From Drinkbox Studios, the company that brought us the gem of Guacamelee comes Severed, a game that surprised us when it was released in the Nintendo Switch eShop. Although this game has been released on a variety of systems, such as the Wii U, 3DS, and Vita, is it worth buying on the Nintendo Switch?
As you begin, you find yourself in a mysterious world and playing as Sasha, a young lady that has lost one of her arms and her family. Your goal is to find out what has happened. After an interesting looking monster-thing gives you a sword, you are off into the gameplay. On your journey, you meet a few different characters. My biggest complaint is these characters are only on the screen for a short period of time. There really isn’t much character development, which disappoints me. I felt like I was battling things and searching around for almost no reason.
Severed is also impossible to play on your TV screen, because it relies entirely on the use of the touchscreen. You move your character through different screens, but in order to battle, you must use your finger to swipe at enemies. The challenge amps up in some battles; although, I will say it gets a little tiring. The design of the game has you holding your switch in one hand and using your other hand to swipe at the screen. I noticed after an hour of play time, my left hand was aching from holding up my Switch. I also noticed I got a little bored looking only at the map in the top right corner that shows me where I will go next. Because of this, I only glanced at the actual room I was in to see if I needed to slash anything to collect or fight any battles. I also wasn’t a big fan of the transition from room to room, especially if I needed to backtrack a little bit to go to some rooms that I may have missed.
The battles are a lot of fun though, at least at first. After a while, I got a little tired of them and was just dreading going into another battle. That probably affected my replay value more than my first time through, because I do believe it is a game that everyone should experience in some way because it is definitely a creative and unique game experience.
The graphics of Severed are absolutely beautiful. I love the richness of the colors; the blocky format works beautifully, and the creativity of the monsters is great to see. The mysteriousness of the setting draws you into the game as well. You want to keep exploring and finding new things throughout the world. It is a game that looks like it belongs on a Nintendo console, as its rich colors are truly something to see for yourself. In my opinion, the creativity of the characters and the beauty of the world, are two of the best things about this game.
The music and sound of this game are very ominous and wonderful. It fits the style of the game perfectly. You just want to turn up the volume and listen to the eerie sounds of the game. It truly brings the world to life and that is what I am always looking for in the music of a game.
I had not played any previous version of Severed, but after experiencing it once in my life, I don’t know how many times I will go back. The Nintendo Switch version doesn’t really offer anything more than the other versions because it is always a handheld game. You always play with the touch controls. The story is always the same even if you choose to take a different path first from the last time you played. The monsters have the same attacks. You always do the same things to collect the things after the battles with the monsters.
So, do I recommend you buy Severed for $15 in the US on the Nintendo Switch? While it is a great handheld game that should be experienced by everyone in some way, my response would be probably not. I would recommend it; however, the Switch version doesn’t really add anything to it. But if the Nintendo Switch is your only gaming device, you really want another game, you enjoy touch controls, and creative indie titles are games you enjoy: by all means, download Severed. The five hours or so you spend with it will not disappoint.
Final Score: 6/10
Joys:
- creative and fun
- beautiful graphics
- excellent soundtrack
- enjoyable gameplay for a while
Cons:
- lack of replay value
- gameplay gets old after a while
- lack of story and character development