REVIEW: Forgotten Hill Disillusion on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Forgotten Hill Disillusion is a point and click puzzle game in the Forgotten Hill franchise.

You do not need to have played any of the other games to get into this, and since I haven't played any of the other games, that's good.

The game mainly consists of single screen areas, you navigate around using arrows on the side of the screen, and certain areas will have puzzles and riddles you need to solve, to progress in the game.

When you first start playing, you might feel a little confused, and the puzzles can be quite hard, but just as you are about to give up, you may find as I did, that you are starting to get it, you are starting to understand how the game works, and the nature of how to complete the puzzles. This will probably happen when you first get stuck and realise there is an inbuilt hint system. The hint system usually comprises of about 3 stages, hint one gives you an idea of where to look, hint two tells you what you need to do, and hint three basically solves it for you. 

As I mentioned, the moment you start to properly understand the game, even if because of the hint system, that is the moment the game catches you in its hooks. And if you like a good puzzle game, then this is one you should add to your collection.

There are 60 puzzles and riddles to solve, some will be about moving objects to match a pattern you have seen elsewhere in the house, or you might need to help someone with something, read a recipe book, find or craft the parts, everything is there right in front of you when it comes to solving the puzzles, you just need to keep your eyes open and think logically, and you can do it.

If you get the hang of it, the game should last you between 2-3 hours to complete, the graphics are simple but well drawn, and help with the whole horror/grotesque atmosphere the game is portraying.

The Good

Well-crafted puzzles, nothing is too abstract or out of the box, meaning that everything is solvable if you are willing to spend the time.

The Bad

It may take you a bit of time to get into the game if you have not played any of the previous ones and already know how everything works, but stick with it and you will be fine.

Overall

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the game as a whole, much better than I expected, and it is easy for me to recommend.

I score Forgotten Hill Disillusion on Nintendo Switch a solid 8/10. A very good puzzle game.

Forgotten Hill Disillusion will be priced for 4.99$ / € for all platforms including mobile formats.

Out Now on Nintendo Switch and all major consoles

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Forgotten-Hill-Disillusion-2089740.html

REVIEW: Powertris on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk

Powertris is a puzzle game that seems simple, but is actually much more impressive than at first glance.

What do you get if you cross the classic game of Tetris with a game like Pipemania? You get Powertris.

Much like Tetris the idea of the game is to get a line of blocks that go from left to right, and once you do that the line disappears, but here is the twist in Powertris, they aren't blocks, they are pieces of a pipe. As the pieces drop, you can move and rotate them, better still you also have to notice the sides of the playing area, for these sockets are where the lines start, hence the Pipemania comparison. You can have a line that starts bottom left of the screen, but finishes top right.

Place too many pieces which do not connect, hit the top of the playing area, and you lose.

Throw in special pieces, like bombs, as well as obstacles, and you suddenly have a fast paced, quick thinking puzzle game that is as devious as it is simple.

Now let's talk about the problems, the biggest one being that this is a port of a mobile game, and although the Switch version has been graphically improved, the mobile version is free, and plays in portrait mode, which is a better way to play. I cannot understand why they didn't make the play area wider on the switch version, since the space is there.

The Good

Nice concept, if not original (look up Tube it), it does work, and plays well.

The Bad

The mobile version is better, and it is free.

Overall

If you like Tetris style games, and want a simple puzzle game for your switch, you can't go wrong with Powertris.

I score Powertris a realistic 6/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Powertris-1847137.html

Strictly Limited presents Aaero - pre-order starts soon!

Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with two-man developer team Mad Fellows have announced that the indie-hit Aaero: Complete Edition will receive a much deserved, limited boxed release on the Nintendo Switch. This rhythm rail-shooter synergizes high-speed sci-fi shooting action with an incredible licensed EDM soundtrack, to deliver a uniquely exhilarating audio-visual experience that received much praise from press and players at launch.

Aaero: Complete Edition contains all DLC content in one package and will be available as a boxed Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders kicking off on Sunday, December 19th, at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at Strictly Limited Games.

About the Game
Speed through stunning, futuristic environments in a stylish spacecraft, tracing ribbons of light that visualize the EDM songs while evading obstacles, eliminating approaching enemies and overcoming epic boss battles. The game controls like a twin-stick shooter with the left stick controlling the ship, which has to grind along the musical ribbon and the right stick for targeting enemies. If you play well, your score multiplier will build up and you can chase that high score on the leaderboard, for an extra dose of adrenaline.

