Dusk Nintendo Switch Review

Dusk

Developed/Published By: New Blood Software

Date of Release: October 18, 2021

Price: $19.99

 

So as you can already surmise by the name of this site, I absolutely LOVE the original Quake game from id software. The mixture of fast shooting, awesome level design and lovecraftian elements complete with an utterly atmospheric soundtrack by Trent Reznor has always kept me coming back for more. In 2018 New Blood Interactive decided to blow the world away with DUSK, an absolutely raunchy love letter to fans of all things Quake. With retro styled graphics, awesomely sprawling level design, badass enemies, bigass guns, and even badder enemies, plus a banger of a soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult, DUSK is a perfect example of what can go right with a retro FPS throwback.

And now that glorious experience has been ported to the Nintendo Switch. Normally it seems that ports make sacrifices to shoehorn an experience into another platform it was never designed for. Not DUSK though, it feels like it has transcended it's original medium. The Switch version is an evolution, a tour de force, a magnum opus. Running in 1080p at 60 frames per second, it almost feels too smooth to be true. Add to that the refined interface and gyro controls, and it's a match made in heaven for the Switch hardware, whether playing in docked or handheld.

People usually complain until they're blue in the face that games using the Unity engine are slow and janky, but DUSK is absolute proof that the engine can be used to craft incredible experiences. It absolutely plays as smooth as a game like Doom or Quake, and would completely feel at home in the 90s. The PC version was already frigging awesome, but the Switch port goes just the extra mile and makes it in my opinion the definitive DUSK experience.

       I give DUSK for the Nintendo Switch 10 Ralseis smoking a fat blunt out of Dave Oshry.

Mary Skelter Finale Review

Mary Skelter Finale

Developed By: Compile Heart

Published By: IFI

Date of Release: September 30, 2021

Price: $49.99

 

Well, Compile Heart's Mary Skelter series is back again, and this time it's the big finish. Mary Skelter Finale is out for the Nintendo Switch, however it's an unfortunately lacklustre spectacle. It's pretty much using the same assets as the previous games, just with a new plot slapped on top. That's the problem when a game series start re-using previous assets and layouts lifted verbatim, things start to feel like a retread. That's not to say that the production values aren't still high, they just don't hit as hard as they did in Mary Skelter 2. Sorry if it seems like I'm being overly critical of things here, it's just that the devs kinda dropped the ball on this one.

 Speaking of the previous games, the stories of both games have been shoehorned into the new engine, so you can watch them at your leisure. At that rate though I'm not sure why the devs didn't just include the full gameplay, as the assets are all there. What's there is all well and good though, and if you enjoyed the previous games you'll have a good time, but it still feels a bit lazy and rushed, there could have been so much more to it. 

At the end of the day, Mary Skelter Finale is a slightly mediocre if passable dungeon crawler. It really does feel like it could have been a DLC for the previous release, which had a far greater scope. Go for it if you're a fan of the series, otherwise you might want to wait until something a bit meatier comes along, or wait for a sale. Sorry to be a downer but the way this release was put together just rubbed me the wrong way.

G-Darius HD Switch Mini Review

G-Darius HD (Switch)

Developed By: Taito

Published By: ININ Games

Date of Release: September 28 2021

Price: $29.99

 

 Ahh Darius... one of the great classic SHMUP series of the 90s. These games are famous for awesome gameplay and baddies that resemble massive mechanized sea creatures, and they seriously stand the test of time. And 1997's G-Darius is no exception. Originally released in arcades and soon ported to the Sony PlayStation, G-Darius is one of the series big sluggers. And now ININ Games has brought it back on the Nintendo Switch with an excellent port by the geniuses at M2.

 

 

The Switch port of G-Darius HD is extremely impressive, presenting the original game in 1080p as the name would suggest. There are plenty of options to adjust the visual presentation, including a 2D representation of the arcade cabinet, and you can also switch the graphics back to their original arcade resolution. The controls are tight, and the soundtrack is crisp and clear. All in all M2 did a solid job as they always do on this port. I seriously recommend this release to SHMUP fans, despite the price being a tad steep.