Category: Nintendo News

The floodgates have officially opened – bargain-bin games are now diluting the Switch eShop, and unless some serious action is taken to curate Nintendo’s newest digital library, it is unlikely there’ll be a resolution to this problem in the near future. With this in mind, Jumping Joe & Friends is another one to add to the shovel-ware pile. From the creators of Robonauts and Astro Bears Party comes an addictive but ultimately shallow experience.

The immediately notable problem here is the highly repetitive nature of the title. This is inherent in this type of game. If alarm bells weren’t already ringing, the original version of Jumping Joe is actually a free-to-play title on mobile devices. The Switch version is basically an enhanced port – with the premise being to ascend higher and higher, as you jump from one platform to another while avoiding the usual hazards including spinning cogs, spike platforms and flying bats until you either leap the wrong way or make contact with one of the many dangers above (or, indeed, the lava below). It’s similar to Lima Sky’s smartphone hit, Doodle Jump, but isn’t anywhere near as charming.

Once your first session comes to an end, the grind begins. If you want to unlock the additional race and the hero mode, you’ll either need to score a certain amount of points within a set time frame or collect a lot of the in-game currency by repeatedly playing the arcade mode. Both these modes do little to expand upon the core idea. Additionally, you can also upgrade Joe, or unlock other characters with their own unique specials. These character abilities include the likes of destroying any surrounding obstacles with a bomb or getting a head-start with a speed boost. You can acquire these kinds of items during each run as well.

As failure is frequent, these power-ups are mostly used to prolong sessions and occasionally help gather more gems. Despite the inclusion of the items, each run typically plays out in the exact same fashion. The difficulty as you rise doesn’t do much to help, either, with an increase in potential hazards and enemies, and also a mischievous camera coming into play. Within a short timeframe, the game experience goes from being addictive to extremely infuriating as realisation hits you can never truly succeed. It’s all about collecting gems to unlock content and aiming for a high score or the best time until your inevitable demise. Even with these unlocks, there’s no real sense of reward because of how repetitive the game is.  

The multiplayer for one to four players is the strongest aspect of this title. With no online leaderboard or verse mode to sustain your interest in the single-player component, the local multiplayer option is likely the only reason you would return to this. It’s similar to the solo experience, except with one to three other people. You can set the time, round limit and the amount of lives and go a few rounds with your friends or family until you lose interest.

In terms of the technical performance, this title is quick to boot-up and runs smoothly. It also includes straightforward controls, with the buttons on the left and right sides used to jump the corresponding way. Visually speaking, the menus, level design and characters look rather simple and are presented in the form of a series of bright and colourful shapes. Little effort has gone into the sound, with a single high-pitched song on loop and a countdown sound effect that is strikingly reminiscent of the one in Mario Kart. 

Conclusion

Jumping Joe & Friends is built upon incredibly basic foundations. You jump and you don’t stop until it is game over. It never expands upon this initial concept. Even when compared to other titles like it, it makes little to no effort to excel above the rest (pun intended), with basic artwork, similar modes, a single song on loop and uninspired gameplay – highlighting how monotonous it is. Again, it’s essentially an enhanced port of a free-to-play mobile title. We also know QubicGames can do better than this – with the likes of Robonauts. This one, though, is more in line with the limitations of Astro Bears Party. Given its simplicity and bright presentation, it’s best recommended for a younger audience.

It seems almost unfair to compare this title to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but ultimately it’s going to end up happening because the formula that Songbringer uses screams Zelda. From the overworld movement and screen swipes to the, “Oh, I’m going to need bombs to access this section,” moments, each increment of progression is reminiscent of the Nintendo classic. There’s no princess to save and our hero is a shirtless ‘dude’ who leans heavily on off-kilter colloquialisms, but underneath the frankly gorgeous pixel art is an homage to the Nintendo Elfin power couple.