Key Features
Pilot your spacecraft through dynamic environments, negotiating obstacles and battling enemies and monstrous boss creatures, all synced to a banging soundtrack.

Experience a unique sensation of speed and tunnel-vision as the levels warp and twist around you, perfectly combining music, gameplay and visuals.

Vibe with licensed music from superstars of the EDM genre, including Noisia, Flux Pavilion, Katy B, Neosignal, Astronaut, Barely Alive and many more.

Soar through 21 different levels, each painstakingly crafted to match the music.

Four game modes - Normal, Advanced, Master, and Chill-out (a relaxed, practice-focused mode).

Aaero: Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch includes all additional DLC content in one package: the 1000DaysWasted: Drum & Bass Pack, the Monstercat Pack as well as the Comet, Phaser, and Sol ship skins.

Giant spider mech awaits!

Strictly Limited Editions for musical speed-demons

Strictly Limited Games is giving Aaero the immortal, boxed legacy it deserves, with two unique limited editions, available for pre-order exclusively via the Strictly Limited Games online shop.

The Limited Edition includes the Nintendo Switch game and a colorful game manual for 29.99€, limited to 2,200 copies.

The Special Limited Edition is limited to 1,800 copies for Nintendo Switch at a price of 49.99€, including lots of cool EDM-festival themed collectibles:

Nintendo Switch game
Special Limited Edition Box
Colorful Game Manual
Stylish spaceship acrylic standee
EDM-festival-style wristband
EDM-festival-style ticket (replica, individually numbered)
EDM-concert-style poster (DIN A3)
Aaero logo fabric patch
Bottle opener

Aaero: Complete Edition contains all DLC content in one package and will be available as a boxed Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders kicking off on Sunday, December 19th, at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at Strictly Limited Games.

REVIEW: Book of Travels on PC (Steam)

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk

Before I start, please note that Book of Travels if still in Early Access, so although this is a review, it is based on a game that by its very nature is not the end product, so please keep that in mind.

Book of Travels advertises itself as a "unique social roleplaying experience that doesn't hold your hand", and as such it is very unusual for a RPG as it has no missions, no real plotlines, and no life-or-death quests. So, taking away the very elements of what makes a RPG a RPG, it seems a strange approach to take for a game.

The first thing you notice when you start playing is the graphics, they are stunning, however they are also weird, it is hard to describe, but it's basically 2D graphics that have hundreds if not thousands of layers, so as you walk toward or away from the camera viewpoint, you pass through the 2D layers, this is really strange, and also incredibly annoying, as often the layers get in the way of what you are trying to see, and since you can't move the camera, often you find yourself moving the character back and forth until the correct layer focuses and you can see what you are doing. 

Now because there is no real plot, or quests, or side missions, or anything, you will at first just find yourself wondering around, not quite sure what to do, or where to go, and there are no instructions either. At best you have some small icons at the top of the screen that describe your condition, for example walk in water, you get wet, and icon says you are wet and advises finding a fire to dry off by. This is also where you will find the first clue for something to do, your character is tired and needs some care and attention, you know because an icon tells you, and advises you to find a tea shop. Finally, we have something to look for. Of course, no idea where it is, the map is pretty much useless, but it is better than nothing.

At this point frustration is going to set in, and many people will simply give up at this point. There also will be people who will stick with it, for clearly there has been a lot of effort in this game, and it is still early access after all. And you should keep going, as I did.

The more you explore, the more you will kind of figure things out, you will see things on the floor that you can pick up, you will learn skills as well as passive abilities, you will speak to NPCs who might offer you a trade, you will improve your clothes, your weapon. The more you play, the more you will realise that this is an experience, a way to pass the time, without ever really achieving anything, this game is a relaxing experience.

You will come across other players online, and you can choose to travel together, or leave on your own, sometimes you will need help to achieve things, maybe untangling some vines to see what is under neath, moving a heavy object, helping fix a hurt Ox. 

You can't really talk to other players in the traditional sense, instead you have a selection of symbols, and the more you play the more symbols you will unlock, you can talk to the NPCs in the game, and they will ask for things, but there is no in game journal, so you will literally need a pen and paper handy, to write things down, otherwise you will soon forget.

The Good

In general, the graphics are glorious, a new attempt at an old genre is always an interesting idea.

