Nintendo Life's Scores
- Games
For 5,857 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: | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest review score: | Lawnmower Game: Racing |
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 2,261 out of 5857
-
Mixed: 2,820 out of 5857
-
Negative: 776 out of 5857
5865
game
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
-
- Critic Score
The Legend of Steel Empire remains a faithful reimagination of the original release, even including the end credits gag. It will take a medium-skilled player less than an hour to do a complete loop but it is such a good time, that can’t be considered a fault. While it doesn’t quite enter the bullet hell pantheon of other shoot 'em ups on Switch, it is certainly worth the shelf space in your collection and might be the perfect excuse to dust off your arcade stick in 2024. Maybe one day down the line we'll get a proper 16:9 sequel handled by the original HOT-B staff, but in the meantime, this is a welcome return for the original.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 23, 2024
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
With its subtle, relaxing and appropriate musical score, gloriously soft visuals and a simple yet emotional story, Pode succeeds in offering a generous and humble cooperative yet challenging 8-10 hours of content that will shine brightly - especially in among the assortment of fast-paced and frantic multiplayer games that we have right now on the eShop.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jun 21, 2018
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
A refreshing entry into the rhythm action genre and, without a doubt, one of the more worthwhile additions to WiiWare.- Nintendo Life
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Letter Quest is filled to the brim with content including a stack of levels, a long list of quests and achievements, and many unlocks to enjoy. By the time you complete Grimm's journey, you'll be a qualified wordsmith.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Aug 27, 2016
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
There are moments of gameplay during the climax of Skate Story that are some of the most visceral, original, and downright impressive that I’ve experienced for a very long time. Its great-feeling skating isn’t always pushed to its limits, but the sheer craft, personality, and audiovisual flair throughout largely compensate. Overall, Skate Story is an enjoyable, offbeat adventure game with a striking, unique identity. It might not be difficult, but if its tone speaks to you, you’ll find plenty to appreciate for its relatively short duration: sliding at speed around corners, landing shove-its, jumping across crevices, grinding through crystalline underworlds, and, yes, eating moons – all to a superb soundtrack.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Dec 8, 2025
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
The developers have done a fantastic job of recreating the overlay visuals that were painted on the screens of the original LCD units and the LCD displays are spot-on perfect renditions of the original.- Nintendo Life
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
While Samurai Shodown has taken a very slight visual hit as part of its protracted journey to Switch, the most important thing is that the core 60FPS gameplay remains intact. The downgrade is most noticeable when playing in handheld mode, but it's still incredibly enjoyable and compelling, especially if you appreciate fighting games that exercise your mind as well as your fingers. The single-player portion of the game is perhaps a little too lacking by 2020 standards and some of the ideas don't work as well as they should (Dojo mode, we're looking at you) but with its appealing cast of fighters, decent multiplayer options and a host of new gameplay ideas to keep things feeling fresh, Samurai Shodown is nonetheless a confident and assured update of a classic fighting game series – and bodes well for SNK's future attempts to resurrect its enviable stable of titles for the modern era.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 25, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Tikipod has done it again with Iron Crypticle, successfully reviving an old-school arcade concept and infusing it with some modern ideas. Iron Crypticle may not do a ton of innovative or new things with that twin-stick concept, but it nonetheless hits all the right notes in recreating that gameplay that made Smash TV such a smash hit. If you’ve ever been into twin-stick shooters or want another game for local co-op, Iron Crypticle is a great choice; fun gameplay, high replayability, and decent presentation make this one easy to recommend.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 13, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
GALAK-Z isn’t a game for everyone: its rogue-lite nature, its high difficulty level and its punishing policy on death (even in its easier Arcade mode) will infuriate some players who are just expecting a quick blast of non-stop action. Treat it like the slower-paced exploration and survival game it’s supposed to be, and your patience will be rewarded with some genuinely satisfying space combat and a wide variety of customisable parts (not to mention its brilliant mech upgrade), all wrapped up in a fantastic ‘80s style aesthetic.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Apr 2, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Journey to the Savage Planet is a wonderfully unique mixture of No Man's Sky-style exploration and Metroidvania puzzling and platforming with a wonderfully dark sense of humour that arrives here on Switch in a slightly compromised but still eminently playable state. ARY-26 is a fantastically vibrant planet to explore, filled with cute creatures, bizarre flora and fauna and super-slick platforming and environmental puzzle design. The monolithic tower that sits at the middle of this alien planet is a compelling mystery to work towards and the game doles out plenty of fun new tools and toys at just the right rate to keep you highly entertained as you jump, grapple, boost and blast your way to the secret at its core. There have been obvious graphical concessions made and the framerate does wobble from time to time – performance definitely feels worse in docked than handheld – but overall Typhoon Games has created an adventure that's strong enough to transcend any of these slight technical shortcomings and absolutely remains an experience you should check out, if you get the chance.- Nintendo Life
