Nintendo Life's Scores

  • Games
For 5,862 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 45% higher than the average critic
  • 18% same as the average critic
  • 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: 100 Horace
Lowest review score: 10 Lawnmower Game: Racing
Score distribution:
5870 game reviews
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Horizon Chase 2 isn't going to set the world on fire. No matter how fun it is to fly across the highway at blazing speed, no amount of speed can disguise the fairly limited breadth of content available. In fact, that speed only makes courses blur together even more. Ultimately, you're left with a fun but shallow arcade racer that feels disappointingly shaky on Switch.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This is a punishingly difficult game by most metrics, but those of you who like a worthy challenge will find plenty to love here. Blink-and-you-miss-it gameplay and some light replayability elements make for a title that at least proves itself to be worth the price of admission. That being said, rough performance and some occasionally unbalanced difficulty can make for an experience that’s often more frustrating than it is fun. If you have another console which can run Ghostrunner, we’d recommend you pick it up there unless you really want to play this one on the go. Otherwise, this game is worth your time – but perhaps wait for a sale before you rush out to pick it up.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    RWBY: Arrowfell is a fine enough game, but it also feels like the kind of thing you might’ve discovered on Newgrounds back when Flash games were popular. Elements like the shallow combat and tacked-on skill point system don’t feel properly fleshed out, and repetitive environments and bland level design tend to get tiresome as the campaign wears on. We’d give this game a light recommendation if you’re a big fan of Wayforward’s other work in 2D action games and are looking for something in that vein, but even then, you may want to wait for a sale here. There are certainly much, much worse games than RWBY: Arrowfell to be found on the Switch eShop, but we think your time and money are better spent on, well, better games.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    If you’re the type to burn through the Louvre in an hour and wait for your companions in the cafe, The Mooseman may well try your patience. If you’re more inclined to wander around with an audio guide, reading every accompanying plaque and information card, you’ll likely enjoy its sedate pace, workaday puzzles and catalogue of artefacts. A clumsy UI seriously hampers the experience but, if you’re willing to work around the irritations at its core, it offers an interesting, sometimes beautiful journey.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    If you’re more experienced with RPGs, we’d give it more of a recommendation, but with the caveat that this is a game that will demand patience and careful study to fully enjoy. Either way, Square’s done a great job of prettying up this delightfully obscure RPG for western audiences, and we hope that this isn’t the last we’ll see of SaGa for the Switch.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    If it were a launch title, we’d recommend tactics fans investigate Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix, at least until something better came along, but something better did come along – several things, in fact. If you’re an insatiable tactics fiend who’s munched through everything else, including the previous collection, this is stodgy, competent filler that should keep you going for a while; it’s a supermarket meal deal or a plate of cocktail sausages. It’s no-frills and fine, but with a veritable buffet of tasty, interesting alternatives, who wants a sausage on a stick? Perfunctory, cliched writing and a lack of niceties make it a tougher sell when there are literally hundreds of hours to be had elsewhere.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    If you can ignore the slow battle system, vapid story, and abysmal dialogue, Pier Solar's efforts may win your heart. If you've got no love for this genre, steer clear — this is one for enthusiasts only.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All said, Space Hulk is a fun game with some strong points, but it might not find the audience it's after on Nintendo's console.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The different locations combine to ensure that this eight hour adventure is full of fan-service, although its lack of variety is best enjoyed during short bursts of play.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There's plenty to commend Double Kick Heroes for; it's an ambitious game, with great-looking pixel graphics, plenty of songs and modes, an enjoyable story and a general vigour to it that underpins its heavy metal aesthetic very appealingly. Unfortunately, we feel like it tries to do a little too much and ends up being rather confusing and slapdash in execution. We found the central rhythm-action gameplay to be the worst part, and that's not a great thing in any game. The disappointing soundtrack only compounded this problem, but we do appreciate that it's going to be a matter of taste in this regard. This leads us to a bit of a conundrum; Double Kick Heroes clearly has an enormous amount of love poured into it, but it's not enough for an unqualified recommendation when we just didn't quite have enough fun with it. A sequel could refine its more confused elements into something wonderful, but for the time being, you may get a (Double) kick out of this effort.