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If you’re looking for a short but fun beat ‘em up on Playstation 4 that pays homage to classics such as Final Fight and Streets of Rage, then Itadaki Smash is a good option. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it has a good flow, a colorful presentation, and local co-op for up to two players, along with a Platinum trophy. Itadaki Smash is out on PlayStation 4 with a $14.99 price.

The Five Covens showed some promise but it, unfortunately, fails to deliver. The controls feel as if they were closer to the tank controls for 3D games of the 1990s than what you’d expect from a platformer releasing in 2021, and it feels as if it was aimed at younger gamers, yet features platforming sections that will end up frustrating them very early in their run. The Five Covens is out on PlayStation 4 with a $12.99 asking price.

Horned Knight is an old-school infused 2D action-platformer on PlayStation 4 that could use a bit more variety. The controls feel a bit off at first, but you should get used to them after completing a handful of stages at most. It’s a minimalist arcade-style game with 32 levels to complete, two difficulty settings, and some bosses to challenge you along the way. Horned Knight is available on PlayStation 4 with a budget $5.99 asking price.

All in all, Horned Knight is a below-average action-platformer with bland level design and stiff controls that get in the way as you start to play. It does include a Platinum trophy for trophy hunters to add to their collection, but other than that, this is a hard one to recommend.

What started for me as the prospect of a really interesting game quickly came crashing down the sky that the game tries to pull you in. The story has nothing to keep you on your toes, exploration is not rewarding, and combat sandboxes you into a bland experience. Windfolk: Sky is just the beginning is out on PlayStation 4 with a $14.99 asking price.

Colossus Down is a great-looking and fun beat ’em up with a dash of shoot ’em up, which is a departure from the point and click adventure games that Mango Protocol released for Agatha Knife and MechaNika. It does suffer from having a very slow and boring tutorial stage, but once you’re in the first proper level fighting enemies, the action will hook you in. Colossus Down is out on PlayStation 4 with a $17.99 asking price.

I liked A Tale of Paper a lot. It was a quick, fun experience that I played in one sitting, and it left me feeling good about the whole experience. I thought some of the puzzles were well designed, and the team made sure there were hints in the environment to keep players engaged. Most importantly, the game put a smile on my face the entire time I was playing it.

Naught is a fun 2D platformer with a solid difficulty curve… for most of the time. The one complaint I’d have is that the levels that feature walls full of spikes in which you have to be extremely precise about how you twist around the level drive the difficulty up to 11, while the stage immediately following each of these stages goes back to the steady difficulty climb experienced before. Other than that, it’s an entertaining experience that will challenge your senses and coordination.

Purrs In Heaven is a challenging but fun puzzle platformer with a great pixel art style, easy to understand gameplay mechanics and a steady difficulty curve that will have you trying out new stuff at a steady pace. 

Troglobytes Games and Hound Picked Games have really hit the spot with HyperParasite. It has all the elements you’d expect of a roguelite that makes you want to go back to it each time you die, the fun of snatching bodies as a ruthless alien, and an incredibly well-themed atmosphere and synthwave soundtrack straight out of the 1980s. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the game even has local co-op to snatch your way to the top with a friend. HyperParsite is definitely worth playing and owning – it’s my surprise hit of the year so far!

I’ve been waiting to play the final version of HyperParasite for a while now, and I’m happy to report that the wait has been worth it. The game’s retro art style and synthwave soundtrack certainly help to make this one stand out on Nintendo Switch. HyperParasite is a full-on homage to the 1980s and is packed with pop culture references that give a huge nod to that era. You will run in so-called “heroes” that are parodies of beloved icons such as Rocky Balboa, Peter Venkman, John McClane, and more. 

SuperEpic: The Entertainment War is a charming, funny, and entertaining Metroidvnia that pays homage to classic 2D action games such as Mega Man, Metroid, and Castlevania, with a lot of references to other games that in some gamers eyes are not going to fit into the Metroidvania genre – see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As commentary on the free to play model and how microtransactions are running gaming in general, and what the world would look like if a single company controlled all of the video games… and said company is all full of pigs. As in, pig the animal – see the game’s trailer. This is a solid Metroidvania on Nintendo Switch for $17.99, and one you should definitely check out!

MechaNika is a great game, and I definitively had a good time with it. I also preferred the character of Nika over Agatha, and the game as a whole since the main objective is less polarizing. I also liked how the game was built with 12 different objectives that feel like they can be attained in any order. Also, this game is offered at a great price of only $5.99, while offering a Platinum trophy for trophy hunters.

Fun and clever 2D minimalist adventure that is a must-have on Nintendo Switch

This is a good first attempt at a digital take on a brand new sport. I have enjoyed playing eCrossminton, and aside from a few negatives such as the isometric view, and maybe no online component, the game is good. eCrossminton game that is worth a try for fans of this relatively new sport.

