amphibious_ReViews

  Galaga is an absolute classic. Upgrading the formula and gameplay from its predecessor Galaxian , this space-shooter has an almost perfect feeling of simplicity to tie its more complex mechanics together. I always leaned towards Galaxian amongst the two, mostly because I was the most familiar with it. However, it is clear that Galaga is an improvement in almost every way. Although the main gameplay mechanics of this title were popularized by the legendary  Space Invaders , I believe that this is the definitive alien-blasting arcade experience. Galaga tasks you with taking down as many fleets of bug-like aliens as possible, while dodging them as they fly by and avoiding any of their return fire. This title also introduces the possibility of losing a ship to an enemy tractor beam. If you get caught, you'll lose a life, but rescuing the lost ally let's you pilot the two ships together and wreak serious havok. Galaga also introduces bonus rounds that test your ability to hit

  For almost a decade now, The Pokémon Company has been cranking out free-to-play games to varying acclaim. Some have become international phenomena , while others have fizzled into obscurity . I've made an effort to play each of them, both because I love Pokémon and because I'm a sucker for free, but only a select few have really stood out to me. This game was not one of them. Pokémon Quest was enjoyable enough to hold my attention until the final few stages (which didn't take very long to reach), but I started to get fatigued with the repetition and began relying very heavily on the auto-attack mode. Pokémon Quest is a quasi-adventure game that has you exploring a voxely island in the search of treasure. The original 151 Pokémon , also voxelized, are available to help on the adventure, and they can be strengthened with the help of little medals that you collect at the end of each stage. In addition to the medals, each stage rewards ingredients that can be cooked at y

  Pilotwings brought impressive flight simulations to the SNES , with realistic physics assisted by pseudo-3D graphics that pulled the whole experience together. Unfortunately, it just wasn't very fun. Nintendo incorporated bonus rounds that were far more fantastical than the main gameplay, but it all still ended up feeling like I was performing a simulation instead of playing a game. The variety in challenges was nice, and it was an interesting experience when piloting each vehicle/character, but I often felt like I had to force myself to play this over other games. The gameplay loop of Pilotwings revolves around completing different challenges in order to achieve higher levels of your in-game pilot license. You'll have to demonstrate your skills with a plane, a jetpack, a hanglider, and a parachute in the main stages, which make up most of the experience. If you achieve a secret goal while completing one of the regular challenges, you'll have the opportunity to earn ad

As the first Picross game to make it to the west, this title didn't do nearly as well as Nintendo was hoping, leading us to be without a new Picross game until the DS . Although the franchise was doing well in Japan, westerners just weren't ready for these clever logic games. I think part of the issue was that this was advertised as a Mario title, but that aspect of the game boiled down to his face in the corner of the screen and a small number of related puzzles. Despite the poor reaction upon release, I found this to be a really enjoyable title. Some of the rules implemented in future entries, such as the inability to fill in a space that you've marked with an X, are sorely missed here. However, complaints like those don't really undermine the fact that this game is loaded with solid puzzles and is a delight to play. If you're familiar with other Picross  titles, you'll be right at home here. If not, the game does a great job of easing you into the nonogra

  As the first premium game in the Rusty Lake meta-series, I was a little hesitant to spend my hard-earned money on this. However, the Cube Escape games had seriously hooked me, and I couldn't just skip ahead, so I eventually gave in. Right at the start of the game, I knew this was unmissable. Presented as a prequel of sorts, Rusty Lake Hotel stars some familiar faces, but also introduces new characters that are poised to become more important in future games. Although it doesn't answer every question I've stored up from the previous games, I didn't really expect it to. However, it did provide a couple important reveals, and it gave me a few more things to be curious about. All of that makes for a pretty solid Rusty Lake experience. As an employee of the Rusty Lake Hotel , you are responsible for both keeping the guests comfortable and collecting the ingredients for each dinner. That all seems pretty dull and straightforward, until you figure out that the guests and

  While franchises born on the NES , like Mario , Zelda , and Metroid , continued on to have highly successful careers, Kid Icarus only got a sequel on the Gameboy before being abandoned for decades. If you just play the first ten minutes of each original game, that decision seems to make sense. Kid Icarus starts slower than it's peers, and begins at a higher difficulty, so it doesn't quite hook you in the same way. However, playing through the whole game reveals that it actually combines some of the best aspects of Nintendo's NES -era lineup and deserves far more recognition. In Kid Icarus , you'll find character growth and platforming reminiscent of Metroid , an adventure and menacing enemies that rival The Legend of Zelda , and linearity directed by clever variety similar to the likes of Super Mario Bros. Playing as Pit, an angel with wings too weak to fly and a bow that can't shoot very far, you attempt to climb out of the depths of the underworld, cross the

  In the same vein as the genre-bending battle royale, Tetris 99 , Super Mario Bros. 35 takes an already well-established title and turns it into an exciting competitive multiplayer experience. Other than the Mario theme, this title mirrors Tetris 99 in almost every other way. Your opponents are all visible on either side of the screen, your successes in-game effectively sabotage whoever you're targeting, and the last player standing is the winner. Plus, the game is entirely free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers! However, there is one glaring difference. While Tetris 99 was allowed to thrive and grow over the years, adding DLC with new game modes and running events with special rewards, Mario 35 is scheduled to be shut down before that can happen. Because this title was created to celebrate Mario's 35th anniversary, Nintendo thinks it's wise to make it unplayable after the festivities end (just six months after the game's release). However, in the meantime,