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Riverbond – Nintendo Switch Review

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Gather some friends and prepare to hack, slash and blast your way through Riverbond, the latest title from the team at Cococucumber.

Riverbond is a funny, energetic, adorable and frantic voxel based, dungeon crawler. Up to 4 players can join together for some couch co-op fun and journey through 9 different dungeons on an epic adventure to restore peace and order to the land. Each dungeon is themed differently and enemies can range from different animals like pigs or crabs to cannon wielding parrots and bomb throwing books. Each dungeon is made up of a handful of areas with simple tasks or objectives before players must battle it out in a boss arena battle. Defeating enemies, talking to NPCs and opening presents are rewarded with points that go towards each players score. At the end of each dungeon, players are ranked on how well they do, this feature adds some nice competition between players but can be ignored for friendlier play sessions. 

Players will collect a number of different weapons to defend themselves, these are often placed along the major pathways in each dungeon. Exploration is rewarded though, as hidden within each level is even better weapons to use and new player skins to unlock. Weapons include swords and guns of various varieties but certainly lean towards more humorous options like slapping fish, ice creams, umbrella spears and foam dart guns with over 50 in total to find. Before each level begins, even mid dungeon, players can choose a skin that suits them ranging from fruit, sushi, animals, special guest characters and content creators. With over 100 different character skins to choose from, players will most certainly spend a fair bit of time switching and choosing skins depending on their personal preference.

Each dungeon is beautifully themed and well laid out with lots of nice little touches and secrets for those with a keen eye. Levels are also highly destructible which we found to be joyously cathartic. Early levels can be a little slow at times but this helps to get new players familiar with the controls and the general game mechanics. Difficulty seems to be at a set level though which means that having more players will work in your advantage but having less or playing solo will prove to be more of a challenge.

Full of mischief and mirth, Riverbond is a fantastic couch co-operative hack and blast with a nice competitive streak that is best enjoyed with friends. Players of any age will surely love all that Riverbond has to offer. 

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Riverbond [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Bus Simulator – PlayStation 4 Review

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Please have the exact fare ready as it is time to play Bus Simulator on PS4 from the team at Stillalive studios.

Bus Simulator is a game in the ever expanding genre of “Simulator” titles that has you start off with humble beginnings and go on to forge a mighty business empire. Players start off by learning the basics in a bus supplied by your new city council that wishes to develop more public transport. Starting off with a single test route outside of the main city, players learn all the knowledge required for the daily operations of a bus driver. As a driver, players are required to maintain a bus route correctly by stopping on time, opening the doors, lowering the bus, taking fares, giving change and deal with any disruptive passengers. While this may all sound rather dull it actually takes quite a bit of concentration. After learning the basics though it is possible to hire other drivers and buy extra buses to create more routes. After showing the city council what a wonderful job you are doing it is possible to expand your routes to various other parts of the city or create whole new ones.

Buses are naturally far more complex machines than the usual vehicles we are all used to driving and every single button on the controller is used to its fullest. Between the use of actual buttons and a pop up radial wheel, controlling the lights, wipers, turn signals and doors are all spread out in a way that can at first feel daunting but becomes second nature after spending a bit of time with the game. Various buses are available to unlock and buy from the simple double door design buses to full accordion buses that take some serious skill to maneuver around the city. Buses can be customised with different paint jobs, colour schemes and decals to make each one unique or make your fleet all superbly uniform. It is also important to note the deep and rich business sim aspect of the game that will have serious entrepreneurs weighing up every buses positives and negatives to make sure their business is profitable and each route is planned perfectly for maximum efficiency.

As with other games in this genre, the vehicles are finely detailed but the environments are simple and basic while still feeling like a natural city. There is a lot of good humour spread throughout the world too and some of the little details are fantastic, well worth the time to leave the confines of your chosen bus and do a little exploring when possible.