The Bad

The game can be incredibly boring, and you will find yourself endless wondering around, picking acorns, desperately trying to find something interesting to do, and as much as I love an alternative type of experience in a game, the game must still hold my attention.

Overall

One good thing to note is that this game is Early Access, so it can only get better, I think the developers need to leave some of their idealistic hopes behind, and go back to basics, otherwise I can't see how this game will succeed. The potential is there, but the average gamer needs instruction, they need something to do, and just hoping people can find enjoyment by making stuff up themselves to do, is relying way too much on the patience and interest of people. The graphics although beautiful need an overhaul, the 2D layers just do not work and are not user friendly. This needs to be a proper 3D game. I wonder if too much time, money and effort has already gone in, that the developers just won't admit the mistakes, and start fresh.

No score for now, but I look forward to future updates.

Out Now

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

REVIEW: Graviter on Nintendo Switch

 

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Graviter is the latest puzzle game to grace the Nintendo Switch, and it has a lot of competition if it wants to stand out.

The story is a bit ridiculous, but at least it has one, your cat has been taken, it is missing in the dark void of space, you have been left parts of a map to the galaxy, collect cat paw prints and find your cat. 

The game works on the idea of gravity, you control the size and position of planets, manipulate them so that you can fly around and collect the paw prints. On some levels the planets can be moved around, on others the planets sizes can be edited, sometimes you will be able to pause time after launching, and move planets etc, then restart time.

Over 100 levels to complete, and you can change the graphic style to monochrome or normal colours.

There are different ways to complete a level, so you are not stuck to just finding the one solution.

The problems however arise pretty much straight away, the game is not at all user friendly, the control system is poor, and the levels can get ridiculously hard very quick, and instead of using logic to solve them, you will end up using trial and error, which is never a good thing to need to do in a puzzle game, as it totally takes away the whole puzzle element.

The graphics and soundtrack are decent, the monochrome option is a nice choice to have, but doesn't really add anything to the game.

The Good

Everything looks decent and there is a challenge there for even the most hardened of puzzle gamers.

The Bad

Poor design, poor menu, and a learning curve that is off putting.

Overall

Fine idea, just poorly implemented.

I score Graviter on Nintendo Switch a poor 4/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Graviter-1949440.html

REVIEW: Kickerinho World on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Kickerinho World is a freestyle-football simulator, well that is what the game makers claim.

In reality it is a "Keepie uppie" game.

Originally released on mobile devices about 5 years ago, and downloaded 5 million times, it is your classic freemium mobile game, whereby you play a bit, lose, watch an advertisement, and start again. On Nintendo Switch it is basically the same, but since you have had to pay for it, the ads are gone.

The aim of the game is simple, keep the ball in the air, do not let it touch the floor, the longer you do that, the more points you get.

Each trigger on the controller controls a different foot, press the correct trigger at the right time and the ball will get kicked and stay in the air, every so often the ball will go high enough for you to head it, and you do this by pressing both triggers at once. You can also use the touch screen as well if you prefer.

The game is pretty hard, despite sounding easy, the timing has to be almost perfect, miss by a fraction of a second and that's it, game over. And that is basically the game, a mobile port, that the main advantage is you won't need to watch ads, or pay microtransactions to purchase things.

There are three characters you can play with, Raul, Violet, or Sydney. And various locations you will travel to, including Paris, New York, Dubai, Shanghai, Moscow, Rio, and Sydney, but these are purely cosmetic, think a change of background and that is it. Various customisations to unlock, balls to collect, and so on. Typical mobile game stuff.

The Good

It looks ok, I guess. You don't need to pay anything else once you have purchased it.

The Bad

Everything, it is a terrible game.

Overall

This is a game that should have stayed on mobile. No idea why they would want to have this ported to the Switch.

If you really want to play this, go get it on the play store for free, and if you really love it, then and only then pay for it on Switch.

I score Kickerinho World on Nintendo Switch an abysmal 2/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Kickerinho-World-1995102.html

REVIEW: Make War on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

There is an endless amount of strategy simulation type games out there at the moment, and "Make War" from No Gravity Games is another one to add to the pile.

The basic premise of the game is that you place your army and weapons, press play, and see if your strategy can beat the enemy as the AI then plays out.

