We always get a positive response whenever we post about Switch stuff now and again as it seems like there’s loads of crossover in our audience between people who are into gaming on the go who also, unsurprisingly, are also really into the Nintendo Switch. Maybe we’ll eventually get into full-on Switch reviews, but for the time being I like the idea of posting these sort of mini-review roundups. So, if you’re even half as into the Switch as we are, strap in. Otherwise, well, we’ve posted other iOS stuff today you can check out instead!
Golf Story – I’m a bit of an anomaly when it comes to sports games. I never played any actual sports outside of gym class as a kid, and as a byproduct, never really learned much beyond the basics. I loved the Mutant League games on the Genesis, because you only needed to know the basics of football and hockey- The rest was filled in with arcade ridiculousness. Golf Story is similar. You don’t need to know that much about golf beyond the basics, and the rest of the game gets filled in with a shockingly captivating story with RPG elements which are all solved by either playing golf or doing golf-like things.
The story of the game kicks off with you being a no-name golfer, and being put to the task of proving yourself to the people at the nearby course. Most of them turn out to be scum bags, and are only looking to take advantage of you. The story evolves from there, taking often hilarious turns where you’ll end up in the middle of a rap battle, fighting off undead armies, and so much more. It’s hard to put into words just how much of a surprise this game turned out to be, as I really only downloaded it because I was looking for something to play and it looked kinda-sorta like Mario Golf.
Really, the only knock I can come up with for Golf Story is that putting on greens that have a slope to them feels more difficult than it should be. There isn’t any sort of grid that pops up to give you an idea of the contour, instead it just tells you that you’re on a slope. It’s needlessly tricky, but then again, maybe it’s intentional? Either way, Golf Story is among the most surprising games I’ve played this year, as it’s so, so much better than I was expecting.
Stardew Valley – On the podcast we often talk about games we know of that we’ve heard absolutely nothing but good things about, but just haven’t played for one reason or another (usually because they’re on a platform we’re not that into). That definitely describes Stardew Valley, as if I’m playing a game on my PC, it’s usually something multiplayer with friends. So, I was super excited for the Switch launch of Stardew Valley to see what all the fuss is about.
Well, I’m now fifty hours into the game and my girlfriend is eighty hours in. The hype was real. The core of Stardew Valley involves managing a farm, planting crops, harvesting them, taking care of your animals, and selling all of your farm products for cash which you then use to reinvest in more crops, upgrade things, and so much more. This loop is so compelling I’ve spent entire cross-country flights playing it, and have stayed up until 2:00 AM to just play one more in-game day more times than I can count.
Maybe I’m just too used to playing mobile games, but it’s unbelievably refreshing playing a game like this where you have complete control over how time progresses. Have nothing left to do for the day and want to advance to the next day? Just go to bed. Easy peasy. The amount of depth is unbelievable too, particularly once you get into forming relationships with the townspeople and exploring the (many) secrets of the game. One word of warning: Stardew Valley is best enjoyed learning, discovering, and experiencing things as you go. It’s been power gamed to death on the PC, and wikis for everything exist online, but you’ll really spoil the game for yourself min/maxing everything.
Fire Emblem Warriors – This is the only game I have on my Switch so far that I don’t like. I had never played a Dynasty Warriors game before, and haven’t played a Fire Emblem game since the Game Boy Advance, so I figured this would be a great way to kill two birds with one stone. That doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
Maybe my expectations were out of whack, but I was hoping for a Nintendo-fication of these games. Take a game like Mario Kart– You don’t need to know anything about Nintendo characters or even racing games to really enjoy it. Fire Emblem Warriors, on the other hand, makes massive assumptions in both your knowledge of Fire Emblem characters as well as how Dynasty Warriors games work.
The entire gimmick of the game seems to hinge on fighting massive swaths of bad guys, which is pretty cool, but feels weirdly repetitive. I’m not sure if I missed something, or I should just know how this all works from playing other Dynasty Warriors games, but I basically just run around, mash one button, tons of stuff dies, and a story with a ton of characters I have no idea who they are is told. That being said, people who are into Fire Emblem and/or Dynasty Warriors seem to really be enjoying this, I guess I’m just not in that demographic.
Super Mario Odyssey – If you own a Switch and don’t have this game yet, you need to just stop right now and either go to the store and buy the cartridge or download the digital version. It is simply unbelievable how good this game is. So good, in fact, that between The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey I feel confident in saying that the Switch has had the best first year of game releases of any console I’ve seen in my life.
Imagine Super Mario 64, with way better graphics and an entirely new mechanic that comes from Mario’s new ability to throw his hat around and take over whatever it lands on. Throw it at a Goomba, and now you’re a Mario Goomba. Each enemy or object you possess with your hat has its own unique mechanics, adding a simply unreal amount of depth and variety to the game. I’m reluctant to even mention many more of the enemies/objects you can throw your hat as as discovering these interactions is so unbelievably delightful that I don’t want to spoil any of that experience.
The feeling of playing Odyssey is similar to that displayed in the “final taste" scene in Rataouille. It brings all your best Mario memories back, and the game continues to surprise all the way up to the “end" finale which culminates in a way that is so incredible that I’d put it up there on a list of games with the best endings I’ve ever played.
One tip I’ll give is don’t worry about picking up extra moons in the initial story mode beyond what’s required for you to get to the next level. The story mode of the game is barely more than a multi-hour long tutorial. The game opens up to an unbelievable extent after you first “beat" it, adding so much to do that I feel like I can be playing Super Mario Odyssey for months to come. This game will win man game of the year awards, mark my words.
