Mighty Switch Force!
Developer(s)WayForward
Publisher(s)WayForward Technologies
  • JP: Intergrow
Director(s)Matt Bozon
Austin Ivansmith (Hyper Drive Edition)
Designer(s)Matt Bozon
Michael Herbster
Austin Ivansmith (Hyper Drive Edition)
Programmer(s)Larry Holdaway
Artist(s)Henk Nieborg
Composer(s)Jake Kaufman
SeriesMighty
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Windows
Release3DS
  • WW: December 22, 2011
  • JP: November 13, 2013[1]
Wii U
  • NA: November 18, 2012[2]
  • EU: December 6, 2012
  • AU: June 6, 2013
  • JP: September 10, 2014
Windows
  • WW: June 25, 2015
Genre(s)Puzzle-platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Mighty Switch Force! is a puzzle-platform game developed by WayForward Technologies for Nintendo 3DS. It is the third game in WayForward's Mighty series, following Mighty Flip Champs! and Mighty Milky Way. The game was released on the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2011.[3] An update to the game, including five new levels, was released on May 24, 2012.[4] A high-definition version, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition, was released for the Wii U in 2012, featuring re-drawn graphics and other new features.[5] A Steam version of the game was also released in June 2015.[6] A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, was released in June 2013.[7]

Plot

A group of convicts called the "Hooligan Sisters" escape custody on Planet Land. As they escape, one of them breaks open a canister, which causes Planet Land to become infested with monsters. The "Galactic Penal Squad" contacts "cybernetic peace officer" Patricia Wagon (voiced by Stephanie Komure), authorizing the use of her Siren Helmet and Pellet Shooter, in order to capture the criminals. Helping her along the way are General Gendarmor, a mechanical armor that can extract her from battles, Ugly Twitching Dog (U.T.D), who can create reload points, and HQ, who are monitoring her actions.[8]

Gameplay

The player controls a cyborg police officer named Patricia Wagon, who has to round up a group of escaped female convicts. The goal of each level is to find all the escaped convicts and return to the exit point as quickly as possible, with each level possessing a Par Time that dedicated speed runners can try and beat. Along with the ability to jump and shoot, Patricia is able to push in and out blocks dotted around the stage with her "Siren Helmet", using them as platforms or a means to destroy certain enemies. There are also various other types of blocks such as launcher blocks that send Patricia or an enemy in a certain direction and colored blocks that allow the player to change which plane they switch on. During each level, the player has three hearts called "Heart Drives",[8] with the player losing one heart if Patricia is hurt by an enemy, comes into contact with spikes or is pushed into the screen by a block change (Checkpoints created allow Patricia to respawn at that point in the case of the latter two). If Patricia loses all three hearts, she will have to start the level over. Throughout the level she can collect floppy disks which restore hearts, either by finding them, or from shooting enemies.

Development

The game was released for the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2011. A free update to the game was released in May 2012, featuring five new levels, improved 3D effects and the option to restart the level.[4] In the same year, WayForward developed Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition as a downloadable title for the Wii U. The game features redrawn graphics similar in style to A Boy and His Blob, and also features off-screen game play with the Wii U GamePad, as well as the downloadable content from the Nintendo 3DS update.[5] New to this version of the game is also the inclusion of Hyper Mode levels, which remaster all previous levels making them even harder. The game was released in conjunction with Wii U's American launch on November 18, and in Europe on December 6.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[27][28][29] IGN praised the 3DS version's gameplay and presentation but criticized its short length.[17]

Legacy

A sequel, Mighty Switch Force! 2, which has a focus on firefighting, was released for Nintendo 3DS in June 2013.[30][31] This was followed by a puzzle game spin-off title, Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down! A third game, Mighty Switch Force! Academy, was released in November 2015 for PC and features multiplayer elements.[32] A downloadable content pack for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero adds an additional story campaign featuring character costumes and gameplay mechanics from Mighty Switch Force.[33] A collection titled Mighty Switch Force! Collection, which includes Mighty Switch Force!, Mighty Switch Force! 2, Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition and Mighty Switch Force! Academy was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 25, 2019, and for Amazon Luna on November 24, 2020.[34][35]

References

  1. ^ "マイティー スイッチ フォース!". Nintendo Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Fletcher, JC (September 26, 2012). "Wii U launch supported by 23 day-one releases in North America". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Dillard, Corbie (December 15, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force Gets Release Date". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Fahey, Mike (May 24, 2012). "One of the Best Downloadable 3DS Games Gets a Little Better in This Week's Nintendo Download". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Matulef, Jeffrey (July 3, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force HD makes the switch to Wii U". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  6. ^ "Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition". Steam. Valve. June 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  7. ^ "Mighty Switch Force 2 Is On The Way". ScrewAttack. ScrewAttack Entertainment LLC. February 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Mighty Switch Force digital manual, December 22, 2011. WayForward Technologies.
  9. ^ Otero, Jose (December 30, 2011). "Review: Mighty Switch Force Proves the Value of Superb Level Design". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Ponce, Tony (December 24, 2011). "Review: Mighty Switch Force". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  11. ^ Carter, Chris (November 20, 2012). "Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  12. ^ Edge staff (January 4, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force review". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  13. ^ Donlan, Christian (January 9, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  14. ^ "Review: Mighty Switch Force!". GamesMaster. Future plc. March 2012. p. 97.
  15. ^ "Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (Wii U)". GamesMaster. Future plc. February 2013. p. 89.
  16. ^ Sanchez, David (December 8, 2012). "Review: Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition on Wii U is challenging, charming, and cheery". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Nix, Marc (December 23, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  18. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (November 19, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition Review (Wii U)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  19. ^ Dillard, Corbie (December 22, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force! Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  20. ^ Walker, Joe (November 25, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. ^ Miller, Zachary (December 24, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force!". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  22. ^ Miller, Zachary (November 20, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  23. ^ East, Thomas (December 24, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  24. ^ East, Thomas (January 2013). "Mighty Switch Force Hyper Drive Edition review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. p. 111. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  25. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (January 16, 2012). "Mighty Switch Force". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  26. ^ Jenkins, David (December 23, 2011). "Mighty Switch Force! review - downloadable justice". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Mighty Switch Force! for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  28. ^ a b "Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  29. ^ a b "Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  30. ^ Caoili, Eric (March 20, 2013). "Mighty Switch Force 2 screens". Tiny Cartridge. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  31. ^ WayForward [@WayForward] (February 24, 2013). ". @IvanDashSmith just spilled the beans on Sup Holmes, Mighty Switch Force 2 is on its way! Should see more on this in the coming weeks. :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Jenni (August 25, 2015). "Mighty Switch Force! Academy Adds Co-op To The Series". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  33. ^ Wong, Alistair (April 4, 2018). "Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's Costume Pack Comes Out On April 10, 2018". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  34. ^ Romano, Sal (Jun 27, 2019). "Mighty Switch Force! Collection announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  35. ^ New on Luna+: Mighty Switch Force! Collection, archived from the original on 2022-12-18, retrieved 2022-12-18

External links

Mighty series by WayForward
Categories