You can play in various timelines, so from Viking Era to the 20th century and even cyberpunk and futuristic areas. When you start the game, you will be faced with a map, but since the game requires you to play one level at a time, it seems a bit pointless, and perhaps just a simple "Level 1, Level 2..." type map would be better suited.

Beating an enemy on a level is itself not enough to progress to the next level, you will have "quests" that you need to complete, unfortunately the game doesn't really explain things too well, and the tutorial is a bit useless. So, at first you might find yourself wondering why you keep playing the same level over and over. Once you figure out there are quests to complete, you can try to then adjust your strategy to accomplish these goals.

Before you press play on a level, you get to choose the layout of your army, you will have regular fighters, melee fighters, long and medium range fighters, mines, laser guns, portals and so on. The more you progress the more that is unlocked for you to use.

One big problem with this, is that it seems strategy has very little to do with you winning or losing. Placing your fighters in one area or another doesn't make a great deal of difference, as they will still just run towards the enemy, and they will run towards you, all the while you just sit back and watch. As you complete quests, that may unlock more of a weapon, fighter or mine, so you then can place more, you will end up beating the enemy more through grinding to unlock things, than any masterminded strategy.

There 160 missions to complete, 40+ weapons to unlock, 30+ fighting units to get, so plenty to do, but is the gameplay good enough to keep you coming back?

The Good

I liked the small pixel graphics, even on a Switch Lite i could see everything going on, but perhaps this game would prefer a larger screen.

The Bad

The lack of actual strategy needed, in a strategy simulation is a huge problem, and one that cannot be ignored.

Overall

There is potential here, but not enough for fans of strategy simulation games, who will get bored quick. For general gamers, Make War might find a place on your Switch as a game you can just play for ten minutes every so often.

I hate to give low scores, but I have to be honest, and sadly I can only award Make War on Nintendo Switch a poor 4/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Make-War-1763503.html

REVIEW: Star Horizon on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Star Horizon is a 3D, on rails, space shoot-em-up. You play as John, a pilot, or more accurately the person shooting stuff. Most of the real control is done by the Artificial Intelligence known as Ellie, who will talk to you as you play. Since my name is real life is John, I must say it all felt very personal!

There is a war between the Inter Galactic Corporation (The Federation), and the rebels. (This sounds familiar!). You are involved in an accident, whereby you are put into hibernation by the mothership, Ellie, the ships AI, wakes you up years later, and you have no idea where you are or what is going on.

As you play, you will quickly learn that this is an on rails shooter, meaning that you go where the AI takes you, and with the exception of some quick time events, whereby you need to choose an option of what to do next, all directional activities are controlled for you. Your job is to shoot stuff. You have a few different types of weapons, as well as a cool roll/dodge manoeuvre. The targeting mechanics aren't the best, but you soon get used to how it all works, and you will quickly find out that accuracy isn't that important.

As you destroy enemies, and complete sections, you will earn points, these points can be used in the hangar, between levels, to upgrade your ship. 

There are just 10 levels, and 3 main bosses to beat. You gain up to 3 stars for completing a level, and you will find that you will need to replay levels over and over to get points to upgrade your ship and weapons, so that you can get strong enough to progress, beat bosses and so on, this does bring some longevity to what would otherwise be a short game.

The quick time events which affect the storyline, are a good idea, and give the game some replay options, to see what differences there is, if you had chosen differently, examples of choices are to help friends or ignore them, help a space merchant or fight them.

The Good

As this is an on rails shooter, it means that the developers have had plenty of time to make the 3D graphics look fantastic, the soundtrack is good, and the AI voice is also quite entertaining.

The Bad

Only 10 levels, and many people do not like "On Rails" shooters since they do lack the freedom of a regular 3D shooter.

Overall

A cheap game, that does entertain, and despite its limitations, looks good and plays well.

I score Star Horizon on Nintendo Switch a fair 7/10

Out Now

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Star-Horizon-1782929.html

REVIEW: Creepy Tale on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Creepy Tale is a 2D puzzle game for Nintendo Switch, and it is quite different to anything I have played before.

You start the game off walking through the forest with your brother, before you know it, your brother has been kidnapped by some weird creatures, and it is your job to find and save him, and become the hero. But watch out, if you get caught by any of the strange creatures that inhabit this world, then you will meet a fate worse than death. And by that I mean you will restart at the last checkpoint.

As you play you will have to solve puzzles, which in turn will allow you to progress to the next area. As you do this, you will find out what caused the once peaceful forest to turn into a place of evil filled with weird creatures.

