Naturally, all of it involves skateboarding. Their helpful intentions are matched only by their misunderstandings, and a lot of silly stuff ensues. The set-up involves a bunch of birds trying to help out their Big Friend who seems to be feeling down of late. But if it managed to come together reasonably well, we would have had a real winner here.
BOULDER DASH DELUXE PRO
Cute birds, a cheerful sense of humor, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater-style gameplay? Now, I’m under no illusions about what an indie developer can pull off versus one of the largest publishers in the business. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 SkateBIRD ($19.99) There’s a solid tribute to the original Boulder Dash here, with plenty to keep you busy for hours on end, but you’ll have to ignore a lot to enjoy it. The overall visual design looks really rough and low-cost, with the only relief coming from switching over to the classic style where possible. The interface feels like it was designed for a much smaller touch display. There are consumable power-ups you can use to brute force your way through tough levels. You collect Gold Bars that you can use for various assists or to unlock new worlds early. This game is built on the bones of a free-to-play mobile game, and it regrettably checks off a lot of the boxes of a stereotypical title of of that nature. But shine it must, because there’s a whole layer of really cheap-feeling cruft on top of those high-quality fundamentals. Boulder Dash has always been an enjoyable action-puzzler, and that core quality shines through here. You get hundreds of levels in this game, including the entire original level set and a brand new batch from the game’s original creator. Dig around, grab the necessary amount of gems, deal with the enemies, watch out for falling rocks, and escape unscathed. Boulder Dash Deluxe is absolutely jam-packed with levels, and the game plays pretty much as you remember. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Boulder Dash Deluxe ($14.99)īoulder Dash fans, rejoice. Shoot-em-up fans of all sorts will find things to appreciate in this game. The different difficulty modes are well-balanced, and whether you’re going for score or survival there is a good time to be had here. While it’s not the most fully-featured of releases, it has all of the important options and modes you would want in a game like this. Razion EX is another high-quality shoot-em-up in the Switch’s library, with a distinct flavor all of its own. There is a standard set of video, audio, and control options including the choice of using scanlines and how intense you want them to be. You can also practice any stages or bosses you’ve reached. You start with two credits, but you’ll unlock more as you go. Most players should be able to make their way through the Novice mode without too much trouble, but the Normal and especially Maniac modes kick the heat up appropriately. The three difficulty modes truly run the gamut in terms of what they offer. Choosing when to use each type of shot and regulating your beams is the name of the game here. A limited tool set, but it’s sufficient for the challenge you’ll face. There are no power-ups to collect, but defeated enemies will leave behind cubes that will give you points and charge your beam. You can also alternate between two types of shots, basically coming down to a choice of destructive power versus mobility. The beam will also go through walls, and that’s an important part of the strategy.
The bullets fly fast and furious, but you have a useful beam that you can charge up and let fly to clear enemies and their shots alike. Razion EX features six stages that take you through some interesting environments, each capped off by a battle with a massive boss. The visuals have a great vintage look to them, and the soundtrack is superb. It offers a few different difficulty levels that ensures there is something here for a wide variety of skill levels, and its scoring system has just enough depth to keep you coming back without being too complicated. Razion EX is a fine horizontal shoot-em-up in the vein of NEOGEO classics like Blazing Star. There was a risk its rarity would lend it an air of quality it might not actually live up to.
Up until now, Razion‘s been enough of a scarcity that there just haven’t been that many impressions of the game. Let’s get to the good stuff! Reviews & Mini-Views Razion EX ($19.95) And that’s all, as I am preparing for a hospital thing tomorrow. We’ve also got summaries of a few new releases, and the latest lists of new and expiring sales for you to check out.
Razion EX, Boulder Dash Deluxe, and SkateBIRD step into the spotlight for their evaluations. In today’s article, we’ve got a few reviews of some recent releases. Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 20th, 2021.