The Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop series are a staple that kids worldwide grew up with if they had access to Nintendo systems. From the original game on the DS in 2005, released worldwide, to five later 3DS entries that didn’t make it outside of Japan, they showed up as handheld minigame staples. Tamagotchi Plaza is a revival of of the series appearing worldwide and, while it does fill an early launch niche for the Switch 2, I can’t help but feel like this installment is lacking. 

Tamagotchi Planet Prince Tamahiko abducts the player from Earth in Tamagotchi Plaza for a very important mission. His Tamahiko Town is competing to be the host of Tamagotchi Fest. It’s a bit run-down, with shops not really catering to and pleasing visitors as they did in the past. To help bring the event home and help bring peace to Gotchi King (who is a giant egg) and his family, you need to revitalize the shops via playing minigames tied to them to properly serve customers and upgrade them. You can also upgrade parts of the town square to make the town more appealing.

There are 15 shops in the Switch 2 version of Tamagotchi Plaza, with five locked away until you essentially perfect other shops. Given we have ten right away and three of these extra shops are combination ones that combine elements from two existing experiences, not getting immediate access isn’t too bad. I will say that I wish Hyde and NicoLabo made the two Switch 2 exclusive Sushi and Shuriken Shops available immediately. Given they’re tied to a paid Upgrade Pack and might be the reason someone picks one version over the other, it feels like there shouldn’t be any additional gatekeeping. Also, I found the Sushi Shop is one of the most clever and best paced inclusions, and hated that I needed to spend so much time even getting it.

While Tamagotchi Plaza is a minigame collection, it doesn’t exactly function how ones you might expect would work. Aside from the Switch 2 Sushi Shop and Shuriken Shop, which both use mouse controls either for assembling and surving sushi or tossing shuriken at targets, these don’t feel very gimmicky. There’s no overuse of motion controls. There aren’t guaranteed multiplayer experiences. If anything, many of them feel like they should all use touch-screen controls like the DS Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop series or mouse controls. Like the Dentist Shop involves selecting the tool, then using the joystick and A button to brush, drill to drill, tweezers to pull out bugs, and fill them. The Manga Shop means fulfilling requests to create two panel stories customers request. Galette Shop involves looking at the crepe ingredients and making orders. There are a lot of shops that involve selecting items from menus, possibly moving or arranging them, and hoping you did the right things.

I say hoping, because there are no instructions for shops. Once you visit one for the first time, it “reopens.” You’re then thrust into assisting customers. Some situations are very self-explanatory. The Night Pool has you wait for a visitor to request an item or drink. You make it or get it in the menu, then hand it to them. The Rap Battle is a brief rhythm game. The Personal Trainer minigame is something of a button masher that involves going at the speed the customer needs by checking responses. The Tailor means matching parts and patterns to the example. But some of these do involve some nuance, like the Eyewear Shop or Dentist. And the Manga Shop will straight up have a customer ask for a manga featuring ________ character, but there are no labels on any of the possible images! So good luck if you can’t recognize Gozarutchi or Violetchi on sight! 

A lack of tutorials and instruction is a common theme throughout Tamagotchi Plaza. You’re told in the beginning you can swap your chosen partner at any time. The game never tells you how. If you don’t go to places like the Committee Room or investigate, you might not realize you can customize areas and develop the town square. It’s also a bit user friendly in other ways, as you need to walk to every shop. No clicking a location on a map and immediately being able to head into that minigame!

Tamagotchi Plaza also suffers from the past Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop issue of the quality of the minigames widely varying. Manga Shop is a novel idea, but can take far too long to complete a request for the amount of money you get. The Night Pool is more boring than entertaining. Dentist is probably one of my favorites, but that’s because it doesn’t deviate much from the original. Rap Battle has potential, but it’s incredibly short and the actual raps both aren’t that clever and don’t really involve any “battling.” You can get gotchi currency to upgrade elements, but none of the customization items feel all that exciting. It can feel more tedious than entertaining, and I feel like adjustments to minigame execution, some design changes to improve pacing, and more motivation to take part could have helped.

It isn’t necessarily that Tamagotchi Plaza is bad, as I do think it could be fun for kids or someone who really loves Bandai Namco’s virtual pet line. There are just some awkward decisions made that make it a little uncomfortable to play at times. And even if you do overcome that and work things out, it can feel like there’s not too much to do. Especially since you can’t even bring it out as “the early Switch 2 multiplayer minigame collection” due to how few games actually involve more than one person. For the right person, it could be fine, but it caters to a very specialized (and probably forgiving) audience.

Tamagotchi Plaza is available on the Switch and Switch 2. 

The post Review: I Wish There Was More to Tamagotchi Plaza appeared first on Siliconera.

After playing both Islanders and Islanders: New Shores, I can’t help but think the former almost feels like a tech demo for the latter. It felt like a very pleasant strategic simulation about placing elements and buildings in situations that led to optimal point totals and moving forward. However, in almost every way Islanders: New Shores offersmore, introducing elements that make each run feel both strategic and roguelike. At the same time, the game maintains its a low-pressure, enjoyable atmosphere.

Each Islanders: New Shores run that doesn’t involve either a free play situation or loading up a past save from a traditional run to play around with it follows the same sense of progression. You come to an empty island in the ocean. You place different elements, such as resources like hops, seaweed farms, or fields and the buildings tied to them, buildings commonly associated with crafting, more religious ones like a mountain temple or a shaman, or city elements like a town center, homes, mansions, markets, and circuses. Depending on how you place them, there can be different reactions and you can earn (or lose) points. The updated UI makes it very easy to see how buildings and items affect each other, and it clearly shows the sphere of influence and point changes for each placement. To keep playing, you need to constantly fill an ever-growing circle to hit new point tiers. You also need to reach certain hallmarks to move onto new islands in each run. 

All of that should sound familiar, as it builds on concepts from the original Islanders, but Islanders: New Shores expands on the formula in every way. For example, there are far more buildings this time around. Some of these are more special items that might only start showing up in a run if you select them as a Boon or direction after completing an island and moving on to the next. Cliff houses are one example, as they are the standard versions of homes that can be built on vertical landmasses and ruin elements. An aviary with pigeons that continues to accumulate points between islands is another. So is a sort of pyre, with the points you get for the flame’s placement being tied to things like city structures. It makes it feel a lot more strategic, as some elements like the mountain-top temple, shaman, parks, fountains, and jewelers pretty much require you to think ahead and know “okay, this will come if I select this upgrade pack of new buildings after I get enough points to level up this island.” There are even different cosmetic options for some buildings, which is fun when you’re in the free-build mode.

Another roguelike element I love comes up as you accrue enough points to head to a new, fresh island in a run. There will be certain milestones as you wait to reach that point that allows you to choose between one of two kinds of rewards. These can grant you buffs, such as a structure will be smaller in size than usual for easier placement or won’t trigger negative points from being too close to a similar type of structure, buildings, immediate level ups, and other bonuses that make it easier to reach the level up and point milestones to progress. 

Once you do head to a new island in the same run, you also get to make another choice. You can always choose between two options, with each one offering two guaranteed changes. These tend to each offer a different type of biome for the new area and a new structure unlock. So if you want to move away from fishing and seaweed farm-based runs, you can choose one where water is replaced by lava. You can opt for the “fantasy” islands, which can offer bonuses for basically activating certain ruins. It adds more control to everything, which I love. 

And if it goes awry, it genuinely feels like it is no big deal. You can save an island in any point during your run to access in the free-build mode. (It’s also possible to start fresh there.) Free-build offers no restriction or limits dictated by points. Winning just means getting to build more, so needing to stop means you get to start fresh. 

The only downside I found is that RNG played a big part in exactly how well you might do in Islanders: New Shores. With your first two islands in a run during the campaign, you’re practically guaranteed to succeed and be able to continue on. However by the third one in pretty much every run, I noticed that the odds of failure were higher both due to higher point requirements and smaller landmasses. Granted, the more you play, the more accustomed you’ll get to these kinds of curveballs, but it might disappoint someone who played the original and was more accustomed to its gentler nature. 

Islanders: New Shores is, in every way, an improvement from the original Islanders. I found myself continually coming back to it due to the Boons, new array of buildings, and ability to select my “path” in each run. I would sometimes, instead of stepping away after a run, instead save and then immediately go into the free-play sandbox to add more to the island that tripped me up to make it look exactly how I wanted. It’s an incredibly pleasant strategy game. 