Bus Simulator is a terrific “podcast game” that will have you engaged enough to never feel bored but also relaxing enough to help players unwind after a long day with the help of a good podcast and a nice cup of tea. Fans of buses, Sim games and efficiency will definitely love all Bus Simulator has to offer.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Bus Simulator [PSN Store code] was kindly provided by Homerun PR for this review.

 

 

Spin Rhythm XD – Steam Early Access Review

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Prepare to blast down the intergalactic note highway in Spin Rhythm XD from the team at Super Spin Digital.

Spin Rhythm XD is an intense and fast paced rhythm game where players can use a multitude of different input devices from a humble mouse or gamepad to a full on MIDI controller. Regardless of your chosen input method, players will have to spin, slide, tap and flick their way through various high tempo tracks in hopes of a perfect run and high score. Spin Rhythm XD is a new take on the beat rhythm genre that is more about positioning of the notes and the style and flair achieved to hit them. Players must line up an alternately coloured ring with the correctly coloured notes or bars while also spinning the ring when needed to rack up multiplier points. With numerous thumping electronic tracks available, it is certainly not for the faint of heart or those with slow reflexes.

Each track has 4 available difficulties, each of which will make the notes multiply and style vary immensely. Easy tracks usually involve positioning the ring for notes, a few tap bars and a handful of spins, as difficulty increases these become far more frequent and complex. Some tracks require players to spin multiple times in succession and quickly maneuver the ring to the next note as fast as possible. We played with both the mouse and gamepad, finding both feel fantastic to use but those with serious musical dedication will want to grab a USB or MIDI controller for a bit more finesse.

Although still in early access, Spin Rhythm XD shows immense promise and still currently being revised and updated regularly, giving electronic music fans a long overdue beat rhythm game to call their own.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Spin Rhythm XD [Steam code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Bee Simulator – Nintendo Switch Review

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Time to get busy as a bee in Bee Simulator from VARSAV Game Studios, out now on the Nintendo Switch.

If you have ever wondered about the life of bees and insects then Bee Simulator is the game you have been waiting for! Players take the role of a new worker bee as you try to save your hive and prepare for winter by exploring a vast level inspired by New York’s Central Park. As a bee players will collect pollen, race other bees, fight deadly wasps and communicate with other bees using sweet dance moves. Various actions, such as returning pollen to the hive, are rewarded with knowledge points which can be redeemed for alternate Bee skins, fancy hats and colourful trails. Apart from the single player story mode there is also a split screen mode where both players can compete against each other or just take in the sights and collect pollen.

On the Nintendo Switch, Bee Simulator is a very simple game graphically and looking too closely makes it feel a bit like a clockwork world. Taking a step back and enjoying the games simplicity gives it an almost childlike appeal though, making everything seem very charming and full of whimsy. Despite the limitations of the switch, it is all very beautiful, especially on some of the multiplayer maps. Wildlife litters the landscape and flowers are abundant and naturally spread around. There is a great scale to everything and Bee Simulator really makes the player feel small but in no way helpless.

Controls are a little touchy but fairly minimal which makes Bee Simulator a great game for new players to just pick up and take in the sights of a bee’s unseen world. Multiplayer is plenty of fun and a relaxing way to spend some time, we spent ages just exploring and poking at the world. Sometimes even literally by stinging the odd passerby! While more serious gamers might get a bit bored in co-op, casual players and couples will enjoy buzzing around the different locations and discovering lots of wonderful little details.

Bee Simulator is a whole lot of fun on your own or with a friend, regardless of if you enjoy completing every story and side mission or just stinging picnic goers and popping balloons. A mellow and relaxed experience full of interesting bee facts and information that makes it a great game for players of any age.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Bee Simulator [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Homerun PR for this review.

 

 

GENSOU Skydrift – Nintendo Switch Review

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Time to fly into the magical world of GENSOU Skydrift, out now on the Nintendo Switch from the team at illuCalab.

