As your humble scribe was checking the European and North American eShop in preparation for the now-traditional ‘Out Now’ early mini Nintendo Download article on Tuesday, it emerged that three games are out in Europe today, a Monday. With the Switch eShop throwing so many delicious games at us on a weekly basis it makes sense that it’s another day on which we can gawk at new releases.
It’s a bit of a catch-up day in Europe with three new arrivals, though one of them is also making its way to North America. So, without further ado let’s get to it.
Out in Europe today (four days after the NA release), this is a smartly designed roguelike in which you go into a run with the hope that a mix of skill, luck and perfect drops will see you make it all the way through. It has some smart twists to keep you going, too; we bloomin’ loved it in our Enter the Gungeon review.
Released in North America earlier in the month, this rather unique and charming rhythm / dancing game has finally arrived. With just sticks and buttons at your disposal you have to find the flow and pull off funky dance moves across various tournaments. We loved it in our Floor Kids review and were lucky enough to speak to JonJon and Kid Koala about the game.
Released on PC a little while ago, this has the premise of trying to gather supplies in 60 seconds before surviving for a long time in the fallout shelter. It seems to have some rather dark humour (unsurprisingly) and could certainly be a rather intriguing title on the system.
Are any of these getting downloaded to your Switch today?
Remember those terrible cardboard boxes that Nintendo games used to come in, way back when? The company thankfully moved onto more civilised plastic cases in the GameCube era, but NES, SNES, N64, Virtual Boy, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles all came in easily-crushed cardboard packaging which, for modern collectors, means keeping a pricy title in pristine condition is hard work indeed.
If you somehow get a twisted sense of nostalgia from cardboard then you’ll be pleased to learn that Retro-Bit’s selection of “new” old games uses that very same material in its packaging. It has just launched four new compilation carts which showcase games from Data East and Jaleco, all for very reasonable prices.
The Data East All-Star collection for the NES contains Ring King, Bad Dudes, Side Pocket, BurgerTime and Buggy Popper, along with a set of BurgerTime stickers and two pin badges. The cartridge comes with a plastic sleeve which will keep it dust-free when it’s not in use.
The three 16-bit carts are shaped so they will fit into any SNES console, regardless of where you happen to be in the world, and come with a full colour instruction sheet. Each one showcases a selection of vintage games; the Data East Classic Collection, for example, has Fighter’s History, Fighter’s History Mizoguchi, Magical Drop, Magical Drop 2 and Super Side Pocket, and comes with a Magical Drop sticker and some badges (there’s a theme here – see if you can spot it).
The Joe & Mac Collection has just three games: Joe and Mac, Congo’s Caper and Joe and Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. It also comes with a sticker and some badges. Finally, we have the Jaleco Brawler’s Pack, which boasts four SNES fighters in the form of Rival Turf, Brawl Brothers, The Peace Keepers (all part of the Rushing Beat series in Japan) and the Street Fighter-style Tuff E Nuff (AKA: Dead Dance). Also included in the box are (you guessed it!) some stickers and badges.
Aside from the rather worrying health disclaimer on the back of the box which states that the carts contains materials known (in the state of California, at least) to cause cancer and reproductive problems, there’s little way to find fault with these collections. True, the games featured may not be the very best in the NES and SNES libraries, but we had a blast reacquainting ourselves with the underrated Joe & Mac series, as well as discovering some other games that passed us by back in the day.
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The bonus extras are perhaps a little random, but they’re cool all the same – and they certainly add value to what could have been bare-bones releases. We even felt like we were being transported back to the ’90s as we tore the cellophane wrapping from those flimsy cardboard boxes; in Retro-Bit’s eyes, that’s perhaps mission accomplished.
Panic Button is the studio behind the excellent Switch versions of DOOM and Rocket League – two amazing ports which prove that the company is becoming something of an expert when it comes to getting the most out of Nintendo’s hybrid system.
There’s more good news to report, as it has been confirmed that Panic Button is handling the Switch version of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Speaking at the Fun & Serious Game Festival in Bilbao, Machine Games’ narrative designer Tommy Tordsson Bjork and senior game designer Andreas Öjerfors confirmed the news. “That’s a collaboration with a different studio that we’re working together with,” said Öjerfors. “It’s the same as the Doom studio,” added Bjork.
