordan and the responses from Mr. Tsukuda.

Q: Compared to the first Daemon X Machina, Titanic Scion is launching on much more powerful hardware, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. How have those platforms guided your design and development process?

A: These days, game development is done on PCs. Regardless of the available console hardware, we first develop the game on PC before bringing it to each platform. In this regard, there are now fewer challenges when moving from the relatively unrestricted PC environment to the more controlled console platforms.

Q: What was learned from player reception during the development of and after the release of Daemon X Machina, and how is that knowledge being applied to Titanic Scion?

A: We’re often able to find the solutions to challenges the team face through examining the actions of players. We learned of the importance of being able to choose between solo play and online play, and that there are more players who prefer co-op over PVP. We enhance what already works, and try to improve, rather than remove, elements that don’t work as well. You’ll see the results of some of these learnings later in our DLC rollout.

Q: How do you balance freedom and player customization with crafting compelling story beats and a satisfying narrative experience?

A: We strive to prioritize gameplay, even over story. Although each player may have their own unique preferences for what they want out of a game, the one thing I make sure of is that our game is fun, as players are spending their hard-earned money to play our game. An interesting story is great, but you can also get an interesting story from a movie, anime, or novel. Gameplay is what sets a game apart from other media.

In Titanic Scion, we maintained story depth found in the previous game, while simultaneously narrowing story scope. I also want to mention that we strive to prioritize characters over story as well. A story exists because characters exist, not the other way around. Therefore, I want to make the characters as appealing and satisfying as they can be. That said, sometimes as a player you need to defeat other characters in order to get new equipment and items. That’s part of the fun of games, after all.

Q: Are there any influences from outside of video games that are relevant to Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion? Put another way, would fans of a particular TV, anime, book, or other media property be particularly attracted to Titanic Scion?

A: I think people interested in the field of science in general, fans of novels by James P. Hogan and Isaac Asimov, and those who enjoy science fiction media will all find something they like. In terms of manga and other media, Titanic Scion is also influenced by Shotaro Ishinomori, who often depicted the sorrow and conflicts of non-human beings. Additionally, we built our game world based on various theories about the formation of the Earth and planets. In terms of anime, we were inspired by Gundam, among other properties. As for superheroes, we were inspired by Iron Man. With Titanic Scion, I set out to create something that appeals to all fans of mech and mech-adjacent media.

Q: We always like to end interviews with a fun question: What is your favorite video game of all time and why?

A: I usually don’t answer these types of questions because I feel it would be disrespectful to our development team if I answered with anything other than our own games. However, given the challenges I’ve faced in life recently, I’d like to make an exception this time. The video game I’ve enjoyed the most is Nintendo’s Brain Age. While I enjoyed playing it as a child, it was only as an adult that I had the opportunity to play it with my beloved parents. I truly enjoyed that. Unfortunately, I’ve lost that opportunity in recent years. I now aspire to create games that can bring people together in a similar way.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on September 5, 2025.

[A noteworthy precursor to better indie RPGs.]

13

TalkBack / OFF (Switch) Review

« on: August 15, 2025, 09:35:43 PM »

A noteworthy precursor to better indie RPGs.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/72099/off-switch-review

As someone who discovered indie games a little later, having taken a bit of a hiatus from PC gaming, I was not familiar with OFF prior to a definitive version being announced for consoles. A quirky, minimalist, turn-based RPG, OFF will feel familiar to fans of Undertale and Earthbound (the Magicant portion in particular). I can appreciate how OFF inspired indie RPGs and other titles since its original release in 2008, but its value seems to derive more from its historical significance than its gameplay or narrative.

After naming your unseen player observer, you are introduced to the primary character you control, the Batter. On screen, outside and inside of combat, the Batter does the talking and of course the swinging. You can eventually acquire three other entities to join you in combat, and these take the form of circles referred to as Add-ons that each have their own abilities. They serve no other purpose than to aid you in battle, however. Fortunately, a kooky cast populates the different areas of the game, and the brisk, linear adventure doesn't wear out its welcome.

Your objective is to purify the handful of zones the world is divided into by ridding them of spirits, which range from funny-looking ghosts to more grotesque monstrosities. Along the way, you encounter puzzles that frequently take the form of inputting numbers into a telephone keypad-like setup. In many situations, what you see isn't always what you get, and so it's important to talk to everyone and be aware of small details and changes in your surroundings. An arrow here or an innocuous box there and you'll have the hints you need to progress. One neat example of this is one Lost Woods-type place where you can reorient a building's entrance by taking the path around it and to the left, which pops you back out to the right of the building, except its entrance now takes you to a different floor or wing.

