Little Nightmares II
Little Nightmares II is a very atmospheric and very exciting adventure where you take on the role of a boy named Mono. You are in a mysterious world and together with the girl Six you have to figure out what exactly is going on. Not only must you uncover secrets of The Signal Tower, which is responsible for the world you enter, you must also save Six from her fate. In the meantime you have to deal with all kinds of scum that lives in this strange and at times scary world. That scum can really get under your skin.
Just like in the first part, you play levels in which you walk from left to right, while solving puzzles, encountering and dodging scary monsters and following an exciting story. Compared to the previous part, there are now new enemies, such as a sadistic teacher, a bloodthirsty hunter and many more terrifying characters. While playing, you can feel quite vulnerable as you have few resources to defend yourself with. But also because some aspects of the game are quite trial and error.
By that we mean that some puzzles have to be solved in one way. So you are not free to give your own creative interpretation to survival. Given the nature of the game, that makes sense, but it would have been really cool if just a little more was needed. Nevertheless, this leaves a powerful and compact adventure that is worth experiencing once. The art style alone justifies a purchase. Keep in mind that the controls are quite wooden. But you can also see this as an addition, a feature.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
If you bought a Wii U a few years ago, you are undoubtedly already familiar with Super Mario 3D World. That game came to that for the first time. Now the game returns and you can play it on Nintendo Switch. Choose from Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad and run, jump, climb and float through tons of levels and worlds. Basically, the game is a combination of a 2D and 3D Mariogame: you run around in three-dimensional lives, but at the end a finish flag awaits you – just like in the first Mario Bros. game.
Some things have changed for the new version of the game. The colorful environments and sometimes challenging platform sections remain unchanged, but some of the collectible stamps (which you can use on your screenshots) are now in a different place. It is also true that each character now runs much faster. Less useful for younger or new players, but old-timers quickly relive what the game has in store. In addition to offline co-op, there is now an online mode that allows you to play the entire game online with your friends.
Not to mention the all-new game mode, which is also in the title: Bowser’s Fury. In design, Bowser’s Fury is more like a three-dimensional Mario game, such as Oddysey, Sunshine and Mario 64. This time with the addition of a cooperative mode where player two takes control of Bowser Jr., the son of Bowser. Together with Mario, they must stop Bowser, who has changed tremendously. This mode can be played with two people, unlike the other adventure. You play that with four men.
Persona 5 Strikers
Persona 5 is Royal one of the best games of 2020 and any excuse we have to go on even more adventures with the vibrant group of characters from that video game, we’ll take it. That’s why we’re so happy that Persona 5 Strikers, a spin-off of the main game, has been brought to Europe. Unlike the original and its reissue, Strikers is not a traditional Japanese role playing game (RPG). It is an action RPG in which you take on hordes of enemies, as you previously did on the Switch with the Hyrule Warriors video games.
Available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, Persona 5 Strikers features an all-new story set after the events of Persona 5. Half a year after the game’s finale comes the group of friends, known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. , together for a new mystery. Again it is the case that certain people behave strangely. It’s up to you to make those people change their minds. You do that now by combining many action-packed attacks with well-known RPG elements from the Persona 5 video games.
Certain elements (such as 1 More or All-Out Attack, known to Persona 5 players) will return, but there are also new things. Then consider the possibility of switching characters. There is also (again) a new face who joins the team; it’s up to you to find out who she is. Persona 5 Strikers combines Dynasty Warriors-esque gameplay with the sleek storytelling of the Persona series, throws in a beautiful design and remember where the characters in the series all came from.
Bravely Default II
For the gamers among us who prefer to play a more traditional RPG, we also have good news: it does not become more traditional than with Bravely Default II on the Nintendo Switch. The role playing game has a completely new world, offers four new characters and also has a new story that encourages you to continue while gaming. The great thing about this game is that it was developed by the team that was previously responsible for the previous games in this series and the acclaimed Octopath Traveler (also available on the Switch).
In Bravely Default II, you are tasked with exploring the world in search of four special crystals. You do this in a team of four characters known as the Heroes of Light. The game offers some nice menus and information and presents cute and picturesque environments. The battles in the game are turn-based and are very reminiscent of old Final Fantasy video games. The heroes are on one side and the enemies on the other. You take turns carrying out your attacks and in the meantime you have to hope that it all ends well.
Bravely Default II feels like a warm bath for true Japanese RPG enthusiasts. And as nice as that can be, being able to lean on something you trust, in this case it also means that there is little or no innovation in the game. Let’s put it this way: the game doesn’t reinvent the wheel or really add to the genre when we look at game elements. Nevertheless, there is a nice development system for your characters, the battles can be solid and challenging and you can also count on some interesting boss fights.
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter is a special game series that has enjoyed a lot of popularity in the west in recent years. Monster Hunter World threw the series wide open to new players, while old-timers could enjoy a game they could put in for hundreds of hours. World introduced a ton of new mechanics that provided accessibility, and we see Monster Hunter Rise, available now for the Switch, taking over many of those elements. But not without losing sight of the basics of the game.
In Monster Hunter Rise, you are tasked with taking on a wide variety of monsters. You do this by taking on missions, exploring environments and making your own clothes and weapons. You make weapons and clothing by collecting items and parts that you collect while hunting. Some items can only be obtained by defeating monsters. And that is basically the gameplay loop (the trick to be done) of Monster Hunter. Fortunately, the new part, Rise, does not change that concept at all.
Just like in World, the worlds are beautifully designed and open. This time, the emphasis is more than ever on vertical traverse (hence the subtitle Rise). To help you with that, developer Capcom introduces a dog-like creature named Palamute. That beast is able to climb mountains quickly, without costing your stamina. In addition, the dog can help you along with your Palico, a feline creature, in the battles with monsters. There is also the Wirebug, with which you can swing over great distances.
You can also use the Wirebug for other things and each weapon works slightly differently. Moreover, this time it is possible to mount certain beasts and temporarily take control. This allows you to compete against large monsters, for example. In addition to an extensive single and multiplayer mode, Monster Hunter Rise also has a survival mode called Rampage. In that mode, your job is to protect your camp from monsters that attack. In short: Rise is accessible, extensive and still challenging.
Hitman 3
We already put the game Hitman 3 through an extensive test earlier this year. The review itself is also a test to see if there is enthusiasm for individual game reviews on FWD. If you want to read the review again , you can go here. Below we have also placed the pros and cons, as well as a short conclusion. In Hitman 3 you play as a silent assassin who can destroy his targets in the most creative ways. In our opinion, it is the ultimate lockdown game, because you get more out of the game when you take the time.