Puzzles include collecting items, using them at the right time, avoiding evil creatures, sneaking about, but also luring enemies to traps and running away.

The puzzles themselves can be quite strange, and solving them may not seem as straight forward as they first appear. There is not much to help you along the way, so you will have to use every inch of your brainpower to figure things out. Sometimes you will find yourself trying everything, until something works, which can be frustrating, but when you do finally figure out how to proceed you will feel pleasantly fulfilled.

The Good

Really beautiful graphics, and some very decent well thought out puzzles to solve.

The Bad

Some of the puzzles are a bit "out there", and you may need to seek help online if you get stuck. And the platforming elements can be a bit dodgy, falling off an area, or not making a jump etc.

Overall

Don't be distracted by the beautiful 2D artwork, this is a decent little puzzle game, a little short, but worth your time. 

I Score Creepy Tale a strong 7/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/creepy-tale-switch/

REVIEW: Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry is a stand-alone game that was originally a DLC addition for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

Set between the years of 1735 to 1737, you play as Adewale, a man who was born a slave but later found freedom as a pirate on Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw.

Fast forward 15 years and Adewale is now a trained Assassin, shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue, off the coast of Haiti, with no weapons and no crew to help him, he has to find a ship in Port-au-Prince, and gather a brand-new crew, so he can free the slaves, and kill those who enslaved them.

Although a short game at about 3 hours, considering this was a DLC addition, that is a fair amount of gameplay you get without having to purchase Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and enough to give you the taste of the main game, and perhaps help convince you to purchase that.

The storyline in Freedom Cry is pretty good, as you would expect from any Assassins Creed game, lots of conspiracies to uncover, different gameplay modes including fighting enemies with a ship, the usual on land Assassins Creed activities, as well as deep dialog and cut scenes.

I am a big Assassin's Creed fan, and I have most of the games, except Assassin's Creed IV, so when the cance came to get Freedom Cry I jumped at it, as to be brutally honest I still have a lot of other Assassin's Creed games to finish, so being able to play a 3 hour game was just about perfect.

The Good

Excellent Graphics that you come to expect from any Assassin's Creed game, the high quality of everything in this franchise is something that should be appreciated. The story on this game is great, and the gameplay itself is top notch.

The Bad

If you are a fan of the Assassin's Creed Franchise then there is no bad here.

Overall

Want a taste of the Assassin's Creed Franchise as a newcomer, then this is a perfect short introduction, experienced in the Franchise and want to play them all, then you cant miss this.

I score Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry a strong 9/10

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/277590/Assassins_Creed_Freedom_Cry/

REVIEW: 6Souls on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

6Souls is an old school platform game on Nintendo Switch.

You play as Jack, along with his dog Butch, you are on an exciting journey to find and explore Clifford Castle, find out the truth of why the entire Clifford family disappeared, as well as unlock all of its secrets.

There are over 80 levels to play through, in 8 specific and different locations. Each area as its own mysteries to uncover, enemies to beat and secrets to find.

Not only will you have boss fights to overcome, but there is also a strong storyline element as you will meet various residents of the castle and talk to them.

Although most of the time you will control Jack, there are certain areas that Jack cannot reach, and that is where you get to swap control to Butch the dog. Whereas Jack as the ability to traverse walls, and slash at enemies with a sword, butch has only his agility and guile to see him through. Butch has the ability to double jump, which is helpful for those high to reach areas.

6Souls really is a surprisingly good little platform game, that plays perfectly on a Nintendo Switch Lite. Very addictive, quite challenging, and plenty to see and overcome. There are collectables for each level, so a need to replay a level to find a missed coin, or a piece of bacon for the dog, is a huge factor to keep you coming back. And you can even scan around the level using the binoculars, which will help you make the correct jump to an off-screen area.

The Good

I am a fan of retro style graphics at the moment, and this game does the job really well. The gameplay is easy to pick up, hard to master. Controlling the dog for parts of a level is a nice touch, and works well.

The Bad

Despite being able to look around a level, sometimes you will find yourself making leaps of faith, which can be frustrating when you know what you need to do, and where to go, but lack of patience (my big problem) causes you to repeatedly die. Luckily if you die, you restart from a checkpoint, so it is not the end of the world.

Overall

A fun old school platform game, with plenty of levels, and plenty to see and do.