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    BlobCat strongly models itself after one of the best games to hit the Dreamcast and Game Boy Advance, and since there isn’t really anything else like it out there, anyone willing to squint their eyes might be able to scratch that ChuChu Rocket! itch a little here. A wide-eyed look shows an overall rough package, though — from functional-if-unremarkable visuals to a lack of CPU opponents in the multiplayer suite, all the way down to bizarre inconsistencies with how menus work. BlobCat is here for you if you need it, but doesn’t quite reach the level of the genuine article.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Although Tormented Souls is a commendable homage to classic survival horror games, its focus on the past is unfortunately its biggest downfall.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Crazy Climber is a game with a simple premise: just climb! There's a good range of dangers to contend with and although the game shows its age, the action is easy to follow. Audio is also simple, but only the falling dumbbells and girders annoy, with the rest having a simple charm about them. There's enjoyment in finding ways to improve your score whether climbing more buildings or climbing the same number, but faster. The nature of the controls mean it doesn't have the same pick up and play simplicity of a Space Invaders or Pac-Man, but Arcade Archives Crazy Climber can still provide high score chasing fun.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    At 1000 Points it's pretty expensive, but for those of you who have children or younger siblings and are interested in finding a game you can play together, Miffy's World is not a bad choice with its colourful art style and easy gameplay.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Rocksteady's phenomenal Arkham series needs no introduction at this stage — three of the finest superhero games you'll ever play with a top-notch cast and writing, and sublime gameplay that put you right into the bat-boots of the Dark Knight. Asylum is an all-timer, City still stands up as one of the best open-world games we've ever played and Knight, although slightly less successful, is still a strong final chapter. It's a shame that Knight is completely unplayable on Switch. Very little TLC has been shown to any of these games and better decisions weren't made when it became clear just how poorly one of the games here ran on Nintendo's console. If you only have a Switch and have never played the first two games, Batman: Arkham Trilogy is still a decent way to play those two titles, at least.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In the end, this Arcade Archive release is a pioneer once again by becoming the very first American Football game on the Nintendo Switch, and if you were around at the time it was first released you will certainly have as much fun with it today as you did back in 1983. As for the other video football enthusiasts out there, best to hold out for future releases within the genre or perhaps secure a NES Classic Mini with the superior Tecmo Super Bowl.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A Knight’s Quest brings a much needed light-hearted take on the action-adventure fantasy genre, with a genuinely funny sense of humour running throughout and plenty of world to explore. It’s marred by a poor navigation system, inconsistent visual quality and an overall lack of polish. There’s plenty of fun to be had on this quest, but there’s very little to write home about when the Switch is full to the brim with similar titles that provide superior experiences.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Play & Learn Spanish includes over 700 words and phrases and an easy way to study them, making a good tool for beginning learners or tourists, though it's let down in a number of other areas including the very big oversight of not including gendered articles for vocabulary words.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Gal Gun: Double Peace knows its audience, almost too well. Its entertainment factor is centred around crass perversion dressed up like a Saturday morning kid’s cartoon; and, if anyone attempts to tell you it’s a play on satire addressing the difficulties Japanese women face in a largely sexist society, feel free to laugh loudly in their face. That said, this is admittedly more of a game — and an altogether better game — than most that fall into the ecchi category. While simplistic, there’s nothing particularly broken about it, and its Expert Mode does offer a playable enough game to be mildly involving. But, if you don’t have a particular affection for its window-dressing, there’s not a great deal here to keep rail-shooting fans engaged.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Come On! Heroes is a fun enough game, but it suffers from a lack of variety and some truly appalling musical tracks. Otherwise, though, it's quite fun, and a welcome enough return to the fast-paced simplicity of the first Castle Conqueror game.