Islanders: New Shores will be available on the Switch, Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC on July 10, 2025. 

The post Review: Islanders: New Shores Is a Big Upgrade appeared first on Siliconera.

After years of waiting, Cygames has finally localized Umamusume: Pretty Derby for an English audience and ported it onto Steam. With an updated UI that makes playing in full screen a comfortable experience, it feels like the ideal way to experience the world of umamusume racing.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby takes place in a world where horses don't exist. Instead, we have umamusume, horse girls who take on the names and legacies of real life race horses. Stronger and faster than the average human, these umamusume love racing and running, and the various story modes revolve around these races, which are also based on real life racing seasons. There’s no main story, per se. Rather, there are story arcs that focus on an umamusume or group. For example, the first story revolves around Mejiro McQueen, whereas the second one’s about Rice Shower.

The meat of the game centers on raising your umamusume in Career Mode, and then setting her either on your team for daily races, PVP, and events. Career Mode’s story focuses on you, a Trainer at the highly competitive Tracen Academy, helping your trainee through their three years at school. Each career takes three in-game years (72 turns), with set goals that differ between each umamusume. Some want to reach a certain number of fans within a time limit, while others have goals tied to specific races.

The thing about Umamususume: Pretty Derby is that it's a game that hinges on luck. Even if you’ve gathered the best support cards and sparks for your particular girl, RNG can really mess you up. One unsuccessful training session, even if it had a low failure rate, can set you back three whole turns to restore your umamusume to full health. Not doing so can cost a race, which can then snowball into a failed career. The unpredictability of Career Mode is frustrating, admittedly. However, I don’t really mind it as much as I might have before. The newest scenario on the Japanese server makes it so ridiculously easy to raise everybody that it’s nice to actually put in the work again.

Unless you’ve played it yourself or seen clips of it, it can be hard to understand the appeal of Umamusume. “Horse girls based on real life race horses race and then perform a concert afterwards” sounds pretty nuts. If you enjoy sports manga, you'll probably enjoy the stories, as they’re very focused on themes of hard work, friendship, and such. The horse races are very exciting to watch, too. Everything—from the sound design, cinematography, and sheer adrenaline of watching your girl dart past her rivals to get to the finish line first—really pulls you in.

Like with Granblue Fantasy, the in-house localization team did fantastic with Umamusume: Pretty Derby. It’s a good mix of localization and translation that makes for a comfortable reading experience. I’m also a huge fan of how the Steam version splits up the screen compared to the DMM version. It's actually full screen, and it's easy to reference information like the log or my support deck.

The one thing I'm on the fence about is the accelerated schedule. On one hand, it'll be nice to get umamusume that the Japanese server has had for years instead of having to wait for their debut. On the other, we don't have as much time to save between banners compared to when the Asian servers launched these characters or support cards.

The positive about this, though, is that the concept of "limited characters" doesn't really exist in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I pulled the New Year Kitasan Black during summer, for example. Even if a banner comes and goes, you still have a chance (albeit a lower one) to get who you want. So there's no FOMO or anything like that. You can jump in at any time and not lament about missing a limited character you wanted.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby has been blowing up on social media lately, so people who didn’t know about it before might have seen what the gameplay is like through screenshots or videos. The heavy RNG and long career mode might be a turn-off for some, but I still urge people to try it out, especially while we’re still receiving daily log-in bonuses for the global launch. It’s definitely a game you have to experience to understand what all the hype is about.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is readily available on the Windows PC and mobile devices.

The post Review: Umamusume: Pretty Derby on Steam Makes the Game Even Better appeared first on Siliconera.

Nova Hearts is such a fun idea for a game. Superheroes! Love! Feeling like you’re getting to be Sailor Moon finding your Tuxedo Mask! The problem is that while the visual novel mechanics well and it can sometimes be funny, the actual romance isn’t all that great and the turn-based RPG-style battles are the absolute worst. It’s such that I found myself wishing it was a more straightforward VN with no combat and maybe even no romance due to how awkward some relationship elements turn out.

Luce is back in her hometown of Vermillion after terrible experiences at college. A situation happened regarding performance in a class, nothing went as she hoped, and she’s in recovery mode at her mom’s. Except she doesn’t really get a chance. Her childhood friend Will and CJ, who they went to school with as kids, stop by and she’s soon headed to a party planned and executed by the guy behind her first kiss, Sasha. Except while there, strange monsters appear. Luce and CJ transform into super sentai, discover after the fact that Will possesses the same powers, and decide to protect the town as Luck, Chaos, and Wish. 

In general, I really appreciate the execution in Nova Hearts. The story is told through visual novel-style cutscenes and moments in which Luce is in her room texting people on her phone. Relationships develop as a result of responses, with an astrology app letting you see if you’re close to being friends or possible lovers with other individuals. Sometimes, these segments can be quite clever!

The weird thing is that the narrative and characterizations in Nova Hearts are at their most awkward and worst whenever romance is involved. Rather than actually getting to know people and see relationships develop naturally through conversations, such as in some life sims, JRPGs, and Japanese-made otome games, the execution here makes me feel like Lightbulb Crew is in a rush to immediately make things happen. Before you even get to know a person, you can essentially have Luce leering and awkwardly hitting on people. Sometimes the dialogue selections for them come across as such a cringe pickup line that I actually avoided making that choice in-game because it felt inappropriate to say to someone I’d just met. (This happens with Basile, as an example.) 

I felt like it got in the way of the plot too. Yes, we know going into it that Nova Hearts will feature dating sim elements and an opportunity to romance characters. But instead of that coming up as a complement to a story exploring what’s happening in Vermillion, why Luce, CJ, and Will gained powers, and stopping it, it feels like it forces its way into the forefront of everything. Luce just got back to town and very obviously going through a thing, so maybe the first thing her longtime friend shouldn’t be doing is encouraging her to find a hook up at a party? Childhood friend Sacha comes up? Talk about how not only he was Luce’s first kiss, but Will was dating him too. Learning combo moves? One of them is associated with a “romantic” rope-tying class. There is nothing wrong with being sex positive, but the way in which Shoreline Games wrote it makes every relationship come across as incredibly superficial, even with folks Luce is talking to on a regular basis. If I’m going to virtually flirt with someone and shoot for an ending with them, I should at least know who they are as a person. 

While the direction “dating” takes doesn’t exactly make the Nova Hearts romance options incredibly appealing, the turn-based combat system is one of the slowest and worst I’ve encountered. A set number of battles come up as part of the story during certain events. The general enemy designs are repeated throughout each “chapter,” with the boss featuring the only novel design. You’re forced to trudge through fights, selecting from only a handful of commands, though in my experience the only worthwhile options are anything with AOE to hopefully end things as quickly as possible. Even the most basic enemies feel like a slog and potentially a challenge since there’s no real “leveling up.” Your party members remain at a stagnant HP. Attacks will always do a fraction of damage to any opponent. Some of the bosses will involve pretty unfair attacks. It isn’t fun. You aren’t even getting to level up individual abilities in the “fitness” app at a brisk pace, since those will tend to require a minimum of 500 points. Combo attacks mean more waiting, since you need to try and sync up attack timing, and those can be helpful! But you’re limited to four equipped at a time instead of just… I don’t know… allowing me to use any combo I please in a game where combat crawls and a boss fight can be completely unfair at times?

I don’t think the Switch is the ideal platform for Nova Hearts either, as there are a number of technical issues. The biggest issue I encountered involved loading. There are substantial loading times between getting into the game, getting to the text message menu in Luce’s room between story segments and fights, and between fights and story segments again. If you aren’t spending an absurdly long time waiting to get through a battle, then you’re dealing with unexpectedly long loads to get to or from them. 

On the Switch, some bugs come up during those Nova Hearts fights too. During the first boss fight, an instance came up in which Wish fell during the fight to an attack from that foe. When she did, that opponent just… disappeared. Chaos and Luck attacked the enemy as usual, beating the character on their next turns, and then the effect animation for the one falling showed up where the person should have been. When I’d check the Power Up app during a fight to check enemy attacks or set ally combos, it’d often say “Power Name Very Long” instead of an actual opponent’s attack when in the enemy section, which was pretty weird. 

