Never Breakup
Nintendo Switch

Developed By : ISVR
Published By : indienova
Category : Platformer, Puzzle, Party
Release Date : July 16, 2020

If I’m being completely honest, when I was claiming this code after the previous game I played for the site, which was a visual novel, I expected this to be one too, with a very love-focused story. However, I don’t think I could have been more wrong. Never Breakup on the Nintendo Switch throws it’s hat into the ring with another co-op platformer forcing you to work together and keep close proximity. But, is it worth even keeping this game in close proximity to your Switch console?

Looking for a story? Don’t bother on this one, you won’t even find a hint of one. The “premise” is quite simple, either you alone or you and another player will play as a ball version of an animal. These two animals are connected by a tether that can’t be severed. Through each of the game’s levels you’ll need to get your pair to the end where there is a bowl waiting for you to jump into.

The levels are typically pretty small, and there aren’t many in the game. You’ll play across six chapters, each with seven levels, so if you’re good at navigating the game’s obstacles this title won’t take you long at all. Occasionally there will be some enemies you’ll need to take out, but mostly you’ll be dealing with the levels themselves. Spike traps to avoid, wall-less edges threatening your doom, and so many more. You’ll have a decent amount of puzzles thrown your way too, like switches that operate moving platforms and doors, but the challenge these present is very minimal and telegraphed extensively.

Never Breakup is fully playable solo, so don’t feel like you need to track someone down to play with. If you go it alone, you’re given the ability to switch between animal balls, or controlling both simultaneously. Each one can jump, temporarily pin itself to the ground, and even retract the tether if say, one has fallen off a ledge and needs to be pulled back up. You can also use one animal to inhale the other and then fire them out as a projectile, dealing with the few enemies you’ll run into or to solve some puzzles.

This isn’t the first game I’ve played with this gimmick of controlling two characters, and it also isn’t the game I’d recommend with this gimmick. Many times while I was playing, the controls felt very sluggish and chunky. I would try and jump from one ledge to another only to get no response from my animal and simply roll off the edge and die.

Never Breakup starts off pretty enjoyable at first, but before you’re out of the first world things get a little stale. The only extra “challenge” is finding a trophy located in each stage, but these aren’t much work at all. Even when you make it to the second world, the new obstacles in your path aren’t interesting enough to breathe new life. Like I mentioned before, there are other games with a similar work-together mechanic, and you would do right to choose one of them before this one.