Donovan Howes

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (henceforth Kingdom Hearts 3D) is the latest handheld entry in the Kingdom Hearts series, and also the last full game before the long awaited Kingdom Hearts III (not counting re-releases). It follows Sora and Riku as they take their Mark of Mastery exam to become Keyblade masters in preparation for Master Xehanort's return. I'll say right now that you will need to experience this game's own story for Kingdom Hearts 3 to make any sense; or at least read up on a summary of it. With that out of the way... Kingdom Hearts 3D is a game from the early days of the Nintendo 3DS, so it strove to take advantage of new features including StreetPass, augmented reality, stereoscopic 3D and more. It is also compatible with the Circle Pad Pro, and by extension the little nub on the New 3DS models. Kingdom Hearts 3D is perfectly playable without the Circle Pad Pro, but the full analog camera control it allows is very welcome. Gameplay alternates between two independent characters, Sora and Riku whether you want it to or not (more of that in a bit). This game uses the Command Deck system like Birth By Sleep and Re:Coded, but unlike those games abilities cannot be enhanced into new ones. Instead you create and raise Spirits which aid you in battle, and are also key to unlocking permanent abilities for both Sora and Riku. Every Spirit has its own Skill Tree, and spending time unlocking them is the only way to earn important perks like Once More, Leaf Bracer, etc. New to this game is the Drop mechanic. There is a timer which is (almost) always counting down, and when it expires the character you're currently playing as falls asleep and you take control of the other. Managing this timer is definitely a handicap since it can run out at any time in a level, including during boss fights. You can also choose to drop manually, or extend your playtime with the character using items called Drop-Me-Nots. Another new mechanic is Flowmotion, which lets you speedily jump around the game's levels and give you an edge in battle. It's sort of overpowered and can trivialize some platforming challenges, but it is definitely fun to use. Besides Traverse Town, Monstro, The Grid, and the final world, every level featured in Kigndom Hearts 3D is new to the series, and even then The Grid is based on Tron Legacy instead of the original movie. The worlds often feel empty, but they're all faithful to the source material (including more realistic looking people in Tron Legacy). There are not as many worlds in this game, but both Sora and Riku explore different parts of them. Flick Rush mode is a simple card battling minigame featuring the Dream Eaters. It has multiplayer capability and could use StreetPass. There is not much else to really say about it, other than that it's one more thing to do if you want it. Overall Kingdom Hearts 3D is a fun game in its own right, but the 3DS original is hard to recommend over the HD remaster on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It also has a number of shortcomings in its battle design and levels, but it has its charm and it's hardly the worst game in the series.

I adored this game when I was little and it's definitely one of the most imaginative games I can think of. The best way to describe Glover is that it's like a merge of Marble Madness and a traditional 3D platform game where your goal is to navigate a ball to the end of a level. It's definitely unique and there's no other game quite like it, but time hasn't been kind to it. Some mechanics feel archaic and frustrating, and the levels can be brutal to finish. But if you can get back into a late 90's mindset (and don't mind how frankly insane it is) Glover's definitely worth experiencing at least once.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is an open, Metroidvania style 2D platform game in the Kirby series. It's easy to make comparisons with Super Star's Great Cave Offensive sub game. Besides its original release on GBA, it can be purchased on the Wii U's Virtual Console and was available to the lucky few who have an Ambassador Nintendo 3DS. Its gameplay is solid, the presentation is charming and well done, its bosses are some of the most interesting in the series, and the concept of a Metroidvania Kirby game has a lot of promise. But in this game's case it's like jamming a round peg into a square hole, because while it still works there are so many things are at odds with one another. Most chests you find don't have any useful items in them, only health upgrades at best and common food items at worst. Kirby loses his copy abilities in one hit, which was fine in Nightmare in Dreamland but in this game is an overly harsh punishment if you need one to reach a certain area. There's a shocking lack of detail and direction in the game's map system, only telling you which rooms you've visited and a basic idea of where they are in the world. There are too many one-way doors, and the Goals which lead you back to the hub empty handed are only there for the sake of having a goal game. For puzzles that require multiple Kirbys (which, to be fair, isn't very often), the AI is obnoxiously inept at putting two and two together and either wander off or just kill themselves on nearby hazards. The gameplay loop of running around aimlessly trying to find rooms you haven't visited yet can also get old fast. The game is nostalgic, it's a solid effort and will surely make Kriby fans happy, but replaying it now it's clear that it has fundamental design choices at odds with it being a Metroidvania game. I would still love to see a second attempt at a Metroidvania Kirby game with these issues ironed out someday.

