Nintendo Life's Scores

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For 5,859 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: 10 153 Hand Video Poker
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,261 out of 5859
  2. Mixed: 2,822 out of 5859
  3. Negative: 776 out of 5859
5867 game reviews
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    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dragon Marked For Death
    Given the high standard of gameplay that Inti Creates has shown in many other titles it’s released over the last several years, it’s hard not to be disappointed by Dragon: Marked for Death. Although the art direction is a definite plus, this is merely an inoffensive and unimaginative co-op side-scrolling RPG at best. But looking at the bigger picture, particularly the archaic design elements and baffling exclusion of split-screen play, makes this a release that’s admittedly hard to recommend to anyone that’s not a die-hard fan of the company. If you liked the Mega Man Zero series, this is a passable attempt at recreating that series’ gameplay style and it might resonate with some of you, but we’d otherwise recommend you take a pass on this one.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Akane
    While it might not share the intricate levels and levelling up mechanics of Hyper Light Drifter: Special Edition, Akane balances out its lack of topographical variety with a simple yet challenging set of rolling objectives and an increasingly tough variety of enemies to slay. Death is constant in those first few hours, but persevere and you'll discover a hack 'n' slash survival game that rewards precision, position and quick-thinking. With a brilliant chiptune/synth soundtrack and an art style that wears its influences front and centre, Akane has plenty of charms for those willing to learn to wield its blades – even if it does become slightly samey over time.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Heroes of Ruin
    Heroes of Ruin does have a few rough edges and areas where greater refinement would have been welcome, but they don't detract from an accomplished effort on 3DS. A short campaign is offset by four separate characters to develop, and the experience feels entirely suitable for a fully-tooled handheld action RPG. It's the online structure that truly raises the bar for the platform; crawling through dungeons is a lot more fun with others to share the glory, and the inclusion of voice chat in particular is a highlight.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Oddworld: Soulstorm - Oddtimized Edition
    We like the Oddworld series, and we wish Soulstorm were better. The ingredients are there: the world itself and Abe’s story have a uniquely grimy charm. No section of Soulstorm’s 15-hour adventure feels quite like the last, with enough new enemies and mechanics introduced to keep things both interesting and challenging. Yet at the same time, technical issues mar the experience much like the dirt and rust that covers Oddworld, and small inconveniences add up to make completing the game much more trying than it should be. We hope one day an Oddworld game will be a must-play adventure worthy of the series’ late-'90s prestige, but Soulstorm on Switch hasn’t quite freed Abe and the Mudokons from the fetters of poor performance and archaic design.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dragalia Lost
    If you’ve never been much of a fan of gacha-style mobile games, Dragalia Lost is hardly going to change your mind. With that being said, this is a remarkably well-executed ARPG for mobile devices; surprisingly in-depth lore, easy to pick up gameplay and oodles of customization options make this a game that’s easy to sink hours into, and the generous distribution of free virtual currency helps to keep the microtransactions to a minimum. It may not be anything groundbreaking, but Dragalia Lost is a release worthy of the quality associated with Nintendo’s name. You really should give it a try.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
    Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a decent mech game with plenty of depth in its weapons setups and lots of cool loot to discover in its large open-world maps. The combat is flexible, it's fast, and it's very often plenty of fun. However, performance issues — which are also present on other platforms, so don't sweat it too much, Switch 2 owners — make for a janky experience in places, with mushy controls and limp feedback. It's just not nearly as polished as it could be in this respect. With stutters loading into new areas and low-res textures a common sight (again, also on other systems), the overall feeling here is of a game that needs a few patches and tweaks to get it where it needs to be.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers
    Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers takes the best part of the series’ early games, adds some nice improvements, and provides a more refined overall package. Some of the drawbacks from those originals are still present too, however, with a repetitive nature putting a bit of a downer on proceedings, and the jump in cost from a £9/$10 game to a full retail release doesn’t feel fully justified. It’s a fun and solid experience, but you might want to give this purchase a little more thought unless you’re already entirely convinced.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD
    Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD is the sort of game that you play and then wonder why exactly it needs to exist. Though it does a great job of capturing the spirit of Final Fantasy XV in several ways, it drops the ball in some others, resulting in an inferior facsimile of a game that is already seen as something of a rough gem. There’s very little reason to give Pocket Edition HD a go if you’ve already played Final Fantasy XV, and if you haven’t, we’d give this a tenuous recommendation at best. There are many moments where the live-action combat is satisfying and the cutesy visuals are charming, but this is hardly something that we’d say should be close to the top of your wish list.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Locomoto
    Locomoto is clearly a game that puts the 'vibes' first. For a slice of its runtime, it was perfectly pleasant, but by the end, I was running on fumes. Yet, if it's a sedate and steady adventure with solid characters and a cosy atmosphere you're after, you'll love this. Just don't expect a lot of variety.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ultimate NES Remix
    If you don't see yourself getting a Wii U in the near future and desperately want to see what the fuss is all about, this is still a good investment, but otherwise it's probably best to just pick up the original titles or wait for the combo pack.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Friday The 13th: The Game - Ultimate Slasher Switch Edition
    Friday the 13th: The Game - Ultimate Slasher Edition serves up a bloody feast that’s a treat for schlock horror fans who want an authentic Jason experience while taking that tricky asymmetrical multiplayer template and making it truly enjoyable. With a ton of extra skins, weapons, signature kills and more this complete edition couldn’t be any more stacked with DLC. Sure, it’s still a little janky, but with servers that are seemingly holding and two years of refinements straight out of the box, this multiplayer gem still knows how to make an entrance on Switch. Mrs Voorhees will be pleased.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fairy Tail
    At the end of the day, Fairy Tail is not a great RPG. Shortcomings in storytelling, pacing, difficulty, and performance all add up to make for a less than stellar experience which consistently seems to waste its potential. The well-made combat system and the adherence to the tone and content of the source material give occasional glimpses of the much greater RPG that Fairy Tail could be, but alas, it’s never really given the chance to spread its wings. We wouldn’t recommend you pick this one up, especially given the wealth of excellent RPGs available on the eShop right now, but we say that with the caveat that fans of the franchise will get a lot more out of this game than newcomers.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
    A beautiful game with potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay, there's still no getting away from the fact that this is a 15-year-old GBA title at its core. The dungeon crawling genre has evolved over the years to try and make things feel less repetitive, and while Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX does add some features to try to modernise the process a bit, they tend to fall flat. It's still fun in bursts, it just gets samey after a while.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pokedex 3D
    If you like Pokémon and you have a 3DS, chances are you've downloaded this already as it's free, but if not then now's the time to grab it.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Coaster Crazy Deluxe
    It's a more than competent coaster builder, but Wii U owners who also possess an iOS device — a platform on which Coaster Crazy Deluxe is arguably more comfortable — would be crazy to purchase the game in this format.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Adventure Bar Story
    For those who fancy themselves a chef with an appetite for battle, Adventure Bar Story is a fun, inexpensive way to get your fill.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive
    Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive is filled with so much content and action you’ll barely be able to keep track of your fighters. This is definitely a representation of how jam-packed the game is with multiple modes, a large cast of characters and antagonists along with fighting and progression systems that offer a deeper than normal experience than you would expect from a game associated with the beat em’ up genre. The traditional fighting mechanics offer some variety with how you can play the game and help to divert attention from the repetitive nature of this genre. If you would like to deliver some justice on the streets in a wacky anime world with appropriate modern touches in all the right places, this latest iteration of Phantom Breaker might be worth checking out.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Manticore: Galaxy on Fire
    Manticore: Galaxy on Fire is an outstanding example of mobile-to-Switch done right. A gorgeous looking, content-heavy slice of space shooting action with a deep plot, set in a lore filled universe that has taken years to mature during a decade since the Galaxy on Fire series premiered in the mobile market. True that just like the games of old within this genre, this remains niche and will possibly only tickle the fancy of a very specific target audience with the whole Switch owner population.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Azure Reflections
    Azure Reflections is a fine addition to a small-yet-gradually-growing style of shmup on Nintendo Switch. With a handful of Touhou-related games already on the platform, this addition should keep fans of the project happy with its witty dialogue and pretty character models. However, with a vast library of shmups and bullet hell shooters already available on the console - and many offering far greater content and more accessible mechanics - Azure Reflections is (much like most Touhou titles) hard to recommend to anyone bar die-hard fans.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    NBA 2K21