Öjerfors then said: “They’re experts at the Switch and now they’re experts with the [id Tech 6] engine so we work with them, and the Doom version turned out to be really kick-ass on the Switch so I think Wolfenstein will be the same.” Bjork then stated that “it’s going to be as good”.
It would seem that Wolfenstein II’s creators are more than happy with Panic Button being involved, which bodes well for Switch players.
Dragon Quest Builders launches for Nintendo Switch on Feb. 9
Adding another great third-party game to its ever-growing library, Dragon Quest Builders from Square Enix will launch for Nintendo Switch on Feb. 9. This charming game offers a new experience in the classic Dragon Quest series, allowing players to reconstruct towns using gathered building materials, fight monsters in real-time battles and meet memorable characters throughout a sprawling RPG. And just like every game on Nintendo Switch, this constructive adventure can be played at home or on the go.
Dragon Quest Builders features a large world to explore, including hidden treasures to discover and epic structures to build. Players can use their creativity to fulfill characters’ requests and build incredible towns using not only fun materials, but also their imaginations. In Terra Incognita – the game’s free-build mode – players can even upload their creations online, or download buildings made by other players.
Playing Dragon Quest Builders on Nintendo Switch will offer players experiences and items exclusive to this version of the game. This includes the ability to gather rare crafting materials and battle enemies while riding the powerful (and adorable) Great Sabrecub, as well as additional crafting options for more robust building customization options.
17th December is a big day for Capcom, as one of its top series and characters – Mega Man – celebrates its 30th birthday! The company started the party a bit early by announcing Mega Man 11, coming next year! But, it all began thirty years ago, when Capcom put forth a plan to create its first non-arcade port for the NES.
Back then Capcom had solely been converting its arcade hits, like 1942 and Commando. Bringing out a wholly original product started its shift as a top game company, as arcades – though still important – were fading out as the home market took over.
When the first Mega Man hit the streets of Japan as Rockman this week in 1987, Capcom wasn’t confident enough in the game to grant a sequel, though it was later re-issued in Japan in 1988 and brought to the West as well. That surge allowed the Mega Man 1 team to work on a sequel – though only in their free time. After the popularity of Mega Man 2 the series was here to stay and the rest was history.
Since then there have been ten, soon to be eleven, games in the mainline series. The X series was spun off from the original games in 1993, followed by the Legends and Zero series and many, many more. Remakes and re-issues were also part and parcel of the Mega Man franchise. The first Mega Man has appeared on every generation of hardware since the NES in one way or another. If you counted each release and each variant, such as the Virtual Console games and endless collections, Mega Man has the most amount of playable games of any series ever!
With 30 years and literally hundreds of games to look back on, the story of The Blue Bomber is pretty impressive. The lengthy in-depth video below highlights the early years of Mega Man from his humble beginnings as an unknown new character, to his solidification as a cornerstone of gaming. Along the way you’ll learn some little known facts, such as the missing event Robot Master, Bond Man, and strange coincidences between Mega Man and other existing properties.
If you liked this video be sure to check out GTV for more things retro, Nintendo and Japan.
It’s still quite shocking to think that Link can now ride a bike in a Legend of Zelda game. Just in case you missed the announcement from The Game Awards 2017, the Master Cycle Zero is now available to unlock in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a reward for completing the story segment of the game’s second DLC pack, The Champions’ Ballad. Some say that the bike feels completely out of place in a game of such a series, while others argue that if we’re accustomed to mechanical octopuses roaming the vast lands of Hyrule, then this ancient-looking, motorised unicorn isn’t too far of a stretch.
Regardless, it’s awesomely fun once you get your grubby mitts on it, but it begs the question of what’s left to do in Breath of the Wild with your newly acquired treasure– at least to those who have completed most if not all of the game, which is likely to be the majority. With that in mind, here’s five ways to kill time with your trusty new mount.
1) Battle the final boss
As covered last week, you can use the Master Cycle Zero to tackle the very end of the battle with Calamity Ganon, after he transforms into… SPOILER! As you may know, this final portion of the fight is usually conducted on horseback, so if you need an excuse to replay this ending, now’s the perfect opportunity to do so.
