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Bombslinger Review (Switch) – 8.25/10

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Bombslinger is a western-styled roguelike game, all about blowing up baddies.

If this game instantly looks like Bomberman to you, that’s because—well—this game instantly looks like Bomberman. It might be fair to call Bombslinger a clone, but it does introduce plenty of its own unique elements.

First of all, this game has an interesting setting, and fun characters. You play as a cowboy who’s looking to avenge his wife’s death. Like I said—fun. The main character used to be mixed up with the wrong crowd, and when he turns over a new leaf, the old posse wasn’t too happy about that. Now you’ve got to blast your way through 4 levels and take down 7 big bosses.

Bomblinger sports a really interesting graphic style. At first glance it looks like your run-of-the-mill 8-bit art, but from certain angles and cutscenes it looks a bit more “Minecraftian.” You also get some O.G. LoZ vibes as you leave one top-down area of the map to enter another.

There’s a healthy variety of enemies waiting to be blown to smithereens. From old men hobbling around in… underwear? Diapers? Loincloths? Anyway—there’s a handful of vicious animals, bad dudes armed with rifles or machine guns—you name it. The difficulty curve is appropriate and you gradually face more of these challenges as you progress.

Clearing rooms and levels is fun, and you’re rewarded with gold and XP that can be spent on upgrades. The typical Bomberman fare is here, like extra bombs, bigger explosions, and what I lovingly refer to as “kicky-bombs.” But there are some new tools and powers that are more unique and I won’t spoil in this review. I will say it’s not always clear what things do, so trial and error is your friend along the dirt-road to success.

The developers even include a multiplayer mode, so you can take a break from the campaign, slide off your Joy-Con, and basically pretend you’re playing classic Bomberman in ponchos.

My experience wasn’t without bugs, sadly. I found that going into the menu and hitting “restart” would work about half the time, otherwise booting me out of the game and onto my Switch home screen. Fortunately, I never lost progress since I was actively looking to restart my run, so it was only a minor inconvenience.

Speaking of progress, as you get further and accomplish different feats, you’ll unlock new items to customize your loadout with, and more slots in your inventory. The game rewards you well, and helps equip the main character with better tools to make it to the last boss. There’s even two different endings that you can pick from, not unlike Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which I reference without hesitation because of course you played that one… right? Anyone?

Overall: Bombslinger is a great time. Whoever had the idea of combining Bomberman mechanics with roguelike systems and western settings deserves a raise… or at least your $12 on the eShop. Bombslinger gets an 8.25 out of 10.

The Man, the Myth, the Mr. N64Josh

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N64Josh of Nintendo fandom fame is joining us for this episode! This man is a prolific content creator and collector of Nintendo Switch games. It’s our honor to have him on the show, and we know you’ll become a fan as well!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Apes of Summer

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While the King of Kong scandal, centered on the alleged cheater Billy Mitchel, is heating up, Donkey Kong is yet again taking center stage in a port on the Nintendo Switch, and the timing couldn’t be better for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I am an absolute sucker for playing games at certain times of the year and this one is a perfect game to pick up in the summer. It starts out in the tropics and the player progresses into the later levels that slowly transition into dark and wintry which feel oddly dystopian. Tropical Freeze happens to be one of my favorite Wii U games. While this statement may not seem that earth shattering (sorry, Wii U), Tropical Freeze puts on a master class of what a platformer should be. It’s a challenging game and when player gets comfortable with one thing, the game throws in something totally new and unexpected. It took everything that was right with Donkey Kong Country Returns and amped up the experience tenfold.

