Mighty Switch Force is worth a look into for anyone who is trying to find a great game.
The premise of Mighty Switch Force is a rather simple one. You get control over Patricia Wagon, who is a police officer of sorts and you try to track down the Hooligan Sisters who have escaped your custody. To help you find the sisters you are armed with two things, a helmet that lets you switch blocks (Siren Helmet) and an energy pistol (Pellet Shooter). There really is not a huge story to this game, but I feel that the game really does not require one to make it good. What it has is good enough to set the game up.
As you probably could of guessed, the game's main game play mechanic is you switching blocks from the background to the foreground and vice versa. While they are in the background, you or an enemy can move through the block, as it acts like it is not even there. If you switch it while standing in front of it, you get crushed against the screen. The same goes for enemies if they happen to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Different kinds of blocks are introduced into the game like ones that will launch you or enemies and others that will not switch when you stand on them. With all of these different kinds of blocks, the game houses some very fun and interesting puzzles to beat. The game takes these puzzle elements and mixes it with a great deal of fast pace action platforming for some great levels. There is only one boss fight in the game and it is rather lackluster honestly. But the levels themselves make up for this fact.
In total, there are twenty-one levels, or incidents, to play through. The initial run through should not take you that long, two to three hours at most. Where the game gets you is to beat the levels as fast as you can and beat the set par times. This will take you a number of tries to learn the fastest way to find all five sisters and reach Corporal Gendarmor. Luckily, once you beat the final level, you unlock an upgrade for your gun that makes life so much easier. For me, it is always fun to replay a level and see if I can find a way to do it faster. People who speed run levels will be glad to know that there is a replay option in case to mess up, saving you a few seconds from having to go back to the main menu.
Mighty Switch Force also has some rather tight controls, which helps greatly when trying to beat a level as fast as possible. The real problem I had was when Patricia was falling or after being launched and I needed to switch blocks to either launch myself (again if the latter was true) or so I could save myself from a pit of spikes. Maybe that was more just my reaction time but I feel that timing can be hard to get.
Graphically, Mighty Switch Force is nicely done. The art style is rather interesting and fits well with the game. The character and enemy models are also well done. It is nice they gave each sister their own look, so it doesn't feel like your just going after the same person five times each level. The backgrounds for the levels also look nice. They help each level feel different, like there is one that is a subway and another that has a city on fire. At the end of each mission, you see a little scene which are fun and look nice (in both 2D and 3D), but over all do not add much to the game. Specking of 3D, it is rather good for this game. You can get that sense of multiple layers when the 3D is engaged Some times I will see a split image, but for the most part it is well done. I enjoy that the blocks actually look like they are in the background when you switch them. I also love the animation when you crush an enemy against the screen with a shifting block.
Possibility my favorite part of Mighty Switch Force has to be the soundtrack. It has a nice mix of different genres throughout and it is mostly deals with electronica, funk, chiptune, and even some metal. Each of the tracks are well done and they are all very catchy, even to the point where you will hum along with them. I believe my favorite has to be the one titled "Whoa I'm In Space Cuba" which can be heard in Incident 7. The soundtrack alone is enough to buy the game. The sound effects also sound great. There is some voice acting. When Patricia will start a level, pick up some health, or find one of the sisters she will say a little line. It sounds pretty good and it is nice a nice touch to the game.
Overall, Mighty Switch Force is a very fun game. While there is only twenty-one levels, each one is a blast to play through even if they are challenging on the first go around. The graphics and art style are nice as well, and the 3D is actually pretty good. The game really shines with its soundtrack. If you own a Nintendo 3DS and are looking for something to buy on the Nintendo eShop, or you love platformers or puzzle games, Mighty Switch Force is well worth a look into and is worth the price.