Ben Reuter has been busy with his new Nintendo 3DS. He has posted six reviews for some of the hot games he checked out on his system.
Mutant Mudds
It’s got a little bit of retro 8-bit graphics and a little bit of 3D-gimmick, Mutant Mudds from developer Renegade Kid is a decent platformer that should fulfill an 8-bit itch for platforming fans.
Like many retro platformers of yesteryears, your motivation is simple. Players control dorky-blond Max where Earth has been invaded by aliens made of mud. Max’s bubble blaster and water jetpack equipped allows players to hover and dispose of enemies through 40 levels.
The hover pack allows for some quick error correction with platforming and allows players to jump long distances.
Max’s hopping and falling is standard quo compared to other 8-bit platformers. What set’s Max’s quest apart from other platformers is being able to jump from fore, mid and background.
It’s a novel concept that opens up levels for more platforming and collecting.
The game’s art style isn’t pushed far enough. There is a variety of enemies but they feel like uninspired knock offs of other 8-bit enemies.
But the enemies do add to the challenge of the game, which ramps up quickly keeping platforming fans interested. The gripes are minor and for the low price on the eShop, Mutant Mudds is worth your time.
3 out of 5
VVVVVV
This game will make you mad and for good reason.
VVVVVV developed by Terry Cavanagh takes the error in “trial and error” to to a degrading level of frustration and fun.
VVVVVV is bare bones simplistic in its execution and style. But will require an immense amount of concentration.
The game has the look of an ancient DOS game and the 3D effect is nothing to marvel at. In fact, it’s best to keep it off and enjoy the retro style.
Players control their blue little man though a metroidvania style map while avoiding simple geometric obstacles.
You jump from the floor to the ceiling while being able to run on the floor and the ceiling. You don’t jump over pits but rather you jump to the ceiling and walk above them.
It get’s difficult quickly and players will die often. The constant start and restart menage is set to a fantastic 8-bit soundtrack. Magnus Pålsson does a great job of nailing down an addicting score that keeps you playing instead of contributing to the frustration of constant death in the game.
This game was made to be played in short bursts and it’s a fantastic edition to the eShop.
5 out of 5
Mighty Switch Force
Mighty Switch Force uses simple puzzle elements and some fun Mega Man X style platforming/action moments to make a great portable package for the 3DS.
Mighty Switch Force from — developer WayForward Technologies — pops with it’s colorful anime style art and fantastic animations that look great on the small screen.
You’ll play as a cyborg police officer named Patricia Wagon trying to round up a series of escaped female convicts while being timed.
Patricia carries a weapon to dispose of enemies and has the ability to switch platformers to appear and disappear. This dynamic plays into the puzzle aspect of the game.
The time element encourages speed runs and replaying stages to achieve better times.
Though many people will play this game once and set it down as the game doesn’t offer you a reason to replay it other than to beat your best times.
The game runs only a few hours which is a shame since the light puzzling aspects and the action/platform is an enjoyable romp.
The game offers a fun challenge but never becomes too hard or too easy.
4 out of 5
Dillon’s Rolling Western
Dillon’s Rolling Western looks to be a simply fun action tower defence game but eventually become just as boring as rolling tumbleweed.
Developed by Vanpool, Rolling Western puts you in the cowboy boots of Dillon, an armadillo, who has to protect villages in the west from walking rock monsters called Grocks.
Player control Dillion by naturally rolling him around the stages. Each invasion has time limits leading up to the attack.
You scour the stage collecting resources to take back to the village to fund defences like turrets and defence upgrades.
When time runs out the Grock begin to march on the village and you have to defeat the advancing troops before the level the village.
The control scheme has you flicking a releasing to roll Dillon and it’s exciting to control the character this way but repetition sinks in and battles begin to seem longer than intended.
It’s a pretty straightforward tower defence game that drags on way too long and give you little reason to return. The idea and gameplay is appealing at first but it doesn’t build upon its established base and as a result feels more like a chore rather than an exciting western battle.
The art is detailed and does a good job of communicating the western vibe in a cartoony setting.
The music is cliche for the western setting but it does the job and it’s not too annoying.
It’s an interesting setting and the characters are unique, but it’s a shame the game doesn’t aggressively build toward a rewarding ending.
2 out of 5
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword
Conservative Samurai action creates some enjoyable gameplay but this game cuts slightly below the mark.
Art of the Sword is a light hearted action adventure game developed by Grounding Inc.
The hero is a nameless samurai destined to rescue a kidnapped princess called Cherry Blossom.
The combat is the drawing in point with Art of Sword. This is not a hack-and-slash. The style demands patience with each swing. You have to time you counter and movements against enemies effectively.
Mindless swinging will hurt your stamina and sword strength making it almost impossible to come out on top in the end.
The first few battles are rewarding when you connect correctly. When it excels it feels similar to Punch Out’s wait and attack gameplay. But repetition sets in soon after and unlike Punch Out you’ll be fighting more of the same enemies.
It’s a blessing and curse the game is so short. You are saved from further repetition, but the entire game can be completed in a sitting. It’s not a very deep game.
The game opens up some interesting doors for combat with the stylus but fails to make a lasting impression. With such a neat concept, it would have been nice to see the combat varied enough to make the game feel more challenging and diverse due to it’s limited length.
The art style is charming as is the music, though stereotypical for a feudal Japan samurai game.
But overall, the concept is unique and it would be a shame if this was the last in the series on the eShop. While there a plenty of gripes with this game, it begs for a sequel granted it Grounding Inc. has more time to fine tune it’s samurai sword action series.
3 out of 5.
Zen Pinball
If you like Pinball you’ll be into Zen Pinball. If not, drop out now.
Zen Pinball from Zen Studios is a fun pinball game for the portable screen.
The 3D effects work well and most importantly everything looks and plays well on the constrained 3DS screen.
The weight of the pinballs feels remarkable realistic in terms of the physics. The stages you will play on have great art and it’s fun to discover secrets hidden within each stage.
There is a limited offering of pinball games on eShop store, but Zen Pinball is a nudge that we hopefully will see more.
4 out of 5