First off, the game is pure beauty. The tropical vistas have never looked better, and the water effects are top notch. For me, the thing that sets this game apart is the ambiance. This is something that is hard to get right, and many developers still haven’t figured it out. It’s amazing how Retro Studios captures the ominous feeling of a dark and scary storm approaching on a clear and beautiful day. This game has the player experience the environment through the use of genius shading, intricate detail of the environment, and what seems to be a real life simulation of weather changes and other natural disasters. Whether the player is swimming deep in the ocean while there is a thunderstorm looming overhead, running through a scorching wild fire, or even bracing through a tornado, there is never a dull moment. What sets this apart from recent Mario side scrollers is that nothing is blocky and linear, it all looks like natural environment and from a development perspective, there is no noticeable copy and pasting of environmental textures going on.

Of course, the ambiance wouldn’t be possible without the music. David Wise, who was the composer for the original DKC Trilogy, captures the same magical feeling through his sweeping and oddly calming scores. Playing through the game, the level that actually gave me goose bumps was Grassland Grooves in the Bright Savannah. This level starts slow and builds up to a grand climax of cheerful music and visuals. It’s not all pleasant though. Some of the music also matches the fear of a raging thunderstorm and it only adds to the intensity. If you don’t believe me that this game has intense music, go ahead and Youtube “Vikings Island Theme” and tell me that isn’t one of the most adrenaline inducing songs you have ever heard.

Like any game, however, it does have some flaws. My biggest gripe is that there isn’t really enough variety between characters. Cranky Kong’s “Duck Tales” pogo-cane technique is fun, but the game never really forced me to utilize it so I usually wound up using Dixie Kong for her twirl technique. I do want to note that it never really subtracted from the gameplay. The other issue with the Wii U version was load times. These were downright awful. Loading a level could take upwards of half a minute, and sometimes it felt even longer. Lastly, some people critique the challenge in this game. Personally, I have no issue with it, but I can see where it would be challenging for newcomers of the series. The Switch version seems to have a solution for every one of these issues. For one, Funky Kong is now a playable character and should take some of that difficulty edge off. I’m not sure how much I will use him, but it’s nonetheless a neat addition. I’m expecting load times to be better based on the new hardware, but that is to be determined.

So if you can’t tell by now, I’m pretty pumped to play this game again. It should be a huge success on the Switch and will give those that didn’t want to get near the Wii-U a crack at a game that was already near perfection. By nature, platformers are great “pick up and play” games, so it should adapt perfectly to the Switch. Up to this point, I haven’t used the Switch portable feature much, but I predict that should change upon release of this game. Though the price point may seem a little steep for a release of an older game, if you have never experienced the joy that is Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, do yourself a favor, pick it up, and go bananas. (Sorry!)

Octodad: Dadliest Catch Review (Switch)

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Back when it first came out in 2014, Octodad: Dadliest Catch quickly became one of my favorite indie games of all time.  The goofy premise, inventive gameplay hook, and charming presentation were not only endearing, but felt reminiscent of the creative and experimental cult classics of the GameCube and its contemporaries.  Since its initial release on PC, the game has been ported to just about every system that can run it, including the Nintendo Switch.  So, does the game still measure up on the Switch?

The game follows the story of a clumsy, but well-meaning, father living suburbia.  Despite his best efforts, mayhem and mischief seem to follow him wherever he goes.  Between the strange circumstances and his unwillingness to open up about his mysterious past, his wife, Scarlet, can’t help but suspect something’s amiss.  His past catches up with him, however, as an old enemy attempts to expose his dark secret to his family and the world.

Wait, did I forget to mention the guy’s secretly an octopus in disguise?  Silly me!

Octodad: Dadliest Catch follows the eponymous Octodad as he tries to complete everyday chores without blowing his cover, which is hard for a man with no bones.  As to be expected with a game with such a ludicrous premise, the story is humorous, and sometimes even heartwarming.  The real appeal of the game’s humor, however, is the physics; watching Octodad stumble through the game’s levels, knocking down everything in his path, is sure to bring a smile to anyone fond of slapstick.

