Fantasy Life is a game where you can select a character and profession to live in the said profession and develop a career.
There is also a main quest/story for you village incentivises you to explore the world to visit new people and places.
I found the game to be very... mid with the combat and resource gathering and due to being the main component to progress your 'life', it can turn from novelty to repetitive with little reward.
The most interesting part of the game is the ability to choose a new character in the same save file. So you can be a fisherman in the life and build your skills and from the stock you make can help your life as a chef to grow also. This was something I never experience before.
I had to shelve the game as I feel overall this is likely more for kids and my patience with it was fading. One day I might pick it up again but feel my opinion wont change

Oxenfree delivers a thrilling experience which delves into the supernatural. You start as a teenager (Alex about 17) and she is accompanied by some friends to have a good time on a remote island. Things suddenly go pear shape as you awaken an ancient spirit that can possess and disorientates you and your friends.
The theme and interaction of characters is top notch, I am always wanting to know more about these characters lives and situations to lead them to being who and why they are.
These spirits leech onto Alex's insecurities through the game and provoking unresolved issues. At this point I should add the voice acting and character interaction is what really executed the plot and brought the game together as a whole. If it wasn't for voice acting and characters, I cannot see how this game would of panned out.
I really like thrillers that also develop characters and showing a 'coming of age' undertone. Movies such as 'IT' is a prime example of this. Although a different plot, it has that common theme. I scare easily so having an emotional personal plot really brings depth making it tolerable. The art style and visual effects in the game are also breathtaking as it really immerse you in the games theme making me disorientated.
The major complaint I have on this game is the actual gameplay itself. It felt like a visual novel and walking sim, therefore the gameplay and skill is minimal. You have dialect choices constantly in the game which is great. I just wished they allowed me to select an option after a character has spoken, as the game seems to force me to choose and interrupt another characters dialogue. This can distract on the brilliant voice acting and plot which bothered me.
The game is priced well for a 4 hour adventure and if you want to see alternative endings (like me) you will give a second try to see how you choice matter in the end credits

Little Nightmares is a atmospheric puzzle platformer. The graphics, music and tone on offer is amazing and can see the cult following on this game. I like the ability to traverse and use your environment with the ever looming fear it offers.
The variety of gameplay is also interesting as it delivers puzzle solving, stealth and escapes from danger. Surprisingly there are also boss battle moments also.
The game works in what it has to achieve and displays your character evolving over time with no spoken words.
A downfall (for me at least), is a lack of plot. You are just dumped into this zone and you leave. Unsure the underlying purpose of the truly artful game. Yes I got this game for free on Steam, but to pay full retail I would wonder if I got my money's worth with just 4 hours of gameplay. I definitely recommend when a sale appears to try this thriller.

Had a good sale and heard it was a classic arcade racer so gave a shot for some gameplay variety.
As mentioned, Horizon Chase Turbo is an Arcade racer. The high speed nature is adrenalin pumping. What made this game great is the AI difficulty is on point. Sure there is some rubber banding but it's nothing too noticeable and is overall fair in gameplay. There were moment you want them to 'get out of the way' but is very achievable to come first if you choose the right car for the track.
This is the part where it is strategic, you need to figure out the right car for the track you are racing. Such as, you are running a long track, its important to choose a car with good fuel economy over a car that goes fast.
There is further strategy in selecting which upgrades you need for your vehicles to your driving style and cars you prefer. I found some tracks to be better then others, the most annoying part is the narrow roads in some areas and having so many cars bunched up, it can be frustrating when you cannot overtake.
The music is suited for the game, but is definitely forgettable with the lack of music track variety.
The game runs at 60fps, however, I did encounter some minor stutters. The game did crash on me one while playing.