The turn-based battle system is fairly standard, with meters beside your foes and under your characters that indicate when each member will be able to make their move. The Batter has a number of healing moves and bat swings, but the new abilities he unlocks are generally just more powerful versions of earlier ones. The Add-ons have slightly more interesting moves, like inflicting status effects, bestowing buffs, or hitting for a random amount of damage. Experience points allow your party members to level up, and currency earned from battles can be spent to acquire better gear. Intrepid explorers are rewarded with more potent equipment that helps with some of the tougher battles, but as someone who has played his fair share of RPGs the last 30 years, I never needed to grind or backtrack to achieve the first of OFF's multiple endings.

I'm not able to speak to how OFF compares to its 2008 release, but according to the press materials, it features “an all-new battle system, balancing improvements, as well as new areas and hidden bosses from the game’s creator, Mortis Ghost.” I was honestly expecting a more challenging experience overall, but the hurdles I encountered were much more from the puzzles and story than the combat, so fans of those elements will be better served here. I would imagine that anyone who played and enjoyed the original release would get a kick out of revisiting the 2025 edition to see the changes firsthand.

OFF is among the curios of independently developed video games that appears to have had a noticeable impact on the indie landscape. It's worth playing as a reminder of how far smaller, more unique RPGs have come in the last two decades, but its gameplay and story aren't captivating enough to warrant a full recommendation. While I respect how its niche-ness is part of its identity, you really need to value that aspect prior to diving in. My overall impression is that I'm happy to have experienced it and glad to have another piece of video game history on the Switch eShop. But once I've turned it OFF, I'm ready for something with more meat on the bone.

[A cozy experience that lacks staying power.]

14

TalkBack / Tiny Bookshop (Switch) Review Mini

« on: August 12, 2025, 09:18:00 AM »

A cozy experience that lacks staying power.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/72092/tiny-bookshop-switch-review-mini

Shadowdropped as part of the most recent Indie World presentation, Tiny Bookshop is a quaint and simple take on the shop simulator genre. It doesn't take too long to figure out how to play, but it's difficult not to feel like the cover of the book might be more interesting than the contents.

The premise is that you operate a travelling bookshop in the form of a trailer attached to a small car. Each day you travel to a different location to hock your wares, but before that you need to stock your shelves with color-coded genres, like fantasy and travel, to entice the would-be patrons in that setting. Along the way you encounter specific characters who will make conversation with you, providing narrative tidbits about themselves and sometimes offering mini objectives to complete.

Depth comes in the form of items that you can use to adorn the bookshop or decorate the exterior, some of which need to be activated to have an effect. What's frustrating is that many of these items offer both an advantage, like increasing the likelihood of selling a particular genre, but also a downside, like raising your day-to-day operating cost or reducing interest in other book genres. The single-digit percentages associated with these items make their usage even more inscrutable. The simplicity of the gameplay is undermined by these item mechanics.

It's enjoyable for a little while to see the numbers go up and down as your profits soar and your inventory dwindles, but there's so little variety in the main loop that I didn’t feel compelled to discover all of the areas and associated characters. As a background game for the cozy-inclined, it offers a fairly passable experience, but Tiny Bookshop is far from a page-turner.

[Square Enix once again making their presence felt during a Nintendo Direct.]

15

TalkBack / Final Fantasy Tactics Coming in September and a SaGa Switch 2 Upgrade

« on: July 31, 2025, 06:08:00 AM »

Square Enix once again making their presence felt during a Nintendo Direct.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/71897/final-fantasy-tactics-coming-in-september-and-a-saga-switch-2-upgrade

During the July Partner Showcase, Nintendo announced that one of the best RPGs on Nintendo Switch, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, would be getting a Switch 2 upgrade later today at a cost of $9.99 (USD). See the image to the right for the 1.1.0 release patch notes. There's a demo on the Switch eShop if you've yet to check it out, or you can check out our review of the game below.

We were also reminded about the fairly imminent launch of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, coming to Switch and Switch 2 on September 30. The upcoming remaster features added voice acting, new difficulty modes, and the ability to review story beats to keep up with its weighty narrative.

[A witch's mouse goes on a quest for foodstuffs.]