The game’s core mechanic is its deliberately awkward controls.  This may sound unappealing at first, but the controls are awkward in a way that feels comfortable, if that makes any sense.  Players control Octodad by manipulating his limbs individually.  This extra layer of abstraction can make even simple tasks like walking not only challenging but amusing as well.  The odd controls do mean this game can get frustrating at points, but not nearly as often as you’d think.

The game’s main campaign is on the short side, with even a leisurely play-through only lasting a few hours.  Fortunately, the game comes with two bonus chapters, which, despite being referred to as “shorts”, are some of the longest levels in the game.  Factor in the three hidden neckties in each level—which are often deviously hard to find—and this game has plenty of replay value.

Unfortunately, the Switch version of this game doesn’t come with any extra bells and whistles.  There’s no support for motion control, which feels like a missed opportunity given the nature of the game.  Instead, the game is played using the analog sticks to position Octodad’s arms and legs.  This is entirely a matter of opinion, but I prefer Octodad with a keyboard and mouse.  The different control schemes both offer a very different feel to the game, with the controller favoring large sweeping movements and the mouse being better at executing small, precise motions.

My biggest issue with this game, however, is the graphics.  While it’s understandable that a few sacrifices would have to be made given the limitations of the Switch’s hardware, the way they cut corners can be downright distracting.  Shadows appear ludicrously pixelated, especially when viewed up close.  It’s so bad at times it looks like the game is censoring parts of the screen.  Other issues are a lack of certain visual effects, such as reflections on mirrors or the absence of rain in one level.  Furthermore, the number of objects and N.P.C.s per level has been reduced, leaving levels overall feeling a bit barren.

Lastly, I should note that this version of the game has crashed on me, but it seems to have been an isolated occurrence.

In the end, Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a great game brimming with charm, and I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to play through it again.  That said, the Switch port isn’t the best version out there due to a lack of control options and scaled-down graphics.  If the Switch is the only system you have that can play it, or if portability is a priority, then it’s definitely still worth getting.  Otherwise, I’d recommend you get it on Steam.

How Graceful is Graceful Explosion Machine?

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Graceful Explosion Machine was one of the first Nindies to launch on Switch, and it’s still one of the best. This is an arcade schmup game that puts your skills to the test while treating you to a visual spectacle!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Unboxing & Playing Axiom Verge (Switch)

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Axiom Verge is a Metroidvania indie game, and the Multiverse Edition is a physical Switch cartridge with a bunch of goodies packed in. We go hands-on with the game as well as unbox the package to show you all the goodness they contain! This is a good one to add to your collection.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

How are LABO Kits Holding Up?

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LABO Kits have been on the market for over a week now, but how are they holding up to the wear & tear of real life? It looks like they are faring well, and Nintendo is prepared to get replacements into the hands of consumers that need them.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Do NOT Buy these Switch Indie Games

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While a swath of indie developers are hurrying to get to the gold rush that is Nintendo Switch eShop, that unfortunately means that some stinkers are going to sneak there way in. Scott has been playing Energy Invasion, Energy Balance, and Alteric for review and sadly, he can’t recommend any of them. In this episode, we’ll give you a quick overview of these games and let you know what to watch out for.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

5 Ways to Fix Smash’s ONLINE for Switch

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Smash Bros. has never had very good online connectivity or modes. It’s time that Nintendo stepped it up and made an experience more comparable to their competitors. Let’s do this! Smash 5 is coming out this year. Let’s get it right, Sakurai.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Switch BRICKED by 3rd Party Docks

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Be careful! There are 3rd party docks out there that will break your Switch and destroy your save files forever. But how did this fiasco occur? And whose responsibility is it? Simeon and Scott are here to bring you the scoop.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

A Crash Course on Dark Souls

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Dark Souls may have slipped to Summer 2018, but that only means that we get more time to prepare for the gauntlet! Known as one of the hardest games ever made, we need to get all the information we possibly can before it hits stores in mere months.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Flinthook Review Indie Switch Rougelite

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Flinthook is an indie roguelike game for Nintendo Switch. You play as the titular character, a space pirate, as you grapple-hook and blast your way through enemy ships, stealing treasure and taking down bosses along the way.

