Are ya ready to engage, kids? This week on the NXpress Nintendo Podcast, Cameron Daxon, Marc Kaliroff, and Campbell Gill review two of January’s biggest (and perhaps controversial) Switch games: Fire Emblem Engage and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.

First thing first, Marc takes the gang to a pineapple under the sea to review SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, the spiritual successor to 2020’s hit remake Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. While this 3D platformer cleverly renders many fan-favorite ideas and locations from the show, its sense of humor and routine gameplay can make the game a bit of a hard sell for all but the most diehard spongeheads.

Moving onto the biggest talking point, we come to the beautifully mixed bag that is Fire Emblem Engage. Marc walks the gang through the highs and lows in this latest entry in the long-running strategy series: while the story can be almost laughably bad with generic worldbuilding and unlikeable characters, the gameplay has perhaps never been as fun as it is here. Despite its issues, is Engage still worth a recommendation? Marc answers all this and more.

Don’t forget: If you want to suggest a discussion topic, share your thoughts on a recent episode, or simply chat with the NXpress crew, feel free to email us at videogameseditor@goombastomp.com!

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Playlist:
LFXIV – NXpress Intro
0:39 – Main Event: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review
“Stadium Rave A” – SpongeBob SquarePants
23:00 – Main Event Continued: Fire Emblem Engage Review!
“Fire Emblem Theme” – Fire Emblem Engage