Mighty
Switch Force is a series that managed to keep my brain entertained for quite
some time, and after buying both games on the 3DS e-shop, the puzzle speedrunning-mania
started.
Diving
straight into the action, MSF doesn’t really have much in the way of plot or
story line. A series of hooligan girls escapes from prison, and it’s up to you,
the android police Patricia Wagon to
recapture them. For this she will have to use a system who allows her to switch blocks that are in the foreground of the scenario to the back and vice-versa. This makes it
possible for Patty to clear the way
and advance, providing her with solid ground where she can stand on.
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| Switching blocks onto yourself is pretty counterproductive. |
In the 3DS
version there are at least two different buttons mapped to the switch
mechanic. Personally I prefer the R button, since it leaves my right thumb free
for jumping and firing.
The weapon, an energy gun of sorts, is mostly used to take out smaller enemies, destroy certain blocks, and to push bigger enemies onto specific spots, where you then use them to solve parts of the puzzles. In the second game, the energy gun is replaced by high tech Hose, à la Super Mario Sunshine. It’s used to destroy the same type of block that can be destroyed in the first game, put out fires and douse burning enemies. It’s also often used to pump water through pipes, for puzzle solving purposes.
The weapon, an energy gun of sorts, is mostly used to take out smaller enemies, destroy certain blocks, and to push bigger enemies onto specific spots, where you then use them to solve parts of the puzzles. In the second game, the energy gun is replaced by high tech Hose, à la Super Mario Sunshine. It’s used to destroy the same type of block that can be destroyed in the first game, put out fires and douse burning enemies. It’s also often used to pump water through pipes, for puzzle solving purposes.
Switching,
in most cases, must be used with the correct timing starting on the very first
level, and as the game advances, the timings become tighter and harder to nail.
This, aided by the fact that the levels become more confusing as new elements are added, makes sure that the difficulty ramps up throughout.
And if the first game wrinkled your brain, the second does a good job of further messing it up. More elements are added, level layouts become bigger and more confusing and some previously existing obstacles have an additional layer of complexity added to them.
And if the first game wrinkled your brain, the second does a good job of further messing it up. More elements are added, level layouts become bigger and more confusing and some previously existing obstacles have an additional layer of complexity added to them.
Par times, however, are whats reponsible for my extended playtime: adding a bit of speedrunning into the mix, every
level has its own par time, and beating it can be quite a challenge. A lot
of memorization and good timing is necessary to clear each level (and a series of attempts), and some par times are so tight that even a minor slip can make it impossible to reach the
end fast enough. Not to mention that, as said above, the clock only stops the
moment you get to your robot partner. That being said, every time you beat the clock, you get a lot of that familiar feeling of
satisfaction, and once you beat them all you get a pretty nifty unlock, which
I’m not going to spoil.
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| Eemies take your hitpoints if touched, making things harder to manage. |
The soundtrack will stay in your ear for quite a while, courtesy of Jake Kaufman (Ducktales
Remastered, Shovel Knight, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge).
Overall, a
nifty puzzle game that will make you think and think fast. If you just enjoy
leisurely solving the puzzles you can do that, but if you like the challenge of
speedrunning, there are entire communities dedicated to sharing level times and
beating others’ level times. Perfecting the levels will most likely triple the
amount of time you need to clear the game, effectively giving you more for your
money (if you’re into that sort of thing). I bought them very cheap on a sale,
but their current full price is pretty low. If you have a 3ds and like
puzzles and/or side scrolling platformers, this game is for you.
Developer: WayForward
Platform(s): 3DS, Wii U, Steam (first game only)
(Images herein have been taken from the steam store page of the game)
Platform(s): 3DS, Wii U, Steam (first game only)
(Images herein have been taken from the steam store page of the game)