GENSOU Skydrift is a Touhou Project racing game set in Gensokyo, located somewhere in japan where the world of humans and yokai (spirits) meet. No prior knowledge of the Touhou universe is required to enjoy the game but it also probably doesn’t hurt. Players choose two characters to use, each with different stats and abilities, where one acts as the rider and the other becomes the board. While racing it is possible to switch between the two to maximise each characters strong points such as offense, speed and cornering. Each track is littered with magical boost gates that will propel players along but also charge up your spell meter that, once full, will allow players to randomly claim a spell card to use. Spells are either offensive, defensive or boosts but each player also has a special and devastating “Last word” ability unique to them. 

Controls are simple and easy enough to pick up but are only displayed briefly in the campaign tutorial, there are no other real reminders such as if you jump into a versus match without prior knowledge. The controls are easily figured out though by just mashing the buttons as you race and hoping for the best. Players can tightly turn or drift around corners depending on their playstyle and character selection. The whole vibe of Gensou Skydrift is very cheery and extremely Japanese with lots of visual novel style over the top moments in the campaign. Courses are diverse and interesting, ranging from human villages to magical sakura trees either being a looping track or a start to finish sprint. In every mode apart from online there is some serious AI “rubber-banding” going on to keep things lively, so no need to feel discouraged if you fall behind but also a good reason to not get too confident while in the lead.

Feeling like an extremely colourful and cheery Kart racing game, Gensou Skydrift has some very obvious nods towards more established games in the Kart racing genre but still keeps things fresh enough. An interesting alternative for those in the market for another quick kart racing game or fans of the Touhou franchise but probably not for everyone.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: GENSOU Skydrift [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

The Eyes Of Ara – Nintendo Switch Review

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Prepare to unravel the mysteries that lie waiting for you in The Eyes of Ara out now on the Nintendo Switch from 100 Stones Interactive.

The Eyes of Ara is an adventure puzzle game that has players investigating a mysterious signal that is coming from an old weathered castle sitting atop an isolated island. Up until recently the castle has laid dormant with only folk tales remaining of its origins and ghost stories surrounding its former occupants. Arriving by boat, players start to explore the castle room by room in an attempt to uncover the secrets of this mysterious location. Apart from the amazingly intricate main story puzzles there are countless other minor puzzles, hidden passages and collectables for those with a keen eye to uncover. 

The Eyes of Ara takes us back to the classics such as Myst and Riven, giving players a real sense of wonder and discovery. Just like those classics, there is an oppressive sense of isolation and confinement that gives the game a fantastic atmosphere. Environmental storytelling is fantastic and plays a key role, giving the player lots of backstory and minute details to look over, journals or notes to read and riddles to solve. Every nook and cranny has something to look at or discover, the whole castle feels very lived in and believable. Going into the world and its story any more would ruin the sense of discovery surrounding every fiber of this game. 

Control on the Nintendo switch is done with only a single Joycon or via the touch screen in handheld mode which is fine but never our personal choice on the console. User interface is simple and gets out of the way of the rest of the game, being easily hidden and recalled only when needed which is superb. Every puzzle involves solving and manipulating puzzles in a very natural and tactile way that has you moving, twisting or rotating objects that is fun and rewarding. Even objects that cannot be directly interacted with will give a knock or puff of dust when clicked on, making the world feel fully immersive. 

Full of elaborate and devious puzzles, The Eyes of Ara is absolutely for fans of the classic adventures games or lovers of fiendishly clever puzzles. An amazing feat for a one man game studio and a game that firmly asserts itself as a must play title, regardless of platform.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: The Eyes of Ara [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Narcos: Rise of the Cartel – Nintendo Switch Review

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Brief your team and prepare to take down the drug lords in Narcos: Rise of the Cartel from the team over at Kuju.