The concept behind Nova Hearts is good and I like some story elements, but I’m not a fan of its romance and hate its combat. The relationships come across as awkward and superficial, with the script never really providing reasons why I should want Luce to end up with anyone besides “they’re hot.” The combat crawls along, is unenjoyable, and doesn’t feel fair sometimes. Top it all off with some issues with the Switch version, and I’d say it’s best to look to other dating sims on the system.

Nova Hearts is available for the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Review: Nova Hearts Romance Interrupted by Tedious Fights appeared first on Siliconera.

Persona 5: The Phantom X is the latest of Atlus’ efforts to turn it into every genre. After a dancing game, a Musou and a tactics RPG, here is the attempt to capitalize on the popularity of gacha games. After the Black Wings Game Studio game's release in China and South Korea over a year ago, it’s now reaching English and Japanese audiences.

Persona 5 as a gacha is a concept that surprisingly makes sense. Gachas work through regular updates with story chapters that introduce new characters. Persona’s “gain a party member in each dungeon” progression system fits alarmingly well.

Making this work requires a new cast though. Theoretically, it’s unlikely anyone would want to gamble to pull each of the original Phantom Thieves when you could just play Persona 5. Instead of the usual gang, we get a new protagonist codenamed Wonder who is basically Joker with a 90s boy band haircut. He is introduced to the Metaverse by Lufel, an owl whose name I keep forgetting since I call him Owlgana so often. Imagine Morgana, but he can fly and uses big old-timey words. Also his vehicle form is a car, not a bus. Those are the only differences.

In Persona 5: The Phantom X, a mysterious force is using the Palaces in the Metaverse to drain the desires of ordinary people. An incident with a deranged bike courier causes Wonder to fall on his phone and enter the Metaverse. Once there, he unlocks his Persona and begins recruiting members for a new band of Phantom Thieves. Some of them are recruited through the traditional Persona way. Motoha Arai is a Chie/Ryuji hybrid with a personal connection to the first villain. Others are pulled from Contracts, aka a gacha system.

It feels reductive to call this Persona 5 with gacha mechanics, and yet that is exactly it. If you’ve played a gacha game, you know what this means. There are daily goals, training modes and time-limited events. You have a multitude of currencies, upgrade items, and special character tickets, all of which can be earned or paid for. My experience with the genre is entirely HoYoVerse’s work, particularly Zenless Zone Zero, but the systems are practically identical.

But under that, this is Persona 5. The same stylish UI is meticulously recreated. The dungeon navigation is tinged with stealth mechanics and hidden treasures. Combat involves the same turn-based system, with Baton Passes, All-Out Attacks, and navigator bonuses all present. There’s a Velvet Room (this one’s underwater) where you can fuse Personas. All this is wrapped up in a city life sim, during which you have to study, work part-time jobs, and hang out with your friends. Everything you’d expect from Persona 5 is here, just as you remember it.

However, Persona 5: The Phantom X always feels like a lesser version. City life elements are no longer measured on a limited timeline, instead restricted by a daily energy meter. Dungeons strip out resource management tension (save rooms auto-heal you) and instead block progress with arbitrary level caps. Even the plot feels weaker. The original game's first target is a creepy school coach abusing his power. Here the first target is a man who… likes bumping into women on the subway?

The most egregious downgrade comes in the Persona system itself. Negotiation is out, as Personas leap straight into your compendium upon defeat. You’ll amass a small army as a result, but Wonder can only equip a maximum of three, a quarter of Joker’s maximum. Even building them feels limited, with fewer ability slots and a greater number of passives over battle actions. Personas feel less versatile all round here, which is a shame when the series is literally named for them.

Persona 5: The Phantom X is a difficult game to recommend. As a gacha game, it’s elevated by lifting so much from Persona 5. But the inverse is true, as the gacha elements have weakened a lot of what made the original game great. If you loved the style of Persona 5 and want something free and casual that lets you kick around in its world some more, there’s fun to be found in Persona 5: The Phantom X. But those who min-max the Fusion system or hate gachas are unlikely to be convinced.

Persona 5: The Phantom X is out now for PCs and mobile devices.

The post Review: Persona 5: The Phantom X Is a Shadow of the Original appeared first on Siliconera.

Voltage is a company well known for its otome games, but it’s really stepped things up with AmuLit’s Even if Tempestand The Red Bell’s Lament. While both titles are marked by some minor translation issues and hiccups at launch that, as we’ve seen in the past, ended up remedied by patches, they’re also notable for their strong leads, impressive stories, and captivating characters. This latest piece is yet another example of the good the company is doing for the genre, even if it is annoying to sometimes upon some Japanese text that got left in or some absent text.

Vampires invested Hemeria, with various types killing humans and even inspiring cults that see their appearance as some sort of divine sign. Juliet Rose became a hunter after her village was attacked and her family killed. She’s so skilled that she’s a member of Elpis 7, the seven most notable ones in the country capable of even the most terrifying “aristos” class of the creatures that resembles humans. After getting a mysterious summons, she finds all legends gathered in one place for a rescue mission. Following Prince Roderick Lancaster being abducted by vampires and taken to their home realm of Nyx, Hemeria Royal Order Commander Garrett Welkin formed a new Elpis 8 group, which includes him, for a rescue mission heading into that other world for the first time. 

Like other AmuLit otome, The Red Bell’s Lament prioritizes the narrative and tells a dark story with plenty of potential for bad ends. There is some romance, but it really prioritizes action, drama, and even thriller elements. I’d say if you appreciate the Bustafellows and Even if Tempest approaches to prioritizing the story and including an occasional romantic moment, this is the type of Voltage otome game you’d enjoy. However, since romance isn’t prioritized as heavily, those story beats fall on the backburner in favor of character development, worldbuilding, and setting up genuinely surprising twists. 

The approach to romance means the “route” system is executed in a different sort of way in this Voltage otome game. The Red Bell’s Lament instead integrates everything into one storyline, which makes the included flowchart especially invaluable. As you’re going through the Nyx rescue mission, the decisions you make when going through Missions and choices you select affect possible endings. Given the number of unfortunate endings and range of better ones, as well as the need to collect Elgan Crowns to unlock things like a Special Story, it’s a genuinely invaluable asset. That, paired with a quality of life feature that brings you to branching points if you do make a selection that sends you to an early bad ending, keeps things from getting frustrating. For those more familiar with traditional visual novels with assigned routes it might be a bit tricky get accustomed to prioritizing certain choices and actions that might not even seem tied to people, but I genuinely appreciate this approach to storytelling in otome games more.

While The Red Bell’s Lament is primarily a visual novel, there are segments that can be a bit more active. During these Mission moments, you’ll find yourself in a space in which you move a piece around a board to trigger certain events, get Elgan Crowns, and reach the “finish.” This always involves performing actions within a set number of moves. It’s never especially challenging, but some situations might involve some thought to reach everything you should see. Again, I enjoyed the inclusion, as it does fit with the theme of things and adds a little more interaction.

There are some times when the script might feel a bit uneven. The voice acting and casting is absolutely sublime. The general story is wonderful once you get into Nyx, with really solid character development for every cast member. Even people who aren’t romance options feel pretty well developed. However, there are times when the localization might read a little awkwardly. It isn’t a situation which reads like a AI translation programs ended up being used. Rather, some phrasing felt weird when I went through the story. An easy example with absolutely no spoilers is Juliet telling Asher at one point, “I guess this means we’re free to do as we please for the next while.” It sticks out when there are moments handled well, especially when considering different manners of speaking that might be more formal, like Rhodes’, or relaxed, like Jack’s.

Some awkward wording aside, the only real issues I noticed in The Red Bell’s Lament involves some bugs and instances when untranslated text didn’t make it into the game. I happened upon one choice in a cafe that didn’t involve actual responses, so I needed to… guess? There are times when labels or options will feature the original Japanese instead of localized text. I did run into one instance in which the game crashed when going through a Game 3 mission on the original Switch. However, after loading the virtual game card on the Switch 2 I noticed I didn’t experience that issue (or any other bugs). I’m going to give Voltage the benefit of the doubt here, as the company already noted it is aware of the issues and did patch Even if Tempest when it experienced problems at launch. Just know that at the moment, there will be rare instances where everything isn’t at its best until a patch or two appear.

The Red Bell’s Lament is another example of Voltage offering a great otome game that feels different than what we’d expect due to its execution and story. It can be a little light on the romance, but there’s a strong narrative with genuine surprises and fantastic character development. It does feature some flaws at launch, both in terms of some missing translations and actual bugs that might cause issues with progression. However, I’m pretty confident the will be fixed, especially since Voltage made a statement, and result in this being one of the more interesting otome games on the Switch. Once a patch does appear, I think I'd consider it a must-buy for fans of the genre.