16

TalkBack / Charming 3D Adventure Hela Roams Onto Switch Next Year

« on: July 31, 2025, 05:54:36 AM »

A witch's mouse goes on a quest for foodstuffs.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/71891/charming-3d-adventure-hela-roams-onto-switch-next-year

Live a mouse-y life in 3D adventure game Hela, coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. Against a realistic forest background, you guide a witch's familiar on a quest to collect ingredients for their mistress to brew, while using your froggy backpack to swing across gaps and pick up items. Playing solo or with up to four players in online co-op, Hela's charm factor was off the charts. Stay tuned for more coverage of the game next year.

[The next Octopath game and a brand new action-RPG cometh.]

17

TalkBack / A Pair of HD-2D Titles Close Out The Partner Showcase

« on: July 31, 2025, 05:46:00 AM »

The next Octopath game and a brand new action-RPG cometh.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/71888/a-pair-of-hd-2d-titles-close-out-the-partner-showcase

Square Enix entered just in time to drop two HD-2D bombs at the end of today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. First up was an action-RPG coming in 2026 to Nintendo Switch 2, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales, which also has a demo dropping on the eShop today. There was also the promise of a follow-up survey for players to send in feedback about the demo. Protagonist Elliot, accompanied by his fairy partner Faie, can switch between multiple weapon types and solve puzzles by controlling both characters.

Not to be outdone, Octopath Traveler 0 was also revealed, a prequel set before the events of the first Octopath Traveler and launching on December 4 on both Switch and Switch 2. Unlike previous games in the series, you create your own character here and seemingly work to restore a village after it was destroyed in a blaze. The trailer ended on a shot showcasing many more than just the signature eight characters that would form your party in the first two games, so it will be exciting to learn more about how this next game diverges even further.

[A chill, island-themed puzzle game that builds on its predecessor.]

18

TalkBack / ISLANDERS: New Shores (Switch) Review

« on: July 08, 2025, 09:00:00 AM »

A chill, island-themed puzzle game that builds on its predecessor.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71483/islanders-new-shores-switch-review

ISLANDERS: New Shores is a follow up to a 2019 release of the same name, minus the subtitle. It’s a cozy, chill puzzle game about building up an island with cities, lighthouses, shaman huts, woodmills, and other structures in order to earn as many points as possible so that you can move on to the next island. Because there’s no in-game timer, you can take as long as you like to position each structure and object to make it fit just so and rake in the most points. The pleasant tunes and charming, minimalist presentation make for an experience that’s both easy to lose yourself in and easy to recommend as lighter but enjoyable fare.

New Shores begins with a tutorial island that provides a straightforward demonstration of the mechanics but less of the nuance, which is left up to the player to discover. Essentially, you construct buildings on an island and typically next to related structures to earn more and more points. You begin new islands by choosing from a pack of two building set cards, such as Brickmaker Pack and Seaweed Farm Pack, and sometimes a unique building for the particular type of island you’re working with. From those initial structures, you start down a path of needing to continually earn enough points through building placement to level up and earn a new card pack. Along the way–an addition to the New Shores follow-up–you can also unlock special boons that have effects such as awarding more points to your next construction act or allowing you to copy one of your buildings at the cost of a temporary penalty. Once you’ve earned enough points on a single island, you can choose to move to the next one, or stay and go for the highest score and level possible before moving on.

After choosing to advance to the next island, your overall score for the previous one is tallied up and multipliers are awarded based on elements like how many boons you activated and how few undo’s you used. From there, the cycle repeats anew as you choose from a pair of islands with their own climate and special structure. What I’ve described so far is the High Score Mode of ISLANDERS: New Shores, but there’s also a Sandbox Mode for those who want to flex their creative muscles on an island space of their own design. In Sandbox Mode, you can customize the island size, climate, shape, and more before choosing from all of the structures the game has to offer.

Playing on Switch 2, I experienced a fairly smooth performance with only some light stuttering when trying to make subtle movements in positioning my buildings. There’s also an occasional stickiness when trying to move structures around before placing them, which is frustrating given how often you’ll be making subtle movements to see how many points are awarded before ultimately choosing where to drop your houses, fields, saunas, and breweries. It does feel like a game that would benefit from the Switch 2’s mouse mode, but at the time of review this was not an option–and to clarify, New Shores is considered a Switch 1 release.