- Posted May 25, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Even for WiiWare veterans, Art of Balance: Touch! is worth the double-dip for the extra puzzles, blocks and endurance mode, plus the ability to play on the go. Deceptively simple and gloriously satisfying, it's another strong addition to the eShop's puzzle line up.- Nintendo Life
- Posted May 29, 2012
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is a worthy sequel to Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. It nicely fills in the story gaps of the first collection and presents a very good-looking and deep light-gun experience.- Nintendo Life
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Have a Nice Death may not reinvent the wheel for roguelites, but this is a high-quality new entry in the genre. The brutal difficulty, creative theming, and satisfying combat all combine to make this a memorable and worthwhile experience, even if we wish it had better performance. We’d recommend this to anyone looking for another extremely competent and humorous action roguelite to add to their collection, though with the caveat that you should only take the plunge into this underworld if you feel confident in the sharpness of your skills. There’s a lot to love about Have a Nice Death, but as the name suggests, the bony hand of the reaper will be the only one holding yours.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 27, 2023
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
If you already own or played the DS version, this may not be the reboot you were hoping for. For those coming to the title with a fresh face however, prepare to be impressed.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Oct 3, 2011
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
PAN-PAN is a lovely little game to get sucked into - oozing with charm and a handful of quirky characters to meet along the way. There's admittedly little replay value other than to re-explore the lush planet and solve the puzzles in a quicker, smoother manner, and while the environmental puzzles might range from frustratingly obtuse to organically wonderful, the planet rewards your time and exploration. Once the credits roll and after everything you've achieved, it will be almost impossible not to reflect positively on your short but sweet journey.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 27, 2017
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Dragon Quest III might be slightly more expensive than its two younger brothers on the Switch eShop, but it stands tall as a great way to explore the world of Dragon Quest for the first time. Even when compared to modern JRPGs, Dragon Quest III still stands tall as one of the best in the genre. If you had to pick just one of the three rereleased Dragon Quest games, pick Dragon Quest III – we can promise that you won’t be disappointed.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Oct 20, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Several of the 19 new games — specifically those not found on the 2600 — are sadly not included in the new timeline and will need to be located within Atari 50’s game library. It’s no dealbreaker, but it would’ve been nice to get a bit of background information on their creation. We also feel like the exclusion of the original games created for the Intellivison to be a bit of a missed opportunity, but understandable given that this is Atari 50, not Intellivision 50. Fingers crossed Digital Eclipse will create something specific to that console's history now that the brand and associated IP are in Atari's hands.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 8, 2024
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Between the surprisingly deep plot for such a simple game, the clever narrative explanation of the mechanics, and enough chaos going on in the discussions to keep you guessing, we had a lot of fun with this one. Gnosia's simple game mechanics and deceptively deep story make it a must-have for visual novel and murder mystery fans; it's just a shame that the music is so poor. Even so, if you give it a chance it's highly likely that you'll fall in love with each member of its diverse cast – just in time for them to kill you.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 9, 2021
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
A relentlessly impressive experience, Ministry of Broadcast is always enjoyable, often excellent and very clearly a labour of love. Some will find the exacting nature of the controls rubs them the wrong way, but if you're looking for an old-school experience that isn't a self-conscious throwback and has a narrative you can get your teeth into, it's an unambiguous recommendation from us. It's not perfect – the in-game dialogue is well-written but rough around the edges, with plentiful typos and grammar confusion – but that's not enough to distract from Ministry of Broadcast's terrific level design and superb visuals. Nothing new here, but what it offers is, quite simply, a very, very, very, very good cinematic platformer.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Apr 30, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
