The first issue of Switch Player launched around the time of the Switch console’s release. Our second issue featured our verdict on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Little did we know that there would be such incredible years ahead for Nintendo’s newest console, and indeed for this magazine itself. However, as the founder and all-round hero Paul Murphy discusses in this issue’s Editorial, this, sadly, is the final issue of Switch Player magazine (sob). It seems apt that Tears of the Kingdom has arrived in time for our send-off, and we’ve got plenty of ..read more

How do you create a follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made? That’s been the question on everyone’s minds since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was announced four years ago. After a game as revolutionary, as magical, and as adventurous as Breath of the Wild, how could you possibly top it? The answer, as it turns out, is to take the formula of what some would say is the greatest game ever made and somehow improve upon it in nearly every conceivable way. Breath of the Wild received universal acclaim for completely upending the ageing Zelda formula to make way for something fre ..read more

Issue 68 of Switch Player Magazine is available now, featuring 100 pages of Nintendo Switch content, with Advance Wars claiming the cover territory. Buy Switch Player Issue 68 here! Our latest issue features: Features on Advance Wars and the turn-based strategy genre An exclusive developer interview with the Warside developers on their recent Kickstarter success Coverage of Game Boy NSO releases The latest Wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s new courses get our full analysis We’ve got plenty of reviews as well, including Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, Bayonetta Origins, Mincecraft Legen ..read more

I have spent countless hours with Advance Wars over the years, Game Boy Advance gripped in my hands, plotting my next military move. The first in the series in particular has consistently been my most essential game cartridge, my always-reliable gaming companion, rich in endless hours of tactical plotting. It’s my desert island game of choice, my favourite game of all-time. And so the news that Advance Wars was coming to Switch was quite the roller-coaster for me. There was the initial euphoria that the series would finally be getting the new wave of fans that it deserved, followed by a kind o ..read more

Have you often dreamed of a far-off place, where the crowds would cheer when you hit first place? Well, from developer Gameloft comes Disney Speedstorm. a title that challenges you to jump in the kart and ‘Go the Distance’. A ‘hero-based combat racing game’ that gives characters their own classes and unique skills out on the track, Disney Speedstorm offers a dynamic, fast-paced twist on the kart racing genre that sets it apart from your average Mario Kart clone. Where it also differs from the Mario Kart series, however, is in its convoluted upgrade systems, gacha mystery bo ..read more

This past year or so for the Switch has felt like something of a golden era for the strategy genre. With games such as Triangle Strategy, Fire Emblem Engage, and Valkyria Chronicles all releasing over the last twelve months, there’s been no shortage of intricate and exciting tactical experiences to dive into. As we reach the release of Minecraft Legends then, it would be easy to feel somewhat burned out on the genre after such a bumper year. However, Legends has one thing going for it that the other games I mentioned do not: it’s much more accessible. That’s not to say a complete newbie to the ..read more

Sometimes, you play a game, and everything just clicks. Other times, it’s hard to determine exactly what you feel. For me, Post Void somehow manages to be both of these things and even now, I struggle to decide exactly how I feel about it. Post Void, I would argue, is the perfect game for a very specific type of gamer. Not just because it’s a mighty fine showcase for the genres it inhabits, but because everything about the game coalesces to make it this way. Be it the gameplay, the visuals, or the price, Post Void is an all-in-one offer that’s hard to beat. As an action roguelike shooter, Post ..read more

Over six years into its lifecycle, the Switch is no stranger to RPGs. They’ve become synonymous with the platform, titles both new and old flocking to its storefront, keen to make good use of its hybrid nature. I for one couldn’t get through many of these games without it. Playing an eighty-hour quest just seems all the more viable if you can pick up and play when you’re simply lounging in bed or travelling about. Atelier Ryza 3 is exactly the kind of game that the Switch is perfect for, and one I would have felt entirely less interested in playing had I not held it in the palm of my hand. The ..read more

After playing through the first Coffee Talk game, I think we all dreamed of visiting that same very coffee shop in the dead of night in Seattle. I know I did. A place that only opens after dark, and where you can meet the weirdest and most wonderful of folks? Sign me up! Now, three years later, the sequel to the extremely chilled visual novel with simulation elements is here. The late-night coffee shop is back! Set several years after the first, Coffee Talk Episode 2 sees players returning to the very same late-night coffee shop in an alternative version of Seattle with the likes of orcs, vamp ..read more

Some of the best fairy tale books start in a similar manner: with a curious child answering a call to adventure. Taking inspiration from these fairy tales in more than one way, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon brings an entirely new flavour to the Bayonetta series in the form of a spin-off that isn’t afraid of mixing different genres and trying unique ideas. It is a surprising release that didn’t have the same anticipation as Bayonetta 3 did (after all, it was announced and released within a three-month window), but it is a game that explores the origins of the Umbra Witch in a cle ..read more