Roq, the shirtless dude, is blasted out of the sky by a bolt of lightning. His hoverbike crashes to the ground and he’s awoken by droid companion Jib. Songbringer is already scoring points for being set in a futuristic sci-fi world, flipping tradition on its head. However, it doesn’t stray far from the tropes we’re all used to, as Roq heads off to explore a nearby cave and discovers a sword which hums with energy. You’d think Songbringer is the name of this seemingly powerful sword, but it’s actually the name of the capital ship which Roq calls his home. Though for now, he’s stranded on the planet Ekzera, so it’s time to explore.

The majority of what you’ll see here is procedurally generated by a six-letter word which you enter before the game starts. This seed creates the overworld, the dungeons, the secrets within them and enemy placement. Interestingly, if a friend is playing on a different system, they can use the same seed name and experience the exact adventure as you. This is worth noting for speedrunners, too, who will surely pick up the game in search of the perfect seed. The developer is urging you at all times to not only explore, but to experiment. While the map in the item menu will show you where shops are and even number the dungeons, it’s perfectly acceptable and possible to play the game completely out of order. The developer, Wizard Fu, even notes that you don’t need to pick up the sword if the fancy takes you.

Perhaps you’ll decide to explore the entire world map before tackling a dungeon at all. Maybe you stick to convention and head into the dungeon labelled ‘1’ and try for a more traditional experience. You could even seek out a later dungeon and storm the boss with only the starting health of three containers. Whatever you try, you’re likely to find a unique experience that is littered with call-backs to old school RPGs. Heart containers – though referred to here as Courage – are spread across the world. Item shops hold equipment that allow you to discover more of the map or seek out lifeforms to interact with by spending the diamonds which fall from foes. Abilities are abundant, and once you get back to Songbringer, can be combined in interesting ways to open possibilities back on Ekzera.

An example of this would be the ice teleport. Discovering an orb that allows you to phase forward is helpful enough, but combine it with the ice block element and now you freeze the ground beneath you as you dash forward. Playing with combinations are permanent, however, and nod to the idea that there are multiple ways to open paths and finish the game. There is so much to dig into; even the idea of turning the game into a roguelike at your own whim, by selecting ‘permadeath’ when the game opens, meaning all that knowledge gained becomes more important than ever.

Diving into the item menu gives a little thrill as you see the sprawling map to one side and a plethora of items, leading to so many possibilities. The ‘off-the-wall’ style of humour carries throughout and is mostly seen in dialogue between Roq and Jib, but also in those items collected. Picking up a Top Hat early on that acts as an Oddjob-style boomerang is a delightful and whimsical touch, this is before you begin experimenting with consumables. The local flora is edible and it will affect everything around Roq, bringing on visions of secrets and answers to riddles within the lore.

And there is a very entertaining little story here, filled with intrigue and humour which brilliantly contrasts the hardcore feel of the combat. Again, we’re calling back to Zelda as you swing the sword to dash enemies to pieces or hold the attack button to build a powerful attack. The difficulty is pitched nicely, allowing you to feel that every mistake belongs to you, rather than an unfair balance in the AI. At times, the stereotypes of old become a little worn out – there’s only so many times we can fight slime monsters that multiply when sliced with a sword and the style of old school RPG occasionally makes surprises in the plot or a dungeon feel too obvious.

The game on the whole is a wonderful experience that certainly evokes a sense of nostalgia, however, it does lack in audio. The world of Ekzera is such a sumptuous place brimming with colour and effects, the music and sound effects feel underpowered in comparison. Songbringer needed something more involving and impressive, especially as Roq is known for making music when not exploring, something to round out the entire project and tick off each box that would create a superb game.

Conclusion

With a sci-fi twist on an old formula, Songbringer is almost a breath of fresh air. Occasional stereotypes aren’t as welcome as all of the new ideas the game brings forward, including a tongue-in-cheek style of humour to accompany a truly unique experience and a gorgeous visual style. With so many options and routes through the story, this is a game begging to be replayed for months to come. 

Take one look at the ever-growing library of Nintendo Switch eShop titles and the term ‘2D side-scrolling action game’ crops up more often than not. Nintendo Switch is already home to many and fans of the genre certainly have a great and extensive range to choose from. Developer FantaBlade Network adds its futuristic slasher ICEY into the mix and although the title won’t take more than a couple of play sessions to get through, its odd yet unique spin on the genre offers an experience that’s more than worth its asking price.

