Nintendo Life's Scores
- Games
For 5,857 reviews, this publication has graded:
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45% higher than the average critic
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18% same as the average critic
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37% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 8 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 67
| Highest review score: | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest review score: | Lawnmower Game: Racing |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 2,261 out of 5857
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Mixed: 2,820 out of 5857
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Negative: 776 out of 5857
5865
game
reviews
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- Critic Score
Aeon Drive isn’t quite up there with modern platforming classics like Celeste, but it’s pretty darn close nevertheless. While its narrative won’t win any awards, this is simply a supporting backdrop to the fantastic gameplay on offer. Bolstered by solid performance and minimal loading screens, racing through the levels feels exhilarating as you jump, slide, and teleport your way through the maze-like environments. With an online leaderboard to satisfy your competitive nature and added multiplayer to boot, Aeon Drive is a speedrunning triumph that absolutely deserves your attention.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Oct 5, 2021
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Super Mario Galaxy still feels incredible, but it’s worth pointing out that the gyro controls used for the pointer aren’t as effective as the original Wii Sensor Bar – you’ll find yourself constantly recentring with a tap of ‘R’. Minor camera annoyances are also more noticeable now after 15+ years of refinement in the platforming genre, but this is a nitpick. Galaxy remains one of Nintendo’s greatest achievements, and it’s never looked better.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 30, 2025
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One of the most enjoyable Nintendo Wii titles to date and a game that's almost impossible to put down once you begin playing it. It may not feature the depth of Gran Turismo or Forza, but its a damn sight more entertaining.- Nintendo Life
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With its distinctive presentation and light-touch mechanics, Despelote builds a mesmerising feeling of a community brought together by a fleeting football obsession. The historic moment of Ecuador’s journey towards World Cup qualification grounds the story in time and place, perfectly capturing the author’s salad days. Whether you play, watch, or avoid football, this is a beautifully-told story you can enjoy.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Dec 20, 2025
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Metro Redux is a top-notch first-person survival horror package that delivers countless hours of thrilling stealth combat all wrapped up in a superb story. These are two of the most atmospheric games you'll likely play set in a beautifully detailed depiction of post-apocalyptic Russia. 4A Games has delivered a port that stands shoulder to shoulder with Alien: Isolation as the very best we've seen on Switch so far – an almost flawless experience which should absolutely be right at the top of any FPS or survival horror fan's must-buy list. This is essential stuff.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 25, 2020
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Adorable visuals, quirky background tunes and an urgently addictive gameplay mechanic all add up to a truly unique and rewarding action-puzzler.- Nintendo Life
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ARMS is polished, addictive, immensely rewarding and - perhaps most important of all - establishes a solid platform to create a popular and long-running series.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jun 7, 2017
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The only real criticism we have of the DLC is that some of the later unlock requirements and secrets are extremely esoteric. Even if you have the Castlevania knowledge, you’ll probably need to look up a guide or throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. That doesn’t change the fact that if you own Vampire Survivors, Ode to Castlevania is utterly essential. It’s easily the best DLC for the game, which acts as an incredible tribute to one of our favourite franchises while retaining and expanding on Vampire Survivors' endlessly addictive loop. The pile of secrets waiting for you is anything but miserable, and we guarantee you'll be gobsmacked.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 4, 2024
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Playing Art Academy: Atelier is a relaxing, rewarding, and immersive experience that truly makes you feel like part of a grand tradition.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jun 8, 2015
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Galaxy 2 on Switch includes the same additions as the first game. It introduces Assist Mode to give newcomers a leg up, and if you're playing co-op, Player Two can use the mouse controls on Switch 2. It also suffers from the same quirks: the gyro controls, although perfectly serviceable, never feel quite as good as the original Wii controls, though some of the camera issues in the original perhaps aren’t quite as prevalent here...Overall? Galaxy 2 is 3D Mario at its peak, and it’s a must-play.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 30, 2025