The Red Bell’s Lament is available on the Nintendo Switch. 

The post Review: The Red Bell’s Lament Is Another Strong Voltage Otome Game appeared first on Siliconera.

I’m of two minds about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. In terms of gameplay, there are many ways in which I feel Kojima Productions built upon the foundation of the original to make connecting a country and carrying out courier missions in a potentially hazardous environment even more interesting. I can't wait to take my time to play around in that sandbox more. At the same time, I feel like the threat of the original and fear of fighting is mitigated during much of the campaign. Worse, even though I loved going on these new deliveries, I think the narrative can falter in ways that undoes some character development from the original and offers a “second verse, same as the first” approach to storytelling. It's shocking to see such a "safe" sequel follow an unconventional and orthodox game.

Editor's Note: There are no Death Stranding 2: On the Beach spoilers below. The writer beat the game.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach picks up with Sam and Lou living as an actual family. They found a place for themselves. They’re being adorable. That is, until Fragile comes in with an offer Sam can’t refuse. If he goes to Deadman’s lab in Mexico to connect places to the Chiral Network and deal with a major BT threatening the area, it would guarantee that him and his daughter can live in peace. She’ll mind the baby. Go out and do what he does best. So he does! Though, as you probably guessed from the trailers, it doesn't stop there. Fragile turns up again with her new DHV Magellan and a task to go through the Mexican Plate Gate to Australia with her Drawbridge organization. They'll ride tar currents and connect that country to the Chiral Network. 

I adored the story Kojima Productions told in Death Stranding. I feel like we saw real development for heroes and antagonists alike. Even if people didn’t appear frequently, they felt well realized and like we got to know them. As a whole, it felt poignant and fresh. The journey ended up being satisfying! I loved the lore! Yet most of the time, the narrative in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach let me down. The initial hours seemed fantastic. I loved the idea of Fragile approaching Sam for this “one last job,” the journey across parts of Mexico felt satisfying, and all of the development in those moments felt completely in-character for everyone. It made sense! This continued into the first leg of the journey to Australia.

However, I felt like things fell apart in so many ways after that. I’m going to be intentionally vague here, for the sake of avoiding spoilers. I loved the new members of the cast, such as Charlie, Rainy, and Tarman, but felt they were underutilized. Given how closely Sam worked with them, I suppose I expected more opportunities to get to know folks like Tomorrow. In the case of some other characters, it felt like Kojima Productions wiped away progress or established details in Death Stranding for the sake of either putting them close to square one or in a position where they "needed" to be for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. I thought Morgana telling Joker to constantly head to bed in Persona 5 felt frustrating, but Dollman telling me to take a shower whenever I talk to him is even more annoying. The story seemed much more predictable than the original too! This isn't to say I didn't have moments I loved. There are some supremely silly and awesome segments, and I'll admit two plot twists did surprise me. Two of my favorite characters from the original game are handled well too.

It is a shame the story does end up hitting familiar and expected beats, since I do appreciate so many of the new delivery options and opportunities. As usual, we can take on main orders during the campaign at designated spots, help with side orders found at certain hubs or prepper homes, and pick up packages found as we cross the country to complete deliveries that, for some reason, didn’t happen. A new addition involves rescuing animals in the outback after a certain point in the campaign. We still are limited to only seeing a brief description of what items in packages are, aside from a few situations in which it’s made more obvious what we’re delivering, but it works really well! The soundtrack is amazing again, and it's a joy to listen to when walking or driving in Chiral Network-connected spaces.

I feel more options for getting deliveries done came up at a better pace in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach too. Many return from the first game. We have “bikes” early on, then the four-wheel pick-ups. Floating carts can be towed behind us. Different skeletons can be equipped to increase our stability, strength, or stamina, just like before. We can build ziplines, bridges, and roads. Monorails even come up at specific points. While walking is always an option, there’s a degree of variety and accessibility I appreciated with the other methods and enhancements offered in this sequel. If you are getting frustrated, the new fast travel options end up being a time saver (when available). Connecting preppers who aren't on your scheduled route feels worthwhile, due to the bonuses you get for taking the time to meet them. The new cryptobiote options come in handy. The option to use passive skills if you get enough memory and unlock nodes with new abilities is quite a boon too. I especially loved the ones regarding weather!

That’s because I felt weather is only element that provides a “challenge” when on deliveries for most of the campaign in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. There can be devastating windstorms that wear down your stamina and keep you from seeing Sam’s hand in front of his face. These are so dangerous that even using the Odradek to scan the terrain and use route planning to set a tentative path to follow become little to no help. Surging currents at rivers make those even more daunting, and I’d get genuinely mad when I realized I didn’t help contribute to bridge maintenance to protect them during storms. (I got especially mad if I had delicate cargo!) Earthquakes can make you lose your footing or damage cargo if you don't brace yourself when you get a warning. The elements wearing down Sam’s stamina in certain spots can be a real issue too. I genuinely tried to avoid certain paths and conditions, since they could be so bad. At the same time, there's also a haunting beauty to these extreme situations. We're witnessing disasters in these storms, but it's so pretty to watch at a distance.

Yet due to the execution of certain elements, combat and BTs no longer feel like they posed the same threat in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach as in Death Stranding for much of the experience. BTs are present in certain locations and can be dangerous! However, Sam’s DOOMs level in this entry, when paired with the varied arsenal available, made me felt more equipped to wipe them out when I did happen upon these spots. I'd only avoid them if I had especially sensitive cargo. The brigands that appear would be an issue... if we weren't constantly using less-than-lethal force. As such, there’s no need to worry about Voidouts due to accidental deaths or trips to incinerators to properly dispose of bodies during the campaign. I actively ran bad guys over with my cars whenever possible, since the NPCs will swarm you, end up all clumped together in front of a four-wheel pick-up or bike, and there are no consequences to wiping them out in that incredibly efficient manner.  This doesn’t mean BT encounters and times when Sam needs to get tough with opponents aren’t satisfying or entertaining. I just didn’t feel afraid in the way I did when happening upon a bad storm in an area with uncertain footing. The gravitas of those situations from the original Death Stranding often absent.

Since Death Stranding 2: On the Beach encourages cooperation in the same way Death Stranding did, I also ended up relying on the kindness of others almost immediately. I didn’t need to actually fabricate my own vehicles for much of my trip, as I could tap into online garages or walk outside facilities to grab ones nearby. There were already chargers appearing frequently (and I placed a few myself). Even though I played ahead of launch for my review, I already got to enjoy infrastructure like roads and ziplines. Kojima Productions does introduce us to these building elements fairly swiftly, which works to our advantage as players, and I felt it became a substantial help during some particularly long voyages or more sensitive situations. Since vehicular transportation ended up being my "go-to" for most of my deliveries (and enemy deaths), I really appreciated jump ramps, roads, and bridges.

While Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can feel like a step forward for gameplay, I feel like Kojima Productions took a step back with its narrative and difficulty. Making deliveries is quite fun, with varied options for exploration and different environmental experiences. But fighting often lacks consequences and some characters' development felt altered. I enjoyed myself when I followed Sam on his way through this gorgeous game, but the Death Stranding sequel can feel rather predictable.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach early access started on the PS5 on June 24, 2025, and the full release date is June 26, 2025. A limited edition DualSense controller is also available.

The post Review: Death Stranding 2 Walks a Familiar Path appeared first on Siliconera.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is a fantastic game for so many reasons. It’s an updated release of a top-tier Like a Dragon installment with a new mode and more story segments. It runs wonderfully on the Switch 2, which is great to see considering what it took to even get the original on the previous system. It’s also a perfect way to get introduced to a series that might otherwise be off-putting due to how many entries there are and the history of the Tojo Clan. I can’t help but feel like Yakuza 0 Director's Cut being on the Switch 2 is a way to usher in even more people to one of Sega’s best series.

Both Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima are at precarious points in their careers as Tojo Clan yakuza as Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut begins. In the early moments in Kamurocho, Kiryu is framed for a murder that took place in an empty lot and, as a result, asks to leave the Dojima Family to protect Shintaro Kazama, who he’s under in the organization, from any trouble. When that doesn’t work, he uses his new freedom to investigate the situation. Meanwhile, Majima is being punished by the Shimano Family in Sotenbori after an assassination incident, though he’s told targeting a woman named Makoto Makimura could make all those issues go away. Remember that empty lot I mentioned earlier? Makoto now owns it, and the realtor Tetsu Tachibana that Kiryu is working for is looking for her too. Everyone is willing to go to great lengths to get that property, with only these two standing in the way.