2) Take on overworld beasts
If you’ve already taken down the final boss, or simply feel the need to get combative, challenging overworld bosses while on the Master Cycle Zero is a thrilling experience. This scribe has had a blast doing so, notably when facing Guardian Stalkers and Lynel (Hinox unfortunately can’t really keep up). Disappointingly, the vehicle doesn’t work on sand, so playing cat and mouse with a Molduga isn’t an option. However, if you want to up the ante with the overworld juggernauts you can use the vehicle with, then try defeating them without once hopping off your ride during each bout.
Just remember though, unlike horses, the Master Cycle Zero does run out of fuel. “Feeding” it materials does restore fuel, but things such as food and other random tidbits only fills its gauge slightly. Instead, if you can spare them, opt for Wood, Guts, Bokoblin Fangs, Lizalfos Talons, Chuchu Jelly, Monster Extract, and Ancient Materials (such as Ancient Springs, Ancient Screws, Ancient Shafts, Ancient Gears, and if you must, Ancient Cores and Giant Ancient Cores). These fill the cycle’s gauge up a helluva lot quicker individually or when mixed (depending on the material), with less quantity needed.
3) Taunt Guardians
This one’s a bit random, but has proven to be entertaining nonetheless. Approach any type of Guardian on the Master Cycle Zero and let it spot you. As it aims at you with its red laser, ride away as quickly as possible, but in a straight line. As you hear the laser being launched, try and dodge the bullet as late as possible, either by veering to the left or right, skidding away, or jumping off it. If you’re quick enough you could even attempt this challenge by riding towards an aiming Decayed Guardian or Guardian Turret (Guardians that are stationary). This is something this writer used to attempt on horseback, but due to the speed and overall nature of the game’s horses it’s nowhere near as fun or exciting (plus, horses can sadly die).
4) Perform stunts
We’re sure you don’t need us to tell you about this one – it’s probably the first thing you did when acquiring the bike – but just in case, the Master Cycle Zero is a great means for performing all sorts of motorised parkour across the varied lands that Hyrule has to offer. You can even use metallic objects to build your own ramps via the Magnesis Rune! Many great feats from players can already be found across the web, from jumps from extreme heights, to bashing Bokoblins with wheelies. Speaking of which, in case you didn’t know, you can tilt the left control stick back to perform a wheelie while moving, hold it left or right while stationary to perform doughnuts, push it forward during a doughnut to wheelspin in more of a frontal angle, and also jump off it using the Y button just like when riding a horse. Not sure if these’ll help, but who knows – they may just aid in making your rad stunts look that much cooler for your YouTube upload.
5) Break records
Okay, so this one’s tedious, but can prove to be somewhat enjoyable with a friend. Locate an area you’d like to use as a race course, and map out its route. Next, do your best to ride that route in as quick a time as possible, manually timing it with a smartphone device’s stopwatch/timer or something of the sort. Yeah we know, it’s not ideal, but competing for the fastest time with friends can prove to yield some incredible feats of control. You could even customise your course with the aforementioned Magnesis Rune, adding ramps, hurdles, jumps, barriers, and general obstacles into the mix!
And that just about does it! Of course, if you’ve still got things to do in the game, the Master Cycle Zero will no doubt play a great part in getting you from point A to point B effortlessly when fast travelling isn’t necessary. Personally speaking, I still have 899 Korok Seeds to find, so maybe this’ll motivate me in completing the only task that’s stopping my file from reaching that 100% mark.
Have you thought of any other fun ways to utilise the Master Cycle Zero post-game? If so, be sure to let us – and everyone else for that matter – know below!
ARMS, very much mimicking the approach seen in Splatoon 2, is a game that keeps on giving. Frequent updates have not only improved mechanics and balancing but have also added fresh modes and characters. The roster’s grown rather nicely, as a result, and it seems that’ll be the case once again with version 5.0.
It’s due before the year is out (in the next two weeks, then).
It looks like an interesting addition to the roster – what are your theories on the new character?