SteamWorld Build is a beautifully crafted game that seamlessly blends genres and ideas into a polished and premium package. There’s not another management sim like it, but despite it running surprisingly well on Nintendo’s system, it does leave us wanting for more reason to return to it. You’re all but guaranteed to adore your first time through, but subsequent playthroughs may not carry the same magic. Still, with all that being said, this is undeniably a triumph of mechanical marvellousness.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 27, 2023
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Pikmin is a quirky, innovative, colourful, charming, and addictive game- epitomising exactly what Nintendo are all about. Sure, it’s just a GameCube port with Wii controls slapped on, but it works well.- Nintendo Life
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an experience unlike any other on the Switch, expertly blending standard RPG tropes with a heartwarming story, innovative art style, and an immersive soundtrack composed by some of the best in the business. In more ways than one, this is a ‘dream project’ that’s very existence is a gift to fans of the genre the world over; the privilege of experiencing it is something that shouldn’t be understated. Even so, it also notably falls short of being an undisputed masterpiece, as pacing issues and shoddy AI drag down an otherwise pitch perfect experience. Those issues aside, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch still proves to be lightyears ahead of most other RPGs currently available on the Switch. If you consider yourself a fan of the genre – or even if you’re just looking to get your feet wet – you owe it to yourself to give Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch a shot.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 16, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Tetrobot and Co. is a beautiful, charming puzzle game with a very fair and calculated approach to difficulty.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 6, 2014
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Simultaneously hardcore and casual, HoPiKo is a pick-up-and-play speedrunning platformer delight that demands the utmost precision and perseverance from the player. It's not for the easily dissuaded, or for anyone looking for anything other than a manic arcade experience, but those who dig its frantic ways will find it very hard to stop snacking.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 8, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
RICO is simple, moreish fun in arcade FPS form; a literal corridor shooter that makes every gunfight a glorious exchange of bullets as you fight your way to the words ‘Room cleared’ over and over again. It’s great fun in single-player, but when you head into each randomised set of rooms in co-op, you’ll shoot your way into an interactive buddy cop movie right there in the palm of your hands. Loading times and the occasional bit of pop-in aside, this is another fine addition to the console’s growing list of first-person shooters.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 11, 2019
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town offers up a perfectly satisfying and simple take on the farm sim genre. Heartwarming character interactions, easy to grasp farming mechanics, and a nice variety of side activities prove to make this release a potent and worthwhile entry in this long-running series. Though its roots as a handheld game occasionally resurface and there’s not a ton of new content added for this remake, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town more than stands enough on its own as a quality game that deserves a spot in your Switch library. If you’re looking for something to fill that post-Animal Crossing hole in your life, or are just simply a fan of the farm sim genre in general, don’t miss out on this one.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jul 9, 2020
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
We've seen a lot of budget-priced titles on the Nintendo eShop over the course of its near four-year history, but few games have proven their worth even at the lowest prices. Runny Egg can be added to the list of exceptions, providing a cheery and addictive little diversion with surprisingly open level design and a good sense of humour.- Nintendo Life
- Posted May 8, 2015
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Tencent is hoping Arena of Valor’s new console port will bring its eSports success on mobile to Nintendo Switch, and with a solid netcode, an accessible and enjoyable take on the MOBA template and a free-to-play model, there’s no reason it can’t achieve that goal in the months (and years) to come. While it does have a few technical issues at launch, they don't detract from the fact Nintendo Switch now has a proper MOBA to add to its library of supported genres. One of the world's biggest games is now on Switch, and that's something to celebrate.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 27, 2018
- Read full review
-
- Critic Score
Benefitting from the performance tweaks made by the transition from old-gen to current-gen hardware - and the same smooth mapping of its controls to the Joy-Con - South Park: The Stick of Truth proves itself just as good a fit on Nintendo Switch as South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Both a pastiche of classic RPG tropes and a wonderfully empowering example of how to make a great modern example of the genre, this is still one of Obsidian’s best exports and as authentic as any episode of the cult TV show it’s so closely tied to.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Sep 28, 2018
- Read full review
-
- Nintendo Life
- Posted Nov 6, 2014
- Read full review