At its core, Yakuza 0 features an incredible story, so there’s not too much to say about the direction Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut takes. It’s still a fantastic introduction to both Kiryu and Majima. We’re seeing them each at a formative period of their lives. It’s also portrayed a nuanced and tense situation filled with all kinds of excitement. I still think it’s one of the strongest tales in the series. 

That’s enhanced by the addition of almost 30 minutes of new cutscenes that add more to the story. I don’t want to spoil anything. However, I do think they’re positive supplements. They help offer more insight into certain characters and situations. I feel like some helped with possible plotholes, as well as offering more explanation for how people got some information. There’s one I especially enjoyed between Kiryu and Nishikiyama. It really helps with establishing their relationship.

The gameplay in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut works exactly like the original game and other installments ahead of the name change to Like a Dragon, so Switch 2 owners with any experience with the series will be fine. For those entirely new to the series, it's essentially sending us into two cities that are entirely open and filled with optional quests, minigame experiences, random fights against thugs, and of course a campaign you'll probably eventually get to. Kiryu will be going around Kamurocho, while Majima is in Sotenbori. Mainline missions involve heading to various locations and getting into brawls while using different fighting styles. Investing money in yourself increases your range of abilities and powers. Sub Stories abound, many of them absolutely hilarious or memorable for other reasons. The Cabaret Club management simulation in Majima’s route also serves as one of the most engaging and entertaining of those sims. I suppose the real selling point here is how well all of this works on the Switch 2. The game works great. There are no hiccups. There’s no lag in fights. It’s fantastic. 

Which means for those who opt into the new Red Light Raid mode should find that working rather well. It’s essentially a horde mode fight. There are different locations and challenges that involve fighting through enemies in a minimum of 10 stages, with most lasting for 15 stages. You use Kiryu, Majima, and other characters to survive and take opponents down. I do recommend going into it after playing for a bit, so you’re familiar with the moveset and capable of accessing extra characters. 

I will say that while the option of English voice acting in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is great, it’s still not for everyone. The casting can be hit or miss sometimes. Matt Mercer is absolutely fantastic as Goro Majima, but then we knew he’s great at the role since games like Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. I do think Yong Yea still doesn’t feel right as Kazuma Kiryu. I’d hoped since he’d had some time with it, maybe his performance would improve, but I’m still not feeling it. Especially since Takaya Kuroda is so good and expressive in the role. There’s a sense of nuance that Yea doesn’t seem to catch in his portrayals, and I find it difficult to go with the English dub as a result. Kaiji Tang (Akira Nishikiyama), Risa Mei (Makoto Makimura), and David Hayter (Osamu Kashiwagi) are also standouts. 

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is the most packed version of what I consider the best game in the series. The story is a fantastic one, and the additional cutscenes present in this release act as a great complement to what’s already here. The gameplay is fantastic, and it runs so well on the Switch 2. Red Light Raid is also entertaining for those who really enjoy the combat system. The English voice acting is generally good, with a few actors feeling out of place or not keeping up with the original Japanese performances, and it is nice to have that option. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is a fantastic Like a Dragon game, and I feel itis a perfect addition to the Switch 2 launch library.

 Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is available for the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Feels Definitive appeared first on Siliconera.

Atlus really seems to be going all-in on its remasters. We’re getting improved versions of games that are far more accessible than before, which is great. That’s the general goal for any rerelease like this. However, we’re also seeing entirely new features and quality of life changes in these. Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster helped start to set the bar, and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army continues that with further enhancements to Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army, an already excellent game.

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is an origin story set just after Japan’s Taisho era. Our character is the latest person to adopt the Raidou Kuzunoha XIV role after successfully completing devil summoner challenges. They’re set to Tokyo to work for the Narumi Detective Agency to handle supernatural cases involving supernatural forces alongside the mysterious Gouto-Douji and befriended demons. Raidou and Shohei Narumi get pulled into such a mystery when meeting with a teenager named Kaya Daidouji who begs for them to kill her. After Hell’s Pawn supernatural soldiers in red abduct her, Raidou gets directly involved in this case and other related demonic situations. It’s not the longest affair, with more than a few of the revelations being rather obvious, but it works as an introduction and doesn’t wear out its welcome.

While Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a JRPG and SMT spin-off, it’s much more active than other entries. The game sends us around Tokyo to different spots and, as a perk here, fast travel is an option in this version to get to spots more quickly. Investigations involve not only talking to people and exploring locations, but calling upon demons to use their unique abilities to perform special actions to gain access to new information or areas Raidou can’t reach. Jaunts into the Dark Realm, a netherworld version of Tokyo, is also necessary to progress, get answers, and save people. It involves a lot of footwork in a good way that can feel more like an investigation, especially since you might need the right demon skill at the right time. 

Fights in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army involve an active battle system, compared to the turn-based ones in other SMT JRPGs. We directly control Raidou, who can attack with a sword, shoot with his gun, or perform magical attacks. Two demons can be summoned to fight alongside you, and you can set their strategy. Many of these are adjusted, either via rebalancing or new features. Raidou’s Summoner Skills, which involve Combat Skills like the elemental Sign spells, additional physical attacks, or ones that provide buffs such as Sword Skills. The combat system really feels competent and varied, allowing for so many approaches, and the remaster helps with that in so many ways. The extra customization elements from those skills and being able to adjust demonic allies’ through Skill Books and fusions is a huge boon.

In fact, I’d say that the nature of Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army makes demons feel better here than in any other SMT game. Part of this comes down to the way they are handled in the story. Demons are portrayed as both partners and friends who work productively alongside Raidou. They get along in a way we don’t see in the mainline SMT games and other spin-offs like Persona and Devil Survivor. They aren’t minions. They aren’t evil or lesser. They’re as adept and valued as Raidou himself. The fact that this remaster also ups the number of total characters by including ones from Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon and other SMT games makes it even better. Yes, we don’t get the exact kind of direct control you might appreciate from turn-based JRPGs. Still, it’s all handled quite well. Plus the remaster does remedy an issue the original version had, which is that there wasn’t as large of a selection of opponents as other SMT entries. 

The general HD remaster boons we come to expect from games are also front and center in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. Yes, it does look better than the original. The voice acting is a nice perk as well. The English performances are generally strong. As someone who played the original, I felt like the updated graphics left the biggest impression. The original game looked fine, but didn’t feel like they had as much care as other PS2 SMT titles like Persona 3. 

I mentioned earlier that a big selling point of these Atlus deciding to remaster games in particular is that it is giving people a chance to play an otherwise hard to access title, and that’s especially true with Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army came out in Japan and the US in 2006, right when the PS3 debuted. It appeared when SMT was still a bit niche and Atlus did limited runs. As a result, the PS2 game can go for hundreds of dollars on places like Amazon and eBay. So even before we get into how much better the game looks, runs, and plays, this game’s existence is a boon for preservation purposes even if we don’t count all of the other points earlier highlighting how all of these additions make a great enjoyable game even more of a delight. 

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a way to experience a fun piece of SMT history again, and it’s another example of Atlus going above and beyond for a remaster. The quality of life adjustments, like battle additions, fast travel system, and newly added demons, are all a big deal. So is making it all look and sound better. But in a way, getting easier, more affordable access to a great game is the best part of this package. In every way, it's a stronger game than the original.

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army will come to the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on June 19, 2025. 

The post Review: Raidou Remastered Elevates a Great SMT Spin-off appeared first on Siliconera.

Even if a game isn’t the best entry in a series, I still think it is valuable when an older installment eventually gets localized and introduced. It’s a peek into the past. We might even get to understand or appreciate certain design decisions. Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered is that type of game. It isn’t the best Gundam adaptation. Only people who really love the anime series it is based on will completely understand it. Still, knowing this is a 13-year-old Vita game finally showing up worldwide is pretty neat.

It’s sort of difficult to explain Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered’s story, as it doesn’t have one. The game begins with you creating a pilot and their partner, picking out their name, race, and initial capabilities. You will then fight alongside either the Earth Alliance Forces or ZAFT factions at pivotal moments. However, these won’t really be well-described, as instead you’ll basically be tossed into a fight with little explanation and the featured pilots spouting a few lines that might suggest their intentions. 