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Into The Breach is a brutal, uncompromising game of making hard decisions and living with your mistakes, but the short length of battles and endless variety of playthroughs makes for an extremely addictive experience. Though the graphics are nothing special, the gameplay is some of the very best you’ll find in the strategy genre on the Switch, and we can easily recommend this to anybody who’s looking for an in-depth game that’ll make you think. Into The Breach feels right at home on the Switch, and whether you play more at home or on the go, you’re more than likely to get plenty of value out of this release.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 4, 2018
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An absolute pleasure from start to finish, what Kaze and the Wild Masks lacks in originality it makes up for in the strength of its level design, responsive controls, kinetic move set and attractive visuals. Excellent, action-packed platforming through and through, with great gameplay variety and gimmicks that don’t compromise on what the game is best at – challenging, fast-paced obstacle courses and deviously-hidden secret areas. Easiest sell? Kaze and the Wild Masks is to Donkey Kong Country what Freedom Planet was to Sonic the Hedgehog. Don’t miss this one.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 18, 2021
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Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV gives an already fantastic party game a huge shot in the arm, with a bunch of brilliant Mouse Mode and mic-based games that also allow you to see your big silly face as you play. It's all very knockabout, very easy to use, and very easy to enjoy. With a huge base game packing seven boards and a whole bunch of modes, and the Switch 2's new tech adding to the fun in meaningful ways, this is a thoroughly delightful and totally family-friendly way to party Mushroom Kingdom-style.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jul 23, 2025
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When Unknown Worlds announced they were bringing this one to Switch we were hugely excited, this is one of our all-time favourite games after all, but it was excitement tempered with a degree of scepticism as to how on earth they'd manage to cram the entire experience onto Switch in a properly playable manner. As it turns out, we needn't have worried as this is a super solid port that - besides a few loading stutters here and there and some scenery pop-in that's present in every other version of the game - successfully delivers one of the very best survival experiences on any platform to Nintendo's hybrid console.- Nintendo Life
- Posted May 13, 2021
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An extremely impressive first game from The Wild Gentlemen, Chicken Police - Paint it RED! is one of the best adventure games we've played in a long, long time and one hell of an absorbing tale. It looks and runs great on the Switch, with only a couple of really minuscule interface issues which are easily ignored. At roughly eight or nine hours, the story is surprisingly lengthy for its genre, but we were never bored and wanted to investigate every little thing just to wring out more precious droplets of banter and fascination. Chicken Police is a polished, captivating experience and we're very excited for whatever's coming next from this team. It's just a shame it's so good, or we could have said it "laid an egg", and that would have tied in nicely with the whole chicken thing. Instead, this review is just going to, well, end. Now. That's it. It's finished. No closing chicken joke.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 21, 2020
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It goes without saying that Pop Plus: Solo is a highly recommended purchase, there are very few other games on the DSiWare service that come close to matching the extremely high quality of this title.- Nintendo Life
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Citizen Sleeper 2 is an excellent example of a polished sequel, continuing all the things that made its predecessor a beloved indie darling while building upon and expanding those systems with some new and interesting ideas of its own. The decision-driven narrative, tense RPG systems, and incredible soundtrack all come together to make for a game that is almost impossible to put down once you get pulled in. Newcomers who want to see what all the fuss is about will enjoy this as much as players who loved the first game - Citizen Sleeper 2 stands tall as a worthy follow-up.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 31, 2025
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Half-Genie Hero is exactly the game that fans of this series were clamoring for. The controls have never been so tight, the new visual style works wonders, and the writing is consistently funny and creative.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Dec 21, 2016
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Astral Ascent is a prime example of a game that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Its strong character design, hi-bit visuals, tight combat, memorable bosses, and broad build variety have all featured in games you’ve probably played before—there’s nothing ‘new’ here. But to write it off as just 'another one of those' in a crowded genre would be to miss out on one of the most delightful and surprising releases of the year. Astral Ascent is comfortably one of the best roguelites available on the Switch today, and we can easily recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in the genre. Don't miss it.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 14, 2023