The slightly more detailed and enticing menus and buildings of New Shores made me fall a little harder for it than I did the original ISLANDERS. You still retain your overall score from island to island to shoot for a position atop the online leaderboard, and that “one more run” feeling is as strong as ever given the simple gameplay and the constant dopamine drip of numbers going up and card packs unlocking. ISLANDERS: New Shores is almost certainly going to enjoy a lengthy stay on my Switch’s home screen as a way to settle into bedtime vibes at the end of the night. It’s a fun, approachable puzzle sim that should hook fans of the original back in while also bringing even more people to these chill island settings.

[Remember when it kept pooping and you didn’t clean it up? That was more fun.]

19

TalkBack / Tamagotchi Plaza (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 28, 2025, 01:27:00 AM »

Remember when it kept pooping and you didn’t clean it up? That was more fun.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71565/tamagotchi-plaza-switch-2-review

Tamagotchi Plaza was revealed during the March 27th Nintendo Direct earlier this year, announced for Switch and confirmed for Switch 2 as well. Now, I haven’t owned or used a Tamagotchi since the late ‘90s, but I can appreciate that the brand still has its fans and there’s even connectivity between the game and the modern Tamagotchi Uni toy. That said, the simplistic, repetitive gameplay on offer in Tamagotchi Plaza represents a far cry from the joy of raising a digital pet, and it’s a hard sell no matter how you feel about the brand.

The premise of Tamagotchi Plaza is that you are trying to get the king to award the Tamagotchi Fest to Tamahiko Town, which is where you find yourself. After providing your name and birthday, you select a Tamagotchi assistant to serve as your avatar as you walk around and visit the various shops to help them out and earn money and reputation for the town. At times, the prince will come by to offer encouragement and signal that you are making progress towards the town’s goal. By helping each shop to succeed and grow more prosperous, you increase the chances of Tamahiko Town winning the bid to host Tamagotchi Fest. Unfortunately, some frustrating choices make such an objective one that I can’t imagine many players will have the drive to complete.

For one, none of the mini-games that you play at the dozen shops offer any sort of tutorial. There may be some brief feedback given during each one or at the conclusion, but typically you’re left high and dry as you attempt to discern what the game is asking you to do. Some of the activities, like the sushi restaurant, the glasses store, and the manga studio, are particularly in need of an explanation or demo that would showcase how to succeed in their tasks. For another, you are neither punished or rewarded monetarily by how well you perform in the mini-games. A one-star rating yields as many coins as a three-star rating, and it’s hilarious to hear the light scolding from the shop owner or customer as you still charge them the same 30 to 60 coins for a job poorly done. If you earn enough three-star ratings from customers, you get an opportunity to spend your coins to upgrade that particular shop.

From your mayoral-looking home base, you can select a different avatar Tamagotchi, upgrade the four centralized park spaces of the town, or check on the town’s chances of scoring the Tamagotchi Fest, which increases at a snail’s pace. The progress is all the more glacial due to the repetitive nature of each mini-game, and really they’re all that Tamagotchi Plaza has to offer. You can “collect,” and I use the word loosely here, over 100 different Tamagotchi, and each new one appears in a journal with updated photos of them as you have further interactions. Only sometimes can you even elicit any type of dialogue or reaction from them, and so the enjoyment comes only from their appearance in town and any familiarity you might have with them from things like the Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop games on Nintendo DS.

For a high point, the Switch 2 performance of Tamagotchi Plaza is solid, with no noticeable issues during my playtime outside of a tiny bit of pop-in. There are a couple of mini-games that can be enjoyed with a second player in local co-op, and the sushi restaurant actually forces you to use the Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode, which is both fitting but also a fairly miserable affair. If activities like making and serving sushi don’t drive you mad, the cutesy but grating sound effects likely will.

Tamagotchi Plaza isn’t an experience I would recommend on Switch or Switch 2, and I struggle to find many redeeming qualities outside of its colorful world and quirky-looking citizens. The mini-games are much more often boring, repetitive, or inscrutable than fun, and the gameplay loop becomes recognizably thin within the first 30 minutes of the game. From what I’ve seen of the DS titles, there’s more charm and incentive to revisit or play through those than this modern reincarnation. While I’d think that younger players might be able to get into Tamagotchi Plaza, the lack of mini-game tutorials/directions is certain to push them away instead. No amount of Tamagotchi nostalgia would be enough to make this plaza a place you want to visit.

[A fun adventure with a few Ruff patches.]

