Visually Grindstone is surprisingly silly and colourful in spite it being a game about slaughtering endless waves of little monsters. Grindstone on Nintendo Switch will look familiar to people that played it on Apple Arcade’s macOS platform. Check out the art assets of Super Time Force Ultra if you don’t believe me. VERY ADDICTIVE. The design is clever and handmade. Because it felt like a phone game now. Timing when to use these perks is key especially in some of the tougher stages and with the more powerful equipment requiring further materials to repair, you’ll always want to keep an eye on your supplies before donning gear that will keep costing you to use. First ten minutes, I was like: Fingers crossed for the good. This is literally the design style of Capybara games. Factoring in the titular grindstones that allow you to switch colours mid-combo, there's so much to consider that no single turn is a no-brainer. Still, it all works, it's contemporary and it's never anything other than perfectly clear what you're doing. Yes, occasionally there'll be situations where very few meaningful moves are possible, but you'll spend these planning ahead as you become more familiar with your arsenal and get better and more efficient at laying waste to wave after wave of creeps. stan_marsh. lptmg | 28m ago | Review | 1 | Info; Add Alt Source; WTMG's Aaron Price: "Grindstone from Capybara Games is yet another mobile-game-turned-Switch-port in a seemingly neverending list of shovelware on the eShop." I don’t have Apple Arcade and after playing Grindstone on Switch, am extremely happy it has found a home here. Cash in your grindstones to craft new gear and overcome devious enemies, obstacles, and boss encounters as you conquer Grindstone Mountain’s 200+ levels, and prove your prowess on the daily mode’s leaderboards. @Zaphod42 spot on! I think the "It looks like a phone game" sentiment mainly comes from this being on iPhone for a while before release. I suspect this'll be my next game. Best puzzler I've played in years, and being on Switch gives me a good reason not to bother with Apple Arcade. I think capy nailed it. I'm just delighted that indie developers are finally jettisoning the played out 8-bit/16-bit art style that was becoming boilerplate for anything not AAA. I also like this review and agree with it's general message while liking the Adventure Time style art. However, those that game have added two otherwise innocent words to their list of obscenities – mobile ports. There are plenty of levels, each with side objectives for additional replay value. Nintendo news, reviews and trailers, covering Nintendo Switch, Wii U, 3DS and amiibo. As you can likely tell, then, there's much more going on here than it will appear at first. They weren't entirely optional after all". Strong art and animation contribute to this, but while it's well-drawn and a good fit, we couldn't help but find its character designs a touch familiar – a very en vogue sort of cartoon style, like you'd see on Cartoon Network. Grindstone Review (Nintendo Switch) | 7 minute read; Share. 0 Summary: Smash creeps to get huge combos and earn precious Grindstones in CAPY’s hit puzzle-battler. Game: Grindstone Genre: Indie, Puzzle System: Nintendo Switch (also on Apple Arcade) Developers | Publishers: Capybara Games | CAPY Age Rating: EU 16+ | US Teen Price: EU €16,79 | USD $19.99 | UK £15.09 Release Date: … It’s weird to think how much of a big deal Apple once made about its Apple Arcade service, the level of buzz and excitement having now quietening down to a small whimper. Grindstone costs $20 on the Switch, but it’s discounted at launch to $15. A full-featured, elegantly designed experience, Capybara's action-puzzle-tactics game is a tiny marvel and we'd strongly recommend it to any and all Switch owners. Link together more than 10, and a grindstone drops on the board. Dec 22, 2020 #101 Is there anyway to view all enemies attack area via touch? As the screens get increasingly dangerous, you're incentivised to stick around and take out more and more monsters in order to acquire special items, such as keys to open chests or crowns worn by powerful, kingly opponents. Feature: Best Nintendo Switch Fitness And Exercise Games. I don't know if I agree with the art criticism. Recommended! Cash in your grindstones to craft new gear and overcome devious enemies, obstacles, and boss encounters as you conquer Grindstone Mountain’s … Not because it builds a world in which I can get lost, but because it is just plain fun! @StuartGipp No worries! Returnal comes to #PS5 on March 19. @Muddy_4_Ever I think as long as pixel art is detailed and well animated I'll be happy. This puzzle game, now available on Nintendo Switch after launching on Apple Arcade in 2019, is the perfect example of how these two layers can work in tandem to create something simultaneously simple and devilishly complicated. This is our first time playing Grindstone on Nintendo switch - check our no commentary gameplay review About Grindstone :Rise. What art style and what puzzle mechanics land with a person is totally subjective. The World: The Game - Complete Edition - Still The Bob-omb 10 Years On, Mini Review Door Kickers - A Tough Tactical Take On That Old FPS Trope, Mini Review The Hong Kong Massacre - A Hotline Miami Clone That's A Little On The Tough Side. There’s an excellent risk versus reward hook here where the threat of losing all your gathered goodies should you take too much damage definitely adds further tension the longer you stick around. Compelling to a fault, with a hypnotic and exhilarating central conceit, Grindstone is a tiny bit special. Team Super Mushroom Wins Splatoon 2's Mario-Themed Splatfest. Copyright © 2020 Nintendo Insider. Pin it. Either way, this game is absolutely amazing and apart from my regularly scheduled Rocket League, this is all i've been playing for the past couple of days. The fact the creeps grow more aggressive as the round goes on also makes taking the brave route far from a walk in the park. Grindstone is a fantastic puzzler that has well and truly gotten its hooks in me. The inclusion of boss battles which change up the gameplay further are also very welcome, but even without this well-tuned variety, Grindstone would still be an outstanding effort. The release timing wasn't ideal so mainline websites like IGN or Gamespot didn't even review it. Review - Grindstone (Switch) | WayTooManyGames. The game has a 90 on Metacritic. @Kalmaro It was one of the Apple Arcade games. @rockodoodle Ah, well I'm on Android so I guess I'm out of luck. Grindstone from Capy is out now for Nintendo Switch - Console Launch Exclusive - 25% Launch Discount Thread starter Captain of Outer Space; Start date Dec 15, 2020; Forums . A perfect hallmark of a well made game. Of course, there's nothing wrong with mobile games, but it's generally pleasant when the seams are a little less visible. Review doesn’t get at why I would want this versus phone version? It's one of the things that makes me want to start the game up, actually. There’s several forms of vulgarity in this world. 