Narcos is a challenging turn-based action strategy game that is based on the hit Netflix series. Set in Columbia in the 1980s, you can play as the DEA in an attempt to take down the drug cartels or as the cartels themselves as they defend their business. The cartel side of the story is unlocked after a few short missions that help to get you familiar with the basics. Players can choose up to 5 agents that make up a squad, each of which has their own play style and abilities. From DEA agents with shotguns, Nimble but weak police and Spec Op officers with machine guns, different squad member classes allow players to find a play style that suits them. After setting up your team, players can take on a variety of missions that vary in difficulty and rewards to try and bring down these drug cartels or fight back against the Americans.

Playing of the game itself will feel very familiar to those with experience playing other turn-based strategy games such as XCOM. Players get one movement and one action, including firing at an enemy, reloading or carrying out a special action or skill, per turn and then it is off to the opposition for the same. Some missions require cash to deploy a team too but often yield greater rewards while others are free but are usually easier with little to gain. At the end of each encounter surviving team members are rewarded with a point that goes towards leveling up that character, eventually allowing the player to unlock better skills for each class. Any characters that die in the course of a successful mission are lost for good.

Levels are well set out giving players plenty of tactical options to try and there is some nice diversity in the themes including jungle drug labs and seedy neon city districts.

Narcos has some nice nods to the series it is taking influence from and includes live action story scenes that really add to the overall feel of the game but also doesn’t overstay its welcome. Just like the drug war in the 1980s, Narcos is very brutal and a level’s outcome can turn at a moment’s notice. With no easy way to restart a mission from the beginning, players will either have to live with their choices or do things the hard way. We also found on occasion that the character pathfinding will not always take the fastest or shortest route when moving, putting your team into danger needlessly.

Overall Narcos is a fun tactical game with plenty of intrigue, even for those not familiar with the series. While the unforgiving nature of the game may put off the casual player, those looking for a challenge will find it quite enjoyable.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Narcos: Rise of the Cartel [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by HomeRun PR for this review.

 

 

Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan – Nintendo Switch Review

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Grab your hat and whip, it’s time to venture into the jungle in Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan, out now from the team at COLLECTORVISION Entertainment.

In Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan players take control of an explorer that has stumbled into a Mayan temple just as the calendar has come to a finish and the unluckiest days begin. The feared deity Kukulkan has decided that he wishes to freeze time and only an outsider can foil his plans and fulfil the prophecy. To save the world and time as we know it, Sydney must reconstruct the Mayan calendar that has been divided into several segments and spread out to various god’s temples. Spanning over 11 different temples and facing 13 Mayan gods, players will have their work cut out for them in this epic quest.

Feeling very much like a love letter to the NES and its 8-Bit heritage, Sydney Hunter feels fantastic to control and responds exactly how players would expect an action adventure game to feel from that time period. Visuals are limited but always feel very rich and vibrant, lots of contrast means that there is rarely a boring screen and something fresh and interesting is always going on. Traversing each temple and discovering how each one works and its secrets, really feels like setting off on an adventure every time. Boss fights are simple, elegant and to the point, meaning that having to retry a failed battle never feels like a chore. Various items to find that will allow access to new areas as the game progresses, each one adding unique elements to the gameplay.

There is some fantastic humour sprinkled throughout that really adds to the charm and ensures that the game never takes itself too seriously. The soundtrack is also comprised of multiple beautiful chiptune tracks that really hit that nostalgic sweet spot and will easily get players humming along. Between the secrets scattered about in each temple and 2 different endings to see, there is plenty of reason to keep playing and discover everything Sydney Hunter has to offer.

Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan is a wonderfully charming and beautifully simple “Metroidvania” game that is sure to have players both old and new captivated. A must have title on whatever is your system of choice!

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Novy PR for this review.

 

 

Remothered: Tormented Fathers – Nintendo Switch Review

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Uncover the dark and twisted secrets behind Remothered: Tormented Fathers from the team at Stormind Games, now on the Nintendo Switch. 

