Mighty Switch Force Academy Reviews

Mighty Switch Force! Is a puzzle platformer developed by WayForward Technologies for. Mighty Switch Force! Academy was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in July 25, 2019. 'Review: Mighty Switch Force Proves the Value of Superb Level Design'.

Mighty Switch Force Collection (Switch) Review

by Zachary Miller - July 29, 2019, 8:45 am PDT
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It seems like every other day, a new collection of something comes out on Switch. It can be tough to keep track of them all, but one you should be paying attention to is WayForward’s Mighty Switch Force Collection. It includes four of the five existing games in the Mighty Switch Force series, which is a charming franchise of puzzle platformers that revolve around switching whether certain blocks are things you can land on. The game encourages speed-running every stage to hit a “par time,” which is far easier to do after completing each stage normally. Mastering the mechanics while being as efficient as possible becomes the ultimate goal, for me, anyway.

The original Mighty Switch Force was a 2011 3DS eShop game; I reviewed it back then (Review), as well as the short expansion. Nothing has changed aside from the visual clarity of the menu and tally screens, the original pixelated aesthetic remains in tact. It’s still a fantastic game by today’s standards, and the soundtrack, by Jake Kaufman, is radical. Blockscape oyna.

Mighty Switch Force 2 came out two years later on the 3DS, and they’ve switched up the gameplay significantly—Patricia Wagon is a firefighter now, and hoses things down while rescuing (rather than arresting) the Hooligan Sisters. I enjoyed the game when it came out (Review) and my opinion hasn’t changed, although there’s a lot less block-switching than I remember. Also of note, Mighty Switch Force 2 has maybe the best end-credits music I’ve ever heard in a video game.

If you’d like to replay Mighty Switch Force with a different, but not necessarily better, art style, check out 2012’s Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, which was a Wii U launch game (Review). Time has not been particularly kind to this remake’s HD art style, as the characters lack personality compared to their pixelated counterparts. This game does offer up some new content in the form of harder versions of every stage (which unlock once you finish them all once) and a new unlockable look for Patty. Really, I’m just happy to see this game rescued from the Wii U, which now lives in a dark bedroom closet where it belongs.

New to me is Mighty Switch Force Academy, a multiplayer-focused version of the original game, where you can solo the whole thing or bring three friends along. The gameplay doesn’t really differ from its predecessor, but the entire level is shown, so don’t play this in Handheld or Tabletop Mode because your eyes will start to bleed. There are plenty of unique stages, and five were brought over from the original game. One caveat is that all available players can block-switch, meaning your own progress will inevitably screw one of your compatriots. There’s also a Vs. Mode, where resentment build up through normal multiplayer can be released. Given its limitations, Academy is the weakest game in this package, but given the shallow learning curve, it can be a fun multiplayer diversion.

And since Academy is here, I’m confused as to why Hose It Down, the follow-up to Mighty Switch Force 2, is missing from this collection. This is a mobile game that only appeared on iOS (and Steam) and involves you solving block puzzles so that Patty can get her stream of hose water to the fire and thereby rescue one of the Hooligan Sisters. It’s more Pipe Dream than Switch Force, but it’s a fun concept that I wouldn’t mind trying.

Full throttle on and enjoy! Horizon Chase Turbo has Multiplayer Split Screen support across all game modes, to rescue the nostalgia of playing with your best friends sitting on a couch all night long. Horizon chase turbo trophy guide. Each curve and each lap in Horizon Chase Turbo recreates classic arcade gameplay and offers you unbound speed limits of fun.

Even if you’ve played these games before, I’d say this collection is absolutely worth picking up. It’s wonderful to have them all on Switch since they were spread between three platforms originally (3DS, Wii U, Steam), and the Mighty Switch Force games are just plain fun and full of personality. I would like to have seen a collection of concept art a la the SNK and Street Fighter collections because Digital Eclipse has spoiled me forever with that kind of bonus content, but that doesn’t take away from the experience, and I will never, ever get sick of kicking that ugly baby.

Summary

Pros

• Baby-kicking
• Brings together four wonderful games
• One of them is multiplayer (and works with detached Joy-Con)
• Wonderful soundtrack

Cons

• Academy is really only viable on your TV, and best played with friends
• No Digital Eclipse-like bonus content
• Where’s Hose It Down?

Talkback

Worldwide Releases

If you’re new to the eShop, you’ll definitely want to check out Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition. An upgraded port of the 3DS title, Mighty Switch Force: HDE is a smartly designed puzzle-platformer that features a nice array of challenging stages and looks absolutely fantastic on a high-definition screen. It’s easily one of the finest digital offerings available on the 3DS, so there’s no question it would make a fine addition to any Wii U owner’s library.If you’ve already played the original title, you’re probably wondering if there’s enough new content in this HD edition to justify purchasing it again. Fortunately, the answer to this is an emphatic yes; Mighty Switch Force: HDE uses the original 3DS title as a foundation, doubling its level count and adding some Wii U-specific features to an already fantastic adventure. This makes Hyper Drive Edition the definitive version of the game and a must-have for the system, especially if you missed out on WayForward’s inventive platformer the first time around.Right from the start, the most noticeable change in the game’s jump to a home console is its new high-definition visuals. Each asset has been completely redrawn to take advantage of the Wii U’s added horsepower; backdrops sport considerably more detail than their handheld counterparts, and character sprites are much more expressive and animate beautifully.

WayForward’s expertise with 2D artwork really shines through in the title, making it one of the finest visual experiences on the platform even when judged against full retail releases.While the game’s presentation has been touched up, the core gameplay remains largely the same. You’ll guide robo-officer Patricia Wagon through all of the original levels, solving puzzles and hunting down the escaped convicts hiding in each stage. To do this, you’ll have to use her unique dimension-shifting abilities, which activate different objects scattered around the environment.

The levels all make great use of this mechanic, forcing you to switch between dimensions rapidly to scale to the top of block stacks or zip around via warp cannons. They’re also consistently engaging, introducing a new gameplay element for you to master with each successive stage. Later missions in particular get quite challenging thanks to the devious ways these elements converge together, and you’ll feel incredibly smart when you figure out how to use your dimension-switching abilities to capture an out of reach convict.This leads into the other big addition to Hyper Drive Edition, the eponymous “hyper” stages, which are remixed variations of the game’s existing levels. These are likewise cleverly designed and very rewarding to complete, offering a fresh take on the game’s dimension-switching mechanics while bumping up their difficulty. They also address the original title's biggest flaw by adding some much-need longevity to the adventure.In fact, the game’s only real flaw now is that these new levels aren’t available from the start. You’ll have to play through each of the original 21 stages before you can unlock their hyper variations, which may come as a slight annoyance to those who’ve already played the 3DS version ad nauseam. To be fair, this is hardly a major criticism; the original levels are fun enough that you won’t mind racing through them again, especially now that you can share your clear times with other players via Miiverse.

Still, it would have been nice to have the option of jumping directly into the new content.That said, even if you’ve already played the 3DS version, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition is a fantastic title that all Wii U owners should check out. The game offers a satisfying blend of platforming and puzzle elements, complemented by a host of new stages and beautiful HD visuals.

It may not be a true follow-up to the handheld effort, but it’s easily the best version of it, which is certainly high praise considering the game was great to begin with.