It’s a great premise, and the execution is pulled off nicely. The first thing you’ll notice about the game is its presentation; upon booting up Flinthook, you’re greeted with an epic chiptune soundtrack cranked up to maximum volume. This game has STYLE, and that persists through its bold, 32-bit (ish) graphics, funny characters, and fast-paced action. The main character is endearing to watch and exciting to play as.

To give you an idea of the gameplay, imagine a Super Mario Bros. game where you have to get from World 1-1 to 1-4 and beat the boss—all on a single life—before you can advance to the next world. But instead of playing as Mario, you’re steamrolling through levels as Samus, and your arsenal includes a plasma blaster, grappling hook, bombs, and more.

There are a couple more systems layered over the basic gameplay, and those are found between bounty runs. In the Black Market, you can spend the treasure you’ve collected on Perks, which are customizable upgrades for your character. You can boost your life, speed, critical hit chances, and much more.

There are also some other side modes included where you can learn more about the story inside the Lore section, play daily challenges, etc. The core game is really solid, so you’ll be compelled to quickly apply some perks and try the game again. Every run, even when you die, is beneficial and will better equip you for your next attempt.

I had a great time advancing through the many challenges of this game. Sadly, I have to point out that I’ve experienced two game-breaking bugs that crashed my Flinthook run and made me lose all progress. One happened after I had just barely managed to defeat a boss and escape with 10HP. The game shut down and I had to do the entire thing over again. I reached out to the developers and wasn’t told a patch was in the works, but hopefully they’ve tracked down the error by now and have it fixed.

The thing I appreciate most about Flinthook is that they took the roguelike genre and tweaked its formula, making it completely fair. This is a skill-based title where the character powers up at the same rate at which the player grows in knowledge and strategy.

I recommend Flinthook to anyone that’s on the fence about it. It blends some of the best elements of roguelikes, platformers, and side-scrolling shooters. It’s got an awesome sense of identity, from the menus to the color palette to the level design. Flinthook gets an 8 out of 10.

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (+ Controversy)

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Nintendo decided to rerelase Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for Nintendo Switch at a high price point… $40 higher than the Wii U Nintendo Selects version, and $10 higher than they charged for the original at launch. This game is now 4 years old… something smells fishy… Oh—nevermind, it’s just some frozen fish.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Shrine-Hunting in Breath of the Wild

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Scott never finished beating all the shrines in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And there’s one in particular that’s giving him trouble. That’s where you come in! Help Scott finish out his quest to beat all the shrines!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cat Quest, A Switch Nindie about Cats

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It’s an action RPG all about cats! Seriously, this is cool. And there’re a lot of cat puns to enjoy. Thanks to the developers for letting us try outt his game! We’ll have a review up on our channel soon.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Limited Run Games for Switch!

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Limited Run Games brings popular downloadable indie games to your shelf. That’s right—eShop titles are being printed on real Switch cartridges, and it’s starting now! We give you all the info you need to get involved with expanding your physical game collection.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Reactions: Nintendo Switch Online!

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Nintendo announced all of their plans for Nintendo Switch Online service, launching in September. The three main pillars were: Cloud Saves, NES games, and Pricing. Some details we already knew, and some just raise more questions. Simeon and Scott dive in deep during this episode of Two Button Crew!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

LABO in Smash 5: Character? Items?

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It seems like a given that Sakurai and co. will include LABO in the new Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch… but how? Will LABO be a playable character, or simply a stage? Will it be kept to only an Assist Trophy, or could the carboard Toy-Con actually appear as items?

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Adventures of Bertram Fiddle #1 Review (Switch)

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I used to believe that graphic adventure games were bimodal when it came to quality. Either they were good or they were bad, with the line between the two so fine that there wasn’t room for any middle ground. Now that I’ve played The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1, I may need to rethink my hypothesis.