17/12/2020 . Super satisfying, great gameplay loops, wonderful presentation (looove the music so much!) Destructoid 's Jordan Devore praised the gameplay as being easy to pick up and play, but he disliked the length of the game, saying that many of the stages felt like padding. Disagree with reviewer about the music. The Grindstone Switch port takes full advantage of the hardware, offering a hybrid option that lets you play how you want. Scoring PolicyReview copy provided by CAPY. Read more. Facebook 0. Unlike most puzzle games where the pacing and atmosphere can fall under the category of chilled, Grindstone is constantly exciting from the very first path you trace to the final smashing of the exit doors. This has been a pleasant surprise. Usually, I’m not one to get too excited about what rarely amounts to more than a quick and cheap port job from smartphone to console, but I’m pleased to report that Grindstone is far from that. I’d probably rate this higher if not for Dungeon Raid. With its colourful art style and combo-puzzling, is this a game worth climbing up Grindstone mountain for? Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) Apply the minutiae of your daily tasks to the mechanics of Grindstone, and you’ve got a recipe for a … Loved everything about it, music is great too! Today we're taking a look at Grindstone on the Nintendo Switch. Slay your way up its treacherous peak where fortune, glory (and death) awaits! It’s also about killing monsters, which is an element that mostly does not directly translate to your real life, but they could be a metaphor, if you like. This then leads to … Yes puzzle games lend themselves to phones, but i feel that the constant reminders everywhere, that this was on Apple Arcade, really get this view stuck in your mind. The wait from Apple Arcade to Nintendo Switch has been worth it, and Grindstone ends 2020 with a bang. Posted on 2020-12-17. Published on 01 January 2021, 14:55 -06:00 Author Gordon James Share article The post has been shared by 0 people. Apply the minutiae of your daily tasks to the mechanics of Grindstone, and you’ve got a recipe for a satisfying lifestyle as far as we’re concerned. There are alternate outfits to be unlocked, which confer in-game bonuses, but most crucial are the aforementioned items. I like this game more on a phone than on the Switch. LinkedIn 0. With two hundred levels to work through the game does a great job of sprinkling in new ideas to keep things interesting and engaging – boss battles, in particular, are a highlight offering some of the more challenging moments. I most have played close to a couple of hundred games on that system. The puzzles are interesting and feel really good to get a massive chain on but the This game is really awesome for a match colors phone game. Introducing Grindstone Switch Review. We're not wildly keen on the gating of progress behind collecting certain items, either; while the requirements are extremely far from unreasonably demanding, it still feels like it runs against the otherwise freewheeling and friendly nature of the proceedings to suddenly drop a gate in the player's way and state "by the way, those optional objectives? Grindstone is currently sitting at 86 and there isn't even an official OT for it on Era. I wanna try it but I just can’t take that artstyle. Review - Grindstone (Switch) | WayTooManyGames - Caffeine Gaming More gamers need to play it before Era's GOTY thread becomes live IMO. You’ll also find yourself having to deal with environmental obstacles like rocks and small bat-filled caves that again can be smashed down so long as you’ve built a big enough path. 06-01-2021 02:45 via n4g.com. Feature: Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games. Grindstone garnered significant buzz in 2019 as both a great puzzle game and a showcase for the then-new Apple Arcade service. These resources are the, er, source of the only real issue that we had with Grindstone; there are a fair number of them and they can feel a little redundant – a firm reminder of the mobile origins of the game. I love it. The wait from Apple Arcade to Nintendo Switch has been worth it, and Grindstone ends 2020 with a bang. @AbejaGrande I'd play this on phone if I could find it. I was referring to posters who view anything other than a AAA epic as "cheap." Easy to play, hard to master. 1; 2; 3; First Prev 3 of 3 Go to page. I recently got an iPad. Hosted by 44 Bytes. Broken down into single-screen levels, the action takes place on grids filled with enemies with players able to direct Jorj vertically, horizontally and diagonally space by space so long as the creeps you’re drawing a path through match in colour. I was looking forward to this because I don't have or want Apple Arcade. The Switch version of Capybara Games-developed puzzle game Grindstone is now available via the Nintendo eShop for $19.99 / €16.79 / £15.09 with a … Grindstone Switch waytoomany.games. A code was provided for review purposes. You can go in the cardinal directions as well as diagonally and it's often possible to trace much longer paths of monsters than it initially appears, thanks to elements such as the introduction of larger, stronger creatures as well as other modifiers such as path-blocking boulders. Manage Cookie Settings. Basically, you’ll be presented with an all-too-familiar grid of colourful monsters called "creeps", and must trace a path through similar-toned beasties in order to build up a combo and move around the screen. From Dr. Mario on the NES to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords to Mr. Driller to the sublime Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (also from Capy), a well designed puzzle mechanic in a completely realized game is a perfectly valid genre. To successfully beat a level and pass through its doors onward, you’ll need to defeat a certain number of baddies in order to break its lock. What usually starts out as plans for a quick five-minute session soon unravels into hours. 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