I score 6Souls a very solid 8/10, I really enjoyed this title.

6Souls is out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/6Souls-2083823.html

REVIEW: Clockwork Aquario on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

There are not many games that you can really call "lost" but Clockwork Aquario truly is one.

30 years ago, Clockwork Aquario was being developed for the Arcade and specifically for the Sega System 18 Arcade System Board.

This was the pre-cursor to the Sega Megadrive. If you have played the original Super Mario Bros. or Wonder Boy 3 then you will instantly feel at home playing Clockwork Aquario.

Here is what Ryuichi Nishizawa (chief publisher, and co-founder of Westone) has to say about the release.
"In the 90s, when game centers were dominated by fighting games, there was one title which had never been released, even though it was completed after more than two years of development and repeated changes. This title is Clockwork Aquario. Who would have thought that it would be restored and playable again? I would like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude to those who have worked so hard to restore it. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this work is a great piece of 2D art, where the pixel artists of that time put their hearts and souls into. I'd be happy if people would appreciate and enjoy it." –

Clockwork Aquario is a classic 2D side scrolling action platform game. Large on-screen characters, fantastic pixel graphics, great animation, this game really does take me back to the early 90s and going into an arcade and putting my 10p coins in a machine.

When you first start up the game, you can choose from a difficulty level, which translates to how many lives your character will have.

You can play as one of three characters, Huck Londo, Elle Moon, or a giant robot called Gush.

Played over 5 levels, your ultimate aim is to stop the evil Dr. Hangyo. Gameplay consists of the usual platform elements as well as punching enemies, or picking up and throwing them. You will face off against the usual mini bosses, who are controlling large machines. Watch what they do, how they move, and you will soon figure out how to beat them.

You can pick up health potions that bring you back to full health, gems that will eventually give you an extra life, and stars that make you invulnerable for a short period, that also allows you to shoot out Triple Stars as a weapon.

As this is an arcade game, it is relatively short, but the extra difficulty settings as well as unlocking new modes after completion, including a mini game. This does give a replay-ability factor to the game.

The Good

A proper old school arcade game, that perhaps the younger gamer won't appreciate. Easy to play, tough to finish.

The Bad

A short game, which when played on a Nintendo Switch Lite looks a bit "busy" on screen, and would definitely look better on a larger screen.

Overall

A nostalgic feeling game, that will give plenty of enjoyment.

I score Clockwork Aquario on Nintendo Switch a decent 7.5/10

NEWS: The First Tree - Limited boxed editions available for pre-order

Strictly Limited Games has announced that beloved indie title The First Tree will be available in a very special boxed release. 

Let yourself be guided through an emotional story through beautiful atmospheric gameplay and uncover the interconnection between dream and reality.

The First Tree will be available for Nintendo Switch, as a Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders launching on Sunday, 5th of December at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at Strictly Limited Games.

About the game:

In The First Tree, a narrator guides you through his dream. What starts as a mother fox's search for her lost cubs evolves into the narrator's memories of his own story and you experience two emotional stories interconnecting. The further the game progresses, the more is revealed. And all the more it becomes clear that the lost cubs symbolize another tragedy in the narrator's life. Besides the strong story, the game offers many other features that make it a very special experience:

Roam through different, uniquely designed landscapes

Accompanied by amazing atmospheric music and sound design

Beautiful 3D artstyle

Captivating yet relaxing gameplay

An emotional journey with a valuable message

Strictly Limited Editions coming with amazing extras

To celebrate this special Indie gem, Strictly Limited Games offers two unique limited editions of The First Tree in their Online Shop for pre-order.

The Limited Edition for Nintendo Switch will be limited to 2,200 copies, at a price of 29,99€, including a colorful manual of the game.

The Special Limited Edition will be limited to 1,800 copies for Nintendo Switch, for 49,99€, including lots of additional physical collectibles:

Game for Nintendo Switch with reversible artwork cover

Beautiful Special Limited-Edition box

The First Tree Acrylic Standee

Original soundtrack on CD

Reversible artwork poster (DIN A3)

Set of 6 Art Prints (A6) with gorgeous game artwork

Notepad

The First Tree sticker (7,4 cm x 7,4 cm)

Colored game manual

Special edition contents

Besides the boxed editions, there will be a beautiful aluminium art card with the game's artwork available for €9,99 - limited to 99 copies.