2. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Switch
3. Super Mario Party Switch
4. Moss PSVR
5. Paper Mario: Colour Splash Wii U
6. The Firemen SNES
7. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SFC
8. Kuukiyomi: Consider It! Switch eShop
9. Valkyria Chronicles Switch eShop
10. Illusion of Time SNES
11. Trials of Mana Switch
12. Undertale Vita
13. Rastan SMS
14. Rainbow Islands SMS
15. River City Girls Switch
16. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch
17. Streets of Rage 4 Switch eShop
18. Dragon Warrior IV NES
19. Super Tennis SNES
20. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Switch eShop
21. Pilotwings Switch eShop
22. Castlevania: The Adventure Switch eShop
23. Streets of Rage Game Gear
24. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix Switch eShop
25. Ninja Gaiden Game Gear
26. Psychic World Game Gear
27. The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury Game Gear
28. Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble Game Gear
29. Fire Emblem: Seisen No Keifu SFC
30. Pokémon Sword: Isle of Armour DLC Switch
31. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter N64
32. Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse Game Gear
33. Deep Duck Trouble starring Donald Duck Game Gear
34. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Switch
35. Baba Is You Switch
36. Wandersong Switch *NEW*
37. World of Goo Switch *NEW*
38. Astro Bot Rescue Mission PSVR *NEW*
39. Wario's Woods Switch eShop *NEW*
40. Horizon Chase Turbo Switch *NEW*
41. Old School Musical Switch *NEW*
42. Sayonara Wild Hearts Switch *NEW*
43. Tetris Effect PSVR *NEW*
44. Amazing Penguin Game Boy *NEW*
45. Super Mario Galaxy Switch *NEW*
46. Shadow Warriors Game Boy *NEW*
47. Sonic Advance GBA *NEW*
48. Bomberman Quest GBC *NEW*
49. Densetsu No Stafy GBA *NEW*
50. Mole Mania Game Boy *NEW*
51. James Bond 007 Game Boy *NEW*
52. Rolan's Curse 2 Game Boy *NEW*
53. Pokémon Omega Ruby 3DS *NEW*
54. Final Fantasy VI SNES *NEW*
55. Super S.W.I.V SNES *NEW*
56. Axelay SNES *NEW*
57. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition Switch *NEW*
58. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Cindered Shadows DLC Switch *NEW*
I'm way behind on reviews this year, and I'm determined to relax this Christmas so no 2000 word reviews for each game I'm behind on. That said, I do want to share some thoughts and list what I've been playing, so here's some mini reviews for all the games I never got round to reviewing properly.
Wandersong
Wandersong is a great game about not being the hero destined to save the world, but giving a go anyway. It’s a game about making friends rather than fighting, and it’s backed up by a colourful aesthetic and a strong soundtrack. I knew I would love it from the moment I started playing and this song played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCYZQZ2OQqo&ab_channel=ashellinthepit. You play as a bard, and the game makes use of your singing ability in variosu ways to solve puzzles and progress, including directing a pirate ship by singing which is glorious.
Wandersong is highly recommended, pick it up as soon as you can.
World of Goo
World of Goo is a fantastic game that originally debuted on Wiiware. It involves you building towers out of goo balls to get as many of them as possible to the exit. Although it’s premise has been someone built upon a lot since, the game still holds up well and has a great visual design and excellent soundtrack. I played on Switch using touchscreen and I found it a little less precise compared to the old Wiimote pointer, but it’s still a great way to play the game now Wiiware is gone.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission
Whenever you hear about games to play for Playstation VR, Astro Bot is at the top of everyone’s list, and having played it I can totally see why. It’s a fun, focused platformer that offers a lot of variety and some refined gameplay – and makes great use of your ability to look around the environment. It’s also nice to see VR games with a third person (sort of – technically it’s a first person perspective but you also control a third person character) point of view. This is a must play for PSVR and I’m glad to see it getting recognition with it’s sequel, which is built into PS5. After playing this, that’s probably my most wanted game for that system too.
Wario’s Woods
Wario’s Woods is a game I first played about 14 years ago when it first released on Wii Virtual console. It’s an interesting premise where you move a character around within the puzzle well picking up and moving obstacles, and it’s fun for the first hald of the game. However, by stage 50 it becomes very complex as the well begins more full limiting manoeuvrability and more of the monster require being matched in awkwards ways to clear (such as diagonally only, or twice in short succession). The final 10 levels become so dependent on luck that it stops being fun and fair, and I’m glad to be done with it. Wario’s Woods is a (sometimes) fun experiment but ultimately an unsuccessful one.