The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle is a point-and-click styled adventure game starring the eponymous Mr. Fiddle and his one-eyed man-servant, Gavin. Mechanically, the game is quite sound, sticking to the tried and true formula of exploring environments, grabbing everything that isn’t nailed-down, and then using said items to advance further. That said, it doesn’t add much of its own to the mix. Normally, this would be a problem, but this style of adventure game has always banked more on plot and puzzles than unique mechanics, so I’m willing to give it a pass.

Speaking of which, the game thankfully avoids the typical pitfall of “moon logic” puzzles that is all too common in the genre: every puzzle has a creative but entirely logical solution. Moreover, the game is quite good at dropping hints without ever feeling like it’s spoon-feeding you the answer.

Visually, the game is a mixed bag. The art style has a nice mid-90’s Nickelodeon vibe to it and does a good job of setting the tone. Unfortunately, between the muted palette for backgrounds and every other environment being the dull and lifeless streets of Victorian London, the environments quickly start to feel repetitive.

Of course, the main draw of these sorts of games is the story. Our adventure begins with a suspicious letter asking our protagonist to assist with a personal matter for a shady, but wealthy, individual. Mrs. Fiddle, however, doesn’t approve and instead tasks our heroes with taking her dog to the groomer, but then they get their bag mixed up with that of a stranger on the street, and somehow the whole thing spirals into a hunt for a serial killer…

If that attempt at a summary didn’t tip you off, the story is a tad unfocused. Several plot threads are introduced very early on and then immediately shunted off to the side to make room for the next one. Now, this can actually work quite well with a mystery plot, as what originally seemed like completely unrelated occurrences are slowly woven together into a tapestry of intrigue. Unfortunately, that’s not what happens here. Instead, Bertram and Gavin wander the streets of London, happen across an item on their to-do list (entirely by accident), decide they really have nothing better to do, and then move on to the next scene to repeat the process with little rhyme or reason.

Unfortunately, pacing isn’t even the writing’s biggest weakness. The concept of an English gentleman and his stalwart man-servant going on an adventure in London immediately evoked the image of one of my all-time favorite literary works, P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster series. The thought of a similar duo starring in a point-and-click adventure game sounded like a smashing idea.

Unfortunately, Jeeves and Wooster they are not. Simply put, neither the protagonist or his sidekick are particularly interesting. There’s little in terms of discernible characterization for either of them and what little is there is just plain uninspired. Bertram is a globe-trotting explorer, and an amateur sleuth, and an inventor. In short, he’s not just a gentleman adventurer, he’s every gentleman adventurer…and that’s it. He’s not particularly smart or stupid, he’s not a lovable loser a la Guybrush Threepwood, he’s not a likable jerk, he’s just a gentleman adventurer. His sidekick, Gavin, is even less interesting, only offering advice in the form of proverbs from his homeland.

That’s not to say that there aren’t interesting characters in this game; there are several. The problem is they’re in and out of the story so quickly, they never really get much time to shine.

Most of the humor consists of [insert clip of Bertram saying “terrible puns”] and poorly-executed, pop-culture references, but the few times it does stray away out of its comfort zone, it’s actually pretty decent. Like I said before, many of the odd folk the protagonists encounter during their adventure are entertaining and I’m always a sucker for the “the solution to one problem comes back to bite you later” gag.

Oh, and this happened. [Show picture of two Bertrams] This isn’t the only graphical glitch I encountered either.

So in summary, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1 is a mechanically solid point-and-click adventure game that features good puzzles, so-so writing, and distracting glitches. All of these factors balance out to lead to a completely average, perhaps even mediocre, game, which for a game of this genre is an odd sort of accomplishment. That said, I would say that the asking price of $5.00 is completely fair.

I give The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1 a shrug.