I liked playing through the strange world of Agatha Knife, but like I mentioned a few times, this game is not for everyone since the core themes are eating animals (and not eating meat), and creating a new religion. If you can go over those sensitive subjects, you’ll find a good story driven point and click release that will tell you a great story.

Rally Rock ‘N Racing is a fun racing game on Nintendo Switch with different modes to try, and solid look and feel, making it a big improvement over other racings games from EnjoyUp on the console. There are some good features here, even though the World Rally Cup mode feels a bit off when you’re racing on your own without any opponents. The game’s soundtrack is all rock, so if you’re a fan of the genre, you’re going to like the songs included in this one.

Professor Lupo and His Horrible Pets is a clever and fun puzzler from Beautifun Games that is very addictive and definitely worth the $14.99 asking price on Nintendo Switch. I liked the game’s story, its animated and lively graphics, and how it’s a very different experience from Nihilumbra, the team’s previous project which is also available on Nintendo Switch. A short experience this is not, as it has 100 levels to offer and many hours of gameplay. Your overall mileage will vary depending on your skill with puzzle games but worry not because even if you die dozens of times, you will end up learning more and more from every time you give it another try.

Koral is a game that I was looking forward to reviewing, and I’m happy to report that it has everything I wanted and then some. I was thrilled to see the accessibility features on offer since you can choose the font size of the in-game text, which is absolutely fabulous since it makes the game more accessible for those with hearing and sight loss. With the one-button gameplay the game is also highly accessible to those with joint issues. I have nothing but high praise for the team who made a great effort into making their game as accessible as possible, while also giving us a game that is very relaxing and fun to play!

Zeroptian Invasion is a fun minimalist arcade-style release that pays homage to video games of ages past such as Space Invaders. It’s an easy pick up and play experience that focuses on the action as you try to stay alive in your fight to defend the planet system from the zeptorian aliens. Plus, you know, two quick Platinum trophies for the price of one!

Overall, I liked the story that Massira presents in the effort of Frost Monkey Games to tell an interesting story on a very serious topic, with the odyssey of Numi and her grandmother who have to escape Syria so that they can both survive is heart-breaking, and something that I wish people didn’t have to go through. Wars should not exist, but they do, and they ruin the lives of thousands of people around the world. I applaud the developers for creating this wonderful game, and I hope that they continue working on it, patching the small issues I found here and there so that more people can dive into the world of Massira.

Bleep Bloop is a game that you can finish in a few hours depending on your expertise with puzzle games, and it’s a fun experience until the end. It’s certainly a minimalist indie game, and it’s making the Nintendo Switch its home, which definitely feels just right. If you’re looking for a relaxing and colorful puzzle game to play at home or on the go either by yourself or with a friend in some hectic local co-op session during which you will probably end up shouting instructions at each other, then be sure to give Bleep Bloop a look!

The game is challenging but also fun, and can easily be played at home or on the go. I did, for some reason, enjoy it more when playing in Portable Mode, but your experience could be different. I also recommend that you get someone to join you for the couch co-op since that way you’ll have an easier time completing the game.

Flynn and Freckles is a short but fun game that, depending on your puzzle solving skills, could net you a new Platinum trophy for your collection over an afternoon or two at most, as long as none of the trophies for securing tons of coins and finding the gold statues don’t glitch on you. The first of the coin trophies didn’t unlock for me, but subsequent trophies for coins totals did unlock, which was a bit weird, so hopefully the team is working on a patch to fix this.

The game is not as fleshed out as Yasai Ninja, but I did have fun with it as I worked on my Kyurinaga’s Revenge review. I liked what the game did with this new game, and hopefully they’re hard at work on a new entry in this universe.

Overall, Dogchild is an enjoyable game. Combat needs a little work, but aside from that is it enjoyable. The devs clearly wanted to try something different in their game, and they pulled that off well. I think Dogchild is worth playing.

As expected from a shoot ’em up, the game is short… but it’s also frantic, fun and colorful. The tutorial is a bit slow and the loading times are also a bit slow but other than that this is a good game with plenty of replayability and a good game for the speedrunning community.

Red Goddess: Inner World is a fantastic and vibrant. The story is very engaging, and the combat system is fun. I love the rage and fear mechanics the ability to possess and be invisible are awesome features. Best of all the game is very colourful, and there is a day/night cycle that is pretty awesome. There is plenty of coins and crystals to collect, lots of secret areas to find once you have a set number of crystals. Divine has a range of skins to find also. The mapping system is very good and very easy to navigate. This is Yanim Studio’s very first game, and I must admit they have done well with their game.