Metroidvanias are not really my type of genre, but there was something that clicked with me in this game that made it amazing.
The graphic style was really captivating. Having a dark moody atmosphere but also had a variety of colours and differing environments made the the game so engaging.
I loved, loved, loved the combat! You basically can take a parry melee hit when an enemy is attacking and can blast them when they are stunned. It never got old. The metroids vary in size and skills and have a decent variety of attack pattern. My favorate part is when you parry, climb on top of them and give a metroid a good dose of missiles down their throat, gives that, 'take this!' feeling when you fist pump.
The levels are well made and the upgrades are relevant and honestly, pretty cool.
The main issues I have (although minor) is the levels can be long and doesn't it make it clear if you need to break a block to progress. I don't want a huge display, but a signal on what is destructible and what is not as I did get lost or spend awhile stuck looking for one block to progress which can be frustrating, a slightly different colour of texture is all.
The story is kinda paper thin, if there was more to explain the purpose of the mission would give a higher motivation t the cause of the game. Another issue I had was it can be a difficult game.
The challenge for me was kinda tough but rewarding. This if Shovel Knight difficulty. I bought this for my 10 year old son and he struggled past Zone 3. If there was a more accessible mode it would be great. Otherwise I can see how this was the best game for 2017 on the 3DS that pays respects to the classic Metroid games in the past.
I got lost a couple of times and therefore took me about 13 hours to finish due to being not the most hardened veterians of the genre. if you like a challenge and the genre you must go and scout this game out.

Ghoulboy is a great example of nostalgia trip in gaming. The platforming and level design I actually think was well made. The difficulty was a little tough but fair. Takes about 5 hits to meet your demise and not spammed with enemies, unlike some scary themes games that kill you in two hits with a tonne of either ghouls, ghosts, or goblins.
I like the idea of upgrading your weapons with in game currency and the currency stays with you regardless of dying. So if you are having difficulty in the game you can earn and spend in the game shops.
The bosses are different from one another and have a solid attack pattern to figure out. However, the main positives may as well end here. The issues I had with the game are:
- The sound is poorly balanced, the sound effects are way to high compared to the music. You cannot adjust the sound effect volume, so had to max out the music volume and turn my TV speakers down to balance this. The sound is also broken. It chops and stutters at times, especially when you die.
- Enemy placement I find questionable as the level is made harder then it should due to placement of enemies in key areas.
- The challenge option of the game is broken. You cannot select all the chapters in any order when the menu gives you that chance.
I had fun for what it's worth but sadly not much replay value due to the broken chapters. I could feel my skill level increase as I progress, which is the best factor of challenge in any game making it fun. I got this game as it was over 90% off on the eshop (paid about 78cents USD). It took me about 3.5 hours to beat it. I definitely feel at this discount price it was worth it.

Lenna's Inception was an interesting game to play. I enjoyed the overworld how it was directing you to a path as certain wats to proceed will require items. The writing I liked also, a smaller yet satirical story about you being the teacher saving your students against 'the glitch'.
The items they offer are very practical and function well within the game. The best part of the game for me was the boss battles. They were creative and well balanced with the mechanics. My only gripe is they can be easy once knowing the pattern and adding an extra hit on the final phase would be a good balance.
The music and graphics were of much higher quality then expected. I tried both 8bit and 32bit and both were a joy to play on.
My concern was the procedurally generated dudgeons. I am not a fan of random made challenges and this was no exemption as my taste is for a hard crafted approach. There are some rooms with just hit bad-guys or move some blocks. Some room you can just walk over to the next room with no challenge at all making it feel like filler. Just focusing on having a decent puzzle element would really lift the game There is also no real 'trick' to enter the dudgeon also which is an interesting choice.
The game had an OG Zelda feel but the overworld has a more Links Awakening progress system. The game took me about 6 hours to finish with some extras The overworld was fine with the procedural generation, but the happy medium would be to have deliberately made dudgeons for a more focused challenge. If that was achieved it would be a 9/10.