Horizon Chase Turbo
Horizon Chase Turbo is an indie racing game often compared to Outrun but which in truth is a bit more like Top Gear for Super Nintendo. You race around over 100 courses in a variety of cars, and it’s classic arcadey goodness throughout. The game controls smoothly and the tracks are pretty fun for the most part, although I admit that I was ready for thr game to be over by the time I finished it – there’s a lot of content here. Overall though it’s a fun little game and totally worth a play is you like an old-school racer.
Old School Musical
Old School Music is a rhythm game for Switch in which you play as Tib and Rob, 2 very generic characters and work through a really silly plot which parodies many famous games such as R-Type, Dragon Quest, Zelda and more. The game features chiptune soundtracks and it’s all decent enough although it often doesn’t really fit the game being parodied which is a little disappointing – it feels the music and graphics were made separately. The gameplay is decent enough, with 2 types of notes to hit – the first requires you to hit face buttons in time with notes as they come in from the sides, and the 2nd requires you to tap the shoulder buttons in time with notes going up the screen. It’s not a must play by any means and it doesn’t do enough to really stand out, but this is an ok way to waste a few hours.
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a hard game to explain, an action game of sorts that bills itself as a pop album – and it kinda makes sense in action. The game is beautiful with a distinct visual style and a really strong identity – each level has you playing along action scenes along to the music, but it’s not really a rhythm game per-se – instead it often plays more like a rail shooter with movement and shooting being a focus. Each level controls a bit differently and features different setpieces, with the level where you switch between 2 dimensions in time to the beat being a highlight for me. This is a short game, about an hour in total, which is perfect for the digital album concept but perhaps a bit short for some. I liked it though, and recommend giving it a go.
Tetris Effect
Tetris Effect is an interest game that attempts to get you into a focused, trance-like state whilst playing Tetris. As you clear lines, the scene changes and evolves, with lights forming into sea creatures, or flames erupting and all sorts of other things happening around you. This looks great normally, but I played it in VR which really takes it to another level and immerses you even more. Of course, all of this is to be expected from Tetsuya Mizuguchi, as is the electronic soundtrack. I’m not even a huge Tetris fan personally (unlike the rest of the world, apparently) but I think this is my favourite way to play it.
Amazing Penguin
Amazing Penguin is a fun action game by Natsume for the Game Boy which most closely resembles Qix, although in reality it plays quite differently. You control the titular penguin as he walks around lines of a grid dodging enemies. Along the lines are several black and white dots which can be removed, filling in the squares they surround when all surrounding dots are removed. The penguin can press A to destroy the dots as he walks over them, or kick with B. The kick has no effect on enemies or the white dots, but if he kicks black dots they will fly in a straight line temporarily defeating any enemies it hits. Later levels get more complex with the final level essentially being a maze. There are 40 stages in the game so it will only take a couple of hours to finish it – but it’s good fun whilst it lasts and manages not to outstay it’s welcome. I liked it.
Super Mario Galaxy
I picked up Super Mario 3D All-stars when it released, and I decided I’d get stuck in to Mario Galaxy first. The reason for this is that I have 100% completed both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine before, but I’ve never gotten all the stars in Galaxy. Technically I didn’t this time – I got 120 but didn’t worry about repeating the feat as Luigi and getting 242 as it’s just the same stuff again basically. I enjoyed my time replaying the game but my opinion of it remains the same as before – it’s a solid game but one of my least favourite Mario titles – the controls just feel a bit too stiff, especially after Sunshine’s level of precision. Still, there’s lots of fun ideas here and a great soundtrack, so it’s definitely still recommended.
Shadow Warriors
This is better known by it’s American title: Ninja Gaiden Shadow. Although this it technically part of the Ninja Gaiden series it apparently started life as a sequel to Shadow of the Ninja on NES and you can see some of it’s origjnal DNA showing through in how hanging from platforms is a key gameplay mechanic. The game is challenging but not particularly difficult for a Ninja Gaiden game, with simple level designs that are fun to play through. The 3rd stage features shuriken ninja enemies that are a bugger to avoid though and present a sharp difficulty spike. Overall this is a pretty good Game Boy platformer, but the going rate is perhaps a bit much when better options exist. Worth a play though!