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Featuring elegant design, polished graphics, and pick-up-and-play addictiveness; the Art Style series is a perfect-fit for DSiWare. The game's rather traditional concept, mixed in with a unique twist, creates one of the most fresh and enjoyable puzzles on any handheld. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed with Art Style: AQUITE.- Nintendo Life
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If you're an action platformer fan with quick thumbs, this is a must-buy.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jul 7, 2014
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There’s no denying that Tadpole Treble Encore isn’t for everybody, as it’s a rather short entry in what is traditionally a niche genre. Even so, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on this adorable experience. Tadpole Treble Encore is a thoroughly well-paced and enjoyable adventure, one which is supported by solid game design and excellent audiovisual presentation. If you missed out on this on the Wii U or find yourself itching for a worthwhile rhythm game for your Switch library, we’d urge you to pick this up as soon as you can. If you’re one of the few who played this on Wii U, we’d still say it’s worth your time to double dip, just bear in mind that it’s not a massively overhauled experience.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 31, 2021
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Rage of the Dragons Neo is a peach of a game. Plucked from the Neo Geo library, it’s been brought back to life with a smooth online experience and a comprehensive package stuffed with bonuses. It’s not for everyone, and don’t be surprised if you get beasted online initially, but for those willing to eke out the depths of its tag team strategy and combo extension methods, it's a furious, flashy, adrenaline-fuelled affair that looks great, sounds great, and plays even better.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 14, 2024
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OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a lovely game, an emotional adventure that represents the apex of the series to date and easily one of the best story-driven games on Switch. It's also excellent value for money, offering around ten hours of game for its low price, more if you really take your time and soak the whole thing up the way you really should do. While the character designs are a little too familiar, the characters themselves are complex, interesting, and likeable, and the story told with them is a complete, satisfying tale. Oh, and when the opening suggests playing with headphones? That's a hard agree from us, both to help with the music-based puzzles and simply to enjoy the excellent score.- Nintendo Life
- Posted May 24, 2022
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Blasphemous is a beautifully crafted Soulslike/Metroidvania action game set in a delightfully unhinged, deliriously gory world filled with well-designed enemies, satisfyingly meaty combat and some truly memorable and grotesque boss battles. Platforming sections are uniformly well-crafted and the whole thing comes together to create one of the most visually arresting and solidly enjoyable action titles currently available on Switch. Spanish developers The Game Kitchen have created a nightmare world in Cvstodia, one that will truly test your combat and platforming skills and leave you begging for more come that final bloody battle.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 9, 2019
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It's an excellent party game with a solid single player campaign and more unlockables than the colours of the rainbow; you won't regret paying the admission for this gem on the Wii U.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Aug 26, 2015
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Call of Prypiat is the most refined experience of the trilogy. Everything from the HUD to the survival mechanics has been optimised to give the best experience for would-be Stalkers. Visible status icons and an on-screen quickslot view will have you going into menus less frequently. The shooting is still fantastic, with minor refinements of Chornobyl and Clear Sky's system making this the smoothest bullet thrower of the bunch. It’s worth noting that the generous assist options present on these versions mitigate the series' notorious fiddly aiming.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 12, 2024
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Supergiant Games is five-for-five with Hades II, a huge, triumphant sequel that manages to diverge mechanically and offer more challenges and variety than its predecessor. It helps that it’s nearly faultless on Switch 2 in particular. Sometimes there’s a bit too much going on, and in shooting for a bigger, more tragic story, I think it’s lost a bit of heart. But, quite frankly, I don’t want time to stop because if it does, I won’t be able to play Hades II anymore.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 25, 2025
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While the program is simple enough for people of all ages to create a project, it still manages to offer up an almost endless amount of creative power limited only by the amount of time and effort users are willing to put into their projects.- Nintendo Life
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