While the Switch has already booked an array of both dance (Just Dance 2017 and 2018) and rhythm games (like VOEZ, Deemo, and Superbeat Xonic), it’s safe to say that there’s nothing else in the system’s lineup quite like Floor Kids. In fact, this labour of love from Montreal-based duo JonJon (animator and former bboy) and Kid Koala (DJ/producer of Deltron 3030 and Gorillaz fame) alongside a talented team is one of the most unique — and uniquely enjoyable — experiences we’ve come across in gaming as a whole. A breakdance battle trip with infectious sketch-art style, a driving musical pulse, and engaging, creative flow-state gameplay, Floor Kids is a triumph of funky fresh fun.
Floor Kids’ main Story mode is structured as a journey across town, from humble studio beginnings to a final showdown at the Peace Summit. You’ll choose one of eight diverse characters to start with, and then fill out your crew with the rest as you work your way across the map. Each spot, from an arcade and a metro station to the grocery store, plays host to a breakdance battle, with three songs to throw down to, and your goal is to earn a high score — and up to five ‘Crowns’ — in every one. That means dancing your heart out, and in Floor Kids that’s a very good time.
From the moment we stepped into our first cipher, Floor Kids’ unique gameplay knocked us out. It’s ostensibly a rhythm game, but in the moment-to-moment execution it plays more like a stationary Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or a fighting game with no opponent.
Allow us to try and unpack those analogies a bit. After a few introductory bars, each stage in Floor Kids consists of two longer ‘verse’ sections, each followed by a shorter ‘chorus’. The choruses are more or less traditional rhythm game challenges — you’ll have to match a four-bar pattern by hitting buttons in time, and then go nuts on the next four to tap as fast as you can — but the verses are completely freeform. There’s an underlying base of tapping in time with the beat — the system accepts both single- and double-time with appropriate scoring balance, which is a nice touch — but beyond that, you’re free to dial in and string together moves in any way you like.
Moves are divided into four categories: Top Rock, Down Rock, Power, and Freeze. Top Rock moves — like a sidestep or shuffle — are performed standing up, and triggered by tapping any of the four face buttons in time. Down Rock moves — like a six step or super worm — are done on the ground, and are also performed with the face buttons; flicking the left stick up or down will switch between Top Rock and Down Rock modes. Power moves involve rotating the left analogue stick either clockwise or anticlockwise, with or without the ‘R’ button held, and include showstoppers like headpins and windmills, while Freeze moves — like one-hand-stands and air chairs — are done by holding down a face button with the left stick tilted in the corresponding direction.
These controls take a few minutes to click, but when they do, hitting the mat in Floor Kids feels absolutely incredible. The steady tapping of Top and Down Rock modes makes for a strong rhythmic base, which you can then embellish with Power and Freeze moves, buffering the motions in before a beat for smooth transitions. Power moves can be sped up by continuously flicking the stick left or right after the initial circle, Freezes can be ‘hopped’ by tapping the shoulder buttons, and keeping each of these going for as long as you can — listening to audio cues to avoid falling over and wiping out! — will bring both big bonuses and cheers from the cipher.
Taken all together, these elements converge into an enormously satisfying sense of flow — after a few bars, the Joy-Con are forgotten and you simply find yourself jamming along to the music in an endlessly smile-inducing state of breakdance bliss. It’s also commendably creative; each character has their own moveset, and with four moves of each main type — plus flourishes like Poses and Flips — there’s an incredible amount of variety to work with, and every time through a song feels like a unique performance. Perhaps the closest rhythm game analogy is if PaRappa the Rapper were played entirely in the U Rappin’ Cool state — you’re going for timing, flow, and funkiness with a predetermined set of moves, but the way you rock it is entirely up to you.
Refreshingly, Floor Kids’ scoring system reflects that individuality. You’ll be scored on five pleasantly alliterative aspects of your performance, including Funk (timing), Flavour (move variety, with more points for fresh moves than repeats), Flow (not stopping, not falling, and putting together combos), Fire (taking audience requests as they pop up), and Flyness (pulling off Holds, Poses, and Hops). Again, these guidelines remind us of the best of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater — good dancing means stringing together combos (specific to each character), going for big spins and long holds, not relying on the same moves over and over, and keeping a line going as long as possible. It’s an irresistible rush.