Sonic Advance
I’ve played Sonic Advance once before as a teenager, but my standards for good games have changed since then and I don’t remember it well, so I was curious to see how it held up. I’ve played Sonic Advance 2 more recently (not that great) and Sonic Advance 3 even more recently (actually pretty good) but I’m glad to say that I saved the best for last. Sonic Advance 1 features solid level design, less abundant bottomless pits and speed traps that Advance 2 and Rush love, and a pretty good soundtrack for Sonic on GBA. This is genuinely in the upper end of the list when it comes to Sonic games for me, definitely give it a go.
Bomberman Quest
Bomberman Quest is a game I was gifted as a birthday present so I didn’t really know a lot about it going in. It’s actually somewhat interesting – a Bomberman take on the Legend of Zelda, with a free roaming world and power ups to be obtained to progress to new areas. The goal is to find and defeat all 30 monsters who have escaped when you crash landed, and you’ll need to explore and backtrack throroughly making use of new powers (such as the ability to jump, a shield to block projectiles and more) to find them all. The format of all enemies being one of the 30 monsters means there aren’t too many encounters to worry about which is appreciated as using bombs isn’t as simple as using a sword in Zelda to clear the road. It’s not perfect – the base movement speed is super slow, and although you get items to speed you up they have to be equipped at the expense of others, meaning constant menu switching is a problem . That said the game is a fun way to spend 4-5 hours and I recommend giving it a try
Densetsu No Stafy
I picked up Stafy on the first trip I made to Japan, 13 years ago now, and muddled through in Japanese. I recently learned the game has been translated into English and so replayed it with more understanding. The game is a fairly fun underwater adventure taking place through 9 levels to save the day, and the general gameplay is solid. There are a few too many fetch quests which feel designed to extend play time, but they’re not too offensive. After beating the game the game becomes a treasure hunt, with secret power ups to find and 200 treasures to discover hidden in the 9 levels. This again feels a little padded but it’s still fairly compelling to explore. Overall, I had a good time, but I hear the sequels are better. Shame most of them aren’t translated yet though!
Mole Mania
Mole Mania is a action puzzle game for Game Boy where you explore 8 worlds solving puzzles involving getting a ball into the exit to clear the way. You can roll and throw the ball around to get it around enemies, and also dig underground and pop up in a new spot. The game starts fairly reasonable in difficulty, but by world 5 it cane become very challenging, as is the way with GB puzzlers – never totally unreasonable though. The game is designed by Miyamoto which should indicate that the level of quality is pretty high, and it certainly is. Very rich in content too, as it took me a solid 10 hours or more. Worth a play.
James Bond 007
James Bond 007 for Game Boy is a mostly forgotten action adventure game where you play as the titular Bond on a quest to uncover arms dealers. The game takes a Zelda-like approach with Bond being able to equip multiple items and weapons to explore each area, talking with locals. You can also equip weapons (or your fists) to fight enemies, although mostly you’ll end up using the machete for the early game, and the single hit kill rocket launcher for the late game, as most guns suck. The game leans in to all the outdated bond clichés in a charming way, with a womanising Bond making all sorts of terrible puns as he interacts with people and defeats bosses. There’s some unfortunately cryptic stuff here that can hold the game back, with hidden invisible items ansd the sort, but overall it’s a good time and a true hidden gem for the system.
Rolan’s Curse 2
Rolan’s Curse 2 is the rather rare and quite pricy sequel to the rather obscure Rolan’s Curse, an action adventure game for Game Boy. In Rolan’s Curse 2, you set out on a quest to save the world of Rolan from an evil force, recruiting allies along the way. Each ally can fight in a different way and offers different speed, range and power, and each can also discover an upgrade to power them up. Some also offer powers which can create shortcuts such as explosive, but these are not mandatory to progress. You can also only have 4 characters of the game’s 8, so you might swap them out as you progress. Each area of the map features you wandering the world fighting enemies and making your way to the boss to defeat him, with characters levelling up as you find icons of their face hidden throughout the world, encouraging exploration. The main issue with the game is a lack of variety – a few puzzles to solve wouldn’t go amiss, as the game is otherwise linear and action focused. Still, it’s a solid game – probably not worth the cost though!