20

TalkBack / Ruffy and the Riverside (Switch) Review

« on: June 25, 2025, 12:00:00 AM »

A fun adventure with a few Ruff patches.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71389/ruffy-and-the-riverside-switch-review

Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D action-adventure with an open world to explore and solve puzzles in. There's dozens of items to collect and a delightful sense of play as you control the titular Ruffy, a bear who looks not unlike a Star Wars ewok and has the power to alter his surroundings. The charm and pace of Ruffy's journey work well, but there are some frustrations and jank can sometimes put a damper on the experience.

Ruffy's world of Riverside is threatened by an ominous cube that wants to destroy everything in sight. It's up to Ruffy to become the chosen hero and collect a series of letters to activate the world core and save his home. The world is divided into a major hub and smaller areas within it, not unlike Super Mario 64's castle and individual painting levels. Along the way, you'll encounter a host of colorful characters and all manner of unique and tricky challenges–one of which is the annoying ladders that usually have to be climbed right down the middle to successfully reach the top.

Much of the gameplay centers on Ruffy's ability to absorb one material, object, or color and then swap it with another. While some puzzles will have more obvious solutions that employ this mechanic, others involve some (or much) trial and error. It's a wonderful feeling when you solve a puzzle that had taken you 5 or 10 minutes to solve, but I encountered multiple situations where the solution was either less obvious or only appeared after I had exhausted all of my options and just kept hitting everything around me or retracing my steps. Like with many puzzle games, if the design clicks with you, you'll probably have a better time. This wasn't always the case for me, though, so your mileage may vary.

The controls can take some getting used to, with Ruffy having a lot of speed but less precision. There's enough platforming that this becomes an issue at times, and compounding failure is a checkpoint system that can sometimes send you back an annoying distance, which forces you to redo the same puzzles or surmount the same obstacles over and over. Coins you collect can be used to purchase heart containers to boost your life meter or costumes to change Ruffy's look, but I actually liked being able to spend them on the occasional puzzle solution so that I could more quickly progress through the game.

Just to give some context for the puzzles you encounter, some of the early ones require that you swap the water of a waterfall with climbable leaves from a nearby wall or change stone pillars in the ocean into wood so that they'll float horizontally and serve as more effective platforms. In the pursuit of the Riverside letters mentioned earlier, you often have to traverse multiple smaller spaces before you can find the letters, and some of the challenges thrown at you end up being simple repeats of ones you've already done. Being tasked with completing a symbol matching exercise once is fine, but having to do two or three in a row can feel like busywork.

The sound effects and music are light and funny, pairing well with the humorous design of Ruffy himself, in all his dancing glory. The hand-drawn visual design of the environment inspires a sense of both simplicity and vibrancy, with lots of bright colors juxtaposed with sharp edges and basic structures and objects. There's a good amount of comedy in the writing, but the introduction/tutorial is a little verbose and could be pared down.

Ruffy and the Riverside is a delightful adventure whose charm takes precedence over its jank and repetition. It performs well on Switch 2, which is where I reviewed the game, and has a lot of content for completionists to sink their teeth into. Some of the puzzles can be frustrating or obtuse, but the unique swapping mechanic makes for a fun departure compared to other 3D action-adventure experiences. It may be a bit Ruffy around the edges, but this Riverside is one that I was happy to dip my toes into.

[Aaahh!!! Real Hungry Monsters!]

21

TalkBack / Hungry Meem (Switch) Review

« on: June 19, 2025, 07:17:00 AM »

Aaahh!!! Real Hungry Monsters!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71475/hungry-meem-switch-review

Hungry Meem is part real-time strategy, part simulation and tasks you with feeding little monsters called “Meems” and slowly expanding their village and holding feast events to grow the World Tree at the center of their home. Through the use of an on-screen cursor, you select areas, activities, and Meems in order to gather materials, construct buildings, and feed these odd-looking creatures. The in-game tutorials aren’t quite as effective as they could be, and so it’s not a bad idea to lower the difficulty level early on before you fully get your bearings.

The World Tree functions like a dungeon that houses the materials you need to scavenge in order for the Meems to survive and thrive. By picking up and moving a storage bag, you can guide your Meems to forage for sticks, food, vines, and other items. Your first challenge is to use the giant cooking pot in the village to craft snacks so that your Meems don’t lose their nerve while scouring the World Tree. It turns out that cookies and other snacks you’ll eventually be able to produce are vital for your success; when a Meem’s mental health reaches zero, they bug out and will start dumping the goods you’ve acquired from your bag and generally ignore everything they’re supposed to be doing. Of the three parameters you need to monitor–hunger, physical health, and mental health–the latter seems to be the most vital, at least early on when you have fewer mechanisms to raise it up.