In addition to bragging rights and personal satisfaction, high scores will also help you unlock new characters. Earning more than three crowns on certain stages can net you ‘character cards’, and nabbing all four for a particular bboy or bgirl will add them to your crew. While you can play through the whole story with a single character — in a few hours, give or take — so much of the fun is in going back and revisiting dance battles with new blood; dancers vary not only in their movesets but also their combos and specialties, which in turn affects their scoring. It’s another way in which Floor Kids feels quite a bit like a (non-combative) fighting game, in fact. You’ll undoubtedly settle on a ‘main’, but learning new characters — trying out their moves, discovering their combos, and playing to their strengths — adds a huge amount of depth to the experience.
Continuing the similarities, Floor Kids also has a dance battle mode for two, which lets you face off against a friend in any song you’ve already unlocked in the story. As you might imagine, this is a blast — as perfect as Floor Kids feels as a solo form of expression, it also feels tailor made for dance-offs. The multiplayer mode gives each player equal time to show off their best moves in turn in the verses, while the choruses are tackled by both dancers simultaneously. Single Joy-Cons are supported as well, and while they’re admittedly less ideal — there’s something so effortless about split JoyCon controls here — it’s fantastic to be able to throw down anywhere, with no extra hardware required. Our only disappointment with the multiplayer is that it’s so much fun we wished we’d been able to tackle the main story cooperatively in some way as well.
Even if only one player can hold the controller in Story mode, however, Floor Kids is still a wonderful spectator event, and so much of that is down to the incredible sense of style that pulses through the entire experience. The hand-drawn sketch-art visuals are bursting with colour and personality, with unique and immediately appealing character design, and the animation is particularly lovely; rather than buttery smooth, it’s flip-book chic in a way that lets you appreciate every individual lovingly-drawn frame.
And the music! No rhythm game could survive without a worthy soundtrack, but Floor Kids’ repertoire goes above and beyond. Kid Koala’s cuts provide a beautiful backdrop of instrumental hip hop and breaks for your moves, and it really does feel like a DJ is scoring your set live — you can hear the vinyl hiss and crackle as the records play, and the telltale push-pull of the master turntablist at work in the grooves. None of the twenty-plus tracks stray very far in terms of basic style, but that’s part of the game’s breakdancing conceit; rather than the variety of genres you’d see in many music games, Floor Kids sticks to one broad genre and does it very, very well. Each area’s tracks have their own identity, as well — cuts from the Arcade feature 8-bit synths, for instance, and the Peace Summit’s tunes carry the chaos and chop of a true final boss battle — and it’s telling that even with an all-instrumental soundtrack, we’ve had chorus stings and beat loops stick with us long after playing.
The soundtrack is such an integral part of Floor Kids, in fact, that it extends out of the rhythm stages to seep into every aspect of the game. Menus feature mid-tempo beats that bounce and play with the HD Rumble as you cycle through their options, navigating the dance move database triggers a limitless series of turntable scratches, and the warm analogue dust of vinyl records is a comforting background sound throughout. It’s brilliant because it makes for a ‘music game’ through and through — from the moment you hit the title screen, every element in Floor Kids is nodding and bopping in time to the beat, and it’s completely infectious.
It has been said that the essence of comedy is tragedy plus time. A good-natured pratfall here and there is enough to brighten up anyone’s day, but when you play the role of both the audience and the victim of said pratfall, things get a little more complicated. Developer No Brakes has created an experience where physical comedy is inevitable, where a bumbling idiot is forced to solve complex physics puzzles, and trying to keep control of it all is the real challenge. Human Fall Flatthrows away the classic banana peel, insisting on the comedic virtues of cargo ships, wrecking balls, and coal furnaces in its place.
You play as a vaguely human-shaped lump of clay named Bob, who must navigate a variety of open environments with the simple goal of reaching the exit by any means necessary. Each broader level is broken down into a handful of smaller areas that all fit into an overarching theme. One medieval level for example tasks you with breaching the walls of a castle, before venturing through a small village and eventually diving into an underground network of caves. It’s a seemingly straightforward journey from A to B, but that journey is entirely what you make of it.