There are certain ways in which Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered shows its age. We aren’t fully integrated into the Cosmic Era so, while moments from SEED and SEED Destiny are here and we can experience certain fights, our custom avatar isn’t fully integrated and there isn’t a cohesive campaign. I highly recommend rewatching the anime series first. (Crunchyroll has both of them now, as well as SEED Freedom.) Missions aren’t complex, gameplay is uncomplicated, and I honestly recommend pacing yourself when you play since so many of the situations involve “beat up every enemy.” 

Now, this isn’t to say any of that is bad. Someone going in needs to keep in mind that this Artdink made it for the Vita about 13 years ago. This means the mission spaces are going to be small and sacrifices needed to be made to get it running on the system. As long as you go in understanding exactly what it is, it’s easier to appreciate what it does right. It can be a fun beat’em up. We can be a Natural or Coordinator, and that influences our abilities. There are a lot of units and pilots to unlock. You can choose between two types of ranged weapons and melee attacks when you fight. While there isn’t a true campaign, some story elements and exclusive unlocks do come up via the us being part of Earth Alliance Forces, ZAFT, or eventually switching to a new faction like Archangel. 

However, it does mean some niceties are absent and, while this is a remaster, sometimes Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered doesn’t look as good as you’d expect even with the touch-ups. I do think Bandai Namco generally did a fine job with the mobile suits themselves and their textures. Some of the maps and locations aren’t as impressive, but I feel that is due, in part, to them not being great to begin with. There’s only so much a developer can do with some basic locations, and I genuinely think the missions set in space sometimes feel a little more impressive as a result. Conversely, I think movement is handled better in recent releases like the Gundam Breaker series, especially with vertical leaps and boosts. Given the small spaces and how short missions are, it isn’t an issue.

In fact, I think the Switch version of Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered might be the superior one because it can more closely mimic the original experience. Artdink and Bandai Namco intended this to be played in short bursts on a handheld device. I had the most fun with it when I did the same. Sit down for 30 minutes. Go through between two and four missions. Play around with pilot and suit combinations and do some tune ups on units I really like. That also helps with possible later missions that can occasionally get a bit challenging, though overall it felt pretty balanced to me. I was impressed that the computer controlling enemy units actually seemed to make ace opponents behave in intelligent fashions and even coordinate with each other.

I think of Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered as something of a welcome surprise that we likely ended up getting due to Gundam SEED Freedom and the success of other recent games and anime adaptations. It is not the absolute best entry out there. It is clearly made specifically for fans of the Cosmic Era characters, suits, and story. Still, it is fun and offers a different type of Gundam game experience.

Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered is available on the Switch and PC worldwide, and the original game debuted on the Vita in Japan.

The post Review: Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered Is for Fans appeared first on Siliconera.

The Switch is my favorite console. I’ve spent so many hours with it. I invested in the 1TB memory card. I buy physical copies for it. I put off even considering a handheld gaming PC for so long because it covered all my needs. When I first got to experience the Switch 2 at a Nintendo event, it felt like an expected type of upgrade. You know, what comes after the OLED? A stronger version of what we already know works. After almost two weeks with Nintendo’s next endeavor, I think it is wonderful. I just wish the battery lasted longer.

As the “2” in the name suggests, Nintendo built upon the foundation of the Switch for the Switch 2, just like the Super Nintendo did for the original NES and Wii U did for the Wii. This means going in that we know exactly what to expect from the console. It’s a hybrid system, just like the one that debuted back in March 2017. This means you can pop it into a dock to use it on a TV, or pick it up to play in Handheld or Tabletop mode. The controllers can be detached from the sides of the system to be used as one controller or as a set, and it’s also possible to pick up a Pro Controller variant that more closely resembles, say, the PS4 DualShock or PS5 DualSense. The major selling point is that ability to seamlessly switch between gaming experiences at home or on the go, untethered. Since this is now the four type of system Nintendo made like this, since the Switch had standard, Lite, and OLED models, it works flawlessly in any of these phases and forms. 

To start, the Switch 2 is wonderful when it comes to working in TV, Tabletop, or Handheld modes. Depending on the TV or display you’re using, mode you are in, and game you are playing there will be limitations. So in handheld mode, you are only going to be able to hit 1080p. This is a marked improvement from the original, which maxed out at 720p. You could also get to 120 framerate, depending on the game and situation. On the first system, it’d be about 60fps at best? If you have a compatible 4K TV, you can get that resolution when docked, but then you cap out at 60fps. Which honestly, for our purposes, I think is fine. Especially since other resolutions in TV mode are set, you could get up to 120fps in certain situations.

There isn’t an OLED screen this time around, but I honestly didn’t experience too much of a difference when comparing my Switch 2 to my OLED model’s appearance. (And it looked dramatically better than an original Switch’s screen.) In TV mode you can enable HDR support for both new games and ones with updates, such as Super Mario Odyssey. I did test that out with that game, and it especially looked fantastic given that’s such a vibrant title. The brightness is quite wonderful, with the automatic sensors doing a good job of adjusting to meet the lighting around you if you enable that. Also, the bigger screen felt like more of an upgrade than I expected.

I also love how the Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 controllers work. Now, my first 48-hours with the console, I did initially find them uncomfortable. That’s because I was used to the size and shape of the original Joy-Cons. I’ve adapted a bit more since and, while they are a bit thin, they’re fine. They’re quite responsive so far after almost two weeks. More importantly, the magnetic connections are a godsend. With both my launch Switch and OLED model, I noticed after a few years that the Joy-Cons sometimes felt a bit wobbly when connected to the device. Like even though I knew they were securely fastened, I could feel a bit of give. That is not an issue here. The magnets are great. The grip is secure. Pressing a button makes detaching them effortless. Reattaching is easy. It’s just fantastic. 

The mouse functionality of the Joy-Con 2 controllers is also really great! I’ve been using it in games like Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour tech demos. Also, I only once used it on a coffee table, in a situation where it’d be like a professional, prepared moment. Otherwise, I’m just running them along my legs or a couch cushion. It still senses everything accurately and is great! I just hope we see companies use the feature wisely in games.

My initial impressions of the new kickstand for Tabletop mode were also mistaken. When I first saw the system at a Nintendo preview event, I worried about stability due to the redesign. While there is that open space and gap now, I think it’s more secure than the launch model and offers more stability and range than the OLED release. There’s a tightness there that makes it easy to get into a fixed position that suits me and, since I love using the Pro Controller 2 for Mario Kart World, I find myself propping it up on a coffee table or edge of the bed and using that controller to play instead of going with handheld mode. I am a little worried about the positioning of the microSD Express card on the system. The slot for it is at the end of the system just under the stand, and I appreciated how placement on the OLED that put it in a bit to protect it from being accidentally ejected. However, it is in a similar kind of position as the original Switch and I never had an issue with that model, so I’m sure it is fine.

That does bring me to my main issue with the Switch 2, which is its battery. The life of it is really bad. I tried it under a number of conditions over about 12 days. For one charge, I only played original Switch games like Fuga 3 and Red Bell’s Lament. It seemed a little better during those sessions, and I do think I managed to spend about six hours with the otome game. During a few others, I played Switch 2 games I’d consider a little less “demanding,” like Deltarune and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster. The system faired a bit better with those, and I’d say maybe I’d get around four or more hours.  For two sessions, which went incredibly quickly, I played Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut. In both of those instances, I think I only managed about three hours. With Mario Kart World, things varied more depending on if I was playing online, if I used GameChat, or if I stayed offline and played alone. And yes, I tried the Switch 2 battery charge indicator fix, and it’s still an issue.

By the way, GameChat works better than I expected? I haven’t spent as much time experimenting with the camera to come to a definitive judgment on that peripheral yet. However actually tapping a button to talk with folks? It’s pretty good! I do tend to normally use Discord for calls when gaming. But when I’ve been playing with folks on the Switch 2, I did exclusively use GameChat during this period and enjoyed it. I think I would keep going with it as the default for these sorts of sessions too, as it works that well.

