Switch Hands-cons: JYDGE, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, The Flame in the Flood

Switch to: German

Welcome back to another episode of Switch Hands-cons, where we discuss our experience with several Switch indie titles, kindly provided to us by the developers, while also pointing out how “switchy” they are, meaning if they manage to take advantage of the features of the Nintendo console and how much. These games are all of different genres and they are all pretty interesting, so without further ado, let’s get started!

JYDGE

Let’s begin with JYDGE, a game made by 10tons and based on the universe of Neon Chrome (you can read our previous Hands-con here to see our impressions about it). We are the JYDGE, a cyborg policeman meant to stop crimes with any means necessary. Of course, we still have to do a proper duty also in helping citizens. This means that when we’re trying to rescue hostages they don’t have to end up dead (whether it is by your hand or because of the criminals), or you’ll be instantly terminated. The gameplay is mostly the same as Neon Chrome, but with a few differences: while the previous game was more of a rogue-like, this game will have levels pre-designed and not randomly generated. You also have a preset weapon and abilities, but you are able to unlock all the familiar combos that you’ve already seen in Neon Chrome. In certain aspects, this game feels like a tribute to Hotline Miami, meaning that you have to analyze the rooms in which you’re gonna enter carefully to make sure you don’t make any mistakes, which is why we suggest to play this on your TV and not in portable mode. You need to use both joy-cons anyway, so a proper controller is suggested to fully enjoy the experience. Another thing to point out is, that in comparison to Neon Chrome, which allowed up to 4 players to join the fun, this is a singleplayer-only game. Overall, it’s clear that 10tons wanted to push the strategic aspects of their game, while managing to be still as fun. If you enjoyed Neon Chrome or like the twin-stick shooter genre, it’s definitely recommended.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Our next title was made by Asteroid Base and it’s called Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime! In this game you’re on a mission to restore love through the galaxy, while navigating a special spaceship… The catch? You’re in danger all of the time and you absolutely need the help of your real life friends (or… why not Lovers?) to get the job done. That’s right, people: this is a local co-op game, and a tough one at that! Don’t let yourself be fooled by the cute graphics (which are great, by the way), because if you don’t pay attention, you’ll be dead faster than you can say “what is love?”. The spaceship has several functions and to activate them, you have to be constantly moving: shooting, accelerating, placing your shield, everything needs to be done with a considerable amount of cooperation. Technically it is possible to play this game alone, thanks to an AI companion the game gifts you, but it’s highly not recommended. What you need is a group of 3 other friends that you can play with, 4 joy-cons, a TV, some snacks and you’re off to saving the galaxy! After you do all that, you can enjoy your ruined friendships over figuring out who did the wrong thing that ended up getting all of you killed. Overall, a fun and challenging game for all you co-op lovers, but don’t take it too seriously. For your sake (and your friends’).

The Flame in the Flood: Complete Edition

Last but certainly not least, it’s time to completely change the subject and throw ourselves into a survival game, which is the Switch edition of The Flame in the Flood! Made by The Molasses Flood, in this game you find yourself in a post cataclysmic world, where a huge flood caused everything to be covered in water. You and your dog have to survive exploring different islands, grabbing all the supplies you need and craft all the necessary tools to help you out. Not only that, you also have to watch out for your health (always make sure to eat and drink!), keep checking the temperature and making sure you get enough sleep. This game is also a roguelike, meaning that everything you can find is randomly generated. This means that the game becomes unpredictable: you might not find anything you’d need in a desperate situation and you have to be extra careful about managing your inventory, because you never know what’s going to come next. You need both joy-cons for this one, and while it’s preferrable to play with a proper controller, we think that it’s still highly enjoyable in portable mode, even with the joy-cons still attached to the console. Overall this is a tough game, you’ll need to be patient and it’s not easy to just pick up and play it. If you love the survival genre, look no further and grab this one, you’ll certainly have fun with it!

PS4 Gameplay

Here we are, at the end of another episode of our Switch Hands-cons! Did any of these games catch your interest? If they did, then consider checking them out on the eShop!

If you’d like to try JYDGE or The Flame in the Flood yourself, just add a comment below and tell us your experience with the Nintendo Switch thusfar. We’ll give away 1 Switch eShop Code for each game. Giveaway ends December 1st midnight CET.