Your sense of control over Bob is constantly and purposefully undermined by his wobbly movement, clumsy jumping, and awkward arm-flailing. While the world might seem fit for a 3D platforming hero, you’ll quickly find it’s a struggle to even open doors sometimes given the limited moveset on offer. The game’s introductory level acts as a tutorial, teaching the basics of movement and the importance of using those jelly-like limbs. By pressing the left and right shoulder buttons respectively, Bob can lift his arms to pick up items, grab on to different surfaces, and even clamber up ledges. There’s an instant, magnetic attachment to anything his hands come into contact with, so all you really need to do is aim your wild flailing by looking towards whatever your target might be. A key on the floor? Look downwards and Bob will bend over to pick it up. A wire hanging from the ceiling? Gaze upwards and hold your arms aloft to try and snag it.
If this kind of movement sounds a little messy. well that’s because it definitely is. Initial puzzles might involve simply crossing from one side of a canyon to another, swiftly introducing the finicky mechanic of throwing your arms up onto the ledge and hauling yourself to safety without losing your grip. There are times where this kind of clambering is absolutely necessary, so you’re given plenty of opportunities to test it out, and if you’re truly stuck then a remote control will spawn in to offer optional tips or reminders. You need to maintain awareness of the weight of your character, and how he’ll bump and nudge against every surface like a pudgy ragdoll. Aside from the physicality of drunken parkour, later areas also introduce vehicles, electrical circuitry and other gizmos to keep things interesting.
While the game is eager to set you loose in these large, chaotic playgrounds, the look and feel of the environments are actually quite restrained. Everything is rendered in a minimalist style, with stark, untextured surfaces cast against silent backdrops devoid of other life. Red doors, green fields, and solemn stone towers do stand out nicely against these environments, which helps keep things on track given the amount of distractions strewn about. Somber classical music sets a serious tone even in the silliest of circumstances, and it lends a bizarre sense of loneliness to proceedings. Even in wild feats of idiotic brilliance we were slightly numb to it all, which was pretty unsatisfying as a result, but then we tried out co-op play…
Without exaggeration, this co-operative play was a total game changer. Bringing another person on board with their own Bob and their own dumb ideas is a recipe for insanity of the best kind. Suddenly, every movement was sillier, every plan got more abstract, and every action just seemed so much funnier. Playing solo is fine, but we would strongly encourage inviting a friend to experience as much of the game as possible. What’s meant to be a 30 minute test session ends up stretching on for hours once we give it a go, as the bumbling duo create makeshift slides out of bits of wood, launch each other out of catapults and repeatedly fail at any form of teamwork whatsoever. It could be argued that the game is sometimes more fun to watch than it is to play, but tackling the challenges with a friend gives you the best of both worlds. You can laugh at them, they can laugh at you.
In practical terms, many puzzles are a lot more manageable with two people as well. Larger items are easier to lift, machinery can be used without having to juggle different control panels; it’s far more efficient overall. This is almost problematic given how many areas rely on weight-activated buttons, which are meant to be solved by finding a box and dragging it back. If you’re feeling lazy, just have another player sit on the button while you head for the door – works a charm. We’d say that mischievous solutions such as this were always intended to be possible, but it still feels a little too exploitative. Even so, we feel as though this is the way that Human Fall Flat is meant to be played, and with the recent patch allowing for a single Joy-Con to be used per player, it’s easier than ever to make this happen.
Co-op play is unfortunately split-screen only, as the possibility for online multiplayer has been omitted from this version of the game. Even having three or four players share a single screen isn’t possible, two being the absolute maximum. We wonder if this has to do with the performance in multiplayer, as the framerate takes a definite hit in busier areas with multiple items or bits of debris. Add this to a temperamental camera you’ll be fighting with more than a few times, and it’s not always a laughing matter. We know that the visuals have a purposefully ‘unfinished’ feeling to them, but there were also points where sound effects seemed to be incorrect or outright missing. It isn’t a sloppy port in every aspect, but it does feel quite limited even with the additional Aztec level that’s included. Bob’s customisation options took a hit too, losing the ability to draw on his person to add in facial features or otherwise.