When you return from a successful dungeon crawl, your hard-earned gains are thrown in a general storage area for you to use on cooking, building production, or individual Meem requests. One of the main ways that you make progress in Hungry Meem is by completing the tasks assigned to you by an omniscient statue named Tohren. After you’ve gone through a dozen or so such quests, you’re invited to throw a feast for the village, and this increases the level of the World Tree, which in turn opens up new areas of the dungeon for you to explore. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your village’s population by having two Meems mate with each other to produce an egg that you can incubate and even assign specific learned skills from the parents to the offspring.

The overworld map also grows as you collect specific construction materials from Tohren quests and inside the World Tree, so the exterior and interior both gradually expand over time. That said, the gameplay loop doesn’t seem to change a whole lot, and the challenge is more focused on acquiring the materials you need to throw the next feast and keeping your Meems hale, hearty, and sound of mind. In terms of visuals, the presentation and menus are fairly lackluster, which makes the grind a little less palatable. The sound effects range from bizarre to unpleasant, and so most of the aesthetic part of the experience lands on a sour note.

Hungry Meem reminds me a little bit of Pikmin except clumsier. The zoomed-in dungeon perspective makes it difficult to position the storage bag so that the Meems will act how you want, but even then they can struggle in a multitude of ways, like eating the foods you want to bring back because they’re hungry little Meems. Much like raising toddlers and kids who seemingly have bottomless stomachs and insatiable desire for snacks, so too do the Meems that you rely on to progress forward in the game. This means that you are constantly juggling enjoyable but fleeting moments and frustrating considerations, and the end result is one that’s hard to recommend. It’s a little fun once you figure out how to get what you want from it, but Hungry Meem takes a bit more than it gives, and ultimately it serves up a feast that filled me up after just a few courses.

[Less emphasis on Survival and more on Kids.]

22

TalkBack / Survival Kids (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 14, 2025, 07:12:52 AM »

Less emphasis on Survival and more on Kids.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71388/survival-kids-switch-2-review

A single glance at Survival Kids would not be nearly enough to make the connection back to the 1999 Game Boy title of the same name, and from the same publisher, Konami. The Game Boy release was a punishing, non-linear adventure that focused on real-life, stranded on a deserted island type gameplay. On Switch 2, however, we have a family-friendly co-op puzzle game that plays well, if not a little too safe. Different in a lot of ways, the two experiences do share an emphasis on crafting, and taking pages from Overcooked and Moving Out makes the 2025 game a bit more than meets the eye.

The premise sees a group of kids discover an old treasure map that sets them on a path towards adventure, but a storm leaves them stranded on a series of islands situated on the backs of giant turtles. After customizing your character, the first island functions as a tutorial for the primary mechanics like chopping wood, light crafting, cooking, and fairly simple puzzles. The difficulty ticks up slowly but really not to a point that I would consider daunting. Breezy platforming and dragging and throwing objects across pits or to ledges round out the gameplay loop. You have a stamina meter that drains quickly when you carry or climb anything, so you need to cook food to raise your energy level.

It's clear from the outset that Survival Kids is designed around two things: cooperative gameplay and younger or less experienced players. There is a lot of built in repetition of simple tasks and a lot of handholding from the in-game narrator, in addition to a constant waypoint nudging you in the right direction, which can fortunately be toggled off. Those looking for a more rugged, complex experience may be bored halfway through the game's four regions and stages that can take over 25 minutes to finish, but even playing mostly solo I developed an appreciation for how Survival Kids was introducing this popular genre to newcomers. The gradual adding of new crafting recipes and the repetition of specific mechanics like elevators and stamina requirements are sure to foreground incredibly common features in other video games, like Breath of the Wild. An interesting note about the co-op is that trees and rocks take longer to chop on your own compared to solo play, which encourages working together while simultaneously discouraging players from dividing and conquering.

What may entice more seasoned players or those who want to play with their younger kids are the stars awarded in each level for finishing under a certain time threshold and finding the carefully hidden treasure stones. It is worth noting that the timer display is toggled off by default, so check out the main menu options before diving in. Two-player co-op on a single Switch 2 splits the screen vertically, with two people also able to join up online with a lobby code. What should be a definite selling feature of Survival Kids is its ability to use GameShare, one person per console, to broadcast the game to two other Switch 2 or even original Switch consoles, for three-player co-op. I was able to try two-player splitscreen and GameShare to my Switch OLED, and both of those setups fared well.