It’s one of many kinds of quality of life adjustments I appreciate with the Switch 2. The way in which screenshots and videos can automatically be uploaded to the Nintendo Switch app is another. That’s great! I use it tons for work already, and I’ve been using it for sharing fun images with friends online as well. The group system is easier to organize and sort, which is a blessing since I do use that for getting multiplayer games in the same spot for easier online experiences. I really love having the option to charge the system from the top or bottom, and it’s great having a charger that doesn’t have the brick permanently tied to it so I have other charging options. And yes, I noticed many of the Switch games I tested on it tend to universally work a little better on the Switch 2 even if they don’t have upgrade packs or system specific patches. Even the gyroscope seemed a bit better when I tried using it with Splatoon 3 after the June 2025 update patch, and I always avoid those motion controls.

The Switch 2 is an absolute joy to play, thanks to improved power and quality of life adjustments, and my one wish is the battery lasted longer. Both the new games, ones with updates, and even original Switch titles run wonderfully on the system, ensuring we get a large library to draw from at launch. It’s truly lovely in TV mode, especially if you have the right types of models to support certain features like 4K or HDR. I think it is even better in Handheld mode, thanks to the improved screen resolution and frame rate capabilities. I’m pretty confident that it’ll prove as invaluable and essential to my gaming life as the original Switch did for the last eight years.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is available worldwide. 

The post Review: Switch 2 Is a Beautiful System appeared first on Siliconera.

Having a girlfriend is great and all, but you know what would make the experience better? If your girlfriend is a giant and can kill you like a bug at any time. Despite the almost joke-like title of the game, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is a visual novel with an unconventional, dark, and Stockholm syndrome-adjacent romance that can leave the player wanting more. 

SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim puts you in the miniature shoes of Rin. He was walking home one rainy night when he mysteriously shrinks to the size of an ant. A university student named Saeko finds him and places him in her drawer for protection. In there, Rin encounters a collection of other little people. It doesn’t take long to learn that Saeko is not just the culprit behind the shrinking, but she’s also a cannibal who eats a little person every day. After Saeko kills the previous supervisor of the drawer for failing in his duties, she promotes Rin to the position. Rin’s job is simple: feed a little person every day to make them more delicious for Saeko and make sure no one’s health falls below zero, lest Saeko murders them all.

The gameplay loop of SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim revolves around three segments: Day, Night, and Midnight. During the Day segment, you can hang out with the other little people and learn about them before sentencing one to be devoured. At Night, you can have a one-on-one conversation with Saeko. These talks shed some light on Saeko’s personality and past. Saying too much or too little, or giving the wrong answers will prompt Saeko to kill Rin. Finally, at Midnight, you can use Saeko’s cellphone to read news about the outside world or play a mini-game.

The main emotional core of the game centers on Rin and Saeko, as well as their relationship. As someone who’s not into macrophilia, I can’t speak on how much Saeko appeals to that community. While the seeds are there for some nice ol’ “cannibalism as a metaphor for love” deliciousness, the game sadly never quite takes that route. Though Saeko makes for an interesting character, she’s not that compelling of a romantic interest. We don’t get a lot of Rin’s thoughts, and whatever attracted Rin to Saeko (and vice versa) in the first place is lost in Rin’s forgotten memories. It makes the Stockholm/Lima syndrome romance a little hard to get behind, even as someone who supports women’s rights and wrongs. 

I want to clarify that I eat up a lot of the tropes and ideas that SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim presents. That’s precisely why I wanted to see the writer do more with it. It’s easier to avoid thinking of it as an actual “dating simulator” as the title suggests; rather, it’s a story of morality, masking, and attachment.

Aesthetically, the game looks fantastic. It has a clean interface, and the segments of chatting with Saeko are reminiscent of those Lofi girl streams. The contrast between the calm music and Rin’s palpable fear works great. The pixel art and animations are delightful as well. Though it’s frustrating to replay conversations with Saeko, I still enjoyed watching her facial expressions and hair animations. For all her cruelty and callousness—or, perhaps, because of her sociopathy—Saeko is a charming antagonist in the same vein as Tomie, and her face card never declines.

Crude, salacious, yet surprisingly beautiful, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is a fun short story for those who enjoy a fantastical take on dark romance. It only took me about three and a half hours to see all three endings in the game. But, like how a part of Rin remained in that drawer even after he escapes from it, it’s easy for your mind to linger on the implications and promises the story brings.

SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is available on Windows PC via Steam.

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The original Survival Kids on the Game Boy Color didn’t play around. I should know, as I beat it repeatedly in hopes of getting the best ending. There’s nothing like being a teenager and spending dozens of hours on a game to watch your avatar die on a makeshift raft because you didn’t prepare enough food for your  attempt to sail home. Survival Kids is one of the few original Switch 2 games debuting alongside the new console as Konami and Unity’s revival of the IP. While it is fine and clearly designed to be a kid-friendly game for actual children enamored by games like Raft with Tomb Raider mystique, it bears no resemblance to the past Survival Kids or Lost in Blue series.

While the original Survival Kids and Lost in Blue games involved children and teens in extraordinary situations attempting to survive and find a way home, Unity and Konami took a far different approach. This isn’t a pure survival sim with adventure elements and choices that matter. The kid, or kids if you are playing with a group, found a treasure map. They willingly headed out to the island chain represented there. The raft broke apart. After rebuilding it on the first island and going through the tutorial, it’s off to go island hopping, completing relatively simple puzzles to progress through areas, search for treasure, and find the Harmony Stones to let you return home. 

This time around, realism is abandoned for an idealized fantasy. I could absolutely see Square Enix going with a similar kind of premise for something like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Kids.” These one to four pre-teens found a map, built a sea-worthy vessel, found islands on the back of giant turtle-like beings called Whurtles, somehow uncovered ruins nobody else saw before, and are also going to undo a supernatural storm. I do think it is very good for smaller children, as it plays in the types of fantasies they might have and can be empowering. However, it’s not all that entertaining or good at engaging an older audience.

Gameplay is also incredibly simple in Survival Kids and, while there is crafting and food creation, it’s nowhere near as complex or critical as in games like the original or ensuing Lost in Blue installments. In those games, you needed to eat and stay hydrated to survive, crafting meant experimenting, item maintenance could be an issue due to durability, and actions strongly influenced if you died or how the story ended. Here, eating means greater strength when engaging in tasks or stamina for climbing, and you can cap that out at 10 easily and be fine. Food prep? Toss a bunch of fruits in a pot, no need for recipes, and you’re fine. Actual item or structure creation? Again, just toss logs, stones, or gathered materials into the right place and you’re good. Platforming? Literally not an issue or challenge. 

Survival Kids is an incredibly easy Switch 2 game, and it is all very surface level. While there are optional collectibles on islands, I felt no reason to go back to it. If you do falter when making jumps, as I had the Pro Controller battery die during one section, it’s absolutely fine. If your stamina does run out, food is so plentiful and the campsite hubs are always nearby, so it is easy to get a snack. If not, you’ll just be slower than usual. The crafting and switch toggling puzzles aren’t difficult. If you can find the pieces you need and get them to the place, you tend to be fine. Also, it’s executed in a way in which there are no complicated controls or need to manage any inventory. Again, all of this is fine for the intended audience, and young enough children will probably dig it. But people of any age more experienced with games will very likely get bored. It’s so repetitive.

Probably the main selling point is that this Konami and Unity Survival Kids game does act as a showcase for each Switch 2 multiplayer options. I did play with another person with split-screen local multiplayer and briefly online. In each case, it was absolutely fine. Since this is a game that could honestly be played alone or with others, cooperation didn’t feel super critical. It wasn’t like there was scaling difficulty or an of the actions were so taxing that I really needed assistance. It was more that things got done faster with another person. Local worked great. Online ended up being totally fine too. I didn’t get to test out GameShare, the most interesting option that involves other local people playing on their own Switch 2 systems while I shared the game. 

Survival Kids feels really generic on the Switch 2, and it features none of the personality of the Lost in Blue series. I think I might have enjoyed it more had it not been burdened by that pedigree. Had Konami and Unity released this as, say, “Treasure Kids: Search for Harmony Stones,” I think I’d maybe appreciated it more. I’d go in understanding it is a new IP made for kids who like the idea of survival games or puzzle adventures, but might not be ready for titles with greater challenges and in-game consequences. But here, we go in expecting a certain type of storytelling and adventure, then wind up with a repetitious, uncomplicated routine.

Survival Kids is available for the Switch 2.

The post Review: Survival Kids Switch 2 Doesn’t Feel Like Lost in Blue appeared first on Siliconera.

