Untitled Goose Game | Mar 10, 2020 | 2:30hrs | rating: 1.5/5

You’re a goose, and you have to annoy the humans to cross off a checklist of goals.

GAMEPLAY: You grab items in order to lure the humans to or away from stuff. It’s mostly trial-and-error to achieve things like “make the man spit out his tea” or “dress the statue”, and it gets tiresome quickly. I just wish there was a more logical way of progressing that didn’t require a random to-do list.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Some of the most authentic clean cartoon graphics I’ve seen, it’s kind of perfect. The music is just some adaptive piano stuff that isn’t memorable at all. The game is too quiet!
STORY/PRESENTATION: You’re just dropped into this little village and start doing things. There is an end goal, but it’s not explained or hinted at until you’ve reached it. I suppose it encourages fun and freedom, but for me it made the game too aimless.
MULTIPLAYER: None. There should have been! How hard can it be to add a second goose.

Although there’s a lot of charm, silliness and fun animations, it’s very short, mostly tedious and just not fun to play.

Picross Survival | Feb 4, 2020 | 35:00hrs | rating: 3/5

A random free Picross game for Android.

GAMEPLAY: Fill the grid to match the numbers on the sides. There’s a million games using the same Picross concept, but it’s still satisfying. This one has better-than-usual customization and touchscreen functionality that minimizes mistakes. Too bad the “reveal-less” option still reveals if you’re right or not, basically breaking the game if you so choose to.
AUDIOVISUALLY: The hand-drawn visuals are a little amateurish, but it looks neat and professional other than that.
STORY/PRESENTATION: Each difficulty chapter is based on a survival scenario, like being on a deserted island and making coconuts or a fire and eventually a helicopter. It’s a good way to theme your puzzles, but really not something that impacted my play-through. I just look at the numbers!

It’s certainly nothing special, but its content lasted me a good 35 hours, so it’s been a good choice when I’ve been too lazy to bring my Switch. The worst aspect is that the huge grids towards the end are too small on my screen..

Toki Tori 2+ | Dec 5, 2019 | 5:05hrs | rating: 1.5/5

Solve puzzles to guide a chicken through side scrolling levels.

GAMEPLAY: You only have two actions; whistling and stomping. It’s quite clever how many different puzzles they’ve invented with such simple controls, but actually playing is painfully slow and often frustrating, as you use trial and error to guide or lure other creatures to just the right spots in order to advance.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Extremely plain, looks like a pop-up ad, and I don’t remember a single tune.
STORY/PRESENTATION: I don’t think there is a story, but there is an interconnected world map which is quite ambitious for this type of game.

I hated playing this from the very first moment, so I just went with the main path to get it over with. Turns out you then get a fast-travel ability, and have to backtrack to every corner of the map (“metroidvania style”) with even more tedious puzzles in order to finish the game. I suppose it would be a pleasant surprise if you liked the gameplay, but for me it settled it as my worst game experience of the year.

Golf Peaks | Nov 9, 2019 | 4:20hrs | rating: 3/5

Golf Peaks isn’t really a golf game at all; it’s a puzzle game where you have a specific number of shots of different types, and you have to figure out in what order to use them, and in what directions.

GAMEPLAY: It’s a very relaxing game, as you can always undo your shots without getting penalized, and experiment until you figure out the solution. New elements keep getting introduced, such as ice tiles, pillars and conveyor belts, but it never gets overly complex or challenging.
AUDIOVISUALLY: It has a hand-drawn quality to it, but definitely nothing extraordinary. The music is alright but a little too repetitive.
STORY/PRESENTATION: Absolutely no story, just 121 levels in a menu split into worlds.
MULTIPLAYER: None, but because of its simplicity, it’s quite fun to take turns or share ideas on how to solve a level.

It’s sadly over pretty quickly and has no replay value, but it’s still a pleasant little game that never gets frustrating.

Gorogoa | Nov 1, 2019 | 1:40hrs | rating: 3.5/5

A clever visual puzzle game where you move around tiles to lead a boy to new places.

GAMEPLAY: It seemed so simple at first. You zoom in and out of each tile until you see a correlation with another, and move them side to side. But it gets much trickier while never feeling random or far-fetched, which makes it really satisfying when you see the solutions.
AUDIOVISUALLY: It’s beautiful. Incredibly clever and artistic puzzles and animations, and the ambient music adds to the experience.
STORY/PRESENTATION: There’s a subtle story going on through the visuals; a gloomy and philosophical one that’s certainly open for discussion and interpretation. One of the better examples of story in gaming I’d say!

It seems like I’m praising every aspect of this game, but the simple fact that I get restless from these kinds of puzzle games stops me from fully enjoying it. It’s still one of the best “interactive experiences” I’ve encountered though, and it’s short enough to get through in one sitting. Recommended!

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Oct 6, 2019 | 11:00hrs | rating: 2.5/5

The no-jump puzzle dioramas from Super Mario 3D World were turned into a full game. But in my opinion, it’s way too repetitive to fill up a whole game.

GAMEPLAY: Very simple, you move Toad around and occasionally turn levers. Some levels include a first person cart ride where you shoot turnips. It works, but it’s not very interesting.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Absolutely one of the best-looking games on Switch, very charming. The music is also memorable.
STORY/PRESENTATION: The “story” is split up into 4 books, where one Toad or another gets kidnapped at the beginning and saved at the end. There’s no sense of place or adventure, just levels that quickly feel meaningless.
MULTIPLAYER: For this Switch version, you can play the entire game in co-op, but the levels aren’t built for it. It’s still the feature that made me come back and eventually finish the game, but often it’s completely impossible for both to stay alive as the level is crashing down behind you.

It’s a polished and well-designed game, but clearly aimed for children. It’s never challenging, neither the puzzles or the mechanics, and except for the beautifully crafted environments, there’s no variation and no surprises.