Pokémon Omega Ruby
For some reason I was feeling an urge to play Pokémon a few months back, so I decided I would complete a living pokédex in the gen 6 games – one of every pokemon in my PC. To aid on this quest I picked up Omega Ruby and played through the whole game (my end-game party was Mawile, Electrode, Whiscash, Tropius, Chimecho and Froslass) before starting my mission to catch them all. As of today I’m missing 4 pokemon to complete my task: Moltres, Darkrai, Victini and Keldeo, so I made a solid dent (717/721 obtained). Replaying ORAS was a blast as it’s one of my favourites in the series, and I still think that whilst the later games have been good, gens 5 and 6 are probably the high points of the franchise.
Final Fantasy VI
It’s been a long time coming, but I finally finished FF6. It’s been on my summer list multiple times but I finally started it this year, and finished it last month. It’s often regarded as the best in the series and the best RPG on SNES, so let me say first that I disagree on both fronts (those are FF9 and Chrono Trigger respectively) and I also don’t think it’s my favourite Final Fantasy on the console either (that’s FF5). However, that’s not to take away from the quality of the game – the adventure is well paced, with a mostly memorable cast of characters and a lot to explore – even if I personally found the difficulty level to be rather too low overall. The story is decent for the era, although you can feel the translation struggles (maybe it’s more fleshed out on GBA?) and the main plot twist was spoiled for me years ago. Obviously those of you who played this before will know the end game dungeon requires you to use 12 party members, but my main team was Relm, Terra, Locke/Sabin and Mog – and Relm utterly destroyed Kefka with dual casted Ultima at a cost of 2MP. Good stuff.
Super SWIV
Super SWIV is a shmup for SNES which I picked up years ago but never really gelled with. Although known in the US as Firepower 2000, it’s a European shooter which you can tell right away as the levels are far too long and some small enemies take way too much fire to destroy. However, as with many other euro games it has some interesting ideas and a fantastic soundtrack. In single player you play as a jeep, which can’t be hit by most aerial enemies, but which has to avoid grounded foes and also navigate pits and obstacles on the terrain. In addition, you can shoot in any of the 8 cardinal directions (in 2 player, the second player pilots a helicopter which has no terrain woes but can only shoot straight up). The game is unique because of this mechanic, and as I progressed and powered up I found myself enjoying the game to some extent. It’s not a must play but give it a chance and you might have fun. It’s also not too difficult, but I must admit to using save states fairly often.
Axelay
Another shmup I played through on the same day as Super SWIV (and also used save states before each boss and at the start of each stage to help me through), Axelay is an interesting shooter by Konami. The game features 6 stages with every odd numbered stage being a mode 7 infused vertical shmup and every even one being a horizontal shmup – kinda like life force, if that game wasn’t totally unfair and crap. You can choose from a variety of weapons to equip into a primary, secondary and missile slot, and each time you’re hit you’ll lose the weapon selected currently, dying if they’re all gone and tyou take another hit. The weapons are unique and fun, as are the weapon designs and the stages. I must admit that whilst the spectacle of the mode7 stages is eye-catching, I found the horizontal ones generally more fun. However, I had a great time with both, and I think this game is well worth checking out.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
This is one of the main reasons it took me so long to beat Final Fantasy 6, as I made the foolish decision to play 2 RPGs alongside each other. DQ11 actually has a lot in common with FF6, with similar story beats and the same ‘get the crew back together’ 2nd act of the game. DQ11 is a charming agme with loveable characters and a wonderful aesthetic and music, even if some of it is heard way too much, and I really enjoyed my first taste of a more modern entry in the series. The game is framed as multiple short stories within a larger story which is fun too, even if the actual story points were kinda childish and predictable – in all honesty this gave it a slight fairy tale vibe which fits it well. It’s a pretty long game – I took 65+ hours to beat the game and I haven’t gotten the true ending yet which involves many hours of post game content too – I plan to go back to it next year, but for now, the next RPG has beckoned…
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Cindered Shadows DLC
Here’s the next RPG, kinda. I’m working through the main game for Three Houses now (Golden Deer path) but I was keen to make use of the DLC exclusive classes and characters too, so I’ve played through the 7 chapter DLC alongside the main game to unlock them. I enjoyed said campaign, even if the story is a bit silly, as the new characters are pretty likeable and the difficulty is notably increased from the main game (at least, the earlier parts I’m currently playing through) so it offered some nice challenge. The final boss in particular was a bit of a jerk. I think the DLC in Three Houses is perhaps a bit pricy for what it offers, but compared to the 3DS entries it’s a better offer, so if you’re a big fan of the series or the main game, pick it up.
