Switch 'N' Shoot
- December 20, 2014
- Matt Glanville
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Switch 'N' Shoot" is a fast-paced arcade-style game where players control a ship that can swap places with other ships on the screen. The goal is to navigate through levels, avoid obstacles, and defeat enemies while switching places to avoid danger and strategically eliminate foes. With its pick-up-and-play mechanics and increasing difficulty, this game is a fun and challenging experience for action and shoot 'em up enthusiasts.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
PlayStation
Tablet
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a unique one-button mechanic that is surprisingly addictive and engaging, making it easy to pick up and play.
- It has a charming retro aesthetic with simple yet appealing visuals and a fun soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Players appreciate the challenge and replayability, often feeling a sense of accomplishment as they improve their skills and beat their high scores.
- The game is criticized for its lack of depth and variety, with only a few enemy types and repetitive gameplay that can become boring quickly.
- Technical issues are noted, such as poor resolution options and a design that feels more suited for mobile devices than PC gaming.
- Some players feel that the game is overpriced for the content it offers, especially when compared to free alternatives available on Steam.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique and addictive one-button mechanic that allows players to switch and shoot simultaneously, creating a fast-paced and challenging experience. While initially difficult, players quickly adapt to the mechanics, leading to a rewarding sense of mastery. The combination of simple visuals, engaging sound design, and clever writing enhances the overall arcade-style gameplay, making it both fun and memorable.
“It's a fun bullet hell game with a cool mechanic - you only press one button that does two things: switch to move side to side and shoot to obliterate aliens!”
“The gameplay is hugely original and surprisingly fun.”
“Switch 'n' Shoot is a small, simple, but incredibly well-polished game with extremely good attention to detail: the sound, the visuals, the writing, the controls, and the gameplay experience itself.”
“I mean, complex scoring mechanics in arcade games are sometimes fine, but they can alter the gameplay in a way that's not entertaining when done wrong.”
“There's one particular quibble I have with the placement of the frequently appearing textbox during gameplay; I wish it were positioned in the empty space below the ship rather than in the thick of the action in the upper half of the play area.”
“It definitely feels very hard for your first few games, but then something kind of 'clicks' and you figure out how to work with the game's mechanics.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the use of outdated pixel art as a lazy design choice that fails to deliver an authentic retro aesthetic. Others appreciate the simplistic visuals, noting that they complement the gameplay and evoke a nostalgic arcade feel, while praising the attention to detail and overall polish. Despite the lack of advanced graphics options, many players find the visuals charming and fitting for the game's style.
“The simple visuals aid the hard gameplay and the pixel art is great.”
“Switch 'n' Shoot is a small, simple, but incredibly well-polished game with extremely good attention to detail: the sound, the visuals, the writing, the controls, the personal color palette settings, and the gameplay experience itself.”
“Controls are super tight, visuals look really good in a retro minimalist arcade way.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“Visually, this is a hamfisted mess, a dog's breakfast of bad visuals, and this kind of laziness and poor quality should never be foisted on gamers.”
“With garbage 2D graphics (the developer couldn't afford a discrete GPU? Or is it just too hard?), and a mobile app aspect ratio (or does the developer think the monitor for his PC is meant to go on its side?), the idea that this was designed purely with PC in mind is complete garbage.”
- music12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its excellent, retro soundtrack that evokes nostalgia for classic arcade titles like Galaga and Gradius. Reviewers appreciate its addictive quality and how it complements the game's overall design, enhancing the gaming experience.
“Its classic arcade design is super pleasing for all the Galaga and Space Invaders nostalgics among us, and the game's music is nothing short of excellent.”
“The music is nice and retro, befitting the style of the overall game.”
“The soundtrack alone makes me feel like I'm playing Gradius again.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of Switch 'n' Shoot has been criticized as a cash grab, with users noting that it feels more like a mobile app poorly ported to Steam rather than a legitimate PC game. The pricing is deemed excessive for its quality, especially on mobile, where players also face intrusive ads. Overall, the game reflects a troubling trend among indie developers who seem to prioritize profit over quality.
“Switch 'n' Shoot is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is seriously problematic in terms of a trend of unacceptable regression from 'indie' amateur developers who have proven unable to secure employment as professional developers.”
“This game is both available on Steam and smartphone devices, but the latter might be a little expensive for a smartphone app of this caliber (even though it is the same price as on Steam) unless you're fine with having ads popping up.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is perceived as lacking, with users expressing disinterest in the mobile app's narrative. The overarching theme suggests resilience and the unpredictability of life, but it fails to engage players effectively.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"Switch 'n' Shoot" is praised for its high replayability, offering a simple premise combined with a deep skill ceiling that encourages players to return for more. Its addictive nature makes it comparable to other popular titles like "Geometry Wars" and "Downwell."
“Switch 'n' Shoot joins games like Geometry Wars and Downwell by having an upfront simple premise, but a high ceiling of skill, replayability, and complexity.”
“It's very addictive and replayable.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features humorous dialogue that adds to its fun arcade experience, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate lighthearted interactions.
“Fun arcade game with funny dialogue.”
“Fun arcade game with funny dialogue.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the ability to unlock and customize color palettes, which significantly enhances the game's atmosphere and personalizes their experience.
“I love the unlockable palettes and customizing the colors to change the atmosphere of play.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers a wide range of localization options, but users have reported occasional bugs when switching languages, leading to issues with menu text not populating correctly.
“Localization options are impressively wide, although I've encountered a bit of buggy behavior when switching between the available languages, where the preceding menu refuses to populate with text.”
