Vooks

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is not just an attempt to recreate the classic feel of Super Nintendo’s best action-adventure titles, it is a confident attempt to modernise and reinterpret it. A memorable world, flexible combat system, rewarding exploration and an endearing cast, it stands as one of the best, most engaging HD-2D classic by Square Enix to date. Some minor issues with depth perception and an overstuffed combat system stop it from being an all-time classic, but they do little to diminish what is otherwise an incredibly enjoyable adventure.

Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen is a solid game, and thankfully they added voice acting outside of cutscenes in a patch, which means it's really only some of the more difficult puzzles that might lock it off for all age ranges, although co-operative play still would have been nice.

Pictonico isn't just a Wario-free WarioWare on mobile; it's its own thing, with a fun selection of mini-games, a bright and snappy interface, and a relatively low price in the grand scheme of things. What's on offer here is a bit of silliness, something you can play with family and friends and get a laugh out of, even if it won't keep you coming back for the longest time. When people say Nintendo don’t do silly things anymore, you can point them directly to Pictonico.

Rhythm Paradise Groove at a glance feels like a return home for Rhythm Paradise (or Heaven) fans. With a few rhythm-based minigame games that have been filling the gap, it should be a good opportunity for players to see the original. [Hands-On Impressions]

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is an utterly fantastic game that’s made the transition to the Switch 2 with few major compromises. Those compromises can be a bit distracting at times, but it’s easy to look past them when the game is as fun and charming as it is. On the road to the conclusion of the Remake trilogy, this port represents a strong step forward as the pieces start to fall into place.

To cap it all off, it was time to take the fight to real players – Multiplayer mode is back! Multiplayer is for up to eight players. In our game, we were split into two teams in a timed match to capture points on the map. Even though the last time I played a Star Fox multiplayer match was nearly 30 years ago, I remember not being very good at it. But after all these years, I did a little better with one win and one loss. The Corneria arena was the only one we got to check out, and admittedly, it made for a good first run. With eight players flying around the place, you were never very far from the action. Even respawning felt like you were a boost or two away from rejoining the fray. I am definitely interested to see how much more there is to keep groups coming back for more. [Hands-On Impressions]

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a joyful expedition, taking the Yoshis into another beautiful visual style. The focus on documenting discoveries about the different creatures within the mysterious book adds another layer to the traditional platformer. The more relaxed nature of the game is great for younger audiences, while also being a delight for older audiences who enjoy Yoshi games. If you’re looking for a challenging traditional platformer, you’re not going to find that here, but Yoshi is a ray of light that will bring a smile to many faces.

When a game comes late to Nintendo platforms, you sometimes wonder, was this really worth all the fuss when it first released? Were we missing out? The answer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an emphatic “you’re damn right it is”. While the game’s mechanics are things we might have seen before, we’ve never seen Indiana Jones treated with this much respect for such a long time. MachineGames have nailed it, and the Switch 2 port shows that the age of the impossible port isn’t over, because you lose almost nothing by playing it here. We might not get another Indiana Jones movie again, but if we can get another Indy game as good as this, we’ll be just fine.

Under Par Golf Architect is less than the sum of its parts. Each element of the game feels a little undercooked. Together it just about holds up, but the cracks aren't hard to find. However, the game’s got a pleasant presentation. It’s just a little bit silly, and that works if you can put up with spending a bit of time in the rough.

South of Midnight’s Switch 2 port isn’t perfect, but with its lovely visuals intact and an understandable cut to performance, it’s not all that bad either. A fascinating story and lore, gorgeous visuals, and a mostly solid port unfortunately aren’t enough, however, to shake the feeling that the gameplay itself feels outdated and often frustrating. It’s worth playing for the story nonetheless, and the Switch 2 is a fine enough place to play it, as long as you can live with it feeling like a long-lost PS2 game.