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is an intriguing and thrilling survival horror game where players take control of Rosemary as she tries to uncover the mystery of the Felton’s missing daughter. After confronting Mr.Felton, players will find themselves trapped in the Felton mansion seeking answers in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Using nothing except what you can find around you, players must navigate the dark mansion and solve puzzles while remaining unseen. Light is limited and this means that sound is a vital factor in Remothered, be it your own footsteps alerting enemies or telling the player exactly where the stalker is located. A good set of headphones is definitely recommended to help make player’s play throughs and general experience more enjoyable and atmospheric.

Using mechanics that should feel familiar to those that have played other survival horror games, Remothered is full of the usual puzzles that require multiple steps to complete. What creates the extra tension is that there is a single stalker, that is easily alerted to your presence, roaming the mansion constantly that cannot be eliminated. There are a few occasions though when it is possible to explore freely but these are few and far between. Some objects in the mansion can be thrown as a distraction and one time use defence weapons will break players out of a capture scenario but these are a limited resource.

Unfortunately on the switch, especially in handheld mode, Remothered does look a little muddy and resolution seems fairly low. This is obviously due to the limitations of the hardware but even in docked mode, some textures and objects are just rendered too low and this really breaks the immersion. We also ran across a few glitches where enemies got stuck in a short loop which really slowed our progress. Without headphones, even on a dedicated surround sound setup, we also found it very difficult to tell exactly where the stalker was located. Since there are multiple floors, a stalker above you sounds very similar to one in the next room. Once spotted it is often very difficult to break line of sight and escape, while this should add to the tension it often left us feeling frustrated in the unforgiving nature of the game.

While other platforms may display higher resolutions, having only played the Nintendo Switch version, it is a hard game to recommend. Remothered is full of superb ideas, fantastic tension and suspense that unfortunately starts to outstay its welcome in some places. 

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Remothered: Tormented Fathers [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Homerun PR for this review.

 

 

Reventure – Nintendo Switch Review

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It’s dangerous to go alone! Take Reventure, now available on the Nintendo Switch from the team at Pixelatto.

Reventure is a unique, non-linear adventure game that has players taking the role of the mighty hero in the age old quest of saving the princess. Players begin each run by waking up and starting out on their quest, grabbing whatever essentials they require as they go. What makes Reventure so unique is the fact that there are 100 different endings to the story, each one requiring different processes and giving a different outcome. Trip over and make a fool of yourself? Maybe tomorrow is a better day to adventure. Murder a guard? Go to jail for a few years! Each day it is up to the player to try and discover a new and possibly true ending to the quest. Every time the player discovers a new ending, time is added to the total time count that is displayed before the day begins. Equipment can be collected each run but it is best to only gather what supplies you need, each additional piece of equipment will restrict character movement a bit more.

Reventure has a very simple pixel art style and a soundtrack that evokes memories of retro JRPGs, tying together the games old school aesthetic perfectly. There are even a number of unlockable palettes that varies style or minimises it even more, depending on personal preference. The “tongue in cheek” attitude nods to other game series with references scattered evenly throughout the game but doesn’t rely solely upon nostalgia to achieve its goals.

Trial and error is the cornerstone of the Reventure experience, so get ready for plenty of repetition. Apart from a few unique events, the world is reset each day meaning you must collect any items over and over. Endings will also carry over onto your character visually each time, from losing your hat to being turned into another creature altogether. There are plenty of unique and funny outcomes but giving examples would spoil the satisfaction of finding them for yourself. Every time the player does discover a new ending a matching picture, unique to that conclusion, is added to the “Adventure Gallery”. There are also ending hints that will appear throughout the world as you play since some of the solutions are not as obvious or significant than others.

There is certainly a lot of charm and humour in Reventure but its repetitive nature can start to dull the games impact at times. Nevertheless it is a fun and rewarding game with plenty of satisfying “Ah ha!” moments to keep players coming back for more.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Reventure [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Pixelatto for this review.