The nostalgia!!! This is Sonic in it's truest form, welcome back! Everything you expect in a Sonic game, the music, the speed, the panic inducing water levels (nightmares resurfacing) all packaged together with that edgy attitude. I feel the Sonic formula has had some fine tuning by quality of life improvements making this a game for the classic yet modern gamers alike.
The game is an ideal length and difficultly not leaving players too frustrated. The main campaign (with some extras) took about 15 hours. Completionists will devote more time (maybe 25hours).
Encore mode felt a little like deja vu from the main mode and only did the first few zones to try other character mechanics.
Couple of issues I had is about level speed/flow. There are not so often moments you the level will suddenly halt you for some tedious platforming and a badly placed spike or enemy. Luckily these are not too common.
The other factors is, although the level design is ingenious, I found the levels to be far too long and can time out or get close to timing out due to the levels length. It needs to be slightly smaller or free-flowing to speed though.
Loved the game and may come back to it in a few years or when there is a flat patch in gaming.

When I heard that you are a castaway on a mysterious island, it had me intrigued. The plot had a 'Lost' TV show vibe, along with being an ARPG I had to get it.
I found the music to be stellar and only judging by the music I would award a 10/10. Not my favourite type of music but enjoyed it as the guitarist seemed to have a blast jamming at times.
Without going through details, the plot is well illustrated and makes you invested in every character. There is some plot twists and interesting ideas to keep you motivated. However, I feel the plot later sways to the JRPG cliché which loses a unique identity.
The combat is deep yet straight forward and changing characters within the team add variety as they each have different moves and attributes.
The button mapping is unsatisfactory, however you can customise this in the menu options. The upgrade system is easy to understand making it less of a chore to get into the action.
A few issues I encountered on the Switch version I played are:
- Enemies in the far background have a terrible framerate (like single digits) and is comical in a way. When approaching the enemy, the frame rate increases. I am not a FPS snob but something to notice if you are.
- Graphics look strongly like an early PS3 game. Great attempt on their first 3D game but did disappoint me given the framerate issue above.
- Some scenes seem to stretch too for and the characters seems to blurt out the obvious. There are moment I am not playing the game at for for over 20minutes and get me impatient to play the game
- Some scenes jump from full voice audio to just text boxes and seem to be quite random when this happens. Wasn't a major complaint as file size and cost of voice actors, but was it was the inconsistent nature that was jarring.
- The game is riddled with invisible walls that break immersion for me. The game seems more open-world in the images then what is actually happening also. The game is not fully linear but could be more open to explore this wonderful island.
The game took me around 70 hours to finish on hard mode and I got the true ending. Some parts could be streamlined to make it a 60hour experience for me. I recommend playing but cannot say I will play again due to the investment made and long cut scenes in certain areas.

I am catching up on my backlog and excited to try this as being a fan of 3d platformers.
Firstly, the camera may of been awful at launch but what I have played it seems solid. The way it works seems like its from the GameCube era. The camera may freeze or move around objects but moves well which is important.
How Yooka-Layee moves: although not as tight as Mario, isn't as floaty as Hat Girl. It's somewhere in between being more floaty then tight but easy to get used to. Your character has a great move set and like the idea that new moves are taught gradually. The interaction of the vendor in buying the moves is querky and fun to say the least. In fact all the diverse and qwerky characters add alot of charm to the game.
I found Pagies (the main collectible) to be a fair challenge. Not just lying around and not a chore to obtain. They are very well placed.
The graphical style and performance runs really well on the Switch. There is pop-in if you pay attention. Nothing game breaking when running around having a good time.
There is no map to explore and see the overworld which irritated me. I also disliked how there were no checkpoints. With a map so large, I would like checkpoints and to move to them.
There are only 3 enemy types in the game with different pallet swaps in each world. This was disappointing in not building progression outside the level design.
The overworld was so large and so empty making the world seem lifeless also.
Game took about 20 hours to finish including the excessively long final boss and may shelve it as it was good but not overly memorable.