While you’re free to take your time in navigating the game’s open areas at your own pace, we would wager it takes about six hours at most for an average playthrough. Replaying older levels is easy thanks to a level select screen, so it might be worthwhile to go back and try out different techniques or let friends have a go. We reckon there’s a potential (and thematically appropriate) drinking game possible, though of course we wouldn’t condone that sort of silliness… Stick to operating the wrecking ball and trying to crush your buddy, it’s much safer.
Conclusion
Human Fall Flat recognises a simple truth – People falling down is hilarious, and when they’re seemingly impervious to damage that’s just an added guilt-free bonus. Playing as a wobbly, awkward avatar takes a lot of getting used to, and perhaps you never really get used to it at all, but the game leaves each level wide open to a variety of solutions to suit your own personal style. Tackling the five-to-six hour long adventure solo isn’t entirely recommended, so if possible we’d definitely encourage getting a second player to join in on the fun, even if the game’s performance takes a hit. While online multiplayer is sadly missing, we reckon that you and a fellow human might really fall for this little puzzler. Over and over and over again.
The holidays are fast approaching and, if you’re anything like us, you’ll likely end up being thrown into some form of endearingly awkward family gathering wishing that there was something fun to do as everyone starts to fall asleep. Party Planet aims to shine in this very situation; a collection of mini-games that can be played by up to four players is the sort of thing that could well tick all the boxes. Is it worth picking up, then? Let’s find out.
Upon loading the game, you’ll be presented with a handful of the 30 mini-games that this collection offers. Each time you play a game you’ll increase what is effectively an experience meter, eventually seeing it rise through levels to unlock the next group of games until you end up having all of them ready to play. Each player can use either a full controller or a single Joy-Con on its side, and swapping between these different combinations is easily done on the game’s main menu.
Most of the games included can be played by anywhere from one to four players, although there are a few which are single-player only. There are a decent variety of game types available; you’ll be playing co-operatively for some, competitively in others, and – as is usually the case for games of this genre – you’ll likely get the most fun out of each game if you can recruit a full roster of players.
The great thing about the majority of the games is that their concepts are nice and simple to instantly pick up (especially thanks to descriptions and controls being shown each time you jump into one). It really could work nicely for families with differing levels of gaming ability – you may find that some players grasp the controls quicker than others, but none of the games are so tough that more reserved players will feel intimidated to have a quick go.
Unfortunately, though, the designs of the games themselves (which are, of course, the most important part) are sadly lacking in imagination. Whilst this doesn’t apply to all of them, many of the games you’ll see are simply re-made versions of other, classic games with a fresh lick of paint. You’ll find yourself playing Snake, Pairs, Zuma, and a Pong-like hockey game, as well as various others that are simple ideas often seen elsewhere. Whilst the number thirty gives the impression that you’ll have a lot to do, you’ll likely have already done most of it before.
Also, while many of the games are good fun initially (there are some that use interesting mechanics or offer addictive levels of challenge), we can’t imagine Party Planet being the sort of game that you’ll play for a particularly long time. Once you’ve played most of the games a couple of times there isn’t really any urge to go back to them again. You can work towards high-scores and getting a gold star rating on each game if you like, which is definitely something that any solo players will want to do, but realistically it seems unlikely that entire families will be so riveted that they’ll want to keep playing.
In all other areas, Party Planet is really nicely put together; everything is charmingly presented with bright and colourful artwork throughout, the music is upbeat and fun, and the games all control really well for the most part. Likewise, in an area where some other party games have fallen flat on Switch, Party Planet manages to make the process of altering each individual’s controller set-up nice and easy, adding to the sleek and smooth performance of the package as a whole. If all of the games were more interesting and gripping in their own right, rather than just having a couple that stand out from the rest, we could have had a great release on our hands that may have truly justified the game’s cost.
Conclusion
Party Planet looks wonderful on the surface with a bright, colourful, and slick interface that suggests you have a top-quality game in your hands. Unfortunately, though, a series of mini-games that vary from being good to disappointing may well start to feel rather stale after a short time; everything is nice and interesting at first, but there’s little reason to keep playing once you’ve seen each game a couple of times.
If you’re looking for a game that can successfully get the family gathered around the TV to play together, Party Planet will definitely be able to do that – how long for is another matter, however. We fear that this particular title isn’t for life, it might just be for Christmas.