Mario Party Superstars is the second installment of Mario Party that is on the Switch, the first being Super Mario Party. While Super Mario Party was an all-new game which focused on taking advantage of the Joy Con's features, Mario Party Superstars instead opts for a more traditional approach. It remakes boards and minigames from the first 10 games in the series to modern standards, blends them all together and wraps them in a neat bow of QOL improvements (including better controls, the ability to save and quit a game, and even add more turns if desired). Mario Party Superstars has 5 remade boards from the first three games, 100 remade minigames from across the series, and a couple different modes of play; all with uncharacteristically smooth online support. That's right, for the first time ever old school Mario Party games can be officially played online with complete strangers! You can also choose to play the minigames by themselves on Mt. Minigames, which also has several challenge modes to spice things up. Thankfully all of them are unlocked from the start, so nothing is stopping you from just diving in and playing! It is a bit of a shame there aren't a few more boards to play on and I would have loved to see the Duel Mode from Mario Party 3 return, but what's here is top notch and varied enough to stay interesting between the rounds of minigames. Mario Party Superstars is a decent solo experience and it's amazing that it has online support out the gate so everyone can play with human opponents, but it's absolutely at its best playing locally with friends and family. Every time I'm with a group and we want something to play, Mario Party Superstars is always something we boot up and it's a blast every single time. It's not a flawless game and there isn't any content that's 100% new, but Mario Party Superstars succeeds in everything it set out to do with flying colors and is an essential purchase for families and social gamers with a Switch.

Today is everyone's last chance to get this collection, at least brand new and from the eShop, so I want to talk about what it was. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a compilation of three games: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy (its sequel is sadly, and strangely, absent). Also included are digital soundtracks you can listen to, but they're only in-game so you can't put them on an external music player. Let's get this out of the way: the collection itself is barebones. In terms of extras for this collection you get a menu to select which game you want to play, which soundtrack you want to listen to, and that's it. When you're in the middle of the game you can press the - button to return to the main menu at any point. As a celebration of Mario's 35th anniversary it's underwhelming, but as a means to play its included games on the Switch it's serviceable. Speaking of the games themselves, they're outstanding and have stood the test of time wonderfully. These are also technically the best official releases of these games so far thanks to their upscaled graphics, widescreen support (except in Mario 64), and some toggleable options for controls. Super Mario Sunshine also has GameCube controller support, so the option to play it with its original controls is there if the Joy Cons or Pro Controller aren't your thing. As long as you don't expect any substantial new content, you'll be happy. I have to mention Super Mario Galaxy specifically. It's one of Mario's best games and while it is even better here, it does have some quirks worth pointing out. In the original release, it used pointer controls by pointing the Wii Remote at the TV screen; to adapt it to the Switch, the pointer uses gyro controls instead. If it gets unwieldy, resetting the pointer is as easy as pushing the R button. Do avoid playing this game in handheld mode if you can help it, because tilting the entire Switch for motion controls and having the pointer controls being mapped to touch screen inputs is very clumsy. SMG also uses the pointer for menu selections but not button inputs, which is not only a relic from the Wii era but also a glaring oversight, so keep that in mind while playing. The version of Super Mario 64 that's included is the formerly Japan exclusive Shindou version, which includes rumble support. Backwards Long Jumping has been patched out of it, but unless you're a speedrunner this won't really matter to you. In conclusion, this is an acceptable collection of three great games which, in my opinion, is a bit overpriced for what it was. If you didn't get this collection, you aren't missing a lot unless you wanted to play these games on the Switch. But hey, maybe that was reason enough to get it. Only time will tell if these games get individual Switch re-releases.

