Voidwrought Review (Switch)

This will shock you, but Voidwrought is an indie Metroidvania game on the Switch. It’s fair to say that Nintendo’s hybrid has no shortages of games in the genre (including Metroid and Castlevania), so anything new must really do something to standout.

It’s a good thing then that Voidwrought really does try to do things a little bit differently. The first thing you’ll notice is that the game looks incredible. Everything from cutscenes to the general level design is presented in a gorgeous dark comic book style. To match this, the flow of movement is as smooth as the visuals with the games trademark being that it’s a fast-paced take on the genre. In these respects, it really does stand out in a positive way.

The general look of the design is a sort of comic book inspired mashup of Deadcells, Blasphemy and Dark Souls with a mixture of both technological and biological terrors inhabiting the environments. It definitely has a continually brooding and menacing tone to it that works well with the general bleakness of the game’s difficulty.

The steep learning curve may put some gamers off, the environment is harsh to navigate, and most enemies take a considerable amount of damage before they go down. This is all fine until you end up repeating sections multiple times. There are save points of course but they aren’t that prevalent. One concession to this is that any major object collected, or event triggered, will still have happened when you die and respawn at your last save point.

In a game which is generally difficult the bosses are, perhaps surprisingly, quite well balanced. There are certainly sticking points but once you have learned how they behave they don’t take crazy amount so damage before going down which helps to keep the game flowing.

There are a few issues though. First of all, the plot doesn’t really carry much of an impact. We would struggle to tell you what you are doing and why beyond the obvious Metroidvania exploration. We had no real idea what the overall goal was. Perhaps more concerning, the game also isn’t very good at giving you clear feedback regarding things like getting or damage.

The cartoon style is beautiful, but it does give things a lack of weight and impact, so it can be difficult to know if you are being hit or how hard you are hitting yourself. The health bar is also an issue. There is one of course but it doesn’t stand out that well and there is little other visual feedback to give an indication you are about to die. This led to a fair few deaths when healing was otherwise available.

Overall, Voidwrought succeeds in bringing something slightly different to the Metroidvania template. This is impressive enough when you consider how many games there are out there in the genre. It never fully clicked with us though in the way some of the other games have. That moment when you are just zooming around feeling like a super being never really came and, in the end, the few flaws did start to wear away at us. It’s a beautifully crafted game that runs amazingly well, but it is also perhaps one for gamers out there looking for a more hardcore experience. If you are into the genre though, this is well worth checking out as it’s somewhat unique in a crowded market.

Overall 7/10

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel Review (Switch)

As you’ll likely know by now, we are a fan of obscure sixteen-bit games being released on the Switch. We’ve covered the first two games in the Aero the Acrobat series and now the third has arrived. Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, focuses on one of the bosses from the previous games who is now the main character, much in the same way Knuckles broke out of the Sonic series. It’s also a crazily expensive Megadrive game, so we are more than happy to see it more readily available.

Zero, is a late life platformer and as a result is among the best looking Megadrive games. It’s bold colours and large sprites hold up remarkably well on the Switch and the levels and backgrounds are well drawn and different enough visually to keep things interesting throughout.

Along with the impressive graphics, Zero also plays like a dream. The platforming is precise and once you have got used to the inertia that every Megadrive platformer seems to have its genuinely fun to play. Zero has a fair few moves as well with him being able to throw ninja stars and swoop for short distances in the air. There are a few too many leaps of faith in the level design, but the rewind feature eliminates any major frustration in that respect.

In terms of content, the game has some nice additions. There’s the save state and rewind option that most retro games now have but you can also choose which regional version of the game to play. And if it’s all too much there’s also a host of cheats that can be activated. There’s also a selection of music options, a gallery and sprite sheets. It’s nothing amazing on its own but all together it shows that some care and attention has been put in to try and create a well-rounded package.

Overall, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a bit of a forgotten gem. It was largely overlooked on release but it’s well worth playing now. It’s a fun and solid platformer and could easily have been released today and fit in with the indie crowd. You may not have heard of it but it’s well worth checking out.

Overall 8/10

Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged Review (Switch)

In the mid 90's Revolution released Broken Sword with little hype or press attention. By the time the game came to be converted onto the Playstation, it was being acknowledged as one of the most astounding adventures ever made and to this day it remains at the peak of the point and click genre. The last we saw of the game on consoles was the Directors Cut which added a few extra sections for Nicole, some Wiimote waggle and, criminally, removed the iconic opening. This reforged version removes the added extras and gives you the original game with the option of both the original and new look graphics.

The plot follows unsuspecting tourist George as he finds himself caught up in a murder at a small Paris cafe. After a bomb blast George raises himself from beneath a crushed umbrella, brushes himself off and unwisely decides to investigate. The story takes you all around the world as countries such as Ireland, France and Syria give up their parts of the mystery.

What makes the game so great is the care and attention to the script. Every conversation contains humour and charm, and you never feel bored while the characters speak their piece. It helps that everyone you meet is brilliantly over the top (the mad kebab seller using the toilet brush for basting springs to mind). The skill of the writers to make sure the characters are funny as well as informative is to be commended. Although, characters can fall into the cliched category perhaps once too often.

Apart from the great characters, the puzzles are among the finest to be found in the genre. Broken Sword gently eases you into the way you need to think. Most puzzles are logical but do require you to really understand the objects you have. For instance, a blood pressure gauge found in the hospital can be used to stop the flow of water in a hose. The player really must think as inventively as the programmers to get through. This new version has added a hint system in for those looking to make quicker progress though.

The Switch controls aren’t up there with a mouse of course but they are more than a match for the few time-based puzzles found within the game. There are touch controls available on the pad as well, but we didn’t find them particularly useful or needed. The new look of the game is in keeping with the original and style and we couldn’t ever quite decide which look we preferred the most. Luckily the graphics can be switched with a simple button press at any time. One thing that hasn’t been updated though is the audio, which serves as one of the few disappointments as the recording quality is really showing its age now.

Despite its age, Broken Sword is an exceptional game and remains a high point of the genre. Apart from the slight problem with the controls it's faultless. This is one of the best adventure stories you will ever encounter and is perfectly scripted and perfectly executed in just about every way. It’s the best point and click game on the Switch and still one of the best games ever made.

9/10