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Rad Rodgers Radical Edition serves up a hefty slice of side-scrolling shooter action and Metroidvania-esque exploration. While the optimisation for Nintendo Switch has dulled its colourful looks, it's still an attractive looking little adventure that happily dances between a Pixar-esque art style and some classic 8-bit pixelation. The option to play in a kid-friendly mode does make this a little more palatable for younger players, but any game with Duke Nukem's involvement is always going to be aimed at the Conker's Bad Fur Day crowd. Ultimately, it's a fun but forgettable experience that will appeal to fans of the genre but won't leave a lasting impression.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In many ways God Wars is like a new Picross game; it’s more of the same. The Japanese folklore narrative offers a slight twist, but the script is painfully dull and repetitive. If you’re dipping your toe into the genre or only have time for one of these, we’d sit tight to see what Intelligent Systems has up its sleeve with the upcoming Fire Emblem: Three Houses. If you’re a strategy junkie after a fix, it gets the job done with all the mechanics and systems you’d expect – but nothing new or novel.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In keeping with tradition, Sonic Origins Plus is a bit of a mixed bag. The new playable characters, Game Gear games, and other content feel just barely worth the upgrade fee, but there’s no escaping the sense that Sega could’ve done a lot more for this update and chose not to. While the overall package is a strong one, we’d give the new content of this expansion a very light recommendation as it does ultimately feel worth the price tag (for existing owners). But how much value this will hold to you depends heavily on how much nostalgia you have for the Game Gear and how badly you want to play as Amy in the classic games. Here’s hoping that Sonic Superstars provides an old-school Sonic experience that feels less underwhelming.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A competent dirt bike game that will properly give you all the thrills of the real deal, in a fashion you can customize to your own liking. However, considering this game is priced as a full AAA experience, we can’t but think that all the content from the remaining versions that got cut from the Switch retail release is not enough to justify this version’s portable aspect. So buyers beware: you’re picking up a brand new dirt bike with several key components missing, which is a somewhat troublesome trend on third-party Switch releases.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    At times it can feel quite limited due to the way many hit balls end up in the hands of the opposition (and naturally it's not as fully-featured as games the followed in subsequent years), but it's still satisfying to hit a home run and amusing to watch someone chase after the ball only to then be sent flying by an exploding landmine.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While the banter has a certain amount of charm, for us it became wearisome somewhat quickly. There’s almost too much of it. You can’t ignore NPCs entirely — there are times when you need pointers — but most offer no useful information whatsoever, and are only there to serve up yet another ba-dum-tss moment. Developer Fuz, who appears in-game as a townsperson, clearly thinks of themselves as a witticist, and that’s fine — just be aware that if you tire of the humour, you’ll tire of the game.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Monkey Pirates is a good local multiplayer experience on Wii U, but one that doesn't make the most of the bespoke functionality the system has to offer. Moreover, the game falls down in other key areas, such as a limited single-player mode and AI that is prone to breaking.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A decent stab at compiling a pleasant little arcade package, but questionable decisions like squashed playing fields, meagre high-score tables and unerasable save data drop this from "must have" to "it's complicated."
    • 51 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While there are improvements across the board, R.B.I. 2019 still falls short of being a must-have baseball outing. It's fun without being deep, and the lack of online play will be unforgivable to many players. It also struggles technically, which is a shame given that it's hardly the most visually stunning Switch title. Still, if you like the sport then go ahead, buy it and enjoy a game of baseball. Slap a few whoppers. Dominate a Home Run Derby. Have some fun. Just don’t expect that fun to last; you’ll get fed up quickly and become envious of those dastardly PS4 owners.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The graphics are average at best and don’t look anywhere near as good as its PS4/Xbox One counterpart, and the number of bugs becomes a bit exasperating after a while. Regardless, Ary and the Secret of Seasons makes up for this with a well-told story, a fantastic gameplay mechanic centred around seasons, and a well-realised world filled with unique characters. It’s not a game we’d urge you to rush out and purchase immediately, but if you’re after an action-adventure fix, you could do a lot worse.

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