Gaming Age

These are pleasant games with a delightful story and narrator, and you wouldn’t want to harsh that vibe too much with insane puzzles or unbeatable enemies. But at the same time, the world of 3D platformers is much more competitive in the world outside of VR, and against that harsher competition, Moss: The Forgotten Relic doesn’t feel like it stands up quite as well.

Rhythm Heaven Groove is an outstanding experience on the Nintendo Switch that I’d easily recommend to anyone. Whether you have a previous affinity for the series, or this is your first Rhythm Heaven experience, I think you’ll easily fall in love with the toe-tapping, beat-driven music and quirky animations that Rhythm Heaven Groove excels at.

Echoes of Aincrad is by no means a bad game, it’s just not enough “game” I think. Combat could’ve used more fleshing out, the environments needed more to actually care about, and the story is just the story of Sword Art Online. If you’re a more casual gamer and want to experience SAO without watching any anime, it’s probably pretty solid for you, but it’s just not enough. With a AAA price tag, it’s a really hard recommendation to almost anybody. If you can find it on a discount, and you’re really into Sword Art Online, I’d say check it out, but for the general player I can’t imagine it’s hitting any niches or anything. Again, it’s not a bad game, it’s just not enough for what it should be. If the developers add more to it over time and continue to flesh it out then it could be better, but as it is, I don’t really see any reason to jump on Echoes of Aincrad.

Splatoon Raiders marks an excellent entry to the Splatoon franchise I’d wager, and anybody that enjoyed the previous games but might’ve wanted a more fleshed out solo experience is gonna have a blast here. It might be a little repetitive if you’re not familiar with this style of looter gameplay, but otherwise it’s a fantastic experience. From the blend of stick aiming and gyro aiming to the fun soundtrack these games always offer and all the way down to the core gameplay, Raiders is an addictive title well worth playing. Personally, I’d wager I like it just a little more than the standard Splatoon titles if not solely for the fact I’m definitely not as good at Splatoon than other kinds of shooters. Existing Splatoon fans will have a great time with Splatoon Raiders, but for new fans or anybody interested in Splatoon it’s probably the best way to get into the series in a solo environment before you decide to make the plunge into the main games.

Again, by no stretch of the imagination could Blades of Fire be described as a bad game. It’s well-made enough that if you want a fantasy Souls-like, it delivers exactly that, and you probably won’t be disappointed. But there’s also a very good chance that even you play it for hours and hours, it’ll slip right out of your memory – because, if nothing else, this is a very forgettable game.

If Granblue Fantasy: Relink had your attention before but you never took the plunge, there legitimately isn’t a better version of the game to play than Endless Ragnarok. If you just want the main story, you won’t get the most out of the game, but if you’re in it for the long haul, Cygames has you covered with an absurd amount of fun and an enjoyable game.

There’s no denying that Thick As Thieves is fun for what it is. It’s the kind of game where you’ll experience everything it has to offer and you’ll come away wanting more – and even if we don’t get it, the price here probably makes this bite-sized offering too good to pass up.

Denshattack! really hits all the right notes, easy to pick up, but challenging to master, with a fantastic cast and setting, as well as an earworm of a soundtrack that you won’t get tired of. You can really tell the team has a deep and reverent understanding of Japanese Culture. I think the only thing I wish the game had was some sort of leaderboard in regards to stage scores and clear times as I would love to know who truly sits at the top of the Denshattack mountain. If you enjoy titles such as Jet Set Radio, Neon White, you owe it to yourself to experience this one…hell, I’m tempted to delete my 100% save to start all over again!

If you’re looking for a cozy cat pun-filled game I highly recommend Cat Mail Co. If nothing else but the fact that I keep stealing my spouse’s computer to play it each night after work. Surrounded by our two snuggly cats I’m loving the sorting, stamping, slightly strange residents and cozy feelings this game gives me after a long day of being an adult. I wouldn’t mind another game set in this town, perhaps a library, a coffee shop, a boutique or gift store? I feel like Cats Island is a great place to ship your parcels and maybe more.

I don’t want to underestimate the need some people may have to simulate a road trip without having to actually having to go on one – and the act of “going outside and doing stuff” that may entail – but there’s so little here, it’s hard not to wonder what the point of it all is.