You play as ICEY, a robot humanoid that wouldn’t look out of place in any sci-fi anime past or present. She’s armed with a sword, a hefty amount of agility and a distinct lack of speech. The omnipresent voice you do hear in this game is the ‘developer’ who explains the goings on around ICEY, and it’s a voice you’ll need to get used to quickly as it’s there until the credits roll. 

It’s quickly made apparent that the main objectives here are to take down the evil and powerful ‘Judas’, defeat Judas’ mini-boss comrades and to try and piece together the reasoning behind ICEY’s existence in the process. Without the constant metacommentary, this title would easily fall into the bargain bin of cookie-cut sci-fi hack ‘n’ slashers out there. However, with the narrator continually bugging you to follow his every instruction and direction, it’s increasingly difficult to refrain from sticking two fingers up and going your own way – like when you were told to stay put at the shopping centre but couldn’t help but run off to go on your own adventures.

Plastered over the beautifully detailed high-tech backdrops – and forcefully pointed out by the narrator – there are glaringly obvious arrows showing the way towards Judas’ whereabouts. It’s push/pull factor of seeing these and hearing the narrator almost shout at you to go in the said direction that makes this title more about playing against the rules than rushing to the finish line. Wander off and he’ll get agitated. Get back on track and he’ll turn smug. It’s a nice touch and certainly makes the experience more immersive with a cleverly reactive voice constantly hovering over you delve deeper in. There’s hidden cash to help upgrade your move-set, humorous dialogue to be subjected to and other incentives (no spoilers here!) to tempt you away from the main story focus.

This isn’t to say it’s all plain sailing, though. At various points, we find ourselves reaching for the option to turn the voice off entirely and instead opt for text only. Yes, the narrator does a thorough and often playful job of dishing out context to ICEY’s actions, but it does have a tendency to become irritating. Still, hearing the narrator becomes increasingly frustrated the more you disobey his instructions did make us chuckle.

The game handles very well mainly due to its accessible control system that’s pleasantly uncomplicated to get to grips with. Slicing and chopping your way through a small but varied roster of enemy robots is a silky smooth affair with ICEY executing impressive acrobatic kills with just a few presses.

Pressing a combination of ‘Y’ and ‘X’ sees ICEY chain together a satisfying sequence of quick jabs and slower but more powerful slices. Pressing ‘A’ stops your chosen foe in their tracks and triggers slow-mo lethal finishing attack. It’s dramatic but it works. Using money from fallen enemies and boss battles opens up more powerful and interesting move sets that, when levelled up to their max, makes for some astounding multi-chain kills.

It’s this simplistic yet effective approach to the combat system that helps makes this title home to straightforward yet interesting playthroughs – it’s simple to jump straight back into the action and to get to grips with the mechanics. Hammering the buttons to make ICEY aimlessly fling her sword does the job, but learning the combo’s creates a dazzling display of manic manoeuvres that’s a treat to witness.

Combat isn’t just relegated to the ground, though. Squeezing the ‘R’ trigger and ICEY warps to any given direction and taking the combat off the floor and into the air isn’t just useful; it’s fun and addictive and adds a layer of strategy to the mix. Plus, it makes you feel even more awesome when it works well. And for those out there who tend to hoover up every item and max-boost every stat, there’s the option to go back and revisit all of the locations which help gives ICEY some replay value. A simple and functional horde mode is also included, but it’s nothing special to bring you back for more.

Conclusion

Battling your way through screens of mechanical enemies to reach the final boss won’t take very much time at all, but exploring the compact yet detailed world around you is enjoyable. Hidden are some thought-provoking snippets of narrative that touch on the hardships of developing games, for example, and the clever delivery of its storytelling is, at times, ingenious. However, the simplistic approach to battle and a confusing and convoluted story plot could prove bothersome for some who are looking for something a little more in-depth. ICEY does, however, succeed in providing quick, tight blasts of fun that’s sure to please fans of the genre that are looking for something a little different.