The summer break is getting closer and Switch owners have more than enough games to keep busy with the likes of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms and soon Splatoon 2, but we have made a selection of 3 more games we haven't had time to cover in the past few months.
Let's start with the full version of Shovel Knight, which includes both extensions, Shovel Knight Plague of Shadows and Shovel Knight Spector of Torment. As the game has already been released on most systems, there is no need to present it thoroughly. Suffice to say that retro gaming fans have a lot to sink their teeth into with what remains today an excellent pixel art platformer with a memorable soundtrack.
Puyo Puyo Tetris is the second game of our summer selection. Published by SEGA, this crossover between 2 of the most iconic puzzle game series should appeal both to newcomers and veterans, but getting all the stars in each level will require some skills and patience. The main criticism that can be mentioned is its price on the Nintendo Switch, which is surprisingly more expensive than on PS4, by far.
Last but not least, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is now available on Switch. This game, heavily inspired by the old Zelda games, was originally developed for iOS devices and then ported to basically every possible system. Something mobile players will notice is that the price is undeniably higher than it used to be on iOS in 2013, but it is "only" €/$14.99, which is more than acceptable considering the game's content. Some might blame Oceanhorn for its lack of originality or its simplistic character design (their faces especially), but overall, Oceanhorn provides a pleasant experience, with a solid soundtrack composed by the famous Nobuo Uematsu.
All comments (10)
The game is running on a iPhone 7 Plus, I'm sure that when it comes out on PC and consoles, it will probably be much better. It's really fascinating to see a very complex game like it running on a smarthphone, even if it's one of the most powerful ones on the market.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm (First Footage - 15 Minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRp5_TvU3oI
Also not a summer Switch game :)
Specially over an small scale, small budget and primarily an iOS indie game like Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm. The first Oceanhorn was primarily an iOS indie game as well, it was later ported to PC and consoles, and the second will follow the same path. The developer,Cornfox & Bros., also published the first Oceanhorn by themselves - no publisher backed them - and it seems like they will do the same for Oceanhorn 2.
While both TLoZ:BotW and O2:KotLR look very similar, their scope is completely different. One is by the best games developer in the world with limitless talent and millions of dollars at their disposal to ensure their talent is not only met, but fully realized. And which has released hundreds of games over the years. The other is of a very unknown indie developer, which as far as my researched went, have only released 2 games to date - Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas and Death Rally.
Comparing the two is like comparing a cheap revolver with the best tank ever made. That's the best analogy I can think of - and no, Nintendo is not a bazooka or a rocket launcher, nor just a simple tank. Basically, you just shouldn't compare them - at all.
O2:KotLR will be there when someone finishes TLoZ:BotW and wants something in the same genre, but different enough on the Switch. Plus, to those without a Wii U or a Switch, playing TLoZ:BotW is not an option, so when O2:KotLR releases on many different platforms, it will be an alternative and a fresh experience for many people.
We shouldn't just focus on AAA games, even when the genre is the same, many indie games are still worth playing. And they don't all need to be unique enough to feel completely different. As long as the gameplay is solid and the game is fun, no one should care if the game is a large scale, high profile/budget AAA game or a small scale, small budget game.
The way I see it, small scale indie games are just like games on the NES, SNES and PS1 eras. They can - and many will - be great and worth playing. Which is why many retro/old games are epic, regardless of their technical limitations - at the time or now.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is epic, but it doesn't make The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, Earthbound, and so many other games any less epic. They're all unique and epic in their own way. All deserving to be played at least once - if possible.
I don't care if there are legitimate reasons for it not being as good as BoTW. That doesn't make one bit of difference to me in terms of how I enjoy or consume the game. I'm not like, "oh this game sucks, but it was built on a low budget, so I'm having a blast!" :D
And for what it's worth, your analogy is terrible. It's more like comparing "the best tank ever made" with.. a shitty knockoff of that tank. So no.. I'll compare them all day long.
Plus.. it's still not a Summer Switch game.
One is a AAA +200 hours console exclusive game with as much highly advanced real-life physical systems as Nintendo could put into one game, made by hundreds of experienced and talented developers with a budget of tens of millions. While the other is primarily an iOS game - which will be multiplatform later on, made by a small team with a small budget with no intentions of trying to reinvent the wheel, something that they can't do it by themselves, nor afford it even if they could. They don't get more different than that. Just like the difference in scale between a cheap revolver and the best tank ever made.
If you're still having trouble grasping/understanding what I mean by "scale" or "scope", here's the meaning: "a set of numbers, amounts, etc., used to measure or compare the level of something" or "extent of treatment", respectively. The "level", "extent" and "treatment" of both games are completely different. If you have ever worked on different projects in your line of work, then I shouldn't have to explain to you what the "scope of a project" is. If you haven't and can't think for yourself, below are a few examples of what it means:
"The work and resources that go into the creation of the product or service are essentially the things that frame the scope of the project. The scope of the project outlines the objectives of the project and the goals that need to be met to achieve a satisfactory result."
"Scope Management is the listing of the items to be produced or tasks to be done to the required quantity, quality and variety, in the time and with the resources available."
"Project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines."
Re-quoting myself: "While both TLoZ:BotW and O2:KotLR look very similar, their scope is completely different."
What you're saying is that the scope/scale, level of quality, amount of resources, goals, etc. of both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm are the same, just because the latter was inspired by the former. If that doesn't sound stupid to you, you're crazy.
But if you're interested to know or even bothered to check if the developers are any good, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas - the first game - has a 4.5 Stars (out of 5) score on the Apple store, based on 4,349 User Ratings. On Steam it has an overall score of 85% (Very Positive), based on 673 User Reviews. So clearly the developers did something very right with Oceanhorn 1. And there's no reason to think Oceanhorn 2 will be any different. Even if Oceanhorn 2's animations look janky as hell and the concept very simple "at the moment" and "running on an iPhone", wait for the final release on PC or a console to judge it properly.
PS. You edited your post and it does sound more sensible than what you've said before, but my statements still stand.
And yeah it looks great for its scope: a low budget mobile clone. Sounds great.
Still don't know why it deserves so much attention in a "SUMMER SWITCH GAME" thread.
And yes, of course it's my opinion. You're the one that had to qualify BoTW as "one of the best games ever made." It just doesn't take "one of the best games ever made" to make that game look like a cheap-o knock off. None of what I said disparages indie developers. Hell that you think we need to defend average or bad looking games just because they're indies is more of an insult to indie game development than anything I said.
And it's still not a summer Switch game :D