After playing the main campaign and hearing this was a meaty DLC I took the plunge and gave it a go immediately after. I noticed when playing they have kept true with the charm and graphics of the main game despite the different environment which I loved.
You play as Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky which were very unique in play styles and added a tactical play which is familiar yet fresh. The level design and leveling up seem to be more diverse yet more focused then ever.
Downsides I would say is, you cannot choose which party members to bring to a battle. I did not expect a choice of 8, but having Diddy Kong or Rabbid Dixie would of been a perfect inclusion.
For the DLC you get about 50% more QUALITY content to the main campaign. Being about 1/3 of the price makes it a great deal, better still, try to get the Gold Edition if you can

A total surprise for me... I am not a big fan of turned based games, but seeing characters move around to cover and a slightly goofy spin peaked my interest. I gave it a go, and played a few maps. After awhile I was slowly getting hooked in without realising. Then all of a sudden it hits me, "I am dedicating waaaay too much on rabbids". You know why? Because this is a thinking game and it's done well.
Don't let the rabbids discourage you. They are sprinkled in to keep it light hearted not moronic nonsense. It is more like 3/4 Mario for a rough idea.
The music is world class and probably the 3rd best OST I've played on Switch so far.
Difficulty curve is steady and fair. I enjoyed the skill tree and item upgrades to add depth to the gameplay.
Choosing the right characters in later stages is important and gets you really planning your battles, choose wisely. The game is a good length of about 25 hours. Any longer it would of been tedious.
The game was good enough that I rushed to buy the DLC and had a great time with that also, shame you can't choose a team on the DLC. Some issues I had:
- I feel the game is a little buggy at times, especially when on an action shot angle
- The AI seem kinda predicable When backtracking to collect prizes
- The fast travel points did not match the campaign battle arenas and can be disorientating to know where you were at times

My son wanted a game and at the time not much has been released so here we are. The game has a cute aesthetic and jingles that put a smile on your face. I like how you can choose which colour Yoshi can go adventuring with. The game is very easy. I hardly died and that was due to experimenting instead of the challenge.
Due to ease of the game, it does make it a little boring to run through. However, the level variety and unique mechanics on some levels can redeem the some of the boredom. The main issue is the repetition of the stages.
To get all the flowers in the level you will need to get special items. Instead of giving you a list of the special items in one level in one shot, you will have to get the item, return the item and go through the stage AGAIN to get the next item. Worst part is some items are unfairly hidden and a chore to find.

A tribute to 2d Zelda games. It lacks some polish (explained later) but feel this was fun to play.
The storyline was simple yet satirical. For not being serious, I enjoyed it. The dudgeon's and caves were great if doing the main storyline. They have also mini dudgeon's - bigger then caves - called 'portals' which was a nice bonus to receive upgrades.
The puzzles were fantastic, artstyle was spot on and the over-world was fun. The main issues I had were:
- The bosses (especially in the bonus dudgeon's) were waaaay too difficult for me. The puzzles and enemies are well balanced, but the bosses were so tough it broke emersion for me. If they had 20% less health it would be balanced to the core game
- The dream world, I did not like! It was less about puzzles solving and more on frame perfect moves, not what I consider fair In stating my issues, I loved the final boss in the main storyline. One of the best boss battles I have played period!
If you 'git gud' and can beat the bosses onslaught in the main campaign you can have great fun adventuring

Talk about cute and charming. If you are introducing your kids to the Zelda franchise, this is a great starting point.
I also had fun with this game. The world, although seems a little cramped in today's standards was a character within itself.
Story was original and Mirin was someone you grow fond of. You do not dwell that a Zelda game is missing, well, Zelda. Working out the end with the Windfish was quite cryptic and only by accident I found the bonus dudgeon. At the end the dudgeon's were long and exhausting and would prefer a dozen smaller dudgeon's. I understand this is a remake and cannot stray from the original formula.