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