    With a solid new story mode, a greatly improved MyTeam mode and the same high quality of presentation that 2K now brings to the series on Switch, NBA 2K21 is now the new definitive basketball game on the system. The unwanted microtransaction ogre continues to loom over most of the package, ever encouraging you to fork out more cash to accelerate your progress, but as long as you're capable of ignoring this and have the patience to slowly improve your player and team organically, the results will be infinitely more satisfying.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gynoug
    Gynoug hasn’t quite got that special extra spark that turns a great game into a spectacular one, but even so it’s still a unique and thoroughly enjoyable thirty-year-old shmup capable of standing proudly next to any other sold on the eShop, and yet another affordable retro re-release sitting in that perfect middle ground between modern convenience and hardcore authenticity.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II
    Trails Through Daybreak II doesn’t feel nearly as refreshing as its predecessor, but it’s still a solid entry in the long-running series that ticks the necessary boxes (legible text aside). Though its story isn’t all that exceptional, the combat is as rewarding as ever and new gameplay features like the Marchen Garten help to make this feel distinct and worthwhile. And while we wouldn’t necessarily suggest that this is a great starting point for newcomers, series fans will find lots to love here, even if it won’t be topping many lists as a series favourite.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen
    Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen is a substantial improvement over the last game, offering up a bunch of well-realised worlds to explore with charming visuals and engaging puzzles. It retains the essence of the original show, but thanks to the adorable narrative, Bluey and Bingo can finally break free from the overly-familiar TV locations. Repetition does quickly seep in thanks to the focus on collectibles, but I'd wager that younger audiences probably won't care about this too much. The lack of a proper co-op mode is a bizarre omission, however, and the experience would have definitely benefitted from voice acting throughout. Still, this is a fine effort from Halfbrick, and an easy recommendation for the summer break from school.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Liberation Maiden
    Liberation Maiden offers a surprisingly short experience, but if it were much longer the sense of repetition would probably become quite irksome. For all its flashy visuals and instantly gratifying action, this isn't a game that boasts a tremendous amount of variety or depth.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Earthworm Jim
    Earthworm Jim has made the step to DSiWare relatively well, with all the immature humour, off-the-wall level design and charm that made it such a hit in its 16-bit days.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Daemon X Machina
    At its core Daemon X Machina is a solid mech action game that controls well and gives the player a generous helping of customisation options. Its mission structure can get repetitive, and its plot is so difficult to grasp it may as well be soaked in grease, but as long as you’re willing to put up with these and get through its initially bewildering array of gauges and icons you should have a good time with it.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Personal Trainer: Walking
    The games aren't terribly deep and it certainly would have been nice to have more of them, but they do offer up just enough of a fun factor to make you want to keep carrying around your Activity Meter in order to reach your daily goals.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    OTXO
    Oxto is a solid recommendation if you’re a fan of Hotline Miami and are after something to scratch a similar itch. Ultimately, its roguelike structure hinders the experience rather than enhances it, but if all you want to do is shoot a few bad guys, then you can’t really go wrong.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition
    If you’re a super fan of the original game and want every possible version of it, the package totally delivers. But considering how many Rayman games there were, including its sequels and spin-offs, it would have been nice to at least have had Rayman 2 included. The elephant in the room, however, is the absence of the original soundtracks. They have been remixed or replaced across the board with a nice composition by Rayman Origins and Legends composer Christophe Héral, likely due to Ubisoft not fully owning the rights to the original audio.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Rune Factory 5
    Is Rune Factory 5 for you? Well, that depends. Do you like RPGs or farm sims? If you answered yes to either or both, then you’re sure to find something you’ll love in this release. Even so, it might be worth waiting for a modest sale before you take the plunge. The relaxing pace, RPG elements, and charming aesthetic make this a compelling experience, but issues with poor performance, disappointing visuals, and sometimes clunky gameplay hold Rune Factory 5 back from greatness. If 3D visuals aren’t a dealbreaker for you, we’d recommend you pick up Rune Factory 4 Special first, as it’s cheaper and oddly feels more modern in some respects. Despite flawed execution, we’d still give Rune Factory 5 a recommendation — if its precise and unique genre blend really clicks with you, you'll forgive many a flaw. Just know that it doesn’t truly excel in any area.
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