Nintendo Switch - The Bear and Badger

Moot_Geeza

Andy wrote:

Nina wrote:

...but I think shooters / shmups are a good shout. We played quite a few together in the arcade.

I’m surprised Moot hasn’t pointed out that Rive has two player. So has Guns, Gore & Cannoli. I’ve only played the iPad version, which was a (pleasant) grind-athon, but I see that Sky Force has local 2 player, too. And checking the store, Sine Mora and one of my favourites, Skies of Fury, also have local 2 player.

Oh, and Wulverblade, for old-school beat-em-up fun.

I think you share control of the craft in Rive rather than getting one each

Was added for Switch, could be good but I doubt it. Oddly enough the tandem mode in Trials Rising is superb.

Unravel Too doesn't get enough love for its co-op, but it's not worth full price.

Nina

More good suggestion, thanks again!

Rive is indeed the two player control one ship deal, which sounds more like an added difficulty level than actual fun.

Lovers is actually a good shout.

We played the demo of Snipperclips but that wasn't really for us.

I'll check out your new suggestions as well @Andy I think I've seen Skies of Fury mentioned before as a fun title.

Kernowgaz

With the Nintendo Online game vouchers ( 2 games digitally for £84), do you have to get both games at the same time or can I get one now another next month for example ?

[Deleted User]

They’re each valid for a year. I bought a pair when there was a deal on cheap eShop credit a few weeks ago. I didn’t use the first one until the other night, when TLoZ:LA became available, and I still have the second one available to use whenever.

Kernowgaz

Ideal, cheers Andy

Moot_Geeza

One more Nina - Super Chariot is worth a look. It's quite long, so it's worth checking the demo to see if you click with it. Not one for full price though, again. Comes around fairly regularly in the sales (50% off) but I'm not sure if it's in there at the mo.

MattyJ

Did anyone play the FFVII and IX remasters on switch? I'm thinking of getting viii on there and I'm assuming there won't be performance issues, but you never know

JonB

VII is fine. They're still pretty basic even after the remastering, so there should'nt be any issues.

MattyJ

Yeah figured as much but you never know! Cheers

Frosty

IX is also fine. It's very basic but the cheat toggles make it a lot more palatable to get through.

I definitely wouldn't call it a remaster.

mk64

Wookienopants wrote:

mk64 wrote:

ordered the Mana collection - out in a few days apparently

It’s been out on the eshop for ages. Unless you mean physical?

Yeah physical copy

EvilRedEye

I'm frustrated they've released it while I'm on holiday. Hopefully be able to grab a copy while out and about.

Vela

I seem to recall @Moot_Geeza perhaps who has played Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom?

That game keeps going and going. 95%+ found, but still have to get another several bits and bobs it tells me.

Moot_Geeza

Did you visit the section under the well in the vallage? That's the only thing I did post completion. Can't remember my completion percentage, wasn't that high.

Vela

not yet, still corked

Moot_Geeza

Worth doing, but I shamelessly Googled how to get in.

yourfavouriteuncle

Monsterboy shoold be my kinda game but I just can’t warm to it. I’ll give it a few more hours but I just find it frustrating really. And a bit shit, maybe?

EvilRedEye

Which one?

Wookienopants

Downloaded the DQXI demo this morning, put half hour in so far and it’s bloody lovely. Loving the English dub and all the regional accents

Moot_Geeza

EvilRedEye wrote:

Which one?

Monster Boy in the Cursed Kingdom.

You'd have to be all-in on the way it plays to get much out of it. They've made a new version of an old Wonderboy, so honestly if you have no affinity for the slippery lead boots inertia and knockback cunt enemy placement it could absolutely be described as shit. I loved it though, objectively speaking it's probably the best in the series if you're a Wonderboy boi. Without double checking I think it's my favourite of the games I've played this year.

JonB

I've just started playing it. Done the first few hours and got the frog form. It definitely has that old-fashioned feel to it, which means the controls aren't as sharp as you'd expect these days and it's kind of predictable as a Metroidvania. But each new form makes it more interesting and I can see the level and boss design getting more intricate.

Vela

Ive never played a Monster Boy/Wonder Boy before. This game is loads of fun, and despite being frustrating initially, the balance tips in your favour after you get past the second boss. Its not hard once you get past that, save for a couple of areas with fast and/or spear/bomb throwing enemies.

It is also a long game. 100% completion took me 30 hours and it feels like it was a lot longer. Really worth the money.

As moot said though, re: the final puzzle.

Spoiler:

Vela

Wait, there are multiple endings?!

JonB

I think sometimes it doesn't know what it wants to be. There are modern QoL features alongside mean old-school design. I'm trying to climb up a waterfall with the ice sword and suddenly there's an enemy chucking bombs and no time to react. Back to the ground, half my hearts gone. But then it doesn't really seem to want to make progress difficult, with old-fashioned learn-the-position-of-everything style gameplay. So it ends up being not hard but irritating, and sapping goodwill despite doing some things right with its puzzles and screen layouts.

Vela

Yeah I get that. Maybe I was just patient with it.

But I have to ask: are you wearing flame boots? I got to the top wearing them and it made it unnecessarily difficult.

Moot_Geeza

It's Gary Sparrow gaming at its absolute best.

JonB

Vela wrote:

Yeah I get that. Maybe I was just patient with it. But I have to ask: are you wearing flame boots? I got to the top wearing them and it made it unnecessarily difficult.

Haha. No, I found some others not long before that, fortunately.

I just did the temple bit and most of that was nicely designed. Just a few irritations and confusions along the way. For all the complaints, I do quite like it overall. It's just a step down from the toppest of Metroidvanias.

Vela

What are the toppest in your experience? Goign to assume Super Metroid, Hollow Knight, SOTN or the DS Castlevanias?

To me, Monster Boy felt like a full-fat version of Steamworld Dig 2; or the game that Shantae and the Pirates Curse was inspired by (even though it is a precedent, Monster Boy feels like it is an original nugget of an idea and Shantae feels like a love letter to the idea). There are just enough instances of jokes in Monster Boy that tell me it is playing with the formula rather than repeating it.

In fact the humour comes through very well in a number of places, with audio and visual gags that turn it into 4th wall breaking joke experience.

I'd happily put it amongst the top games Ive played in the past few years. So glad I bought the hard copy.

acemuzzy

Dark Souls is a Metroidvania, right?

JonB

Barely. I'm only really thinking of 2D side-on stuff anyway. I realise that ends in the paradox of excluding Metroid Prime, but it's a fair price to pay to retain some sense of meaning.

The best ones in the last couple of years for me have been Hollow Knight, Guacamelee 2 and Bloodstained: RotN, which are all different enough as it is. Bloodstained does the nostalgia trip thing better while the other two are that bit more tightly designed and original than Monster Boy. A lot of the times it's details - using tired old mechanics like a status effect that reverses the controls, or insufficient audioviual cues to show how things work - but it adds up.

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