Bug Fables is a turn based RPG which is heavily inspired by the first two games in the Paper Mario series (more on this in a bit). You explore the land of Bugaria as a team of three bugs: Kabbu the Beetle, Vi the Bee, and Leif the Moth. On their quest to get the Everlasting Sapling, they explore a number of kingdoms, each governed by different species of insects. The world may appear to take place in a backyard (and it does), but don't be fooled; this is a living, breathing world which rivals, and may even surpass Thousand Year Door in its scope. Speaking of which... Bug Fables is not shy about its inspiration and is a spiritual successor to classic Paper Mario. Battles have action commands, you can choose which stat you want to increase when you level up, there's medals (read: badges) that let you customize your team's build, and there's even an optional "partner" character you can recruit later in the game. Everything fans of the classic Paper Mario formula could ever want is here and accounted for. That's not to say Bug Fables can't stand on its own six legs, because it absolutely does. The main story is pretty straightforward, but its world is incredibly charming and even has its own politics and lore that's slowly revealed as you play. The ways Bug Fables improves on Paper Mario's shortcomings is admirable, and how it handles environmental puzzles and character abilities is completely its own. There's also the ability to play in a harder difficulty via a Medal that doesn't cost anything to wear. The mechanics may be simple, but that doesn't mean the game goes easy on you because it can get brutal in Hard Mode. Even without the medal on, the game puts up a good fight and is never boring. The only true flaw is that platforming and character abilities can be a bit jank in the overworld, but everything else is so amazing and well put together that I can forgive it. In conclusion, play Bug Fables right now. You won't regret it, especially if you're unhappy with the direction Nintendo took Paper Mario in recent years. Even if you don't care about Paper Mario, Bug Fables is easily enjoyable on its own merits!

Kirby Star Allies is the first traditional Kirby game for a home console since 2011's Return to Dreamland. If I were reviewing this game when it first came out, I'd give it a solid 3 stars. However, a generous amount of (free!!!) DLC was added after it released, which definitely went a long way in adding to the game's quality and value. The game's biggest flaw is that its story mode is way, way too easy, even by Kirby's standards. The level designs are basic and the AI helpers make the game practically play itself most of the way through. The finale (which I won't spoil) is far more epic than you'd probably expect and single handedly makes it worth the time, but it's disappointing it couldn't have that level of quality for the whole duration. Guest Star Allies is an abridged version of Story Mode where you can play through it as any character besides Kirby, so if you wanted to play as one of the Dream Friends this is the mode you want. Heroes in Another Dimension, a newly added mode which unlocks after finishing Story Mode, ramps up the challenge considerably with more involved levels. It's far from a short throwaway mode; it has many levels to play through and takes advantage of every character's unique abilities. You'll also need to find all 120 hearts to get the best ending, so keep your eyes peeled. You can't go back for any hearts that you miss without starting the whole mode over, which can be annoying, but this mode is a very welcome addition that adds much needed challenge. Finishing the mode with a certain amount of hearts unlocks the final Dream Friend! The sub games are more basic this time around, which is disappointing after how involved they were in the 3DS games, but they're still fun distractions. There's also a boss rush mode called The Ultimate Choice, which can be shockingly hard on its higher difficulties. These modes also support up to four players. Beating The Ultimate Choice on its hardest difficulty has a special surprise that I won't spoil here! Overall while I feel Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot are more consistently good than Star Allies, it is still a worthy addition to the series. Story Mode really is easy to a fault, but stick with it and you'll be pleasantly surprised just how good everything else is. It's truly an example of how generous post release content can turn an okay game into a very good one.

Halo Infinite is a flagship game for the Xbox brand with free to play multiplayer modes and a campaign with an open world, but my review will be focusing on the multiplayer experience. The gameplay is similar to the slower, more methodical systems of Bungie's output, but with some additions like sprinting (which is so weak that it's pretty much just for show), sliding out of sprints, clambering up ledges, and some "power-up" type additions like a thruster and grapple hook. The grapple hook in particular is a blast to use and can do things like let you swing on walls, grab faraway items and even latch onto other players for surprise attacks. It's a lot of fun if you can pull it off! Vehicles also make a return and they're as fun as ever to drive around and fire turrets in. The act of playing Halo Infinite does feel very good, as long as you're okay with no insane movement outside of grapple hook shenanigans. Sadly this isn't quite the return to form Halo has been needing. A lot of the weapons spawn randomly, are difficult to use and not worth learning when the defaults you spawn with can do just about everything better. Plus the maps, while okay, are not spectacular or memorable, and some of them are unbalanced in one team's favor in standard Team Deathmatch! Customization also takes a big hit with what were basic features and unlockables in past games being locked behind paywalls in the shop, but I guess that's the price it pays for multiplayer being free to play. There's also a dire lack of modes to play besides the standard Team Deathmatch and objective modes, which is a huge bummer. Forge helps and it's the most powerful it's ever been in this game, but the complete lack of official game modes from 343 themselves really contributes to Infinite feeling like a hollow experience compared to other games. Despite all of that, there is fun to be had in Infinite and, if nothing else, it's proof that there's still life in Halo's more classic gameplay. The multiplayer is free so it's at least worth checking out, but Halo used to be on top of the world and THE reason to own an Xbox. It really should strive to be better than just "good enough".