Survival Kids has the potential to be a gateway for both of my kids, who are still early in their gaming journeys, to more advanced and challenging puzzle, action, and co-op video games. In-game achievements, various fruits, veggies, and fish, and more than two dozen hidden glyphs provide reason to revisit stages over and above earning more stars (which you'll need to unlock some of the end-game content). While veteran players will almost certainly derive more multiplayer enjoyment from Switch 2 launch titles like Split Fiction or Fast Fusion, Survival Kids provides fun for the whole family, and it plays that role to a T.

[A worthy but perhaps not definitive version of an excellent RPG.]

23

TalkBack / Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 10, 2025, 06:00:00 AM »

A worthy but perhaps not definitive version of an excellent RPG.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71378/bravely-default-flying-fairy-hd-remaster-switch-2-review

Bravely Default finally came to North American 3DS systems in early 2014, and it marked another in a long line of impeccable turn-based RPGs to grace Nintendo's last dedicated portable system. The launch of the Switch 2 has brought with it Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and it’s been a joy to revisit one of my favourite RPGs from the last decade or so. That said, the 3DS version was so tailored to that console and its features that the HD Remaster does feel like it lacks some of this charm, but that shouldn’t hold you back from playing through another solid Square Enix offering.

Bravely Default follows the journey of four heroes working to restore the faded crystals of their world: Luxendarc. The cast is largely likeable–the milquetoast Tiz aside–and grows together over the course of the adventure, and the villains they encounter have their own unique personalities and stories that make the side quests as worthwhile as the main story, both from a narrative and a gameplay point of view. The dungeons and overworld may lack character, but the city spaces are particularly attractive, although some of their pop-up book charm was lost in the transition to HD.

One of the standouts of Bravely Default is its turn-based battle system, which was adapted for the Octopath Traveler games. In Flying Fairy HD Remaster, you can Default (or defend) to store up charges to use in future turns. The Brave action allows you to cash in these charges to act up to four times in a row, making for a very engaging risk/reward mechanic. Many of the boss encounters turn into puzzles where you need to not only figure out when to Brave and Default, but which job classes and abilities to bring into battle. It’s not uncommon to have to adjust your party and strategy in major ways ahead of the more prominent boss encounters. Even the asterisk battles that allow you to earn new jobs can pose a noticeable challenge and can require a similar amount of customization before you can claim victory.

As you progress, your party of Tiz, Agnes, Edea, and Ringabel level up as characters but also earn job points to improve their prowess across more than 20 different job classes. You can even carry with you the primary ability of a second job class to pair alongside your current job, in addition to a handful of learned passive buffs from any of the classes you’ve dabbled in. It follows then that there is generally some required grinding as you level up your jobs to make them more powerful and effective, and the encounter meter is a helpful tool for this work. Initially, you can set it to one of four rates: 50, 100, 150, or 200%. It’s a bit annoying that in order to unlock further rates (such as 0% and 400%), you need an accessory that can be acquired by cashing in tokens earned from the two new mini-games added to the Switch 2 release, but these both require using the Joy-Con in mouse mode and aren’t terribly enjoyable.

One of the primary changes, as the title of the game implies, is that the graphics of Bravely Default have been made HD, and there’s a sharpness to the world and everything you see it in that I would characterize as clean. That said, the character models being in HD doesn’t do them any favors given their plain, empty faces; in that regard, the 3DS was better at doing them justice. Other additions include a Heal All function from the equipment menu, recommended character levels (displayed as a range) for each dungeon, and the ability to fast-forward event scenes. The city rebuilding mini-game from the original release is here, but the charming Streetpass functionality has been replaced with spirit NPCs who show up randomly in towns and can be added to the population of Norende (Tiz’s destroyed hometown) to assist with the construction efforts. The aforementioned Switch 2 specific mini-games are Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, which sees you moving both Joy-Con around to activate notes in rhythm game fashion, and the more involved Ringabel’s Panic Cruise. The latter sees you steering the airship through rings and engaging in ship battles as you manipulate various switches and mechanisms from the airships cockpit. Each mini-game feels like just an easy way to add in Switch 2 functionality and likely won’t demand much of your time unless they really hit for you or you want to collect more of the tokens to spend on extra items and equipment.

