Game Review #431: Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewer: Chad M.

Developer: Pixel Reign

Publisher: KISS Publishing

Category: Action, Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle

Release Date: 8.1.2019

Price: $17.99

Buy Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

Cool Hand Robbie Gets It Done

The eShop gets overly crowded with generic clones of smash hits in all different genres, none more so than platformers. So half the times a new one comes across the desk I grin and bear it, hoping for the best. Games like Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mystery are the reason I still get excited about gaming, as developers can take a tried-and-true formula and make it feel fresh and new, as Pixel Reign has done with this game.

The game follows our lead, Robbie, a professional thief who’s looking for his next big payday. As he awakens in a mysterious room, he encounters a spirit who tells him he has to help save humanity—and of course, get paid in the process, as Robbie is still a slippery thief!

Robbie Swifthand & The Temple Of Doom

As a 2-D platformer, the game drops Robbie into dark caverns that gave me some serious Indiana Jones vibes, as razor sharp pendulums swung by, spikes shot out of the floor, stones fell from above, and swords thrust out all to murder me. I was seriously waiting for a giant boulder to come rolling out so I could make a run for it. The game is even promoting the difficulty levels and the fact that you’ll need two controllers, because you’re likely to smash the first one.

You have three difficulty settings: Not So Hard, Hard, and Insanity. I kept it on Hard, and it does it live up to its name, but I’ll leave Insanity for the true professionals out there—it’s hard enough when you get to your first boss fight! Plus, it gave me a Dark-Souls-and-Donkey-Kong-Country-had-a-baby feel when you’d see Robbie’s dead body floating where he died last, as if he was waiting for you to come back—and don’t worry, if you wonder how many times you died, the game happily reminds you of your death toll after every single fate you meet.

The controls are fairly straightforward. The only game mechanic that stuck out past normal platforming was that Robbie has to find an orb in each level and hit a certain marker to open the door to proceed further. Aside from the wealth of content in the way of levels, you also have the replay incentive to grab the hidden golden coins in each level. The game ran smoothly, and I was rather happy to see a platformer that wasn’t pixelated and had a rather good art style.

It’s A Wrap!

Robbie Swifthand is a fresh take on a very over-saturated genre, and the developers were able to make a game that, while I went in skeptical, I came out loving. And it has become a favorite for me this year. I highly recommend grabbing Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries and adding it to the collection.

Score: 8.5/10

Buy Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

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*Review code was provided for review purposes.