Raoni Mendes Pinheiro

“Master Key gives us the key but makes sure to hide the lock from the start. The feeling of full freedom in a graphically simple world may be nerve-racking for some people but it can also be very rich and rewarding for those willing to face the challenge. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it to look for the door and go on this adventure.”

“Ruff Ghanor emerges as a beautiful homage to a Brazilian universe that's very rich and interesting but it unfortunately doesn't fulfill its ambitions as a videogame on the Switch. The good premise and valuable inspirations hit the mark here and there but they get diluted in the midst of serious issues, such as polemic choices for game design, questionable graphic execution and the upsetting performance on Nintendo's console. It's interesting for the fans of the original material and deckbuilder enthusiasts but a hard recommendation amidst many better options.”

“30XX manages to improve all aspects of its promising predecessor and go beyond expectations. Many elements of the game just work, from the healthy heaping of content to the high level of challenge, beautiful graphics, competent sound, primorous animations, and smooth, precise gameplay like every game should have. As a result, the target public for the title's formula is ample, making it very easy to recommend 30XX to any kind of player.”

“Revita is a competent title, with pleasant audiovisual qualities and a huge potential for fans of roguelikes and/or twin stick shooters. Unfortunately, small problems in several aspects end up hindering its ability to become a truly unmissable title among several indies with similar proposals. Players willing to accept the somewhat truncated pacing of the gameplay, as well as combat not as refined as it could be, will probably be able to have a lot of fun in this roguelike with a good premise and an accessible difficulty level.”

“Imp of the Sun is an average adventure with some good ideas and some bad executions, which unfortunately puts the title alongside a number of other less memorable indies on Switch. Although the visual part and the soundtrack manage to please most of the time, problems with the polish of the title's gameplay end up ruining much of its potential. As a metroidvania, the game also fails to present a creative and truly interactive setting in conjunction with the character's abilities. The tribute to Peruvian culture is quite valid, but Imp of the Sun doesn't really know how to take advantage of its premise.”

“It's hard to recommend River City Girls Zero to anyone who enjoyed the 2019 game, as the prequel has very little in common with the more dynamic, modern formula of its sequel. It would have been great to see Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka remade in the River City Girls engine and offered alongside the original game in a revamped version with everything that is entitled, but the truth is that we will have to wait for River City Girls 2 to relive an experience similar to the first game. As it stands, the re-release is a good choice only for enthusiasts of old games, re-releases and assiduous fans of the franchise.”

“Dungeon Munchies looks like a demo of itself or at least a hollow shell of a project that stopped trying before it started. Not all unique indies hit the mark at first but this title seems to get almost everything wrong. There are many similar games on the Nintendo Switch that are much more fun and interesting. Stay away and move on.”

“Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a retro-style metroidvania that deserves to be played by any fan of the genre. In terms of quality, it doesn't disappoint in almost any aspect, featuring an excellent level design and a deep level of exploration along with its fantastic visual and sound presentation. The high difficulty and slow progression may turn some players off, and thebugs hamper the experience, but Astalon is still a standout title of very high quality on Switch.”

“Even though it's one of those cheaper eShop titles that, like many others, could simply be overlooked, 'Missing Features: 2D' manages to stand out. With an interesting idea and good pace that keeps the player's attention. There are a considerable amount of problems, though — but if you're curious enough about the premise, it's worth giving it a try for yourself.”

“DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power is, above all, a by-product of the cartoon that bears the same name. If you or your child are super fans of the original material, it's not hard to really appreciate what's been done here. If that's not the case, there's no good reason for you to go out of your way and play the game, but playing it wouldn't be that bad either. Although the story is simple and the combat a bit truncated, the city's open-world exploration and the amount of additional content surprise and entertain enough. In general, the title ends midway, however, for a licensed game without many expectations, the result tends to be positive.”

“Re: Zero - Starting Life in Another World - The Prophecy of the Throne delivers exactly what can be expected from a visual novel with light elements of tactical and adventure games, and not the other way around. The visual novel also ends up limiting its audience by not explaining Re: Zero's events very well before the game's plot begins, and fails to hide certain events from the visual realm, but Re: zero fans will certainly appreciate this alternative view of the third arc of history, which is quite faithful to the tone and spirit of the original work.”

“Space Crew is a strategy indie with a simple and adorable appearance, but with complex and well-built mechanics. The problem is that the title is lost in the presentation of its ideas and ends up delivering a repetitive experience without much space for experimentation. Space Crew could have been much more, but it ends up looking incomplete.”

“Warriorb sins at the point that I consider most central in a video game, entertainment. The game is not only not fun, but also not pleasant to look at, hear or play. The feeling of spending my time in this world was like buying a game just for the cover, just to regret it bitterly after 10 minutes. Even so, amid the mistakes, stumbles and bumps of this unpleasant environment, something still remains in the memory. I believe the idea of a challenging platform game focused on more "realistic" ball physics is quite interesting, but the title has failed to make it work.”

“Prehistoric Dude is a short and uninteresting adventure, where much of your time is spent walking over bushes trying to see enemies. Jumping through obstacles, the limited combat and te repetitive exploration are never intriguing or rewarding. The visuals and the soundtrack also do not deliver any particular positive points. The title is not horrible in itself, but it definitely fails to be interesting in almost 100% of its aspects.”

“Old-fashioned role-playing fans, Harry Potter and other magical school environments fans, and enthusiasts for retro games in general will certainly appreciate Ikenfell. Unfortunately, some points prevent the title from becoming really unmissable or extremely memorable. The biggest problems are the structure of the narrative and the unbalanced challenge of the confrontations, but the overall package appeals to several points, such as its visuals, soundtrack, striking story and unique battle system.”

“Nowhere Prophet is a large project by a small team that resulted in a different, innovative, intriguing and well-done job. There is no glaring flaw in what the game proposes, but there are undoubtedly points that could be better polished. Additionally, the genre itself, the large amount of text to read and rules to learn, the severe difficulty and the high learning curve make the game a niche game that will go unnoticed by many people. Fans of different card games and / or roguelikes, however, may like it a lot.”

“Ageless is a beautiful tale about empathy and purpose, with an ambience as simple as its message and full of puzzles that can be quite complicated. The game has several positive aspects, and it manages to develop its own identity to create an experience that deserves to be explored. However, there are also several stones in the way: gameplay can be repetitive, tiring and simply flawed and frustrating.”

“In general, in addition to being somewhat boring and repetitive, Radio Squid is simply not a fun game. Having to deal with your own shots all the time coming straight to your face in every single, tight room is exhausting - you can't even stand and think for a second without being punished by the game. As small positive points, the soundtrack is pretty cool and the Game Boy style look certainly appeals; however, these aspects are far from rescuing an experience as unpleasant as that of this game.”

“Despite the flaws, ITTA is a title that stands out in a way. The graphics and fluid animations, for example, show zeal and delicacy while pleasing the eyes. Along with the intriguing narrative and the almost abstract sound part, the title manages to create a melancholy and introspective atmosphere that can be palpable. It is a pity that everything ends so quickly: it is possible to complete ITTA in about three to four hours without problems, and there is not much to do afterwards.”

“Nostalgic fans of the genre are likely to be entertained enough, but it's hard to say that Dogurai is a must for most players. There is something different and intriguing here in this first release from Hungry Bear Games, but it all ends too quickly. Even though the duration is a direct reference to the source material (platform classics from the 8-bit era), this shouldn't be a limitation - several NES games and the original Game Boy were gigantic and full of content. I look forward to seeing what the studio is planning for the future, the potential is there.”