It’s imperative that I give a shout out to the soundtrack, because it’s incredible and filled with memorable tracks. The ones that play when you activate special moves in battle are among my favorites, but the whole set is worth listening to. Outside of the optional Party Chat segments, most of the dialogue is voiced and adds a nice depth to the at-times heavy story. There’s a nice balance between levity and humor, often surrounding Ringabel’s womanizing, and the dire plight of the world and its inhabitants.

Having finished Bravely Default multiple times on 3DS, it’s safe to say that the primary experience and story are intact with the Switch 2 release. If you’ve never played a Bravely Default game, this is a decent way to do so if you happen to have a Switch 2 and not a 3DS–although you can buy a secondhand 3DS and Bravely Default game for much less than the cost of Nintendo’s newest console. The visual upgrade is nice on the whole, but I personally prefer how the characters looked on 3DS, and how the cities and towns popped off the 3DS screen. The inability to set the encounter rate to 0 from the outset is a bit disappointing, and the added mouse-focused mini-games don’t offer much in the way of entertainment. Nonetheless, any turn-based RPG fan worth their salt needs to be able to say that they’ve played Bravely Default, and Flying Fairy HD Remaster represents a fantastic way to christen your Switch 2. If you’ve already played it through once or twice on 3DS, my recommendation is a little less resounding.

[We finally have a release date for this long-awaited top-down action adventure.]

24

TalkBack / Mina the Hollower Arrives This Halloween

« on: June 06, 2025, 02:09:01 PM »

We finally have a release date for this long-awaited top-down action adventure.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/71312/mina-the-hollower-arrives-this-halloween

Announced as part of Summer Game Fest, Mina the Hollower has a fitting release date, October 31, 2025. The gothic theming of the title and bone-chilling difficulty seem a perfect match for the spooky season, and we can't wait to finally sink our teeth into Mina's mouse-y adventure this fall.

While you wait, check out our most recent PAX West impressions of Mina the Hollower here.

[Nintendo being weird but not unwelcome.]

25

TalkBack / Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour (Switch 2) Review

« on: June 05, 2025, 02:32:27 PM »

Nintendo being weird but not unwelcome.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71309/nintendo-switch-2-welcome-tour-switch-2-review

Nintendo has a history of knocking it out of the park with their console pack-in games: Super Mario Bros with the NES, Tetris with the Game Boy, Super Mario World with the Super Nintendo, and of course Wii Sports with the Wii. Riding the high of the Switch's success, Nintendo had the courage to release a standalone product called Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which straddles the line between charming curio and glorified instruction manual.

One way to sell consumers on a new video game console, especially one that's backwards compatible with your previous one, is to advertise all of the new bells and whistles that it has, and this seems to be the primary aim of Welcome Tour. The goal is to collect stamps from multiple areas of a model version of the console that represent its various parts, like the controller buttons, the console fans, and the dock ports, and doing so allows you to explore the next part of the console or the next peripheral. On each section there are info tidbits to peruse, requisite quizzes that test that knowledge, and mini-games to play, which shine a spotlight on the Switch 2’s new features and improvements. One of these is a more pronounced and effective HD Rumble, but many of these games focus on the added mouse controls. I was pleased to learn that using the Joy-Con like a mouse is quite seamless, even if the armrest of my recliner didn’t serve as the best test surface for it.

It’s equal parts understandable and frustrating that Welcome Tour’s breadth means that you won’t be able to complete all of the mini-games present without owning a compatible USB camera or the new Pro Controller, as those two sections each contain an activity that requires said peripherals. That said, the mini-games that require more than the Switch 2 console provides out of the box are minimal, and I was able to see most of Welcome Tour had to offer in my time with it. Adding to the title’s longevity are medals that you can earn from the mini-games to open up activities throughout the different sections of the game. A number of these trials are timed and so you can shoot for improving your high scores when you want to take a break from working towards exploring every part of the console and controllers.

My primary impression of Welcome Tour is that it’s more robust than I had initially expected, and it provides a comprehensive, hands-on experience with all of the upgrades offered by the Nintendo Switch 2. I’m eager to return to the game in small bursts to finish off more advanced versions of the mini-games I’ve unlocked, while also being a good student and “studying” for the numerous quizzes that help you learn about the new console and features. Just as the name implies, this tour lingers and doesn’t overstay its welcome. However, it does feel like it may have served as a very effective pack-in title, perhaps just outside the pantheon of those I mentioned earlier. I get it, though: in a world where many don’t have the patience for or interest in multi-page manuals, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour fills a role. Ultimately, I come away with a better sense of the capabilities of my new Nintendo console, and that at the very least helps ease the pain of my poor wallet.