Typically in a nonogram game like Picross, completing the puzzle and seeing the finished image is all the reward we get for being diligent enough to figure things out. Albune’s Squeakross: Home Squeak Home does that, of course, but there’s a little something else to act as an incentive. Here, every solved situation adds to a catalog of customization elements for a cute little mouse’s home. It really makes the game feel special, as well as provides a reason to get through puzzles as quickly as possible.

In Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, every player is a mouse. We just moved into a new home. It’s empty at the moment. However, it won’t take too long to make that hole in the wall a comfortable place to live. That’s because every puzzle we solve provides us with a new type of furniture or decorative element to enhance our living space. What follows is a nonogram puzzle game like the Jupiter Picross series that gradually gets more difficult and offers more unique furnishings as rewards for challenging ourselves.

The impression I get from Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is that it is designed to encourage completion compared to other nonogram games like Jupiter’s Picross. Now, I always do finish every Jupiter entry I pick up. However, I play them at a more leisurely pace. Two or three puzzles before bed to wind down and relax. Maybe it’ll take me a full month, or even two if its a busy time of year, to gradually beat a game. The nature of Albune’s title makes each puzzle an item in essentially a catalog of items. So if you want more to do, you need to skip around and fill out puzzles.

Said puzzles are, well, standard nonograms, as Squeakross: Home Squeak Home doesn’t reinvent the wheel. A grid is placed before you. Numbers across the top and left side note how many squares need to be filled in to complete the puzzle, as well as how many are in a row. You need to use logic to do so. In a nod to this being a game filled rodents, boxes are filled in with cheese. You can also use notation to mark suspected spots with a “O” and definitively note a space shouldn’t be filled by placing an “X.” The hints at the top will use different colors to note if lines are done, could be filled in, or are almost done save for a missing “X.” 

After finishing a puzzle, you get the piece of furniture in your mouse’s room. In there, you can direct your mouse to go ahead and interact with anything you placed. You can also complete Nini’s Challenge for variants of items that look different and add more options. There’s quite a bit of diversity and even some themes that come up, and you get multiple rooms to decorate. Likewise, you can customize your mouse's appearance, changing how they look and what they wear. The character's personality and tendencies can even change. So it can almost feel a bit like a customizable pet you care for.

The thing that gets me is, while the puzzles are fun to complete in Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, when completed they don’t always look like the furniture items or accessories they unlike like ones found in Picross games. They’ll usually be somewhat close! However, right from the very start, I saw completed designs that didn’t make sense. This happens right away with a cardboard box on the first page, as well as with a cabinet. The pile of books? It does not look anything like a stack of novels. The basic nightstand? No clue how that turned into that! So while the game is fun and we are supposed to use logic, I felt like I couldn’t also rely on my knowledge of what, say, a dresser would look like to finish that. This doesn’t apply to every puzzle, of course, but it’s often enough that it irked me.

While I feel like the Jupiter nonograms in Picross feature some better executed puzzles and final designs, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home offers a fresh take on a nonogram game. The character and home customization really provide an incentive to solve puzzles. The quality of life features and controls work well, so you could easily play with a controller. It’s a cute approach to a classic puzzle genre with plentiful play incentives.

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is available on the Switch and PC, and a demo is available on Steam.

The post Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game appeared first on Siliconera.

The original Bravely Default and Bravely Second left me awestruck. The gameplay called to mind Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and more classic entries in that series, and the story’s direction grabbed hold of me in a way that nearly felt unhealthy. I spent hours getting every job, exploring every sidequest, and building up my characters as stayed until the very end. 11 years later, even though I did all this before, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster triggered the same response on the Switch 2,  and this Square Enix game remains a fantastic JRPG.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster begins with Agnes Oblige calling out for help, asking for warriors of light for salvation as the world crumbles around her and she falls into the cracks. Across the world, we see shepherd Tiz Arrior tending his flock with his little brother Til when the Great Chasm swallows up their village of Norende, leaving him the only survivor. When he returns to the ruins, he finds the Wind Vestal Agnes and the Cryst-fairy Airy who are on a journey to awaken the four crystals of the world to save it. The two end up joined by an amnesiac named Ringabel, who holds a book called D’s Journal that sometimes seems to predict the future, and the Eternian defector Edea Lee who is disgusted by the behavior of the Sky Knights.

I’m not going to say anything more about the story. I don’t want to spoil anything. But it is great, the characters are fantastic, and it holds up over 10 years later.

Like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a turn-based JRPG with a job system. As you defeat Asterisk holder bosses, you gain new roles for members of your party to undertake. You can then, in turn, combine them by equipping a second command category and an ability that offers some sort of extra feature of buff or bonus. For example, you can make someone a Black Mage who also has the White Magic class of spells and equipped the Angelic Ward ability that might halve damage or a Ninja with Thief command and Raid ability that could increase everyone’s BP when a battle starts. 

Speaking of BP, that’s the element that sets Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster apart as a JRPG. You can either stock up on action points (Default), making a character defend against attacks in the process, or act up to four times in a single turn (Brave) by forgoing attacking the next three turns after that. Think of it as being both a strategic and quality of life gameplay element. In more standard encounters, you could direct all four characters to each use Brave four times in a row to attack (or create an “Auto” preset with that) to quickly grind for levels and job points to level up roles to get access to more abilities. That lets you wipe everything out in one turn. In the case of a boss fight or more difficult challenge, you could use Default to defend and stockpile turns or prepare for guards to drop, then respond with multiple attacks at once. You can gain greater control of a battle’s pace. I personally like to have one of my physical attackers (Edea or Tiz) Brave all at once, then have Agnes and Ringabel perform more nuanced attacks responding to situations ASAP. 

As in Final Fantasy or other Square Enix JRPG games, the adventure in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster sends us around the world. There is the main campaign, as well as sidequest stories to follow. For the sake of clarity, Airy appears in the in-game menu to offer suggestions. There are party talk moments when the four discuss what’s going on or offer insight into the world. Campaign quest objectives are highlighted with orange markers, while sidequests use blue ones. The UI, redone for this release, is easy to parse. Not to mention the towns we visit are even more stunning in this version, thanks to enhanced textures that make the pop-up, fairytale designs really, well, pop. In general, every main character, major opponent, and enemy looks wonderful in HD with the updated models and textures. The opening movie and new voice acting is also wonderful and adds to the experience. 

The other changes to Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on the Switch 2 feel like appropriate quality of life additions. While newcomers might not use the fast forward auto-play option as much, I admit to using it a few times early on to see how it worked and get to a full party faster. It’s a great option! The 50% to 200% encounter rate is handy for grinding, and I love being able to have four possible presets for the auto-battle function that carries over when fights start. Because of the way I play, I didn’t need the “recommended level” for dungeons, but I expect that will be quite handy for others. I also think the way Souls appear every 24 hours in-town is helpful, since getting folks to help rebuild Norende or allies for attacks would be as easy as it was in the 3DS years. 

While the two new minigames are fun enough, rebuilding Norende still feels like the most valuable optional activity. The souls you gather from towns from other players allow you to assign those “townsfolk” to unlocking and upgrading tasks in the fledgeling village following the devastation at the beginning of the game. This adds more to a shop, additional Special Moves, and sometimes bonuses for just stopping by. It’s great to load up folks on a task to bring the timing down to 15-30 minutes when you’re active, then spread them out when you’ll be sleeping or away for 12-24 hours. 

I will say that I sort of feel like the Luxencheer Rhythm Catch and Ringabel’s Panic Cruise minigames in
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster are better introductions to the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse controls than Nintendo's Welcome Tour. In Ringabel’s Panic Cruise, you’re actually using the left and right controllers in mouse mode to steer the ship, perform certain controls to hit altitudes, manage folks’ requests, swat flies, and maintain speeds. It’s interesting and a great showcase of the new feature! Luxencheer Rhythm Catch is a more typical type of rhythm game, with the mouse controls tasking you with catching note indicators with the energy line between your two lightsticks or moving in time with the (admittedly great) songs from the game’s soundtrack. Both can be genuinely fun and show what the console can do.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a remarkable Switch 2 JRPG, and the core gameplay, mechanics, and story remain fresh and relevant. It looks beautiful and runs wonderfully on the Switch 2. I’d even say the new gameplay additions serve as a better introduction to mouse controls for the hardware than the actual tech demo minigame collection Nintendo created. Anyone who picks it up to go with their new system won’t be disappointed.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available on the Switch 2. 

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